Nervous diamond newbie

[largeinclusion]

Dear all,

I'm planning on proposing to my girlfriend very soon, however I am a bit apprehensive about purchasing online. I am looking to spend <$4500 on the diamond itself, so I am worried that being on the lower end in terms of price I may get something in the mail that isn't dazzling/eye clean in the size that she wants (~ 0.9-1.1 ct).

Regarding the diamond, I am looking for something similar to the following:
Size: ~.9ct
Cut: round brilliant, HCA<2, excellent visual performance
Clarity: >= SI2, at least eye clean, imperfections do not impact visual performance
Color: GIA J or above

One thing to mention is that the sidestones on the band I am looking at are in the F/G range, so how low can I go in terms of color for the diamond (she is color sensitive)? I have seen some decent prices at eternity diamonds, but obviously I won't have any idea on how it looks until it shows up in the mail.

What do you all think of these options? All have HCA<1.5:
1) 0.9 ct. J VS1 Excellent cut
http://www.eternitydiamonds.com/diamond_detail.php?id=650801&ref=pricescope

2) 0.9 ct. H SI2(feather) VG cut
http://www.eternitydiamonds.com/diamond_detail.php?id=625682&ref=pricescope

3) 0.9 ct. I SI1(feather, cloud)) EX cut Medium-Blue FL
http://www.eternitydiamonds.com/diamond_detail.php?id=607569&ref=pricescope

Any advice or suggestions are much appreciated! Thanks so much!

 

[Ravinmad]

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/I-SI1-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1440744.asp

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/J-VS1-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1443506.asp

I personally like the looks of this diamond, and the price looks good too.

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/J-VS2-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1445258.asp

sorry didnt have time to run them thru HCA for you.

One more, just because and its a G color and says that the inclusions are twinning whisps hmm..... i would get an aset image or ideal scope of this stone

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/G-SI2-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1371160.asp

 

[largeinclusion]

Thanks ravinmad! I was wondering if there might be a noticeable difference between the J colors you showed and the F/G color sidestones on the WF setting below:

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=white%20flash%20bead%20set&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CCYQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.whiteflash.com%2Fengagement-rings%2Fdiamond-settings%2Ftiffany-style-bead-set-diamond-engagement-ring-1006.htm&ei=Z9k-T_PmHsy2twfZ89XLBQ&usg=AFQjCNGZz1h4OCOnvTrk6ss0K1w4buu32Q

Does anyone know how it compares to the actual tiffany band in real life (shown below)?

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=tifanny%20bead%20set%20ring&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CDkQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.tiffany.com%2FEngagement%2FItem.aspx%3FGroupSKU%3DGRP10020&ei=09k-T83PDM23twffu7jUBQ&usg=AFQjCNHr3Rdggk8GLAr3FIP1VFQBJOIj5w

Thanks again for all your help! Also, has anyone had any experience looking for diamonds in this range from Eternity Diamonds? What did you think?

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Ravinmad found you a great stone...

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/G-SI2-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1371160.asp

I would not go with J color if she is color sensitive. I'd stick with I or above. But that G has "good" inclusions for a SI2, and the G color is going to be much better with your setting. I wouldn't buy from Eternity because they don't give you as much info (images) on the stones as James Allen will.

 

[Ravinmad]

Thanks ravinmad! I was wondering if there might be a noticeable difference between the J colors you showed and the F/G color sidestones on the WF setting below:

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=white%20flash%20bead%20set&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CCYQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.whiteflash.com%2Fengagement-rings%2Fdiamond-settings%2Ftiffany-style-bead-set-diamond-engagement-ring-1006.htm&ei=Z9k-T_PmHsy2twfZ89XLBQ&usg=AFQjCNGZz1h4OCOnvTrk6ss0K1w4buu32Q

Does anyone know how it compares to the actual tiffany band in real life (shown below)?

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=tifanny%20bead%20set%20ring&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CDkQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.tiffany.com%2FEngagement%2FItem.aspx%3FGroupSKU%3DGRP10020&ei=09k-T83PDM23twffu7jUBQ&usg=AFQjCNHr3Rdggk8GLAr3FIP1VFQBJOIj5w

Thanks again for all your help! Also, has anyone had any experience looking for diamonds in this range from Eternity Diamonds? What did you think?

