Please Help | Anniversary - Birthday Round Diamond Studs

[Truesoul]

My wife fell in love with a pair of round diamond white gold stud earrings at our local jewelry store, Shane Co.. I put them on hold and have until the end of this month to get my deposit back. After doing research it doesn't seem like they are they best value; however at this point i really don't even know what to look for if i purchase something online.

The pair my wife likes has the following stats with no certificate:

1.62CTS Total Gem Weight
H - I Color Range
I2 - I3 Clarity

As for the cut they say all their diamonds are "well cut" whatever that means and when i asked further they said they don't rate their diamonds by EX / VG / etc. they go by "makes" and their "makes" are usually in the 2 - 3 range. And they went on to say all diamonds are hand matched to ensure the best quality, etc. etc. etc.

That being said, my wife likes the size and sparkle not diamond statistics. She is not trying to impress anyone with the pedigree of her diamond. If it sparkles more or the same as the ones from Shane Co., all the better. She doesn't want the diamond to be cloudy. She want a brilliant sparkling round diamond and i want something that doesn't' break the bank for a vanity item.

I contacted a vendor that my friend purchased his engagement ring and they quoted a 1.85ct total D SI1 VG cut. for $3,000, which seems good; however, I don't know if i need something with a D color. As said above, i really don't know what to get if I'm purchasing sight unseen. What should i ask for, etc.

I appreciate any and all help. Thanks in advance.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Oh, my, uncertified I2-I3? Gosh, those are not good diamonds. Please, please get your money back!

As to the 1.8 ctw D pair, what I can promise you is that they are not graded by GIA...which means the grading is worthless. You cannot get true 1.8 ctw D SI1 for $3000 or anywhere near that. There is no telling what those diamonds really are.

Which brings us to the bottom line...only buy GIA (or AGS graded diamonds) so you will not overpay for really bad diamonds!

What is your maximum budget?

 

[Dancing Fire]

As for the cut they say all their diamonds are "well cut" whatever that means and when i asked further they said they don't rate their diamonds by EX / VG / etc. they go by "makes" and their "makes" are usually in the 2 - 3 range. And they went on to say all diamonds are hand matched to ensure the best quality, etc. etc. etc.

That means their diamonds are poorly cut...

 

[LLJsmom]

I bought mine at WhiteFlash, which has served many PSers. Either their ACA or Expert Selection line will have beautifully sparkly stones (AGS 000) that are already pre-matched for you. 30 day return policy if you don't like them, and liberal upgrade policy too. Brian Gavin (more limited upgrade policy) is also loved by PSers, and Good Old Gold, which can even do videos of your stones for you, also liberal upgrade policy.

If you go for a very well cut stone, you don't need to go as high in color, unless that is something you feel you need. (I'm a bad example.)

Look through this thread and you'll see lots of studs, and you'll see the various sizes and colors, and you'll see what I mean by well cut stones not being as high in color (in your example, a D). You will notice that many people are happy with H-J from Whiteflash, BGD, GOG because the cuts are so amazing.

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/show-me-your-diamond-studs.51981/

A D is fine, if you want to pay that much for that color. And a D for a GIA/AGS graded stone will be higher in price. I have attached an example of some well cut E/F's from WF, and you'll see how expensive correctly graded high colored stones are, in a similar ctw.

http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-dia...etails.aspx?Diamond1=3019441&Diamond2=2962072

$13K. That tells you that the stones you were quoted, probably not certified, probably not D's if they were, and probably not SI1s either.

I'm not saying that you shouldn't buy the stones if you love them. Just know exactly what you're paying for, in terms of the color, clarity, cut and (hopefully they have the carat right), before you put down your hard earned money. And you'll have the best measure of that with a GIA or AGS graded stone.

What is your budget?

 

[Truesoul]

Thanks for all your help already. I'm learning much.

I'm hoping to stay around $2,000 - $3,000. So, am i crazy for looking for something in the size my wife wants and have a very nice sparkle?

Thanks again!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

For me personally, I would rather spend a couple hundred on fine quality simulants in white gold settings than very poor quality diamonds at $3k. Cut is the #1 factor of a stone reflecting light and looking brilliant on the ears. I would also rather start out with a smaller pair of well cut stones and gradually upgrade to the size I wanted. Mine also came from WhiteFlash and are .80 each after upgrading. But we are talking about a lot more than $3k to get to that point.

