need help finding a 3 ct. round...

[jough]

Hi PS'ers,

I have a stone in mind already on hold that I like and can serve as my fallback, but I'm wondering what else is out there I should consider given my priorities below. Would anyone be willing to make some recommendations for a really great RB in my price range?

In priority order of importance:

1. lots of sparkle and life
2. 3 cts or better (I'd consider 2.9+)
3. eye-clean (SI-1 or better?)
4. about $36-$37K
5. I-color or better but would go J if other specs are good. (i.e. it needs to face up white).

The setting has G/H pear sides so I want the center to look good with those


thanks to everyone who responds! i appreciate the help!

 

[marcy]

Re: need help finding a round...

Can you post the specs of the diamond you like? Sounds like a fun project for you.

 

[jough]

Re: need help finding a round...

Yes, I'm quite excited about this. I can hardly wait to give it to her and want her jaw to drop. I think she is hoping for something in the 2 ct range - but I really want to hit 3 ct if I can. I hope my specs above are realistic...

The stone I found, and do like, meets #'s 2-5 but I am questioning whether I can't do better on #1

I SI-1
ideal Hearts & Arrows
depth 60.2
table 57.3
crown 32.7
pav 41.1
HCA score: 1.2

Having a H&A is not a huge priority, just a bonus. More important that the stone optically perform really well.

 

[marcy]

I don't think you'll do a lot better than ideal cut H&A; it should be a great performing diamond. I do wonder about Si1 on that large of a diamond, have you got to see the diamond yourself? Do you have images and the certificate number? I am sure your fiance would be delighted with a 3 ct. H&A diamond.

 

[jough]

Hi Marcy,
I have some pics posted in another post here: https://www.pricescope.com/communit...-thoughts-on-this-rb-this-could-be-it.163007/

I have not seen the diamond in person yet, but they have a 60 day return period, which is great.

I am not trying to be overly picky - I think I found a very good stone - but this is a lot of money and I want to see what else is out there. In reading other posts, it seems the community here is very good at finding alternatives that inexperienced folks like myself can overlook. I have realized that just because its an H&A doesnt mean it will outperform optically stones with better angles.

If its true that I can't do any better, then great, I can buy the one I've found. But knowing that I can or can't do any better is very valuable to me (mentally). So I figure it doesnt hurt to at least ask for help in searching.

 

[marcy]

Hi Jough, I think this would be a great performing diamond but I agree with the suggestion of verifying that the girdle thickness is not a concern on that large of a diamond. Also since there are several inclusions in the center of your diamond I would have them verify it is eye clean. You should be very picky - you are paying a lot of money for something very special.

 

[nfowife]

I think at that size, for that price what you've got is just about the best you're going to do. IF it's eye clean to your specs, that is. For a 3 carat that's a very good price but I am concerned that it isn't eye-clean. If it ends up not being eye clean it might be worthwhile to lower the size a small bit into the high 2 ct. range to stay in price and get a cleaner stone. 3 carats is quite large and there are no guarantees that even a VS2 would be eye clean at that size.

 

[marcy]

I'm with nfowife. I can't find a single VS2 in your carat / price range and I didn't find anything in that range I liked as well or better as the diamond you already picked. I too would look at a smaller carat weight, ideal cut and try to find something that is a VS2. In my humble opinion and own experience (and I have a lot smaller diamonds) eye clean Si diamonds don't always appear eye clean in different lighting.

 

[jough]

Marcy and Nfowife,

I appreciate your thoughts.

Have you seen anything slightly smaller than 3 cts, but VS 2 or better that stands out?

 

[nfowife]

I would call Mark Turnowski at ERD with your specs. He is in the diamond district and can access a lot of stones- email him and see if he can come up with something. I bought my stone through him (2.27 I/SI2 that is eye clean) and he was very nice to deal with.

I'm having a very hard time finding stones in your specs online, forget price, there just aren't a lot of larger stones in inventory at the moment it seems.
here's a blue nile one:
http://www.bluenile.com/round-diamond-2-carat-signature-ideal-cut-i-color-vs2-clarity_LD01862202
Here's an infinity stone:
http://www.highperformancediamonds.com/index.php?page=view-id-diamond-infinity&id=546

but these are both quite a bit smaller than you are looking for. What size is her finger? Also I know you want to knock her socks off but does he have an opinion on the size of the stone? Is she expecting around a 2 carat, do you think a 3 would be too big for her? I know you can afford it, but that doesn't mean you have to.... of course it will be magnificent but does that fit her personality to have a big stone?

 

[jough]

Nfowife - thanks so much for even taking the time to look. I'll email Mark per your suggestion.

Your having difficulty finding stones in that size confirms what I was suspecting - there seems to be a shortage of supply at the moment in that size.

Haha - she does have an opinion - there's no such thing as too small !! She would happily wear a 5 ct if I could give her one! I cant say she's "expecting" a 2 ct, just really hoping for it, so I am thrilled to be able to do a 3 ct or very close to it. I guess it will depend on how included this 3.11 looks in person. I've recently seen a 2.75 SI-1 that had inclusions on the table. After seeing the report and then seeing the stone in person, I am less afraid of an SI-1 than I used to be, but then, every stone is different... I passed on the 2.75 cuz it was too small (and I had doubts about its light performance).

 

[jough]

what do you think of this one http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/J-SI1-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1379703.asp compared to the 3.11 ? After the PS discount its within price range.

 

[yssie]

what do you think of this one http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/J-SI1-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1379703.asp compared to the 3.11 ? After the PS discount its within price range.

Like this one, if it's clean to your requirements - I like fat arrows.

It'll be visibly smaller than the 3.11 I should think, but not so much that it looks "small" - both would be huge, one just slightly huger than the other!

I will say that a J of this size will be visibly tinted unless you or your SO is particularly colour-insensitive. Seeing the tint may or may not bother you.

Request IS.