Need help finding close to 2 carat round!

[jdierks1]

Hi, all! I've been a long time lurker and now it's my turn to look for my upgrade! I've been waiting for over 16 years for this! I currently have a .5 carat round E color VS2. I want a round ideal cut around 2 carats (I wish I could have a 2.4 carat but its out of my budget I'm sure!). I want a 6 or 4 prong solitaire.

I just called IDJ and they are starting to look for me. Anyone else have any suggestions? Please feel free to post links!

Thanks!

 

[whitewave]

What is your budget?

 

[jdierks1]

$15,000. There's a 1.9 carat ACA J SI1 at Whiteflash for $14,220 that I'm looking at. What are your thoughts?

 

[whitewave]

$15,000. There's a 1.9 carat ACA J SI1 at Whiteflash for $14,220 that I'm looking at. What are your thoughts?

Ask their opinion and it sounds amazing to me. You can’t go wrong with an ACA

 

[sledge]

What are your parameters on the upgrade? I know $15,000 is the budget.

One thing that immediately jumped out is your current ring is an E VS2. While I doubt the clarity makes much issue as long as it's eye clean, I am afraid you may see tint a larger J stone. You are moving several clicks down the color scale, plus the stone is going up considerably in size. The larger the stone the more body color you will see.

Have you seen a J in this size range, and are you okay with the difference?

 

[jdierks1]

Hi, Sledge! No, I haven't seen a J in real life but I'm hoping the dazzling cut will make up for the color! I've seen I color diamonds in real life at Shane Co. and although they're not as white as my E stone, I was ok with the side tint. Do you think the J tint will appear dark?

 

[KKJohnson]

I that knew that’s a great pick and very clean SI1, the sweet spot for most people seems to be an I color but since you seem to be ok with the color then I would get it. One of the best things about Whiteflash is their upgrade program that this diamond qualifies for, if you decide later on you want a whiter color then you can trade it in

 

[coda72]

I don’t think a J color will appear dark (I have a J), you will most likely just notice some tint when you look at the side of the diamond. Since Whiteflash has such a great upgrade policy as well as a return policy, I would just order the J stone if I were you so you can look at in person.

 

[sledge]

Hi, Sledge! No, I haven't seen a J in real life but I'm hoping the dazzling cut will make up for the color! I've seen I color diamonds in real life at Shane Co. and although they're not as white as my E stone, I was ok with the side tint. Do you think the J tint will appear dark?

No, I don't think it will appear dark. I do think you will see a slight tint when viewing the stone from the side. From the face up position I doubt you will see much difference.

I only ask because I thought I was fairly safe buying an H for my fiancee. Turns out she is very color sensitive and she easily spotted the tint. However, for the time being she appears to also be color tolerant meaning she sees it but it doesn't bother her. I have offered to replace it a bunch of times as the intent of the stone was she would never see a tint. I just misjudged her color sensitivity is all.

My concern with you coming from an E stone was that you had a daily reference of "perfection" and a warmer stone may not be as awesome for you because you've established a reference point in your mind.

FYI, I did see the WF stone you are looking at. It has a very clean clarity plot for an SI1. FYI, it did have a few feathers, which is a fancy terms for mini cracks. I'm not saying that to scare you, but check with them and make sure there are no structural issues. Honestly, it's probably a minimal concern as I don't think it would have made their ACA standard if it had any real issues. But it's still a good check.

Also, I would ask them to pull a few other J's and I's to compare against. Keep in mind that as the colors get warmer so does the range. What I mean by that is maybe there is a high H (meaning almost G), regular H or a low H (almost I).

As you go down to a J, maybe you have 5 variables of color spread instead of 3 -- so maybe high, medium high, medium, medium low & low for instance. I am making up these levels for points of discussion but there can be more variation in lower colored stones. So maybe your 1.9ct J you are looking at is actually closer to an I color.

Be sure and have them send you some pictures and videos of the various comparisons they do amongst similar I/J colored stones. Once you have a baseline established and know where this particular J falls in comparison to it's peers, then I'd have WF pull a few E colored stones and compare face up views & side views to the J you are looking at. Again, ask for video and photos of the comparisons.

This color testing should give you a fairly good representation of what to expect.

FYI, here are some other comparable stones you may want to have them include in their reviews:

https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3965477.htm
https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-4022276.htm

I am not linking your other stone, but you need to call WF and put that stone on hold while you decide. I think it's a great value for the size, color and clarity and would hate to see someone poach it from under you.

Also, here are some good articles on color grades:
https://www.whiteflash.com/about-diamonds/diamond-education/the-4-cs-color.htm
https://www.whiteflash.com/about-di...d-diamond-color-diamond-buying-guide-1399.htm
https://www.whiteflash.com/about-diamonds/diamond-education/h-color-diamonds-1393.htm
https://www.whiteflash.com/about-diamonds/diamond-education/i-color-diamonds-1392.htm

 

[coda72]

Here’s an I, J, and K next to each other. The J is the largest diamond, and I can’t even tell you which one is the I and which one is the K. This pic was taken under LED lighting in my bedroom. These are all BGD blue diamonds. Under most lighting conditions I can’t tell the color difference between all 3.

 

[jdierks1]

Wow! Thanks so much for all the helpful advice and information so far everyone! I had no idea about the color variables. It looks like I have much more to think about, as well as need to ask Whiteflash.