Need Guidance with price and quality

[tearsfromheaven]

Hello --

My boyfriend and I have been discussing engagement for some time now and we are starting to looking at rings. We have a budget and I don''t want to stray from that budget, yet I''d like to have a gorgeous ring. (Who doesn''t?)

I have some questions:

Where are the best values? Local mom and pop jewelers? Jewelers Row in Philadelphia? NYC?
What should my focus be with a budget around +-15K?
Is it possible to get a 2 carat stone that isn''t badly flawed for that kind of money?

I would think it is possible to get a nice stone for that kind of money, but I''m not sure.
Do you recommend buying loose and then figuring out a setting?
For now, I think I''m sticking with a round brilliant cut, although the cushion cut make me twirl with delight too.

Lots of questions, few answers. I appreciate any help.

 

[neatfreak]

1. Best values are online. Vendors like Whiteflash, Good Old Gold, Engagement Rings Direct will give you a great start to some great vendors.

2. Best to buy a stone loose and then choose your setting.

3. RB is the *easiest* to buy, especially sight unseen, because there are a number of ideal cut parameters, so if you stick within those, you'll be guaranteed a beautiful stone (check out Whiteflash's line of ACA stones for an example). Cushions all need to be seen and are of varying quality.

4. You can certainly get a beautiful stone for $15K, but whether you can get something 2 carats is debatable depending on how low in color and clarity you are willing to go. But you can certainly get something bigger than 1.5.

5. Welcome to PS. Stick around here and you will learn a lot. If you find a stone you love, RESERVE IT, and then show us the link here and we'd be happy to help you evaluate it.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 10/13/2008 9:04:26 AM
Author: neatfreak
1. Best values are online. Vendors like Whiteflash, Good Old Gold, Engagement Rings Direct will give you a great start to some great vendors.

2. Best to buy a stone loose and then choose your setting.

3. RB is the *easiest* to buy, especially sight unseen, because there are a number of ideal cut parameters, so if you stick within those, you''ll be guaranteed a beautiful stone (check out Whiteflash''s line of ACA stones for an example). Cushions all need to be seen and are of varying quality.

4. You can certainly get a beautiful stone for $15K, but whether you can get something 2 carats is debatable depending on how low in color and clarity you are willing to go. But you can certainly get something bigger than 1.5.

5. Welcome to PS. Stick around here and you will learn a lot. If you find a stone you love, RESERVE IT, and then show us the link here and we''d be happy to help you evaluate it.

Ditto Neat ( as usual!

) Give us a bit more info and we can help you from there.

 

[somehowcollide]

Date: 10/13/2008 9:04:26 AM
Author: neatfreak
1. Best values are online. Vendors like Whiteflash, Good Old Gold, Engagement Rings Direct will give you a great start to some great vendors.


2. Best to buy a stone loose and then choose your setting.


3. RB is the *easiest* to buy, especially sight unseen, because there are a number of ideal cut parameters, so if you stick within those, you'll be guaranteed a beautiful stone (check out Whiteflash's line of ACA stones for an example). Cushions all need to be seen and are of varying quality.


4. You can certainly get a beautiful stone for $15K, but whether you can get something 2 carats is debatable depending on how low in color and clarity you are willing to go. But you can certainly get something bigger than 1.5.


5. Welcome to PS. Stick around here and you will learn a lot. If you find a stone you love, RESERVE IT, and then show us the link here and we'd be happy to help you evaluate it.

Ditto to everything Neatfreak said with a few additional pieces of advice. Round brilliants are the most popular choice for an engagement ring stone and are therefore priced higher than fancy cut stones of similar paramaters (size, color, cut, clarity). Also, if size is an important factor for you, I wouldn't necessarily suggest a cushion cut because they tend to face up smaller due to their deep cut.

If you haven't done this already, please go to some B&M retailers and try on rings to see what shape suits you best. And while RBs are the easiest stones to purchase sight unseen, it totally possible for you to receive sound advice from board members if you provide the correct tools (aset, idealscope, cert info, etc). Finally, if you go the internet route I would suggest you look into the vendors that NeatFreak has suggested, they are regarded as the cream of the crop around here and consistently produce top performing stones.

ETA: You have a healthy budget and I think the users here will help you find the perfect stone! BTW, is the 15k for the stone alone or for stone and setting?

