Looking for First Engagement Ring

[ef11]

Hello all,

I'm new to engagement rings but like to be as educated on a subject as possible before making a decision, so I am turning to the experts on this forum.

I am 31, she is 24, and petite at 5'4" and 110 Lbs I know she likes a round diamond on a six-point setting (think standard Tiffany's engagement ring).

My initial thoughts are around 2 carat and I really like D/E/F on Color, preferably D. VS1 or better is my initial thought but not stuck on that.

I feel like $20,000 is about the right amount to spend on the stone.

Can I just purchase the stone and ring from these websites and if I don't like it exchange it for another one? Should I be concerned about buying online instead of a jewelry store?

Price seems to go way up for > 2 carats with great color and clarity...I would like 2 - 2.5 but I think around 2 will look very big on her small hands.

Three that I like in order of price are below. I'm thinking the 1.9 D VVS2 (second link) is my favorite based on my limited knowledge and looking at the pictures.

Thanks for any comments, things I should consider, research to do, etc.

1.90 Carat round diamond

This 1.9 carat round diamond F color vs1 clarity has Excellent proportions and a diamond grading report from GIA

www.jamesallen.com

1.90 Carat round diamond

This 1.9 carat round diamond D color vvs2 clarity has Excellent proportions and a diamond grading report from GIA

www.jamesallen.com

2.00 Carat round diamond

This 2 carat round diamond D color vs1 clarity has Excellent proportions and a diamond grading report from GIA

www.jamesallen.com

 

[Txborn79]

Have you asked for copies of the GIA certificates for any of them? You will need to ask for those and post the numbers but I’m sure most would agree that the third looks the best and the other two don’t have complementary angles

 

[Txborn79]

Once you get the certs, run the numbers through the HCA https://www.pricescope.com/tools/hca

 

[jp201845]

Is there cultural reasons why you want a D color and high clarity ?

If you go down to E-F in color and VS2 in clarity you will save alot of money and then you can go higher in carat if you wish....

 

[lovedogs]

I suspect that nond of these are within the recommended specs, unfortunately.

 

[headlight]

Skip these. Just from visual of first 2, both not good.
Stone #3 looks very attractive, but I can tell my mm size that everyone on this site will tear it apart as it is probably cut a little deeper. Yet, the photo looks really nice. With all that said, it is not a triple excellent... there are just too many stones out there to get a very good on symmetry and not an excellent. However, yet again, it is not easy to get 2 ct stones of high color with everything perfect, I found this out myself. The other element that would cause me to walk away is do not get a D color with medium fluorescence. I was wondering why the price was what it is... the stone is being discounted because of the medium fl with a D color stone. For a 2 ct D color, I don't think you can get a good one for that price. Keep looking.

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

It is friday post wine time in Melbourne.
Your title made me giggle - I hope you do not intend to be buying too many more engagement rings?

 

[MakingTheGrade]

It is friday post wine time in Melbourne.
Your title made me giggle - I hope you do not intend to be buying too many more engagement rings?

Bahaha. That made me laugh.
Although given the upgrade culture here, he may very well be buying more as upgrades :p

Best of luck OP! For what it’s worth I’m 5’4 and wear a size 4.5 rings and a 2 carat round looks plenty big on me.

 

[joelly]

It is friday post wine time in Melbourne.
Your title made me giggle - I hope you do not intend to be buying too many more engagement rings?

Perhaps he meant to say “first time buying an engagement ring.”

 

[Matthews1127]

Out of budget range by about $10K.
Not sure if you can stretch your budget for a WF Ideal cut stone, but this ticks all the boxes you mentioned, above.

Diamond | 2.007 ct F VS1 Expert Selection Round Cut Loose Diamond AGS Certified | 4149994

This fabulous 2.007 carat Round Ideal cut diamond has a clarity grade of VS1 and color grade of F.It is an excellent choice for engagement rings. | 4149994

www.whiteflash.com

 

[Matthews1127]

Over budget by about $8K.
WF ACA. It’s a G, but ACA’s are VERY white due to their superior cut...

