Please help a noob out with selecting an engagement ring

[limerence]

Hello All,

This is my first post, please be kind.

I''ve tried to read up on diamonds the last couple of days and scoured through this forum.

My budget currently is 6-7k for a round diamond. I have looked at JamesAllen, GOG, and WF.

What I am trying to look for:
Carat: .90 or greater
Cut: Hearts and Arrows
Color: G or greater
Clarity: VS1 or greater

Originally, my budget was around 9k for a 1ct diamond, and so I looked at these two TrueHearts cuts from JamesAllen.

1) http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/F-VS1-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1262687.asp

2) http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/F-VS1-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1194915.asp

I''m not sure how a .1ct size difference would constitute the difference of $3380. So I thought to myself .90 on up is fine. Or if theres something else I am missing between the two diamonds which better portrays the difference in cost, please let me know.

At Whiteflash, I found the following three that caught my eye were the following three ACA Round diamonds.

1) http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/Whiteflash-ACA-cut-diamond-2231133.htm

2) http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/Whiteflash-ACA-cut-diamond-2231026.htm

3) http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/Whiteflash-ACA-cut-diamond-2228560.htm


Unfortunately at GOG, I couldn''t find a diamond that matched the criteria I was looking for. Two came close, but either the color was lower, or the carat was smaller.

1) http://goodoldgold.com/diamond/6199/

2) http://goodoldgold.com/diamond/6724/


So my question is, for a newbie looking for an engagement ring, how do you really know who''s quality is better? JamesAllen says their TrueHearts is top notch, WF stands by their ACA Round as being comparable to HOF diamonds. I''m at a loss here. In my naivity, I thought it was only the 4 C''s I had to worry about. Then I see, table, depth, girdle, etc and my head starts to spin.

Any guidance would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

 

[swingirl]

1.013ct G VS2

1.007ct G SI1

A couple more to consider. You have a nice enough budget to hit the 1 ct mark if you lower your color and/or clarity. Brian Gavin also has a few with your specs. They don't have many details on their web site and you'd need to call them.

That one from JA seems high, though, I wonder if it's correct.

 

[Bella_mezzo]

I''m sure others will weigh-in on the numbers as they are much better about that than me. I am just now learning

You will pay a premium for any diamond over a carat "marker" e.g. over 1 ct will be a disproportionately greater price than just under 1 ct (like .9).

IMO you really can''t go wrong with the Whiteflash ACA, or Brian Gavin''s version of the ACA.

I would start by narrowing your list to just a few of those in your price range. With an ACA, you''ll probably fine with SI1 clarity...I like:

https://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/Whiteflash-ACA-cut-diamond-2192267.htm

https://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/Whiteflash-ACA-cut-diamond-2192303.htm

https://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/Whiteflash-ACA-cut-diamond-2221394.htm (this is G VS2)

If G VS1 is absultely important to you this is almost in your budget:
https://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/Whiteflash-ACA-cut-diamond-2192297.htm

What setting are you thinking of? IF you love a whiteflash or James Allen setting it''s probably best to get the diamond from them as well. If you are going a custom route, or having another vendor make the setting then it probably doesn''t matter.

 

[limerence]

thanks guys. didnt know about brian gavin until you both mentioned it.

From his list, saw AGS-10237404 and AGS-10237408 that met my criteria.

I saw that both of you guys went lower on the clarity but stayed with G. Is color a more important factor to maintain than clarity which might be harder to see the difference?

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 12/30/2009 12:56:34 AM
Author:limerence
Hello All,

This is my first post, please be kind.

I've tried to read up on diamonds the last couple of days and scoured through this forum.

My budget currently is 6-7k for a round diamond. I have looked at JamesAllen, GOG, and WF.

What I am trying to look for:
Carat: .90 or greater
Cut: Hearts and Arrows
Color: G or greater
Clarity: VS1 or greater

Originally, my budget was around 9k for a 1ct diamond, and so I looked at these two TrueHearts cuts from JamesAllen.

1) http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/F-VS1-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1262687.asp

2) http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/F-VS1-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1194915.asp

I'm not sure how a .1ct size difference would constitute the difference of $3380. So I thought to myself .90 on up is fine. Or if theres something else I am missing between the two diamonds which better portrays the difference in cost, please let me know.

At Whiteflash, I found the following three that caught my eye were the following three ACA Round diamonds.

1) http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/Whiteflash-ACA-cut-diamond-2231133.htm

2) http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/Whiteflash-ACA-cut-diamond-2231026.htm

3) http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/Whiteflash-ACA-cut-diamond-2228560.htm


Unfortunately at GOG, I couldn't find a diamond that matched the criteria I was looking for. Two came close, but either the color was lower, or the carat was smaller.

