New Guy Tryin'' to Buy in next 2 wks (long post) Please Help!

[johnny kwest]

Hi,

I''m a somewhat young guy (26) about to make the plunge. This diamond process, the learning and all, has been really tasking, and even after months of looking and reading, i honestly can''t say that i feel learned enough to make a confident decision about a diamond.

I''m in NY and have spent time in the dreaded district and also checked online. I just learned about HCA and Sarin Reports, which adds another dimension to my search. and brilliantscopes (sp.)? which i dont know much about at all.

Here''s a diamond on Blue Nile that i''m considering. Even though i recognize that blue nile doesnt really rank high on many people''s list, i haven''t seen another diamond with these sorta dimensions at the same price pt. The angles arent listed, but any comments/advice would be much appreciated. Also, i''ll need an appraiser in the ny area and i would appreciate recommendations as well. David S Diamonds is the brick and mortar jeweler i''ve been frequenting. Thanks in advance for the help. I checked Good Old Gold, but didn''t see quite the same thing. PLEASE HELP!!!!

Blue Nile Diamond Description:

Round Stone
Carat: 1.75
Color: H
Clarity: VVS2
Symmetry & Polish: Very Good
Girdle: Thin to Medium Faceted
Culet: None
Florescense: None
Dimensions: 7.73x7.79x4.81 mm
Price: 15,700

 

[princessv]

Definitely not a diamond expert here.

But is there any particular reason you''re going for a VVS? You can find nice eye clean diamonds in the SI range. Also, the thing I don''t like about Blue Nile is that you can''t see the actual stone, they just put up sample images. Another place to try would be White Flash as it seems quite popular around here and gets rave reviews. You could also always try calling GOG maybe they could order you in something in your specs?

15k is a very nice budget you are certainly going to be able to get a nice sized diamond!

 

[icekid]

Hi, we really need the pavilion and crown angles to help you with the cut! Though already I don''t love only VG for symmetry and polish.

Is there a reason that you are set on blue nile? They just don''t and can''t offer as much information about their stones, unless you look for one that specifically has an AGS report (which includes previously mentioned angles).

If you''re in NY, it seems you already know about GOG and engagementringsdirect.com (Mark Turnowski) is also in NY. You can try calling both of them to see if they might have what you''re looking for.

Also, VVS is overkill if you''re just looking for an eye clean stone. Lower clarity = bigger stone, if that is important to you.

good luck!

 

[johnny kwest]

definitely not married to the vvs1...i merely liked the image on the grading report. i''m not opposed to SI stones, but I feel like, when buying online, the grading report can''t really do the stone justice since you cant really appreciate the inclusions that you''ll see when actually looking at the stone. I would rather not spend 15k, but if i''m told that this is a good stone, i''m not opposed. i appreciate your feedback!

 

[BSHAW]

wow that is a great budget!!

I am also in your age range (i''m 25) and just finished purchasing a ring for my SO. Did you check WhiteFlash, and James Allen for better prices?? When I was searching I found they were a little better than Blue Nile but I definitely wasn''t up to your price range. I spent alot of time finding out little details about the diamond I chose compared to other diamonds but in the long run I had to go with my gut. Just remember that a diamond can be an investment but to most people (myself included) an engagement ring should not be it should be something for you and your future wife to treasure forever so if that is the case the little details that you can''t see will not make a difference in the long run. Just my 2 cents but the real experts here will tell you what is the best choice but they will need more info like who graded it (GIA, AGS, IGI, etc..) and for the size you are looking at you probably want to get all the cut details before making the purchase.

 

[JohnQuixote]

Hi Johnny. Love the screen name.

If you would like input on a round diamond you'll need to provide more information for meaningful feedback.

Here is a list put together by one of our PS diamond lovers that's helpful in learning what parameters will be necessary for sight-unseen evaluation.

Best wishes,

 

[johnny kwest]

yeah, i''m definitely not married to the vvs1, but the si2s i''ve seen only save about 1,000 - 2,000 on the overall price at 1.75. I''m interested in anything between (1.73 - 1.79). i''m definitely not a baller or anything, but if the vs2s and vvs stones are signficantly better quality, what''s 2,000 when you''re already spending as much as a car?!!!? this stone is gia certified. i had read something on here about a sarin report for those other percentages. would i have to purchase the stone before being able to get this done? also, someone commented that they didnt like the very good symmetry and polish. even though i''m kinda versed in the 4cs, i dont know as much about the symmetry (other than good, very good and excellent for gia stones) and polish. i also dont know as much about the depth and table percentages except for those generally acceptable ranges. i appreciate all of the help!!!

 

[fisiogrl]

I just ran a quick check and there are certainly other options out there for you. What are you ''lowest'' limits on cut, clarity, and colour? Here are some diamonds to consider.....

If you are ready to try a J colour stone, your budget could get you this one: (2.32 carats!!!!)

www.whiteflash.com/round_ideal_cut/Round-Ideal-Cut-cut-diamond-2045480.htm#

Or maybe a little safer, depending on your colour and clarity criteria - this would be gorgeous:

www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/A-Cut-Above-H-A-cut-diamond-1911788.htm

Its still a very respectable 1.6 carats, with H colour and VS2 clarity. Its also an AGS stone so should be well graded.

GOG lists this stone which might be worth considering:
1.725 carat G SI1
7.73-7.75*4.72 AGS $14448 (pricescope rate)

Actually, there are too many to list. Have you put your selection criteria in to the cut quality search engine? Your budget gives you all sorts of options.

 

[johnny kwest]

Is AGS preferred to GIA? I was of the misperception that people preferred GIA certified stones.

 

[BSHAW]

Not sure if it is "prefferred" but it is on the same level for sure and it gives all the dimension info that GIA does not along witha cut grade. There is some info on the different reports section and how they affect the price/value of each diamond. I think it went AGS, GIA, IGI, EGL but they have value percentages associated with them in the knowledge section.

 

[johnny kwest]

I requested a Sarin report; hopefully, this''ll be a nice stone and save me some headache.