shape
carat
color
clarity

Just looked at my first diamonds (Engagement Ring)

paint94979

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Hey everyone thanks in advance for your help...

Quick rundown:

Good friend recommended a "diamond guy" so I saw him this morning. He is the middle man if you will as we walked across the hall in his office building (San Francisco) to another office with a nice man with a safe full of diamonds. So we began talking and I wanted to see cushing, princess and oval cuts. Settled on an Oval 1.20 F VS2 for a solitary in a platinum band. I saw it in natural light and it was beautiful. I held it in natural light side by side to an Oval 1.46 H SI1 and the quality and clearness wasn't even close (obvious reasons :D). The price was $6,800.00 for the stone + the setting which I won't know the cost of until Monday plus the middle mans 10% ($680.00). Im ok with the price even though shopping around online would be a bit cheaper. My main concern is once I came home I checked the GIA cert number... and noticed the symmetry is only Good and the girdle is Slightly Thick to Extremely Thick, Faceted. How concerning is this? Paying more for a better stone isn't a big deal however how concerning are the items I have listed? I want to "stretch" my dollar as far as I could.

https://www.gia.edu/sites/Satellite?reportno=2185451619&c=Page&childpagename=GIA/Page/ReportCheck&pagename=GIA/Wrapper&cid=1495237976866&encryptedString=null&qr=null

db673440fd4a0902a6611cddaa83e1f7.jpg


b285025aecf97ecac9df1efe584468d9.jpg
 
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Q

Queenie60

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I would suggest you continue looking and get the best stone for your money. Personally, I would not limit myself to one vendors inventory.
 

rockysalamander

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Non-round diamonds are very hard to select for good performance. Without a video and photo, we can't tell you much from the information provided. Very few ovals are cut for optimal performance and usually suffer with a bowtie or other issues. Ovals really vary in perimeter shape from pretty ovals, to those that look more long and skinny or short and chubby. They can have smooth edges or squared shoulders. Its a tough shape to choose. I don't worry terrible much about the "symmetry" being VG this shape (and even down to Good if hand chosen by the right vendor, see below).

For a nice oval, you want a nice oval shape without squared shoulders. You want to see all the facets in the belly flash (nothing stays static) and the tips at the long ends twinkle. You don't want the bowtie in the belly to be persistent or lacking light movement. You want the facets between the middle and ends to have a lot of life and movement, not be grey and mushy. This is well explained (with pictures) here:
https://www.pricescope.com/communit...-an-oval-for-my-proposal.226769/#post-4096909

This drawing might be helpful to understand the bowtie in an oval
https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/seeking-advice-on-oval-diamond.238873/#post-4304180

Looking at comps the price is right inline with buying online. However, from the vendors I looked at, I can see high resoultion video and usually can get video. The stone linked by @Queenie60 is a beautiful oval that is the first (and only) ideal/precision cut oval on the market. They are lovely.

I'll ping a few of of fancy lovers to post you some options to look at.
@tyty333 @valeria101 @diamondseeker2006 @mrs-b

I'll look online and see if I can find some.
 
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paint94979

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Thanks for the help everyone... Another question I have is about settings. Are there different grades of platinum settings?
 

rockysalamander

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Thanks for the help everyone... Another question I have is about settings. Are there different grades of platinum settings?
Grades? Not really. There are well-made settings and poorly made settings, and a bunch in between. Did the seller tell you a brand name for the setting? Can you describe the setting you wanted?

Can you clarify why you looked at so many shapes? Are you the intended wearer? If not, what has she asked for? Most people have a pretty clear idea of the kind of shape they like, if nothing else.

This is a very pretty oval with a bit more of a cushion shape.
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/oval-cut/1.24-carat-f-color-vs1-clarity-sku-4677654

I like this one. Its a 4-main style oval, which is not everyone's favorite. But, it has a lot of active facets and a pretty shape.
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/oval-cut/1.14-carat-f-color-vs2-clarity-sku-4301798

Really liking this one.
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/oval-cut/1.16-carat-f-color-vs1-clarity-sku-4668030

I'd put the 1.14 and 1.16 on hold if you are interested.

But, if you hang on...wait for one of the folks I pinged above or another fancy lover to chime in. They really are a tricky beast. Hopefully, you'll get more action on Monday.
 

paint94979

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Originally she wanted a Princess cut. Then she told me she didnt want a princess cut. We've never been ring shopping besides looking on the Tiffany website. Shes going to like whatever it is she is going to get :D
 
Q

Queenie60

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Originally she wanted a Princess cut. Then she told me she didnt want a princess cut. We've never been ring shopping besides looking on the Tiffany website. Shes going to like whatever it is she is going to get :D
In that case I would go with a round. You can't go wrong.
 

diamondseeker2006

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I'd say never buy in a situation like that, because usually those sellers are at least a little dishonest because he is selling retail and not wholesale. True wholesalers do not sell to the public directly. And often if people change their mind a day or two later, they say sorry, no returns.

