New guy looking for help.

[DLMC]

Hello everybody,

I''ve been lurking around the site for a couple weeks reading through all the tutorials and such, and now I am going to ask for a little help/advice. If this isn''t the proper forum, I apologize.

First of all, my situation. I do not plan on proposing for a few more months, but I want to start my search early. I really want to keep my budget limited to $3,000. $2,500 would be preferred. I want a nice modest ring, but really don''t want to get into any kind of debt from a piece of jewelry. I plan on getting a single round diamond. A simple solitaire. I''m still not sure if I''m going to buy the entire ring and surprise her, or just get the diamond and put it in a cheap setting and then let her pick out final setting. Unlike stories I''ve read, my girlfriend has not given me ANY hints at all really. She never talks about such things grrr!!! But I know for a fact, simple is the way to go with her.

Most likely I will buy the ring from an old high school acquaintance of mine who is a manager at a locally owned jewelry store. So I''m not too worried about getting worked over. However, I still want to get another opinion from you guys.

What kind of diamond can I get? A big problem is I don''t know how much of my budget will get taken by the setting. How much is a simple white gold solitaire setting? She is pretty short with what seems like extremely tiny hands lol. So I''m really not worried about carat size. A nice .5 carat is kind of what I was thinking with hopes that I could maybe get up to .7 or so. Color I was just assuming G? And clarity of VS2. I''ve seen alot of posts saying to get S1 with no eye-visible marks. What are your recommendations? Should I definitely go higher or lower on one of the C''s?

As for cut, I know that is the most important. I''m considering getting an Ideal-Scope, but was going to talk to my friend first, just to see what he can do to show me how good the cut is. And of course, once he starts showing me diamonds I will note the dimensions and run it through the HCA.

When I go to see my friend, are there any certain things I should be asking that I have looked over?

Sorry for long post, just trying to learn all I can.

Thanks!

 

[Dreamer_D]

I don''t want to be a party pooper, but I really would think twice about working with your friend. Many stories on here that start with, "I am buying from a friend..." end badly. Also, you will pay less from an online retailer.

A simple white gold setting from an online retailer will cost $250. I applaud your efforts to stay in budget. To maximize it, I would suggest looking at G/H and VS2/SI1 stones. G/SI1 is my favourite combo. Do not compromise on cut. If you buy from your friend look at the certs and run the numbers through the HCA. Select a few that fall under 2, then call them in and check them out using your IS.

Depending where you buy from, you can get between .50 and .70 for your budget.

 

[DLMC]

Yeah, buying from my friend is not set in stone. If I can find a similar diamond elsewhere, I''ll get it. My only worry from buying online is not being able to see it. What are some recommended sites to use?

 

[Bella_mezzo]

Congrats on picking out a ring and wanting to stick to budget!!! I'm sure you'll find a gorgeous ring. Here are a few options just to show you what's available in G color. I second Dreamer that buying from a friend often turns out badly and you end up paying more, but only you know your situation...keep in mind all of these diamonds are ideal cut, the absolute best cut you are going to find. Diamonds cut less well can be found for lower prices, so be sure you are comparing ideal cut diamonds from your friend with these prices/diamonds.

http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/Whiteflash-ACA-cut-diamond-2231109.htm

http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/Whiteflash-ACA-cut-diamond-2231066.htm (a little over your ideal budget, but the whole ring would still end up at or just below $3K)

AGS-1040381680059 Brian Gavin H&A 0.718 G SI2 56.6 61.6 5.73 5.75 3.54 $2,167.00 (ask Brian where the inclusions are and how visible...)

AGS-1040381680058 Brian Gavin H&A 0.734 G SI1 56.7 61.2 5.81 5.83 3.55 $2,499.00

AGS-1040381680075 Brian Gavin H&A 0.625 G VS1 55.6 61.7 5.49 5.51 3.39 $2,065.00

 

[DLMC]

So are those 2 places *THE* recommended online sellers?

 

[Bella_mezzo]

I would also add Good Old Gold and high performance Diamonds, but in all honestly I mostly use at WF and BGD.

James Allen can also be good, but you have to do a little more research to make sure you''re getting a great stone.

 

[yssie]

If you plan to upgrade or trade in at some point in the future, stick to one of the above vendors. If you don't think this will be an option, though, JA has some great stones at generally somewhat lower pricepoints...


With your budget and size ideas I would definitely drop to an H (or even I) SI. You'll be able to eke out just a little more size by crossing those barriers - even 0.2mm makes a big difference in appearance, the stone will still look very very white, and clarity is boolean - it either is, or it isn't, clean to your standards.



I like the WFs linked. Also

Could be a good contender - you'll have to ask for IS and check that it's eyeclean (and that the cloud isn't an issue)
0.84 H SI2 http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/H-SI2-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1278189.asp


IS and hearts look good
0.81 I SI1 http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/I-SI1-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1213134.asp


0.76 H SI2 http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/6755/
0.8 I SI1, it would be a couple hundred over budget incl setting http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/6223/

 

[DLMC]

Thought of another question...

Before I started looking into rings/diamonds, I seriously did not realize the difference between engagement ring and wedding band. I mean I didn''t even know there were 2 things. I thought they were one in the same. The reason for this is almost every girl I see around in public just wear the engagement ring. Now since I learned, I have seen girls wearing both, but it is definitely uncommon around here.

Do people ALWAYS get a wedding band as well? It seems if you''re getting a simple solitaire ring, a wedding band really doesn''t go with it very well. Is it okay not getting a wedding band, and stick to just the engagement ring? Or am I just way off here lol.

 

[yssie]

Get what you like, wear what you like

If she really wants one later on you can always get one then. A simple solitaire is such a classic style, it would look fantastic with or without a band

I'm sure people will make assumptions based on whether or not she's wearing a wedding ring, but then, they'd also make assumptions based on her height, hair colour, clothing style, shoes, nail polish, accent... you get my drift

ETA: In my circle/neighbourhood wedding bands are the norm. I think it just depends on where you are, and the style of the E-ring itself.

 

[Dreamer_D]

I recommend these PS vendors who all have very good reputations:

www.highperformancediamonds.com
www.whiteflash.com
www.goodoldgold.com
www.briangavindiamonds.com
www.jamesallen.com

As to seeing it first, these vendors all have generous 100% refund policies so you don''t need to worry about it. If you get it and don''t like it then you can send it back. But I have not really seen that happen very often when someone uses these vendors and checks their purchase on PS before buying.

Here are some exaples of diamonds you could get in your price range:

http://www.highperformancediamonds.com/index.php?page=view-id-diamond-infinity&id=590 Pushing it but A GREAT SIZE.
http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/Whiteflash-ACA-cut-diamond-2231128.htm
http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/6524/
http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/6520/ This one has a video!

Call BGD about these ones:
AGS-1040381680042 Brian Gavin H&A 0.746 G SI1 57.2 61.6 $2,533.00

 

[DLMC]

Thanks for the responses everybody. You''ve given me a great starting point.