Wow, this is a great forum. I thought I was ready to buy, but I'd like some advice first.
I'm engaged, but haven't gotten the ring yet (wanted the question to be a surprise, and the ring to be what she wanted). I've been doing some research, but I've reached a point of diminishing returns. You see, I thought I knew what I wanted, but then all of the comments here more or less insisting on an H&A cut (I'm exaggerating I know ) have got me worried that I should be paying a premium for that level of cut (and sacrificing carat) when I wasn't planning on it. Here are my current thoughts, having looked at stones a couple of times only.
H -- neither of us could tell the difference b/t H and "whiter" diamonds.
SI1 or better -- but must be genuinely eye-clean, I guess I've got decent eyes for clarity b/c I've seen some GIA SI1's that weren't eye clean.
1.5 Ct. or so would be nice -- I'm fortunate to have a good job (and I'm kinda old for a first timer!), so I can spend a bit. I plan to set this in platinum w/ one small side stone on each side, maybe .6 ct wt. total. That having been said, the notion of spending much over 10K on what's really not a "rare" gem makes me sick to my stomach.
Cut?? Well here's the question. My feeling was that at the end of the day, if the thing looks white and sparkly, it's size that's really going to matter. However, I've infered from many posters here that they'd perhaps weight the cut quality more heavily than that.
So roughly speaking, the trade appears to come out like this for $8000:
H&A G/H VS2/SI1 1.25
or
lesser cut (but still decent 60% depth and sub 59% table w/ VG polish and symmetry) G/H VS2/SI1 1.50+
I know it's a matter of our own taste, but I'd still like your opinions. FWIW, to my eye, the difference between 1.25 and 1.50 is significant.
Thoughts?
Thanks,
Carlos
I'm engaged, but haven't gotten the ring yet (wanted the question to be a surprise, and the ring to be what she wanted). I've been doing some research, but I've reached a point of diminishing returns. You see, I thought I knew what I wanted, but then all of the comments here more or less insisting on an H&A cut (I'm exaggerating I know ) have got me worried that I should be paying a premium for that level of cut (and sacrificing carat) when I wasn't planning on it. Here are my current thoughts, having looked at stones a couple of times only.
H -- neither of us could tell the difference b/t H and "whiter" diamonds.
SI1 or better -- but must be genuinely eye-clean, I guess I've got decent eyes for clarity b/c I've seen some GIA SI1's that weren't eye clean.
1.5 Ct. or so would be nice -- I'm fortunate to have a good job (and I'm kinda old for a first timer!), so I can spend a bit. I plan to set this in platinum w/ one small side stone on each side, maybe .6 ct wt. total. That having been said, the notion of spending much over 10K on what's really not a "rare" gem makes me sick to my stomach.
Cut?? Well here's the question. My feeling was that at the end of the day, if the thing looks white and sparkly, it's size that's really going to matter. However, I've infered from many posters here that they'd perhaps weight the cut quality more heavily than that.
So roughly speaking, the trade appears to come out like this for $8000:
H&A G/H VS2/SI1 1.25
or
lesser cut (but still decent 60% depth and sub 59% table w/ VG polish and symmetry) G/H VS2/SI1 1.50+
I know it's a matter of our own taste, but I'd still like your opinions. FWIW, to my eye, the difference between 1.25 and 1.50 is significant.
Thoughts?
Thanks,
Carlos