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Noob needs advice.

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Broosta

Rough_Rock
Joined
Apr 3, 2008
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Hi to everyone.
I''m new to all the diamond stuff but I have been reading up on it all for a week or so.
Here''s the story so far.
I''ve proposed last week to my girlfriend and she said yes. I used a cheap costume ring for the proposal and now I''m looking for the real one.
I''m looking for a loose diamond that I will have set in my local jewellers so my fiance can choose the ring and make sure it fits and all that.
My budget for the whole ring is £2000-£2400 or $3980-$4774. I''m in UK by the way.
My fiance likes silver rings so we decided on platinum as white gold needs to be dipped which seems a PITA.Local jeweller says rough ball park figure of £750 to buy the band and have diamond set into it.
This leaves £1250-£1650 or $2486-$3282 for the diamond, but obviously that needs to include 17.5%VAT. I understand there is no import duty on loose diamond?

We have looked about in the shops and like the look of round cut, 0.8 carats, H colour, SI1 clarity. In the shops this seems way out of budget but online a possibility.
We saw a Hearts on Fire diamond which was really nice but is it necessary to go for such a good cut? Are we just getting caught up in sales banter - obviously in a jewellers with all the rings in a row you can notice the difference but on a ring on a finger with no other diamonds for comparison...? Also have read hearts and arrows won''t guarantee the best looking to the eye diamond.

I have been considering a lower colour grade but with med/strg blue flourescence may be a way of getting more for the money.

I keep going round in circles and am I right in saying the stock in the comparison tables on this sight change pretty quickly? I''m sure I was liking the look of some diamonds and then checked the day after and they had gone.

I think basically I want the best diamond 0.8 carat diamond £1250-£1450 can buy. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
 
Click on Resources at the top of the page and go to Diamond Vendors. Or click Prices, then Search by cut. That should start things off. Once you''ve found a decent stone or two, post it on here and ask for opinions.
 
Date: 4/3/2008 11:18:33 AM
Author: Splinter
Click on Resources at the top of the page and go to Diamond Vendors. Or click Prices, then Search by cut. That should start things off. Once you''ve found a decent stone or two, post it on here and ask for opinions.
Found on the search by cut database....

Put a bow on?
 
Ok thanks for helping out guys.

I think I need to clarify my budget.

It is $2750 ''on screen price'' of US web sites due to needing to add VAT to the the ''on screen price'' and me rounding the figure up a bit.

What about this one? http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/4194/ or will it be too yellow do you reckon?
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Right, different question now. With the budget set at $2750 what spec would you go for? Would it be better to drop in weight?
 
Sorry,

I didn''t study the VAT concern.

J may be fine. Also, consider this one. In both cases, ask if eye clean. As both are 0 for light performance...if primarily you''re trading 2 better colors for minor defects in finish on the BN option...I might favor the latter.

Regards,
 
Nothing to be sorry about, I appreciate your help
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I could stretch to this if its the one. 0.73 carats tho...
 
To maximise your budget, I would aim for the best possible cut (you are spot on with an ACA), but consider dropping clarity. Ask WF if this stone if eyeclean, if it is you are better sticking with an eyeclean SI1 and saving some dollars. If they are both eyeclean, you are not going to tell the difference in clarity, but you will save some dollars and increase a colour grade.

http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/A-Cut-Above-H-A-cut-diamond-609778.htm

If you go for an I, SI1, you will save a bit more too.

http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/A-Cut-Above-H-A-cut-diamond-636723.htm

http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/A-Cut-Above-H-A-cut-diamond-636728.htm

I would just give WF a call and get them to you you an opinion of which of these stones in your budget is the best pick, they are very honest.

Good luck, it's going to be a killer stone and your fiance will love it!!

ETA - you can also have WF set it. The taxes might change, but it will probably turn out roughly the same price, and then you don't have to worry about the unset stone not being insured for the setting process.

I would also suggest maybe thinking of going for the WG, I know it will need to replated every few years to so, but it is a lot cheaper than platinum at the moment, and you could always upgrade the setting later. I would be putting the most money I could into a stunning stone and compromising on the metal just a little bit. Whatever you decide, she will love I am sure


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There are difficult to quantify reasons to want to like both WF and G0G...but I hope everyone would have a slope over which they would defer to a provisionally lesser authority to get a preferred choice (for example .5 carat from WF vs 1.5 carat from BN)...with all other things being equal...who would have trouble here?

What''s the slope...and how much variability is reasonable...are questions I suppose the market...and maybe this thread can tease over.

At play here can be 4 data points....carat, clarity, color and certification, in addition to vendor...which you can call certainly a 5th data point.

One thing I will ask you to be mindful of. With AGS 0 for light performance...even though you may not get separate reflector images...ostensibly...the zero is based on imputing these at least. It''s a pretty good marker for cut quality...regardless of the dealer, and BN has a very solid reputation.
 
You need to have the loose diamond put in a setting over in the US before it's set.

Reason being that you can't get cover for loose stones here in the UK (or I have found anyone who will provide that kind of cover).

If your jeweller in the UK chips or breaks it, you are screwed as it's not their responsibility but yours.

