Need Help Picking the Right Diamond

[laxie13]

Hi Everyone,

Thanks in advance for the help. Let me first give you a little background on my situation. I'm looking to pop the question soon and I would love to get some help picking the right ring. I'm really new to all of this and I've tried to educate myself the best I can, but I'm sure you guys have some great experience and might be able to assist me. I would like to purchase a ring within a week, so I will give you guys all the information I can. I recently took her to a local jeweler to get a feel for what she liked. Luckily, we were able to narrow it down pretty good. She loved the setting from the picture I've attached, so I think I'm 95% sure on that. What do you guys think of it?

We were also able to narrow it down to a round cut diamond as her top choice and I'm looking to get a diamond approximately 1ct in size. What I'm really unsure of is the specifications of the diamond. She is definitely not the type of person who is going to know or care too much about the clarity, color, etc. She just wants a nice, good size, SHINY diamond! I'm looking for a pretty good value diamond ($2500-3000 approx budget), initially thinking in the S1-S2 clarity, and G-J range for color.

Here are some of my questions..

1) So because she wants the sparkle factor, I want to shoot for an ideal or near perfect cut?
2) I do think a S1 or S2 diamond probably fits my needs best, this is probably the one thing I'm pretty sure on.
3) I'm pretty lost on color. Is J going to be noticeably yellow? I definitely don't want that. Do you guys have any advice of what I should be looking for?
4) Any opinion on 4 vs 6 prongs for the ring below?


I'm pretty sure I want to purchase my ring online, although I am a little nervous about it. I've done some pretty good research and I like what I see from Union Diamond. They have some very good reviews from what I have read and the prices seem reasonably. Has anyone had a good or negative experience with them? As of right now, they are my first choice. They also have the setting I want as well. Setting Here.

Anyways, I am struggling to find the right diamond and I would really appreciate any input you all have. I've read some great stuff on this forum and look forward to hearing from you all. Thank you very much!

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 11/25/2009 11:15:27 PM
Author:laxie13
Hi Everyone,

Thanks in advance for the help. Let me first give you a little background on my situation. I'm looking to pop the question soon and I would love to get some help picking the right ring. I'm really new to all of this and I've tried to educate myself the best I can, but I'm sure you guys have some great experience and might be able to assist me. I would like to purchase a ring within a week, so I will give you guys all the information I can. I recently took her to a local jeweler to get a feel for what she liked. Luckily, we were able to narrow it down pretty good. She loved the setting from the picture I've attached, so I think I'm 95% sure on that. What do you guys think of it?

We were also able to narrow it down to a round cut diamond as her top choice and I'm looking to get a diamond approximately 1ct in size. What I'm really unsure of is the specifications of the diamond. She is definitely not the type of person who is going to know or care too much about the clarity, color, etc. She just wants a nice, good size, SHINY diamond! I'm looking for a pretty good value diamond ($2500-3000 approx budget), initially thinking in the S1-S2 clarity, and G-J range for color.

Here are some of my questions..

1) So because she wants the sparkle factor, I want to shoot for an ideal or near perfect cut? Yes indeed!
2) I do think a S1 or S2 diamond probably fits my needs best, this is probably the one thing I'm pretty sure on. Absolutely, if eyeclean then SI clarities are an excellent choice on a budget.
3) I'm pretty lost on color. Is J going to be noticeably yellow? I definitely don't want that. Do you guys have any advice of what I should be looking for? A J colour won't be yellow, J to me is a softer white with a breath of warmth from the side view, it would be best if you could view some J colour of similar size in person, try Jareds for their AGS0 Peerless brand if there is one closeby.
4) Any opinion on 4 vs 6 prongs for the ring below? Its up to you, personally I would prefer 4 prongs as to me with 6 it makes the setting look a little ' busy' but I prefer plain settings so go with what you prefer.


I'm pretty sure I want to purchase my ring online, although I am a little nervous about it. I've done some pretty good research and I like what I see from Union Diamond. They have some very good reviews from what I have read and the prices seem reasonably. Has anyone had a good or negative experience with them? As of right now, they are my first choice. They also have the setting I want as well. Setting Here. UD are a great company, Barbara from UD is also a poster here. I haven't purchased from them personally but would do so, if you try the search tool above you can read up on other UD buyers experiences.

Anyways, I am struggling to find the right diamond and I would really appreciate any input you all have. I've read some great stuff on this forum and look forward to hearing from you all. Thank you very much!

Hi Laxie!

Thoughts are above.

 

[laxie13]

Thanks for the reply Lorelei, I appreciate the feedback! Would love some more opinions on picking the right diamond

 

[FB.]

