Newbie needs some serious help...

[tige12]

OK. So I'm finally starting to look at a ring for my honey. We are very middle class and don't want to go crazy with this whole thing. Looking at a simple, plat. setting with a round 1-1.5 ct ring. I've done my research and talked to a lot of people about the C's but still don't know what to get. It doesn't need to the best but look very good especially to the naked eye. Recommendations from you guys on color and clarity and also where to get a great deal? Any and all help is appreciated. Thanks.

 

[Mara]

Have you started actually looking at stones in person? I found that this helped us determine what we felt comfortable with in terms of clarity and color ranges. Some people feel as though a G/H carries a little yellow, and therefore might opt for a E/F. In the same vein, many will advise to go with a very eye-clean SI1/SI2 stone and others will say, don't go under VS. Some will sacrifice carat weight for clarity or color, while others will sacrifice any of those 3 to be sure that cut is top notch.

But in my opinion, all of this really means nothing if you haven't at least viewed a few diamonds in person to start to get an idea of what you LIKE when you see it. I looked at some diamonds in person, did some online research, looked at some more diamonds in person, etc. When it came down to it, I could see no difference between an E and a G stone, so we got a G. It's very white. We started out wanting a VS stone, then started thinking SI1, but when you purchase online, SI1 is a little risky unless you see closeups of the stone, and then it just happened that the stone we liked was a VS1 and beautifully clean. When compared under a loupe, the VS1 was much more beautiful to us than a very clean SI1 because we could see little blemishes under the loupe. We also thought we were purchasing online until we got a great offer offline and took it. So you never really know what might happen!

Some will advise that cut is most important, touting ideal and Tolowsky as the way to go. Others might disagree. But in the end, if you have really done your homework/reserach, you will have a feel for what *your* priorities are in and what order you want to fulfill them in your search for this stone.

All of that babbling said...check out some of the more popular sites that people post about on the forum:

Whiteflash.com
Diamondwholesale.cc
GoodOldGold.Com
BlueNile.Com
Diamond.Com
SuperbCert.Com
NiceIce.Com
DirtCheapDiamonds.Com

Many of those will have very reasonable pricing on good stones. Some even have more information than others (e.g. BrillianceScope info, Crown/Pav Angles, Closeups of the diamonds). If you have done enough research, you will know to try to get crown and pavilion angles whenever possible in order to determine exactly what sort of cut this stone is and how much light it can reflect. Then of course you can always ask the diamond experts' opinion on the forum, and they are always glad to help!

 

[Architect]

Mara made some good points about finding what you think is beautiful since everyone has their own opinions on what a beautiful diamond really is. I will offer my opinion as well.

Are you planning on buying from an online dealer? If so I would recommend looking through the pricescope list of diamonds and then contacting Ramona at Whiteflash.com. I purchased my diamond through there and the help and support was great! Plus, when you purchase a diamond, they have an in-house gemologist check the diamond to make sure it matches the certficate before they send it to you which helps eliminate a lot of worries. They also provide an appraisal letter for the diamond as a free service with the purchase. Now for the diamond.

Finding the right diamond all depends on the budget you have set for yourself. Since you mentioned you were very middle class but are looking for a 1-1.5 carat, I think that a budget of $5000 is pretty reasonable. For that price, you can expect to find a well-cut 1 carat diamond that is vs1 or vs2 in clarity and g or h in color.

When I was looking, I specifically searched for a diamond that was within ideal cut range for table and depth since it would give me more of a shot of receiving a diamond that was very bright and fiery. I got lucky with mine and found an excellent 1 carat round diamond within ideal proportions and one that was superbly cut. Everyone has an opinion about the clarity and color of a diamond, but remember that most people cannot tell the difference between color once a diamond is set in a ring.

Getting a "g" or "h" gives you a diamond that is very white and near colorless when you look at it from the top and at a price that is much more affordable than a "d" or "e" color. I find that buying anything higher than an "f" color is really not worth all the extra money. The true color of a diamond can be seen more clearly when it is set on a pure white background and is placed upside down (table laying flat down), but remember that once it is set, no one will see it. I had assumed that the diamond my sister got from her husband was a "e" or "f" in color since it was a 2 carat stone and he had money to spend. I was shocked to find out it was an "h" color because it looked clear and white. Up until I learned that, I had been searching for an "f" color when I began my search, but I would have had to settle for a much smaller stone. I instead downgraded the color to "h" and was able to get a beautiful 1 carat. My girlfriend and her family were taken away by the beauty of her diamond, and they certainly thought it was perfectly clear white. By getting a near colorless diamond (g, h, i, j color), you will be able to get a bigger diamond or one that is more ideally cut. Remember that a well-cut regular size diamond looks better and more expensive than a slightly bigger one that is not so well cut. The cut is the thing that I emphasize the most because it really defines the beauty of a diamond if you are looking for the typical fire and sparkle. Also, if you go for an "h" color, make sure it's a GIA certified diamond since their reputation as a strict grading lab will give you peace of mind. AGS also is a suberb lab which I would recommend, but usually an AGS certified diamond is more expensive since they deal with mostly hearts & arrows and ideal cut stones.

Good luck!

 

[tige12]

Thanks for all the help. That is exactly what I needed. We're going shopping more this weekend to look at the real thing but now I feel more confident going in. I do think I'll end up buying online and will contact whiteflash. I'm always looking for a good deal. Other opinions are welcome. Thanks again.