Is this a good 2 ct round for 8k?

[diamond_newbie15]

Yes, i looked at Jewels other options but J is the lowest I can go ( I would prefer above J). Its def. strange that the seller bought the diamond used 9-10 month ago and now selling it. It seemed the original seller sold it for financial reasons and the current one wants a lower size now sure how much of this is actually true.... can't believe what everyone says

Even tho your girlfriend told you to go no lower than an H. You seem to be color-insensitive. A J shows color very easily- yes, face up too. Why are you assuming your girlfriend is the same? You can't satisfy what she wants with your budget- a 2 carat diamond with H+ color. You're going to disappoint her by not managing her expectations.

 

[usa1983]

The reason I am kind of ok with J is because I've seem (the below) in person (was told by PS to stay away) set in the ring and it wasn't to bad. I think when we looked at them in the store without a setting they looked more yellow. Her preference is size over color but I don't thin it can be under J.

 

[wildcat03]

The reason I am kind of ok with J is because I've seem (the below) in person (was told by PS to stay away) set in the ring and it wasn't to bad. I think when we looked at them in the store without a setting they looked more yellow. Her preference is size over color but I don't thin it can be under J.

If she hasn't explicitly said she'd be ok with a J color stone to reach the 2 ct mark, I'd STRONGLY suggest having a conversation about it. I told my fi that "H" was my preference but that if he couldn't reach the size I wanted (7 mm) with his budget (I knew what his budget was and that an H would likely be attainable, this was not a blind demand/statement), I would be ok with going to a GIA graded I color. I would have been unhappy with a J color stone (in any size) for my e-ring. This is a huge expenditure, and if you are considering buying a stone with no return period it needs to be the RIGHT stone.

 

[ac117]

The reason I am kind of ok with J is because I've seem (the below) in person (was told by PS to stay away) set in the ring and it wasn't to bad. I think when we looked at them in the store without a setting they looked more yellow. Her preference is size over color but I don't thin it can be under J.

If you’ve seen that ring and like it, then buy it. So many of us have already given you all of our opinions (to pretty much sum them up):
1. There are no “bargains” with diamonds; you get what you pay for!!!
2. Don’t sacrifice on cut; cut is king
3. If you want better color then you’ll have to sacrifice size
4. If you’re ok with J/K color then you could probably squeeze 1.8-1.9cts
5. Realistically, your budget is too low
6. Get a better quality diamond now, you can always upgrade later
7. EGL and other labs are softer on grading, so when you think you’re getting an H, SI1 it’s probably an J, SI2 or worse
8. Speak to her honestly and see what SHE prefers

I’m going to post a couple of stones for you and do what you wish. Sorry if this sounds harsh, but this feels like we're beating a dead horse. It's your money - we're trying to make you understand that QUALITY is better than QUANTITY. There are plenty of people with large rocks that look like lifeless pieces of frozen spit!

http://www.b2cjewels.com/dd-8625352-2.24-carat-Round-diamond-J-color-SI2-Clarity.aspx?sku=8625352&utm_source=pricescope.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=pricescope.com – report says clarity is based on clouds not shown so ask how much it’s effecting performance

http://diamonddealfinder.com/enquiry.php?id_field=5057393

https://enchanteddiamonds.com/diamonds/view/R180-32451849Z

http://www.b2cjewels.com/dd-8626127-1.90-carat-Round-diamond-J-color-VS2-Clarity.aspx?sku=8626127&utm_source=pricescope.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=pricescope.com

http://www.b2cjewels.com/dd-8607212-1.90-carat-Round-diamond-J-color-SI1-Clarity.aspx?sku=8607212&utm_source=pricescope.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=pricescope.com

 

[kb1gra]

I think you need to have a real conversation with your girlfriend about what she is expecting versus what you can afford.

If size is the only thing she cares about, color, clarity, and cut don't matter, then great. But I'm pretty sure she actually wants a big, sparkly rock, and you can't afford a good one in the size she wants.

So sit down with yourself and decide what you CAN really spend (since I get a little bit of sense of wanting to spend as little as possible, if you're looking at $8k 2ct stones) and then what that budget can buy and discuss it with her. I really don't think she'd actually be upset about a 1.7ct very sparkly diamond, but I could be wrong.

