Looking to buy engagement ring soon - have someting in mind

[nukezero]

Hi Guys

So I did all my research already on GoG and all that stuff. I have some basic knowledge on the 4Cs. But good news for me I guess is two things:

1. I know what my girlfriend wants, and she wants similar style to Tiffany's Split-Shank Lucere. This is somewhat of a rounded square cut with a 1:1 symmetry on the diamond. So a radiant fits the bill. So I found a local shop with this ring setting. http://www.simoneandson.com/viewitem.asp?idProduct=604

So the setting is solidified

Next is the loose diamond. I don't need anything too fancy but my budget is around $5-8k( and the top end is stretching it).

So I found two great candidates but I don't know how to proceed and what to ask from James Allen. The two are here:

http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/radiant-cut/1.31-carat-h-color-vs2-clarity-sku-237147
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/radiant-cut/1.30-carat-f-color-si1-clarity-sku-326258

The first one has superb clarity. I mean, I can hardly find a defect in there. It is not totally symmetric, it is 5.97 x 5.94mm and it is a H-color. Not sure if that matters but it will go up next to G colored round pave diamonds on the setting.

The second one is also a beaut but it has worse clarify at SI1. There is some cloud scuffs right in the center. However, it rewards me with 1:1 symmetry of 5.93 x 5.93mm and is a F-color. Color wise, I am no longer a worried there but the scuffing is a bit alarming to me. It is also $400 more expensive than the first diamond. However, I am still slightly leaning towards this F-color diamond. The online visuals on jamesallen still shows that the H-color produces visually noticeable yellow hue. To alleviate my concerns, when I zoom out of the F-color diamond, I do not see much defect anymore so I wonder if JamesAllen could tell me whether or not this is eye clean.

What are your thoughts? Should I request an IdealScope from James Allen before proceeding?

I would however like to maintain a 6mm x 6mm size. I don't want anything too small (edging towards 5mm x 5mm that is)

Thanks

 

[drk14]

Re: Looking to buy engagement ring soon - have someting in m

I wonder if JamesAllen could tell me whether or not this is eye clean.

When you're ready with a selection of your top three diamonds, you can ask James Allen for ASET images and a gemologist inspection. The gemologist will be able to tell you whether the stones are eye-clean.

However, even though I'm a novice here, I get the impression of your two radiants that they are not the best of the lot. Thus, hopefully you will get some expert advice from the more experienced consumers on this board, to help you select some contenders. The gemologist inspection at James Allen is a one-time-offer, so you'll need to select your candidate stones carefully.