Need help searching for a round brilliant ($40k budget)

[massarchers]

Hi Pricescopers! I''m a newb to this site, and this is my second thread. My first thread was on an EGL 5.52 J VS2 that I saw on eBay for 54k. With the help of pricescopers and a friend who took a look at the stone, I decided to pass (deep cut, so-so color). So now I''m looking for a smaller, better quality round brilliant stone. My budget is around 40k, my original budget for the whole ring being about 50k, so that I''d have about 10k for the setting. Is this a good allocation? Now that I''m spending some time on this site, I''m learning a whole lot more and really, this is something that I''ll be looking at for the next 40-50 years so I want to do it right!

So far I have looked on Blue Nile, some local jewelry stores (which don''t seem to have really nice stones) and talked to a couple of local diamond merchants. I have my own loupe and Ideal-Scope (purchased through links from this site). Nothing has really jumped out at me yet. Any suggestions would be appreciated!

 

[lovewhitediamonds]

My recommendation would be to just call or email Lesley at Whiteflash -- she will find you a killer stone and WF has beautiful settings. I just bought an upgrade stone and wish I would of gone through Lesley -- as she is so great at what she does. Plus, WF has a GREAT upgrade policy!

Good Luck!

 

[LaurenThePartier]

Date: 7/17/2008 1:38:51 PM
Author:massarchers
Hi Pricescopers! I''m a newb to this site, and this is my second thread. My first thread was on an EGL 5.52 J VS2 that I saw on eBay for 54k. With the help of pricescopers and a friend who took a look at the stone, I decided to pass (deep cut, so-so color). So now I''m looking for a smaller, better quality round brilliant stone. My budget is around 40k, my original budget for the whole ring being about 50k, so that I''d have about 10k for the setting. Is this a good allocation? Now that I''m spending some time on this site, I''m learning a whole lot more and really, this is something that I''ll be looking at for the next 40-50 years so I want to do it right!

So far I have looked on Blue Nile, some local jewelry stores (which don''t seem to have really nice stones) and talked to a couple of local diamond merchants. I have my own loupe and Ideal-Scope (purchased through links from this site). Nothing has really jumped out at me yet. Any suggestions would be appreciated!

Welcome back!

Do you know what kind of setting she wants that would run you about $10k? I''ve seen several micropave Leon settings, and as I don''t own one, I can''t give you a price estimate, but even a semi-complex pave setting is usually in the $5k arena. Someone please correct me if I''m wrong.

 

[lovewhitediamonds]

Date: 7/17/2008 2:40:27 PM
Author: LaurenThePartier

Date: 7/17/2008 1:38:51 PM
Author:massarchers
Hi Pricescopers! I''m a newb to this site, and this is my second thread. My first thread was on an EGL 5.52 J VS2 that I saw on eBay for 54k. With the help of pricescopers and a friend who took a look at the stone, I decided to pass (deep cut, so-so color). So now I''m looking for a smaller, better quality round brilliant stone. My budget is around 40k, my original budget for the whole ring being about 50k, so that I''d have about 10k for the setting. Is this a good allocation? Now that I''m spending some time on this site, I''m learning a whole lot more and really, this is something that I''ll be looking at for the next 40-50 years so I want to do it right!

So far I have looked on Blue Nile, some local jewelry stores (which don''t seem to have really nice stones) and talked to a couple of local diamond merchants. I have my own loupe and Ideal-Scope (purchased through links from this site). Nothing has really jumped out at me yet. Any suggestions would be appreciated!

Welcome back!

Do you know what kind of setting she wants that would run you about $10k? I''ve seen several micropave Leon settings, and as I don''t own one, I can''t give you a price estimate, but even a semi-complex pave setting is usually in the $5k arena. Someone please correct me if I''m wrong.

my setting was roughly 10K.....

 

[honey22]

Date: 7/17/2008 2:40:27 PM
Author: LaurenThePartier

Date: 7/17/2008 1:38:51 PM
Author:massarchers
Hi Pricescopers! I''m a newb to this site, and this is my second thread. My first thread was on an EGL 5.52 J VS2 that I saw on eBay for 54k. With the help of pricescopers and a friend who took a look at the stone, I decided to pass (deep cut, so-so color). So now I''m looking for a smaller, better quality round brilliant stone. My budget is around 40k, my original budget for the whole ring being about 50k, so that I''d have about 10k for the setting. Is this a good allocation? Now that I''m spending some time on this site, I''m learning a whole lot more and really, this is something that I''ll be looking at for the next 40-50 years so I want to do it right!