You really shouldn't have looked at stone sizes you couldn't afford, as you're right, a 1.7 will seem small if you just looked at a 2.2. But that damage is done, so now you have done some research, you're now able to have a conversation about what is realistic for you. I don't think this is a good situation to be taking a gamble on a no-return, cash purchase, preowned stone. I think you need a return policy and maybe to go shopping again with your budget and reality in mind.

 

[usa1983]

Thank you all for helping me out. I do realize all this and will look at all these options when I get to a computer tonight. Like you all said return option is probably a must in my case just in case a stone doesn't check out. If there is a way to figure out a return possibility on the idoidont stone would you consider it a good stone assuming I can get the price lowered? Looks like the seller paid 9k for the stone 9-10 month ago. The ct checks out , the cut I believe is good , my concerns are it looks cloudy on up close photos and looks like it has some inclusions eventhought a seller is saying its eye clean.

 

[distracts]

The ct checks out , the cut I believe is good , my concerns are it looks cloudy on up close photos and looks like it has some inclusions eventhought a seller is saying its eye clean.

Here's the thing: with the amount of money you want to spend, the size you want to hit, and the color you want, you are not going to be able to be too picky about inclusions. That stone is an SI2, it should be fine. If you want something less included, you will need to up your budget, drop even more on color (and you're already a couple color grades lower than what your girlfriend wants), or go smaller. I do think the idonowidont stone linked looks a lot better than the picture at the top of this page.

 

[n64bomb]

1. If the return policy is an issue for sure, then you should buy around 1.7 carat as a new stone. That would work for sure.

2. Is this a big surprise for your girlfriend? You mentioned you have been looking around and have went to jewelers, so she knows what is coming...why not bring up that link to the pictures to Grace's consignment site and show her to get a feel of how she feels about the color. Cover up the top so she doesn't see the stone is SI2 J and ask her what she thinks. Ask her nonchalantly what color she thinks that stone is. If she says H, you can explain that I,J are quite similar once mounted and viewed from the top, especially as the cut quality improves. Maybe she will notice, but I think not. I also think that if the people whom aren't in the industry were shown an I face up mounted ideal cut and a J face up mounted ideal cut, with color being the only difference between the 2 stones, they wouldn't be able to tell that one is even a J. Even being color sensitive won't change the fact that an ideal cut J is going to face up mounted between an H and an I. I was really against J color when I first started learning about diamonds. Earlier when I commented that those grades will face up the same I was talking about when the stones are mounted. Looking from the top only, you won't be able to tell the difference in a mounted I vs a mounted J. If it is a loose stone you could tell, so maybe some were thinking I was talking about the difference between loose stones for H,I,J because those would be vary noticeable. Hopefully that clarification helps: I was talking about mounted stones, faced up, and measuring by the industry standard length away (not from the side). I am very color sensitive as well, but I don't have eagle eyes with finding inclusions . But yeah, I would check with her to make sure that would work. If she can't tell the difference on the stone, tell her it is a J. She would be really surprised.

3. The stone isn't eye clean, it is almost eye clean. David Atlas put that on his assessment in Grace's website. With your budget, that stone is about as near eye clean as you will get, or you will have to sacrifice something else. If you have eagle eyes you can see the inclusion, but if you aren't in the industry, you should be fine. Maybe show a picture at 1x and ask if she notices anything? Don't show her the inclusions first...see if she notices them before you show them. Those pictures where you can see the inclusions are pretty magnified as well, so take that into consideration. Look at the pictures that are 1x-2x yourself. Can you see the inclusions? Can she? If neither of you can, you are in good shape

 

[kb1gra]

1. If the return policy is an issue for sure, then you should buy around 1.7 carat as a new stone. That would work for sure.

2. Is this a big surprise for your girlfriend? You mentioned you have been looking around and have went to jewelers, so she knows what is coming...why not bring up that link to the pictures to Grace's consignment site and show her to get a feel of how she feels about the color. Ask her nonchalantly what color she thinks that stone is. If she says H, you can explain that I,J are quite similar once mounted and viewed from the top, especially as the cut quality improves. Maybe she will notice, but I think not. I also think that if the people whom aren't in the industry were shown an I face up mounted ideal cut and a J face up mounted ideal cut, with color being the only difference between the 2 stones, they wouldn't be able to tell that one is even a J. Even being color sensitive won't change the fact that an ideal cut J is going to face up mounted between an H and an I. I was really against J color when I first started learning about diamonds. Earlier when I commented that those grades will face up the same I was talking about when the stones are mounted. Looking from the top only, you won't be able to tell the difference in a mounted I vs a mounted J. If it is a loose stone you could tell, so maybe some were thinking I was talking about the difference between loose stones for H,I,J because those would be vary noticeable. Hopefully that clarification helps: I was talking about mounted stones, faced up, and measuring by the industry standard length away (not from the side). I am very color sensitive as well, but I don't have eagle eyes with finding inclusions . But yeah, I would check with her to make sure that would work. If she can't tell the difference on the stone, tell her it is a J. She would be really surprised.

