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Planning on getting engaged! Please help us find a diamond!

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peanutandfranklin

Rough_Rock
Premium
Joined
Apr 10, 2018
Messages
22
Hello everyone,

My SO and I are planning on getting engaged this year, and we are in the process of looking for a round diamond. I've learned a lot from reading here in the past weeks. While I have some basic knowledge on diamonds now, it's still nerve-racking making some a big purchase. Can you wonderful people here help us out? Thank you!

Here is the criteria and our budget:
Budget for diamond: 11K
Carat: ideally 1.5ct
Color: H or G, do you guys think H might be visually yellow?
Clarity: eye clean SI1 or VS2
Cut: Excellent or ideal
Priority: max shine & fire, aka cut is the most important thing to us
 
I’ll do some searching on the train ride into work this morning. As for colour, it really is dependent on the individual. You may want to visit a B&M jeweller to look at G and H coloured stones (of course ensuring that they are either GIA or AGS graded G & H stones) to see if either of you can notice any body colour.
 
It would definitely be worth your while to visit a store to view GIA/AGS graded diamonds and see what your color tolerances are. G/H is pretty safe, I wouldn't say they have yellow to them but you might be able to see the difference if you put it side-by-side with a D colored diamond, for example. Whether or not that bothers you is totally personal. I love and own a G. The lowest I'd probably go in a MRB for a ring would probably be an H because I can see tint in an I and it bothers me. However, I do have an I color stud that does not bother me!

I'll throw a few suggestions out there...
Super ideal:
2 really pretty and clean SI1 stones. I do prefer the first 1.443 for the smaller table:
https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3970272.htm
https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3955174.htm

Or you could find a top of the line GIA cut stone:
https://www.bluenile.com/diamond-de...AMONDS&track=viewDiamondDetails&action=newTab
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-di...h-color-vs2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-4600577
Larger but you'd have to ask them to inspect the stone and make sure it's eye clean: https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-di...h-color-si1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-2816420
Same with this one: https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-di...h-color-si1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-2219278
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-di...g-color-vs2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-4596697
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-di...f-color-si1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-4528671
 
Could you tell us about a setting you want?
Does the $11K include the setting?
 
Thanks ac117!

I'm tempted to get ACA for guaranteed super ideal cut, and don't have to worry about the diamond being eyeclean or not. But I live in Texas(3 hours away from Houston, and WF doesn't open on weekends), which means I will need to pay 8.25% sales tax. That's gonna to shrink my budget for the diamond quite a bit.

I looked through the rest of your recommendations, can you comment on my questions?

https://www.bluenile.com/diamond-de...AMONDS&track=viewDiamondDetails&action=newTab
HCA score 0.7, is it better for pendants and necklace?

https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-di...h-color-vs2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-4600577
HCA score 0.8, crown angle is 33.5%, too small? that means more bright, but less fire, right?

https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-di...h-color-si1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-2816420
HCA score 0.7, is it better for pendants and necklace?

https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-di...h-color-si1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-2219278
HCA score 1.3. Seems to be a good one, but I remember reading somewhere saying buying 1ct, 1.5ct ect. is not a good choice. Is it true?

The last two seems to be similar price with the ACA ones for the same size. I think I'd rather go for ACA for similar price and size.
 
If you are dead set on super ideal proportions and don’t want to pay TX sales tax (meaning WF and BGD are outta the picture), you could look at stones in James Allen’s True Hearts range or Blue Nile’s Astor range.
 
If you are not averse to fluorescence, there is this stone for around 10k and it gets you closer to 1.7cts.
https://www.jamesallen.com/mobile/l...h-color-si1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-4712599
HCA 1.5 and potentially a good example of a 35.5/40.6 angled stone. Though yet does have skinnier pavilion mains as a result of 80% LGF so you may not get as many large flashes of fire from this baby than with a stone with 75% LGF
 
bmfang said:
If you are dead set on super ideal proportions and don’t want to pay TX sales tax (meaning WF and BGD are outta the picture), you could look at stones in James Allen’s True Hearts range or Blue Nile’s Astor range.
Click to expand...
I'm not dead set on super ideal cut. With a limited budget, "near ideal" is good enough for me! I wonder if I can even tell the difference between near ideal and super ideal diamonds with untrained naked eyes. With that being said, I'm also not sure what's a good trade-off to make. But I'm sure this community will be super helpful in that regard!
 
 
I'd want to stay in ideal cut range regardless of whether the diamond is a true hearts and arrows or not. I wouldn't pay the premium for JA True Hearts because they aren't always to the standards of ACA's.

So unfortuanate that you and WF are in the same state, because as you can see, their prices aren't a whole lot higher!

