Please help me find my diamond!

[tigerlilly]

Hello All,

This is my first-ever post, but I have learned so much in the past month that I''ve been lurking on this message board. Many thanks to all the helpful and knowledgable people who post here.

In April my wonderful boyfriend of seven years completely blew me away with a romantic surprise proposal. He presented me with a beautiful princess diamond set in a platinum cathedral setting. The stone was a G color VS1 purchased on Bluenile.com. While the ring was absolutely gorgeous, the very sharp v-prongs drove me crazy and the cathedral setting was just too high for me. I soon realized that the ring just bothered me too much and returned it to Bluenile.

My fiance agreed to the return, but now I''m left searching for a replacement on my own. I''m certainly no expert and I''ll admit that the only jewelry I own is the cheap but unique stuff I''ve bought on the street during my travels abroad and I''ve never worn any rings at all. So, I''m hoping you all will be willing and able to help guide me to a beautiful loose round brilliant diamond that will give me the most sparkle for my money. Here''s what I''m looking for:

1.0 carat or more (this is my fiance''s requirement, not mine!)
Clarity: must be "eye clean" SI1 or better
Color: H or better
Cut: Ideal (the most important to me)
Cost: $5000 (could probably go up to $5,500 if necessary)

So, what do you guys think? Is this realistic or not? Any recommendations would be most appreciated!!

Thanks!

 

[phoenixgirl]

Some questions:

Does ideal mean hearts and arrows? What is your definition of ideal?

Are you looking at anything besides GIA and AGS certs?

Right now I''m not finding a "perfect stone" that fits all of your criteria. When I search by cut here on PS, I''m finding I VS2 or H SI2 in that price range, but not an H SI1. However, as far as pricing goes, I believe that you could find a 1.00 H SI1 H&A for just about $5500, so let''s see what other PSers can find.

 

[belle]

hello claire

welcome to ps!

i''m sorry to hear that the princess did not work out for you, but i have no doubt you will get along perfectly with a beautiful, low set rb! i think your criteria are great and reasonably within reach. for a really well cut stone at that price, i would suggest looking at something just under 1ct. there are significant price jumps at the ''carat marks''. you could also safely ventrue into the lower color, well cut and properly graded, i or j diamonds as well. to see what''s available, use the ''pricescope your diamond'' tool at the top of this page and select ''cut quality search'' there you will find all in house diamonds from reputable vendors with their corresponding hca scores, which is very handy.

if you have any other diamond questions, feel free to ask!

 

[phoenixgirl]

Did you see this 1.00 H SI1 AGS0 at Blue Nile? It''s not the tightest stone I''ve ever seen (crown 35.7), but it could be nice. I''m sure BN would appreciate your business again.

 

[sunkist]

I think you''ve got quite a few possiblities here.

1.08ct H SI2
1.06ct I SI2

And there''s more at WhiteFlash if you''d consider going down to a J. Keep searching under ''Search by Cut'' and you''ll find the one!

 

[Lorelei]

Welcome to PS!

The first diamond Sunkist found in particular could be a great choice! I had a quick look for you and to get what you want for the budget, something has to give a little, so would you consider a clean SI2 clarity as SK suggests and maybe a slightly lower colour if needed? An I and even J can face up beautifully in a great cut!

 

[tigerlilly]

Thank you so much for the help I''ve received so far.

By Ideal cut I am referring to the specs for Cut Class 1B provided on the AGA cut grading system.
Table %: 52 - 60
Total Depth %: 58.3 - 62.99
Crown Angle: 33 - 35.1
Crown Height %: 13.5 - 16.8
Pavillion Depth %: 42.5 - 43.5

I have been using this as my guide because I''ve noticed that different sellers have different standards for what qualifies as "Ideal cut".

I didn''t want to go down to an SI2, especially since I''ll be buying over the internet without seeing for myself whether the stone really looks flawless to the unaided eye. If I really can''t find an SI1 though, I may have to in order to keep my budget. I have heard good things about the staff at GoodOldGold and may call them and Whiteflash and ask someone there to look at the stone and let me know whether any of the inclusions are visible.

Thanks again!!

 

[belle]

there are absolutely eye clean si diamonds to be found online. make sure you speak with a vendor that has a working definition of ''eye clean'' and that you understand what they are basing their opinions on.
best of luck!

 

[pebbles]

Would you be able to up the budget a bit to $5800? That is the bank wire price on this beauty:

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/1445/