Please Help, going to propose in September and dont have a diamond ring yet!

[3Rocks]

http://www.highperformancediamonds.com/index.php?page=view-id-diamond-infinity&id=348

I found this one also attractive.

 

[3Rocks]

Hi Slumdog,

Please check out those Infinity cut diamonds I linked above for you. High Performance Diamonds is one of the Infinity cut dealer. If you are interested, you can email Wink Jones. Here is info on contact: http://www.highperformancediamonds.com/index.php?page=contact

My FI bought my e-ring which has the Infinity diamond from Wink and he loves it. Everyone at my workplace comments on how beautiful it is. It shows all colors of the rainbow and you will be proud of it. I know my FI does. Everytime he look at my ring, he went wow look at that.

You have such a nice budget and can afford a very good diamond. IMHO, I think you won''t regret it if you got the Infinity diamond.

Wink is a fab to work with.

Good luck and congratulations on your pending engagement.

 

[Gypsy]

3rocks. I understand the enthusiasm and appreciate it. Plus, I love Wink and bought my setting from him, and I''ve seen infinity diamonds in person and they are awesome. But just as a general piece of advice for helping others... it does help to stick to their parameters, or at least justify why you are going out of them.
The first one you posted is a J.
The second one is 1.5 carats.
The third one is 20K (yes, there is 5% off) but the op hasn''t said if the 20K max budget includes his stone AND the setting or just the stone. Plus it''s 1.5.

The Op stated he wanted an H VS 1.75 with emphasis on size under 20K. So... well, you didn''t post anything that fits those specs, and didn''t justify why he should go outside of his stated desired specs. He wants size so... considering the other stones suggested that are also Hearts and Arrows Ideal AGS000 in his budget, why (other than your great experience with Infinity, which granted is important) would he get a smaller diamond than he could at another vendor? As for the first one, it''s a J. While I would buy a J... it''s not something that I''d recommend to anyone who hasn''t seen an ideal J round in person. But that one is the most likely to meet his criteria (was your stone a J? Have you seen J''s compared to H''s in super ideals, can you tell him it''s a sacrifice he can make?) and again... in light of the other options (and I and a D... plus I other colors between those two) posted in super ideals, why again should he go with a J?

If I wanted a round for an engagement ring? Infinity would be my first choice tied with a BGD signtaure diamond and an Isee2 from GOG But once you are comparing super ideal rounds, the rest of the specs come into play, and generally trump the ''branding'' aspect. Honestly Wink is great, John Pollard, Todd Gray, and Paul Seger are fabulous too. And I''d love something from their company... but, you get what I''m saying? There''s a reason why some of other posters didn''t post HPD stones. We searched them, we just didn''t find anything in their that was a close enough fit.

 

[Mrs W]

Slumdog, here is a link to what the Leon 811 Adrianna setting looks like IRL https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/my-leon-10th-anniversary-upgrade.88264/

Other center stone options: http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/I-VS2-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1238122.asp

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/5752/

 

[Gypsy]

Date: 6/20/2009 3:12:55 AM
Author: Mrs W
Slumdog, here is a link to what the Leon 811 Adrianna setting looks like IRL https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/my-leon-10th-anniversary-upgrade.88264/

Other center stone options: http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/I-VS2-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1238122.asp

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/5752/

Oh nice find on that James Allen 2.14 carat for 16K-- AGS0 (not hearts and arrows but an ideal cut with ideal light performance) and an I VS!!! You could get a Leon with the left over (and great find on Heb's Leon Adriana for a round stone) budget (maybe you'd go 3/4 eternity on the setting to save some money). I'd forgotten how gorgeous (and BRIGHT!) Heb's set is.

That James Allen stone has great coverage at 8.2 mm and add a halo to that, her ring will be a beacon.

ETA: Slumdog, if you want an Infinity call Wink up and ask him what is coming down the pipe. He might have something perfect for you that isn't posted on the site yet. That's always an option with any vendor. And Wink is such a great guy to deal with that I know he'd be happy to tell you what he's got that would fit your specs and budget.

 

[3Rocks]

Date: 6/20/2009 2:46:48 AM
Author: Gypsy
3rocks. I understand the enthusiasm and appreciate it. Plus, I love Wink and bought my setting from him, and I''ve seen infinity diamonds in person and they are awesome. But just as a general piece of advice for helping others... it does help to stick to their parameters, or at least justify why you are going out of them.
The first one you posted is a J.
The second one is 1.5 carats.
The third one is 20K (yes, there is 5% off) but the op hasn''t said if the 20K max budget includes his stone AND the setting or just the stone. Plus it''s 1.5.

