Is it worth the worry on a <1.0 carat diamond

[IndecisiveGirl]

We are trying to get a custom ring made, and it has already taken us a long time to get as far as deciding on the design of the ring. We have decided to go with a local jeweler to get the ring design made as it is easier to discuss what we actually want. We live in a smallish town, so there are only a few jewelers, and no diamond brokers.

One decision we are trying to make is whether to buy a diamond from the jeweler, or to buy online. We are looking for a princess cut diamond in the 0.8-1.0 carat range. I really want the diamond to sparkle, I''ve looked at all the numbers etc., but really it is hard to know if it is going to look good without seeing it, right? The thing is that in our price range (~$3000 for the diamond) it seems like you can get a better quality-rated diamond than what we are offered through the local jewelers. I understand that the local jeweler has to take a cut, but it seems to be enough to push us either out of our price range or out of our desired outcome.

I have spent ages looking online, looking up charts and numbers etc., and wondering about buying online and getting it set locally. There is the dilemma of the price, security, what it really looks like, and of course the ''dangers'' with setting an out-sourced stone to weigh up.

I guess what I am wondering is, am I spending too much time wondering about all these things for this size of stone...is ''getting the best deal'' and doing all the outside appraisal stuff etc., only worthwhile if you are shelling out for a larger diamond.

Should I just find something ''pretty'' and be happy...I feel like the local jeweler only shows a couple of diamonds, and tries to ''figure you out,'' hence only offering you what they think you want, in the price they want to give you.

Specifics (I think I''ve narrowed it down), if you can call them that are 0.8-1.0 carat, VS2-SI1, G/H, princess cut (with good sparkley/fire cut)

 

[neatfreak]

No you are not worrying too much and it TOTALLY is worth it for diamonds that are less than a carat! Try Whiteflash''s line of ACA princess cuts. They are superb and provide you with everything you need to purchase.

 

[kcoursolle]

I personally do think it''s important to think about these things for a stone 1 carat or under. It may be *especially* important because you want to get the biggest/best stone and setting you can for your budget, since you don''t have a lot of extra money to waste. 3k is still a great budget that will go pretty far online!!

Personally, I strongly recommend going the online route through jamesallen, whiteflash, or goodoldgold. Your money will go farther and as you mentioned you can probably find better quality for the price. I have created numerous custom made pieces online that I am extremely happy with and I think it is fairly easy to do this long distance as long as you are specific about what you want. I did a custom piece *once* with a local jeweler and it went poorly...I was treated much better with the online vendors and their quality was better...

 

[IndecisiveGirl]

Date: 7/10/2008 6:45:03 PM
Author: kcoursolle
I personally do think it''s important to think about these things for a stone 1 carat or under. It may be *especially* important because you want to get the biggest/best stone and setting you can for your budget, since you don''t have a lot of extra money to waste. 3k is still a great budget that will go pretty far online!!


Personally, I strongly recommend going the online route through jamesallen, whiteflash, or goodoldgold. Your money will go farther and as you mentioned you can probably find better quality for the price. I have created numerous custom made pieces online that I am extremely happy with and I think it is fairly easy to do this long distance as long as you are specific about what you want. I did a custom piece *once* with a local jeweler and it went poorly...I was treated much better with the online vendors and their quality was better...

So...are you saying that you think it would be better to go with an online vendor for the ring design also...as well as the diamond? Presumably you can''t get a wax made when you do it via online?

 

[choro72]

If you search the vendors that they have recommended you, you will find that they excel in their ring design process as well. Great customer service, and they will work with your budget. They will give you a CAD design of your ring, and maybe a photograph of the wax as well (not too sure about the wax part, but definitely CAD). Give it a try!

 

[kcoursolle]

Date: 7/10/2008 6:56:03 PM
Author: IndecisiveGirl

Date: 7/10/2008 6:45:03 PM
Author: kcoursolle
I personally do think it''s important to think about these things for a stone 1 carat or under. It may be *especially* important because you want to get the biggest/best stone and setting you can for your budget, since you don''t have a lot of extra money to waste. 3k is still a great budget that will go pretty far online!!


