Need the perfect ring

[c_doclover]

I am looking at spending 2000 dollars on a solitaire. Besides the carat weight what are the average diamond specifications. For instance SI2-VS1 or .50 -.60 depth or whatever....just let me know what the averages....I perfer colorless....anyway thank you let me know I plan on proposing early august.

 

[researcher]

Check out the "price stats" link here on Pricescope. You need to know the shape you're considering and how good of a cut you want (keep in mind that cut is the most important "C"), but that's it. From their you can look at the prices for different sizes, colors, and clarity.

 

[bling]

also, you can start by reading the GOG tutorial page..especially on cut. from there you can decide what other factors are important to you..color, clarity, size...but always remember cut first! hehehe..

 

[valeria101]

I don't think stats help all that much, anything describing the diamond in person would be a more precise description. As for a good buy... an oval or marquize of about half a carat come to mind, but runds might do too.

Some sellers ist selections of diamonds matching a certain budget - the "Expert Sselection" (LINK) at whiteflash and the storefront (search engine providing asnwers ordered by cut quality for a given budget) at DCD (LINK) seem to fit the bill

For example,

This round: 0.53cts, E-SI1

or a slightly larger oval such as this 0.6cts F-SI1

 

[phoenixgirl]

Well, it is difficult to say the "average" diamond specifications. Many people just walk into the mall and buy something that looks ok without really knowing about cut quality, color, clarity, etc. Most people at PriceScope have diamonds of better quality than the average person.

Here are just some tips -- continue doing research and following the links provided here.

Cut -- it is possible to buy a really poorly cut diamond if you don't know what to look for. Everything sparkles under those jewelry store lights, but some stones are rather dull in normal lighting situations. Read up on cut here. Some people go for "super ideal" or "hearts and arrows" cuts to insure good cut quality, but it is possible to find a stone that performs well without paying the premium for such an exact cut. You can buy an "idealscope" off of this site, which is a little tool that will help you see if your stone is reflecting or leaking light when you're considering purchasing.

Color -- graded on a scale of letters -- "D" being the absolute best, or colorless. You can go down to "J" or "K" and only have a small amount of color visible (usually a diamond's tint is yellow, but it could be another color as well). In between these two extremes you have slight variations in absolute colorlessness versus nearly colorlessness, etc. D, E, and F are the most expensive and are considered "colorless." G, H, and I are considered great combinations of being pretty darn colorless but not costing as much. Beyond that the tint starts to become more noticeable. (For the record, some people are more sensitive to color than others. Some might tell you they can see the yellow in an H, for instance. Just remember that you're wearing this stone on your finger, not looking at it face down on a white business card).

Clarity -- graded as FL (flawless), IF (internally flawless), VVS 1 and 2 (very very slightly included), VS 1 and 2 (very slightly included), SI 1 and 2 (slightly included), and I (included). In general, stones down to VS2 should be eye-clean, SI1 is usually eye-clean, SI2 is sometimes eye-clean, I1 is a gamble (perhaps the inclusion is on the side and can be placed under a prong), and I2 and I3 should just be used for industrial purposes (although if you walk into Zales and look at their diamond stud earrings, I bet you they'll say I2 clarity on the back of the tag). I personally wouldn't buy above VS2 because you're paying for an upgrade you can't see with your naked eye. I would try to get the lowest clarity you can that is still eye-clean.

Carat-weight -- In my mind, you figure out what cut, color, clarity combination you're comfortable with, and then get the biggest stone your $2K will buy. That's what the search engine here will be helpful for.

Certification -- GIA and AGS are the best for insuring that your stone is what they say it is. DO NOT buy a stone without a certificate unless it can be returned if an appraisal says it's not what they said it was. But the question is, why wouldn't the store bother to certify it in the first place? I would just buy a certified stone for peace of mind. EGL can sometimes be a little more lenient, meaning that they said the stone was a G but the GIA would have said H or something like that. Therefore, their stones should cost less (why pay for a G when it might be an H). I would just stick with GIA or AGS to make it easy.

Here are some sample stones for around $2K to give you an idea (note: WhiteFlash discounts their stones if you mention PriceScope, so their prices might be lower than what the site says)

0.53 F VS2 H&A AGS cert

0.62 G VS2 H&A AGS cert

0.71 I SI1 H&A AGS cert

0.75 H VS1 non-ideal EGL cert

I would personally choose a stone like the third one -- cut is what's going to make your stone shine, not a few grades' improvement in color or clarity. But it's up to you of course.

Good luck!