Questions to ask when looking at diamonds

[JeBri31508]

Hello everyone, this is my very first post on PS. I am so glad I found this site--I absolutely love diamonds and it''s very convienent that my hubby and I are planning an upgrade for our anniversary in March . I am going to go check out a wholesale diamond store (it''s called Israel Diamonds in Tulsa, OK) in a couple of weeks. I have had friends who have used them and their prices are competitive to what is online. I talked with the director about what kind of diamond I am interested in--I would like a 1 carat round, preferably a H&A diamond. SI1 clarity, and I could go down to an "I" in color. I was quoted anywhere from 3k to 4900 for a H&A diamond, SI1 clarity, and near colorless, with a GIA grading. My question is...when I go, how do I distinguish the "good" from the "bad"? Assuming that all the diamonds I see are in my criteria, what else should I look for to make sure I am getting the most sparkly and biggest looking diamond I can? I read up about table, depth, etc, but am not sure what I should be looking for in a 1 carat round...I''m just nervous that I''ll just see sparkle and won''t know how to decide what is truly the "best"! The director also said he could order me a diamond if I had specific criteria that was not in-house...so maybe you all can help me with that specific criteria!

Another question, for those who may know. Can you take a setting that holds small diamonds and make it fit a larger one? Will it still be sturdy enough for the diamonds? My current E-ring is a 3 stone setting, 14k WG, and the center diamond is only .37...I was wondering if I can put my new 1 carat in this setting still, or would it mess it all up?

THanks so much for everyone''s help!

 

[mani5ha]

Yesterday I read a very interesting post and I noted it down in my little diamond search notepad

here it is:

The stone ideally should be:

GIA excellent cut grade
Very good or better polish
Medium girdle, or medium - sl.thick, or thin-medium (but don''t accept thin - slightly thick, it''s too variable)
Table size: 55-57%
Crown angle: 34.5
Pavillion: 40.8

Sooo.. I''m guessing you should ask all the questions that will obtain the above info?

Someone correct me if i''m wrong, I got this from another post written a while back!

It also advised to not sit on a carat boundary - i think this might mean go for a 0.99 or a 1.01 etc. But i''m not sure.

Manisha

 

[whatmeworry]

Well first of all ask what the return policy is. You should have enough time (at least a week, preferably 30 days) to inspect the diamond outside of their office, in your home, work, and in lots of different lighting situations. This way you''ll be able to inspect it at your own leisure and also against other diamonds. If it doesn''t meet your expectations, you should be able to return it for your money back (not store credit and no re-stocking fee). Pay with a credit card to get some protection.

Inspect it with a loupe (they should have one). And it''s H&A, ask to view it through a H&A viewer. Ask him to show you bad, fair, and good cuts so that you can compare against them. Put the diamonds between your fingers as if they were in a ring, rock them back and forth. Use different lighting. Go visit other diamond stores and compare it against their best quality diamonds. Visit an appraiser if you want to get another opinion. 1 ct diamonds should be around 6.5 mm or so. If this one measures much less or more than this, take a hard look. A 0.37 ct should measure 4.5 mm or so at the very least you will need a new head on your setting. Ask a jeweler for a professional opinion.

Most of all have fun, treat this as a learning experience. Don''t be pressured to buy, you can always go back.

 

[JeBri31508]

Thank you both for your advice! This is going to be a "first time meeting", so I''m not looking to actually purchase anything next week. Also, from what I''ve been reading, now I''m not sure if an H&A would actually be that much better than an Ideal cut diamond that is excellent, so I want to be able to go look at both cuts and see what the differences are. Another question...since I don''t have an "Ideal-scope", how can I tell if the diamond has leakage or not? It is most important to me that the diamond be VERY sparkly...and then it needs to be at least 1 carat lol because the hubby has stated this is the only upgrade for a very. long. time.

 

[Jim Summa]

On using the same ring it just depends on the style.
I would consider matching the .37ct that is your center stone now with your new diamond, it would be a nice look (even if the cut is not ideal).