Please help! RB reserved, should I commit to it??

[mikebaudio]

Hey all,

Long time lurker, first time poster. Been reading a LOT of PS in the past 3 months or so. I was waiting to jump on buying a diamond that fit all of my criteria. Definitely wanted to go with an H&A, and was drawn to sites like GOG, Whiteflash, etc etc. Went to a bunch of local B&M stores, including Tiffany, Cartier, and Shreve. I haven''t been to the local SF Jewelry Mart. I''ve avoided it because I probably would have wasted my time culling through all of the loose diamonds to find a decently priced H&A.

I think that I''ve finally found the diamond for me! The price is probably 20% more than I initially wanted to pay when I started looking 3 months ago. However, I''ve been seeing that prices are going up and supply is short on the higher end cuts, larger stones, and higher color+clarity grades. I''m afraid that the prices will go up in the next month or two *again*. I just don''t want to delay and get a lower quality diamond (for the same price).

Below are the specs:

Color: G
Clarity: VS1
Cut: H&A
Carat: 1.56ct
AGS0
Polish: Ideal
Symmetry: Ideal
Fluorescence: N
Girdle: Thin to Slightly Thick Faceted
Measurements: 7.41-7.44X4.58

---HCA is 0.8
Depth %: 61.6
Table %: 56.4
Crown Angle: 34.7
Pavilion Angle: 40.6
Culet: 0
---


Thoughts? Should I pull the trigger on this one?? Thanks for the help!

 

[gwendolyn]

Ooooooh, it sure looks purdy to me. I love the size, colour and clarity you chose!

Do you have an Idealscope image too?

 

[bee*]

I think that it looks great.

 

[Lorelei]

Ditto lovely diamond and an excellent vendor if it is with the vendor I think it is - good choice!

 

[Ellen]

Scrumptious looking stone. Pull!

 

[girlie-girl]

I concur. It looks like a beauty!

 

[mikebaudio]

Yeah, I think that I''m going with it. It''s been calling my name all weekend!

Here''s the idealscope:

 

[Kaleigh]

Ummmm, Heck yes, looks like a winner to me. Best to reserve it now....

 

[honey22]

Yummy

Fabulous size, colour, clarity, and the cherry on top it''s an AGS Ideal. You''ve got a winner there!!

 

[mikebaudio]

Just a little follow-up:

I had it shipped from Whiteflash direct to the independent appraiser (Nancy Stacy) this week. I had the funds available and was ready to send a bank wire after seeing the diamond in person. Chris at Whiteflash was very helpful in answering my questions. The communication was always clear and never had any pressure. The entire process of shipping and payment was very clear. I''m probably going to ship it back to Whiteflash after picking out a setting (with my future fiance!).

The appraiser checked over the diamond and it (obviously?) matched up with all of the information on the certificate. I can''t say that I myself am an expert at viewing diamonds with ASET and Idealscopes, but I gave it a shot and it looked good. I was initially surprised about how precise one needed to be to view the H&A. It made me really appreciate the effort that Whiteflash puts into posting the H&A and ASET pictures.

Maybe it''s just my personality, but the funny thing about finally seeing the diamond in person is how anti-climatic the experience was. I researched for months on Pricescope to find the perfect stone. Learning about all of the important issues really raised my expectations *so much*, that seeing a "perfect" H&A / AGS000 / A Cut Above diamond didn''t make me flinch. This was in complete contrast to my mother who also came to the appraisal - she was very excited. It was as though I wouldn''t have been satisfied if it was anything less! Perhaps I was expecting it to be so over-the-top based on the specs and the price. (Maybe if it was, say, a 5ct would I have been completely overwhelmed). Have any of you felt this only soon after picking out your "perfect" diamond?

I think that I would have been REALLY critical if it hadn''t been vetted by many different people, including all of you. After reading so many postings here, purchasing from Whiteflash and having Nancy''s appraisal really allowed me to know that I was purchasing the best diamond that I could for the price.

Given that it was all that I expected, and matched all of the specs I''d seen, it was time to go to the bank and wire the funds. Within a couple of hours, I received confirmation that Whiteflash received the funds. And now it''s mine!!

The proposal will likely be in August. We''ll be shopping for settings together, as I don''t trust myself to pick the perfect one... although I am very partial to the Whiteflash and Superbcert 6-prong Tiffany replica settings!! I promise that pictures are forthcoming! Thanks again!