RB help please.

[KCCutie]

Hello!

Okay I need a little help here. I''m fairly new and I''ve been doing most of my research on Asschers b/c that''s what I rally want but I''m helping my dad upgrade my mom''s wedding set and he needs a RB.

Currently she has a 12-14 pointer in a solitaire with a nice curly-que on the band that has three tiny diamonds in it. We''re going to move the original stone and have it set inside the curve of the curly-que and have a new stone set above it where the current stone is. We''ve spoken to their jeweler and he can do the changes no problem.

We want to find a .5ct RB to put in the new spot. The jeweler had a .48ct H SI2 Ideal Cut (not sure what cert) that we looked at priced at $1250. I told my dad I thought maybe we could do better than that on PS. We don''t want much bigger than .5ct b/c if we get much bigger the original stone will be hidden and for sentimental reasons Mom still wants to be able to see it in the new setting and after 34 years she''s attached to the setting and doesn''t want a new one.

I can post pics of the set tonight if everyone would like to see it but I''m at work and forgot the camera

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Where should I look what specs should I look for? Any suggestions?

 

[Cleo]

Hello! How lovely that you are helping to upgrade your mum''s ring with your dad!

I found a couple of diamonds you might like to look at. As a PSer you will know that we tend to focus on getting the best possible cut, to maximise the beauty of the diamond.. so that is what I have done here:

0.543ct AGS0 cert G SI1 A Cut Above H&A diamond $1588 before discount:
http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/A-Cut-Above-H-A-cut-diamond-540875.htm

0.545ct AGS0 cert H SI2 ACA H&A diamond $1202 before discount:
http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/A-Cut-Above-H-A-cut-diamond-636700.htm

x x x

 

[Splinter]

I''d say work out a budget for the stone first. This will allow you to have a fixed point to work within. You already know the rough size of the stone, which gives you another point. So all you need to decide is what colour, clarity and cut you want to go for.

I''d start off with a Pricescope search for .5 carat stones with an AGS 0 cut. Then adjust the colour and clarity to fit in the budget. Most folk around here (myself included) consider cut to be the most important aspect, so set that high to start with.

 

[Lorelei]

Hi Cutie!

We would be glad to help with your project, how lovely! Basically, it can be easiest to limit your search to AGS0 and GIA Excellent cut grades, that makes life easier when trying to find a pretty diamond! Do you know if she would like a hearts and arrows branded diamond particularly, or just one with an excellent performance and cut? If you give us a good idea of budget, then that would help too.

 

[gwendolyn]

Any idea if that stone is eyeclean? I think if you shop around a bit, you will be able to get an excellently cut stone with better clarity for around the same price. If $1250 is around your budget, there are some great ACAs at Whiteflash for around that price. Here are a couple (all prices shown are before the discount):

0.407 G VS1 ACA, AGS cert, HCA score of 1.5 (ex/ex/ex/vg), $1134: http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/A-Cut-Above-H-A-cut-diamond-636641.htm

0.404 H VS1 ACA, AGS cert, HCA score of 1.4 (ex/ex/ex/vg), $1008: http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/A-Cut-Above-H-A-cut-diamond-636643.htm

0.543 G SI1 ACA, AGS cert, HCA score of 1.0 (ex/ex/ex/vg), $1588: http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/A-Cut-Above-H-A-cut-diamond-292592.htm

If a super-ideal isn't required, WF has one around the carat weight you're looking for, and it's under a grand. It scores a 2.2 on the HCA (very goods all the way down--"worth buying if the price is right") but if you're looking to spend less than the stone you quoted, I thought it might be an option.

0.43 G VS2 ideal cut, GIA cert, $958: http://www.whiteflash.com/round_ideal_cut/Round-Ideal-Cut-cut-diamond-5272.htm

ETA: Man, I KNEW if I started to reply that everyone else would finish their posts before me! Drat.

 

[Splinter]

Date: 4/7/2008 10:54:39 AM
Author: gwendolyn
ETA: Man, I KNEW if I started to reply that everyone else would finish their posts before me! Drat.

Yeah, I had the same thing... Cleo snuck in while I was typing at about 3 words an hour...

 

[Cleo]

LOL - sorry

It''s normally me that gets pipped to the post, as I have a tendency to write reaaaaaally long replies.

Gwendolyn - I did notice you chose one of the same diamonds as me though.

x x x

 

[LegacyGirl]

The setting sounds really lovely.

 

[KCCutie]

Thank you everyone!

I have e-mailed him to get a more defined budget. I did send a link to the one both Cleo & Gwendolyn picked to give him an idea.

Legacy - Thanks! I think it''s just perfect for my mom and I adore it too. I''ll take a pic this evening and post it.

