Is this a good purchase?

[Hudzie]

I hope I''m doing this right - it''s my first post ever on a message board.

I am hoping that I could get some advice regarding price. I am looking at a diamond with the following characteristics:

1.016 Round D VS2 H&A
Table = 56
Depth = 61.1
Crown angle = 34.6
Pav angle = 40.8
Polish, Symmetry, Proportions = Ideal
HCA Score = 1.3
6.50-6.53 x 3.98 mm
Price = $8572

I''m planning to put it in a platinum semi-bezel setting. I really like everything about this diamond, but I''m wondering if I really need to pay for the D color, or if I could/should go lower. Please help!

Thanks.

 

[quaeritur]

Well, I'm not gonna be the one to tell you to go lower - I LOVE Ds. Es are OK with me too

BUT, having said that, if you (or the intended wearer) cannot see a difference, then I also don't believe in paying for things you can't see. Same goes for clarity (VS2 is a nice place to be, in my opinion, or an eye-clean SI1. OR an eye-clean SI2. But for an engagement ring of a little over a carat? VS2 is great) Anyway... If you really love how the D looks, and you're ok with what this stone costs, great, get it.

If you cannot tell a difference between the D and a G, save a bunch of money for another piece of jewelry, honeymoon, downpayment on a house, whatever. Saving money is NOT a bad thing!

 

[chialea]

The price seems a bit high... did you buy it from a B&M? It's not terrible, but a bit high (you can compare using the "search by cut quality" part of pricescope).

And no, you don't need to go with a D. With that kind of cut, you can most likely go down to an H or I before you'd notice a difference (at least the vast majority of people can't). If you're putting it in a semi-bezel setting, you're even safer. If you went down to a G or H, you should still be very safe, and you'd pay quite a bit less.

You can also get the price down a bit if you can find a diamond just shy of 1 carat, since there's a premium for that weight, even if the sizes are indistinguishable.

 

[ChooChoo]

I think color is a very personal thing you should see for yourself. Some people can't see color in a G, some can! What's important is if you and/or your gf can tell the difference. If you're not sure whether she can see color, I would stick with an E or an F, not as low as a G, but a D is too high either way.

 

[aljdewey]

I personally would chime in and say that I think E/F is also too high. I would go G/H....because the majority of people aren't horribly color sensitive. Some are, yes, but unless you're in that 10-15%, then G/H is likely just fine and far less expensive.

 

[ChooChoo]

While I agree that most people aren't THAT color sensitive, I wouldn't take the risk that my girlfriend might be one of them, and always be bothered by the yellow hue in her G. Personally, if I had your budget, I would get this (assuming it's eye-clean, I'd call and find out!):

1.29 F SI1

This should be just as white, just as sparkly, and just as clean as your D VS2, but it's a LOT more diamond for the same price!

 

[ChooChoo]

Would you feel comfortable tricking your girl into going into a Tiffany's, supposedly just for fun, and looking at different color diamonds? You can ask to see a G and an F, or an H and an F (you get the idea) side by side, and see if either of you can tell the difference. For me, the difference between a G and an F was obvious, which is what cinched it for me - I'm never going lower than an F.

 

[denverappraiser]

I have to agree with quaeritur, I really love D's. I' wouldn't even describe the price as all that high but it's possible that you could do a little bit better online. As you obviously already know, compromising on the D would save you a bit. If the store is otherwise somewhere that you want to do business and you find that the stone 'sings' to you, I think you are doing fine.

Who did the grading and who called it a H&A?

Neil Beaty, GG ISA
Independent appraisals in Denver
www.gemlab.us

 

[noobie]

I don't think G has a yellow hue. I personally don't know of many people that can tell the difference in color grades down to G without any kind of reference and especially face up. What I mean by reference is holding master stones next to it or looking at them side by side against white card. Individually and face up I'm not so sure. Then again I don't have the eyesight of quaeritur and MMM.




I've bought E, G and H stones and they all look white to me. The E was sold to me as a D. The only way I could tell is with both the D and E master stone on each side of it face down on a white card.




I think you should go look at some very well cut stones in different colors and see for yourself. Actually another neat thing to do is to see if an appraiser will let you look at the master grading stones. It's really neat play with them if you haven't seen many diamonds.