Please help me find a 1 ct diamond?

[beigenarwhal]

Okay I lied, the two I'm considering are actually under 1ct at 0.9ct, but I'd love to go up to 1ct (or more) if I can find one in the budget. Here are the two I'm considering:

#1 F SI1:
https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3929360.htm

#2 G VS2:
https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-4094464.htm

#2 looks perfect on the image but the representative said both are eyeclean at 5-6" so I don't know if it the magnified image matters. Would it be worth the extra money to go with the VS2? Colorwise, I like the F more when they're next to each other but don't mind the G.

My goal here is a bright white, flashy eye-clean diamond, in the budget of $5-7K that's as possible! I just started diamond searching in earnest, so I don't know if #1 is a typical price for a diamond of those specs or is a good deal I should pounce on. I'm hoping someone in the forum can help provide me with guidance.

I'd also appreciate if any petite handed ladies (I wear 3.75) could show me their 1ct rings in a solitare or halo setting?

Thank you in advance for any direction you can provide!

 

[Bfelix]

Both of those diamonds are beautiful. If you would like to hit that carat mark you are going to have to sacrifice color for your budget. Here are three that I found:

https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-4089355.htm

https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-4099631.htm

This one is a premium select so a bit cheaper but comes with the excellent upgrade program with WF:
https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3974675.htm

These fit your budget. I’m not sure how color sensitive you are. Do you know how you would like to set it?

 

[lovedogs]

Both of those diamonds are beautiful. If you would like to hit that carat mark you are going to have to sacrifice color for your budget. Here are three that I found:

https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-4089355.htm

https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-4099631.htm

This one is a premium select so a bit cheaper but comes with the excellent upgrade program with WF:
https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3974675.htm

These fit your budget. I’m not sure how color sensitive you are. Do you know how you would like to set it?

I agree with the first 2, but really don't like the ASET/IS images for the premium select one. It's what we call a "steep/deep" and won't perform as well as the 2 the OP linked, or the first 2 that @Bfelix suggested

 

[lovedogs]

Another option that's under budget and IMHO just as gorgeous as the WF options. You'd have to be ok going down in color to get the size, but super ideal cuts will face up whiter than other options.
https://www.briangavindiamonds.com/...ags-bl-104102020008#!prettyPhoto[gallery2]/2/

It's gorgeous, and BG are a highly trusted vendor. Less good upgrade policies than Whiteflash, so make sure to keep that in mind.

Or if you don't like fluorescence: https://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamonds/diamond-details/1.077-i-vs2-round-diamond-bfg-785880

 

[beigenarwhal]

Thank you for the lovely suggestions! I love how these diamonds you linked all sparkle! I am a bit color sensitive - G is the lowest I go before I start feeling like it's more yellow than white..

Setting wise, I was considering a thin solitaire tapered band (the Vatche 1513 Felicity caught my eye) or a halo (something similar to this one at Blue Nile: https://www.bluenile.com/build-your...ing_71061?elem=img&track=product&vtype=sample)

 

[TimMD]

Thank you for the lovely suggestions! I love how these diamonds you linked all sparkle! I am a bit color sensitive - G is the lowest I go before I start feeling like it's more yellow than white..

Setting wise, I was considering a thin solitaire tapered band (the Vatche 1513 Felicity caught my eye) or a halo (something similar to this one at Blue Nile: https://www.bluenile.com/build-your...ing_71061?elem=img&track=product&vtype=sample)

When you viewed diamonds that you could see the color difference, were they super ideal cut stones and was it in person? It definitely makes a difference. Some people are just color sensitive and I used to think I was but definitely different with super ideal cut and I was shocked at the difference. Good luck with your search.

 

[southernicetea]

These are around your price point, and by High Performance Diamonds (CBI is like ACA):

1) $6382 (wire price): 0.90 F SI1: https://www.hpdiamonds.com/en-us/diamonddetail/HPD10760.

2) $6766 (wire price) 0.94 G VS2: https://www.hpdiamonds.com/en-us/diamonddetail/HPD10390

HPD has some pretty nice settings as well.