So far I have looked on Blue Nile, some local jewelry stores (which don''t seem to have really nice stones) and talked to a couple of local diamond merchants. I have my own loupe and Ideal-Scope (purchased through links from this site). Nothing has really jumped out at me yet. Any suggestions would be appreciated!

Welcome back!

Do you know what kind of setting she wants that would run you about $10k? I''ve seen several micropave Leon settings, and as I don''t own one, I can''t give you a price estimate, but even a semi-complex pave setting is usually in the $5k arena. Someone please correct me if I''m wrong.

Ditto, I am not sure even a Leon would run to this amount would it? I would have a quick think about which type of setting you like, then get an idea of price. You may come in way under budget so you want to get the best possible stone that you can.

 

[kcoursolle]

I would get an idea of what type of setting she would like. There are drastic differences in price between a simple solitaire, a three stone with large sides, and an ornate pave ring. If she wants something simple, you may be able to spend 48K on the stone, but if she wants a more expensive setting style than it might be more like 5-10k on the setting.

As far as vendors, BN is reputable, but they don't offer a lot of information about their stones or a trade in policy. I recommend whiteflash.com, jamesallen.com, and goodoldgold.com as they offer images of their stones and a real person can look at them and offer advice to you. A lof of your choice will probably end up boiling down to inventory. Focus on cut quality, this is what really makes a diamond sparkle.

Here is a stone that has potential depending on your color/clarity parameters, how big you want to go, and how much is going towards the setting:

This stone is over 3 carats and a great blend of color/clarity balance, with *incredible* cut and it's 47k using the bankwire price which would allow for simple-to medium setting in terms of price/ornateness : http://goodoldgold.com/diamond/4527/

Since inventory is low at this size range, your best bet may be to call these vendors up and ask them to pull stones for you.

 

[NewEnglandLady]

Date: 7/17/2008 3:05:45 PM
Author: honey22

Date: 7/17/2008 2:40:27 PM
Author: LaurenThePartier

Date: 7/17/2008 1:38:51 PM
Author:massarchers
Hi Pricescopers! I''m a newb to this site, and this is my second thread. My first thread was on an EGL 5.52 J VS2 that I saw on eBay for 54k. With the help of pricescopers and a friend who took a look at the stone, I decided to pass (deep cut, so-so color). So now I''m looking for a smaller, better quality round brilliant stone. My budget is around 40k, my original budget for the whole ring being about 50k, so that I''d have about 10k for the setting. Is this a good allocation? Now that I''m spending some time on this site, I''m learning a whole lot more and really, this is something that I''ll be looking at for the next 40-50 years so I want to do it right!

So far I have looked on Blue Nile, some local jewelry stores (which don''t seem to have really nice stones) and talked to a couple of local diamond merchants. I have my own loupe and Ideal-Scope (purchased through links from this site). Nothing has really jumped out at me yet. Any suggestions would be appreciated!

Welcome back!

Do you know what kind of setting she wants that would run you about $10k? I''ve seen several micropave Leon settings, and as I don''t own one, I can''t give you a price estimate, but even a semi-complex pave setting is usually in the $5k arena. Someone please correct me if I''m wrong.

Ditto, I am not sure even a Leon would run to this amount would it? I would have a quick think about which type of setting you like, then get an idea of price. You may come in way under budget so you want to get the best possible stone that you can.

I remember CrookedRock''s setting was $10k (or more?). Seems like $10K would be at the high-end, though, even for a lot of pave or micropave.

Mass, good luck with your search!

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 7/17/2008 3:13:00 PM
Author: kcoursolle
I would get an idea of what type of setting she would like. There are drastic differences in price between a simple solitaire, a three stone with large sides, and an ornate pave ring. If she wants something simple, you may be able to spend 48K on the stone, but if she wants a more expensive setting style than it might be more like 5-10k on the setting.

As far as vendors, BN is reputable, but they don''t offer a lot of information about their stones or a trade in policy. I recommend whiteflash.com, jamesallen.com, and goodoldgold.com as they offer images of their stones and a real person can look at them and offer advice to you. A lof of your choice will probably end up boiling down to inventory. Focus on cut quality, this is what really makes a diamond sparkle.