Six prongs is usually to hold the stone more securely and to offer more protection from knocks. Some people would argue a slight loss of sparkle where the extra prongs cover the stone.
Six prongs are best for people who lead a lifestyle that may cause their ring to get knocked frequently.
Four prongs is a cleaner design and is adequate for most purposes.

Don't compromise too much on the cut. But be aware that not all "excellent" cuts stones are as attractive as each other, depending on the details of their angles and percentages. The best ones may well cost more.

A well-cut J would probably not be noticed by casual observers, but the owner would almost certainly notice some tint in some light conditions or when viewing from some angles.
I would rather have a well-cut J than a badly-cut D.

Take care when considering SI2 stones. You must ask if it is eye clean, or suffers loss of brilliance due to numerous inclusions. Make sure that your definition of eye clean is the same as the seller; twelve inches?........eight inches?.......six inches distance with ten minutes inspection under bright lighting after having seen the inclusion plot?
Some SI2 stones are nearer to SI1 and may be eye clean and may represent a great bargain. Some types of inclusions are easier to see than others - but although clouds may be invisible, they create murky areas within the stone.
Some SI2's will be lucky to have escaped I1 grade and may have many inclusions that may be visible to the naked eye (big crystals or clusters of crystals), or inclusions that may make the stone dull/hazy (clouds, wisps, graining, feathers), or inclusions that may weaken the structure (wisps, feathers). Most SI's will contain at least a few of those inclusions and is not a cause for panic, but each stone is an individual that needs individual assesment.

 

[tyty333]

Hi laxie,
Lorelei gave you some good advice. I wanted to say that you are going to have a hard time finding a well cut nice diamond for
$2500-$3k (1 carat). You need to be looking at AGS/GIA certified diamonds. Here are some diamonds below. The first
2 are 1 carat or so but are over your budget. The others are within budget but are a tad smaller.

(these are in-house diamonds)
Here is a J/SI1 $3825 its not cut the best (2.9, vg,vg, vg, vg)
http://www.whiteflash.com/round_ideal_cut/Round-Ideal-Cut-cut-diamond-2135186.htm

The next lowest price is $4400...better cut (1.3 x,x,x,x)
https://www.pricescope.com/origin.asp?id=123&sh=88&prc=4494.0000

.82 I/SI1 $2935
https://www.pricescope.com/origin.asp?id=703&sh=88&prc=2935.0000

.81 G/SI1 H&A $2660
http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/G-SI2-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1269284.asp?b=16&a=12&c=77&cid=131


One more...this is a .90 I/SI1 $3500 (over budget)
http://www.whiteflash.com/premium_select_round/Premium-Select-Round-cut-diamond-1987251.htm

Since these are SI1 make sure they are eye-clean to your definition. Cant see anything within 10 inches or
cant see anything within 6 inches...etc (have the vendors look at them and describe the stone/flaws that
they can see).

Let us know if you have more questions,
tyty

 

[laxie13]

Thank you both for the informative responses, I really appreciate it. I''m willing to go slightly over budget if needed, which it looks like I may have to. May I ask why you recommend sticking with GIA/AGS certified diamonds? What about EGL?

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 11/28/2009 1:42:39 AM
Author: laxie13
Thank you both for the informative responses, I really appreciate it. I''m willing to go slightly over budget if needed, which it looks like I may have to. May I ask why you recommend sticking with GIA/AGS certified diamonds? What about EGL?

GIA and AGS are the gold standard of grading labs, this link explains how the grading labs rank.

 

[laxie13]

Thank you for that. I received a quote on a GIA certified diamond from Union Diamond and I would absolutely love to hear what everyone thinks of the deal..



The diamond in question is a 0.90ct Round Brilliant Cut Diamond, J in color and SI1 in clarity, GIA Certified for $2,237.76 (wire).

The diamond has an Excellent Cut Grade, the diamond faces up very white, is extremely bright and is a very clean SI1, a 1ct look without sacrificing quality.

The diamond features a 61.6% Depth, 58% Table, Cut Grade - Excellent, Polish - Very Good, Symmetry - Very Good, No Culet, Strong Blue Fluorescence, the diamond measures 6.19 x 6.24 x 3.83mm.


I''ve attached the GIA report for you all to look at. Couple questions I have..

1) Is this a nice diamond? Does the price fit?

2) I''m not too familiar with the physical measurables of diamonds. How does this one look (Depth, Table, Size)?

3) Is it unheard of to negotiate with online vendors or is that common practice?

Thank you all VERY much for the feedback. I''m looking to make a purchase very soon (Need to have it before Christmas so I can use it)

 

[Regular Guy]

Laxie,

Welcome and best of wishes...but that diamond''s 4.8 on the HCA, and you want it to be under 2.

 

[laxie13]

Hi Regular,

Thank you for pointing that out. What exactly does that say about this diamond? What would the main difference be between this diamond and a similar diamond with a HCA under 2?