Diamond | 2.064 ct G VS1 A CUT ABOVE® Hearts and Arrows Super Ideal Round Cut Loose Diamond AGS Certified | 4219714

This Whiteflash A CUT ABOVE® super ideal cut hearts and arrows 2.064 carat G color VS1 clarity loose diamond is graded by the American Gem Society (AGS) Laboratories. | 4219714

www.whiteflash.com

 

[MsShnooks]

As per the picture above, 2ct on size 4 finger is huge. Have a look at the JA policy - I expect you can send the diamond back if you aren’t happy. The HCA tool is helpful in narrowing down your options to the diamonds that are more likely to be extra sparkly. As suggested above, it might be an idea to go to E-F/VS2 to get the carat weight as well as the sparkle. F/VS are still top quality diamonds found at the most upmarket jewellers. You might also like to consider factors such as fluorescence as it has a bearing on price and appearance.

 

[ef11]

Once you get the certs, run the numbers through the HCA https://www.pricescope.com/tools/hca

Thanks for the info, so it seems I should probably start with PriceScopes search that already gives me the excellent HCA as those are the ones with the most sparkle?

Is there cultural reasons why you want a D color and high clarity ?

If you go down to E-F in color and VS2 in clarity you will save alot of money and then you can go higher in carat if you wish....

No cultural reason, but I've seen some D in person next to F and the D just looked much clearer...of course there are so many other factors at play so it is probably not fair to base anything on that one judgement.

I have looked at VS2 as you suggest but I keep seeing inclusions that really stand out...I think I need to stick in the VVS category or higher.

It is friday post wine time in Melbourne.
Your title made me giggle - I hope you do not intend to be buying too many more engagement rings?

Yes my mistake, I do not intend to buy more ha but just letting people know I was very new to this!

Bahaha. That made me laugh.
Although given the upgrade culture here, he may very well be buying more as upgrades :p

Best of luck OP! For what it’s worth I’m 5’4 and wear a size 4.5 rings and a 2 carat round looks plenty big on me.

Thank you for the pictures, she is a 4.5 finger size as well so 2 carat would be plenty big.

As per the picture above, 2ct on size 4 finger is huge. Have a look at the JA policy - I expect you can send the diamond back if you aren’t happy. The HCA tool is helpful in narrowing down your options to the diamonds that are more likely to be extra sparkly. As suggested above, it might be an idea to go to E-F/VS2 to get the carat weight as well as the sparkle. F/VS are still top quality diamonds found at the most upmarket jewellers. You might also like to consider factors such as fluorescence as it has a bearing on price and appearance.

My plan is to start with the search on PriceScope so I already know I'm looking at ones with good HCA.

Here are some I think may fit the bill:

HCA of 1.6

1.92 Carat D VS1 Round Brilliant Natural Diamond GIA Certified Affinity Cut - D43416217

1.92 carat, Round, D Color, VS1 clarity, GIA Certified Diamond, Affinity Cut Natural Diamond, D43416217

www.adiamor.com

HCA of 1.8 and looks big for carat size

2.07 Carat round diamond

2.07 Carat round diamond

www.jamesallen.com

HCA of 1.2 and looks big for carat size

2.00 Carat round diamond

This 2 carat round diamond F color vs1 clarity has Excellent proportions and a diamond grading report from GIA

www.jamesallen.com

Am I more on the right path now?

 

[Txborn79]

Am I more on the right path now?

Yes Ask for the GIA reports for the two diamonds from JA. Once you do that and if the numbers look good on paper you can ask for additional images, asset and ideascope. I believe you are limited to three for this so maybe find one other contender from them.

They all have fluorescence so you want to ask them to make sure it doesn’t cause a hazy/cloudiness/milky appearance in any of them. One is listed as strong

Not sure if Adiamor can get any additional images but it would also be good to ask them for asset and ideascope images to see if there’s any light leakage

 

[lovedogs]

One thing to keep in mind is that images and videos of these stones are EXTREMELY magnified. The chances of being able to see many inclusions in an ideal cut VS2 listed as eye clean is slim. So I wouldn't rule that option out

 

[lovedogs]

Thanks for the info, so it seems I should probably start with PriceScopes search that already gives me the excellent HCA as those are the ones with the most sparkle?



No cultural reason, but I've seen some D in person next to F and the D just looked much clearer...of course there are so many other factors at play so it is probably not fair to base anything on that one judgement.

I have looked at VS2 as you suggest but I keep seeing inclusions that really stand out...I think I need to stick in the VVS category or higher.



Yes my mistake, I do not intend to buy more ha but just letting people know I was very new to this!