Personally, I strongly recommend going the online route through jamesallen, whiteflash, or goodoldgold. Your money will go farther and as you mentioned you can probably find better quality for the price. I have created numerous custom made pieces online that I am extremely happy with and I think it is fairly easy to do this long distance as long as you are specific about what you want. I did a custom piece *once* with a local jeweler and it went poorly...I was treated much better with the online vendors and their quality was better...

So...are you saying that you think it would be better to go with an online vendor for the ring design also...as well as the diamond? Presumably you can''t get a wax made when you do it via online?

Yes, I suggest you might as well do both online. This way your stone is covered when they set it in case something happens. Online vendors are often easy to work with long distance and their prices and quality are often better than local jewelers. Yes, you can also have waxes made and CAD images as well. You can aprove the CADS and waxes before casting the ring and make changes if necessary.

Here are a couple of threads that might be of interest to you. This one is a ppt I sent to WF to give them the specific idea of what I wanted for a custom ring so that there wasn''t any confusion about the design: https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/ppt-slides-for-a-custom-wedding-band.54948/

Here is the thread about my ring that also includes the waxes: https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/my-wf-5-stone-u-shaped-amazing-wedding-band.54795/

 

[marchswallowbird]

I bought my 1 ct. ACA princess stone from Whiteflash sight unseen, relying solely on their photos, published info, and conversations with their gemologists about the color and quality of the stone. My stone is breathtaking. When I had it appraised, the appraiser mentioned the stone''s great sparkle and said there were no dead spots. I wouldn''t be afraid of purchasing sight-unseen online from one of the PS-recommended vendors. The vendors will all work with you to make sure you are comfortable with your purchase.

 

[kcoursolle]

It looks like WF''s stock of princesses is pretty low right now, but I did find this beauty that is well within your budget: http://www.whiteflash.com/princess/Princess-cut-diamond-1134460.htm#

You can also get a small discount since you are a pricescope member.

 

[smithy617]

this is just my advice to you....
don''t spent too much money on the setting. Settings get damage or old and needs to be replace (or resize) in the future.
spent more money on the diamond

 

[IndecisiveGirl]

Date: 7/10/2008 8:29:53 PM
Author: kcoursolle
It looks like WF''s stock of princesses is pretty low right now, but I did find this beauty that is well within your budget: http://www.whiteflash.com/princess/Princess-cut-diamond-1134460.htm#


You can also get a small discount since you are a pricescope member.

Yes unfortunately there don''t seem to be many around. I did find one on GOG also. I found several on James Allen and I just wanted to say thanks for all those suggestions. I really like on the James Allen site that there is the photo with the magnifier gadget, that is neat.

Quick Q though, is it my imagination or is it just the photos, in the Whiteflash one the stone looks really ''white'' I looked at several on the James Allen site, not just in my range but higher grades also and they all looked ''yellower'' not in a bad way, just in a more rich color way...anyone else noticed this.

 

[IndecisiveGirl]

Date: 7/10/2008 7:01:56 PM
Author: kcoursolle

Date: 7/10/2008 6:56:03 PM

Author: IndecisiveGirl

Date: 7/10/2008 6:45:03 PM

Author: kcoursolle

I personally do think it''s important to think about these things for a stone 1 carat or under. It may be *especially* important because you want to get the biggest/best stone and setting you can for your budget, since you don''t have a lot of extra money to waste. 3k is still a great budget that will go pretty far online!!



Personally, I strongly recommend going the online route through jamesallen, whiteflash, or goodoldgold. Your money will go farther and as you mentioned you can probably find better quality for the price. I have created numerous custom made pieces online that I am extremely happy with and I think it is fairly easy to do this long distance as long as you are specific about what you want. I did a custom piece *once* with a local jeweler and it went poorly...I was treated much better with the online vendors and their quality was better...

