In search of new wedding ring

[thegiftwhiz]

My husband and I are looking to upgrade my ring. We started with a 1/2 carat marquise diamond which at the time was within budget and was great. I have since had 3 kids and am looking for a roughly 3 carat diamond.
Here''s what I know...I have read all the things to look for in a diamond and can appreciate that but I am more concerned with size (i think) then how flawless the diamond is to the naked eye or even under magnification.
Please let me know if you think I am wrong in my thinking. If size is the main concern what next?
I have narrowed my search to a local jeweler and was prepared to save the 12-14 thousand dollars it was going to cost for a middle of the road 3+ carat round diamond. Subsequently I did a search at another so called "straight from the manufacturer" diamond company. They have non-certified 3+ carat diamonds for under $5000. Does this necessarily mean they are a joke and not even worth the almost 5K I would fork over for them?
12-14K is not out of my reach but we have more pressing issues on the homefront (all new floors, cars that are paid for but may expire in the next couple of years, 3 kids to take care of etc...) $5000 is much more reasonable for me and could be paid in cash instead of financing over a year.
I would appreciate any and all thoughts.
So to sum it up...if size matters to me do I compromise cut/clarity/&color for carat?

Thanks for your help!!!

 

[woobug02]

Tell us about the stone... Do you know the color or clarity? Is it a RB or Marquise???? Have you taken the stone out side to look at it? Did you look at it under a loop??? Sorry I have so many questions but we had a jewler talk us into a large marquise stone about 3 years ago that was already set and once we got it outside it was evident the stone was low quality... I kept it for two years but I was really unhappy.... Big isn''t always better.... I learned the hard way....

Now don''t get me wrong...you may have found a fabulous deal... WOOOOOOOOOOOOO Just be careful...$5000.00 could get you a beautiful stone at Whiteflash and you could keep upgrading until you were at your 3.0 ct mark WOOOOO

 

[enbcfsobe]

If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is, and both of those prices sound too good for a 3ct, at least if we are talking about a round. The shape of the stone does make a difference -- rounds are generally more expensive. Make sure you can see anything in person before you are tied down to a deal -- you want the diamond to do its job (sparkle!! -- that''s what you''re paying $$$/carat for!). Another option that falls in between is looking for a great 3-stone ring. If you go for H-J SI1-SI2, I bet you could get somewhere close to a carat on three stones within your budget.

 

[surfgirl]

giftwhiz, I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news but...If you have other more pressing financial needs (and it seems you certainly do) then I think you need to accept that you cannot afford a 3ct ring. I think you should FIRST set a budget. If $5k is what you can afford - in total - for the ring, then look for the best stone you can within that budget. To be honest, even $12-14k isn't going to get you into a good quality 3 ct. stone, IMO. Personally, I think cut and color are the most important but I also like a stone with good clarity. But $5k for a 3ct stone? No freak'in way. If it sounds too good to be true, it is. Period.

 

[chrono]

As much as we hate to admit it, a diamond is a luxury item that is only purchased with extra money. Since you have other more important financial commitments and can afford $5K easily, that''s the budget I would recommend you to set. $5K will get you a very nice well cut & sparkly 1 carat stone. If you chose a vendor that has a liberal upgrade policy, you can upgrade your stone whenever you have the spare cash and before you know it, you''ll have hit the 3 carat mark. It''s no use trying to go only for size as the top priority while sacrificing the other Cs because what you''ll end up with is a stone that might look yellow (too low colour), have huge black inclusions (too low clarity) and appear dead (bad cut = no sparkle = like frozen spit).

 

[phoenixgirl]

There is no way that you can get a quality 3 carat diamond for 5 thousand dollars. You can barely get a quality 1 carat for that much! It will be laser drilled or terribly included or P color or something like that.

Example: 2.99 ct. G I2 with poor cut for $5k

Here''s a stone I would look into in your position:

2.50 K SI1 GIA excellent offered for just under $14k (with PS discount) by three different vendors here. I wouldn''t want to push color and clarity too much further. With an excellent cut (scores 1.8 on the HCA which I got from looking up its GIA cert #15778327) and GIA grading for the color and clarity, I think it will be a beautiful stone within your budget. Getting a 3 carat might be difficult, but a poorly cut 3 carat will look smaller than a well cut 2.5 carat. And hey, didn''t your math teacher teach you to round anything .5 and above up a number?

 

[enbcfsobe]

Date: 7/10/2007 4:40:06 PM
Author: phoenixgirl
There is no way that you can get a quality 3 carat diamond for 5 thousand dollars. You can barely get a quality 1 carat for that much! It will be laser drilled or terribly included or P color or something like that.

Example: 2.99 ct. G I2 with poor cut for $5k

Here''s a stone I would look into in your position:

2.50 K SI1 GIA excellent offered for just under $14k (with PS discount) by three different vendors here. I wouldn''t want to push color and clarity too much further. With an excellent cut (scores 1.8 on the HCA which I got from looking up its GIA cert #15778327) and GIA grading for the color and clarity, I think it will be a beautiful stone within your budget. Getting a 3 carat might be difficult, but a poorly cut 3 carat will look smaller than a well cut 2.5 carat. And hey, didn''t your math teacher teach you to round anything .5 and above up a number?

Wow -- that 2.99 is scary looking from the top. It doesn''t even look like a diamond.

 

[kcoursolle]

5k sounds waaay too good to be true for a nice 3+ carat stone.

I wouldn''t sacrifice on cut quality no matter what you do. How well a stone is cut best determines it''s sparkle and overall appearance. You could easily sacrifice in color/clarity and get a J/SI2 stone to save some money.

 

[Lynn B]

Believe me, I am a total SIZE girl, too... but there''s just NO WAY I''d EVER sacrifice CUT to get size alone. When you sacrifice cut, you lose BEAUTY... and without beauty and SPARKLE, what''s the point of *BIG*?

I agree with the posters above... if 5K is your budget, then that''s your budget. It''s a very respectable

budget, make it work for you. Get the best stone you can for the money, and be sure to buy from a vendor with a trade-up policy so that you can work your way up to 3 carats one day.

Keeping cut as your number #1 priority, you might get lucky and find a killer J or K, totally eyeclean SI stone, and that would help you put more of your money toward SIZE.

 

[In the rough]

I definitely agree with Chrono. I know it is not what you want right now, but if you go for an amazing 1 ct diamond it will be bigger than the one you have now and it will sparkle like heck if you go with an excellent cut. If interested, check out an ACA White Flash diamond. A lot of people on here recommend GOG and JA as well. They all have upgrade policies and you are sure to pay less for more than what you would at a B&M. Good luck...

 

[phoenixgirl]

The upgrade idea is brilliant!

WhiteFlash has a great upgrade policy. You can get a stone like this 1.18 I SI1 GIA excellent (priced at $4846 when you ask for the PriceScope discount) or this 1.17 K SI1 H&A diamond (from their A Cut Above collection, priced at $4513 with the PS discount), and then when you have $2k more to spend, you trade it in for something like this 1.51 J SI1, and so on.

GoodOldGold also has a good trade up policy. So you could get a stone like this 1.58 L VVS1 (scores a 2.3 on the HCA, and with its low depth percentage it looks like the average 1.75ct!), and then trade up later for something like this 2.03 J SI2 H&A. GOG also has an interesting selection of bargain diamonds . . . search for colors K through P or I1 clarity for examples. Make sure it says "lifetime guarantee" if you're looking to upgrade later.

Boy, this is fun! I need to get me an upgradeable stone!