If you have it set in a temp setting, then you insure the ring and you are covered for resetting...

It's means you have to pay duty as well as VAT, but it's only 2%.


Is there a reason you want to get it set in the UK? It's cheaper to do it in the US by my calculations...
 
Date: 4/3/2008 4:58:20 PM
Author: Pandora II
Is there a reason you want to get it set in the UK? It''s cheaper to do it in the US by my calculations...

I agree it would be cheaper but I''m not confident about getting the right design or size without my fiance trying it on first. We went to several jewellers and tried on many rings and got sized about 5 times but the size varied when getting sized and also when trying on different rings of the supposed same size at the same shop.
 
A couple more from BN but now we''re eating into the setting money a bit ONE and TWO

''ONE'' is 0.82ct, E, SI1, med blue flouro, BN signature ideal cut, HCA 3.5

''TWO'' is 0.82ct, H, SI1, no flouro, BN signature ideal cut, HCA 1.8

Same price pretty much.
 
Date: 4/4/2008 10:04:46 AM
Author: Broosta
A couple more from BN but now we''re eating into the setting money a bit ONE and TWO

''ONE'' is 0.82ct, E, SI1, med blue flouro, BN signature ideal cut, HCA 3.5

''TWO'' is 0.82ct, H, SI1, no flouro, BN signature ideal cut, HCA 1.8

Same price pretty much.
If #1 gets a 3.5 on the HCA, then I would rule that out. #2 with a 1.8 is much much better.
 
OK thanks, so you reckon less than 2.0 on the HCA then?

I think things are starting to make more sense now. There are no ''bargains'' as the price does accurately reflect the overall value of each diamond. But its just down to figuring out what exactly you want and then locating it.
 
Also...all things being equal between two options at BN...one being in their signature collection with GIA certification, and one being AGS0 for light performance...I''d be motivated to go for the latter, but I could be convinced otherwise.

Their signature series...while in-house...are based on the old AGS formulation for rounds...and...well...AGS gave that up for better science. Never mind that they likewise apply such formula to their princesses, as well, ignoring ratings from certification in this case...which also goes against what they say they will do.

Generally...the names from ideal to not so good, when given by any vendor, when not agreeing with AGS...I would entirely discount and yield to the AGS categorization.
 
Dude, stop talking in riddles!
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I''m sure there''s some excellent advice in what you''re saying and I''m very grateful but I don''t quite understand what you''re saying to me! lol
 
Broosta,

Though I think I'm as clear as a bell, since what you say matches what many say to my comments...I know I am unclear.

But...how can I be more clear.

I see from your two more recent picks you might go to $3500. My first suggestion was $3300, from a vendor everyone here loves, G0G, and it got what you want, including their blessing, and AGS certification, vs GIA...which is not bad, but you can read here where AGS is broadly preferred.

My later pick from BN responded to your concern on price, gives you 0 for light performance, and only doesn't give you BN's description of "coolness," which...I tried to say in my last post...I don't value as much as AGS's description, in light performance, of 0 as top.

My second pick is only downgraded for finish factors...which is often seen as an advantage to the buyer, because it lowers the price without measurably lowering the performance.

I still like my two best.

Also...I've tried to tell you why.

Questions? Disagreements?
 
Ok just read your reply and its cool. I''ll reply properly later after I''ve slept as I just got home after my night shift.
 
I can concentrate properly now I''ve slept, and thank you for your explanation, I do understand now.

There is a new development in that I''ve had a chat with my Fi and we agree that she will have a cheap setting in white gold for now and we can upgrade later if she wishes. So whilst this means the diamond budget is more it also means I have to get one from James Allen as that is where the only setting she likes (which is also cheap)is.

So new diamond budget is an on screen, vat free price of $3619

Diamond has to be from James Allen so they can mount it onto ring.

Diamond I would like is - best cut possible(H&D or Ideal), colour of H or worse, Clarity of SI1 or worse as long as eye clean, size 0.7 and bigger, if colour is lower grade then blue flouro is prefered.

Here is the setting she likes.
 
Hey there, Broosta.

The inhouse db helped identify this one...but with one vendor in mind...your universe of choices should be easier to identify

Regards,
 
Yeah its a lot easier to choose from only one vendor.

I looked at the one you suggested but I don''t like the look of the magnified view - it seems too messy with all those black bits.

I decided to go for this one finally. Its a 0.92ct, J, VS2, med blue flouro, HCA 0.8 and it looks really clean on the magnified view. Cut grade EX, polish EX, symmetry EX. GIA cert. $3240
I figured the trade off for worse colour in favour of better clarity along with the med blue flouro will result in it looking whiter than it is, plus I like the idea of the flouro effect.
 
Broosta,

Congrats and good wishes; I''m sure your intended will love it.
 
Thank you Ira Z for all your help on this and also everyone else who has chipped in with advice.

I just got off the phone to Dave at James Allen in New York who says it is completely eye clean and a lovely diamond so now gonna pay them and it should be here by the 16th.

So once again a big thank you to Pricescope and its forum members for invaluable info and advice, without which I would have been totally lost in this jungle that is the diamond trade.
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Well done! Nice to see all the research paid off in the end!
 
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