Laxie

 

[Regular Guy]

This summary of the 4 composite factors going into the one number may help....

 

[yssie]

Date: 11/30/2009 10:56:53 PM
Author: laxie13
Hi Regular,

Thank you for pointing that out. What exactly does that say about this diamond? What would the main difference be between this diamond and a similar diamond with a HCA under 2?

Laxie

The pavilion would be ~40.8.

 

[Regular Guy]

Date: 11/30/2009 11:09:10 PM
Author: yssie

Date: 11/30/2009 10:56:53 PM
Author: laxie13
Hi Regular,

Thank you for pointing that out. What exactly does that say about this diamond? What would the main difference be between this diamond and a similar diamond with a HCA under 2?

Laxie

The pavilion would be ~40.8.

yssie is also correct. Yssie also points to the most important inventoried component of the HCA...the measurement of the pavilion angle, which effects the score the most...and that''s important to know. The pavilion angle is most determinative on the ability of the diamond to return light.

More conjecture, perhaps, is the difference a good score makes versus a not so good score. I tried to answer that question, which I think is also right...more...I thought what laxie was asking...and more prone to conjecture, I think.

 

[laxie13]

Thank you guys, I sent them an E-mail back to take a look at diamonds with a better RCA rating. I''m looking for a diamond that will sparkle like crazy.

 

[yssie]

Unless it's a PS vendor, they most likely won't know what "HCA" stands for. It's just a tool you can use to check, but you can do this just as easily with the numbers in hand...



There's a specs checklist floating around here somewhere, I'll try to find it. In the meantime though, my personal preferences:

depth - 60-62 (I'm happy to go deeper, knowing that anything above 62 will start to reduce face-up size)
table - 53-57 (I'd go for a cherry 60/60 too, though)
crown - 34-36 and relative pavilion - 41-40.6


ETA: Missed that you were looking with UD. You should be good, then

 

[Lorelei]

Here is the cheat sheet;

depth - 60 - 62% - although my personal preference is to allow up to 62.4%
table - 54- 57%
crown angle - 34- 35 degrees
pavilion angle - 40.6- 41 degrees
girdle - avoid extremes, look for thin to slightly thick, thin to medium etc
polish and symmetry - very good and above

note - with crown and pavilion angles at the shallower ends ( CA 34- PA 40.6) and steeper ( CA 35- PA 41) check to make sure these angles complement in that particular diamond - eyeballs, Idealscope, trusted vendor input - check as appropriate!

From expert John Pollard.

As the above implies, configurations depend on each other. A little give here can still work with a little take there.

With that said, here''s a "Cliff''s Notes" for staying near Tolkowsky/ideal angles with GIA reports (their numbers are rounded): A crown angle of 34.0, 34.5 or 35.0 is usually safe with a 40.8 pavilion angle. If pavilion angle = 40.6 lean toward a 34.5-35.0 crown. If pavilion angle = 41 lean toward a 34.0-34.5 crown.

GIA "EX" in cut is great at its heart, but it ranges a bit wider than some people prefer, particularly in deep combinations (pavilion > 41 with crown > 35).

 

[laxie13]

Hello everyone,

Thanks for all the feedback. I am still strongly considering this diamond, the representative at Union Diamond assured me this was probably as good of a deal that I'm going to get. I have a better understanding now of the pavilion angles and all of that. Does anyone have any last minute thoughts on the diamond all things considered? I'm going to think about it over night and probably get back to them tomorrow.

This is an alternative option they have showed me.
http://www.uniondiamond.com/diamonds/diamonds.php?mod=search&search_type_id=2&action_type_id=2&item_id=AB487975#

Here is the EGL report http://img341.imageshack.us/img341/5642/ab487975.jpg

Which diamond does everyone prefer?

 

[stone-cold11]

Why not just request an Idealscope image for the GIA stone?

 

[FB.]

Date: 12/1/2009 6:00:37 PM
Author: laxie13
Hello everyone,

Thanks for all the feedback. I am still strongly considering this diamond, the representative at Union Diamond assured me this was probably as good of a deal that I'm going to get. I have a better understanding now of the pavilion angles and all of that. Does anyone have any last minute thoughts on the diamond all things considered? I'm going to think about it over night and probably get back to them tomorrow.

This is an alternative option they have showed me.
http://www.uniondiamond.com/diamonds/diamonds.php?mod=search&search_type_id=2&action_type_id=2&item_id=AB487975#

Here is the EGL report http://img341.imageshack.us/img341/5642/ab487975.jpg

Which diamond does everyone prefer?

Have a read of the thread I have linked below - it has some images that may approximate what your GIA-Ex stone's angle-combinations could look like:

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/return-of-the-steep-deep.130752/