Other than the Opulence Ovals, most ovals are not nearly as well cut as an ideal round. So I'd suggest considering a round, as Queenie did. And let us help you find one from a reputable vendor out of state which has some advantages.
 

paint94979

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Ya the more I ponder what took place yesterday the more uncomfortable I feel. Once the diamond was "selected" I was handed a book with settings. I have no idea what quality they are. I was shown a ring that their customer was coming in to pick up. It was an oval .90 carat with a halo and diamonds going down each side of the band. It looked awful. The small diamonds that were placed down the band didn't look good as in how they were placed in the band. It was only a $5,000.00 ring but it looked crappy. Low quality.
 

SimoneDi

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@paint94979 did you put money down? If so, is the deposit refundable? The whole idea of a middle man commission for someone who hasn’t done much for you sounds extremely odd, also the “catalog” concept is extremely old school. You will be able to get a better value at a reputable jewelery store and much, much better value online. I am with the other folks that if you don’t know what your girlfriend would like, then stick to a classic shape like a round, you really can’t go wrong with that. Perhaps round in a cushion halo will provide a nice twist to a modern shape.
 

paint94979

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No I didn't put down any money. I agree the 10% commission does seem a little odd. We spent a lot of time looking at stones 1.5 hours. I was told the diamond I "selected is very high quality. Going by the GIA report that doesn't really seem like the case. Its a decent diamond however at $6,800.00 + $680 = $7,480.00 that doesn't seem like a good deal at all. PLUS I was so turned off by the whole here buy a cheap setting so she can pick out one she wants later??? They tried to sell me on white gold because it was cheap? They said the Platinum setting was $500.00 That doesn't seem expensive to me?
 

SimoneDi

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No I didn't put down any money. I agree the 10% commission does seem a little odd. We spent a lot of time looking at stones 1.5 hours. I was told the diamond I "selected is very high quality. Going by the GIA report that doesn't really seem like the case. Its a decent diamond however at $6,800.00 + $680 = $7,480.00 that doesn't seem like a good deal at all. PLUS I was so turned off by the whole here buy a cheap setting so she can pick out one she wants later??? They tried to sell me on white gold because it was cheap? They said the Platinum setting was $500.00 That doesn't seem expensive to me?
There are many simple white gold and platinum settings that don’t cost much, so the price of the setting is not necessarily what I would question, but when buying from a retailer, I generally expect to see the product that I am buying, not pick from a catalog.

Ok, so can we help you find a great diamond + setting then? Can we say $7-$8K max budget?
 

SimoneDi

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paint94979

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oh wow I just saw that black speck right in the center of that diamond I posted... yikes
 

rockysalamander

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  • I too prefer the 1.16 I posted. Please put it on hold before it gets snatched. JA will allow you to place a free hold for 24 hrs. So, no obligation. you should also ask for an aset. They don't have them for all, but many.
 

paint94979

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ok thank you for your help
 

paint94979

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How much smaller will that 1.16 carat look compared to the 1.20 carat that I previously posted? The 1.20 carat has a very thick girdle where the 1.16 is not nearly as thick
 

ringo865

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You can look on the reports for the length and width measurements. Measure size on fancy stones by the actual measurements, not by carat weight, because of the infinite variables of LxWxH. A stone with a lighter carat weight could l face up larger than a heavier carat weight stone. Rounds are more predictable, but can still be deep or spready.
 

SimoneDi

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How much smaller will that 1.16 carat look compared to the 1.20 carat that I previously posted? The 1.20 carat has a very thick girdle where the 1.16 is not nearly as thick
It won’t look smaller at all! It is even little longer than the 1.2ct you previously posted. You need to look at the dimensions, not the carat weight.
1.2ct F VS2 - 8.18 x 6.04 x 3.82
1.16 F VS1 - 8.22 x 5.98 x 3.78

Here is a visual comparison between the two:
49CF44C8-4978-4C10-A72C-111C9EE7DD31.jpeg
 

paint94979

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James Allen allowed me to place that 1.16 stone on hold for 48 hrs.
 

Diamond_Hawk

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How much smaller will that 1.16 carat look compared to the 1.20 carat that I previously posted? The 1.20 carat has a very thick girdle where the 1.16 is not nearly as thick

As you may see in examples above - remember that carat is a measurement of weight, not size. The Length and Width of a 1.16 (esp. with a thinner girdle) could easily be larger than a 1.20 .
 

SimoneDi

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This might be a silly question. In my very limited experience I have seen "high end" settings and "low end settings". Will this setting look like its high quality?

https://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/pave/platinum-petite-pave-engagement-ring-item-56283

JA has good quality settings. I would probably place them in the mid-range, but they are definitely settings made to last a long time. High end hand forged settings would cost you multiple times the listed price of JA’s setting.
 

quaddio

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Grades? Not really. There are well-made settings and poorly made settings, and a bunch in between. Did the seller tell you a brand name for the setting? Can you describe the setting you wanted?

Can you clarify why you looked at so many shapes? Are you the intended wearer? If not, what has she asked for? Most people have a pretty clear idea of the kind of shape they like, if nothing else.

This is a very pretty oval with a bit more of a cushion shape.
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/oval-cut/1.24-carat-f-color-vs1-clarity-sku-4677654


FVS1 I just love the look of this one!
 

paint94979

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Unfortunately I am not a big fan of fluorescence
 

paint94979

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The blueish hue a higher fluorescent diamond puts off doesn't fit my eye. I prefer a clearer appearing diamond.
 
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