Find your diamond
Find your jewelry
shape
carat
color
clarity

Looking for some sparkly advice...

Status
Not open for further replies. Please create a new topic or request for this thread to be opened.
D

deltarider99

Rough_Rock
Joined
Jun 25, 2006
Messages
12
Hi all,
I''ve been a long-time lurker and since I''m getting ready to take the plunge relatively soon, I''ve started to ramp up my diamond search.

Here''s the skinny: the gf wants a big stone (2 ct), but I''m not exactly sure I can afford something like that WHILE maintaining a decent level of quality. I''ve done a decent amount of research on the 4 c''s (Good Old Gold was a HUGE help in this respect!), and am pretty sure that I''d be able to afford ~1.5 cts with decent clarity/color and of course, an ideal cut.

I browse the online vendors daily to see if anything new is in, and I came across this particular stone. The specs concerned me at first, but then I saw the "J in Platinum" thread, and decided to take a second look. My question to you all is, is this stone worth a second look? Thanks very much in advance.

http://www.whiteflash.com/round/Round-cut-diamond-2427104.htm
 
Hi Delta -

We can''t really tell yet until WF gets more info on the stone. It''s either not in their inventory or it''s so new the info hasn''t been entered onto the web site yet.

Perhaps you could call them tomorrow and ask what the crown and pavilion angles are. Also, I''d want to know whether there is a heart and arrows pattern visible.

One thing you might also ask about is that the 8.01x8.09 might imply that the stone is a little "out-of-round". I don''t know how much it would affect the light return, but I''d at least ask the question.

When I was buying my stone last year, my appraiser had a very low tolerance for anything more than a .03mm difference between the minimum and maximum diameter numbers. This stone has a .08mm difference.

Do you want an eye clean, J that faces up white, as big as you can get it? I''ll go look for others.

LizzyD
 
I'm sure you'll get more feedback soon, but I'd say it's tough to tell without more measurements. And since the GIA cert doesn't seem to load, we don't have more to go on than Table and Depth measurements. As you saw from the GOG tutorial, an ideal cut smaller diamond will look larger than a mediocre cut larger diamond, so I personally would drop the size and make sure I had a killer cut. This stone doesn't have IS image or anything to go by, so you're really going blind, in my novice opinion.

This stone, for instance, if eye clean:
http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/1480/

Good luck!
 
That''s not an in-house stone. You need to search only under WF A Cut Above or Expert Selection to get their in-house stones. When you do a search on Good Old Gold, you are getting their in-house stones. What is the maximum you want to spend on the diamond?
 
By far, the vast majority of engagement ring diamonds sold to consumers are in the I/J range. Many of these are not Ideally cut, but just decently cut. People who specifically want a large diamond generaly will give up some other aspect such as a degeee or two in color, cut and or clarity in order to satisfy their personal standards and expectations. Being observant of someone else''s feelings is just the beginning of a long term committment, such as getting married. Try to get used to the idea that you and your soon to be fiance'' will not always see things the same. Being able to see things from their perspective takes years of practice. Make the best of it.

My wide has an I color diamond which she loves and I enjoy seeing her wear it every day. It is well cut, but not a standard ideal cut. It is a little on the spready side, more the 60/60 type that some of us sort of like or prefer. All I can assure you is that vendors here want to obtain and sell what YOU want. Often a consumer overemphasizes certain attributes to err on the safe side, but a good dealer will provide solid advice on this. They are the experts and there are many of us here o further assist you.
 
Hi Delta,

I just wanted to follow up on a couple of things.

How much diamond research has your GF done? Does she know how different diamonds can look given the different combinations of characteristics? Does she want the biggest stone possible? Or the sparkliest stone possible? Or the biggest AND sparkliest you can afford? I wouldn''t presume to tell you how to manage this purchase within the context of your relationship, but does she know your budget? Is she willing to stay within it?

If it''s sparkly you''re looking for, then the importance of the cut cannot be over-emphasized. In which case, you would still need more numbers on that 2ct. J from Whiteflash (or any stone for that matter).

As for "solid advice", with all due respect to Mr. Atlas, there are many experienced, educated consumers on this board who have valuable input to share, and who do not potentially stand to gain anything by dispensing their advice.

I believe that most (if not all) Pricescope vendors are the best in their field, and observe the highest of standards and exhibit exemplary professional integrity.

That being said, caveat emptor still applies. Even when dealing with an expert, consumers have the responsibility to educate themselves the best they can (which it seems you have done).

Going by the numbers, looking for the color and clarity grades from a reputable lab, knowing the pavilion and crown angles, the HCA scores, seeing 40x and IS pics, etc., is still the best way to narrow down your choice when buying on-line.

And, always make sure about the return policy. Just in case...

Trust, but verify.

Best,
LizzyD
 
Oh - I almost forgot, have you looked at some of the killer halo rings around here? You could easily get a very nice 1.5ct, and then put it in a pave halo setting. Those things make stones look huge! Just a thought...
 
Thanks for all the replies! I didn''t realize that wasn''t an in-house stone at first; makes sense why there isn''t a whole lot of info to go along with it!

I''m looking to spend 12K. I''m not entirely sold on getting a ring of that size. I read a previous post on here about the gf wanting a big rock, and the guy wanted a nice, eye-clean rock. I have to admit that I feel the same.
 
It perplexes me that she''s sold on a 2CT diamond, even without having tried any rings on yet for size. Any suggestions on how I can get her to entertain the notion of having less than that?
 
