webdiva
Brilliant_Rock
- Joined
- Feb 20, 2011
- Messages
- 1,268
Irn, welcome! I haven't posted much here but I'm a long-time reader and have learned so much about diamonds! As suggested by other posters - Definitely do your research in the next month and you'll learn how to maximize your budget.
Keep in mind that actual measurements in mm is more important than carat weight. For example, I just bought a .73 E I1 cushion from JA for $1500 but it faces up like a 1 carat - at 5.94 mm x 5.21 mm because it's very shallow. In fact, I haven't found any other cushion or radiant that faces up as wide and as clean for under $3500.
I was able to drop the clarity because 1. the stone is eye clean because the inclusion is clear and can only be seen if I place the stone face down and 2. my stone has the (much-maligned by Pricescope
) "crushed ice" effect which hides a multitude of sins (inclusions). I went to see radiants in person first and looked at color, cut, size, etc to see what I was ok with. I then picked out some stones on JA and had the gemologist view them to let me know if they were 1. eye clean 2. if the color had any warmth and 3. what the light performance was.
I'm really happy with my stone, it's really beautiful! And the price was awesome for the value! And the service from JA was outstanding. They never made me feel bad for my low budget and were very honest about the stones even when they could have sold me the more expensive one. Shipping was a breeze - I had it shipped to a Fedex near my office and then impatiently waited for it.
BTW - another great PS vendor, Good Old Gold has an oval at $1345 now - $1300 with the bank wire fee. If you can bargain with them or stretch your budget a bit - I wonder if this might be appropriate. This is a very cushion-y oval, with a great color:
http://goodoldgold.com/diamond/8486
It's 6.5 x 5 mm - which is a really nice size stone!
Keep in mind that actual measurements in mm is more important than carat weight. For example, I just bought a .73 E I1 cushion from JA for $1500 but it faces up like a 1 carat - at 5.94 mm x 5.21 mm because it's very shallow. In fact, I haven't found any other cushion or radiant that faces up as wide and as clean for under $3500.
I was able to drop the clarity because 1. the stone is eye clean because the inclusion is clear and can only be seen if I place the stone face down and 2. my stone has the (much-maligned by Pricescope
) "crushed ice" effect which hides a multitude of sins (inclusions). I went to see radiants in person first and looked at color, cut, size, etc to see what I was ok with. I then picked out some stones on JA and had the gemologist view them to let me know if they were 1. eye clean 2. if the color had any warmth and 3. what the light performance was. I'm really happy with my stone, it's really beautiful! And the price was awesome for the value! And the service from JA was outstanding. They never made me feel bad for my low budget and were very honest about the stones even when they could have sold me the more expensive one. Shipping was a breeze - I had it shipped to a Fedex near my office and then impatiently waited for it.
BTW - another great PS vendor, Good Old Gold has an oval at $1345 now - $1300 with the bank wire fee. If you can bargain with them or stretch your budget a bit - I wonder if this might be appropriate. This is a very cushion-y oval, with a great color:
http://goodoldgold.com/diamond/8486
It's 6.5 x 5 mm - which is a really nice size stone!
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