Find your diamond
Find your jewelry
shape
carat
color
clarity

Novice Needs Help....

Status
Not open for further replies. Please create a new topic or request for this thread to be opened.
L

LAdiamondHUNTER

Rough_Rock
Joined
Dec 16, 2008
Messages
16
Hi Folks,
I’m long time reader, first time poster. I think I''m finally ready to make to plunge, but I feel a little over whelmed with information.

I noticed a lot of very thoughtful and knowledgeable members in this community, so I thought I’d reach out for some help.

Here is what I am interested in…

Shape: Round Brilliant (H&A)
Size: ?
Color: D or E*
Clarity: Eye Clean
Budget: ?

…more details below.

SHAPE: You all convinced me that H&A is the way to go. I’m not against branded diamonds and modified rounds. I’ve seen these in person and tend to prefer chunkier sparkle (Hearts on Fire) as opposed to lots of smaller flashes (e.g., Solasfera, Eightstar). The Hearts on Fire stood out in the display case, but I don’t know if my budget can afford it. I’m hoping a good H&A will be just as nice.

SIZE: I have no idea what a good size diamond is. My girlfriend is NOT one of those “bigger-is-better” gals, she is very low key and sensible. She is 5’2”-ish and 105-ish, so she is very petite. Adding to the confusion…I was told that when comparing the same carat weight of a standard round versus a Solasferas, the Solasfera will look bigger because of the diameter.

COLOR: I have heard that it is hard to tell the difference when a diamond is standing alone, but I can. I was able to tell the color grade (plus/minus one grade for a E, H, and J) on all of my buddies rings (I didn’t say anything in front of the wives of course). I work in digital image processing for a living so it’s possible that my eyes are particular sensitive to warm/cool hues in white light. I also plan on having it mounted on a white gold or platinum setting so this will highlight the color in the diamond. I guess color is the one place where I am not flexible.

CLARITY: Since I am going for the high color grade, this is where I am making my compromise. Eye clean?

BUDGET: I don’t know a good size yet, so the budget is hard to nail down. I’ve looked around a bit and I can live with $5.5k - $9.5k per-carat.

Thanks in advance for any help and advise. If any ladies out there can comment on what a good size would be, I would really appreciate it. Picture might help.

Thanks!!!!!!
 
One other thing... I am in Los Angeles, so if anyone has had a good experience with a jeweler out here, I welcome any recommendations.

Thanks again.
 
If you are not sure what size your girlfriend would want I''d ask her and go from there...
 
As it turns out, she is a size 4.
 
If you say she is not a size gal then I would start to look around a .75-1.25
 
Just to clarify, is size 4 her clothing size or her ring finger size? I think Mrs W was asking about the size of the diamond your gf would want. Although if she has a size 4 ring finger, it could be helpful for us in keeping the diamond size in perspective.


Treefrog
 
Date: 7/29/2009 5:27:27 PM
Author: treefrog
Just to clarify, is size 4 her clothing size or her ring finger size? I think Mrs W was asking about the size of the diamond your gf would want. Although if she has a size 4 ring finger, it could be helpful for us in keeping the diamond size in perspective.


Treefrog
Click to expand...
Exactly what I was asking for...thanks Treefrog
 
sorry for the misunderstanding....size 4 is the ring size. I thought it would help for perspective.

It sounds like Mrs W suggests .75 - 1.25?
 
As you search, you may find this thread interesting:

diamond - real life size comparisons

It is a lot of pictures that list ring finger size and diamond size. This can give you an idea of what different sized diamonds look like in reality. A size 4 is pretty small so focus on those with smaller ring sizes. This may steer you more towards one size over another.

Treefrog
 
wonderful, thanks Mrs. W and Treefrog!!!!!!!
 
I''m going over the pictures on the other thread now....they are great!

Thanks again. I''m really starting to see that carat size is relative, and IMHO, it looks huge on a size 4 finger. I''m thinking my GF might be embarrassed if it is too showy, then again, here in LA, 1-carat will barley do for an earring, let alone an E ring.
20.gif
 
Date: 7/30/2009 4:17:53 PM
Author: LAdiamondHUNTER
I'm going over the pictures on the other thread now....they are great!

Thanks again. I'm really starting to see that carat size is relative, and IMHO, it looks huge on a size 4 finger. I'm thinking my GF might be embarrassed if it is too showy, then again, here in LA, 1-carat will barley do for an earring, let alone an E ring.
20.gif
Click to expand...
When it comes to times like this I think it would be better to get her opinion on what carat weight she likes...If you want some ideas look at the size of stones in her family/friends or try to remember if she commented on someones ering but if you think a 1ct is too small for her then it more than likely is.
 
Here is what I am interested in…

Shape: Round Brilliant (H&A)
Size: ?
Color: D or E*
Clarity: Eye Clean
Budget: ?

SHAPE: You all convinced me that H&A is the way to go. I’m not against branded diamonds and modified rounds. I’ve seen these in person and tend to prefer chunkier sparkle (Hearts on Fire) as opposed to lots of smaller flashes (e.g., Solasfera, Eightstar). The Hearts on Fire stood out in the display case, but I don’t know if my budget can afford it. I’m hoping a good H&A will be just as nice.
Click to expand...
Absolutely should.

Here''s my pick for a smaller size diamond with D color, H&A, I know you were flexible on clarity but this one happens to be a fairly impressive VS1. It got a .7 on the Holloway Cut Advisor with an Ex, Ex, Ex, VG (light, fire, scintillation, spread).

.834 D VS1 H&A

One of the more knowledgeable here should verify the numbers but I believe it is within the "most likely to be stunning" parameters.

With this vendor, you get a 30 day return policy, lifetime upgrade policy, free shipping, and a 5% PS discount.

My GF''s ring was a size 4.5, I think. No bigger. She''s a few inches taller than your GF but the diamond I found for her was just over 1.1ct. I would consider her diamond to be pretty noticeable. I don''t have a picture of the ring handy but for a size perspective, here is that diamond on the Barbie doll prop I used in my proposal:

wfjsprop.jpg
 
Date: 7/30/2009 5:10:11 PM
Author: Mrs W

When it comes to times like this I think it would be better to get her opinion on what carat weight she likes...If you want some ideas look at the size of stones in her family/friends or try to remember if she commented on someones ering but if you think a 1ct is too small for her then it more than likely is.
Click to expand...
Yeah, if you''re not going for a total surprise and have an open line of communication as far as this is concerned, ask her if she has any preferences. Sounds to me like you could be shooting for surprise though.

Treefrog
 
Thanks for the advice guys and gals.

Treefrog, .7 on the Cut Advisor, that sounds really good. I''ve played around with checking out some numbers, the best I could find was 1.7+
 
I have a local ring maker that siad he is willing to set it in a solitaire for the surprise, and we can come in afterwards to pick the setting that she likes. I know she likes round so I figure this is a safe way to go.
 
Status
Not open for further replies. Please create a new topic or request for this thread to be opened.
GET 3 FREE HCA RESULTS JOIN THE FORUM. ASK FOR HELP
Jewelry Blog
PriceScope-Concierge-Ad
Find prime cuts.
Top