Overwhelmed!

[Bumpkin]

Finding this message board is a dream come true because I have been looking for an engagement ring for a couple of months and have become overwhelmed to the point that I have buyers'' paralysis! This is what I know: My girlfriend likes "square" diamonds so I am going to get a princess cut, and I know she likes platinim so this will be the metal for the setting. What I don''t know is how important color and clarity are and I am on a budget (don''t want to spend more than about $4000) so can''t get the 2 karat, colorless, FL diamond. Can you please give me advice about these two "C"''s please? Given my price range, what would you recommend? Should I go for a stone with really good color, like an F, at the expense of clarity? Or should I go for a diamond with really good clarity, like a VS1, and sacrifice the color, (like an H or I)? Any suggestions would be very much appreciated because I am lost and afraid I am going to make a terrible decision without some expert guidance (and by expert guidance, I do NOT mean the pushy salespeople that I have encountered at the jewelery stores)

 

[pqcollectibles]

Sparkle and fire, the performance of the diamond, is directly impacted by the CUT. You can trade off color in a better cut diamond. Princess cuts are tricky. Unlike rounds, there are no firm parameters to screen with. There are cut guidelines, but each diamond really has to be individually analyzed. One of the best tools to screen princess cuts is the Ideal Scope. The IS checks for light leakage, which directly impacts performance. The ultimate test any diamond has to pass tho, is your eye.

Check out the Price Scope Tutorial home page. In the left hand bar, toward the bottom of the page are links to Cut Charts. You can access Princess Cut Charts from the link there. That will give you guidelines as to what to be looking for in table size, depths, length to width ratios and such. You might also check out www.gemappraisers.com. Dave Atlas is an appraiser with lots of cut info and charts available on his website.

Square cut diamonds tend to hold and show more body color than round brilliants. You shouldn't have any problem considering a well cut G or H, and maybe even I color. Through in some blue flour (flouresence) and that will help the diamond visually appear whiter. If you can find a nicely cut, good performer outside of the D/E/F colorless range, you can maximize your budget for larger carat weight.

The key to inclusions is size, type, color, and location. While VS is great, an eye clean SI will give you the best bang for your buck. Eye clean means the casual observer won't see the inclusions with the naked eye. Unless you run around with folk that will whip out a 10X loupe, don't pay for what you can't see.

Since fancy cuts tend to be a bit trickier, I would suggest you work with a Vendor that screens the Princess diamonds they sell. White Flash's Expert Selection stone are physically on hand and all the diamonds have been checked for performance. Good Old Gold also offers princess diamonds that they physically have in stock and have screened. Nice Ice is a hands on Vendor that will not sell a diamond they have not seen and screened. Dirt Cheap Diamonds offers a Signature Line of princess cuts. Diamond Brokers of Florida and SuperbCert are a couple of other Vendors to check with.

Good Luck in your search. As you find possibles, post specs here for consideration. The PS folk will gladly help you find your perfect diamond.

 

[chris-uk04]

I was in your shoes about 2 months ago, and I've learned a lot since. What I am doing is looking in the VS2-SI1 range and G-I for color. Shmos like us can't tell the difference with the naked eye and you'll be able to afford a larger size. Even with a loope, it's hard to see the inclusions or the color once its in the setting. The most "C" important is the cut though.

Princess cut diamonds are pretty nice. My gf wanted a princess diamond as well... until she saw a princess and a round brilliant. Now she wants a round brilliant because they sparkle more. So just because she may think she wants a square diamond, doesn't mean she might not change her mind once she sees more. This was good for me as they have a larger selection and it's easier to define what is an "ideal" cut. There are specific guidelines for a round, but not for fancy shapes. You also could try a radiant or a regent cut. They are quite nice as well, but inventories are usually more scarce. Here's a round 0.84 ct for $3565:
0.84 VS H
here's a princess 0.81 carat for $3365:
0.81 carat F VS2

 

[yngdaniel]

I was in your shoes not too long ago. I wound up with a .79ct princess H, SI1, in a platinum solitare setting for around $3K. I think H SI1 gives you good quality at a good price, at least in the sizes you're going to look at. The color still looks good against platinum, and SI1's are usually eye clean. Why pay for quality you can't see?