Need help finding a diamond...

[bmarsh76]

My sister recommended I come here to find info on a diamond and i am relatively clueless. She said you would help me if I gave you my general parameters. I am looking for a 1 carat stone, round, f/g color and I want the stone to be eye clean. I am looking to spend total (diamond + setting) between 7 and 8 thousand. My girlfriend wants a simple 6 prong solitaire setting. Any suggestions and advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance, brian

 

[yennyfire]

Welcome! Here's a couple I found. I haven't plugged them into the HCA (you can find that under "Tools" and use the info such as table, depth, pavilion angles) to determine if the stone is worth considering. Generally, any stone that scores 2 or under is going to have good light return (i.e. be really sparkly). One thing to note about Eternity Diamonds is that they have a "try it before you buy it policy" regarding settings and will send you a couple to look at in person before you make a final selection. I really like that....

http://www.eternitydiamonds.com/diamond_detail.php?id=448960
http://www.eternitydiamonds.com/diamond_detail.php?id=473050
http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamond/diamond-detail/?product_id=AGS-104045953018
http://www.uniondiamond.com/diamonds/diamonds.php?search_type_id=4&action_type_id=2&item_id=AC017664&&1.01ct-E-VS2-Round-Brilliant-Cut-Diamond

Have you gone out and looked at stones yet? IMO, the first thing to do is go look at stones to determine what you like best. I'm asking because you might be perfectly happy with a stone in an H color and if you get out of the "colorless" range, the prices drop a bit and you'll have a bit more to spend on the setting. If you've already done this, then scrap the last paragraph!

Hope this helps and good luck with your search!

 

[yssie]

Are you looking for a round? If so try these vendors -

www.whiteflash.com - their Expert Selection and Premium Select lines if you want to avoid the H&A premium but still want the benefits of shopping for an in-house diamond online - check w/ WF for specific policies on the PS diamonds, or their ACA line for H&A stones
www.briangavindiamonds.com like yennyfire linked above
www.highperformancediamonds.com (the infinity line, Infinity website www.craftedbyinfinity.com)
www.goodoldgold.com - traditional & modified H&A and a non-H&A selection you might look through
www.jamesallen.com - generally lower pricepoints but you'll need to weed through inventory a bit more, I think in general their policies are less encompassing
www.uniondiamond.com provides ISs I believe, weed through inventory, and www.idjewelryonline.com is a similar resource

If you choose to buy online from a drop-shipper (gets it from the virtual inventory and ships out to you, won't do any sort of analysis/checks on the stone before shipping to you) be sure to plan to have it appraised by a professional independent appraiser within the return period. They also can't check eyeclean to your specifications since they never have the stone in-hand, so that's a gamble you'll have to be willing to take.

I like the second eternity diamonds or the UD that yenny suggested with an appraisal, or the BGD if you are looking for a H&A stone. Ditto going out and looking at stones to see what your real-world preferences are, if you have a hearts on fire dealer nearby or a Jared (their peerless line)

If you are looking for other shapes that is a whole different ballgame

 

[yennyfire]

Not to threadjack here, but can I tell you how much pride I felt when yssie (an expert, in my eyes), concurred with what I said?!! I have learned so much here and can't thank all of you for sharing your knowledge with me. I'm happy to be able to share what I've learned with others so that I can "pay it forward" in some way...however, I'll draw the line at interpreting IS and ASET images...I'm not ready for that yet, lol!

 

[yssie]

 

[slg47]

if you are looking for a setting with a slight taper, here is a nice option.

http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/home/ring-details/?product_id=5540

I think yssie really said everything you would need to know about the vendors-if you're looking for something really easy BGD and WF have signature stones in your specs/budget, other vendors will have lovely stuff but you might have to spend longer weeding through inventory (of course, prosumers can help out if you want to post potential candidates here, might not work if you are on a really tight timeline)

 

[bmarsh76]

I want to thank everyone for your advice. I've been checking out some of the sights you have recommended and I'm planning on heading out to some stores tomorrow to check out some diamonds first hand. Goodoldgold is actually located pretty close to where I live so I plan on paying them a visit in person. Thanks again.

 

[slg47]

I want to thank everyone for your advice. I've been checking out some of the sights you have recommended and I'm planning on heading out to some stores tomorrow to check out some diamonds first hand. Goodoldgold is actually located pretty close to where I live so I plan on paying them a visit in person. Thanks again.

yeah I think looking in person is a great idea, especially for things like color tolerances. make sure to look at diamonds in different lighting and also make sure to come back and tell us what you think!