Need some advice-- new here!

[TheBS19]

Hey all-

I've been reading the boards for about a week now...I'm another hopeless guy trying to get some diamond help from the experts! Lemme give a brief background of my situation:

Me and my high school sweatheart got a big surprise about a week into our senior year of college...a baby on the way. Obviously unexpected, things were thrown a bit out of whack. We had always knew we were to get married eventually, and we wanted to get so ASAP, and did the following summer (7.4.07). As we had a baby on the way throughout the wedding planning to worry about along with some of the wedding to pay for, my wife-to-be was extremely understanding and through a family friend, we got a "fake" to act as her Engagement ring until we could afford to upgrade it. I have forever felt guilty since, especially since now some of our friends have gotten engaged and gush about the romantic proposal and great ring.

This July 4 will be our 1 year anniversary, and as I have been working for a year now, want to surprise her by giving her the ring and proposal she deserved. I am positive she has no idea this is coming and isnt expecting an upgrade for a while so i am really excited.

I searched all the usual suspects in malls, local jewelers, etc, but I then got a tip from a coworker to look at online jewelers, as they have great deals...specifically, Blue Nile was mentioned. I've now been working with BN for about 2 weeks now to find what I am looking for, and I'm nearing a decision.

I've been talking to the same customer rep for a while. I found a stone I loved, but it is a SI2...however, he informed that its been inspected by BN and found to be eyeclean. He warns that the problem with SI2s are that once I have the inclusions pointed out to me, I may be able to search and find them, so obviously the same goes for my wife. He has sent me a few other stones that are a bit smaller, but VS2-clarity..I've narrowed it down to one of those. OH! Budget: I'd really like to stay around 4000 or below on the stone, so total cost could remain around 5000 or below. I really wanna hit that 1 carat plateau, but the more I read, the sillier i think this is. However, i feel like if I am doing the upgrade (or, I guess, the initial buy) now, it's silly to get her a stone that is inadequate for the long run, and psychologically, I'm not sure how to justify buying a .93 stone. Also, I've looked to maximize Cut, without much room for sacrifice, throughout my search. With this said, I haven't been looking at "signature collection" type stones because at the size I'm looking, it just doesnt fiscally make sense.

Ok, so here they are:

1.03, I (faint blue flour), SI2, Ideal
AND
.93, I (strong blue), VS2, Ideal

I'm so sorry this is so long!!! Anybody have any thoughts? Even if you don't wanna comment on the exact stones, persay, just general guidelines? THANKS!!

Again, I've been assured the SI2 is "eyeclean", but warned that after it its faults are pointed out, I may be able to critically recognize them. He also told me that the .93 carat stone will appear the same as the one carat...its just the psychological element of it! The funny thing is that the high clarity, lower carat stone that the guy is seemingly pushing me towards is the cheaper stone!

THANKS SO MUCH!!!

 

[JulieN]

For under 4 K, and 1 ct+, you will probably have to go to J color or SI2.

I'd probably rather go from .9 cts up, rather than try to hit 1 ct. The difference is not that big.

 

[TheBS19]

Physically, I understand we''re talking fractions of MM here.

But psychologically, i just think she''d appreciate the notion of the 1 carat+. Its not even a money thing, but I think its more of a romantic notion to get the sized ring that means something, rather than bragging about the 200 bucks or so I saved? Whattya think?

Also, the GIA reports have all the proportions for the rings and I think they''re both solid, but if somebody who is ambitious and knows more in this department feels like taking a critical look-see, that''d be greatly appreciated!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks for the quick response, though!

 

[AnitaT]

Date: 6/7/2008 10:41:01 PM
Author:TheBS19
Hey all-

I''ve been talking to the same customer rep for a while. I found a stone I loved, but it is a SI2...however, he informed that its been inspected by BN and found to be eyeclean. He has sent me a few other stones that are a bit smaller, but VS2-clarity..I''ve narrowed it down to one of those. I''d really like to stay around 4000 or below on the stone, so total cost could remain around 5000 or below. I really wanna hit that 1 carat plateau, but the more I read, the sillier i think this is. However, i feel like if I am doing the upgrade (or, I guess, the initial buy) now, it''s silly to get her a stone that is inadequate for the long run, and psychologically, I''m not sure how to justify buying a .93 stone. Also, I''ve looked to maximize Cut, without much room for sacrifice, throughout my search. With this said, I haven''t been looking at ''signature collection'' type stones because at the size I''m looking, it just doesnt fiscally make sense.