Here is a nice pair around .43 each at $2k.

http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3056928.htm ($1071 with PS member discount and wire pmt)

http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3055251.htm ($1066 " )

Prices jump up at .5. Here is a great pair at .56 cts each around $3600 (plus a couple hundred for the settings)

http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3061827.htm ($1790)

http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3061830.htm ($1790)

 

[JulieN]

I contacted a vendor that my friend purchased his engagement ring and they quoted a 1.85ct total D SI1 VG cut. for $3,000, which seems good; however, I don't know if i need something with a D color

Someone's pulling your leg, you cannot get a .85 cts D SI1 for 3000, forget 1.85 cts

 

[baby monster]

Thanks for all your help already. I'm learning much.

I'm hoping to stay around $2,000 - $3,000. So, am i crazy for looking for something in the size my wife wants and have a very nice sparkle?

Thanks again!

You won't be able to find PS quality diamonds in that size and budget combo. The most 3k will get you is 1ctw with GIA certs in I-J SI range. If you arenot particular about inclusions, drop to I1 to maximize size.

 

[Dancing Fire]

I contacted a vendor that my friend purchased his engagement ring and they quoted a 1.85ct total D SI1 VG cut. for $3,000, which seems good; however, I don't know if i need something with a D color. As said above, i really don't know what to get if I'm purchasing sight unseen. What should i ask for, etc.

I appreciate any and all help. Thanks in advance.

Impossible! ...the vendor is full of B.S.

 

[luvdajules]

Hi OP, I think I know what the issue is...you mentioned you and your wife want something of good size (near1.5 cttw.) and white and sparkly for earrings. I saw a pair in my local diamond district that were about 1.8 cttw. and H/Si1 or 2 and possibly GIA triple X but maybe not and wouldn't cut the mustard by PS standards but they were very sparkly and about $3875 for the pair set in 18 kt. wg. For earrings, for me, this would totally be fine! In a smaller size, they would be a little less. So, don't give up...but you might have to educate yourself on cut grading and your own tolerances for the 4 C's.

 

[heididdl]

Speaking as someone who has large 2.41 total carat ideal cut stones...If I had a $2000-$3000 budget I would much rather have one of the two pairs that DS has recommended that are hearts and arrows ideal cut then cloudy I2 poorly cut 1.68 stones and this is coming from a Size whore.....
If also suggest that you go with WF as they are always upgradable.

 

[Truesoul]

I appreciate all the help and i will work on educating myself further. I think the issue might be that my wife is fine with the "quality," if you can call it that, of the Shane co earrings and they were $3,600 but dropped to $2,500 because i had some previous purchases to trade in. She liked the sparkle, etc. Which i'm sure there are MUCH better out there.

So i guess my my answer is, if she was fine with the Shane Co

1.62CTS Total Gem Weight
H - I Color Range
I2 - I3 Clarity

I should shop the sites that were mentioned above to find a similar quality and price that i can upgrade later.

On a side note, I asked the vendor that quoted the $3,000 to provide a copy of the certificates and appraisal since they said it had both. If i get them I will post them.

Thanks again,

 

[Dancing Fire]

I appreciate all the help and i will work on educating myself further. I think the issue might be that my wife is fine with the "quality," if you can call it that, of the Shane co earrings and they were $3,600 but dropped to $2,500 because i had some previous purchases to trade in. She liked the sparkle, etc. Which i'm sure there are MUCH better out there.

So i guess my my answer is, if she was fine with the Shane Co

1.62CTS Total Gem Weight
H - I Color Range
I2 - I3 Clarity

I should shop the sites that were mentioned above to find a similar quality and price that i can upgrade later.

On a side note, I asked the vendor that quoted the $3,000 to provide a copy of the certificates and appraisal since they said it had both. If i get them I will post them.

Thanks again,

Ask him for a GIA report..

 

[Truesoul]

So i got some additional information from the vendor on the diamond pair they are offering and would like to know what you all think. I guess the diamond is certified by DGI (www.dgi-labs.com). They state it the pair is 1.85ct total D SI1 VG cut for $3,000. The vendor also sent a link to a video of the diamonds at:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zztiqhJNh3U&feature=youtu.be

Anyhow, any help would be appreciated or if i should ask for any additional information etc. They look nicer that the ones from the jewelry store that i mentioned above; however, its hard to tell from a video.

Thank you! Your knowledge and opinions are much appreciated.