Not sure what your relationship is like, but it seems like it''s pretty open if she feels comfortable enough requesting something like a 2 ct diamond from you. If she''s reasonable and you feel comfortable doing it, you can simply tell her the truth. (always a good way to start a marriage) Which is that you looked at the 2 ct stones in your budget and you think they simply won''t look as good (sparkly and white) as the 1.5+ carat stones for the same price. Most girls would probably understand why they should prefer a very exclusive ideal cut over a run of the mill "maul" cut. Size difference between a two carat and the one I suggested above is going to be very small: 1/2 a millimeter. Take a look on a ruler at how small that is. IMO I''d trade .5mm for way more sparkle.

Good luck.
 
Currently we''re upgrading my e ring to a 1.5 ct RB, E , VS2 and beautifully cut. I''d much rather have that than a 2ct of lower colour/clarity. I tried a 2ct on and it kind of looked "too much" on my hand anyway, almost fake looking. Sometimes less is more and it''s quality over quantity. A 1.5ct is still a huge diamond without looking try-hard on someone young-ish like myself. It''s very easy to get caught up in size when first choosing a ring, like I did, and compromise on quality. Just MHO!
 
I agree. It''s all personal taste, but for me, 2 ct is too big. Depends on finger size, too.
 
Date: 6/25/2006 11:38:41 PM
Author: deltarider99
It perplexes me that she''s sold on a 2CT diamond, even without having tried any rings on yet for size. Any suggestions on how I can get her to entertain the notion of having less than that?
Click to expand...
easy....tell her "dancing fire"
16.gif
said....size means nothing if the stone is not well cut.
 
Date: 6/25/2006 11:38:41 PM
Author: deltarider99
It perplexes me that she''s sold on a 2CT diamond, even without having tried any rings on yet for size. Any suggestions on how I can get her to entertain the notion of having less than that?
Click to expand...
Yup, show her a picture of a 2CT that you can afford and a picture of the 1.5 ideal that you want to buy her. See what she prefers. And tell her what you know about the tradeoff between carat and cut.

I was in the same situation as you. She stated had to be at least 2 cts. After I told her about the tradeoff between cut and carat, she agreed to go with cut over carat. But I never discounted her wish for a big stone either, so I''m not sure you can. She may really want a 2 ct, even if that''s not what you want to buy her.

When I was shopping, I came across this humorous article on diamond shopping advice for guys. I sent it to her, she laughed and said it described her, so I knew I couldn''t completely discount size.

http://www.diamondsourceva.com/ShoppingAdvice/diamonds-guys-only.asp

Good luck!
 
Hi Delta,

OK, here''s one that may be good for both of you:

http://www.whiteflash.com/round_ideal_cut/Round-Ideal-Cut-cut-diamond-2430675.htm#

It''s 1.8ct, J, VS2. The clarity is a little better than I would want to pay for, but it appears to be very well cut. Do you have an imminent date in mind for the event, or do you have time to wait until a larger SI1 or SI2 comes on the market? The only thing is, you could be waiting a long time, and then it might not be eye clean, or somebody could buy it out from under you. Then this one could have been bought in the mean time.

The HCA scores for this one come out to:

Light Return Ex
Fire Ex
Scint. VG
Spread VG

Total Ex, 1.9, within TIC range. Anything under a score of 2 implies the best cut. The pics look very nice too.

Since the price is $9,998. you''d then have some left over for a really nice setting (plus shipping, appraisal and insurance).

Perhaps you could propose with the stone in a simple, white or yellow gold, four or six prong solitaire setting (couple of hundred bucks), and then go shopping for the setting together. Also, if you buy the stone from a vendor with a good return/upgrade policy, you could propose as described above, and then tell her she can go for an upgrade on your X anniversary.

The other option is to look at shapes that give you more impression of size than a round would.

If a 1.5ct round averages about 7.4mm, then a Marquise of the same weight would measure 11.0 x 5.5 mm. Something like that you could set in an east-west pave halo looking something like Catherine Zeta-Jones'' ring (there are pics of it in the Celebrity Update thread in SMTR).

Other alternative shapes could be Emerald (avg. ~ 8.0 x 6.0mm) for a 1.5ct.

Radiant, same size as Emerald, but way sparklier.

Pear shape avg. 9.0 x 6.0mm for a 1.5ct.

Oval shape avg. 8.0 x 6.0mm for a 1.5ct.

So these would be longer and narrower than a round.

Any shape you get though, if you''re looking for a setting that will make the stone look bigger, I really encourage you to look at the pave halos in the Show Me The Ring thread. A couple are before (solitaire) and after (halo) and the difference is amazing.

Good luck. Hope this helps. Let us know what you do.

Best,
LizzyD
 
Lizzy, thanks very much for that info!

As far as the setting goes, all she wants is a plain solitare setting, 6 prong, platinum. So really, it''s all about finding the right stone (for her eyes and my pocketbook). I know that the engagement will hopefully take place before the end of the year, but it''s hard to say.
 
Is there that much of a noticeable difference between a 1.5 and a 2.0 ct stone? I mean, I know there will be a difference, but it is just noticeable, or OVERWHELMINGLY apparent?
 
Yep. There's definitely a noticably difference.

A big difference, though? To me, YES. But will wait for other's to chime in.

ETA: I think there is a big difference BUT I too would much prefer an ideal cut 1.5 to a mediore 2 carat any day of the week.
 
Here ya go: (1.0, 1.2, 1.5, 2.0, I think)

sizes%20compare%201c121c15c2c%20a.jpg
 
That''s a terrific picture! I''d go bigger with a very good stone that smaller with a perfect stone.
 
Status
Not open for further replies. Please create a new topic or request for this thread to be opened.
GET 3 FREE HCA RESULTS JOIN THE FORUM. ASK FOR HELP
Jewelry Blog
PriceScope-Concierge-Ad
Find prime cuts.
Top