DS will probably back me up but I wouldnt try a J color center stone with F/G side stones as it tends to make it look off color, dingy or worse

I second the comment on the lack of available diamond information offered from the supplier/vendor you mention.

Look and shop also on the trade in/trade up policy that the various sites offer as well.

 

[largeinclusion]

Thanks again for all your help. Would you guys say that Blue Nile suffers the same problem as eternity diamonds, since they do not provide a picture of the diamonds they have? It seems like many on this site also order from there, and I wonder if they offer something extra that excel diamonds does not before buying (ASET, Idealscope, etc).

 

[largeinclusion]

Sorry for the excessive posting, but what do you guys think of this diamond in relation to the ones above?

http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-2728086.htm

Its slightly smaller, but the idealscope and ASET images look good. Would you rather go with a slightly smaller but higher quality diamond? The difference in diameter is about 0.17 mm, so hopefully it wouldn't be noticeable.

 

[slg47]

Sorry for the excessive posting, but what do you guys think of this diamond in relation to the ones above?

http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-2728086.htm

Its slightly smaller, but the idealscope and ASET images look good. Would you rather go with a slightly smaller but higher quality diamond? The difference in diameter is about 0.17 mm, so hopefully it wouldn't be noticeable.

that diamond looks like an excellent choice.

 

[tyty333]

Sorry for the excessive posting, but what do you guys think of this diamond in relation to the ones above?

http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-2728086.htm

Its slightly smaller, but the idealscope and ASET images look good. Would you rather go with a slightly smaller but higher quality diamond? The difference in diameter is about 0.17 mm, so hopefully it wouldn't be noticeable.

that diamond looks like an excellent choice.

Yes, that stone does look very nice.

 

[Ravinmad]

That is a mighty fine stone. I think you've done well if you decide to grab it!

 

[largeinclusion]

Great! Just talked to Sheila from WF to explore this option further. The only thing holding me back is the smaller size, as the GF wanted something close to 1 ct (6.00mm diameter for the .8ct, 6.2mm for a .9ct, and 6.4 mm for a 1 ct.). I hope that in the end she wont be able to tell the difference!

 

[Amys Bling]

It's a stunning stone. Don't know if she will be able to a size difference- do you think she will ask?

 

[largeinclusion]

Man, I really hope she doesn't. At the end of the day, I just hope that shes happy with what she sees. One thing working in my favor is that she has a relatively small finger size (4ish), so I'm hoping the diamond will look large relative to her hand the WF setting I had pasted earlier in this thread.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I like the diamond just fine, but since she was hoping for close to a carat, I would be very hesitant to go down to .8. That stone is also $500 below your budget. I'd spend every penny of the diamond budget and get a larger stone.

 

[Amys Bling]

My only concern is that she asks for stats on the stone- as many do. Will you br upfront?

 

[largeinclusion]

Of course I would be upfront, but I think she may be disappointed more if it looked small rather than the numbers being off. However, if the diamond light performance blows her away she might notice less. One thing to add about this smaller stone is that since it is from whiteflash I can get a discount on the setting under a promotion and also not have to worry about paying to have it set myself if I buy the stone elsewhere.

Diamondseeker - I know what you're saying and thats why I've been a little hesitant. I've seen a 0.83ct in person once and it seemed a bit small to me next to some 1ct pieces, but at the same time the larger diamonds all have some clarity/performance issues in this price range. I'm having the James Allen folks do an idealscope Monday morning on the 0.9ct diamond ravinmad had suggested (had some major twinning wisps running around in it).

Smaller high quality stone versus a larger lower quality stone: what a dilemma!

