Ignorant fool pleads for mercy from diamond erudite

[nohica]

OK, here’s the deal. I have poured over this fantastic site full of experts and have come to the conclusion that, while I believed myself to be fairly educated and intelligent, I am not. While this was disappointing to learn of myself, I can only plead to you experts for help (and be grateful I don’t have to buy diamonds everyday!)

My gf and I purchased a home last year and have done well to keep out of any debt. She is working on her Master’s and I am just a regular working stiff. This to say that my budget for the rock is only $4000 (I know, I am small potatoes around here, but she would not want us to go into debt either.) So this is what I have saved.

I am looking to purchase from Whiteflash, as they seem to be reputable and well regarded around here. I was hoping for a 1ct. round cut, and to be blunt, the best 1ct round cut I can get for $4k. When I ran a search, however, there were a LOT of options. Anyone willing to offer their advice as how to get the most for what I have? She means the world to me

and I want to do this right.

 

[Patty]

Does your $4000 budget include the setting? Are you thinking of a solitaire?

 

[strmrdr]

erudite??
Should I be insulted?
Thats one thing iv never been called.....
I think if someone called me that in person Id deck em!!!

fyi: just funnin with ya a little.
Did anyone else have to look it up too?

 

[nohica]

Patty, sorry 'bout the lack of info, I didn't want to ramble.

No, this is my budget for the diamond itself. I was thinking of a solitaire, but did wonder if it would be too small? I have always been a fan of 'less is more' but don't want it to look bad.

 

[reena]

hi nohica!

do not worry, a 1 carat solitaire will not look "bad", it will be gorgeous! i'm sure the RB experts will be able to help you find a nice stone.

(and no, storm, i didn't have to look it up.

)

 

[Patty]

I think a one carat solitaire would be beautiful and not small at all! You might consider some of Whiteflash's "expert selection" stones. They are a little less expensive than their ACA stones. I looked there and also at SuperbCert's site and the one carats I'm seeing now for about $4000 are J and K colors. Several people here have been happy with J colored diamonds and even K. It depends on how sensitive you and your future bride are. Would a hint of color in the stone bother you?

 

[wonka27]

First of all, sir, you are intelligent because you are here. Many of us have had an awakening concerning diamonds because of this site! The people, vendors, and professionals are great to talk with and the tutorial information is second to none!

The people around here are crazy for "ideal cut" diamonds, meaning, the diamonds are of the tipity top of the mountain when it comes to light return and visual beauty. There are many excellent vendors to choose from around here!

I am concerned that 4K might not be enough to get you in a carat (given the idea you want an "ideal"), unless you really really want to sacrifice color/clarity to get the carat! So ultimately you will need to decide what is most important to you a smaller fantastic cut with colorless/near colorless color and "eye-clean" clarity, or getting the bigger (1 ct) diamond with more like tinted color and noticeable inclusions (probably talking "I" clarity).

I was in a similar boat as you. Had $5000 to do the whole deal, including setting. The vendor I choose had a 1 ct I SI1 diamond for $5000, so I was willing to stretch the extra couple hundred for the setting. In the end I decided on a .79 H SI1 and got her a pair of ideal cut diamond stud earrings and pendant!

Tell us more about what you want...color/clarity ranges, and I'm sure many will look around for you to try and help you out!

 

[alexah]

Not sure if this 1.017 J SI2 is eyeclean - you'd have to ask WF to pull it and tell you.... this is what $4K will get you at WF if you're looking for a ACA stone (don't forget to mention PS to get a discount).

If you're not looking for an ideal H&A from WF, you can go up in color/clarity. Best bet is looking at their expert selection (I didn't see any >1 ct that fit your budget but maybe you'll find something close enough)...

 

[alexah]

Mark at Engagement Rings Direct has really great prices/customer service. If you ask him about these stones, he'll run sarins on the worthwhile/eyeclean one(s)...

1.04 I SI2 for $3672

1.04 J SI1 for $3935

1.02 J SI1 w faint fluor for $3521

 

[nohica]

Wow! I am overwhelmed by the immediate assistance. I realized as the rest of my work day progressed, I was very unfair to all of you. To just randomly ask for "help" was impracticle and probably annoying. But I appreciate the help and suggestions (I have looked at the all).

I am going to go through these tonight with aid from the tutorial and narrow down my questions to specifics.

Thanks for the suggestions and patience (...and humor strmrdr!)

 

[Jennifer5973]

Erudite is one of my favorite words...and no one ever uses it. I used it at work once and nobody--including my superiors--knew what it meant. Ouch--we are "commuications" people.

