Need help with small budget. $3000!!!!

[davisc02]

Hi all, I only have a budget of $3000. I would like as near to 1 carat as possible but I know for this money i''m going to have to sacrifice a bit. What

I want is a round stone that looks as white as possible and without inclusions to the naked eye. My question to you is can I get what I want on this budget and if yes what colour and clarity should be the minimum I go down to.

Thanks in advance.

 

[valeria101]

Hi!

I admit I maintain a looser standards for diamond perfection than most other folks on Pricescope (as far as I have seen). I like the light yellows any day, but the last thing that looks white is probably J which would look great in a yellow setting and not dissapoint in a white one. Clarity? SI1 should be eye clean most of the times, SI2 sometimes (have to see the stone).

Take a look at http://www.stores.ebay.com/id=4360985 The seller is great and the prices rock bottom. However, this is a place where those who want perfectly cut diamonds would not last long. I like old cuts and would forego precision any time, but this is personal. However, there is a H, VS1, 1ct there and a K, SI2, 1.6ct, and a .66 D VS1 which match your budget... However, these are very non-standard choices (given the cut which is not all that precise). At http://www.israel-diamonds.com, another bargain territory I have taken advantage on (for a sapphire) your price range includes a .9 I VS1 and a 1.03 K VS2. These seem ofmore standard quality, but I am not sure that a precise investigation on their cut will do them any good. Surely there will be many other ideas for you at Pricescope!

 

[crowmama]

There are ALOT of beautiful stones out there in your price range. Remember, most of us here on Pricescope take diamond stats more seriously because we're either in the business of diamonds, or enjoy them as an expensive hobby. Consider my comments coming from the hobby category.

Like the previous poster, I also enjoy the cape (low color) diamonds as well as the D-F range, and heck, with my eyesight, can I still enjoy my SI2 diamonds? You bet I can! My engagement ring is precious to me, not because of the quality, but because my husband gave it to me. It's a pear shape of about .92 points, K color, SI2 with a nasty gash on the side, but I said yes! And, all the folks around me who are less diamond saavy than Pricescope people say "OOOhhHHHH!" when they see it. Ultimately, the fine qualities are in the giver, not the stone, and years down the road, the stone is a pretty bauble to wear in remembrance of how it all began.

Another place that I've had some good success with is www.tradeshop.com . They're nice folk to work with, and prices are good too.

And keep reading the forums here -- it's the best diamond education around!

--Lynn

 

[winyan]

Crowmama, I couldn't agree more with your tag line.

win

 

[pqcollectibles]

Hi Davis!

Welcome to the Forum!

Dittos to Crow! PriceScope folk know more than the average consumer about diamonds. The diamond is just a symbol of your relationship. Don't get too bogged down and drive yourself crazy. Enjoy the diamond buying experience. Get out and look at diamonds in local shops. Get a feel for colors and clarity ratings. Beware of fancy jewelry store lighting. Always try to look at diamonds in several types of lighting if possible. Indirect sunlight included.

Some tips I would suggest to you:

The main thing to keep in mind is CUT. A well cut diamond lower than the 1 carat mark will appear as large or larger than most Maul store 1 carat diamonds. I have a 3/4 carat H, SI1 with a larger diameter than a 1.07 Maul store diamond that I saw in a local store. By maintaining CUT as the top priority, you can drop your weight slightly below the 1 carat mark and save yourself the price hit.

Carat weights have increasing price premiums as the size increases. 0.5 ct, 0.6 ct, 0.7 ct, etc. There are also certain sizes such as 0.75, 1.0, and 1.25 that bring a premium because of market demand. If you stay slightly below the 1 carat mark you will get more bang for your buck.

Better CUT will allow you to go lower in color, even down to J, without any problem. The CUT makes the lower colors appear whiter than their actual grade by producing higher white light return and less light leakage. Look for diamonds with Ideal, Excellent, or even Very Good symmetry as you screen candidates.

SI1 clarity diamonds can easily be eye clean and you can even find some SI2's out there as well. Get copies of the cert plots and ask vendors the type and color of the inclusions.

By maintaining CUT, you can easily drop color and clarity to find a beautiful diamond in your price range.

Good luck in your search!

 

[Mara]

Davis--all excellent advice from the previous posters.




I definitely think you can drop color and clarity and not sacrifice cut to get an exceptional stone. I would suggest something like I/J in color and SI1/SI2 in clarity to get the largest size possible (depending on what lab grades the stone and where the inclusions are). If you work with a vendor you can trust, you can buy a stone sight unseen and not worry as much about the inclusions if they guarantee it's eye-clean etc.




Your budget is not that small, but keep in mind it's VERY easy to start upping that # once you see the options. So be sure that is your budget, then determine if you have any leeway or if it needs to stay that strict. Just my two cents from searching ourselves, and seeing others search as well. We started out with one thing and from there it's just UP.




That said..I surfed around a bit and found the following few stones to look at. These are all from the Pricescope Cut Quality Search, avail on the homepage--and it searches by HCA scores under 2.0 (Excellent). These will all be well cut stones. Most of the vendors are highly recommended by people who have purchased from them in the past on this forum. There is a huge color range, so if you feel more comfortable with a G or H--then try an SI2 that is eye-clean or at least has hideable inclusions. Or go with a cleaner SI1 and drop to I or J color.




http://www.dirtcheapdiamonds.com/diamond_detail_sb.cfm?did=6859232http://www.dirtcheapdiamonds.com/diamond_detail_sb.cfm?did=6859217


.86 J SI1 $2300 HCA score 1.1 EX (AGS 0)




http://www.whiteflash.com/diamonds/diamond_Details.aspx?itemcode=AGS-4259604


.80 I SI1 $2600 HCA score 1.3 EX (A Cut Above H&A)




http://www.dirtcheapdiamonds.com/diamond_detail_sb.cfm?did=6859230


.88 H SI2 $2900 HCA score 1.4 EX (AGS 0)




http://www.whiteflash.com/diamonds/diamond_Details.aspx?itemcode=AGS-4259601


.82 G SI2 $2900 HCA score 1.6 EX (A Cut Above H&A)




Also www.goodoldgold.com has a bunch of brokered stones (with no links) on their site, you can give Jonathan a call and see what he can pull for you. It looks like he has similar stones (e.g. .81 G SI2 $2800 H&A stone) to the ones listed above.




All of the above links have additional info on the stones, cert reports, pictures of the stones, H&A images...and if they are not posted on the site yet (wf's stones just have the sample image), they can get you that info. Much easier than working with an offline vendor who tells you they can't get Sarins!




With such a limited budget, I would stick to something like 98% of the money for the stone so that you can really get a knockout, and then get something simple for the setting like a white gold solitaire which will be around $150/200 depending on your vendor. If you get an excellent stone, you can always upgrade the setting later, say around the wedding type or have the stone re-set into a more elaborate wedding band, etc. The stone is what really makes the ring IMO and with a small budget, I would put most of that money in a stone you want to keep.




Lastly--if you are shopping offline--compare stone diameters while you shop. All of the above stones will be well-cut--this means that they are going to look as they should for their carat weight. It's not uncommon for someone to go into a store, get offered a 1c stone for $2999 and then wonder why it looks smaller than their friends .90c stone. It's because the 1c 'deal' stone is not well cut. The cut makes a huge difference--as you may already know. So by sticking to your guns on the cut--you are guaranteed a stone that looks as big as it should (or sometimes bigger!).




My two cents..hope this helps--even if you purchase offline it does help to see what is online for price and quality comparisons. Best of luck!