Input on diamond purchase

[calyzoo]

Hi all,

I've been visiting nearby jewelers and browsing the forums doing research before buying an engagement ring. My girlfriend has her heart set on a band which can accommodate up to a 1 ct round. The jeweler quoted me a couple options for stones and I realized I can find much better quality diamonds online for the same price or less.

I live in British Columbia Canada and sourcing a quality diamond at a reasonable price locally is proving to be difficult. Does anyone have any recommendations for reputable vendors in Canada that are comparable to Whiteflash/others? With the Canadian dollar so low right now I'd be looking at 1.41x (currency conversion and tax) the USD price listed with an american vendor. Or do you think it is still worthwhile importing from the states? With Whiteflash's bank wire transfer discount I would be looking at about 1.37x the listed US price.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[tyty333]

I cant give you any Canadian jewelers because I'm in the US but I can tell you that there are still Canadians buying in the US even
with the bad dollar. I think the last person said 1.3x but I guess its gotten worse?

If you give us your specs...we can find you some good stones so you can see what they're going to cost if you buy in the US.

 

[calyzoo]

Thanks for the quick reply! Taxes vary province to province so the cost to import goods can vary depending on where you are.

I've been talking to Brittany at Whiteflash and she's been great with giving me options and advice on loose diamonds. She's helped me narrow it down to 3 which I've attached images for (hopefully I attached it properly...). They all face up nearly the same size while ct weight are largest starting from #3 (right), 1, then 2. The first and second both of clarity of VS2 while color is H and G respectively. The first two are also very similar in price. The third one however, is I, SI1 at about $700 less than the other two. They are all eye clean ideal cut ACA diamonds.

I went to a local jeweler the other day and compared an I with a G and didn't seem to notice any difference in warmth. Based on the ideal scope, ASET, and hearts images attached what are your thoughts?



Thanks!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I think I'd choose the second one. I like the cut of it best, plus G color is really nice (so is H but I like the G better). VS2 is also less risky when buying out of the country. I just prefer VS for an engagement ring, anyway.

 

[chrono]

Throw a dart and choose. You cannot go wrong with any so it boils down to your personal preference (size, colour, clarity, budget and etcetera).