Looking to buy a diamond - need help please

[marinasmk]

Hello.

My husband and I just celebrated our 10 year wedding anniversary...and we are upgrading to a new wedding ring set.

I have already decided on a tacori eternity ring and eternity band to match. The ring and the band each carry 1.0 ct of G color, vs, small round diamonds.

For my center stone, we are looking for something close to 2 Cts. Unfortunately, most of our budget is being spent on the tacori set, which is going to be about $9000 total, so we only have another $6000 max. that we want to spend on the center diamond.

I''m thinking of going with a premium cut stone (vs. ideal), with VS clarity...but then I know I need to compromise on color. Would an "L" color, 2.0 ct stone, with VS quality and a nice cut be okay in a platinum tacori setting, next to G color little round diamonds?

I don''t want to make a mistake, but we''re already exceeding our originally planned budget, so your help and expertise is greatly appreciated. I want to get the most brilliance for the money we have to spend.

Thanks so much!

 

[marinasmk]

Here are three that I'm considering. Do any of these look good? Which would you recommend going with???

Thanks!



1.770 I-SI2 Round Diamond
62.3% Depth | 59% Table | VG Polish | VG Sym | N Culet


1.700 J-VS2 Round Diamond
62.6% Depth | 60% Table | GD Polish | VG Sym | N Culet


2.030 L-VS2 Round Diamond
61.7% Depth | 55% Table | VG Polish | GD Sym | N Culet

 

[ChooChoo]

I wouldn't go down to an L with a Tacori setting... I think the yellow will jump out. May I ask if you ordered the set already? I know Tacoris are expensive, but $9K seems very high - did you get any type of a discount?

 

[marinasmk]

Thanks for the feedback. I appreciate it. I have not purchased the setting yet because I want to decide on the stone first....and yes, $8980 is the lowest price for the ring and the matching band that I have found. I have checked everywhere, and Robin from NiceIce has been very helpful, so I'm going to purchase the setting through her, once I decide on the diamond.

 

[pearcrazy]

I definately wouldn't go with an L color, I don't think it will look good with G colored sidestones. If your choices are limited to the three listed, then I would go with the I colored stone.

 

[aljdewey]

I honestly think you should drop the size of the stone and get better quality.




I have to honest....I think the stones you mentioned would look terrible next to G sides stones *and* in platinum to boot. If I were making this purchase, I wouldn't go below an H (or maaaaaaaaaybe a high I stone with fluor) for your center stone if your sides are G and the setting is platinum.




The stone being bigger won't be as noticeable as the stone looking horrible if you stray too far off color wise. Those stones might look lovely as stand-alones in yellow gold, but I think they would detract from the look you're going for.




Put another way.....if you were cooking a very expensive dish with truffle oil and exotic vegetables and you wanted to select a meat to accompany it, you wouldn't pick hot dogs. Same thing.

 

[ChooChoo]

Another thing to consider is that many Tacori settings actually look better with "smaller" (that is, 1-1.5 carat stones) because that is what they are designed for, and thus a 2 carat stone may look a little disproportionate.

I agree with Al, an L color, without an awesome cut, just doesn't belong in a Tacori. The setting is going to be so beautiful that it will really bring out any imperfections in the stone. That's why we got an E SI1, ideal cut, for our Tacori setting. Personally, I would rather have an ideal cut 1.2 stone, very white and with no inclusions, than a compromise 2 carat with a tint and not as good of a cut.

 

[janmlau]

i do agree with everyone here. anything lower than an H color would not look good with the setting you picked out. the outcome of the ring will not be what you would hope for.
there are 2 options you can consider....

1. have you thought of a tacori knockoff. they are the same exact thing but only it's not from tacori. it'll probably cost a quarter of the price from tacori which leaves $$ for the center stone.

2. depends on which setting you're getting, most of the tacori setting is with a "fishtail" center. meaning that the "box"...(where the center prongs are) is usually a 4 v-shape corner setting which enhances the size of the stone. when setting a 1.30-1.50ct is does look like a 2.00ct stone

i would defintely not suggest getting a very low quality stone. the setting might look good, but because it's a low quality stone, it will destroy the ring's elegance.

 

[marinasmk]

Thank you all so much for your assistance and honest feedback. I greatly appreciate the help.

I am back to the drawing board trying to find the right diamond for the setting we have chosen.

THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!

 

[yowahking]

Just to jump in on a different angle, some people don't know or forget that not all H, I, J, even L look the same. A grey type L will look much better in a white setting than a yellow or brown L. My suggestion is to find the most beautiful diamond that you can afford and have an appraiser help you with value judgments. Let a jeweler help you with how it will look. Take opinions from everyone, but trust your eye.