 

[slg47]

if she asks, you can say that you wanted to get her the most sparkly diamond possible!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I normally don't do SI2's, but my own daughter has a WF H SI1 with twining wisps and I know what a good inclusion that can be. I don't consider the JA stone "low quality". It has an excellent color and cut. The clarity is the only aspect that is lower. As long as it is eyeclean and doesn't have any light performance issue (which it shouldn't), then I think it is a better choice IF she has not expressed a preference regarding higher clarity. What we DO know is that she was hoping for close to a carat, and I think she might be a little disappointed with a .8. If you had said she wanted a .75-.80, I would absolutely have recommended the WF stone (and I have bought great diamonds from WF!). But there is no reason to think the JA stone is less beautiful than the WF one.

 

[largeinclusion]

I'll post the idealscope images for the James Allen piece once I get it to see what everyone thinks. If it turns out to be just as good as the 0.8 ct one then the large stone seems to make sense. Nerve-wracking!

 

[frankiextah]

may i also suggest the following :

0.89ct J VS1 $3760 after PS discount HCA 0.8 TIC

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/J-VS1-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1442352.asp

 

[largeinclusion]

frankiextah, that diamond looks really great but I'm a bit worried about the J color as the setting has F/G sidestones (may look awkward). I had read somewhere that J colors with faint fluorescence can offset the slight yellow tint, is this true? I definitely like the price and size of this stone

 

[frankiextah]

i would suggest looking at some of these completed rings and check out the I and J colored ones in particular ...

http://www.bluenile.com/engagement-rings/recently-purchased-engagement-rings?track=ta

 

[Amys Bling]

if she asks, you can say that you wanted to get her the most sparkly diamond possible!

true- I would want something incredibly sparkly even if it was a tad smaller- that's me though. Did she say she wanted a 1ct explicitly?

 

[Amys Bling]

Hmm I might not go for Jin color unless you know she sit particularly color sensitive

 

[diamondseeker2006]

He said above that she IS color sensitive, unless I misunderstood.

 

[largeinclusion]

She is color sensitive, and I have a feeling she may pick up on the different color tints between the J and F/G sidestones. She did ask for 1ct, but then again she chose the number somewhat arbitrarily. To be honest, she doesn't know much about diamonds so in the end its really the visual impact (a combination of size and sparkliness) that really matters here. One assumption I am making here that smaller and sparklier may be equivalent to a larger, less sparkly ring. Regardless, I'm going to wait on the JA idealscope images and see how they compare to the .8 from WF.

One thing I am also keeping in mind is the overall total cost. With the WF diamond, I am also getting 14% off the setting (which is something close to what she had liked) so there is a $300 cost savings built into that, plus the $50-$150 saved in having to set the diamond myself if I bought it someplace else. I've been looking around the web for something similar but could not find much that looked better or were better priced. Unfortunately, the JA settings had nothing that was similar.

 

[Ravinmad]

Do we have Ideal Scope images and or a status update of where you are at?

 

[largeinclusion]

Yep, just got them today so I am attaching. The Idealscope looks good, but the problem is that the twinning wisp is not eye clean (comments from JA gemologist below):

We've also had one of our graduate gemologists inspected your diamonds and I'm happy to say that diamond 1371160 has excellent fire and brilliance. It faces up beautifully white and while its twinning wisp can be picked up by the unaided eye, it is not offensive.

You can see the twinning wisp on the idealscope actually, which is not good. While I was waiting for the scope pics, I found a much cheaper option to the WF one that I had posted about earlier: http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-2763511.htm

Its a lower color, but at least its still in the near colorless range and the idealscope and ASET images look good. I talked to Sheerah from WF and she liked this one even better, so I decided to go with this option just to see how it looks in person. If it looks too small on the setting or if the color is too off I'll probably try to upgrade to something else. With the setting discount and the cheaper stone, I save much more than if I went someplace else. I'm still a student, so any little bit I save I can put towards the engagement itself! But, the quality of the ring comes first, so if I don't feel ok with how it looks in person I will be sending it back. Just hoping the color and the size difference isn't too noticeable!

The ring should be here by next week so I will post images when I get them. Thanks everyone again for all of your help!

 

[Ravinmad]

cant wait to see the pictures

 

[largeinclusion]

Hey guys,

just got the pics today and they seem to look good, what do you all think? More specifically, what do you think of the size in this setting? I will be picking it up tomorrow so can't wait to see it in person.