Please HELP with 1.5ct great cut

[bomfunk]

Hi everyone!

great forum here i must confess. please help me with any ideas or suggestions you might have.

i''m getting ready to propose to my better half and my budget is about 10K for the ring. if i''m correct that leaves me with 7.5-8K for the stone, since i haven''t chosen a ring design yet.

to put it very short and simple i''d like to get her the best looking rock for my money. period. i really don''t care what can be seen under any magnificaiton, just what i and she can see with our naked eys. based on my research that puts me in SI1-SI2 range. colorwise i think H-J should do it, although i haven''t seen anything in person yet, so i''d need advice here. as for the size I saw some stones in 1.3-1.5 range around 8K that were stated to be top cuts.

so above all said, what are my chances of getting a great looking rock close to 1.5 and under 8K?

i have just started looking and was only online so far. i''m about to go to a few B&M''s and try to compare some colors and cuts. what would be your suggestions on finding the right stone? i have about 2 weeks or so.

i know that there are some awsome signature cuts that are priced at a premium. but will i see the difference between them and just a very good or ideal cut that isn''t a signature? is it worth to for it extra?

i spoke to a jeweller i got a few things in the past from. he said that he''ll find me the stone and it''ll cost just what the RAP says. he wants to make his 10% and that''s it. when i asked his opinion on getting it online he got a bit upset saying that there''s enough scam online and you can get a different stone than you''ve ordered and then you won''t be able to return it.
please let me know what are my best options here.
thanks a million.

 

[Skippy123]

Hey, there are 2 great diamonds on Wink's website here. http://www.winkjones.com/specials/diamonds.php
a 1.32 and 1.5 both under $9k

Good Old Gold has this one too. http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/3525/ for $7k or this one http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/3582/. Hope that helps.

I would get the best cut you can. Good Old Gold and WF have lifetime upgrades. There is debate over whether or not to get perfect hearts and arrows (it does not matter to me but it may to you). Best wishes

 

[aljdewey]

Another possibility......it''s a bit higher than 8K (PS price is 8721), but the stone looks amazing.....

1.56 J, SI1 H&A ACA for $8721....
http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/A-Cut-Above-H-A-cut-diamond-179723.htm

 

[Hera]

I went to Mark at ERD and he found me an gorgeous 1.57 I SI2 (totally eyeclean) for around $8,000 with the solitaire setting included. It's not branded or H&A but it's beautifully cut.

 

[TonyT]

hi bomfunk,

2 weeks is not a lot of time, especially when spending 10K.

don''t let the pushy salesman scare you from buying diamonds from the internet. lots of people do it (including myself). I have made five 10K+ purchaes and ruturned four of them... all safe. Just make sure you buy it form a reputable jeweler that has a excellent return policy (if you are not sure, just ask.. WF and GOG come to mind).

if you must hit the 2 week date, then purpose with a ring that you can always return/tradeup (having both is better). And if she doesn''t like the ring you got her, then both of you go shopping for a new ring together. Buy from a place that has a huge inventory so she can have her pick on the shape, size, coloer, etc... just incase you get it wrong. or you can always return it and start new.

my advice is to really spend some time looking/learning about diamonds (alone or together) so you don''t get ripped off 10K. I think she would appericate that you spent your 10K wisely.

hope this helped. good luck.

-Tony

 

[bomfunk]

hey guys,

first of all thanks so much for the advice. it''s really nice to get some help when spending so much money.

i went today to a few b&m''s in san francisco. didn''t expect to find anything but wanted to see the rocks and touch them. i wasn''t surprised that everything i saw was much much more expensive than what you can get online. one place was more expensive by about 3-4K. but anyway.

1. i realized that there''s nothing for me to do with the diamond in hand if i don''t have any tools. so i''m buying an idealscope tomorrow.
2. i noticed that there''s a visible difference in colors. what would be your suggestion on the color, what''s the lowest i can safely go without being visible right away that it''s yellow???
3. there''s a few diamond wholesalers under one roof in SF. they were closed today but i''ll check them out next week for sure. i want to see what kind of prices they have vs online.
4. what other trustworthy sellers can you recommend online besides GOG and WF?
5. this is probably one of the more important Q''s i have. i know that CUT is the most important aspect and most of you will suggest to get one as good as possible BUT will i be able to see a difference in the very very best cut there is, that is priced with a hefty markup and just a really GREAT CUT. so if you could give me some more info on this.

thanks again.

