Newbie help - ACA (WF) vs Select Ideal (Union Diamond)

[pulse_driver]

hey all

been browing for a while - simply amazed at how ridiculously good this site is to educate one on diamonds and diamond buying!!

so im another clueless guy looking for an engagement ring, and ive done research on BN, WF, Good old gold, mondera and Union Diamond...

ive narrowed it down to WF and Union Diamond since they i need it shipped to australia. my budget is around 6000 USD and id much rather get quality than size

ive had a look at the ACA from WF and liked the following
0.741 ct F VS1 A Cut Above Princess ($3700 USD)
http://www.whiteflash.com/aca_princess/A-Cut-Above-Princess-cut-diamond-34902.htm

and the following Select Ideal from UD
0.96 Carat - E VS1 Princess Cut Diamond (4400 USD)
(http://www.uniondiamond.com/diamonds/diamonds.php?search_type_id=2&action_type_id=2&context=rb&rb_flow_type=1&rb_action_type_id=22&item_id=AA477024

so the questions i had were
- is there a diff between ACA and Select ideal cuts? given that select ideal is the top cut from UD
- is AGS(sarin etc) reports from WF more suitable and reliable for princess cut diamonds vs the GIA report from UD?
- why is the larger carat, better colour (though symettry is very good compared to WF which is excellent) one from UD only slightly more exp than the WF one? is this a cut issue or something im missing? wf 1 carat ACA diamonds are at least 5500 USD and of less colour quality from memory...
- which would you choose?

sorry for the long winded post, just wanted to get some more thoughts before i committed

thanks all for your help - much appreciated

 

[WorkingHardforSmallRewards]

that is a tough decision. If that is all they are offering then I think you might want to look at some other places. I know that James Allen has a few competitive prices in the 1ct range. Call and talk to Jennifer, she will hook you up free of pressure and help you get everything you need to make an intelligent decision and compare the diamond's actual performance to those of ACA, I know from experience. And if ACA is def. outperforming, then don't hesitate to pick it for your ff, despite the price hike, but I think you should really aim for higher cts, just because it faces up so much smaller than rounds of equivalent ct, and that is a pretty big budget to walk away with a .5 ct round face up appearance.

I am a big quality over quantity guy, but I think thats a bit too extreme, especially with so many people (no doubt including her) comparing what they see to what they are most familiar with, the face up appearance of a round.

Also, union diamond will probably be willing to give you more information, but I don't have any experience with them.

 

[Finding_Neverland]

The UD stone is a virtual listing. UD does not physically have that diamond in house. UD will have to call it in from a Broker/Vendor. And it''s technically not an Ideal as it is a GIA VG. The equivalent to an AGS Ideal would be a GIA Excellent.

Cut, the quality of the make, has a direct bearing on the price. $$$''s/carat charged. An AGS Ideal or GIA Excellent is gonna bring a bigger price than a lower quality of cut.

Color isn''t really a "quality" per se. It just is. You, personally, have a certain tolerance level that your eyes like or don''t like. Higher colors, D/E/F, come at a price too. But the price/carat weight between an E and a F isn''t as significant at the difference in the quality of the Cut. ie, E to F isn''t gonna be as big a price/carat swing as Excellent to VG in cut is.

Just an FYI for you,......... The WF stone is Price Scope priced at $3437 USD. If you call WF, mention Price Scope, and wire your funds direct to them, that''s the price you''d pay.

Here''s several I found that are in your color and price range. All in house as well.

http://www.whiteflash.com/aca_princess/A-Cut-Above-Princess-cut-diamond-45552.htm# PS price $4844

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamond.asp?b=16&a=12&c=77&cid=131&item=861208 PS price $5020

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamond.asp?b=16&a=12&c=77&cid=131&item=869698 PS price $5110

You can look for more here:

https://www.pricescope.com/sift.aspx

Just enter your color, clarity, and carat weight ranges, and the search engine will look for the better cuts available amongst PS Vendors.

 

[WorkingHardforSmallRewards]

Also of note, the James Allen discount does not require you to use a bank wire money transfer to get the PS discount, though they do have a separate bonus for that if you wanted. Anyway, lots of good options around these parts.