Need Advice

[ptay4]

Hi,
I am new to this forum so hopefully I am posting in the right place. Sorry if I''m not. My husband and I went shopping for a solitaire. Keep in mind that both of us knew very, very little about diamond shopping. In the 12 days since I have learned enough to know that I need to know more when shopping for a diamond.

We did purchase a ring from Zales and I am seriously considering taking it back. We don''t have a large budget and I feel that I would probably be throwing my money away if I keep the ring that we bought. My daughter lost her battery charger to her camera so I can''t post a picture but I can provide a link to the website.
http://www.zales.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2675414&cp=2071132.2109136&pg=7&cp=2071132&fbn=Ring+Style%7CSolitaire&f=PAD%2FRing+Style%2FSolitaire&fbc=1&categoryId=2109136&kpc=1&parentPage=search&searchId=21540795193

The ring is certified by GSL. Another question. Is the ring really certified? We received a credit card sized card with information on it. If so, how reputable is GSL. Zales doesn''t advertise it as being certified on their website. I realize now that it isn''t very much but this is the information that we received with the ring.

GSL 410659
Round Brilliant Cut
Weight: 1.04 carats
Clarity: I-2
Color: I (Near Colorless)
Pol/Sym: Very Good/ Very Good
Meas: 6.49 x 6.40 x 4.02 mm.

The ring has one place visible near one prong (visible more from the side than the top). I don''t know the proper term for this inclusion but in my terms it appears to be a crack. From what I''ve read this may be a what is termed a feather. It really sparkles in stores and places with alot of lighting. I''ve also noticed that the reputable places mentioned on this site do not even sell diamonds with a clarity of I-2.

Would I be better off purchasing a stone online smaller in size but better in quality? I would greatly appreciate any advise that anyone can share. If I would be throwing my money away, I would rather wait until I could afford better.

We will be gone several hours but I will check to see if anyone has posted when I get back.

Thanks so much.

 

[Ellen]

Date: 12/25/2007 5:52:32 PM
Author:ptay4

Would I be better off purchasing a stone online smaller in size but better in quality? I would greatly appreciate any advise that anyone can share. If I would be throwing my money away, I would rather wait until I could afford better.

We will be gone several hours but I will check to see if anyone has posted when I get back.

Thanks so much.

Yes.

And I don't think I need to elaborate a lot, you seem to "get" why that would be beneficial. We would love to help you pick something out when you are ready!

 

[Dee*Jay]

Hello and welcome!

First of all, yes, I personally would indeed take the Zales ring back and consider some other options. I'm assuming your budget is around $2,500 just based on the price of the ring that you bought--is that right? For that amount of $ you can get a beautiful stone very close in size to the zales ring with inclusions that you CAN'T see with the naked eye. Plus, I will bet you anything that the cut on a stone from one of the PS vendors will be superior to the Zales stone. Not to mention the whole GSL thing... A ring that is "certified" by GSL as a I-2 clarity I color could be several grades lower according to GIA or AGS (although I'm not sure what is lower than I-2 in terms of clarity?).

If you are willing to go I-1 in clarity (and I mean a true I-1, not a frozen spit I-1) James Allen has a variety of them on their sight, but I hesitate to link to any of them because some live person needs to look at the inclusions and tell you what's going on for real. Wink Jones also often has very good I-1s, although I don't see any on his site right now. It will be easier though to find an eye-clean SI-2.

Will you confirm your budget (and specify if it's for the stone alone or the whole ring) and we'll be happy to suggest some stones for you to consider?

 

[Lynn B]

Well, since your ring is "returnable" and you (or your DH) are not against returning it -- I say, yes, definitely take it back and let's try this again!

Whew! You found PS just in the nick of time!

(Assuming approximately $2400), you have a nice budget, and with a simple WG solitaire setting, you can put most of that money towards the stone. And even though it might be a bit *smaller* than the Zales stone, it will be more beautiful. AAAAAAAAND, if you buy from a PS vendor with a lifetime trade-up policy, you can always upgrade in the future as the budget allows. We likey that!

OK... if it were me, I'd get the best CUT you can find (cut is the most important "C", and is what makes a diamond beautiful and what makes it sparkle.)

Regarding color... graded by a reputable lab (like AGS or GIA), personally, I think that you can go as low as a J or even a K and get a killer stone without any noticeable *yellow*.

Regarding clarity, I love an eyeclean SI stone (SI1 or SI2)... there will likely be some inclusions visible under a loupe -- but (again, personally), I don't care about that. If I can't see it with my eye (under close scrutiny) - it's "not there" to me!

And after those considerations, I would put all the rest of the budget toward SIZE, babeeee, SIZE!!!

Ooooh, this is gonna be fun! You got a 2nd chance at the ring of your dreams!

 

[sera]

I completely agree with Ellen, Dee*Jay and Lynn B... return it and get a better cut.

I have seen the H and I color stones at Zales and Kay... they are in no way "near colorless" regardless of what the cert says. And their poor cut makes it worse. Yes, a Zales stone will sparkle in the Zales light... but a well cut stone is not dependent on one environment to look nice... you get an excellent stone from a PS vendor and that thing is gonna sparkle like mad by the light of the microwave. Even with going to a smaller size (for a better cut within the same budget), people will be more blown away by how much your new diamond will be crazy sparkly and fiery than having the label of a 1ct.

 

[marcy]

I can''t add anything to the great advice you''ve already received but I vote "yes" to taking it back and finding a diamond online. I would go for cut first then make sure it''s naked eye clean and then get the largest near colorless diamond you can find in your price range. I can''t wait to see what you get.

 

[ptay4]

Thanks so much for all the advice and a special thanks for being so quick to respond. We have decided to take the ring back.
I''m really glad that I found this site. I didn''t start searching and find it until after the ring was bought. Will be taking the ring back today.

 

[Ellen]

I hope the return goes smoothly for you. And like I said, we''d be more than happy to find you the best bang for your buck!

 

[Steel]

Date: 12/26/2007 9:04:40 AM
Author: ptay4
Thanks so much for all the advice and a special thanks for being so quick to respond. We have decided to take the ring back.
I'm really glad that I found this site. I didn't start searching and find it until after the ring was bought. Will be taking the ring back today.

We will help find some options for you! What is our budget?

ETA: oops, can anybody say Freudian? I meant your budget! [Oh the shame

]

 

[dolphingirl22]

here is a nice one from Whiteflash

http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/A-Cut-Above-H-A-cut-diamond-471538.htm

Its not a 1ct...but I''m willing to bet it looks almost as big as the zales one, since their diamonds are cut so poorly.