Please help me choose a stone for a pendant! (pics included)

[FacetFire]

Hi everyone, I''m trying to choose a stone for a full bezel pendant. I''m so torn, so I was hoping you guys might be able to head me in the right direction. I''m fine with warmer colors, so I''ve been looking in the I-J-K range. (Though I''ve never seen a K, but I''ve seen Is and Js and am fine with them). I''m looking between .7 and .9 carats and my budget is around $2,500. I''ve found a few stones on JA and one on WF that interest me. Here are the links:

.72 I SI2 http://www.jamesallen.com/diamond.asp?cid=130&item=860678
.74 K SI2 http://www.jamesallen.com/diamond.asp?cid=130&item=871494
.74 I SI2 http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/A-Cut-Above-H-A-cut-diamond-2416648.htm
.9 K SI2 http://www.jamesallen.com/diamond.asp?cid=130&item=864376

The last one is a bit over my budget, but it has such a great spread, and I was aiming to get as close to 6mm as possible. Also, being totally eyeclean isn''t a concern for me since it''s a pendant. I''d prefer to maximize size and sparkle! I know WF has a lifetime trade up policy, does anyone know about JA? My concern with WF is that I have to pay an additional $500 or so for the pendant, while JA told me that my only cost is the stone. All four stones score well on the HCA, and I''m not hung up on getting a H&A stone, but I do want it to be an ideal cut.

What do you guys think?

I''m going to see if I can attach photos of the stones in the order they are listed. Thanks so much for your help!!!

 

[FacetFire]

Here''s the .72 I SI2 from JA

 

[FacetFire]

Here''s the .74 K SI2 from JA (which I might be leaning towards for budget reasons)

 

[FacetFire]

And the .74 I SI2 from WF

 

[FacetFire]

And finally, the .9 K SI1 from JA

 

[Ellen]

I''ve heard experts, and non-experts around here recommend shallower stones for pendants. If it''s true those are best, the .72 I SI2 would be best?

 

[turtledazzle]

Date: 7/11/2006 3:31:23 PM
Author:FacetFire

I know WF has a lifetime trade up policy, does anyone know about JA?

The upgrade policy for James Allen can be found here: http://www.jamesallen.com/about-us/upgrade-policies.asp (it is kind of hard to find, but I bought a stone from them in May and remembered reading it. I had a great experience with JA, BTW. Jennifer was very helpful!)

It isn''t a lifetime upgrade policy, though. Copied from the above link:

Three Year Buy Back - If for any reason you need to sell your diamond, we will buy back your loose diamond purchase for 75% of the original purchase price. Diamond must be in original condition and accompanied by original laboratory grading document. In a market that usually only pays 40-50 cents on the dollar, this policy can save you hundreds, if not thousands of dollars down the line.

Five Year Trade-Up Policy - If for any reason you would like to exchange a loose diamond purchased from us for an item of equal or greater value, we will give you a credit equal to 80-100% of the original purchase price of your item. Diamonds from our Signature Collection can be exchanged at 100% credit, all other diamonds can be exchanged for 80% credit. Diamond must be in original condition and accompanied by original laboratory grading document.

 

[FacetFire]

Thanks Ellen and Turtle!

I''m trying to call today about one, so if anyone else can help me, I''d really appreciate it! Or do none of these look good? I''ve never bought a diamond online before, so I''m kinda lost here!

 

[turtledazzle]

Sorry, I''ve never bought a diamond for a pendant before so I cannot help you choose the stone (other than to say, like Ellen, I have read that some like shallower diamonds for pendants). Maybe others will chime in.

But I would like to point out that the GIA report for the first stone (0.72 Carat I-SI2 Ideal) lists the clarity as SI1 -- looks like JA listed it incorrectly? Also, stone #4 is actually SI1.

As for the actual process of purchasing online, it went very smoothly for us. If you buy from JA, remember to ask for your Pricescope discount (5% I think)!

 

[FacetFire]

Thanks for noticing those errors. I get typing sometimes and all the SIs blend together!

 

[sanfranciscoellen]

I have a K bezel set in a 3 stone ring and its color is fine...I''d go for the K, but I don''t know RB''s enough to compare the stones'' specs.

 

[FacetFire]

Okay...I did it! I actually ended up picking an entirely different stone. It''s a .84 I SI1 from JA. It''s not a perfect stone, and is a bit deep for a pendant, but for some reason it just called to me. Maybe it was the strong blue fluorescence. And, the price was right. It should be here in a few days. I don''t have the cord to my camera, but I''ll try and find someway to post pics when I get it.

 

[Ellen]

Facet, out of those, I''d consider two.

The .72 I SI2 from Whiteflash

HCA results:

1.4 TIC (good mix of white and colored sparkles)

ex, ex, ex, vg



And the .72 I SI2

0.9 BIC It will not have as much fire/colored sparkles, like a lot diamonds do, more white sparkles.


vg, ex, ex, ex

This is kind of comparing an apple to an orange, as the looks will be different. You have to figure out which look you want.

Hope this helped.

 

[Kaleigh]

Date: 7/12/2006 6:34:09 PM
Author: FacetFire
Okay...I did it! I actually ended up picking an entirely different stone. It''s a .84 I SI1 from JA. It''s not a perfect stone, and is a bit deep for a pendant, but for some reason it just called to me. Maybe it was the strong blue fluorescence. And, the price was right. It should be here in a few days. I don''t have the cord to my camera, but I''ll try and find someway to post pics when I get it.

Congrats, cant'' wait to se it!!!

 

[Ellen]

LOL I was researching and you were buying.

Congrats! Hope it''s everything you wanted.

 

[FacetFire]

LOL! Thanks so much for your help, though! I kinda went on impulse. I figure they have a 30 day return policy, so I can''t mess up too much! I went more on the photos than the numbers, so hopefully that wasn''t too bad of an idea.

 

[Ellen]

You''re welcome! And you have to do what makes YOU comfortable. I''m sure it will be lovely!