 

[beigenarwhal]

@TimMD (just discovered how to tag people in a post!), they were ACA diamonds from Whiteflash but not in person. I asked the lady to send me some less magnified images of the two diamonds I listed, and I could pick up the yellow from the G VS2. But I had just seen the F SI1 to compare it to, so maybe my eyes were skewed

@southernicetea oooh, very pretty! I guess my main concern would be, is there anything wrong with the F SI2 I posted above which has the same specifications (similar weight, color, clarity) as your first link but is cheaper? I worried that diamonds are an industry where "you get what you pay for" and that the more expensive one is vastly superior.

 

[southernicetea]

@beigenarwhal Other posters can correct me if I'm wrong, but I think CBI diamonds cost a little more compared to ACA. The plot map of the 0.90 F SI1 also looks a little cleaner to me, but I'm not sure if that means anything since both plots have feathers as the clarity setting inclusion.

Maybe other posters who have more experience with CBI and ACA can help out.

 

[lovedogs]

@TimMD (just discovered how to tag people in a post!), they were ACA diamonds from Whiteflash but not in person. I asked the lady to send me some less magnified images of the two diamonds I listed, and I could pick up the yellow from the G VS2. But I had just seen the F SI1 to compare it to, so maybe my eyes were skewed

@southernicetea oooh, very pretty! I guess my main concern would be, is there anything wrong with the F SI2 I posted above which has the same specifications (similar weight, color, clarity) as your first link but is cheaper? I worried that diamonds are an industry where "you get what you pay for" and that the more expensive one is vastly superior.

HPD guarantees all of their stones are eye clean, even SI2. I would jump at the chance to own a CBI SI2, bc it means getting one of the best available stones at a lower price point.

 

[TimMD]

@beigenarwhal All these years and I didn't know how to do that either until you said something about it Just for fun, if you are around any of the PS recommended vendors or a Tiffanys (similar jeweler with ideal cuts), look at super ideal diamonds in person. The first 2 stones I ever bought were D because I was convinced I could see color and eventually found ideal cuts and did A LOT of looking at Tiffanys and eventually bought a G. I got so brave that last month I got a H and now I am not so convinced as I used to be in my color perception. Having said that, up until the stone shipped, I SWORE I could see yellow in the pictures and probably drove Lesley at BGD crazy asking questions and being concerned and she sent me multiple videos with a G and H (the G was a BGD black too) and I thought the my stone was the G because looked whiter and twice picked the wrong stone without knowing. I say all this because sometimes photos and even videos can play tricks in the eyes especially when you know the specs of what you are looking at. My learning point is I wasn't as color sensitive to the eye as my brain thought I was when I knew what I was looking at. Having said that, everyone is different and some definitely are more sensitive than others but in person to the eye super ideals show very white. Plus always fun to make an excuse to go look at fabulous diamonds . I went to Tiffanys so much recently looking I actually felt bad in the end that I didn't buy through my SA. I personally am super happy with the H, my only problem now is DSS, I knew I should have went bigger But if you aren't close enough to somewhere to look then definitely go by what your eye tells you. Good luck and enjoy the experience!

 

[beigenarwhal]

@TimMD I took your suggestion and went to my local Tiffany's! It was a lot of fun! Definitely different than looking at the 40x blown up photo on websites. They had F, G, and I stones in similar sizes and settings, so it was a good exercise in seeing how sensitive I really was. Unfortunately it looks like I have to stay at F or above - both the G and I looked "off" to me. My budget is sad about that discovery.

But! Tiffany's also had F stones in the same setting in different carat weights (a .9, 1, and 1.1) which was very helpful to try on and see how it'd look. I couldn't really tell the difference between a .9 and 1 on my finger unless they were next to each other.

 

[TimMD]

@beigenarwhal I am glad you went and enjoyed yourself, now you know for sure that the extra expense is worth it. I would have hated spending more and then wondering if you would be able to visually see the difference but now you know you can and even clarified that you could appreciate difference between F and G, I definitely couldn't when I had a G. Always nice to find a reason to go and look at jewelry, especially a place like Tiffanys, the customer service at my local Tiffanys is so good that it is always a pleasure to go and look around. Also the lighting is wonderful in Tiffanys so makes the diamonds look incredible. We actually went shortly after getting our ring from BGD to look at some settings (and see it under the Tiffanys lights) and even the sales associate (who wasn't our usual) said "wow" as she slid the band onto my fiancé's finger.

Glad you had a good experience and answered some of your questions.