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Need help finding a round on Blue Nile please

psywzrd

Rough_Rock
Joined
Aug 26, 2015
Messages
33
I'm under a bit of a time crunch and need some help from the experts here. I'm going to be buying my diamond and setting from Blue Nile and need some help getting the best bang for my buck. I'm looking for a 1.5-1.6ct round brilliant that is eye clean and preferably no higher than H in color (would go to I if I really had to). I know Blue Nile is not necessarily the greatest choice here but I'm stuck with them at this point, and I want to get the cheapest diamond possible with these specs. Not sure if I need to go Signature Ideal or just Ideal, but I'm somewhat flexible there I guess.

Any help is greatly appreciated.
 

JulieN

Super_Ideal_Rock
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13,375
how much can you spend on the diamond?
 

psywzrd

Rough_Rock
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Aug 26, 2015
Messages
33
Well I would like to stay under 10k if at all possible. I do understand that BN will pricrmatch other websites, so I'm hoping to be able to take full advantage of that. I actually debated getting one of their preset rings but can't get past the fact that the cut on those is only Very Good - that scares me a bit.

Ideally I'd like to find a nice diamond within my specs on BN, find something very similar but cheaper on JA, etc. and then have BN match that price. And I need it quickly too!
 

LLJsmom

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Because BN has such a huge selection, you will need to do a lot of the leg work yourself. Use the HCA tool to weed out ones that don't fall under 2. There are some parameters here that hopefully a PSer will post, that you should follow once you have weeded out the 2 and overs.

Go to the Tools tab above and choose HCA to access the tool. Look for the numbers off the PDF of the GIA for each diamond you are considering on BN.

Bc they do not offer ASET images, be mentally ready to send back stones that don't look good to you. They have a good return policy. That is the "cost" of going with BN, time spent to research and potentially send back ones that you don't love. Beautiful stones are to be had. Just a little more work.
 

psywzrd

Rough_Rock
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Aug 26, 2015
Messages
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Thank you for that. I have no problem doing some work - I just want to make sure I get the biggest stone I can get for my money. I'm going to narrow my focus down to 1.6ct so that I don't have to weed through so many stones.

The other issue I have is that my gf was previously married and her center stone was a 2.69ct square princess cut. It was graded by a crappy lab that's barely even mentioned here, but all she saw was a big stone and although I hate to admit it, I feel like I have to compete a bit. It was graded as an H, VS2 (no mention of cut on the cert but the appraisal says very good, although that doesn't mean much) and it was 7.84x7.95x5.38mm. Depth was 68.6, table was 80, girdle medium, culet none and no fl.

I plan on putting a halo around whatever stone I get anyway, but I'm not 100% sure I should go with a round stone since they are the most expensive. I just wanted to get as far away from her old ring as possible, but I'd like to get her as big a center stone as I can within my budget. I know that sounds shallow, but it's just reality for me unfortunately.

Any help is SO greatly appreciated as I need to pull the trigger ASAP.
 

psywzrd

Rough_Rock
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Aug 26, 2015
Messages
33
JulieN|1447732555|3950616 said:
http://www.bluenile.com/diamond-details/LD06446271

Ask if there are any pictures/video and if it is eye-clean...

Thank you! I will check with them and let you know.
 

Travelgal

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Dec 12, 2013
Messages
332
I asked about vintage stones because this one is stunning at right at your budget. Antique stones are typically cut deeper than modern stones (they have higher crowns) and often "face up" whiter than modern stones. They also look stunning in halo settings. Not sure if this is your or her cup of tea, but posting as it is very different than her first ring and offers you a sizable stone.

http://www.loveaffairdiamonds.com/1-76ct-old-european-cut-diamond-ags-k-vs1/
 

flyingpig

Ideal_Rock
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Whopping 2.11 J VVS2 with very strong fluorescence, if that's your thing.
http://www.bluenile.com/diamond-details/LD06462667
Triple EX, HCA-1.1 with ideal proportions.

Thinking slightly outside the box helps. Many set their budget to 5k and 10k. A few hundred dollars give you more options.
 

psywzrd

Rough_Rock
Joined
Aug 26, 2015
Messages
33
Travelgal|1447736965|3950645 said:
I asked about vintage stones because this one is stunning at right at your budget. Antique stones are typically cut deeper than modern stones (they have higher crowns) and often "face up" whiter than modern stones. They also look stunning in halo settings. Not sure if this is your or her cup of tea, but posting as it is very different than her first ring and offers you a sizable stone.

http://www.loveaffairdiamonds.com/1-76ct-old-european-cut-diamond-ags-k-vs1/

Thank you. I actually have to stick with Blue Nile due to time constraints and because I have a credit with them. That is a beautiful stone though!

