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Tazman282

Rough_Rock
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Apr 11, 2003
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Ok here is my situation. I have been dating my girlfriend for one year now and have been really looking into rings and stones of all kinds. I have been saving my money for quite some time now and have aprox. 10,000 to spend. Give or take. I have been with my girlfriend to stores in the mall mostly because of the ease of shopping, and we have decided that 1ct to 1.25 max due to her petite size would fit the best. We have also decided on round and plat. But what do you think would be the best deal out there. I don''t really have to spend all that money on the ring. I have interest too you know. But that is what I saved it for. So what would you do if you had this money based on the description given? I have tried to learn as much as possible but there is just so much info to know about. What would be a beautiful ring with a good price? I don''t have to have the best, but I do want something that is beautiful. And also I have seen really good deals at SAM''s Club. There rings are way below everyone else''s any insight on that would be great also. Thanks for everything..
 
Well you have a really good scenario. Healthy budget for the stone size you are looking at. Don't buy in malls or at Sam's. Go to a reputable jeweler or even look at online vendors (great deals, good reputations).


Well since alot of us think the 'cut' is king as it really makes the look of the stone worth the $$...I took your budget and plugged in a few numbers. I searched on Pricescope for excellent cut stones under $10k between E-G color and VS-SI clarity. I found the following three which all look pretty darn good and score EX on the HCA. They are all AGS0 and Hearts and Arrows, one SuperIdeal. Any one of these would most likely be amazing in person, hands-down better than anything you saw at the mall stores and most likely Sam's too. NiceIce hand chooses their stones, and WhiteFlash's ACA stones have 'tweaked' facets to maximize light return.

Get her one of these and a nice simple solitaire for $300-500 in platinum and you are set. If you choose one of the $8k ones you have money leftover!
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Two are in the colorless range at the F color, the G stone is slightly larger due to the color jump...but my stone is a G and it faces up super white...no color at all.

My two cents. If you don't want to purchase online, use the links below to educate yourself on what you may want to look for at a brick and mortar. Once you start learning about cut and the different variables, you will have a good laugh at both mall store quality AND their marked up prices.

Good luck & have fun!!



http://www.niceice.com/certcopies/119fvs1_gia12232895/index.htm

1.19 F VS1 H&A AGS0 $8630



http://www.whiteflash.com/acut/diamond_details.asp?ItemCode=353531

1.17 F VS1 H&A ACA AGS0 $9103



http://www.niceice.com/certcopies/gia12377778/index.htm

1.24 G VS1 H&A AGS0 $8270
 
Welcome to the forum Tazman282
I will make it simple for you. You want the most beautiful round 1.00 - 1.25 carat diamond you can get for under $10,000. Go the the pricescope home page and click on SEARCH FOR CUT QUALITY. Put in 1.00 - 1.25 carat, D - F color and VS1 - VS2 clarity GIA & AGS LABs only. You will be given a choice of 26 ideal cut diamonds from different internet companies and all for less than $10,000.
Several if not all of the companies can supply you with the platinum ring also. All you need is her ring size.
Could that be any easier?
 
I have actually seen very nice quality diamonds at Sams Club, for a much better deal than most jewelers. I also find them to be quite respectible. But, they do not have knowledgable staff, or the ability to special order. So, if you know your stuff about diamonds, and see something that you like at Sams, it could not hurt to have it checked out by an independant appriaser, IMO.

Last week they had a 3/4ct round H&A I/SI1 in a plat setting. It was the nicest I color I have seen, it was very well cut and eye clean. I believe the price was around $3000. Not too shabby.
 
Hey Taz!

Woohoo what a budget! And, WTG, Mara for finding some VERY nice diamonds to compare!

One thing you need to keep in mind, Taz, is the Maul store diamonds you've been looking at (unless they were loose, certified) will "appear" much smaller than the diamonds Mara has listed and others you will find doing a Price Scope search.