The Op stated he wanted an H VS 1.75 with emphasis on size under 20K. So... well, you didn''t post anything that fits those specs, and didn''t justify why he should go outside of his stated desired specs. He wants size so... considering the other stones suggested that are also Hearts and Arrows Ideal AGS000 in his budget, why (other than your great experience with Infinity, which granted is important) would he get a smaller diamond than he could at another vendor? As for the first one, it''s a J. While I would buy a J... it''s not something that I''d recommend to anyone who hasn''t seen an ideal J round in person. But that one is the most likely to meet his criteria (was your stone a J? Have you seen J''s compared to H''s in super ideals, can you tell him it''s a sacrifice he can make?) and again... in light of the other options (and I and a D... plus I other colors between those two) posted in super ideals, why again should he go with a J?

If I wanted a round for an engagement ring? Infinity would be my first choice tied with a BGD signtaure diamond and an Isee2 from GOG But once you are comparing super ideal rounds, the rest of the specs come into play, and generally trump the ''branding'' aspect. Honestly Wink is great, John Pollard, Todd Gray, and Paul Seger are fabulous too. And I''d love something from their company... but, you get what I''m saying? There''s a reason why some of other posters didn''t post HPD stones. We searched them, we just didn''t find anything in their that was a close enough fit.

Hi Gypsy,
I didn''t mean any harm to people by a mere suggestion. I do own a J color ideal cut, a D superideal cut, and an F too. Again, it''s only a suggestions and OP can always ignore it.

 

[slumdog]

3rocks, Gypsy, Mrs. W, and others,

Thank you all for your help. I am definetly interested in the stone posted by Mrs. W from JamesAllen as well as the one Gypsy posted from goldoldgold with the si clarity. The only thing i am hesistant about from the first one is the i color and the second one the si clarity. Can anyone comment on this?

I will be going to a local jewelry shop to see what i colored diamonds look like compared to e and f colored ones as well as the si clarity.

Thanks again for everyones help.

 

[the tree sees]

Slumdog,

IMO, clarity shouldn't matter as long as the stone is eye-clean. Any one of these vendors can give you an honest assessment, if asked, as to whether a diamond meets that important criterion. SIs can be eye-clean, so I suggest not ruling one out just because of its clarity grade.

As for color, I've posted this a few times recently, but here it is again because I found it so helpful in my own decision-making process:

If you want to know more about clarity & color, I recommend Good Old Gold's tutorials at http://goodoldgold.com/4Cs/. Jonathan at GOG ("Rhino" on this forum) also has some great videos, including two intros to color:

Part I

Part II

Of course, you should also try to get into a B&M to check out the color differences for yourself, but these videos are an excellent reference, particularly when you're considering diamonds of high cut quality.

Also, here's an example of what a color J stone looks like. (The blue is just the reflection of this fellow PSer's shirt):
https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/forgive-me-i-cant-resist-posting-some-pics-usin-my-new-cam.117658/

Color is largely a matter of personal preference--some consumers are more color sensitive than others, and some like a little extra warmth than what you'd find in the DEF range. I find that with superideal-cut rounds, you can go pretty far down into the grade spectrum without noticing a tint when viewing the diamond face-up, let alone being offended by any such tint. (See Rhino's last shot in his second video of the whole range, face-up). I'm waiting on an I-colored stone from BGD right now. I'm sure it will look spectacular!

Best of luck with your search!

 

[Lorelei]

With clarity and especially SI clarity stones, make sure the vendor understands your expectations concerning what an eyeclean diamond is to you - for example if you don''t want to see any inclusions from any angle or at close scrutiny, make sure you tell them that so you are on the same page.

Colour is a personal preference, if you are unsure see if you can view some same lab grade, similar size and cut quality in person.

 

[Gypsy]

Cut quality makes a huge difference in the face up color of a round diamond. If you are going to go to a store and look at diamonds for color sensitivity, I recommend going to a Hearts on Fire dealer and looking at their round stones in different colors. If you look at something other than an ideal cut, an I-- Heck even a G or H might look yellow to you.

I love I colored superideal rounds personally, I''ve seen many in person and they are just stunning.

 

[the tree sees]

Ditto to Gypsy. Cut makes a huge difference in the way a diamond shows its color.

 

[slumdog]

can someone rate the cuts from highest to lowest? like ideal, very good, etc thanks

 

[slumdog]

thethreesees, thanks for those informative videos! i learned a lot!