Ok, so here they are:

1.03, I (faint blue flour), SI2, Ideal
AND
.93, I (strong blue), VS2, Ideal

He also told me that the .93 carat stone will appear the same as the one carat...its just the psychological element of it! The funny thing is that the high clarity, lower carat stone that the guy is seemingly pushing me towards is the cheaper stone!

THANKS SO MUCH!!!

Hi there,
I plugged the numbers into the Holloway cut advisor (HCA) and both stones returned scores below 2 which is wonderful. The 1.03 I scores 1.3 and falls within the AGS box. The 0.93 scores 1.4 on HCA.

I don''t want to confuse you, but I am also going to suggest you check out some PS favorite vendors such as Good Old Gold. I did a quick search on their website based on your parameters and there are a few options that could work: www.goodoldgold.com/diamondResults.php?shape=1&ctMin=0.80&clarity=224&priceMin=3000&priceMax=4900&resultsColumns=268435471 Now, I know you said your upper limit is $4000 on the stone, for a total of $5000 for the whole ring. However, if you do a wire transfer, the price will be discounted by a couple hundred and you should be able to find a lovely, yet economic setting with them too. They have been wonderful with my bf and me throughout our search and decision-making process (seriously). Plus, if you do decide to upgrade later, GOG has a pretty decent policy. BN, from what I understand, doesn''t.

You came to the right place though. The people on this forum will help you make a good decision and you will get a lovely ring. Good luck!

 

[marcy]

I would go for the smaller diamond with better clarity. That size of stone will look like a 1 carat and no one will ever think it''s anything else. You didn''t mention a setting - what are you thinking of picking out for the ring?

 

[EmeraldCutQuest]

Welcome to PS, BS19!

The 1 ct. idea you have is matched by many; that''s why there is a premium for a 1ct. stone over a 0.99 ct. one. I -- and my DW -- happen to agree with your psychological point of view. A 1 is a 1 and a .99 isn''t.

If your budget won''t allow it, consider a J color; the difference isn''t huge, and in real life, you won''t be comparing it side-by-side with other stones. I bought a J stone recently, and it is so well cut, it just has a faint color noticeable, and truly, it adds a bit of warmth. We are thrilled.

If you can, get a 1+ ct. J ... you will most likely regret getting one under 1ct., and you are paying too much money not to be happy!

--ECQ (no longer).

 

[TheBS19]

Haha the setting is a whole ''nother animal. Its tricky because in the past, I could talk to my wife about a ring, and she always used to drop hints prior to our actual marriage so I knew exactly what she was looking for. She always talked about a solitaire setting, and her current "fake" is a solitaire setting. However, I have noticed on a few occasions, her oo-ing and aah-ing over friends'' rings, all of which seem to have side stones.

I have looked at literally hundreds, and I think I have it down to a couple. If i go with a solitaire, I will probably go with a traditional 4 prong platinum. However, there are a few sidestones that I like a lot, and may be leaning in that direction...plus I think the appreciation in time (i.e., she didn''t get an true engagement ring when we got married, so although this is really her first ring, its kind of like an upgrade, too), I think sidestones might be a bit more elegant and say "upgrade for a married woman" more so than a solitaire...anyways, thats another beast I''m gonna agonize over after the stone is picked.

Oh, the sidestone I really like is a 1/4 carat, pave-set tapered cathedral. Oh, and another thing, because I''m kinda working backwards here and she already has a band, do certain settings go better with bands? Cuz if so, I''d love to hear suggestions...Her band is white gold, channel set 11 round stones, 1/4 carat t.w.

 

[marcy]

I personally like some side stones on an ering and I think it would go great with her channel set band. Since you are trying to stay at a certain budget I would go for white gold instead of platinum. If the 1 carat is important to reach I would go down first in color then clarity.

