I am in the market for an engagement ring. Starting with the diamond I'm realizing that doing it online requires a long lead time and deliberation. So on recommendation of a friend I went to a store and saw some that he had.
Now after a long discussion with the store guy (who was very nice and helpful) he sort of narrowed it down to 3 stones which were different in each regard.
1) 1.51 G VS2 with a HCA of 1.6 ($12.3K)
2. 1.81 G VS2 with a HCA of 0.6 ($16.9K)
3) 1.80 H VS2 with HCA of 6.0 ($13.9K)
Now I don't have images or anything but Stone 2 was the best looking but the difference between that and Stone 1 wasn't a lot. Stone 3 also was not too far down but it was the cleanest in terms of inclusions. The other two had some when seen under a magnifier.
I'd found a H IF 1.76 online which I'd asked to see in person a while back for $17K but thought it was a bit steep. Now having seen others I realized it was probably priced well. Unfortunately its now gone.
I feel completely lost. I don't know if size is what I should aim for as that is what most laymen (and her friends) are going to be enamored by. The shop guy said that once the ring gets a little dirty the sparkle (or cut) doesn't matter that much because what attracts most people is the size.
You guys tend to lean towards AGS a lot vs. GIA. Is there a reason?
If in NYC I wanted to go to a store instead of the whole online thing - would you recommend or dissuade me? I'm inclined towards stores because on my own I'm not sure if I'm capable of looking at stones and determining the right one. Also I can't do comparative analysis which is where you can really pit one against another and know which ones better.
If a store then which ones are good / trusted in NYC area?
I thought this would be easier. We're leaving for vacation in a week and I thought I'd have something to take with me to ask her. But now it looks like it's a much longer process. I even thought of buying a ring to propose and then return once we're back just to replace with something better.
I feel very disheartened.
Now after a long discussion with the store guy (who was very nice and helpful) he sort of narrowed it down to 3 stones which were different in each regard.
1) 1.51 G VS2 with a HCA of 1.6 ($12.3K)
2. 1.81 G VS2 with a HCA of 0.6 ($16.9K)
3) 1.80 H VS2 with HCA of 6.0 ($13.9K)
Now I don't have images or anything but Stone 2 was the best looking but the difference between that and Stone 1 wasn't a lot. Stone 3 also was not too far down but it was the cleanest in terms of inclusions. The other two had some when seen under a magnifier.
I'd found a H IF 1.76 online which I'd asked to see in person a while back for $17K but thought it was a bit steep. Now having seen others I realized it was probably priced well. Unfortunately its now gone.
I feel completely lost. I don't know if size is what I should aim for as that is what most laymen (and her friends) are going to be enamored by. The shop guy said that once the ring gets a little dirty the sparkle (or cut) doesn't matter that much because what attracts most people is the size.
You guys tend to lean towards AGS a lot vs. GIA. Is there a reason?
If in NYC I wanted to go to a store instead of the whole online thing - would you recommend or dissuade me? I'm inclined towards stores because on my own I'm not sure if I'm capable of looking at stones and determining the right one. Also I can't do comparative analysis which is where you can really pit one against another and know which ones better.
If a store then which ones are good / trusted in NYC area?
I thought this would be easier. We're leaving for vacation in a week and I thought I'd have something to take with me to ask her. But now it looks like it's a much longer process. I even thought of buying a ring to propose and then return once we're back just to replace with something better.
I feel very disheartened.
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