New to the site and looking for some help with deciding

[pharmdrx]

Hello all,

First I want to start off by thanking each and every one of you for contributing to this great forum. I found so much helpful information on here. I am ready to propose to my girlfriend, I have an idea of a stone I would like to purchase. My budget is 10-15k Total for whole ring with stone. My ideal stone that I am trying to find is: a round brilliant, 1.5+ carat, G color, VS2, triple-ex, with no fluorescence, eye-clean. I went to a few private jewelers that I was recommended to, and they sent me a couple of stones. I found that in order to fit my budget I would have to sacrifice on the color and bring it down to an "H". If I were to proceed with my original breakdown I would exceed my budget by around 2k. My question is, would you guys recommend this type of stone as I originally described, and from your expect opinion is there anything I can sacrifice on without seeing a major difference in the stone. Would I be overpaying for something that wouldn't be visible with the naked eye, please be blunt and honest, all opinions are welcome and Highly appreciated thank you.

FYI: the best price I found for a diamond that i described is around 14.2K

 

[jenncent]

I would get your ideal stone the first time around, if you can, and maybe upgrade the setting in a year or 2. If you don't like that idea, I think you would be okay going with an H instead of G. The difference is not huge, and well cut H is going to look bright white in almost lighting conditions.

 

[pandabee]

Hi fellow pharmer! Before we answer, can you specify what shape stone you are looking at? I would assume round but you know what they say about assuming...

 

[pharmdrx]

Hi fellow pharmer! Before we answer, can you specify what shape stone you are looking at? I would assume round but you know what they say about assuming...

Sorry I forgot to write it in my original post, you assume correct. I am looking for a
Round brilliant.

 

[thediamondshopper]

In a well cut stone you are almost certainly not going to notice the difference between a G and an H especially once set. In all honesty you wont notice the difference between an VS2 and a good SI1 either. Personally I would go with either an H VS2 or an H SI1 and optimize the cut (AGS 000) and or size (girdle diameter) or save your self some money.

Also consider shopping online if you havent already, there are many vendors endorsed by the members here who you will be in very good hands with and have much more options than a B&M jeweler.

I took a quick peek as to what is out there and there are some amazing AGS000 HVS2 and HSI1's well within your budget that will face up super white and will be eye clean.

 

[Paul-Antwerp]

Following up diamondshopper's advice, here is a true story happening to me two weeks ago, when I was visiting one of my dealers. You must understand, I rarely interact with consumers.

So, during my visit, a consumer walks in, browsing for an engagement-diamond. After having visited various stores, he really would like a D-color, but would settle for no less than an F.

Called in by the salesperson to say hello, I show him 2 diamonds, asking him what he thinks. To his eyes, one is a bit too tinted, the other one is definitely acceptable. I ask him again, showing the diamonds in various light-environments to make sure that he is absolutely sure. Then, I shock him with the info he has just rejected a K, and finds a J definitely acceptable.

From that moment onwards, he had dozens of diamonds to choose from, ranging from J's thousands below his maximum-budget up to F's and G's around his maximum-budget.

The above story is a classic. Very often, we see people worried about color-grades, where our experience tells us that it is extremely difficult to see the nuance in tint face-up, definitely once set.

Live long,

 

[msop04]

So, during my visit, a consumer walks in, browsing for an engagement-diamond. After having visited various stores, he really would like a D-color, but would settle for no less than an F.

Called in by the salesperson to say hello, I show him 2 diamonds, asking him what he thinks. To his eyes, one is a bit too tinted, the other one is definitely acceptable. I ask him again, showing the diamonds in various light-environments to make sure that he is absolutely sure. Then, I shock him with the info he has just rejected a K, and finds a J definitely acceptable.

From that moment onwards, he had dozens of diamonds to choose from, ranging from J's thousands below his maximum-budget up to F's and G's around his maximum-budget.

The above story is a classic. Very often, we see people worried about color-grades, where our experience tells us that it is extremely difficult to see the nuance in tint face-up, definitely once set.

Live long,

Hello!! Another pharmacist in the house!!

I agree with Paul-Antwerp... an H will still be very, very white. I have a 2.4 ct. J that I think is very white face up (although I wouldn't like it in a solitaire). Going to an H will help you find a gorgeous stone in your price range, without sacrificing anything really -- you'll still have an excellent cut, eye clean, white stone... only larger!

For example, this stone is beautiful and scores 1.1 on HCA:
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-dia...h-color-vvs2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-239969

 

[Tekate]

I would like to report that my sister in law has a K color IDEAL cut diamond and it faces up totally white, I was shocked when they showed me the report, it sure changed my mind on color, the highest I would like is G. A great cut diamond is most important. Also I must say I learned this here.. My first stone was 1.01 oval.. it was beautiful except the bow bugged me.. so everyone has to live with what they can put up with. Good luck on your quest, I recently used vendor B2C and was thrilled.. I think the GOG in LI and Whiteflash here in Texas are good places to start.. ERD - from all that I have looked at is also a keeper.congratulations Dr. and best of luck --- research in anything car, house, diamond.. is very important I think.


EDIT: adding my sister in laws stunning stone is a Princess cut.

