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Need Some Help Picking out a Ring

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cage_1175

Rough_Rock
Joined
Jan 10, 2006
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Hi Everyone,

I am currently looking for a platinum engagement ring with 2 princess cut side stones. The specs that I would like to have is 1.3-1.5 CT Oval, vS1-vs2, D-F color, no flouresence and either an ideal or very good cut. I dont want to go over my price range of 9K for the whole thing. I have been perusing this site and have looked at a couple of stones from different internet retailers like whiteflash and abazias. Are all of the dealers listed on pricescope reputable? The only one that I am familiar with is blue nile. Also, I noticed that a couple of of different retailers having the same diamond in terms of specs. Do these retailers have the actual diamond in stock or are these diamonds held at a central location where once it is purchased it is shipped to the retailer to ship out. I live in NYC and find that I do not enjoy dealing with dealers in the diamond district or chinatown because I feel that I cant trust them. I have been to a couple of stores where they were trying to persuade me into purchasing a diamond with a GIA report from 2000 telling me what a great deal I was getting and I should buy it now before someone else does. So this is the reason why I have resorted to the internet. Any suggestions or comments are welcome since I am pretty new to this. Thanks in advance for your help!!!

P.S- Also what is a good CT size for a princess cut side stone with a center stone of 1.3-1.5?
 
I don''t want to be a downer - but I just did a quick search for you and I think you might have a tough time making the ring you are talking about for under 9K. (Keep in mind - you want a very good - ideal CUT diamond).
You might want to think about droping down your color requirements a bit and looking at "eye clean" SI stones if the 1.3-1.5 carat size is important to you. Again, cut is the most important thing.
As for the size of the side stones... that is up to you if you want it to showcase that center stone or have it more in the "three-stone look". If I were you I would do a thin band and small side stones so that your center stone (even is you have to go below 1.3) really pops.
 
I too would go down in clarity, if at all possible.

And BTW, just because a diamond has a 2000 GIA report does not mean there is anything wrong with the diamond
 
What if I drop the requirements to a very good/ good cut or to a g color? What would you recommend? Thanks for your response!!
 
NO NO NO! I would not go with anything but the best cut! This is where you get your sparkle, brilliance, fire, and scintillation!

It's entirely up to you if you would like to drop down in color. Personally, I like diamonds in the colorless range but many others here have beautiful diamonds in all colors. And really, a G is very very white to just about everyone but the pickiest. I really think clarity is the best place to go down. Many SI1s are completely eye clean. Unless you insist on a higher clarity (more mental than visual) this is the best place to save money. You won't even see the difference between a VS1-2 and a completely eye clean SI1. You are paying for something that should make no visual difference.
 
Ok.. Thanks for your advice. I think I am going to have to increase my limit to 10K.. Do you know anything about the dealers available online like whiteflash etc... Are they reputable??
 
Oh and I forgot. How bad are crystals in a diamond?
 
You can pay for D-F color, but just about everyone on this forum will defy you to see the difference at all. My stone is G in color, but the cut is ideal and my diamond is as white as any colorless stone you could possibly see with your own eyes. As a matter of fact, I was in two really high quality B&M stores (Tiffany was one store) and the color of my stone was absolutely indiscernable from stones in the D-F range. Actually, my stone looked better than most of the Tiffany stones I saw, or at least the equal of most of the stones I saw and they cost a lot more than I paid for my GIA graded 1.12 G VS2 stone.

The advice you''re getting here is good. Don''t be so hung up on color and clarity. CUT CUT CUT. That''s the thing that determines how much fire and scintillation a diamond puts out.
 