You have gotten some great leads here...go with a well cut stone and play with color (G,H,j) and eye-clean SI1-2 clarity--it can be done!

Good luck and keep us posted!

 

[valeria101]

Just one bit more:

If 1.05cts is a "one carat" diamond, so is a 0.95cts one, right?
Not to mention they'd have actually the same size (and milimeters show and brilliance shows rather than the second decimal of the carat weight

).

So, here's a bunch more. I would not try to convince someone off the bat that K is colorless - if one looks with passion for a white diamond, than K might not be "white". I like them, but this is not for me and from to K is some distance. It seems that the safe bet (unless buying for yourself) stops at J. It may be a very good idea to look at a couple of diamonds in whatever shop to tell these aprt. What looks white to you, will likely look white to most, and that's what counts. Grades are best used for pricing, IMO.


The result of the ranting above may fit one o these: 0.93cts H-VS2 or 0.9 G-VS2 (the 0.9 is actually bigger by diameter).

What do you have in mind for a setting? It's pretty often mentioned here that a temp one does great since this gives the "wearer" some choice over what the ring looks like. Does this fit your plans?

 

[nohica]

This is amazing, I am so glad I posted. Between the tutorial and the advice, I have to admit this is becoming fun! (Beats hyperventilating in a paper bag for the last 3 months)

Thanks for more examples…I like them all and am learning to use them to do a little searching of my own. So a few easy (for you) questions:

1. I am now finding quite a few sites that seem to all have good deals and appear reputable. My original post stated my desire to purchase from Whiteflash, and I was told they discount for this site. How does that work and should it influence my decision?

2. I enjoy running the numbers on the Holloway Cut Adviser (HAC). How much should I let this influence my decision?

3. I am thinking she would like a platinum setting, but still unsure about with or without baguets. (As I stated above, I think less is more, but it is not my ring.) The question is how much leeway do I have with color if set in platinum?

 

[valeria101]

----------------
On 9/2/2004 1:03:29 AM nohica wrote:



1. ... I was told [Whiteflash] discounts for this site. How does that work and should it influence my decision?

2. ... How much should I let (the HCA) influence my decision?

3. ... I am thinking she would like a platinum setting, but still unsure about
----------------

Of course this is just one opinion (and one that I believe would get at leats some votes around here) point by point:

#1: I think there was a slight confusion about their PS discount. The prices listed for Whiteflash diamonds on the Pricescope search engine for diamonds with known HCA scores are a bit less than what you get listed on the website. This difference ay be just related to the means of payment (wire vs credit card, or such). Of course, you cna count on the lower price, since it is listed.

#2: The HCA's instructions advose that scores above too are good for a first selection, but pictures and direct light return tests (such as the Ideal Scope's) are more precise. I would not look beyond this precision, since the numbers available for a diamond are not all that precise (Sarin measurememts vary a bit and the numbers on a cert are averages...). SO staying above 2 is "safe" for a guess by numbers. The HCA does not replace totally the need to see the diamonds and/or have direct tests done on them.

If you do use the search engine for diamodns with hCA scores, you may wnat to look for the top two cut categories "very good" and "excellent". I would still consider seriously a diamond with this HCA a tad below two, as long as everythig else (Ideal Scope included) is nice.

#3: Would a simple setting do? If you do choose to go for a very brilliant diamond with some shade of color (say, K) - than I would mention that the respective tint will be much more visible from the sides of the stone - so I would not place it in a super high, opened setting (think, 6 prong, lower set). Otherwise, I would not refrain to use platinum, given the size (around 1ct) and color (down to k) of diamonds mentioned here.
If you do go for side stones, I would think of two things to keep in mind: one - the sides may need to match the color of the center stone but the baguette cut does show more tint than any round, and two - would the little sides require saving on the overall quality of the platinum work? The first choice is really anybody's guess IMO, but I would think seriously of the second.

Well, hope this helps

Good luck hunting

 

[nohica]

Thanks for all of the help! Based upon the examples you've given, my understanding of the tutorial, and the ideas concerning cost vs. carats, here are two I am considering:

0.9 G VS2
0.803 F SI2 ACA/H&A

I know they are "cheap" around here. I found out from her sister that she would prefer specific setting and so I am trying to adjust my budget to accommodate. Needless to say, what I can do is what I can do.

So, moving on...

I would love to know what you think of these. I decided the "carat on paper" was not as important as quality, and I think these are good quality. Any opinions?

 

[aljdewey]

All day long....hands down....pick the .80 F.

The .80 is cut to ideal proportions; the .90 isn't. The difference shows in the ideal scopes.

The .80 is going to BLAZE like mad, and that's what you want in a diamond.

Good luck!