Noob needing diamond advice/education!

[mvd425]

Hello everyone:

I have done offline and online research about diamonds. I am not engaged yet, but want to marry my current boyfriend. I want to learn as much as possible about diamonds so I can help him get the biggest bang for his buck when he does come to buy one.

From what I have researched, I would like a round brilliant ideal cut. I have seen 1.5 ct round in person and I liked the size, but in my mind I would like it to be bigger- such as a 2 ct.

The only thing I know is I would like it to be as eye clean as possible. I have seen some K colors with blue fluorescence at James Nile and they looked pretty white to me. I don't care if it's included as long as it's not totally noticeable- I would actually prefer an inclusion if it could be covered up by a prong. I have also tried to look at James Allen for 2.01 ct diamonds that scored highly on the Holloway Cut Advisor, but many of them do not have crown or pavillion listed.

I am not sure about the budget- he said at least 10k. But I do want to find the biggest bang for his buck.

Please help me out ! Any info is greatly appreciated!!

 

[04diamond<3]

Hello everyone:

I have done offline and online research about diamonds. I am not engaged yet, but want to marry my current boyfriend. I want to learn as much as possible about diamonds so I can help him get the biggest bang for his buck when he does come to buy one.

From what I have researched, I would like a round brilliant ideal cut. I have seen 1.5 ct round in person and I liked the size, but in my mind I would like it to be bigger- such as a 2 ct.

The only thing I know is I would like it to be as eye clean as possible. I have seen some K colors with blue fluorescence at James Nile and they looked pretty white to me. I don't care if it's included as long as it's not totally noticeable- I would actually prefer an inclusion if it could be covered up by a prong. I have also tried to look at James Allen for 2.01 ct diamonds that scored highly on the Holloway Cut Advisor, but many of them do not have crown or pavillion listed.

I am not sure about the budget- he said at least 10k. But I do want to find the biggest bang for his buck.

Please help me out ! Any info is greatly appreciated!!

Yes they do, you just have to look at the gia certificate.

 

[Niel]

my biggest recommendation is to see what shape you like best. There are so many options out there other than rounds.

And even rounds there are lots of different kinds

 

[jmarshall]

You will likely be at a price range of AT LEAST $15,000 for a well cut 2 ct stone, even if you go down to K color.

 

[mvd425]

Thank you!

 

[Niel]

Thank you!

haha sorry i see now you said you know you want a round. just so im clear he said he WANTS to pay at least10k?

in general, if you dont think hell be too interested in learning about angles and all that jazz, then tell him to got to brian gavin (probably BG blues if you like a larger size and dont mind color, or GOG, or WF... there top lines will be great, and not a lot of guess work.

 

[mvd425]

Well, what about getting a medium to strong blue fluorescence with a K color? Will it only look whiter in certain lighting, or will this help it look whiter in all lighting?

 

[Niel]

Well, what about getting a medium to strong blue fluorescence with a K color? Will it only look whiter in certain lighting, or will this help it look whiter in all lighting?

the light has to have UV light in it, light that doesnt wont give the same effect.

 

[mvd425]

For example, this is one K diamond is almost ideal to what I'm looking for. . .

-it is SI2, and the inclusions are not that noticeable

-it scores 1.1 on the HCA

-But I'm afraid it might show as a little too yellowish, as it is a K without any fluorescence. (Would it be as noticeable in a yellow gold setting)?

I would like to find something with a similar HCA performance and clarity with less noticeable tint of color...

http://www.jamesallen.com/#!/loose-diamonds/round-cut/2.01-carat-k-color-si2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-191788

 

[SMC]

Well, what about getting a medium to strong blue fluorescence with a K color? Will it only look whiter in certain lighting, or will this help it look whiter in all lighting?

It'll only look whiter in certain lighting - UV lighting, to be precise. This means outdoors or under blacklights. In normal indoor lighting, the fluoro won't mask the true color of the diamond.

I think 15K will get easily you a 2 ct GIA XXX J SI1 diamond. You don't need to go to K unless your budget is really closer to the 10K range. My 2 ct J from James Allen was in the 13K range. I've heard B2C Jewels is even cheaper (and perhaps IDJ is too?) so I'd look at all the vendors. My bf was too busy (and not very interested) to do all the searching for the perfect in-budget diamond - so I did it.

I agree that BGD Signature (Blues or H&As) or WF ACA diamonds are guaranteed to be great. You might be able to get a 2 ct K BGD Blue in your price range.

 

[mvd425]

Well, what about getting a medium to strong blue fluorescence with a K color? Will it only look whiter in certain lighting, or will this help it look whiter in all lighting?

It'll only look whiter in certain lighting - UV lighting, to be precise. This means outdoors or under blacklights. In normal indoor lighting, the fluoro won't mask the true color of the diamond.

I think 15K will get easily you a 2 ct GIA XXX J SI1 diamond. You don't need to go to K unless your budget is really closer to the 10K range. My 2 ct J from James Allen was in the 13K range. I've heard B2C Jewels is even cheaper (and perhaps IDJ is too?) so I'd look at all the vendors. My bf was too busy (and not very interested) to do all the searching for the perfect in-budget diamond - so I did it.

