Ring shopping- could use some help-1ct princess

[teacherk]

I have been lurking for awhile and have seen some other folks get some aweome advice and tips so I finally had to register so I could get in on the expertise

Here''s my deal. I never got an engagement ring since my husband and I got married very young and had no $$$$ We are coming up on our 20 year anniversary and hubby has decided I should finally have the ring I would like. We went to the mall (please don''t panic- we are not buying a mall ring) I just wanted to try some styles on to see what I liked the looks of on. Here''s what I like the best:
Kays Leo 1ct Princess in cathedral setting-14kt yellow gold.

I''m not stuck on the Leo. I don''t think I''d know the difference. I did like the setting though. The prongs in platinum are pretty and the way they round out the sharp corners of the stone look nice to me. Our budget is inthe $3000ish range. I''m not so set on any certain quality of diamond- just want it to be pretty and eye clean. I am one of those people who will look very closely though at any flaws so I''m assuming I would need a VS1 or VS2 to be sure I''m not going to see anything I don''t like with the naked eye, but maybe an SI would work? For color I''m thinking I or better should do it for me. I am not flexible on the size of the diamond. I have my heart set on a 1ct. Since the Kay ring is what I tried on and liked the looks of I want to match that look (especially of the setting) as closely as possible. I am worried about some of the things like depth, table, girdle since I know almost nothing about those things. From what I understand those things can effect the look of the ring quite a bit. The goal is to get the best looking and best quality ring we can afford. If I am allowed to post a picture of the ring I looked at Kay I will, otherwise it''s on the Kay site. Am I dreaming or can I get ring like this in our price range? I have some time to look since we won''t actually celebrate our 20 yr for another year and a half, but my husband told me if I find "the one" before that I can buy it and start wearing it right away, so sooner could be nice too

Thanks to anyone who has taken time to read my wordy post! I have been so impressed with all the advice to others I am anxious to see if any of you have suggestions for me.

 

[Italiahaircolor]

Welcome to PS, Teacherk

Don''t worry about liking a ring at Kay...everyone has the right to buy a ring from where they want to...and unlike most people, I don''t freak out at the idea of mall diamonds...althought I probably wouldn''t purchase one myself, I think shopping around is a great way to educate yourself on what you like verses what you don''t on your finger (which is impossible to do via online!)

Below, I''ve attached a link to the WF page where I found a bunch of diamonds similar to what you''re looking for...

Princess diamonds search results at Whiteflash.com

You''ll notice, just from that site, you have about 220 contenders! However, to get an ideal stone...you''re looking at over 3k and that is without the setting! If you''re dead set on your budget, and have little to no wiggle room, you may want to consider dropping the clarity a bit...you can still purchase a perfectly eye-clean stone for sure...but you wont be playing a premium for it!

 

[teacherk]

Thanks so much! You are right! There are some beauties at WF- and the prices are good too! Have you (or anyone else reading this) bought from them? One concern I have with online buying is that there is a generous return policy since picking out a ring from a picture and seeing it in person are such different things. I''d like to work with a company that is good with me sending it back if it''s not what I like without having to jump through too many hoops. With any luck (and some great advice

) I hope to find the right ring the first time around, but just in case....

Thanks again!