So...are you saying that you think it would be better to go with an online vendor for the ring design also...as well as the diamond? Presumably you can''t get a wax made when you do it via online?

Yes, I suggest you might as well do both online. This way your stone is covered when they set it in case something happens. Online vendors are often easy to work with long distance and their prices and quality are often better than local jewelers. Yes, you can also have waxes made and CAD images as well. You can aprove the CADS and waxes before casting the ring and make changes if necessary.


Here are a couple of threads that might be of interest to you. This one is a ppt I sent to WF to give them the specific idea of what I wanted for a custom ring so that there wasn''t any confusion about the design: https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/ppt-slides-for-a-custom-wedding-band.54948/


Here is the thread about my ring that also includes the waxes: https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/my-wf-5-stone-u-shaped-amazing-wedding-band.54795/

Did Whiteflash charge a lost more for the cast, James Allen it seems only do CAD...

 

[kcoursolle]

Date: 7/11/2008 12:29:07 PM
Author: IndecisiveGirl

Date: 7/10/2008 8:29:53 PM
Author: kcoursolle
It looks like WF''s stock of princesses is pretty low right now, but I did find this beauty that is well within your budget: http://www.whiteflash.com/princess/Princess-cut-diamond-1134460.htm#


You can also get a small discount since you are a pricescope member.

Yes unfortunately there don''t seem to be many around. I did find one on GOG also. I found several on James Allen and I just wanted to say thanks for all those suggestions. I really like on the James Allen site that there is the photo with the magnifier gadget, that is neat.

Quick Q though, is it my imagination or is it just the photos, in the Whiteflash one the stone looks really ''white'' I looked at several on the James Allen site, not just in my range but higher grades also and they all looked ''yellower'' not in a bad way, just in a more rich color way...anyone else noticed this.

Colors of diamonds will vary depending on what type of equipment and conditions they are using when they take a picture of the stones. The best way to view color is in person. You can''t really get a sense of color through the vendor photographs. The jamesallen stones won''t be any more "yellow" in person comparing two well-cut stones of the same color grade. You will be plenty safe on color in the G/H range, these diamonds will be "white."

 

[kcoursolle]

Date: 7/11/2008 12:30:21 PM
Author: IndecisiveGirl

Date: 7/10/2008 7:01:56 PM
Author: kcoursolle

Date: 7/10/2008 6:56:03 PM

Author: IndecisiveGirl

Date: 7/10/2008 6:45:03 PM

Author: kcoursolle

I personally do think it''s important to think about these things for a stone 1 carat or under. It may be *especially* important because you want to get the biggest/best stone and setting you can for your budget, since you don''t have a lot of extra money to waste. 3k is still a great budget that will go pretty far online!!



Personally, I strongly recommend going the online route through jamesallen, whiteflash, or goodoldgold. Your money will go farther and as you mentioned you can probably find better quality for the price. I have created numerous custom made pieces online that I am extremely happy with and I think it is fairly easy to do this long distance as long as you are specific about what you want. I did a custom piece *once* with a local jeweler and it went poorly...I was treated much better with the online vendors and their quality was better...

So...are you saying that you think it would be better to go with an online vendor for the ring design also...as well as the diamond? Presumably you can''t get a wax made when you do it via online?

Yes, I suggest you might as well do both online. This way your stone is covered when they set it in case something happens. Online vendors are often easy to work with long distance and their prices and quality are often better than local jewelers. Yes, you can also have waxes made and CAD images as well. You can aprove the CADS and waxes before casting the ring and make changes if necessary.


Here are a couple of threads that might be of interest to you. This one is a ppt I sent to WF to give them the specific idea of what I wanted for a custom ring so that there wasn''t any confusion about the design: https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/ppt-slides-for-a-custom-wedding-band.54948/


Here is the thread about my ring that also includes the waxes: https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/my-wf-5-stone-u-shaped-amazing-wedding-band.54795/

Did Whiteflash charge a lost more for the cast, James Allen it seems only do CAD...