 

[TheBS19]

Yeah, if I do go sidestones, I''m gonna go white gold. I find the price difference negligible (almost) though if I do a platinum solitaire, so thats what I''m thinking there.

Being at a "I" color already, I''m afraid to sacrifice too much more there, and leary of sacrificing something that is definitively visible, for something that may not be visible (again, my rep at BN told me the SI2 is eyeclear.

Should he be able to provide me with some kind of photo of the stone if I request it? I know they are just brokers, but seeing as how they''ve already inspected it to make sure they can market it as "eyeclean", could they have something to show me?

 

[Skippy123]

Date: 6/8/2008 10:08:58 AM
Author: TheBS19
Yeah, if I do go sidestones, I''m gonna go white gold. I find the price difference negligible (almost) though if I do a platinum solitaire, so thats what I''m thinking there.

Being at a ''I'' color already, I''m afraid to sacrifice too much more there, and leary of sacrificing something that is definitively visible, for something that may not be visible (again, my rep at BN told me the SI2 is eyeclear.

Should he be able to provide me with some kind of photo of the stone if I request it? I know they are just brokers, but seeing as how they''ve already inspected it to make sure they can market it as ''eyeclean'', could they have something to show me?

I think that is reasonable to ask for something like that; I would send it to an appraiser of your choice before you purchase it too. Richard Sherwood, Dave Atlas or Neil Beatty.

 

[TheBS19]

Since it would be thru Blue Nile, and they dont physically posses the diamonds until the sale is made, how would I go about sending it to an appraiser PRIOR to the purchase?

 

[teacherk]

Blue Nile has some beautiful things and I have seen lots of posts from happy customers. The one thing I don''t think they have is a trade up policy. If you aren''t 100% sure what your wife would like as far as the setting, you may want to opt for a vendor who will offer a trade policy so she would have that option. Just a suggestion. WF has a trade up policy and I believe GOG does as well. I understand your wanting to go with that magic 1ct.- For me that was a big deal. I wanted a 1 ct. ring and would find myself feeling disappointed if I was shown even .95- .97 carat stones. I know there is no real visual difference but something about it... Best of luck to you! Can''t wait to see what you choose. I hope you will share some pictures!

K

 

[honey22]

Date: 6/8/2008 3:43:44 PM
Author: TheBS19
Since it would be thru Blue Nile, and they dont physically posses the diamonds until the sale is made, how would I go about sending it to an appraiser PRIOR to the purchase?

This worries me - if they don''t possess the stone until the sale is made, how on earth can they reassure you that the stone is eyeclean to YOUR standards. I would assume this would involve a detailed discussion between you and the BN rep with the BN rep having the stone in his/her hands at the time.

I have seen a few threads where people have not be satisfied with BN''s version of eyeclean. That, and the lack of info on the site and no upgrade policy - this would be a dealbreaker for me. I would suggest checking out WF or GOG, they have excellent upgrade policies and they can be trusted in their opinions of eyeclean. Good luck!!

 

[arjunajane]

Date: 6/9/2008 4:20:32 AM
Author: honey22

Date: 6/8/2008 3:43:44 PM
Author: TheBS19
Since it would be thru Blue Nile, and they dont physically posses the diamonds until the sale is made, how would I go about sending it to an appraiser PRIOR to the purchase?

This worries me - if they don''t possess the stone until the sale is made, how on earth can they reassure you that the stone is eyeclean to YOUR standards. I would assume this would involve a detailed discussion between you and the BN rep with the BN rep having the stone in his/her hands at the time.

I have seen a few threads where people have not be satisfied with BN''s version of eyeclean. That, and the lack of info on the site and no upgrade policy - this would be a dealbreaker for me. I would suggest checking out WF or GOG, they have excellent upgrade policies and they can be trusted in their opinions of eyeclean. Good luck!!

