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New to diamonds: looking for engagement ring

boosh

Rough_Rock
Joined
Jan 12, 2013
Messages
3
So glad I found this forum as all the information has been so helpful so far. I just recently started looking at engagement rings and the only place I knew to look was Blue Nile, but it looks like the majority of people suggest other online retailers. I still have a few other questions as I continue to research.

Background:
Looking to get a round diamond and spending $15Kish. The setting can be simple, so I am more just concerned with getting the best cut and a diamond as big as the budget will allow.

I've been looking at the Hearts and Arrows cuts as that seems to be the best. What I am still uncertain about is how low on the color scale is acceptable. How low would you go on color before it starts to become noticeable?

Also on many of the diamonds that are AGS 0 Ideal, when they show pictures of the different light performances, you can see that many times not all sides look the same. Is that any indication on a decrease in sparkle? Thanks. Any advice/opinions would be much appreciated.
 

Niel

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Jul 23, 2012
Messages
20,044
well what type of specs are you looking for, lower in color and clarity down to an I-J S2-SI1 can provide you with alot of ct size for minute concessions in color and clarity. But some people have very specific ideas of what specs they are comfortable with. Where you do fall?
Also, what size are you aiming for, or just the biggest you can get?
 

Niel

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Jul 23, 2012
Messages
20,044
James allen is a good sight to look at, if you sign into there beta.jamesallen.com sight they give you videos of the stones.
Its also good because they will pull 3 stones for free (of your choosing) and will give you idealscope images (if they arent already on the site) and tell you which performs the best, AND they give you a pricescope discount as well as a discount for a wire transfer
Heres a 1.75 H&A I SI1 that could be eye clean, and it allows for about 2 k so you dont have to compromise on the setting either
http://beta.jamesallen.com/#!/loose-diamonds/Round-cut/1.75-carat-I-color-SI1-clarity-Ideal-cut-sku-183933

heres a non H&A that scores a 2 on the HCA, worth being one of your because of the size ( remember thers a PS discount)
http://beta.jamesallen.com/#!/loose-diamonds/Round-cut/2.21-carat-J-color-VS2-clarity-Excellent-cut-sku-185639
 

boosh

Rough_Rock
Joined
Jan 12, 2013
Messages
3
nielseel|1358040355|3354179 said:
well what type of specs are you looking for, lower in color and clarity down to an I-J S2-SI1 can provide you with alot of ct size for minute concessions in color and clarity. But some people have very specific ideas of what specs they are comfortable with. Where you do fall?
Also, what size are you aiming for, or just the biggest you can get?

Thank you for the reply. I am willing to sacrifice in color and clarity for ct size. Clarity I am not concerned with unless it passes the eye test so I already am willing to go as low as possible there. For color, I just don't know what is a reasonable amount to sacrifice. I don't want a diamond that you can tell has a poor color quality, so will an I-J look like a poor quality diamond?

I don't have concrete specs. I was looking at a 1.5 ct range, which looks quite reasonable for my budget, but I would like to go as big as possible while maintaining an eye clean diamond.
 

Niel

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Jul 23, 2012
Messages
20,044
well theres a few things about color. Everyone is different. an i-j isnt going to be as white as a D or E, but that is not at all to say thats a bad thing. I i still considered near colorless ( the same category as a G or H), and many people will tell you a J is a nice compromise to maximize ct wt. And what is important to consider, most people on in the real world ( not consumed with diamonds like us ladies :lol: ) have stones around that color. With that said, if she is color sensitive and can see the color AND is bothered by them, then I would stay higher up in colors, like an H.....but i think an I or a high J would be fine, especially if set in a solitaire. Especially considering a well cut round will look a lot whiter than other stones or poor cut rounds
 

boosh

Rough_Rock
Joined
Jan 12, 2013
Messages
3
Thank you so much. I did read somewhere that anything with an HCA of 2 or lower is good. So if someone was buying you a diamond, would you want bigger with an HCA of 2 or slightly smaller with a lower HCA score?
 

SMC

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Sep 30, 2012
Messages
2,035
boosh|1358095017|3354548 said:
Thank you so much. I did read somewhere that anything with an HCA of 2 or lower is good. So if someone was buying you a diamond, would you want bigger with an HCA of 2 or slightly smaller with a lower HCA score?

The HCA is an elimination tool so you just need a score of 2 or less. A score of 0.8 is not better than one that is 2. I really like the 2.21 J that was suggested because of it's large size and higher clarity. Seems lIke a great deal! You can ask the JA gemologist to pull it and compare it with some other diamonds.
 

Niel

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Jul 23, 2012
Messages
20,044
i really suggest having them look at them and provide an idealscope for that J. it doesnt cost anything to reserve it, and no one will snatch it while you are deciding.
 
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