Is my goal realistic and if not, how can I make it so?

[justAnewbie]

It seems that there are a lot of knowledgeable people on this website who seem to have a knack for finding great diamonds and knowing what to look for. I am looking to spend between 3 and 4 grand on a diamond for an engagement ring. I know that the 1 carat is a "magic number" and I would like to try to be very close if not meet that number. I have been looking in this range:

.95-1.05 carats
G-H color
VS2-SI1 clarity
very good or better cut.
very good or better symetry
very good or better polish
no fluorescence

I would love some feedback as to whether my goals are attainable or which criteria I should give a little leeway on to get the closest to what I desire for my girlfriend. Please help a guy who wants to get his girl the best diamond he can within his budget.

Thanks in advance!

 

[justAnewbie]

Oops! I forgot to mention I''m looking for princess cut!

 

[poptart]

I was just going to ask what shape! I think your budget is quite reasonable, but you may need to go down in size slightly. It can also work for sure as long as you are willing to keep the setting for the diamond in a range of 300 to 400 dollar range. You might also be interested to know that if the stone even has slight flourescence it can sometimes lower the price of the diamond, and you really can't see the flourescence at all, and even if you could... it can be kind of neat! Secondly, if you get a diamond with a good spread it can LOOK like a full carat even if it is not a full carat in weight. So that's something to be aware of too, because staying under that one carat mark can save you some money!

*M*

 

[:)]

Hi! I am not good with princesses, but I can help you with a couple of things...

1. there is a ''pricescope your diamond'' at the top of the page - this will help you get an idea of what you can find. I pricescoped what you listed and it will be a little out of budget. does the 3-4K include setting?
2. Don''t be afraid of fluoro - as long as it is not too strong it will not affect the appearance of the diamond (and may make it a bit brighter) - you can ask the vendor where you look at the stone to check for negative effects from fluoro - it is actually quite rare that the fluoro causes a negative visual effect on a diamond.
3. there is a big price jump at the 1 carat mark. .95 also has a bit of a jump too due to it being close to 1 carat. I would start a little lower in size and concentrate on looking at the diameter when comparing stones. When you are looking around the 1 carat mark (and just below), cutters will have a general tendency (not always) to try to cut for the magic carat mark, and you can end up with a stone not as well cut b/c the cut was made with the intention to hit the 1 carat mark - sometimes the weight of these stones is horizontally (''deep'') so you end up paying for stone weight you cannot see vertically (=spread).
4. make sure to avoid girdles that are too thin as princess corners have a risk of chipping
5. have you looked at colors? With a carat, although it is a princess which will show a little more color than a round, you may be able to go to an I (or possibly lower if you are not color sensitive). Make sure to go and look with your eyes at AGS and GIA graded stones to determine your tolerance. Some people are more sensitive than others.
6. There can be eyeclean SI2s in that range too - you just have to ask the vendor if the stone is eyeclean (and make sure you define both your and the store''s definition to make sure you are on the same page!)

 

[justAnewbie]

Great info. I am not including the setting in the 3-4k that I am looking to spend. As far as buying online, is it normal to ask a sales person to look at the diamond and guarantee that an SI1 or SI2 diamond is eye clean? At what point do you want to stop sacrificing depth for spread to ensure the reflection of light?

 

[:)]

If you can go down to an I, I would call WF to see if this is eyeclean. It is an AGS 0 princess (light performance tested). It is $3692 with bankwire/PS discount.. It is a 1.04 carat.

http://www.whiteflash.com/aca_princess/a-cut-above-princess-cut-diamond-36827.htm

 

[Moosejaw]

Justanewbie,

I think it is very realistic...but not so from local jewelers, or most online vendors.

I would learn about the classes of diamonds first. Try to understand what makes a class 1, 2, 3, or 4 diamond. You can also always get amazing advice at pricescope in regards to the cut as well.

If budget is that big of an issue, I would slowly but surely search through GIA diamonds on a place like craigslist, looking for people who are selling a stone from a broken engagement, or a ring from a broken engagement.

I purchased a .93 D, GIA excellent cut, and polish etc...with an AMAZING setting, for a previous engagement. I paid a total of 5500.00 for the stone, and a total of 9200 including the platinum custom setting, with blue sapphires.

I decided not to marry this person, and sold the ring. I took it around Seattle seeing what I would be offered...and the best offer for the ring was 3400.00.

