Ready to pull the trigger.

[bullmarket12]

I've researched as much as I can. I've come to the conclusion that I'm going to go with Excellent/Ideal cut, SI1(or better), I (or better), very good symmetry, round, and .8 carats. I think this is the most bang for my buck. I have around $4k to spend. Thoughts?


And what's the best place online to buy it? Feel free to link to other similar threads or stickies as I'm strapped for time due to long hours at work.

 

[nfowife]

Here are some options- if you find the setting at one of these then I'd get the stone there too:
http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/G-SI1-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1380140.asp
http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/J-VS1-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1379642.asp
http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/H-SI1-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1380141.asp

If you can swing it or if you end up going with a less $$ setting, this looks nice and is bigger:
http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/J-VS1-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1379642.asp

http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-2599716.htm
http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-2638932.htm

well under your budget but still looks nice:
http://goodoldgold.com/diamond/8342/

 

[minmin001]

http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamond/diamond-detail/?product_id=AGS-104051366017

 

[bullmarket12]

I just wanna say THANK YOU!!!!! I've been researching for about a half year now..and this is the first time I've heard of any of those sites. I was working with a jeweler, but he was asking for too much money IMO. He's very knowledgeable and has a tremendous reputation, but I need bang for my buck. Here's a snippet of his philosophy...
# IA or AGS graded: WHO graded the diamond you’re buying is incredibly important, b/c not all labs have the same grading standards. GIA & AGS are the world’s top labs, w/ the strictest standards. All other labs exaggerate/embellish the grades they give. Meaning, if the diamond isn’t a GIA or AGS, the diamond is not as good as the diamond report would indicate, and you’re most likely overpaying by a significant amount.
# GIA Excellent or AGS Ideal Cut grade: The cut determines 98% of a diamond’s sparkle. So, it is easily the #1 “must have” in a diamond. An excellent/ideal cut diamond can have 50% more sparkle than a “good” cut. So, the cut quality is incredibly important.
# D – H color, possibly I: As long as we stick to H or better, the diamond will look blazing, bright white. Once we hit I-color, there is a faint tinge of yellow. But, it is not readily discernible. If budget dictates it, you can drop down to an I and get a stone that is stunning, w/o sacrificing “noticeable” quality. Against a white background, you can see the tinge of color, but it’s hard to see otherwise.
# VS2 – SI1: SI1 is the lowest clarity grade that will yield a diamond that is 100% flawless to the naked eye; meaning, you can’t see flaws/inclusions w/o a microscope. Below an SI1, you can start to see the inclusions. Some SI1s have inclusions that are faintly visible through the bottom of the stone, but I avoid those stones.
# Very Good to Excellent polish & symmetry: The difference between Excellent & Very Good is only seen at the microscopic level. Thus, they will look 100% identical. You cannot have an ideal or excellent cut grade if the diamond has a polish or symmetry grade below VG.
# Category 1 Status: It’s incredibly important that any diamond you buy is a Category 1 diamond. Cat 1 diamonds are diamonds that have no dangerous inclusions & perfect atomic structuring. Cat 2 diamonds have inclusions that pose long-term issues to the stone’s durability and/or beauty, and often have atomic structural defects that make it highly likely the stone will break or chip at some point. If you read the Scams doc I sent previously, you have a good understanding of Cat 1 vs Cat 2. The problem w/ Cat 2 diamonds is, you cannot tell they are Cat 2 unless you run very specific gemological tests on them. Gemological grading reports don’t denote what category a diamond is. So, you can’t look at a GIA or AGS grading report and tell if it’s a good diamond or a bad diamond. You can have a D/Flawless, GIA Ex cut diamond that is pure junk. But, if you don’t run the proper tests, you’d never know. Thus, you do not want to buy a diamond based solely on the 4Cs. This is why we do pre-purchase evaluations through an independent gemologist on all diamonds we sell.
# Fluorescence: There is a very rare, but excellent type of fluorescence that I often like quoting. What makes it great is that it whitens the diamond a full color grade. Don’t let that be a determining factor though, b/c the human eye can’t distinguish adjacent grades in real world lighting conditions. There is a lot of confusing & incorrect information out there on fluorescence, so let me know if you want supporting evidence.


I like this forum a lot so far....I think I'll stick around even after I buy the rock...

 

[nfowife]

He actually sounds like a very knowledgeable jeweler. However, B&M stores have higher overhead than the online stores, and may charge more. Also you pay sales tax on local purchases, and with a large purchase such as this that can be a few hundred + dollars that I'm sure you'd rather put into your diamond.

I have an AGS ideal I diamond, it is Si2. It has no visible inclusions and faces up extremely white. My sidestones are g in color and my wedding band is e/f in color and I cannot see any warmth in my I center stone (and it's over 2 carats) comparatively. Some might be very color sensitive but no one I've asked can see any difference in color.

Best of luck!

 

[AmeliaG]

This stone is at the upper end of your budget with the Pricescope discount but its a Hearts & Arrows 0.804 carat H VS2 and scores well on the HCA. It has amazing specs for the size you're looking for.

http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-2638932.htm