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Newbie looking for engagement ring with 13K max. Please help

J

jayrun79

Rough_Rock
Joined
Apr 20, 2011
Messages
9
Hello everyone,

First of all, I am so glad I found this site before diamond shopping. I definitely feel more comfortable entering jewelry store searching for perfect diamond within my budget. At the beginning I was looking for somewhere around 2 carat diamond, but realize the quality is just not there for 13k. I recently saw few diamonds at a local jewelry store and found 1.71 H SI2 (GIA graded with excellent cut, polish, sym). They are asking for 13k for this diamond. Do you guys feel this is fair rate for this diamond? What's interesting about this diamond is most of the inclusion are around the edges. Also found 1.65 F SI2 (GIA graded with excellent cut, polish, sym) for 15k but much more inclusion compare to the other diamond. My soon to be fiancee definitely saw yellow hint or warm white with the H color, but that could've been due to comparing F and H color diamond.

I feel this diamond searching will never end and starting to feel frustrated. Should I go for less carat for better quality? I guess I am looking for more of an advise. Thanks all.
 
Re: Newbie looking for engagement ring with 13K max. Please

if you are going to spend that much on a diamond I'd suggest to get downsize the diamond and up the clarity to least SI1 (with eye clean)
 
Re: Newbie looking for engagement ring with 13K max. Please

I think you need to set up your parameters. If your requirements are $13K max, eye clean (no visible inclusions), and above an H color, that is going to affect the carat weight you can get. You could get a F VS2 like this one from Brian Gavin, but it's 1.06 carat weight ($10K):

http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamond/diamond-detail/?product_id=AGS-104047809042

Or, you could get an H VS2 like this one from Whiteflash, 1.28 carat weight ($10K):

http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-2595264.htm

Or go to a J color, VS1 Brian Gavin Blue, 1.72 carat weight ($12K):

http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamond/diamond-detail/?product_id=BLAGS-104050981010

Does it need to go over the 2 carat mark? I think you'll almost have to drop either in clarity or color to do that for under $13K, even assuming you get the simplest solitaire setting in 14K or 18K gold.
 
Re: Newbie looking for engagement ring with 13K max. Please

Thanks for all your feedbacks. I wouldn't mind downsizing the diamond for better quality, but I still would like to keep it no less than 1.50 carat. I am thinking about pulling the trigger for 1.71 H SI2 with mostly corner inclusion. I haven't found any diamonds (even SI1) with better inclusion than this diamond so far.

Realistically what can I expect for 1.50 - 1.60 range with 13k or maybe 14k. Thanks
 
Re: Newbie looking for engagement ring with 13K max. Please

jayrun79|1303334143|2901186 said:
Thanks for all your feedbacks. I wouldn't mind downsizing the diamond for better quality, but I still would like to keep it no less than 1.50 carat. I am thinking about pulling the trigger for 1.71 H SI2 with mostly corner inclusion. I haven't found any diamonds (even SI1) with better inclusion than this diamond so far.

Realistically what can I expect for 1.50 - 1.60 range with 13k or maybe 14k. Thanks
Click to expand...

I'm going through the same thing, and am close to pulling the trigger on a round 1.61ct GIA XXX , I VS2 for $11500
 
Re: Newbie looking for engagement ring with 13K max. Please

GOG has an awesome looking 2 ct J/Si2 for $12k. I was considering it recently and Sarah at GOG told me it was eye clean with one prongable inclusion, faces up white, and performs really well. It's a great deal! If you can be okay with a j I would snatch it up! I had a higher budget so ended up going a bit bigger.

Eta- sorry, it's gone! Just checked!
 
Re: Newbie looking for engagement ring with 13K max. Please

If you went with a cushion cut, you'd get closer to the 2 CT mark and still have great clarity and cut although the color would still be H, I or J....
 
Re: Newbie looking for engagement ring with 13K max. Please

Congrats that you are looking for your diamond! I would suggets looking at James Allen and ask for Gary who is amazing and extremely helpful! You may be able to find something that has a good balance of color, clarity and size with your budget - but narrow down a shape so try on rings and see what you like. Some shapes, like ovals, can appear larger than a round and may meet that 2 ct factor :)

http://www.jamesallen.com/

Good luck - this is FUN shopping and adds to the whole amazing experience on finding your perfect stone!
 
Re: Newbie looking for engagement ring with 13K max. Please

Yes, it belonged to yssie. You can search for her username and see the pics from when she had it. It has an hca under 2 but it does have a high crown and thick girdle- doesn't face up quite as large as a 2 carat should but for the price it seems to be an amazing value! Someone should snatch it up!!
 