I ended up selling it privately for 5500.00 total.

There are PLENTY of great guys, who didnt have BAD breakups, who just want/need to sell the ring. I sort of wished I felt comfortable giving the ring to Kate, who is my wife...but since another person involved in MY life wore it, I didnt feel okay.

However, I certainly wouldve purchased it from someone like me, had I had the opportunity.

For your budget thats what I would do...and youll end up with something amazing.

-G

 

[justAnewbie]

Wow, that''s quite a find. The I color has me a little worried, although it might be unwarranted. Also, I really hadn''t even considered SI2 but I guess if it is eye clean then there''s really no reason not to consider that clarity is there?

 

[:)]

Absolutely about asking about the eyeclean - ask the salesperson if it is eyeclean, and ask how they define eyeclean. Clarity grading is done from the top down, so anything seen from the side is not counted - you may want to ask if their definition is at a certain distance, (sometimes they will tell you that you have to be 2-3 inches away and squinting really hard, other times they will tell you it is eyeclean from any distance at all, and other times they will tell you it is clean from a distance of 12 inches, etc). Whiteflash even has their definition of eyeclean posted on their website. I have an SI1 which is completely eyeclean from the top, bottom, sides, and I have a really hard time finding anything with my loupe!

Check with the store you look at about their return policy - usually they vary from 7 days to 30 days. That way if you don''t like the stone, you can return it.

Also an easier way to purchase a princess (re: worrying about depth) is to get an AGS graded 0 for light performance stone - AGS is the only lab which grades cut in the princess stones at this time - similar to the 0 in a round brilliant for light performance, a 0 for light performance in a princess will mean that the stone performs nicely!

 

[hikerchick]

I''d be all over that WF 1.04 . . . IF it is eye-clean, which it looks like it could be. That was indeed a GREAT find

 

[:)]

If it is eyeclean, there is no reason not to go with an SI2 unless you are completely adverse to I color (or have a mental block to the term SI2 - with me, if I can''t see it with my naked eye, I don''t mind, others mind even what they see with a loupe - it is a personal preference) - Likely the I will be just beautiful - WF is very helpful and if you call they will be honest with you as they do not want to lose a chance to sell a stone to someone else while the stone ships out to you to examine! The types of inclusions plotted on the report have a good chance of being eyeclean. Still need to ask though, because you can''t tell just from looking at the report!

Although.. I just looked at the 40X magnified pic of the actual stone posted on the website and magnified 40x looks pretty darn good!!!

 

[justAnewbie]

That''s a great website. Also, I just found this on diamond.com. If this is eye clean it seems like an incredible deal--thoughts?

Price: $3,970.00
Shape: Princess
Carat: 1.22
Cut: Very Good
Color: H
Clarity: SI2
GIA Certificate: 15069120
Hide
Depth: 75.1%
Table: 77.00%
Symmetry: Very Good
Polish: Very Good
Girdle: Medium, Medium
Culet: None
Fluorescence: None
Measurements: 5.90mm x 5.79mm x 4.35mm

 

[Paul-Antwerp]

Your goal is definitely realistic. You can even find AGS-graded princess-cuts in that range.

Good luck,

 

[belle]

Date: 1/22/2007 4:44:44 PM
Author: justAnewbie

If this is eye clean it seems like an incredible deal--

that should be your first clue!

if you want to be sure you are getting the best diamond you can, KEEP LOOKING... this is not it!

 

[DBM]

you''ll have better chance going with an H than a G color for budget. The price jump is significant between the 2.

 

[ChargerGrrl]

Date: 1/22/2007 4:14:12 PM
Author:
If you can go down to an I, I would call WF to see if this is eyeclean. It is an AGS 0 princess (light performance tested). It is $3692 with bankwire/PS discount.. It is a 1.04 carat.

http://www.whiteflash.com/aca_princess/a-cut-above-princess-cut-diamond-36827.htm

OH MY! this is a great stone.
You cannot go wrong with an ACA princess (or WF- that''s where my princess came from!)

 

[phoenixgirl]

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/2789/ 0.90 G SI1 AGS0

http://www.whiteflash.com/princess/Princess-cut-diamond-30049.htm 1.01 J VS2

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamond.asp?b=16&a=12&c=77&cid=131&item=967851 1.00 G VS2