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Need advice with a small budget

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irn

Rough_Rock
Joined
Mar 13, 2012
Messages
11
Hi everyone,

I've been researching/lurking as much as possible and reading other people's questions/post on here on what I would like to purchase my girlfriend. I'm decided on a white gold Tiffany style solitaire radiant as she likes the shape of an emerald (rectangular) with the refractions of a round. Unless I'm wrong I think radiant fits the bill? I could go with a princess cut as well if there is a good reason. So here are the questions I'm faced with:

My budget is $1300 for both ring and stone... I was hoping to find a rock .7 carat or greater (probably not possible). I'm not sure how low I can go with the clarity/color that size (again I am on a budget but I would like something bigger if that means less quality? Is that bad?). Any opinion is appreciated here.

What is the best place to find the two? I'd prefer online if possible... I've looked on union diamond and found 2-3 that fit this possibly but I'm worried about the depth % and table and all that stuff that I don't seem to grasp.

here are my search results:

from union.

I will have the $1300 saved up (cash in hand) by 4/13/2012 and would like to be able to present the ring at her college graduation party on 5/5. Is this feasible? I'm a techie so I hope I can ask this question as my friends would ask me the best place to buy parts and the best parts to build a PC within a budget lol Here is to hoping.

Thanks everybody for reading!
 
For a radiant you definitely need to see pictures and an idealscope or preferably aset as there are a lot of poorly cut fancy shapes out there. I would look at http://www.jamesallen.com they have pictures of every stone and will provide idealscope/aset on a few that you narrow down to.

ETA a radiant will not look like a round. If she likes round faceting I would look for a rectangular cushion or cut cornered brilliant like http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamond/brian-gavins-quadex/
 
Thank you shimmer! Is it going to be difficult finding a stone larger than .7? I saw a few searching bdut wasnt sure what the drawback is.The examples you provided were smaller. I don't mind sacrificing a little quality for size or is it really noticible? I think she will prefer the more rectangular shape as to the round brilliance. Also their rings are a bit expensive. Would it be offensive to buy a loose diamond and get a ring at a local jeweler?
 
I see, then go for a radiant!!! I wouldn't go lower than GIA I color though.

I think it's totally fine to get a setting locally, just don't tell them you got the stone online unless you want a lecture on how online diamonds are 'worse' than theirs lol!
 
I saw a couple of retangular cushions on JA as well but they were slightly over your budget. From a quick search it looks like a .7-.75 is running around $1300 IJ SI1 SI2 and then between $250 and $450 for a solitaire setting. The only thing I would absolutely not sacrafice is the cut of the stone, the cut is what is going to give you the fantastic light performance! If the weight is your first priority, then dropping down to an I or J and SI1 and even an SI2 will still give you a beautiful quality ring.

Another option is to check out pre loved rings. There is a preloved forum here on PS that you could start with. Often times you can find an great deal on a stone and then have it re set in a setting that your gf will love! I can take a quick look for you if this is an avenue you would like to explore. For some people this is a great solution!
 
I'm going to tell you the truth, that's a really tight budget for what you want. My best suggestion for you is to call a vendor who can work with you. My best suggestion for this is that you call or email Luann or Yuketiel at ID Jewelry in NYC. They have come through on here time and time again as budget heroes for a lot of people.

Tell them your budget upfront what what you hope to get. They will work with you. It will be a lot easier for them to call in any number of stones since they are right in the heart of the diamond district.

http://idjewelryonline.com/index.php

Their number is on the site, give them a shot!
 
ID jewelry is a great resource. So is Eternity Diamonds. Both can work with small budgets.
 
That is a lot of diamond for the money, I have to warn you. Also, there is a HUGE price jump at .7 carats (>50%) - you would be able to get a significantly better cut if you dropped your size to the .5-.6 range. Insofar as better cut stones have better symmetry and light performance, I think a smaller stone would actually look better than a larger stone, for that price.

Fair warning, I know a lot more about round brilliants than radiants or cushions, so perhaps someone will contradict me.

Getting a ring made by 5/5 (or even between 4/13 and 5/5) shouldn't be a problem for most vendors. Most places will only bill you when it's finished, but I would be upfront about your time / budget constraints.
 
I am not an expert but I love the look of the third one you posted.
 
I don't mind a warmer color stone if it has an excellent cut. I would definitely consider a K RB, but fancy shapes tend to show their body color more than a round, so I think that this is a stone that you would want to see in person. Some people aren't color sensitive at all others will be bothered by the lower color grade, so its a personal choice. With your budget and your desire to have a larger stone, I think it may be worth considering in your case though. I wear an I asscher and I can only see the body color when I look through the pavillion of the stone, it doesn't bother me at all. More often we would recommend staying H or better in an asscher, but with the budget/size consideration, its worth considering, I wouldn't drop below a VS2 though in this cut, if you want an eye clean stone, some VS2s will still not be eye clean because of the unique faceting pattern, You will want to have JA evaluate the stone for you before ordering and get an ASET.
 