 

[Splinter]

Date: 4/7/2008 11:07:04 AM
Author: Cleo
LOL - sorry

As you should be! How dare you post before I have expressed my own ill-informed opinion!

 

[KCCutie]

Alright.

Dad says he will go up to $2000 on the stone. So I think we''re in the right range! He wants it to be a very nice looking quality stone. Obviously he won''t turn down a great deal, so less is fine but 2000 is the upper limit.

He did say the .54ct I sent him looked like a higher quality stone(Thanks Cleo and Gwendolyn for that pick). We are going to get a copy of the cert for the one the jeweler has on hand to compare. Any other suggestions are welcome

 

[KCCutie]

Quick question....

There are 2 stones that are .543 at Whiteflash. Both have a crystal showing on the report and in the magnified picture I can find them although I know what matters is if they are eye clean.

Should the crystals be a factor? When I look at the reports what kinds of inclusions are no big deal and which should I stay away from.

 

[Cleo]

Date: 4/7/2008 2:22:01 PM
Author: KCCutie
Quick question....

There are 2 stones that are .543 at Whiteflash. Both have a crystal showing on the report and in the magnified picture I can find them although I know what matters is if they are eye clean.

Should the crystals be a factor? When I look at the reports what kinds of inclusions are no big deal and which should I stay away from.

You can''t judge the clarity (in terms of eyecleanliness) on the grading report, unfortunately.

Mine''s a VS2 and the AGSL report plot looks pretty bad with the plotted clouds - but you struggle to see them even with a loupe!

Your best bet is to phone Whiteflash and ask about how the stones look (and tell them if you want it to look clean from the sides as well as face up, and at what sort of distance).. they will tell you honestly what they look like.

x x x

 

[KCCutie]

Thanks Cleo!

We''re trying to narrow down the field here are my first round picks:

1.) http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/A-Cut-Above-H-A-cut-diamond-114370.htm#

2.) http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/4276/

3.) http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/4156/

4.) http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/3868/

5.) http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/3823/

6.) http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/G-VS2-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1139251.asp

7.)http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/F-SI1-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1036509.asp

8.)http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/H-VVS2-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1101350.asp

9.) http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/G-VS1-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1101369.asp

10.) http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/A-Cut-Above-H-A-cut-diamond-540875.htm

Which would you pick? They are all well within budget. I''m thinking 1,2 and 4 look really nice.

 

[KCCutie]

After running them through the HCA, they are all under 2 which I think is good.

I''m now leaning towards one of these 4:

Number 8 (HCA = . .51ct, H, VVS2, H&A at James Allen for $1400
Number 9 (HCA = .7) .58ct, G, VS2, H&A at James Allen for $1680
Number 3 (HCA = . .47 ct, F, VS1, H&A at Good old Gold for $1675
Number 7 (HCA = 1.1) .51, F, SI1, H&A at James Allen for $1240

Any experts out there have a preference or are they are great stones?

I know I ask way too many questions, but I just want to get the best stone for my mom. Plus just typing this all out actually helps me visualize the choices too. I''d just like a second opinion since this is my first time.

TIA

 

[Cleo]

HCA scores all under 2 is great

You know that lower isn''t necessarily better? Many people aim for between 1 and 2.

I only mention it because your narrowed-down selection has three which score under 1 - and just wondered if you''d picked the lowest scoring.

x x x

 

[Cleo]

I like this one for the bit of extra size!

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/3823/

The two Whiteflash ACAs are both gorgeous too.

Personally, I wouldn''t be worried about going above VS2 for clarity, and an eyeclean SI1 would be excellent value for money.

I didn''t check all of the JA stones to see if they were all proper H&A stones - but if you like patterning and super-ideal optical symmetry in your diamonds you should take this into consideration.

x x x

 

[KCCutie]

Date: 4/7/2008 5:29:22 PM
Author: Cleo
HCA scores all under 2 is great


You know that lower isn''t necessarily better? Many people aim for between 1 and 2.


I only mention it because your narrowed-down selection has three which score under 1 - and just wondered if you''d picked the lowest scoring.


x x x

Now see that is exactly why I''m glad I post all this

Actually I thought under 2 was good but I wasn''t sure under one was any better so thanks for the clarification.

I ruled out a couple b/c for the price the clarity wasn''t the best then ran the rest through HCA. All but 3 were under 1. Number 6 was a HCA = 1.4 but it''s not a H&A Ideal cut. then Number 1 was a HCA = 1.2 .502ct, G, VS2 at 1733 before the PS discount (how much is the PS discount btw?). Hmmm that may put Number 1 on the short list too. With that bit of info I''d say Number 7 is in the lead though