Here is a link to an Oval on Excel / Superbcert''s site. It is a D, but look at this IS! They are in NYC (not on street level with the "sharks"), so you could go look at it in person. I bought my Ideal RB from Barry, and it is a lovely stone. They also do custom work, and actually Barry is a Princess cut connoisseur, so I''m sure he could hook you up with the "right" package. Just some food for thought -

Barry also has this promo available if you go to www.diamondvues.com

Enter your e-mail address to receive our latest jewelry promotions as well as a 5% discount on your purchase of a SuperbCert Diamond:

Excel 1.36ct D VS2 Oval b.JPG
 
WF is a top-of-the-line retailer. You could hardly do better. I do not have expirience with GOG but their name constantly comes up from happy customers. I got my diamond from USA Certed and could not have been happier with the diamond or the service.
 
Date: 1/10/2006 1:25:28 PM
Author: cage_1175
What if I drop the requirements to a very good/ good cut or to a g color? What would you recommend? Thanks for your response!!
Click to expand...
I think it would be a good idea to go with a G in color to save a few bucks but DO NOT sacrafice on cut.
(Personally I like the way a G or H ideal cut diamond looks more than anything else... I would not only spend a lot of time researching here on PS, but also go into a local B&M store so you can get a good idea of what you like)
 
Hey cage,
One thing that really helped me in starting this process was going to some of these pushy B&M stores and have them show you a bunch of stones, you look at them without knowing the color, clarity, etc. and determine what makes the most difference to you. This worked wonders for me, and really showed me how important the cut is. WF has a great reputation, but I understand that GOG is not too terribly far from the city if you have a car. Make sure you buy from a place that lets you return the diamond for any reason. Good luck!

Brandon.
 
Thank you all for helping me out. I will look around to see what I can get.. I will stick to an ideal cut and be flexible with the rest. I will post some of the stones that I am looking at shortly... Thanks AGAIN!!!
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Definitely also consider GOG - we bought our diamond from them and were very happy. They''re not at all pushy, and Jonathan spent 2 hours with us on a busy Sat morning going ovr diamond basics and helping us pick out our stone. There was absolutely no pressure to go above our budget. Looks like they have specs on one oval that''s a 1.38D SI1, though there''s no price listed. http://www.goodoldgold.com/oval.htm If you''re in New York City, they''re very easy to reach by railway if you don''t have a car.

Good luck with the search!
 
This is what DH told me after he proposed. He said the price range for 1 -1.29 ct is significantly lower than the price range for 1.3 - 1.5ct. I don''t know how true that is but that''s what his jeweler told him. If that is true, then maybe you can go down on carat size just a tad to stay within your budget. But if size is the most important, then definitely sacrifice color and clarity but not cut. An ideal cut diamond will appear larger than poorly cut ones.
 
What do you guys think of this?

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamond.asp?cid=131&item=433657&aff_id=ps621

Shape: Oval
Carat weight: 1.50
Cut: Ideal
Color: H
Clarity: VS2
Certificate: GIA

Depth: 61.2%
Table: 60%
Polish: Very Good
Symmetry: Very Good
Girdle: Thick to very thick, faceted
Culet: None
Fluorescence: None
Measurements: 8.93*6.62*4.05
Ratio: 1.35

Price: $ 7,790
 
I have a question for you guys. I checked out a couple of stores in the diamond district in NYC. What do you guys think? The specs are:

Shape: Oval
Carat weight: 1.51
Color: H
Clarity: VS1
Certificate: GIA

Depth: 65%
Table: 54.3%
Polish: Good
Symmetry: Good
Girdle: Medium to Very thick
Fluorescence: None
Measurements: 9.08*6.68*3.63

Price $8600.

My concern is that according to the research page on pricescope (http://diamonds.pricescope.com/fnc3.asp) indicates that this OVAL diamond is a class 3B US Domestic average cut. I looked at the diamond and it looks really nice. However, I can get a diamond with a better depth and table % online for approximately the same price. From what I understand the cut is the most important thing because of the fire, brillance and scintillation. I am assuming that a diamond with a better depth and table % will be even nicer appearance wise. Please correct me if I am wrong. Should I go with this diamond or one with the one online. Also, one of the ovals that I am interested in online has an extra faceton the underside. Is this bad?



Thanks in advance!!!
 
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