3. The stone isn't eye clean, it is almost eye clean. David Atlas put that on his assessment in Grace's website. With your budget, that stone is about as near eye clean as you will get, or you will have to sacrifice something else. If you have eagle eyes you can see the inclusion, but if you aren't in the industry, you should be fine. Maybe show a picture at 1x and ask if she notices anything? Don't show her the inclusions first...see if she notices them before you show them. Those pictures where you can see the inclusions are pretty magnified as well, so take that into consideration. Look at the pictures that are 1x-2x yourself. Can you see the inclusions? Can she? If neither of you can, you are in good shape

Your second point makes almost no sense.

Mounted, the proportion of color difference between the stones will be the same. A J doesn't suddenly look like an H in a mounting. The H will still be closer to colorless. Sure, color is graded face down, but there are still proportional color differences between all three.

And for the record, I have seen superideal cuts in different color grades, in mountings, on my hand in the same light, and yes, I can tell the difference between them. I happen to like lower color stones, but I can still tell the difference between them all. Some people can. And if he buys a stone without a return policy and it turns out that she can too, he's in a world of hurt.

 

[n64bomb]

Mounted diamonds hide light difference more easily because once mounted, a diamond picks up some of the color of the mounting around it. That is why mounted it is much harder to tell the difference between them. I'm not saying an H is a J, but it becomes much harder to tell the difference.

Also, if a person mounts in yellow gold, he/she can mount below the color J as the diamond picks of some of the color of the mounting.

OP should buy with a return policy I think.

 

[kb1gra]

Mounted diamonds hide light difference more easily because once mounted, a diamond picks up some of the color of the mounting around it. That is why mounted it is much harder to tell the difference between them. I'm not saying an H is a J, but it becomes much harder to tell the difference.

Also, if a person mounts in yellow gold, he/she can mount below the color J as the diamond picks of some of the color of the mounting.

OP should buy with a return policy I think.

Buying a yellow gold ring for someone today would be asking for trouble unless the wearer specifically asked for it.


Definitely not the right situation for these kind of "hacks." And I say that as someone with a J cushion in a yellow gold halo.

 

[n64bomb]

Mounted diamonds hide light difference more easily because once mounted, a diamond picks up some of the color of the mounting around it. That is why mounted it is much harder to tell the difference between them. I'm not saying an H is a J, but it becomes much harder to tell the difference.

Also, if a person mounts in yellow gold, he/she can mount below the color J as the diamond picks of some of the color of the mounting.

OP should buy with a return policy I think.

Buying a yellow gold ring for someone today would be asking for trouble unless the wearer specifically asked for it.


Definitely not the right situation for these kind of "hacks." And I say that as someone with a J cushion in a yellow gold halo.

I neither said nor implied that the original poster should mount in yellow gold. It would be appropriate to have a discussion with the significant other before going to that color level. There is nothing wrong with using knowledge of diamonds. A cushion cut J isn't all that appropriate (with respect to color) to compare to a round brilliant, as the light loss is a lot different. Round brilliants mask their color to one extreme, and on the other extreme is cushion cuts and radiants, which retain their color very well. That is why it is recommended to have an H or better for cushions in platinum/white gold, whereas for a round brilliant one can go down to I-J in platinum/white gold and still be alright. And for all of those cuts, you can go lower with yellow gold. I don't know if I would ever be comfortable going K,L though even with yellow gold. That makes me feel uncomfortable.

I hope the original poster buys somewhere with a good return policy and discusses with his girlfriend about the color, cut, and the inclusions. Then, we will know where we stand. Maybe she is really sensitive to color and the J and it still bothers her a lot. I hope the original poster gets a good deal regardless and if she is more sensitive to the color, buys a good firsthand stone.