I'm going to try to pull the trigger on something today.
 

psywzrd

Rough_Rock
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Aug 26, 2015
Messages
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flyingpig|1447738026|3950649 said:
Whopping 2.11 J VVS2 with very strong fluorescence, if that's your thing.
http://www.bluenile.com/diamond-details/LD06462667
Triple EX, HCA-1.1 with ideal proportions.

Thinking slightly outside the box helps. Many set their budget to 5k and 10k. A few hundred dollars give you more options.

Thank you. I appreciate the outside the box thinking; however, this one is actually too big for the setting I have chosen and the color and fluorescence scare me as well. Plus it's almost $1000 more than the maximum I want to spend on a stone.
 

psywzrd

Rough_Rock
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Aug 26, 2015
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Travelgal|1447736412|3950642 said:

I really have to stick with BlueNile for the stone, although I can obviously try to get them to pricematch if I can find something similar enough.

Why do you say that a J might work for me because of the halo? What is it about the halo setting that would allow me to go to a J? I'm not sure that I even want to go there, but I'm very curious to know why the halo makes a difference.
 

psywzrd

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Aug 26, 2015
Messages
33

psywzrd

Rough_Rock
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Aug 26, 2015
Messages
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JulieN|1447778205|3950767 said:
http://www.bluenile.com/diamond-details/LD06075360

Would I need to ask if it's eye clean or do you think I'm ok since it's a VS2? Should I ask for pics and/or video to make sure it's ok?
 

JulieN

Super_Ideal_Rock
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Yes, ask those things.
 

psywzrd

Rough_Rock
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Aug 26, 2015
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JulieN|1447779135|3950775 said:
Yes, ask those things.

Just spoke with one of their diamond experts. I put the diamond on hold and she put in a request for pics and video and to ask if the diamond is eye clean and how the color looks. The only thing that worries me about this diamond is that the date I would receive it is Nov. 24th. That is pushing it for me, especially with next week being Thanksgiving. Any delay would really screw me up. I would ideally like to find something similar that can ship to me sooner, but I don't know if that's possible.
 

psywzrd

Rough_Rock
Joined
Aug 26, 2015
Messages
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JulieN|1447778205|3950767 said:
http://www.bluenile.com/diamond-details/LD06075360

I actually just went ahead and placed my order for this one, so thank you so much!

If a better deal pops up between now and the time this one ships, I can still cancel my order and get something else. I just didn't want to wait on this one because I'm already cutting it close with the time. Hope she loves it!!!

On another note, this site is incredible and I will certainly be recommending it to everyone who is ring shopping like I was. There is just so much great info here, and I'm so impressed with how helpful everyone is.
 

JulieN

Super_Ideal_Rock
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Ah good, post pictures when you get it
 

psywzrd

Rough_Rock
Joined
Aug 26, 2015
Messages
33
JulieN|1447795902|3950947 said:
Ah good, post pictures when you get it

Will do. I checked here on PS and some other websites for something similar that may have been cheaper, but I came up empty. That makes me feel like I'm getting a pretty good deal on Blue Nile. Hoping that the pics/video they send me aren't disappointing, because it feels good to be done with diamond shopping after researching this for as long as I did. I'm thinking that a VS2 should look pretty good though, especially mounted in the halo setting I chose.

Once again, thank you for your help.
 

psywzrd

Rough_Rock
Joined
Aug 26, 2015
Messages
33
So I had a feeling this was going to happen, but I'm having a bit of buyer's remorse. Although I do think I got a good deal on the stone I bought from BN, I think I'm spending more money than I should on the stone.

I've given it some thought and I think I want to keep my budget for the stone under about $7300, but I want to get the best combo of size and quality for that price. If I'm willing to open myself up to other shapes, what should I be looking at to get a good quality stone that is most impressive size-wise for my new budget?

I'll still do a halo setting, but I'm open to other shapes with excellent cut and color that are also eye clean. Please help!
 

psywzrd

Rough_Rock
Joined
Aug 26, 2015
Messages
33
So I had a feeling this was going to happen, but I'm having a bit of buyer's remorse. Although I do think I got a good deal on the stone I bought from BN, I think I'm spending more money than I should on the stone.

I've given it some thought and I think I want to keep my budget for the stone under about $7300, but I want to get the best combo of size and quality for that price. If I'm willing to open myself up to other shapes, what should I be looking at to get a good quality stone that is most impressive size-wise for my new budget?

I'll still do a halo setting, but I'm open to other shapes with excellent cut and color that are also eye clean. I just want to biggest possible good stone I can get for my money from BN - I think that's what will make my future wife happy. Please help!
 
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