A local B&M deals in Ideal cut diamonds. You tell them what you want, your price point, they do an internet search for you, and they order in 2-3 diamonds for you to look at. They have a Maul store 1.07 ct. diamond from a customer upgrade. Since I was shopping to make a pendant, and it was in my price range, the vendor showed it to me. That 1.07 ct. measured 5.85 mm in diameter. In size, it looks about equal to a 3/4 carat ideal cut diamond. It had a ton of lost carat weight no one ever sees due to an extremely deep cut. 69% depth. I commented on the visual size, and the vendor showed me a comparable color 1.01 ct Ideal cut that looked about 50% larger (maybe exaggerated there, but most definitely noticeable) than the Maul store diamond.

You should have no problem meeting your diamond size, WOW factor, with extra money for your honeymoon by shopping for your intended's e-ring on Price Scope.

Many Congrats and GOOD LUCK to you and your intended on your new life together!
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Also I was checking out Rhino's site and found the following:


http://www.goodoldgold.com/126cthvs2h&a.htm

http://www.goodoldgold.com/1_23ct_h_si1_h&a.htm

http://www.goodoldgold.com/1_34ct_g_vvs2_h&a.htm


http://www.goodoldgold.com/new_stones_being_scanned.htm

The top 2 are WAY within your budget around $6-7k...but they are H color, not sure if you want to go H--you didn't mention your color preferences. But check out the pages, cool Bscope images.

The 1.34c is slightly over the $10k budget, but very nice!!

In the new stones section Rhino has a few stones in the 1.20-1.30c range that are D and E color and VS clarity. No pricing yet but should be near your range! It's fun to view the GOG pages with all the info and the Bscope results. Good luck!
 
That A Cut Above is really lovely!
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As someone else said, you're in a nice scenario... You have a budget that allows you to get a great stone in your ct range!!
 
A Cut Above's from White Flash are VERY nice diamonds!! I am previewing 2 of theirs right now. They make other Ideal cuts I've seen in local B&M's look like chump change. The people at White Flash are GREAT too. Very friendly, professional, and knowledgeable. It's especially great if you get the chance to talk to Brian Gavin, the master cutter. He can describe diamond details in perspective that people without industry expertise can relate to.

Oh, and definitely, STAY AWAY FROM SAM'S and MAUL stores. Some Maul stores carry better cut diamonds, but their asking prices say they are real proud of their goods. You will do much better for price, information, and backing after the sale using Price Scope vendors.
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I've bought a small stone for review too... It's very beautiful!!! Lesley, Judi and Denise are really great too!!!
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Giangi my birthday is coming up if you ever decide you are bored with that ACA stone you bought 'for review'.
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You've been dating a girl for a year and your going to buy her a $10,000 ring. I hope your relationship doesnt end as abruptly as my 3 year relationship did.
 
woah. that was out of the blue.




sorry to hear about your relationship . . . but the post you are responding to is a year and a half old.
 
sgc0286~

I think comments like yours should be kept to yourself. My parents dated for 3 months before getting engaged and they're the happiest couple I know; my grandparents dated for 5 months before getting engaged and have been married for 63 years; and I got engaged after 6 months and plan to stay married for life. Your bad experience does not cancel out all the good ones out there. Also, you have to remember that, just because two people get engaged rather quickly in terms of how long they've been dating, you never know how long they've known each other. I've known my SO for 11 years now, and he's my best friend. We just didn't start dating until fairly recently, and once we did start to date we knew instantly that it was right. At any rate, I do feel sorry that things did not work out for you.
 
At our local Sam's club, I wasn't impressed at all by there merchandice. They do carry alot of CZ's though.
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I knew my hubby for three weeks before he popped the question. I said YESSS!!!!! We have been together since '95. Two kids and a lot of stuff later, I'd still say "YESSSS!!!!" Time doesn't always equal love or vice versa.

Shay
 
I have to agree. My husband and I were together for five months before we got married. That was almost 16 years and three kids ago. And I still miss him horribly when he's away (like now.)


I do have to disagree about Sam's, though. The one we have here carries some very nice stuff and I know my diamonds pretty well.
 
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