Jamesallen is a great place to buy a stone from since they have awesome prices and a huge inventory. However, they aren''t as well known for their custom designs as WF and they admit this openly. However, they have many beautiful stock settings to chose from on their website and I own a danhov setting that was a stock setting from them. I am very happy with the stone and the setting.

What type of design are you thinking of creating by the way?

Another thing I should mention is that you can call up GOG and WF and see if they have other princesses that aren''t mentioned in their inventory.

 

[IndecisiveGirl]

Date: 7/11/2008 1:44:50 PM
Author: kcoursolle

Date: 7/11/2008 12:29:07 PM

Author: IndecisiveGirl

Date: 7/10/2008 8:29:53 PM

Author: kcoursolle

It looks like WF''s stock of princesses is pretty low right now, but I did find this beauty that is well within your budget: http://www.whiteflash.com/princess/Princess-cut-diamond-1134460.htm#



You can also get a small discount since you are a pricescope member.

Yes unfortunately there don''t seem to be many around. I did find one on GOG also. I found several on James Allen and I just wanted to say thanks for all those suggestions. I really like on the James Allen site that there is the photo with the magnifier gadget, that is neat.


Quick Q though, is it my imagination or is it just the photos, in the Whiteflash one the stone looks really ''white'' I looked at several on the James Allen site, not just in my range but higher grades also and they all looked ''yellower'' not in a bad way, just in a more rich color way...anyone else noticed this.

Colors of diamonds will vary depending on what type of equipment and conditions they are using when they take a picture of the stones. The best way to view color is in person. You can''t really get a sense of color through the vendor photographs. The jamesallen stones won''t be any more ''yellow'' in person comparing two well-cut stones of the same color grade. You will be plenty safe on color in the G/H range, these diamonds will be ''white.''

That''s good to know...it seemed odd, and also explains the fact that I found 2 diamond on James Allen, one I and the other J and the J looks whiter to me! Sounds like G or H might be better, though there are less...the J one I found looks lovely but I think the depth specs are high...

 

[kcoursolle]

Date: 7/11/2008 2:57:53 PM
Author: IndecisiveGirl

Date: 7/11/2008 1:44:50 PM
Author: kcoursolle

Date: 7/11/2008 12:29:07 PM

Author: IndecisiveGirl

Date: 7/10/2008 8:29:53 PM

Author: kcoursolle

It looks like WF''s stock of princesses is pretty low right now, but I did find this beauty that is well within your budget: http://www.whiteflash.com/princess/Princess-cut-diamond-1134460.htm#



You can also get a small discount since you are a pricescope member.

Yes unfortunately there don''t seem to be many around. I did find one on GOG also. I found several on James Allen and I just wanted to say thanks for all those suggestions. I really like on the James Allen site that there is the photo with the magnifier gadget, that is neat.


Quick Q though, is it my imagination or is it just the photos, in the Whiteflash one the stone looks really ''white'' I looked at several on the James Allen site, not just in my range but higher grades also and they all looked ''yellower'' not in a bad way, just in a more rich color way...anyone else noticed this.

Colors of diamonds will vary depending on what type of equipment and conditions they are using when they take a picture of the stones. The best way to view color is in person. You can''t really get a sense of color through the vendor photographs. The jamesallen stones won''t be any more ''yellow'' in person comparing two well-cut stones of the same color grade. You will be plenty safe on color in the G/H range, these diamonds will be ''white.''

That''s good to know...it seemed odd, and also explains the fact that I found 2 diamond on James Allen, one I and the other J and the J looks whiter to me! Sounds like G or H might be better, though there are less...the J one I found looks lovely but I think the depth specs are high...

J stones can be very pretty, but I do recommend viewing some in person before you decide to go this route. With princesses, there will be a "warmth" to the stone, but many love this or don''t mind it. G/H is plenty safe, and I could be fine as well depending on how color sensitive you are.