Thank you for the pictures, she is a 4.5 finger size as well so 2 carat would be plenty big.



My plan is to start with the search on PriceScope so I already know I'm looking at ones with good HCA.

Here are some I think may fit the bill:

HCA of 1.6

1.92 Carat D VS1 Round Brilliant Natural Diamond GIA Certified Affinity Cut - D43416217

1.92 carat, Round, D Color, VS1 clarity, GIA Certified Diamond, Affinity Cut Natural Diamond, D43416217

www.adiamor.com

HCA of 1.8 and looks big for carat size

2.07 Carat round diamond

2.07 Carat round diamond

www.jamesallen.com

HCA of 1.2 and looks big for carat size

2.00 Carat round diamond

This 2 carat round diamond F color vs1 clarity has Excellent proportions and a diamond grading report from GIA

www.jamesallen.com

Am I more on the right path now?

I would get the certs from JA. I am not a big fan of either of them from the videos. But I like the adiamor one!

 

[tyty333]

Those 2 from JA look like they will have issues with Asets/Idealscopes images (even though numbers may be good).

Edit...ditto @lovedogs...I'm not a fan of either of those

 

[Txborn79]

Found the images for the Adiamor one
https://www.yadavjewelry.com/diamond/round-diamond-1.92-carat-d-vs1-yd8142717

 

[ef11]

Yes Ask for the GIA reports for the two diamonds from JA. Once you do that and if the numbers look good on paper you can ask for additional images, asset and ideascope. I believe you are limited to three for this so maybe find one other contender from them.

They all have fluorescence so you want to ask them to make sure it doesn’t cause a hazy/cloudiness/milky appearance in any of them. One is listed as strong

Not sure if Adiamor can get any additional images but it would also be good to ask them for asset and ideascope images to see if there’s any light leakage

Thanks for the help. Can you tell me what I am looking for in the GIA report that would either support or not support purchase? I was thinking the HCA comes from GIA and if the HCA is good no need...so what else will the GIA provide that I need to look for (and post here)? I'm requesting it now from JA.

 

[ef11]

Found the images for the Adiamor one
https://www.yadavjewelry.com/diamond/round-diamond-1.92-carat-d-vs1-yd8142717

The face seems to have what I would call nicks but I guess are called inclusions...but yes I understand this is super magnified.

 

[ef11]

Here are the GIAs for the three JA stones I was looking at.

Seems the Adiamor one is the favorite right now.

2.07 Carat round diamond

2.07 Carat round diamond

www.jamesallen.com

2.00 Carat round diamond

This 2 carat round diamond F color vs1 clarity has Excellent proportions and a diamond grading report from GIA

www.jamesallen.com

1.90 Carat round diamond

This 1.9 carat round diamond F color vvs2 clarity has Excellent proportions and a diamond grading report from GIA

www.jamesallen.com

 

[ef11]

Over budget by about $8K.
WF ACA. It’s a G, but ACA’s are VERY white due to their superior cut...

Diamond | 2.064 ct G VS1 A CUT ABOVE® Hearts and Arrows Super Ideal Round Cut Loose Diamond AGS Certified | 4219714

This Whiteflash A CUT ABOVE® super ideal cut hearts and arrows 2.064 carat G color VS1 clarity loose diamond is graded by the American Gem Society (AGS) Laboratories. | 4219714

www.whiteflash.com

This could be a cheaper but comparable option to the one you listed. Has an obvious inclusion in the top right but listed as eye clean.

Diamond | 1.904 ct G VS2 A CUT ABOVE® Hearts and Arrows Super Ideal Round Cut Loose Diamond AGS Certified | 4015037

This Whiteflash A CUT ABOVE® super ideal cut hearts and arrows 1.904 carat G color VS2 clarity loose diamond is graded by the American Gem Society (AGS) Laboratories. | 4015037

www.whiteflash.com

 

[lovedogs]

Thanks for the help. Can you tell me what I am looking for in the GIA report that would either support or not support purchase? I was thinking the HCA comes from GIA and if the HCA is good no need...so what else will the GIA provide that I need to look for (and post here)? I'm requesting it now from JA.

HCA and GIA report arent going to give the same info, so you need both. HCA tells you whether angles are working well together and are complimentary. GIA report tells you what the angles are, which is really important because we have recommended ranges to stick within. The only time you dint need the HCA is if you are looking at a stone with AGS 000 cut, since AGS is much more strict with cut than GIA.

