Need help picking a diamond for my engagement ring!

[thesleepystrange]

Hello! My partner and I are working with a small local designer to design a custom engagement ring. The designer has provided us with a list of different GCAL-certified lab grown diamonds to pick from and we've narrowed it down to two, but I'm hesitant to make a choice before we get some more educated opinions on the matter. The price difference is not great enough to be a big factor in our decision.

Option 1:
1.53 ct, F, VS1, ideal cut

https://www.gcalusa.com/certificate-search.html?certificate_id=310071189

video of 1.53 ct diamond

Option 2:
1.42 ct, E, VS2, ideal cut

https://www.gcalusa.com/certificate-search.html?certificate_id=320820065

video of 1.42 ct diamond

Normally I'd just opt for the larger stone, but it seems this stone has an older version of GCAL's certificate with much less information and imagery. Is it crazy to order this stone based off of the one single video I have of it? Is it safer to go for the 1.42 ct stone?

Thanks in advance!

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[DejaWiz]

Hello and welcome to PriceScope, thesleepystrange!

Does your jeweler allow you to bring in your own diamond to have mounted on their setting?

Reason I ask is because you may be able to get a superior GCAL 8X diamond from Adiamor or Frank Darling that fits your budget for just the loose diamond.

 

[thesleepystrange]

Hello and welcome to PriceScope, thesleepystrange!

Does your jeweler allow you to bring in your own diamond to have mounted on their setting?

Reason I ask is because you may be able to get a superior GCAL 8X diamond from Adiamor or Frank Darling that fits your budget for just the loose diamond.

Hello! I don't believe so unfortunately, they seem to prefer working with stones they source themselves.

 

[DejaWiz]

Hello! I don't believe so unfortunately, they seem to prefer working with stones they source themselves.

Might not be a bad option to at least go look at those sites, jot down some grading report numbers, then ask your jeweler if they can get them from the vendor network.

 

[Kim N]

Might not be a bad option to at least go look at those sites, jot down some grading report numbers, then ask your jeweler if they can get them from the vendor network.

If they can't get the specific diamonds you find, I would ask them to source any GCAL 8x stones they're able to get in your price and size range.

 

[thesleepystrange]

Thanks for the suggestions! I have been looking around at other online diamond vendors, but part of the problem is that my partner and I are on somewhat of a time crunch to get the engagement ring as soon as possible since the actual wedding will be early next year.

If he had planned it all on his own, he probably would just pick whatever stone the jeweler suggested without even looking at the specs. I'm definitely more neurotic and picky of the two of us so I've dragged out the process a bit, but at the end of the day it's most likely that he'll want to pick from one of those two stones.