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 6/23/2009 8:04:54 AM
Author: slumdog
can someone rate the cuts from highest to lowest? like ideal, very good, etc thanks

Do you mean these two?

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/I-VS2-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1238122.asp

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/5752/

If so, from the info given I would pick the GOG diamond, check it matches your expectations for ' eyecleanliness.'

 

[the tree sees]

No problem, slumdog! I''ve spent hours on the GOG site; Jonathan has done us newbies a great service by publishing those videos.

Let us know what you mean about ranking cuts. But ditto to Lorelei - the GOG stone looks terrific!

 

[slumdog]

Oh, when i asked for the ratings for the cuts, i would like to know from best to worst.

For example, color is D E F G H....

What is Cut? Sometimes i see Ideal, sometimes it says supieror. Which is higher, and what is the highest rating for cut?
Ideal, Supieror, Excellent, Very Good, Good...etc (this is guessing)

Thanks!

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 6/23/2009 10:47:46 AM
Author: slumdog
Oh, when i asked for the ratings for the cuts, i would like to know from best to worst.

For example, color is D E F G H....

What is Cut? Sometimes i see Ideal, sometimes it says supieror. Which is higher, and what is the highest rating for cut?
Ideal, Supieror, Excellent, Very Good, Good...etc (this is guessing)

Thanks!

Cut refers to the standard to which the diamond is cut, proportioned and finished. If a diamond isn't cut well then it won't sparkle or do much or be beautiful. Mother Nature provides the rough diamond material, man brings out the beauty in skilful cutting!

As to the cut descriptions above that isn't easily answered, it depends on the use of the term and the particular diamond. Usually the term Ideal when referring to AGS0 cut grade should get you a well cut diamond. Ideal Cut used by some vendors may or may not mean much, same as Excellent, Premium, Very Good etc. Same with GIA cut grades, the highest is Excellent, Very Good and so on. The trouble with the Excellent cut grade is it can allow some less desirable proportion combos such as steep deeps to get the Excellent grade, these usually aren't the best looking diamonds.

So the answer is, it depends.

 

[the tree sees]

Slumdog,

"Ideal" is a term that''s tossed about quite loosely in the retail industry, hence references to "superideal" when we talk about brands like ACA, Infinity, Brian Gavin Signature, or GOG''s H&A. AGS uses the term "ideal," but an AGS ideal is not necessarily what we mean when we talk about diamonds with superior optical performance. I guess you could say that a diamond you get if you enlist the help of PSers like Lorelei will quite simply be "off the charts."

Here are some threads that might interest you:

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/the-terms-ideal-and-ags-ideal.50802/


https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/ideal-vs-superideal.81389/

 

[jet2ks]

Date: 6/23/2009 10:47:46 AM
Author: slumdog
Oh, when i asked for the ratings for the cuts, i would like to know from best to worst.

For example, color is D E F G H....

What is Cut? Sometimes i see Ideal, sometimes it says supieror. Which is higher, and what is the highest rating for cut?
Ideal, Supieror, Excellent, Very Good, Good...etc (this is guessing)

Thanks!

One issue with cut ratings is that each lab has their own system and terminology. For instance, GIA ratings are Excellent, Very Good, Good, Fair and Poor, while AGS has Ideal, Excellent, Very Good, Good, Fair and Poor.

The next problem is that every lab is free to define each cut grade as they want. In other words GIA Excellent does not have the same exact standards as AGS Excellent. Start throwing in other labs, such as EGL, IGI, HRD, etc. and you have one whole aspect of diamond grading that is not standardized industry wide.

Throw on top of that the fact that retailers are free to describe stones any way they see fit and it is a convoluted mess. (i.e. Superior and Premium are not cut grades by either of the two top labs, but are used by retail frequently)

 

[slumdog]

I finally got a hold of the idealscope. Can someone comment on what they think of this?
This is from http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/I-VS2-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1238122.asp

Thanks for all your help!

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 6/24/2009 2:46:03 PM
Author: slumdog
I finally got a hold of the idealscope. Can someone comment on what they think of this?
This is from http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/I-VS2-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1238122.asp

Thanks for all your help!

I was just going to check if it was for that diamond! It looks ok, there is a little leakage which can be seen on the image, might not be noticeable in real life. Its a nice diamond and well cut, perhaps not to the very highest standards but a good stone nevertheless. Not everyone wants a super duper perfect diamond, this one is extremely well cut and well worth considering. It is also very easy to nit pick images and in doing this discard a perfectly good diamond. The leakage could look worse than it actually is due to the lighting behind the image too.

 

[jet2ks]

The IS is pretty good. It shows a little leakage, but is overall a very nice diamond.