1) http://goodoldgold.com/diamond/6199/

2) http://goodoldgold.com/diamond/6724/


So my question is, for a newbie looking for an engagement ring, how do you really know who's quality is better? JamesAllen says their TrueHearts is top notch, WF stands by their ACA Round as being comparable to HOF diamonds. I'm at a loss here. In my naivity, I thought it was only the 4 C's I had to worry about. Then I see, table, depth, girdle, etc and my head starts to spin.

Any guidance would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Hi Limerice

For the most part people are kind here so please don't worry!

First two diamonds; have definite potential, although I think the saying that Idealscope images are tilted is somewhat overused here at times, it does appear to be the case with these two.

The ACA's; the images for the first aren't loaded so can't really judge that one, the second and third look great.

The GOG diamonds; first looks great, second is good also but it is a bit deeper than I personally prefer so it is facing up a tiny bit small for 1 ct.

As to which to choose, you have excellently cut diamonds here, cut quality is essential to give a diamond its beauty. You are definitely on the right track, as to which to choose it now depends on budget, preference and which vendor you prefer. Also if an upgrade might ever be a future consideration, all the vendors have upgrade policies but the terms and conditions of each vary so it would be best to factor that into your decision should an upgrade be a possibility.

 

[limerence]

Thanks Lorelei.

Maybe its noob in me where when you say the idealscope is tilted, or the second GOG diamond might be a bit deep, its observations like this that I would never catch when I look at the general stats.

From the responses so far, it sounds like WF or Brian Gavin might be the people to go to.

I am planning on proposing on Feb 14 (I know, kinda cliche-ish but it coincides with Chinese New Year so I thought that was a cool coincidence) so will probably be buying at the end of Jan or early Feb in order to have the 30 day return policy still in effect. However, I do know that some settings may take some time so I''m hoping to make my decision by MLK day (Jan 1 and have the order in by then.

Will try to finalize my choices and see if I get a thumbs up from everyone then.

Thanks!

 

[Bella_mezzo]

Good luck Limerence, You are going to find a gorgeous ring!!!

With ideal cut diamonds they are so beautiful and sparkly that color and clarity are not quite as obvious.

Many people on pricescope have maximized the size of their stone by getting a lower color and slightly lower clarity (the holy grail of this seems to be a J-K color stone that "faces up white" and is an eyeclean SI2. That will get you the largest diamond for a lower budget)

Others prefer to stay in the "icy white" realm of G or higher to ensure there is no visible tint from any angle on the diamond.

Also, some prefer keeping an e-ring in a higher clarity VS1 or higher b/c it is "mind clean"--they know there are no visible flaws.

My preference for e-rings is SI1 or eyeclean SI2 (if it's ideal cut I can't see the flaws without a loupe). As for color, for me that depends on the setting and the cut. I have to see the diamond in person, but I'll look at anything from G-K

It's all really personal, so pick the criteria that are important to you and your GF. IMO you can't go wrong with any color or clarity of an ideal cut diamond

Best wishes for a wonderful proposal and e-ring purchase

 

[tyty333]

Limerence,
Here are the cheat sheet numbers to go by...

depth 60-62%
table 54-57%
crown angle 34-35 degrees
pavilion angle 40.6 - 41 degrees

Polish & symmetry - very good and above

gridles - no wide range like very thin to very thick.

if pav angle 40.6 lean towards 34.5-35 crown
if pav angle 41 lean towards 34-34.5 crown

To mazimize size (minimize cost) folks usually go with an eye-clean SI1 or SI2.
Otherwise if you want mind-clean go with VS1/2 or up (but you pay).
Eye clean info
http://journal.pricescope.com/Articles/78/1/What-is-an-Eye-Clean-Diamond--.aspx

For color, a well cut G/H shows up pretty white. If you are color sensitive you
should go higher (E,F). If not so sensitive, go lower (I,J,K). The look of an I,J,K
stone will be just every so slightly tinted. Some people prefer these colors over
the bright D,E,Fs. They are all beautiful....just depends where you stand. Like
I said, G/H is playing it safe in a well cut stone.

You can also use the HCA tool to help eliminate stones. Any stone that scores 2.0 or
lower is worth further review. Over 2, we would say not worth considereing.

https://www.pricescope.com/cutadviser.asp

When you have narrowed it down to a few stones, post the info on the stones and I'm
sure some of our highly knowledgeable PSers will help you out.

Hope this helps.

 

[Dreamer_D]

If you won''t buy until January, wait a couple weeks to look because most vendors are getting new shipments of stones in the new year.

 

[limerence]

Thanks for all the help guys. Much appreciated. I''ll take your opinions to mind and will hold off until the date is near and list the ones I am considering as to not waste your time now.

Thanks again for the tips. The search continues...

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 12/31/2009 2:01:25 AM
Author: limerence
Thanks for all the help guys. Much appreciated. I''ll take your opinions to mind and will hold off until the date is near and list the ones I am considering as to not waste your time now.

Thanks again for the tips. The search continues...

If you have any more questions, please don''t hesitate to ask