 

[neatfreak]

Date: 10/13/2008 9:19:46 AM
Author: somehowcollide

Date: 10/13/2008 9:04:26 AM

Author: neatfreak

1. Best values are online. Vendors like Whiteflash, Good Old Gold, Engagement Rings Direct will give you a great start to some great vendors.



2. Best to buy a stone loose and then choose your setting.



3. RB is the *easiest* to buy, especially sight unseen, because there are a number of ideal cut parameters, so if you stick within those, you'll be guaranteed a beautiful stone (check out Whiteflash's line of ACA stones for an example). Cushions all need to be seen and are of varying quality.



4. You can certainly get a beautiful stone for $15K, but whether you can get something 2 carats is debatable depending on how low in color and clarity you are willing to go. But you can certainly get something bigger than 1.5.



5. Welcome to PS. Stick around here and you will learn a lot. If you find a stone you love, RESERVE IT, and then show us the link here and we'd be happy to help you evaluate it.

Ditto to everything Neatfreak said with a few additional pieces of advice. Round brilliants are the most popular choice for an engagement ring stone and are therefore priced higher than fancy cut stones of similar paramaters (size, color, cut, clarity). Also, if size is an important factor for you, I wouldn't necessarily suggest a cushion cut because they tend to face up smaller due to their deep cut.

Well...so here's the thing about this. RB's are more pricey per carat. But at the same time, they face up (i.e., look) bigger than most other cuts out there (besides ovals and pears). So really, it all evens out in the end if visual size is your goal. And a really well cut cushion won't face up that much smaller than a round, and when you take into account the price difference between cushions and rounds, you can usually afford a slightly bigger cushion. So I'd stick with whatever shape you really want. Most of the size thing evens out with a set budget.

 

[Kelli]

Neatfreak''s pretty much got you covered! Don''t skimp on cut--- I would also stick with Whiteflash''s ACAs or expert selections. And go to some stores to find out how color sensitive you are. My diamond was an I, now is an H after a recut and re-grading and I''ve never seen any kind of yellow tint in it. Some people go as low as J and K, and when I buy a pendant those are the colors I will be looking for. But bigger stones do show a little more color than smaller ones, so definitely go look for yourself. On clarity, I went with VS2 since I wouldn''t be able to see it for myself, but that was before I found pricescope. If you trust the vendor--- do research on here and you will find many that you can absolutely trust--- they can inspect any stone for you and let you know whether or not there are visiible inclusions. A lot of people go as low as SI2 and get beautiful eye clean stones. You will definitely be able to stretch your dollar the furthest by buying online. Keep us posted as to what you decide and have a great time shopping!

 

[tearsfromheaven]

Thank You, everyone for your kind replies. I have been reading and reading on Pricescope since I first posted. I have A LOT to learn. I am taking your advice and will be seeking a loose stone purchased online to start. I am taking baby steps for several reasons, but mainly because the price of diamonds is most shocking to me and I want to be absolutely sure that my fiance-to-be gets the best possible value.

Given what I have read so far, it seems to me that I should be paying close attention to cut and clarity...and of course color, but cut has a bigger impact on the ultimate appeal of the stone once it''s set. Again, I think it''s a careful balance of the 3c''s and the individual stone. I''m learning... more than I ever wanted to know perhaps...but this is good. I won''t be taken for sure, now that I''ve found Pricescope.

Thanks again. I will be looking at stones and presenting them for Pricescope opinions off and on until the right one is found. I''m taking my time, despite the fact that my fiance would love to have a ring soon.

I don''t care about the sparkle in her eye when he proposes, I care about the sparkle in the diamond!

 

[Lorelei]

It depends on what your priorities are - cut is incredibly important as without an excellent cut you won''t have a pretty stone. Clarity...SI grades can be fine if verified eyeclean by a trusted vendor - unless of course you want higher. Colour...a sweet spot for many is G or H, but you can consider I or J if the cut is good, but again it depends on your preferences.

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

Try on all shapes of stones before you sign of the dotted line; many folks "think" they want an rb or pc or asscher until they try one on....test drive a few before you decide! (that goes for settings as well)

cheers--Sharon

 

[neatfreak]

Great! But can I offer one word of advice? If you have a diamond you want, RESERVE IT before posting about it on here there are some unscrupulous lurkers who like to benefit off of others hard searching...