Here is a stone that has potential depending on your color/clarity parameters, how big you want to go, and how much is going towards the setting:

This stone is over 3 carats and a great blend of color/clarity balance, with *incredible* cut and it''s 47k using the bankwire price which would allow for simple-to medium setting in terms of price/ornateness : http://goodoldgold.com/diamond/4527/

Since inventory is low at this size range, your best bet may be to call these vendors up and ask them to pull stones for you.

I believe I linked that diamond in your earlier thread mass, and as KC approves too, it could be well worth looking at!

 

[Haywood74]

I would take a little bit of time to watch the informational videos on Good Old Gold's website. They carry a few different variations to a standard RB cut that you may be interested in. I know for me, the Solasfera was untouchable and I eventually bought one. However they do have stuff like Eighternity's and Star 129's as well and it would really be worth your time to look at them before deciding on a stone. You've got a nice budget to work with and you should be able to get a killer-awesome diamond with it! I look forward to seeing pictures of your completed project.

The linked stone to GOG in a previous reply looks to be an excellent choice by the way! HCA of 1.4 is pretty good.

 

[LaurenThePartier]

Date: 7/17/2008 2:58:51 PM
Author: lovewhitediamonds

Date: 7/17/2008 2:40:27 PM
Author: LaurenThePartier

Date: 7/17/2008 1:38:51 PM
Author:massarchers
Hi Pricescopers! I''m a newb to this site, and this is my second thread. My first thread was on an EGL 5.52 J VS2 that I saw on eBay for 54k. With the help of pricescopers and a friend who took a look at the stone, I decided to pass (deep cut, so-so color). So now I''m looking for a smaller, better quality round brilliant stone. My budget is around 40k, my original budget for the whole ring being about 50k, so that I''d have about 10k for the setting. Is this a good allocation? Now that I''m spending some time on this site, I''m learning a whole lot more and really, this is something that I''ll be looking at for the next 40-50 years so I want to do it right!

So far I have looked on Blue Nile, some local jewelry stores (which don''t seem to have really nice stones) and talked to a couple of local diamond merchants. I have my own loupe and Ideal-Scope (purchased through links from this site). Nothing has really jumped out at me yet. Any suggestions would be appreciated!

Welcome back!

Do you know what kind of setting she wants that would run you about $10k? I''ve seen several micropave Leon settings, and as I don''t own one, I can''t give you a price estimate, but even a semi-complex pave setting is usually in the $5k arena. Someone please correct me if I''m wrong.

my setting was roughly 10K.....

OK, I''ve looked and I''ve looked - where are the pics? I couldn''t find a thread on it containing pics . . . you''ve talked about it, and I want to see it, please!

 

[lovewhitediamonds]

Date: 7/17/2008 6:50:02 PM
Author: LaurenThePartier

Date: 7/17/2008 2:58:51 PM
Author: lovewhitediamonds

Date: 7/17/2008 2:40:27 PM
Author: LaurenThePartier

Date: 7/17/2008 1:38:51 PM
Author:massarchers
Hi Pricescopers! I''m a newb to this site, and this is my second thread. My first thread was on an EGL 5.52 J VS2 that I saw on eBay for 54k. With the help of pricescopers and a friend who took a look at the stone, I decided to pass (deep cut, so-so color). So now I''m looking for a smaller, better quality round brilliant stone. My budget is around 40k, my original budget for the whole ring being about 50k, so that I''d have about 10k for the setting. Is this a good allocation? Now that I''m spending some time on this site, I''m learning a whole lot more and really, this is something that I''ll be looking at for the next 40-50 years so I want to do it right!

So far I have looked on Blue Nile, some local jewelry stores (which don''t seem to have really nice stones) and talked to a couple of local diamond merchants. I have my own loupe and Ideal-Scope (purchased through links from this site). Nothing has really jumped out at me yet. Any suggestions would be appreciated!

Welcome back!

Do you know what kind of setting she wants that would run you about $10k? I''ve seen several micropave Leon settings, and as I don''t own one, I can''t give you a price estimate, but even a semi-complex pave setting is usually in the $5k arena. Someone please correct me if I''m wrong.

my setting was roughly 10K.....

OK, I''ve looked and I''ve looked - where are the pics? I couldn''t find a thread on it containing pics . . . you''ve talked about it, and I want to see it, please!

**slight threadjack-- sorry!**

Lauren-- you are so sweet to ask...maybe one of these days we will be at the LeSirenuse or the Villa Serabelloni with our DH''s at the same time and I can show you my beauty!