Here are the angles/numbers we recommend.
Table: 54-57 (sometimes 58. )
Depth: 60-62.4 (I usually look for deeper than 60.5)
Crown angle: 34-35 (35.5 can be ok but you'd need advanced images)
Pavillion angle: 40.6-40.9

So for the JA ones you have reports for, all of them are outside outside of the recommended ranges, which is why I wouldn't buy any of them

 

[Txborn79]

This could be a cheaper but comparable option to the one you listed. Has an obvious inclusion in the top right but listed as eye clean.

Diamond | 1.904 ct G VS2 A CUT ABOVE® Hearts and Arrows Super Ideal Round Cut Loose Diamond AGS Certified | 4015037

This Whiteflash A CUT ABOVE® super ideal cut hearts and arrows 1.904 carat G color VS2 clarity loose diamond is graded by the American Gem Society (AGS) Laboratories. | 4015037

www.whiteflash.com

This would be the easiest way to go to know for sure you’re getting a top performer

 

[Dancing Fire]

Here ya go...

2.090 D IF Signature Round

Buy diamonds online - AGS graded 2.090 carat D IF Round super ideal cut Black By Brian Gavin Diamond. Lifetime Upgrade Policy!

www.briangavindiamonds.com

2.641 D VVS2 Signature Round

Buy diamonds online - AGS graded 2.641 carat D VVS2 Round super ideal cut Black By Brian Gavin Diamond. Lifetime Upgrade Policy!

www.briangavindiamonds.com

2.018 F VVS2 Signature Round

Buy diamonds online - AGS Graded 2.018 carat F VVS2 super ideal cut Black By Brian Gavin Round Cut diamond. Lifetime Upgrade Policy!

www.briangavindiamonds.com

 

[Dancing Fire]

This one will do for me!

https://www.hpdiamonds.com/en-us/diamonddetail/HPD10828

https://www.hpdiamonds.com/en-us/diamonddetail/HPD10832

 

[ef11]

I think the last two posts are quite a bit above the price range...

 

[Matthews1127]

This could be a cheaper but comparable option to the one you listed. Has an obvious inclusion in the top right but listed as eye clean.

Diamond | 1.904 ct G VS2 A CUT ABOVE® Hearts and Arrows Super Ideal Round Cut Loose Diamond AGS Certified | 4015037

This Whiteflash A CUT ABOVE® super ideal cut hearts and arrows 1.904 carat G color VS2 clarity loose diamond is graded by the American Gem Society (AGS) Laboratories. | 4015037

www.whiteflash.com

It is, indeed. As long as the inclusion isn’t visible closer to the eye than 6”, you should most certainly place it on HOLD, and discuss more with WF.
Do you have a setting in mind, or would you purchase from the same vendor?

 

[ef11]

It is, indeed. As long as the inclusion isn’t visible closer to the eye than 6”, you should most certainly place it on HOLD, and discuss more with WF.
Do you have a setting in mind, or would you purchase from the same vendor?

For setting I'm looking at a simple platinum 6 pointed setting, I know that is what she likes.

I don't think I can pull the trigger on that WF diamond with what appears to be a large inclusion right on the front, I can see it in all of the pictures. I will keep looking.

I initially thought the HCA was the same as knowing all of the specs/angles/etc were within the right range, but it now appears that is not the case. So I need to HCA to be right, then the GIA reports to show all are within the right range as well.

If I were to get a WF "A Cut Above" does that necessarily mean the HCA or the specs are all about perfect?

 

[lovedogs]

For setting I'm looking at a simple platinum 6 pointed setting, I know that is what she likes.

I don't think I can pull the trigger on that WF diamond with what appears to be a large inclusion right on the front, I can see it in all of the pictures. I will keep looking.

I initially thought the HCA was the same as knowing all of the specs/angles/etc were within the right range, but it now appears that is not the case. So I need to HCA to be right, then the GIA reports to show all are within the right range as well.

If I were to get a WF "A Cut Above" does that necessarily mean the HCA or the specs are all about perfect?

Yup. WF ACA, HP diamonds CBI, Brian gavin signature (or black, I think, I am not as familiar with their naming system), or victor canera all have stones with close to perfect specs