 

[pharmdrx]

you guys are great! thank you so much for the valuable input. I have an appointment with a jeweler scheduled next week. She will show me a bunch of stones, I will definitely come back here for advice. Need to make a decision on a stone next week!

 

[hawk25]

If you want us to comment on specific stones, we'll need all the angles from the certification (like crown/pavilion angles, depth and table %), or a picture of the actual certification would be nice. Make sure to look at the diamonds in all possible lighting, and only consider GIA/AGS certified stones (definitely not house graded ones)

I'd also try looking online using PS vendors like Whiteflash, James Allen, etc, just so you know what you could get by buying online. You could even show your private jeweler links to good online ones. It's not unheard of that they'll try to match prices (or at least offer a discount to get it close to online pricing). Your budget is quite healthy for what you're aiming for.

For example, here's a good 1.522ct H SI1 from WF, and it'll leave 1k for a setting:
http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-2982231.htm

I have an H color diamond and would not hesitate to buy one again. Actually, I probably wouldn't buy a higher color one since I wouldn't be able to tell the difference.

You could even go bigger if you're willing to consider fluorescence (a GIA study concluded that only 0.2% of diamonds with fluorescence had the negative 'milky' effect that gives all fluorescence stones a bad rap...and cheaper prices)
1.668 J VS1: http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/d...1.668-j-vs1-round-diamond-ags-bl-104066186034
1.727 J VS1: http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/d...1.727-j-vs1-round-diamond-ags-bl-104066186018

 

[pharmdrx]

I will have some certificates to show ready next week. Thank you!!

 

[thediamondshopper]

Great story Paul!!! The subtleties of the differences in color and clarity grades is very very often misunderstood, largely because of past industry marketing.

 

[pharmdrx]

I'm going to my jeweler today to choose a diamond and bargain prices. I will be posting some certificates after my appointment, my question is should I offer to pay cash to get a better deal? Or is it safer to pay with credit card?

 

[pandabee]

I don't know that the amount you save with a cash discount is worth the risk. Heaven forbid something go very wrong with the store, then at least you would have some sort of credit card protection to fall back on if needed. But that is my view on it.

 

[msop04]

I don't know that the amount you save with a cash discount is worth the risk. Heaven forbid something go very wrong with the store, then at least you would have some sort of credit card protection to fall back on if needed. But that is my view on it.

I agree with pandabee... I would rather pay a little more and have the peace of mind that comes with the credit card company protection should something go wrong.

 

[geisha_gyrl]

Sorry for chiming in late....G seems to be a sweet spot for me but I agree with all above posts. You should consider lowering color and even clarity as long as it's eye clean to stay well within budget. An ideal cut round will definitely face up white so that should be your primary focus. I can't wait to see your options! Oh and congratulations! What a lucky gal!

 

[pharmdrx]

Hi guys! I'm back. Here is a certificate from a stone I looked at today. This is the only one I liked out of the ones I was shown. Now I prefer a triple ex stone as you can see this one is Ex,ex, VG. What do you guys think. The stone looked really nice in real life. Is it worth the headache and stress to continue looking for a triple ex stone or should i consider this one? Price on it 14.6k.

 

[msop04]

I think it looks nice on paper, for sure!!

 

[pharmdrx]

I think it looks nice on paper, for sure!!

What do you think about the symmetry being "very good"?

 

[pharmdrx]

Guys id love to hear your opinions on this stone above please

 

[JulieN]

Hard to say without a picture. Many VG symmetry stones look fine. Probably it was a weight-saving measure.

This could be a good one if it is eye-clean, and the price difference is over 1000. http://www.b2cjewels.com/dd-3978822-1.58-carat-Round-diamond-G-color-VS2-Clarity.aspx?sku=3978822&utm_source=pricescope.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=pricescope.com

B2C has free shipping both ways, so I would ask B2C if it is eye-clean. Buy it, have it shipped. Compare to your local stone and see which you like better.

 

[pharmdrx]

Guys, I wish I could edit my original post so that I can insert all the certificates im considering into the original post so you can see all in one spot. Anyways, here is another stone that was offered to me. 2 things with this one that Im questioning...#1. there are 2 crystals on the table (which my jeweler says are white and barely visible with microscope), and #2. The date of the GIA certificate is >1 year old. What do you guys think??

http://www.gia.edu/cs/Satellite?reportno=2136736186&childpagename=GIA%2FPage%2FReportCheck&pagename=GIA%2FDispatcher&c=Page&cid=1355954554547

 

[hawk25]

You can always start a new thread if you'd like if you want to organize things better for PSers.

It's impossible for us to judge whether the crystals are visible from just the lab report, it's something you'd have to see in person, have a magnified picture of it, or really trust your jeweler. They do look quite small though, and if they are white, you're probably fine.

A GIA cert that's just over a year old is nothing to worry about. There's an endless number of reasons why the jeweler still has it. It could have been sitting in their vault, a customer could have bought and returned it, etc.

The numbers look very promising. What's the price of that one? It's hard for us to tell you anything more without more information, like an ASET/IS image. Can you compare the two stones side by side to see the differences for yourself?