These are measurements to help you stay in ideal cut territory with a GIA excellent cut stone.

table: 54-58

depth: 60-62.3

crown angle: 34-35.0 (up to 35.5 crown angle can sometimes work with a 40.6 pav angle)

pavilion angle: 40.6-40.9 (sometimes 41.0 if the crown angle is close to 34)

Now I'll look at the stones you posted!
 
peanutandfranklin said:
I also found some diamonds with pricescope's search tool. What do you guys think?
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-di...h-color-si1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-2588683 CLARITY TOO POOR ON THIS ONE

https://www.b2cjewels.com/dd/898164...m_medium=referral&utm_campaign=pricescope.com NO PHOTO

https://www.b2cjewels.com/dd/113729...m_medium=referral&utm_campaign=pricescope.com
NO PHOTO

https://www.bluenile.com/diamond-de...AMONDS&track=viewDiamondDetails&action=newTab BAD CLARITY

https://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond..._round-EX-GIA-H-VS2-diamond-stock-16405-cert- DEFINITELY ONE TO CONSIDER
Click to expand...

I'd recommend not looking at diamonds with no photo or video. SI1 stones vary greatly, so you have to see them. Vendors like B2C don't have those stones in-house.
 
diamondseeker2006 said:
I'd recommend not looking at diamonds with no photo or video. SI1 stones vary greatly, so you have to see them. Vendors like B2C don't have those stones in-house.
Click to expand...
Thank you Diamondseeker2006! How did you know the clarity is bad on the bluenile and James Allen ones? Is the video supposed to be what we see with naked eyes or magnified?
 
peanutandfranklin said:
Thank you Diamondseeker2006! How did you know the clarity is bad on the bluenile and James Allen ones? Is the video supposed to be what we see with naked eyes or magnified?
Click to expand...

Oh, it's very magnified, but there is no reason to buy a diamond that has lots of black inclusions when there are far cleaner stones out there. You shouldn't see much in an SI1 even in these videos. That's why it's essential to have photos or videos in order to rule out the bad ones.

For another thing, that GOG diamond is just a few hundred more for VS2. So be picky on the clarity.
 
peanutandfranklin said:
Thank you Diamondseeker2006! How did you know the clarity is bad on the bluenile and James Allen ones? Is the video supposed to be what we see with naked eyes or magnified?
Click to expand...

The 1.57 H SI1 at JA is riddled with black crystals under the table. At sizes over 1ct, you would want inclusions to be white in colour and preferably not under the table.

The BN 1.52 H SI1 also has the same issue.

Not too keen on one of the B2C stones either as the 1.51 G SI1 has a very busy inclusion plot and i’d Be worried they look like the JA and BN stones above. Doesn’t help that there is no photo or vid of that stone.

The 1.5 H SI1 from B2C does have a video and it does look clean. Mainly feathers and a couple of clouds under the table. Would be worried about the CA showing up as 35 on the GIA report as due to their rounding, it could be anywhere between 34.76 to 35.24 degrees. If closer to the bottom end of the range, it’s a go-er and would be within ideal proportions territory.

The GOG stone is one to consider though there is a definite dark spot under the table facet at around 4-5 o’clock which is showing up as leakage in the ASET and IS. However, its light performance is AGS0 which is excellent despite that area of leakage.

The vids are highly magnified, but at sizes above 1ct, you may notice black inclusions more readily than in smaller sizes.
 
bmfang said:
The 1.57 H SI1 at JA is riddled with black crystals under the table. At sizes over 1ct, you would want inclusions to be white in colour and preferably not under the table.

The BN 1.52 H SI1 also has the same issue.

Not too keen on one of the B2C stones either as the 1.51 G SI1 has a very busy inclusion plot and i’d Be worried they look like the JA and BN stones above. Doesn’t help that there is no photo or vid of that stone.

The 1.5 H SI1 from B2C does have a video and it does look clean. Mainly feathers and a couple of clouds under the table. Would be worried about the CA showing up as 35 on the GIA report as due to their rounding, it could be anywhere between 34.76 to 35.24 degrees. If closer to the bottom end of the range, it’s a go-er and would be within ideal proportions territory.

The GOG stone is one to consider though there is a definite dark spot under the table facet at around 4-5 o’clock which is showing up as leakage in the ASET and IS. However, its light performance is AGS0 which is excellent despite that area of leakage.

The vids are highly magnified, but at sizes above 1ct, you may notice black inclusions more readily than in smaller sizes.
Click to expand...
Thank you for the explanation. I saw the leakage on GOG one too. Is it something worth of concerning? Do you think GOG platinum select is as good as WF ACA?
 
peanutandfranklin said:
Thank you for the explanation. I saw the leakage on GOG one too. Is it something worth of concerning? Do you think GOG platinum select is as good as WF ACA?
Click to expand...

GOG’s Platinum select isn’t the same as ACA. Their equivalent is the Ascendancy Hearts & Arrows. Platinum select stones will not have the same type of cutting symmetry as Ascendancy or ACA stones have, but my understanding is that they will have AGS0 light performance.
 