 

[stone-cold11]

Not that great.

 

[slumdog]

Stone-cold, can you explain why it isnt that great?

Lorelei, Jet2ks, thanks for your fast reponse! Can you explain where the leakage is? i dont quite understand.

Thanks

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 6/24/2009 4:37:36 PM
Author: slumdog
Stone-cold, can you explain why it isnt that great?

Lorelei, Jet2ks, thanks for your fast reponse! Can you explain where the leakage is? i dont quite understand.

Thanks

Light leakage is where some light escapes or leaks out of the diamond instead of being returned to the eye as sparkle! If you look at the image on the right hand side just off the centre, you will see some lighter patches which is leakage. This is probably due to the crown and pavilion angle combo being slightly steep and deep. I also think it looks worse than it is due to the lighting of the image. Now to put this into perspective, it is debatable whether the leakage will be perceptible in reality, especially if you consider the actual size of the diamond!

The diamond isn't cut to the very highest, tightest, most perfect standards and it is easy to measure all images and all diamonds to the absolute cream of the crop we see here all the time, but sometimes in doing that we can dismiss perfectly good diamonds! If you want a cream of the crop perfect in every way diamond then keep looking, if you want a diamond which has an excellent cut which will still be very beautiful then this one could be a contender. You could always ask for their gemologist Julianna to look at the stone for you, she has a good eye and her opinion could be helpful.

This page explains further how to interpret IS and ASET images

http://www.highperformancediamonds.com/index.php?page=education-performance

 

[the tree sees]

Slumdog,

Basically, an Idealscope color-codes the light that''s shining onto the diamond from the outside. Imagine a translucent pink tube that you look through. Any light the diamond reflects back to your eyes will be pink, since it had to pass through the tube to get to the diamond. But any light that passes right through the diamond rather than being reflected at your eyes will be white, because the diamond is backlit. The black star--the "arrows" of the diamond--is normal; it represents light that is obscured by your head when you look at the diamond, and it will light up as you tilt the diamond, causing other areas to darken.

I hope that explains it. If not, HPD may do a better job: link.

Compare the image you posted to the diamond from BGD that lalantha just purchased, at the bottom of the second page of his thread: here.

Or the diamond I just purchased, also from Brian Gavin, 1/2 of the way down on the first page of my thread: here.

Of course, lighting conditions may exaggerate the appearance of leakage, so you may want to speak to the vendor or ask for another image to to be sure.

Best of luck!

 

[jet2ks]

The leakage shows as the paler pink around the outside of the table. It is a slight amount, if it was really bad, that ring would be nearly white. With the good light return on the crown facets and ideal graded symmetry, this is a well above average diamond. In order to get that extra little bit of light performance, you will have to either spend quite a bit more or go down in size.

As I said before, overall, I would consider this a very nice diamond and wouldn''t reject it based on what I see here. In most lighting situations, you would probably never notice the difference between this stone and one that is a tip top performer.

 

[slumdog]

All,
I really appreciate everyone''s help on looking for a stone for my gf. I know what i want to get her, however, it might not be what she likes. Maybe she wants something smaller but with more fire, or something bigger, with less...etc...I think it might be easier if i go shopping with her and have her pick out what she likes.

Has anyone ever purposed without a ring? It might be silly but like you all said, if I go down to si1 or h/i color i might be able to save a few thousands. Since i dont know which one she values more, doesnt it make sense to have her go with me to pick out the diamond?

Please post your opinions.

Thanks

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 6/25/2009 3:00:15 PM
Author: slumdog
All,
I really appreciate everyone's help on looking for a stone for my gf. I know what i want to get her, however, it might not be what she likes. Maybe she wants something smaller but with more fire, or something bigger, with less...etc...I think it might be easier if i go shopping with her and have her pick out what she likes.

Has anyone ever purposed without a ring? It might be silly but like you all said, if I go down to si1 or h/i color i might be able to save a few thousands. Since i dont know which one she values more, doesnt it make sense to have her go with me to pick out the diamond?

Please post your opinions.

Thanks

You can certainly propose without a ring if you want, then choose the ring together. Have you decided against the JA diamond? If the very slight leakage is worrying you I really see no need to reject it on the basis of that - unless you want perfection it is a very nice stone and a great size for the money.

 

[slumdog]

Yes i was worried of the slight leakage. How will this affect the diamond''s brilliance? I want to make sure i get the perfect stone for her but there are so many choices out there. Thats why maybe if she picks out what she likes then she will be 100% satisfied.

Thanks