 

[Dancing Fire]

Date: 7/17/2008 3:13:00 PM
Author: kcoursolle

This stone is over 3 carats and a great blend of color/clarity balance, with *incredible* cut and it's 47k using the bankwire price which would allow for simple-to medium setting in terms of price/ornateness : http://goodoldgold.com/diamond/4527/

Since inventory is low at this size range, your best bet may be to call these vendors up and ask them to pull stones for you.

yep, if i had a $47K budget i'll be looking at that stone. a beautifully cut eye clean SI1 with true H&A

it doesn't get any better than this

 

[Deelight]

Date: 7/18/2008 3:47:34 AM
Author: Dancing Fire

Date: 7/17/2008 3:13:00 PM

Author: kcoursolle


This stone is over 3 carats and a great blend of color/clarity balance, with *incredible* cut and it''s 47k using the bankwire price which would allow for simple-to medium setting in terms of price/ornateness : http://goodoldgold.com/diamond/4527/



Since inventory is low at this size range, your best bet may be to call these vendors up and ask them to pull stones for you.

yep, if i had a $47K budget i''ll be looking at that stone. a beautifully cut eye clean SI1 with true H&A

it doesn''t get any better than this

That stone looks yummmy If it were me I would pop that puppy in a simple double claw LM solitaire and let its beauty speak for itself

 

[arjunajane]

Another vote here for that GOG stone - Dee, I would usually agree with you on the classic solitaire.
But in this case, I say get some of that fabbo LM pave work done - a stone that size I believe will benefit from it.
But not OTT - I would do this, but as Dee said with the double claws and perhaps the pave all the way around the shank.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 7/18/2008 3:47:34 AM
Author: Dancing Fire

Date: 7/17/2008 3:13:00 PM
Author: kcoursolle

This stone is over 3 carats and a great blend of color/clarity balance, with *incredible* cut and it''s 47k using the bankwire price which would allow for simple-to medium setting in terms of price/ornateness : http://goodoldgold.com/diamond/4527/

Since inventory is low at this size range, your best bet may be to call these vendors up and ask them to pull stones for you.

yep, if i had a $47K budget i''ll be looking at that stone. a beautifully cut eye clean SI1 with true H&A

it doesn''t get any better than this

No it doesn''t get much better than that diamond does it darling American BF?? Mwah! You are too generous to offer to buy it for your Brit GF....

 

[massarchers]

fantastic replies! That is a nice stone at GOG. My questions for the experts:

1. Can you really tell a difference between a H&A cut stone and a well cut, but not H&A stone? I guess we can tell by the imaging studies that they do, but what do they look like side to side to the eye?

2. Can an SI stone really be that nice? I thought that people went to SI gradings when they wanted to go for size over "quality"

3. A little off topic, but can someone explain the concept of flouresence? If one stone has "strong blue" and another has "none" what''s the difference (price, appearance, other optical characteristics)

Thanks!!!!

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 7/18/2008 11:30:06 AM
Author: massarchers
fantastic replies! That is a nice stone at GOG. My questions for the experts:

1. Can you really tell a difference between a H&A cut stone and a well cut, but not H&A stone? I guess we can tell by the imaging studies that they do, but what do they look like side to side to the eye?

2. Can an SI stone really be that nice? I thought that people went to SI gradings when they wanted to go for size over 'quality'

3. A little off topic, but can someone explain the concept of flouresence? If one stone has 'strong blue' and another has 'none' what's the difference (price, appearance, other optical characteristics)

Thanks!!!!

1) It depends, a diamond can exhibit a strong arrow pattern, yet not be a true hearts and arrows diamond, it is a question of preference and taste and the cut quality of the non H&A you are comparing it to. Plus even with a H&A stone, you won't notice arrows all the time, just in some lights, then they look more silvery than dark to my eyes.

2) Yes, an SI clarity can really be just as beautiful as a very high clarity diamond if it is eyeclean and the cut is excellent. Choosing SI clarity is indeed a way of getting increased size and is still a very acceptable quality of diamond, which we consider here to be smart shopping if you want size for the money, of course if the cut is superb. Some value VS and above and prefer to stick with that, depends on your priorities.

3) Fluorescence - you might find a discount in some cases with high colour diamonds. Strong blue or medium fluorescence has its fans here certainly. Very occasionally strong can cause the diamond to look cloudy in some lights, but this is rare - always prudent to check with the vendor if considering a diamond with SB. You may notice a lovely violety glow with medium and above if the lighting conditions are right such as some sunlight, or if you are at a disco! It is said that medium fluorescence and above can help a lower colour diamond face up whiter, so some think it is a nice asset with I and J colours, or some just plain love it and will take fluorescence in any colour grade! Very occasionally you might come across fluoro of a different colour such as yellow, but this is rare - however it is best to check it is indeed blue!