For your budget, something's got to give.

My advice is to prioritize maximum sparkle and performance and drop down in size.

If you do that it has a trickle down effect. A stone with ideal performance will mask color better than another without it.
A diamond with ideal performance will have edge to edge brilliance and appear larger.
You can go down to J safely without an ideal round diamond of the size you are looking for being visibly yellow.
If you work with a vendor with a strong upgrade policy you can work toward your goal of 1.5 carats. But if you go under that now, you will be able to afford a better quality diamond now for the budget.
I'd advise you to get the best cut 1.2-1.4 carat diamond in H or even I color.

Go to see a super ideal diamond of I color in person. I think you'll be shocked how white they are. The posters here are highly skilled at matching seekers with the right diamond for them.

Another option is to increase you stone budget and decrease your setting budget. There are some really nice settings out there at every budget.
 
LaylaR said:
For your budget, something's got to give.

My advice is to prioritize maximum sparkle and performance and drop down in size.

If you do that it has a trickle down effect. A stone with ideal performance will mask color better than another without it.
A diamond with ideal performance will have edge to edge brilliance and appear larger.
You can go down to J safely without an ideal round diamond of the size you are looking for being visibly yellow.
If you work with a vendor with a strong upgrade policy you can work toward your goal of 1.5 carats. But if you go under that now, you will be able to afford a better quality diamond now for the budget.
I'd advise you to get the best cut 1.2-1.4 carat diamond in H or even I color.

Go to see a super ideal diamond of I color in person. I think you'll be shocked how white they are. The posters here are highly skilled at matching seekers with the right diamond for them.

Another option is to increase you stone budget and decrease your setting budget. There are some really nice settings out there at every budget.
Click to expand...

Thank you LaylaR! I think I'd be OK with a 1.4ct if it's a super ideal cut. Do you consider this WF ACA to be the type of best cut that you just described? If I remember correctly, WF does have a good upgrade policy.
https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3970272.htm
 
Dancing Fire said:
Your other choice would be HPD if you are planning on upgrading in the future.

https://www.hpdiamonds.com/en-us/diamonds/diamonds-search
Click to expand...
Thank you for the recommendation. HPD diamonds are beautiful! I did a quick search, and the biggest HPD diamond in budget is a 1.29ct H VS2. Given that it's around the same price with 1.44ct H SI1 WF ACA, I feel that 1.44ct ACA is a better value. Unless BPD has a better upgrade policy than WF.
 
peanutandfranklin said:
Thank you for the recommendation. HPD diamonds are beautiful! I did a quick search, and the biggest HPD diamond in budget is a 1.29ct H VS2. Given that it's around the same price with 1.44ct H SI1 WF ACA, I feel that 1.44ct ACA is a better value. Unless BPD has a better upgrade policy than WF.
Click to expand...
Both are beautiful stones with ex upgrade policies but you can save the sales tax on the HPD stone. The HPD stone is one clarity grade higher. SI1 vs VS2
 
Peanut, Forum rules prevent me from commenting on a competitor's products. My best advice is for you read all the information and education and policies and articles listed on any the site of any vendor you are considering.

You are spending thousands of dollars, spend some time, do your research about the specific companies, ask questions from the posters on here.

You are in good hands. :wavey:
 
peanutandfranklin said:
Thank you LaylaR! I think I'd be OK with a 1.4ct if it's a super ideal cut. Do you consider this WF ACA to be the type of best cut that you just described? If I remember correctly, WF does have a good upgrade policy.
https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3970272.htm
Click to expand...

@peanutandfranklin stones from Whiteflash, Brian Gavin Diamonds, Crafted By Infinity, Victor Canera and Good Old Gold Ascendancy Hearts & Arrows are all examples of stones that have consistent super ideal cut quality.

Blue Nile’s Astor and James Allen’s True Hearts ranges have too much variability in the inventory for them to be considered superideal on a consistent basis IMHO.

Whiteflash and High Performance Diamonds (the online distributor of Crafted By Infinity) have probably the best upgrade policies in the industry. Brian Gavin Diamonds requires that you upgrade at least 2 of the following 3 C’s: colour, clarity or carat size. I do not have a lot of knowledge about the upgrade policies for Victor Canera or Good Old Gold but I’m sure that Google will be able to help out there.
 
Would upgrading in the future ever be a consideration? If so, you should certainly take the upgrade policies into consideration. JA and BN requires you to spend double your original purchase, WF and CBI only require you to spend more (even if it's a $1 more it counts!), BG requires you to spend more but also upgrade 2 of 3 things I believe (size, color or clarity), GOG upgrade policies have been questioned recently but the stated policy says the original stone must qualify under their lifetime upgrade policy and the stone to which you're upgrading must be in house, etc.
 
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