I agree that BGD Signature (Blues or H&As) or WF ACA diamonds are guaranteed to be great. You might be able to get a 2 ct K BGD Blue in your price range.

I should be able to convince him to go to $15k. He did say that he was more worried about me getting the ring I want, and I don't plan on ever getting divorced. So let's say 15K. . .

I will look into those other vendors. You're advice is very helpful, thank you. Do you have any other little tidbits of advice?

 

[JulieN]

15K 2 ct BGD BLue: http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamonds/diamond-details/2.018-k-si1-round-diamond-ags-bl-104063998022

 

[Niel]

If you go yellow gold you'd still want to get white gold prongs, and I think that would be nice with a j/k

 

[mvd425]

Thank you!

haha sorry i see now you said you know you want a round. just so im clear he said he WANTS to pay at least10k?

in general, if you dont think hell be too interested in learning about angles and all that jazz, then tell him to got to brian gavin (probably BG blues if you like a larger size and dont mind color, or GOG, or WF... there top lines will be great, and not a lot of guess work.

Well he said he would be willing to spend at least 10K (he'd also be willing to spend more than that but says I'd have to wait longer for him to save).

He said I can have whatever I want as long as I can wait patiently. But I don't want him to have to pay more than what I will be happy with. I am most concerned with getting the biggest size with the lowest color that I can get away with, while being an excellent cut and very shiny, etc.

Hope that answers your Q?

 

[mvd425]

Well, what about getting a medium to strong blue fluorescence with a K color? Will it only look whiter in certain lighting, or will this help it look whiter in all lighting?

It'll only look whiter in certain lighting - UV lighting, to be precise. This means outdoors or under blacklights. In normal indoor lighting, the fluoro won't mask the true color of the diamond.

I think 15K will get easily you a 2 ct GIA XXX J SI1 diamond. You don't need to go to K unless your budget is really closer to the 10K range. My 2 ct J from James Allen was in the 13K range. I've heard B2C Jewels is even cheaper (and perhaps IDJ is too?) so I'd look at all the vendors. My bf was too busy (and not very interested) to do all the searching for the perfect in-budget diamond - so I did it.

I agree that BGD Signature (Blues or H&As) or WF ACA diamonds are guaranteed to be great. You might be able to get a 2 ct K BGD Blue in your price range.

Also, do you mind sharing a few more specs on your ring? Your stone sounds fantastic, as I have seen a lot of Js that really did look more white than colored.

 

[SMC]

Also, do you mind sharing a few more specs on your ring? Your stone sounds fantastic, as I have seen a lot of Js that really did look more white than colored.

I'm not really supposed to share since I haven't gotten engaged yet - but as long as my bf doesn't find out, no one will know.

Here's the GIA cert to my ring: https://myapps.gia.edu/ReportCheckPortal/getReportData.do?&reportno=1135583033&weight=2.02

It has medium blue fluoro which makes it look a little whiter in daylight. I would have preferred strong or very strong blue fluoro as I love the effect but this was the best stone that I could find that fit all my other criteria (price, HCA score < 2.0, eye clean).

And here's a picture of it in the old setting (I just got it reset and haven't seen the new setting in real life yet):


And in the new setting:

 

[mvd425]

Also, do you mind sharing a few more specs on your ring? Your stone sounds fantastic, as I have seen a lot of Js that really did look more white than colored.

I'm not really supposed to share since I haven't gotten engaged yet - but as long as my bf doesn't find out, no one will know.

Here's the GIA cert to my ring: https://myapps.gia.edu/ReportCheckPortal/getReportData.do?&reportno=1135583033&weight=2.02

It has medium blue fluoro which makes it look a little whiter in daylight. I would have preferred strong or very strong blue fluoro as I love the effect but this was the best stone that I could find that fit all my other criteria (price, HCA score < 2.0, eye clean).

And here's a picture of it in the old setting (I just got it reset and haven't seen the new setting in real life yet):


And in the new setting:

Absolutely stunning!! I love your ring! Thank you for sharing, that is extremely helpful
Do you notice any color to it at any times?

 

[SMC]

Absolutely stunning!! I love your ring! Thank you for sharing, that is extremely helpful
Do you notice any color to it at any times?

You're welcome! Remember that you can get a Pricescope discount on any stone from James Allen. This is typically around 5% off, but varies from stone to stone.

I notice the color more indoors under regular lightbulb lighting than I do outside. However, I've noticed that G and H stones also appear warm inside (could be the lighting, the walls, I don't know!). The tint is more noticeable from the sides than from the top. I'm not bothered by it, but there are plenty of people on these forums that want diamonds that are H or above. I would've loved that too, but a 2 carat H was way outside of our budget. In the end, I chose size over color.

I don't think you can buy a J or K and expect it to look as white as a G, so I think you need to be comfortable with that. If you are getting just a plain solitaire with no sidestones, I also don't think that you will be able to tell the color differences as much. If you are setting in yellow or rose gold, then you also won't be able to tell the color is much. I think J is perfectly fine in platinum or white gold though.

Are there any jewelers around you who have GIA graded stones? If so, you can take a look at those to see if you're bothered by the color difference.