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Is a 3/4 ct. diamond more appropriate for me?

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Babylon1023

Rough_Rock
Joined
May 28, 2002
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After all this debate over color and cut I never thought I'd be revisiting this again, but as some on the chat room have said perhaps it's for my own good. For a while I thought I really wanted a one carat stone and that I wouldn't waver on that lest I feel like I'm shortchanging the opportunity to get something really spectacular. However, it seems that many feel that I've not been listening to common sense about this and that I ought to think it over. I want to share my situation and reasoning with you all to see what you think, and please be honest.

I originally decided on a one carat stone for several reasons. First of all, my girlfriend has a size nine finger which would seem to dwarf the smaller size diamonds. Also, when I first got interested in e-rings, I made the decision (some say mistake) of going into jewelry stores with her to look at some rings to see what she liked. First we started with the crappy mall stores with their lifeless diamonds, just to see them. The smallest size diamond she really liked (and the smallest that looked big in proportion to her hand) was the 3/4 carat. She liked it and seemed happy. Then she tried on their one carat ring and her face lit up noticably more than with the 3/4 carat. She loved it, which was a blessing and a curse for me. It really did look good on her though.

Next we went to Kay Jewelers to see their Leo diamonds, which while not up to H&A standards, were considerably sparklier than the lifeless standard junk. I don't think she even tried on the 1ct b/c the damn thing was $7-8k. She tried on the 3/4 ct rock and was amazed at the color and light. I got the feeling that, given the choice, she would take a firey 3/4 rock over a 1ct junker any day, but somehow I think she still wanted a 1ct size.

So I don't know what to do. Somewhere along the line my ego said that she would be considerably more impressed with a 1ct ideal stone than a 3/4ct one, that somehow a 1ct sounded better and was something of a milestone people strive for. On the other hand, I'll only be 22 at the time making $12/hr, and I don't know if buying such a spectacular and expensive thing so early is a bold act of love and compassion or an ego centered act of lunacy. There's at least a $1-2k difference between the two, and I'm starting to wonder if there is any really legitimate reason I should get the full carat given my situation. Some would say and I'm starting to agree that spending $5-6 thousand dollars for an engagement ring at my age is ridiculous, meaningless, and out of place for a young engagment for a living at home middle class joe. I mean I COULD afford to do it, I am saving up money in a special ring account that will have about 5k by the end of next year, but I wonder if it's really worth it or whether she'll be at all disappointed with a 3/4ct. or a .8x. Also, spending that much would leave NOTHING extra between now and then in my life savings account, meaning every penny of my savings money would go to financing a one carat diamond (whereas a 3/4ct rock would leave me with 2K extra for the marriage and life after)! With that in mind, a 3/4 rock isn't small or average by anybody's opinion, is it? Can you even tell it apart from a standard 1 ct diamond if it's cut that good? While I sit back on the psychiatric couch and ponder this I'd love your opinions on this latest matter. Is a 3/4 ct rock more appropriate for a young early twenties marriage paid for by part time hourly wages, or should I try to get the 1ct now while I can afford it? Thanks guys, you're the greatest..
 
Good to see you back Babylon, I've missed you! Well, another thought provoking question and again, one with no REAL answer. My future hubby will be in the same position as you (except maybe not quite $5K in the bank). Personally, I think it makes more sense to go for the .75. I am just like any other girl in the world. I would LOVE to have a larger diamond, but I would much rather be able to live a little more comfortably and not have to scrape to pay for stuff we need. I would say, go for a .80-.89 or so. It's not a .75 but it's not quite 1.0 either. You can do that on your budget and have some left over. Not that you were considering it, but definitely don't sacrifice cut for size. Make sure you stay in the lower depth % and you will have a larger looking diamond anyway. A .85 may look more like a 1c in that case. To sum things up, just be sensible. Present it in a special way and she won't be disappointed. Again, good luck in your search. I think all the time and effort you are putting in to the education part of it says a lot about you and how you feel about your woman.:love:

:wavey:
 
Your thoughts are in the right place. No sense breaking the bank - marriage is tough enough (especially that first year) w/o adding economic stress to the mix. I would be more inclined to stay w/ a well cut stone (perhaps just outside of ideal) of I color/ SI1 w/ moderate to medium blue flouresence in the close to 1 carat range (just shy - like 85- 90 points). JMHO - but you will be able to afford a larger stone w/in these parameters and to the untrained eye will seem just fine. Good luck.
 
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