 

[n64bomb]

I forgot to mention this. With this size stone I was more apt to be concerned about the J because bigger stones (>2 carat) will show the color more easily than say a 0.5 carat stone. Its the same with how a VS2 stone at 0.5 carat will almost undoubtedly be eye clean, whereas a 4 carat VS2 has a lot lower chance of being eyeclean. That was something I wanted to bring up if it hadn't been mentioned. That is why I think it would be great if the original poster showed his woman some of the pictures of the stone to help see if the SI2 inclusions will be noticed and/or how sensitive she is to the J in this larger stone. Such a beauty.

 

[Fulvia]

Yes my budget is 10-11k, when we went to look at them originally i knew nothing about them or the size that she wanted and assumed the price is about double in stores vs online thats why we were looking at 20k diamonds. The IDC store where we spent the most time seemed to only sell good qualify diamonds and I assume thats why they only have good cuts (they said they hand pick them etc..). The reason for a 2 ct is because it seems to be big enough and not crazy expensive. Her finger size is 6.5 so anything smaller 1.9 looks small. I wished we would have looked at lower colors but the sales person was more focusing on H for some reason.

This company is a complete sham. Don't waste your money! Spend some time on PS acquainting yourself with reputable vendors.

 

[rockysalamander]

OP - You've been given extraordinarily good advice here about how to manage your budget and GF's expectation. The prosumers here have shown you a range of amazing diamonds that meet most of your GF's needs. I hope you take that advice and find a lovely diamond. I personally can see fairly subtle color difference, but they simply don't bother me. So, I'm like many others here who see color, but don't mind or like it. I am highly sensitive to cut and inclusions.

Nevertheless, I will pose two more options to consider with your GF...if your GF really prioritizes size and high color and sparkle, and they are beyond your budget. (1) Lab-grown diamonds (PureGrown, others?) can be about 20% less than a mined one. There is a separate forum here dedicated to Lab-grown Diamonds for advice as it is the wild-west for claims of lab-grown being attached to CZs, glass and all manner of fakery. (2) Amora Gem or Moissanite. These are not diamonds, but lab created minerals with their own look and personality. I won't say much about these, as it is inappropriate on this forum. But, I can highly recommend JHollywood on Etsy (Moissanite&Amora Gem). Joseph Schubach Jewellery (Moissanite) is also quite reasonable and it picky about cut on moissanite. However, you absolutely must involve your GF in the decision and have her eyes decide if either of these will meet her needs for sparkle and size.

 

[usa1983]

Thank you all for all the great advise. I really like this stone that AC117 suggested ( http://www.b2cjewels.com/dd-8625352-2.24-carat-Round-diamond-J-color-SI2-Clarity.aspx?sku=8625352&utm_source=pricescope.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=pricescope.com ) but before buying anything we will go to the store this weekend and look at color J, SI2. I've discussed this with her and explained her the options, smaller size in H or bigger size in J and showed her some pictures but pretty much impossible to tell on pictures especially when its set so looking at them in person will be very helpful.

 

[chamomiletea]

Why can't you go for a smaller 1.7 stone and then get a fancy double halo setting to give her more finger coverage? I think a smaller but higher quality stone in a bling setting will look much nicer and much more sparkly than a 2ct rubbish quality stone. Especially a solitare... solitare settings don't hide much. Has she played around with different settings to see? If I was you I would steer her down that route! She can get her ey catching bling and you can be happy knowing it is of reasonable quality in budget.

 

[BarbM]

Remember that not all SI2 clarity will look the same. There are some which are eye clean and others which are not. IDJewelry is also a good vendor to work with. They have found those "needle in a haystack" SI2 eyeclean diamonds for Pricescope customers and are great to work with. They understand what it means to work with a budget.

 

[ac117]

I really hope you read my disclaimer about that 2.24 diamond but if not, here it is again:

*The report says clarity is based on clouds not shown so ask how much it’s effecting performance.* Most of the time, these diamonds have a noticeable cloudiness to them which is likely why it's priced so low.