Ditto what Honey said - I know BN is generally well respected in the wider community - I just feel that the benefits on having in house diamonds with All the info, the great customer service and return/upgrade policies, plus often a PS discount - I can''t really see the advantage to shopping at BN as compared to WF or GOG..
And yeah, there has been some contention on their definition of eyeclean, I guess for obvious reasons.
Of course, not to say many people haven''t gotten great diamonds from them, I just appreciate the "extra features" so to say.

 

[TheBS19]

Hmm ok. I haven''t done much in the way of research on those sites that you mentioned, but when I did take a quick look, they appear to be in a different price point than BN, hence my allegiance there...I first heard of BN from a colleague so thats where I did the majority of my online research until I came here. I''ll have to start looking at those other places to see if I can find anything...

Back to the topic of the band, I know I could probably ask a jeweler this, but would appreciate the responses of this community more: Since I am kind of working backwards, I think it might make most sense to match the setting to her band. Is there a certain style of setting that goes better with the channel set white gold band?

 

[TheBS19]

Ok so I''m still waiting to hear back from my guy at BN as i asked him additional questions about how I can verify that the stone is in fact "eyeclean" as he claims it was, and to what degree it is eyeclean. Again, his exact wording was "The diamonded you asked about, LD01200171, has been previously inspected and the diamond is eye-clean; however, after you know where the inclusion is under magnification you may be able to spot it with your unaided eye." I''m not sure how comfortable that makes me...

So i continued searching and found this one this morning:
.977 carat, vs1, j color, AGS IDEAL

A few things: the AGS Ideal makes me feel better than the other one, even if its proportions do check out to fit the AGS Ideal standards. Also, obviously being a VS1 clarity squashes any concerns on "eyeclean". Moving down from an I to a J worries me some, especially since the I had some flour...will this be very noticable? Also, I know i talked about the wanting to hit that 1 carat mark...98 points versus 93 points makes it literally, one carat, while the other is closer to a .9, so I think this one might make sense from that stand point as well. Of course, it is a bit more expensive than i was looking to go, but it seems like a real good deal. Any thoughts?

 

[TheBS19]

Ok so I talked to my BN guy last night, and we discussed the 3 stones I have listed here in the thread. Now my instincts were to go with the 1.03 carat as long as i could confirm "eyeclean" with him, but he was honest with me and I appreciated that...He said their policy is when a stone is asked about and checked, a note is made in their system that it was checked for eye-cleanliness and the standard policy is checking it from 8-10 inches. He said it was checked eyeclean, but that there was a tiny black carbon spot under the table and as such, he thinks it may not be the best for me. The .93 stone, in my original post, he said would appear to any reasonable person to be the exact same size, is MUCH clearer (VS2 clarity) and with its strong blue flour, has a real nice color to it (they were both "I" stones). The 3rd stone that I added into the discussion yesterday was a J color, and he feels as though the size difference will be negligible (.93 to .97) and the added warmth might be noticeable, plus theres a 400 dollar difference.

It makes me feel pretty good about the .93 stone, especially since it was the least expensive of the 3 and he really pushed me towards it, showing hes not just out to make the most from me. I appreciate the honesty and he assured me that the .2mm difference in diameter is no way noticeable. I told him i needed to think over the "not making the 1 carat mark" thing, but that I was nearing a decision. What does everyone think???

Also, any thoughts on the "matching the setting to the band" issue I raised in the above post?

As always, thanks so much!!!

Oh, and as to not make people go up to find the link, heres the stone again: .93, VS1, I, Ideal

 

[TheBS19]

ok- PHEW. I just bought one. I went with the .93 mentioned above and a simple 18K white gold channel setting with small RB stones, only 1/8 ctw. I decided i think it matched with her band really well. It was also dainty enough to not overwhelm her size 3 3/4 finger and the small stones should make the center guy really pop (hopefully).

I went over my lunch break today to a local jeweler here in downtown Boston and took a look at one I thought was similar and decided to go for it. I just really want it in time for our one year (July 4), and with plans to still have it appraised and whatnot before hand, time was running out, so i acted impulsively. I am excited though, cuz I''m really happy with it (I think) and it should be here next Tuesday.

I''ll let everyone know how it all goes, and post pics when I have them

Thanks for the help!