Thank you so much everybody! I really appreciate everyone's input. I'm going to go through the links and take a look and see. I'm not thrilled with buying a stone and having it set elsewhere, it makes me a bit paranoid that they could swap out my stone or worse (unlikely I'm sure but I want this day to be perfect for her). With my budget and the date looming I'd rather have some confidence that I don't screw this up. Also the convenience factor of getting everything all in one shop.

I will take a look at ID and Eternity. I wonder if JA can knock down the price of the setting? Is it worth asking? I can probably do a .6 but with both .6 and .7 being the small size I wasn't sure if the quality was negligible.

Did anyone have an opinion for or against using union diamonds?

Christina - I'm not against the idea of the preloved forum... are there any superstitions I should know of regarding old stones and new marriages? :lol:

Thanks again everyone for your insight... I feel much better about this entire process since I've found this forum.
 
IRM = check out the thread on "real ghost stories". Ericad posted how they cleanse their rings in sea salt, when they resell antique pieces. If you go the route of preloved, that may be something you may want to 'do' with a pre loved stone/setting!

I personally love the idea of the radiant and DEFINITELY give IDJ a call - they work miracles! ;))
 
I have a k colored emerald cut that I love from James Allen. They are wonderful to work with - if there is any diamonds you like they can have a gemologist look at them and evaluate them along with sending ASET images!
 
I just bought a ring from JA and also had a terrific experience.

If you pay by wire you will get 1.5% off of the PS price, which is about an extra $25 savings, and then you would also get 1.5% off of the setting, so maybe $5 more. It might still leave you a shade over budget.
 
I'm in love with this one:

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/K-VVS1-Very%20Good-Cut-Emerald-Diamond-1106848.asp

But then no budget for the setting :(
Click to expand...

I would suggest choosing the three stones you like best and asking James Allen for an ASET and gemologist review on the stones. You can then post the images here for help. It will also make it so that the stones you like will not be sold until you get to review the images.

Are you seeing the PriceScope price on James Allen? That last stone you posted was $1,300 normal price, but $1,180 Pricescope price.

As far as timing goes, I ordered by ring on 3/3 and received it Monday 3/12.
 
Spoke to a few people (and JA about the stone I linked to) and so far my best bet is to hold tight until 4/13 when I can put something down. Looking now is great and getting an idea of what I want but they can't hold anything for more than 24 hours. I'll be back next month it would appear. :)
 
One thing to keep in mind, since you are keeping face-up size in the front of your mind, is that step cuts like emerald and asscher cuts hold a lot of their weight in the pavilion (bottom of the stone) so they will not face up the same size as stones that are of the same carat weight but different shapes. Cushions and princess cuts are similar to emerald cuts in this aspect.

I love the look of that emerald cut K VVS stone you posted! I know nothing about how to judge the proportions but the faceting and aspect ratio are pleasing to the eye.

I can't wait to see what you end up with! I hope your girlfriend loves it and I'm sure she will be delighted to receive the ring at her graduation party.
 
Hello again!

Just curious... how does PS feel about lab created diamonds? I found this:

emerald ring and the idea is intriguing but I guess there has to be a big catch right?
 
this is not a lab created diamond, but a diamond simulant. we are not supposed to discuss simulants on PS per the forum rules.
 
Thank you for the explanation! Sorry I'm ignorant to the difference. I don't know how to delete my post.
 
irn said:
Spoke to a few people (and JA about the stone I linked to) and so far my best bet is to hold tight until 4/13 when I can put something down. Looking now is great and getting an idea of what I want but they can't hold anything for more than 24 hours. I'll be back next month it would appear. :)
Click to expand...


For now continue to read and learn an come back when you are ready to buy :)
 
irn|1332264677|3152895 said:
Thank you for the explanation! Sorry I'm ignorant to the difference. I don't know how to delete my post.
Click to expand...

it's fine :) a lab-created diamond is an actual diamond but it is man-made (not mined from the ground). a diamond simulant is not an actual diamond, but a stone that is supposed to look like a diamond (usually cubic zirconia or something else...sometimes with a different top layer)
 
Thinking out of the box... what about an oval with fishtail prongs to give her the rectangular look? This would enable a little more lee-way with stone color.
 
OcnGypZ|1332272211|3152970 said:
Thinking out of the box... what about an oval with fishtail prongs to give her the rectangular look? This would enable a little more lee-way with stone color.
Click to expand...

Do you have an example?

susiegrneyes: I'd like to keep it as classic as possible. clear, clean, very simple. But thank you though, I'll ask her anyway (I vaguely remember her mentioning she liked blue topaz or something... I got her blue saphire for valentine's day).
 
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