Problems choosing

[spe739]

Hello everyone -

As you can likely see, this is my first post. I have searched these forums pretty thoroughly and I cant seem to figure out what I am going to do. Just so you know, I have looked at a few places - Jareds, Ben Bridge and look online at a few sites for an e-ring.

This is what I believe I am looking for:

1 carat, ideal cut, F or G grade, vs1 or vs2 round brilliant. In my opinion, I am pretty solid on all of those specs. But I have two questions...

1) I was reading that a round brilliant should have certain specs (i.e. 53% table, 59.3% depth, pavilion angle, crown angle, etc). If I got an ideal cut diamond, how crucial are these percentages? If they are critical, which measurements would be the most important factors?

2) For these specs, I am looking at minimum of $6k from blue nile. I have searched other sites, too, but truthfully, I am a bit nervous about getting a diamond and not being happy with it so having to send it back and wait until I am refunded. I dont know... can someone make some suggestions to me? I know a whole-saler and my friend says she sells diamonds cheap- assuming I can get it certified and appraised, what do you think about that route?

Thanks to everyone in advance!

 

[Cleo]

Hello!

Welcome to PS

You''re pretty much looking at buying a diamond with *exactly* the same specs as me. I have a 1ct AGS0, Ideal cut RB F, VS2.

First thing to say is that I''d put my money on you being absolutely delighted by a stone like this! Cut reaaaaaaally is the key to an awesome stone - and you''re going to love it when you finally see it!

Second, is that the people on PS will be really happy to help you choose the best stone for your money when you''ve chosen some candidates, or even to pull out a few for you to choose from.

To help you choose a few to consider, take a look at the Holloway Cut Advisor. This is a fabulous tool that takes all the guessworkout of looking at those angles, and tells you which stones to consider and which ones to reject, based on their performance. Even within Ideal cuts you can get a range of results and the HCA will really help you narrow things down.

I would highly recommend buying a certed diamond online, rather than from a friend, or from a friend of a friend. You are far safer, and definite about what you are getting if you choose a stone hich has already been certed by a top grading lab... and far less likely to need to return it.

Having said that if you DO need to return a stone to an online vendor, there are many (Blue Nile, Whiteflash, Good Old Gold etc) which have very impressive records of customer service, and returns policies. I would not hesitate to use any of these.

IMHO it is worth the miniscule ''risk'' of needing to return a stone, in comparison the the massive savings I can get at these places. I know I would be refunded without question or delay... but that because I know what I am looking for, the chances are that I would never need to return a diamond anyway.

99.999% of the people on here have all bought diamonds with no problems using online vendors, and can all give you glowing reports of one company or another.

Hope this helps a bit...

x x x

 

[spe739]

Thanks for the quick reply. I am looking for a ring as my girlfriend sleeps on the couch about 2 feet away from me. I''m smooth. Haha.

Anyway, a couple questions - first, is your avatar the ring you are talking about? How much would a person expect to spend for a diamond of such great caliber ?

I''m trying not to break the bank too much... but I agree with what you are saying- I like the ability to look at the diamond and be able to return it, etc, if something goes wrong (or it is lost!).

 

[Cleo]

Hello!

Yes, my avatar is my engagement ring.

We paid about $7000 for this stone (from DiamondsonWeb.com), but probably paid a bit of a premium for the fact it has an AGS certificate, rather than GIA.

You can get equally great cut, but save money by dropping to G colour, and maybe choosing a stone with medium blue fluorescence. Many people on here go for SI1 and get the vendor to confirm the stone is eye clean.

You might prefer a ''patterned'' diamond, which is a super-ideal cut with the Hearts & Arrows pattern caused by very great optical symmetry. (Whiteflash & GOG are good places to look for these). Have a look here to see which you prefer.

x x x

 

[spe739]

Going down to SI1 really brings down price - about 1200. That is a lot. But.. I can achieve the sam savings for going down to .90 carats. What are your thoughts on that?

 

[spe739]

Well.. I just found a forum that answered my question above- but I''d still like your opinion!

 

[Cleo]

Yes, going below the 'magic' 1ct mark will cut the price significantly. However, I would personally notice the size difference between a 0.9 and 1.0 ct diamond... so that wouldn't be my own preferred way of compromising in order to come within my budget.

I would rather go down to an SI1, as long as I knew it was eye clean.

I can't SEE the difference between an eye clean SI1 and a VS2, but I would definitely see the size difference: hence my preference for dropping a clarity grade, rather than size.

At the end of the day it has to be whatever YOU are comfortable with though.

x x x

 

[spe739]

Thanks for that. I also think I would rather do a SI1 to keep price lower...

Bluenile says that you can call them and they will tell you whether or not it is eye clean... how the heck are they able to look at the inventory?

 

[LegacyGirl]

If they don''t have the stone they will call it in for you. I''ve heard good things about working with them. I wouldn''t worry too, too much