Need advice on purchasing diamond ring

[midknight]

Dear All,

Been scouring the net for information on buying diamonds, am so glad I found this site..

Am happy to say I''ve found the woman of my dreams and am now looking to purchase a ring with the following specifications:
Shape - Round
Colour - E to G
Size - min 1.0ct max 1.5ct (ideally around 1.2ct)
Clarity - min VS1 and above
Cut - Very Good / Excellent
Setting - Solitaire, preferably in four prong, white gold or platinum ring.


I admit its the first time I''ve ever bought anyone a ring, and hence am quite clueless.. I was left frustrated by the local stores I went to, and was simply overwhelmed by the online stores..

Like anyone, I simply want to get the best quality stone at the best possible price.. I would be eternally grateful for your kind advice on where I should go and what I should expect to spend.

Much thanks and best regards!

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

It is not fair to ask for people to give you vendor names.
You have a nice range of color. You can easily go down to SI1 and have abeautiful diamond unless the VS1+ is a cultural thing.

Read the tutorial here and check out the search engine for the recomended pricescope vendors

 

[midknight]

i know what you mean and that I shouldnt be fishing for vendors..

as i mentioned earlier, was bit overwhelmed by the number of online retailers listed in pricescope and the vast difference in prices offered.. Bit skeptical about buying jewellery online, but cant deny that the prices of the online stores look very attractive..

any experience others may have about buying diamonds online vs stores would definitely be use to me.. if anyone actually has what i''m looking for, even better..

 

[mrssalvo]

if you read here for any amount of time there are a few vendors that will continually pop up with good reviews. Some of the most popular are Goodoldgold, Whiteflash, Winfields, james allen, Pearlmans and engagementringsdirect. many times who someone purchases from will depend on which vendor has the right stone in stock. using the search tool that garry suggested is a great start. you can easily see what's availible with the specs you are looking for and who's got the stone. You can link the stone here for advice as well if you find what you think is a winner. Do a search on any of the vendors and you'll find plenty of feedback.

i have personally purchased from Whiteflash and Pearlmans and had a custom setting made by Quest. All were A+ experiences I wouldn't hesitate to do so again.

I'd try and find a PS vendor that is close to you if possible too.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Well, I have to say that I think that a large majority of the time, this forum is used EXACTLY to get recommendations on reliable vendors and stones! I know that is what I did when I came here and almost daily new people come here to get stone suggestions! It''s a wonderful consumer resource because you can get references from people who have actually dealt with the vendors and have had good experiences.

As for me, I have bought from both Good Old Gold and WhiteFlash. I like them because of the wonderful pictures and other information they provide on the stones. Their stones are mostly in-house...that means they have them in stock and can talk to you about them on the phone, if you want. They also both have great trade-in policies should you want something larger (or higher color, etc.) later.

As an example, here is a beautiful top quality cut 1.2 G VS1 stone from WhiteFlash''s A Cut Above selection:

http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/A-Cut-Above-H-A-cut-diamond-59454.htm (subtract 5% for wire/pricescope discount)

Here is a beautiful 1.32 F VS1 from Good Old Gold:

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/3365/

I''d really love either of these, personally! I also like VS1 in an engagement ring diamond. Best of luck to you!!!

 

[midknight]

lovely, much appreciated