Re: Newbie looking for engagement ring with 13K max. Please

Check out some estate auction sites too, a used diamond is usually cheaper and you could get a great deal even with a buyer's premium percentage added in. Also, look at the diamond's measurements in mm as well as carat. Does your girl have tiny hands or large hands? 8 mm looks real good size on just about anyone. The thing is, a round, oval, old european cut, cushion cut would all look bigger say, than an Asscher cut. Girls call it "good finger coverage" :D Cut is king, color no lower than G/H if your sensitive to it, and VS2 with the occlusion somewhere where a prong can hide it-Good Luck! Fluorescence is okay if it brings the price down too-you saw those Brian Gavin posts...
 
Re: Newbie looking for engagement ring with 13K max. Please

Wow what a great response, thanks everyone! My girl's size is 4.75 and she is set on round cut with Novo style. Brian Gavin's price seems much higher then most other online vendors, but I guess you get what you pay for. I will definitely check out James Allen and white flash.

Yssie's diamond is perfect for my price range, but twinning wisps scare me. Looks like there are bunch of inclusions in the middle from GIA report. Since this diamond is under 2 HCA, will this diamond look brilliant even with high crown? Also, say I see a diamond with 4 HCA and compare to under 2 HCA, will I notice big difference with shine and brilliant? I just don't want my girl's ring to be dull compare to her other friends. Hope this all makes sense :)

Thanks again everyone.
 
Re: Newbie looking for engagement ring with 13K max. Please

if she likes the novo style BGD makes a great replica. the HCA tool is useful for finding potential candidates, but an idealscope image will tell more about the light return of the diamond.
 
Re: Newbie looking for engagement ring with 13K max. Please

Info on Yssie's stone:
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/my-2-ct-fic-is-here-journey-and-pics.123820/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/my-2-ct-fic-is-here-journey-and-pics.123820/[/URL]

I was seriously considering this one, I would have saved a lot of $$! In the end I had the budget to go a bit bigger. You can see her IRL pics in the above thread, it is eye clean per whiteflash so I don't think there should be a problem. I think it is a fab deal!
 
Re: Newbie looking for engagement ring with 13K max. Please

jayrun79|1303398735|2901864 said:
Wow what a great response, thanks everyone! My girl's size is 4.75 and she is set on round cut with Novo style. Brian Gavin's price seems much higher then most other online vendors, but I guess you get what you pay for. I will definitely check out James Allen and white flash.

Yssie's diamond is perfect for my price range, but twinning wisps scare me. Looks like there are bunch of inclusions in the middle from GIA report. Since this diamond is under 2 HCA, will this diamond look brilliant even with high crown? Also, say I see a diamond with 4 HCA and compare to under 2 HCA, will I notice big difference with shine and brilliant? I just don't want my girl's ring to be dull compare to her other friends. Hope this all makes sense :)

Thanks again everyone.
Click to expand...

yssie's old diamond is a 'fiery ideal cut' which means it favors fire (colored light dispersion) over white light reflection.

here's what she says about the inclusions
I have an EYE CLEAN SI2! The inclusion plot is pretty ugly, and the twinning wisps show up clearly when the stone is photographed. In real life, though, I can see one of them if I look through the table at JUST the right angle from maybe five inches from my eyes, and believe me, I''ve been staring! I can see all three - and more - through the pavilion, they look like faint white lines randomly scattered throughout. Neither I nor my FI can see anything from further than that. I chose a setting that would hide quite a bit of the pavilion as I was concerned about the colour and inclusions showing: I needn''t have worried.
Click to expand...


I think it would be a good choice but you have to decide if it would be 'mind-clean' for you. Some people are bothered just knowing the inclusions are there. it certainly is a beautiful diamond though!
 
Re: Newbie looking for engagement ring with 13K max. Please

It was a really beautiful stone, truly, if it's a good match for *you*.

Clean to my requirements (if you peer at it closely (and you're near-sighted as I am) you can see the white wisps through the crown when they sit on top of the black arrows). After comparing with probably dozens of stones I can say that the wisps did not visibly hinder light return.

Pros - it was a disco ball of colour in *so* many types of lighting! Having had Garry's "FIC", an "almost-BIC", and now a "TIC"The difference in performance type between stones w/ this one's proportions and shallower stones is clear and striking - if you like coloured light, I can't recommend high crown/shallow pav types enough.

Cons - thick girdle does hide weight, and the stone is noticeably smaller in diametre than other 2-caraters. High crown and thicker girdle contribute to colour saturation face-up, and the combination of that and reduced white-light return in most lighting types makes for a slightly more tinted stone face-up than shallower types. I had it set in plat and face-up it looked white enough to make me happy, but if you are colour-sensitive and you dislike seeing tint in your stone an I of this size and make isn't the right fit.

When I upgraded to a larger stone I specifically looked for the same type of high crown stone, unfortunately there weren't any at the pricepoint and specs I wanted.. I do love my current stone, but I do also see the difference.
 
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