 

[usa1983]

Today we finally went and looked at different stones in person....the conclusion is she likes GIA color J or above, it seems that there is a big different between J and K. We looked at one stone that was 1.95J and one was 1.9K both GIA and K looked significantly more yellow, we asked to look at another one to make sure it wasn't the cut that was making it look like that and they brought out a 2.2ct J and 2.1ct K and once again the comparison was the same. Also, the difference between 1.9 ct and 2.2ct was huge to the eye and 2.2 looked significantly bigger even thought the 1.9 was a better cut stone(don't remember the specs for it). All of the stones were good or above cuts and some where excellent and we really couldn't tell the difference between them..... maybe some had a little more sparkle to them but nothing crazy. They also showed us some J stones that were not rated by anyone but the store themselves and obviously were significantly cheaper and the colors were way off (J looked yellow). We looked at the settings and the J stone in halo looks yellowish but in a solitaire looks very beautiful. She now wants a 2.2ct+ J in solitaire as her choose, i don't think she will be unhappy with say a 2.0ct but definetely the bigger the better. Now with my luck a 2.24 ct J from B2C that AC117 found is sold, which i think might have been the perfect choose assuming it wasn't cloudy. I just reviewed the GIA report (attached below) for the 2.2 that we liked as comparison and it looks to be pretty bad based on HCA tool but we really dint' see any issues with it. It seems to be wider and less deep vs the same stones in this ct weight. Are GIA and AGS identical when it comes to color or will I be betting a GIA K if I order AGS J? From what I learned today, she is sensitive to ct size (8.50 mm + ideally as her preference), sensitive to color below J and can't tell the difference between anything else

 

[FightGravity]

Sounds like it's time to up your budget. What is the max you can spend? If you want an 8.5mm+ J that is not horribly cut or horribly included, looking at the diamond comparison tool, you are looking at spending more like $14-15k at a minimum.

Does she realize how much over budget her ask is??

 

[lovedogs]

It's definitely time to have an honest conversation with her. If your budget is flexible and you're comfortable spending more to accommodate what she wants then no problem, but if you are strict on budget and want a good stone then definitely need to be open w her about how much you can spend vs how much a diamond like she wants will cost.

 

[n64bomb]

Maybe even you could contribute 10k and she gets a certain stone, and she helps contribute for wedding bands or something. So it helps out your budget. I've seen couples do something like that where she helps pay for a portion. But yeah, that is a very careful conversation to broach. Try your best not to sacrifice cut. If she was okay with a 1.9 carat, you can find SI2 J that have triple excellent cuts at around 10,000$, you would just have to screen them for eyecleanliness and you wouldn't be able to be very selective on expecting close to ideal light performance. If she has to have above 2 carat, then you have to change your budget or change expectations, because she is talking about a 14,000$ stone. If you go down in cut grade to "very good" to gain 0.25 carat in weight it really won't be worth it. Just have an honest conversation. Maybe you guys can do a payment plan on the stone and she can help with that too? Say if you paid like $500 a month, could she contribute 50$ a month with you. If you phrase it like that, it makes it seem like you aren't essentially asking her upfront for 2-4k more to fund the stone

 

[ChristineRose]

When GIA says "Very good" they mean "Not Very good," and when they say "Good," they mean "Not Good."

Unless you are looking for something quirky, you should only look at Excellent cuts. And even then, the Excellent grade is very wide.

Most posters on here will tell you that Excellent is too broad. I'm slightly more forgiving. The GIA came up with the Excellent range by showing people a bunch of diamonds, and some people preferred stones that were actually less brilliant (less face up, white light return) because they were nice in other ways (colored light return, sparkle and contrast as the diamond is tilted, facet pattern). So those stones get to be Excellents.

The problem is that about half of all stones being cut now are cut to be just barely past the Excellent line. So even most "Excellent" stones will at best be "Not to everyone's tastes, but certainly not ugly."

If you want to really see the differences if you pay for a better cut, look for the branded stones like Hearts on Fire and compare those to a low HCA Excellent and a Very Good. And remember everything looks good under stone lights.

 

[OoohShiny]

Just to throw this idea into the ring, is there a reason that you are looking at rounds only?

Have you considered looking at cushions?

As I understand it they face up larger per carat size because they are generally shallower, so she might be able to get the visual size she wants while also staying within the financial constraints you are trying to work to. There are several prosumer experts on here who would be happy to help you find something that will look stunning for your budget.


As it is, you will sacrifice everything that makes a diamond look good (excellent/ideal cut, decent eye-clean clarity) if you and she simply must hit 2ct but stay within the stated budget. And that will mean that instead of going 'ooooh' when they see it, her friends will instead go 'oh' .

Put bluntly, she ain't gonna get what she wants for the budget you have. She needs to understand this. A good relationship is about communication and compromise, so if you can't communicate the issues and she can't compromise, it's hardly a good start to the rest of your lives!


