Please help newbies find a diamond to hopefully go in a Mark Morrell setting

[alisse]

Hi everyone. Another newbie hoping for some help with shopping for a diamond for my engagement ring (not yet engaged, but actively ring shopping). I am so thankful my sister mentioned this forum, as I had read about the 4Cs on Blue Nile and thought I was prepared to shop for a diamond, ha!

I am in love with the ring below. I am hoping that Mark Morrell will be available to create a similar setting for us, as we have a flexible timeline and a clearly defined design.

We are planning on buying online, likely from WF or GOG. We are looking for an approximately 1 carat (+/- .1) diamond, with excellent cut. I am flexible on the color, leaning towards G-H, but persuadable.

I don't want any visible inclusions, but don't care whether it's an SI2 or VS1, (except an SI2 would be nice pricewise). I have been reading a ton of AGS and GIA reports, but an having trouble telling whether an inclusion will be visible. Any general guidelines or should I just call up WF or GOG and ask whether the inclusions are visible?

My bf is leaning towards an ACA stone. I would like maximum sparkle and brilliance, but if I can't see the difference, I don't want to pay more just for the brand (though my bf may). I found a WF ES 1.02 carat H SI1, with what looks like a tiny inclusion. A lot of the ACA diamonds in the SI1/2 range looked covered in inclusions, though they may not be visible. To get comparable color/clarity, the ACA looked to cost at least $1k more than an ES.

Below is a link to the WF ES 1.02

http://www.whiteflash.com/round_ideal_cut/Round-Ideal-Cut-cut-diamond-283310.htm#

Does this look good? Could we do better without spending a lot more? It was a 1.6 or 1.5 ex, ex, vg on the HCA.

Below is a link to a 1.051 carat ACA H VS2. It is also a 1.6 or 1.5 ex, ex, vg on the HCA.

http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/A-Cut-Above-H-A-cut-diamond-273583.htm#

Which do you prefer? Cost certainly matters, but we also want to do justice to a Mark Morrell setting. I am not planning on upgrading my ring, so I want to love it.

Any general advice, suggestions on who to buy from, particular links to stones that you would buy if you were in our situation, or opinions about the diamonds I linked to would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks so much for your help.

 

[neatfreak]

For what they are, ACA stones have a relatively small markup for the assurance that it's a gorgeous stone. That being said, you can easily choose a stone from their Expert Selection and with some more information and a bit of time, find an equally great stone IMO for a tiny bit less.

But since the markup is so small, personally I would just get an ACA and be done with the headaches!

ETA: Out of those two, I personally like the ACA better, the IS looks a lot cleaner in the sense that everything is a bit more symmetrical. But if you have both in front of you, I don't know what the difference would be or if the average person could tell the difference...

 

[alisse]

Thanks neatfreak. I think you''re right that it would be worth the price difference to be done with the headaches!

Any thoughts on the below ACA?

http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/A-Cut-Above-H-A-cut-diamond-312257.htm#

The inclusions are barely visible to me in the enlarged picture, but they are certainly there on the AGS report. I am wary about trusting my own eye and want to know what the experts think.

 

[Ellen]

Date: 7/30/2007 5:47:36 PM
Author: alisse

Any thoughts on the below ACA?

http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/A-Cut-Above-H-A-cut-diamond-312257.htm#

This is a beautiful stone, as are the other two you picked. If you want a mind clean thing, go for an ACA, but rarely have I seen an IS of an ES that you or I could tell the difference on visually in real life. The reasons stones don''t get the ACA name are almost always something we couldn''t see.

So if you want a stunning stone, but want to save some money, get the first one you posted.

And as with any stone, as far as visable inclusions you need to ask the vendor.