 

[Dancing Fire]

Date: 7/18/2008 11:30:06 AM
Author: massarchers
fantastic replies! That is a nice stone at GOG. My questions for the experts:

1. Can you really tell a difference between a H&A cut stone and a well cut, but not H&A stone? I guess we can tell by the imaging studies that they do, but what do they look like side to side to the eye?

2. Can an SI stone really be that nice? I thought that people went to SI gradings when they wanted to go for size over 'quality'

3. A little off topic, but can someone explain the concept of flouresence? If one stone has 'strong blue' and another has 'none' what's the difference (price, appearance, other optical characteristics)

Thanks!!!!

mass
this is my wife's GIA 3.34ct H SI1 H&A i bought from GOG a few yrs ago.it has inclusions right in the middle of the table and i still can't see it with my naked eyes. the 3.18ct is much cleaner looking than my wife's stone. i'll say it is 95% safe that you can't see the inclusions on this 3.18ct w/o a loupe

 

[Deelight]

Date: 7/18/2008 11:30:06 AM
Author: massarchers
fantastic replies! That is a nice stone at GOG. My questions for the experts:


1. Can you really tell a difference between a H&A cut stone and a well cut, but not H&A stone? I guess we can tell by the imaging studies that they do, but what do they look like side to side to the eye?

I guess it would depend on diamond to diamond

2. Can an SI stone really be that nice? I thought that people went to SI gradings when they wanted to go for size over ''quality''

Without a doubt the biggest influencing factor of a diamonds beauty is cut , many SI diamonds are eyeclean and you won''t be able to see anything so many people figure why pay more for something you can''t see, if you are considering that GOG stone ask Jon to make you a video

3. A little off topic, but can someone explain the concept of flouresence? If one stone has ''strong blue'' and another has ''none'' what''s the difference (price, appearance, other optical characteristics)

In higher colour diamonds it can discount it slightly in lower colours it can raise the price like Lorelei said it can improve face up colour and explained so well as usual. .

Thanks!!!!

 

[Dancing Fire]

Date: 7/18/2008 6:26:47 AM
Author: Lorelei

Date: 7/18/2008 3:47:34 AM
Author: Dancing Fire

Date: 7/17/2008 3:13:00 PM
Author: kcoursolle

This stone is over 3 carats and a great blend of color/clarity balance, with *incredible* cut and it''s 47k using the bankwire price which would allow for simple-to medium setting in terms of price/ornateness : http://goodoldgold.com/diamond/4527/

Since inventory is low at this size range, your best bet may be to call these vendors up and ask them to pull stones for you.

yep, if i had a $47K budget i''ll be looking at that stone. a beautifully cut eye clean SI1 with true H&A

it doesn''t get any better than this

No it doesn''t get much better than that diamond does it darling American BF?? Mwah! You are too generous to offer to buy it for your Brit GF....

Nahhh....UK girls don''t go for 3 ct stones.

 

[Haywood74]

I think short of some vendors calling in stones that are not listed anywhere yet, you will be VERY hard pressed to beat that GOG stone for the money asked for it. All of the inclusions, save one, are on the outside edges of the stone according to the microscopic photos. I would raise Dancing Fire''s guess of 95% probability of being 100% eye-clean up to about 99.5%. Gemex and Firetrace scores are awesome for it. It has 3+ carat size, has great clarity, EX-EX pol&fin, the cut is superb, and it passes all of the performance tests with flying colors. If I had the asking price set aside for a RB diamond, it would already be gone!

 

[Dancing Fire]

Date: 7/18/2008 2:25:26 PM
Author: Haywood74
I think short of some vendors calling in stones that are not listed anywhere yet, you will be VERY hard pressed to beat that GOG stone for the money asked for it. All of the inclusions, save one, are on the outside edges of the stone according to the microscopic photos. I would raise Dancing Fire''s guess of 95% probability of being 100% eye-clean up to about 99.5%. Gemex and Firetrace scores are awesome for it. It has 3+ carat size, has great clarity, EX-EX pol&fin, the cut is superb, and it passes all of the performance tests with flying colors. If I had the asking price set aside for a RB diamond, it would already be gone!

i''m sure that stone would be 101% eye clean to my old pair of eyes. i say 95% b/c massarchers is much younger than i''am.