If you do want to stick with your stated budget and a round stone, buy a top-notch Super-ideal stone from one of the forum-recommended vendors in a smaller size and/or lower colour now and then use it as a stepping stone - their excellent upgrade policies will mean you can credit back most/all of the cost of this initial stone in a few years and put it against the bigger rock that she ultimately wants. Short-term 'pain' (as if having the best performing stone she and her friends will ever have seen is 'pain'!) for a longer term gain.

 

[diamond_newbie15]

OP: It's clear to me to that you simply have different priorities than most of the posters on this board. Most people here will tell you to never compromise on cut, and you are clearly willing to do so considering the stone above in order to hit your size requirement. You are not going to get the affirmation that you are looking for here so I think this thread has become a waste of everyone's time. You've already heard a lot of advice, and you've decided to put it all aside. It doesn't mean that you're wrong or that the board is wrong; it just means that you have a different set of values. There's nothing wrong with favoring size above all.

Good luck in your search.

 

[soxfan]

All of the stones were good or above cuts and some where excellent and we really couldn't tell the difference between them..... maybe some had a little more sparkle to them but nothing crazy.

That's because they were under jeweler's lighting. How do you think they unload all those poorly cut diamonds? By making them sparkle enough that most people can't tell the difference.

 

[ChristineRose]

I mentioned cut, but I did so for a specific reason.

Today we finally went and looked at different stones in person....the conclusion is she likes GIA color J or above, it seems that there is a big different between J and K. We looked at one stone that was 1.95J and one was 1.9K both GIA and K looked significantly more yellow, we asked to look at another one to make sure it wasn't the cut that was making it look like that and they brought out a 2.2ct J and 2.1ct K and once again the comparison was the same. Also, the difference between 1.9 ct and 2.2ct was huge to the eye and 2.2 looked significantly bigger even thought the 1.9 was a better cut stone(don't remember the specs for it). All of the stones were good or above cuts and some where excellent and we really couldn't tell the difference between them..... maybe some had a little more sparkle to them but nothing crazy.

If the OP wants to see less color in a well cut J, they need to look at only very brilliant stones--not Good, not Very Good, and not even most Excellent. Only stones cut for brilliance will work.

I just reviewed the GIA report (attached below) for the 2.2 that we liked as comparison and it looks to be pretty bad based on HCA tool but we really dint' see any issues with it. It seems to be wider and less deep vs the same stones in this ct weight.

A well cut stone will be brighter and appear larger because the edges won't be as dark. If the OP wants compare a 1.9 carat and a 2.2 carat, they should be comparable cut. If the 1.9 was a "better" cut then the comparison is meaningless...it was a spready 2.2, that's all. It's unlikely that the 1.9 was well cut enough so that the brightness came into play.

Probably the answer is that the OP should be looking at spready stones J and above. Still, I think they owe it to themselves to compare that "pretty bad" stone to a super ideal, and not under jewelry store lights either.

 

[soxfan]

ok, hear me out. What about this in a yellow gold solitaire? Yellow gold is making a huge comeback and will be different from what her friends have. This stone has a huge spread and much more personality that a "good" cut MRB from a local jeweler. Erica has had it a while, so there *might* be some wiggle room in price?

http://www.loveaffairdiamonds.com/2-40ct-transitional-early-round-brilliant-diamond-ags-n-si1/

 

[usa1983]

Just to clarify a few things …I’ve been with this girl for over 10 years and in my opinion we are both pretty lucky to be well off financially. Even though, we are doing well we have budgets that we set for different things like everyone else. Since I am purchasing this ring with my hard earned money I set my personal budget that I thought would be sufficient enough. I understand that jeweler’s lighting enhances things but wouldn’t it enhance EXCELLENT cuts to look really AWESOME? It’s just hard to imagine for me to what a good cut vs excellent cut does to a diamond as I really can’t tell them apart unlike the color which makes a huge difference below J.

Just as a comparison wouldn’t the last GIA report I posted for a 2.24ct consider to be a bad stone here?

As far as other shapes, she was open to cushions but they are a lot less of them and they seem to need a halo setting which cost about 2-2.5k vs a basis solitaire setting for $500 on a round.

I am also a little confused because it seems that there are stones (new and used) in my budget (10k) over 2ct that some of you posted so it seems to be possible to get what I want in my range?

As per all of your comments, we talked about getting a lower color (below J) and setting it in yellow or rose but it’s really not what she wants. If it was my choice I would just forget about this whole ring thing and get her a nice Rolex but unfortunately that’s not what she wants so my search continues…