Newbie needs buying help. Toronto area

[decibel]

Ok here''s the deal. I''ve been looking over several of the dimaond buyers tutorials and there''s enough info to make my head spin. I''ve hit a few of the chain stores already but the seem like they offer pretty poor value

I really don''t want to become a diamond expert overnight but I''m looking to buy a diamond engagement ring for my significant other and have it ready within the next 3 weeks.

I''m not eternally wealthy and have a budget of about $8000 cdn dollars cash after tax is included... so about $7000 cdn before tax ($4800 USD). Preferably the setting would be included in this budget but I''m willing to flex a little.

A few of the specifics. The diamond will be mounted on a white base of platinum or white gold so it probably should be pretty white. Of course, the bigger the diamond the better as I want it to be something she can be proud of and display with pride to her friends.

What would be a good combination of measurements and specs to look for that would achieve the desired result. I''ve been thinking of something in the 1 to 1.2 carat range.

I''ve read a few positive reports about http://www.usacerteddiamonds.com/ . Do they offer consultation services? Their faq''s mention things like customs charges, etc if buying within Canada even thought they are located pretty close to me in the Toronto area. Any people her purchase from them within Canada? any suprises?

I''m looking for a diamond ring that will take her breath away. What does my kind of budget buy nowadays?

Thanks in Advance to all.

 

[Rockstar]

I bought my diamond through them with -obviously- much success. I went to their location in Thornhill and looked at a few diamonds and picked one that looked great.

 

[stewie]

Wow, their website gave me a headache. Looks really amateurish, like an online casino popup ad. Not sure if I'd buy something like a diamond from a company projecting that image.

(their stuff may be GREAT, but they need to do something about that site! It's like that cartoon from that gave everyone seizures on the Simpsons!)

 

[mattinSD]

If I'm reading your post correctly, you want:

1) A solitare?
2) Something colorless or near colourless (D to H?)
3) Rock sized (give or take) 1.10ct.
4) Relativetly short time frame (3 weeks)
5) You have a budget of almost $5k USD, before tax.

Give your time frame, I don't think you've got the luxury of "seeing" lots of diamonds. Knowing that, I think you'll either want to stay with a GIA / AGS VS2 clarity minimum, or buy an SI from a reputable dealer who can assure you it is eyeclean. I would suggest setting your minimums for color and clarity, get an ideally cut diamond (which will sparkle and "hide" any clarity imperfections and mask the face up color), and buy the largest rock you can.

There is that combination out there, but it may take some serious searching to find it at the price you can afford to pay. Or you may go with a little lower one aspect (color, size, clarity). If you or your significant other are not that sensitive to color, I'm sure you could find something quite quickly with an I color, med. fluo., eye clean SI1, that would face-up really white and look stunning in a platinum solitare setting.

Hmm, not much specific advice here - I'm sure you'll find something she'll love!

 

[ccuheartnurse]

Hi There,
I'm from Toronto & made my rounds while I was looking for my stone. I ran up against a wall. If you want to buy locally check out Martin at USACerted in Thornhill. At 1st my fiance didnt want to buy online then he realized what a deal it would be to buy it this way. Hell, saved him enough that he bought me a nice platinum setting. I went through Jan & Brad at Diamond Brokers of Florida. I also have an SI-1 thats completely eye clean & I didnt have the luxury to see it 1st. With most online dealers here offering a refund for the stone, I wouldnt hesitate to buy an SI-1. If you dont like it, you can send it back. Simple really. Also, Jan has great eyes & assured me that all the inclusions were white (there are NO black inclusions at all). If you have any questions, please email me privately at:
[email protected]
You must know that the dollar for us is very strong these days so now is the time to buy before it starts to rise. If my fiance had waited, he would have saved $800 Can. Oh well. I have my ring now. hahaha

Judy

 

[dave57]

Hi,

Just thought I'd bring up the fact that there is a 10% excise tax on diamonds in Canada. So, if your total budget is $8000cdn, you're probably looking at a diamond no more than $4300us.

If you *have* to hit that 1 carat mark, then I think you'll be going a way down the scale in color and clarity. As a lot of people point out here though, a well cut diamond will look bigger than a poorly cut diamond.

A couple of examples...

Over the 1ct mark, here is a 1.02ct I SI1:
http://www.goodoldgold.com/1_02ct_i_si1_h&a.htm

Under the 1ct mark, here is a 0.72ct E VS1:
http://www.goodoldgold.com/0_72ct_e_vs1__h&a.htm