 

[Hera]

That's why I recommended Mark at Engagement Rings Direct. He works in the New York Jewelry direct and has a ton of stones available to him. He just walks over and takes a look at them He worked at GIA and he is super honest and is one of the recommended sellers on Pricescope (do a search). For under 8,000, it's hard to get into a 1.5 stone and I was able to do that with him. As I said earlier I got a 1.57 round brilliant for around 8k (which beat everyone else online). It's ideal cut, but not branded. As long as you use the HCA and find a stone under 2.0 and a nice idealscope image, you should have a stunning stone. Mark will do an idealscope image for you and you can post it here for the pros. Good luck with your search.

 

[swingirl]

The nice thing about the on line vendors is they have magnified photos, Sarin Reports, ASET reports and Idealscope pictures that you can study. I found it very difficult to access stones in a store/jeweler''s even with a loupe and my own Idealscope. Most B&Ms don''t have equipment to take any photos. They have tweazers and a loupe.

They are good places to start if you need to see stones in person. But do look at the beauties at Whiteflash and GOG. You can call those guys and they''ll have the stone right there and can tell you what their eyes see. Wink Jones and Engagement Rings Direct have less info on the internet but the people there are helpful and very knowledgeable about beautiful stones. It helps if you know what you want and let them find the best cut stone in your budget. You have a very nice budget and should be able to find something. Being short on time you might want to get a very simple inexpensive setting which can be upgraded to your gal''s taste for an anniversary.

 

[Chase035]

I lot of people will say as low as J is ok to avoid yellow, but if you''re having it set in white gold or platinum, I''d prefer H color or better. With yellow gold, I and J are fine. I''d really force yourself to take a crash course using the tutorials here on the site. It''s the only way you can insure that you won''t regret whatever stone you end up choosing. I''ve personally had good experiences with Blue Nile, but GOG has tons more info available to you to confirm that you are getting a really good diamond, whereas with BN I had to learn enough to sift through the reports myself to make sure my GIA Excellent was a good GIA Excellent. Try using the cut adviser tool (on the tools menu) to confirm cuts. And if you''re going with GOG or another vendor that supplies idealscope images, post them to the board so people can help you out.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

You''ve already been given some excellent suggestions, and I have bought or returned from all of those vendors! Since you have a short time line, I''d recommend calling the vendor of the stone you''d be most interested in and get the ball rolling. I prefer G-H for myself, but I have seen some very nice I color stones and think they are fine in platinum or white gold.

 

[ringster]

bomfunk, i''m also at the same stage as you with similar budget but looking for a cushion cut. i also live in the bay area.

to look at diamonds to see differences - i would recommend joe escobar and this place in los altos, diamondbroker (jeff the owner is really down to earth and friendly however he does not have any ags stones and i think the ones online have been better cut and price). it really helps to get to a certain comfort zone by seeing these darn things in person first. once i got a sense of price and what color and clarity i''m ok with, i feel more comfortable buying from either mark at ERD , GOG or whiteflash.

i''m no expert and i trust that these experts with great reps will be able to discern the subtle differences that i will probably notice after time but right now am not able to see. plus each stone looks different in different store and i don''t get a chance to view them in natural light - ERD and GOG know how to put the stones through the paces. whiteflash too. i''m leaning a bit more towards GOG and ERD right now b/c i am looking for a cushion cut but if i was looking for a wb whiteflash would definitely be a possibility. i really love that GOG has all of the paperwork ready for me without me having to ask for it!

i am hoping to check out the jewelry mart in SF either this week or next weekend but i frankly don''t put too much hope on finding something there. if i find anything worth mentioning i''ll post info. but i think i actually will feel better going with the online vendors who i know have a great rep, great customer service, and whose work i can see here on pricescope. you should check out the show me the ring section and you''ll see lots of great stones credited to these vendors - that is proof in and of itself. i figure if amatueurs can photograph their ring and the diamond looks great then it must be even better in person!

hope this helps.