Newbie needing help

[subjekt]

Well I must first say that this site has been a wealth of information and very informative. I am looking to buy a diamond engagement ring and have a few questions. The criteria being
Carat: 1.3-1.49
color: G/H perhaps.....but have a question regarding this
clarity: SI2 and up?
Cut : very good to ideal?
Budget : 12500 US
Round diamond

Ok so here are my questions, with that size of stone would the color be more important? Would a person stick to G minimum or could you slide to H with little worries? With cut being generally the most important of the "C" s should a person stick to ideal or again could they slip to very good? of course I am trying to find the best balance in quality and cost while trying to get a decent size stone as well. I have done alot of researchy and came very close to purchasing one online however the girdle was medium to thick on the stone and the purveyor said that was fine ( would that not affect the stone immensly? ) so I decided against it.

This is a very frustrating journey i have been on and just wish I had more capital to spend, but dont so just trying to get the best of all the worlds.....LOL, if life were only so easy. Obviously I am looking for the most brilliant diamond I can find in the carat range within my budget....please educate me more!!

I would like to thank you in advance for any responses and help.

 

[JulieN]

Huh. Well, your budget is more than ample. You could easily slide to H, perhaps up to 2 cts if you're somewhat color sensitive (not color freak)

Haven't had a chance to look at the inventory, but http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/1480/ is an example of how generous your budget is for what you want. So if you want around 1.3-1.5, you could go for like an F SI1.

 

[jaz464]

Personally, I wouldn''t go below G but I am a bit extreme with color. You should go and look at some diamonds with great cuts in various colors and see what you think. Everyone interprets color differently.

As for the diamond you almost bought, I don''t really know where the concern was. I don''t see anything worng with a medium to thick girdle.

 

[kcoursolle]

As Julie mentioned, you have a lot of options with this budget. You can either decide to maximize on size/color/clarity and get a simple setting, or you could go down a bit in size and come in a few thousand under budget and/or get a more ellaborate setting. What type of setting would you like for this project and how much did you want to spend on a setting compared to the stone? This will help us give you a little more guidance.
As far as a balance between quality and price, you should not compromise on cut quality since your budget is ample. However, you could easily go down to an H or even lower and still have the diamond look white face up. For clarity, I''d shoot for an eye-clean SI, or maybe a VS2 if you want mind-clean.

 

[Regular Guy]

Date: 9/8/2006 6:52:34 PM
Author: JulieN
Huh. Well, your budget is more than ample. You could easily slide to H, perhaps up to 2 cts if you''re somewhat color sensitive (not color freak)

Haven''t had a chance to look at the inventory, but http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/1480/ is an example of how generous your budget is for what you want. So if you want around 1.3-1.5, you could go for like an F SI1.

Ditto that. Today, also, it is the same option I was going to point to.

 

[subjekt]

Thank you for all the promt responses. I am going with a very simple Soletaire setting and really dont want to go over 1.5 carat ( these are her wishes, she likes the simple look, setting wise and thinks a bigger diamond looks funny on her hand....YAAAYYY at least I am happy there ! ) If a SI1 would be eye clean with a H color than I would be happy with that... whilst skimming through the articles I had read alot which had made alot of sense regarding color and size saying the bigger the diamond the more color adversities would be shown. Ultimately once again just tring to find the best brilliance for the right price , thank you all again.

 

[Ellen]

Assuming it''s eye clean, here''s a nice candidate,

http://www.whiteflash.com/round_ideal_cut/Round-Ideal-Cut-cut-diamond-2416687.htm#

 

[Regular Guy]

Date: 9/8/2006 7:11:55 PM
Author: subjekt
Thank you for all the promt responses. I am going with a very simple Soletaire setting and really dont want to go over 1.5 carat ( these are her wishes, she likes the simple look, setting wise and thinks a bigger diamond looks funny on her hand....YAAAYYY at least I am happy there ! ) If a SI1 would be eye clean with a H color than I would be happy with that... whilst skimming through the articles I had read alot which had made alot of sense regarding color and size saying the bigger the diamond the more color adversities would be shown. Ultimately once again just tring to find the best brilliance for the right price , thank you all again.

Subjekt,

Many of us like to be helpful here.

You could also contact Wink about some nice CZs. Not sure exactly what my point is...what you're doing is absolutely correct, and several of us may be a teeny bit frustrated that you've mentioned a carat size that doesn't have tons of selection.

Still, we frequently hate to see money left on the table. (edited to add...or on second thought...)

Still, do a little more due diligence, exactly like what you're doing, to not pay more than you have to, to buy qualities you cannot see.

Regards,

 

[kcoursolle]

These are all nice diamond selections. I''d be tempted to go for ellen''s choice, buy a nice platinum solitare setting, and still have a little left over for a wedding band or eternity band later on. I doubt you''ll see much difference between a G/H and they should both be white, especially a well-cut one from whiteflash.

 

[subjekt]

Thank you again....yes both the whiteflash and Goodoldgold sites seem to be very good....I was mostly looking on bluenile however was a little dissapointed to tell the truth. My search continues and may have to post a few other options soon.

Thanks again

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 9/8/2006 8:02:16 PM
Author: kcoursolle
These are all nice diamond selections. I''d be tempted to go for ellen''s choice, buy a nice platinum solitare setting, and still have a little left over for a wedding band or eternity band later on. I doubt you''ll see much difference between a G/H and they should both be white, especially a well-cut one from whiteflash.

Ditto Koursie. Snap up Ellen''s choice, pop it into the setting and you are good to go. Have you considered this terrific diamond??? Rocks like this are rare and precious, especially in this popular size...

 

[:)]

Date: 9/8/2006 7:11:55 PM
Author: subjekt
Thank you for all the promt responses. I am going with a very simple Soletaire setting and really dont want to go over 1.5 carat ( these are her wishes, she likes the simple look, setting wise and thinks a bigger diamond looks funny on her hand....YAAAYYY at least I am happy there ! ) If a SI1 would be eye clean with a H color than I would be happy with that... whilst skimming through the articles I had read alot which had made alot of sense regarding color and size saying the bigger the diamond the more color adversities would be shown. Ultimately once again just tring to find the best brilliance for the right price , thank you all again.

Hee hee hee - for now she does - just wait until DSS sinks in!