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Rookie looking for some advice on stone selection

S

snowpondmaine

Rough_Rock
Joined
Jan 25, 2015
Messages
13
I am comparing 2 stones... both GIA cert D/IF, both are the same weight... one is a Blue Nile "Signature Ideal" cut (no photo), one is an Enchanted Diamond "100 Ideal" cut (photo, but photo doesn't appear perfectly cut; how perfect is perfect?)... I assume these will both be very nice?... Is "Signature Ideal" or "100 Ideal" preferred?
Also, Enchanted Diamond offers a "wholesale", non-refundable stone which seems much cheaper (no photo)... any thoughts on this?

Thanks in advance
 
I would not even consider a stone with no photos at all. ED does have stone photos that are helpful and on some of them they also have further images such as idealscope or ASET. If you post the stone you are considering, I am sure you will get opinions!

Oh and I totally agree that unless there is some cultural reason that you have to have D IF, I would never choose that over an F VS1. To me, F VS1 is white and loupe clean, and that is the highest I recommend. The most common safe recommendation here is probably G-H color and VS2-SI1 clarity, but for those desiring high color and clarity, F VS1 will still get you a better size than D IF.
 
Our cut score is theoretical, so you will see some small deviation from a PERFECT ASET, but less than 1%, which a human who sees with two eyes, will have a nearly impossible job of discerning from a PERFECT ASET.

Second, our wholesale selection can often come with a 30 day return policy (just ask) - this is depending on if we approve of the diamond, so dont hesitate to ask one of us to consider extending 30 day return policies to those diamonds.

P.S. Most people here will agree, D IF is overkill and pointless when selecting a beautiful diamond, all D IF means is that its a very rare diamond. Consider opening up to D-G and IF-VS2 and you will be amazing by the larger diamonds you can obtain for your budget.
 
also i should mention, she looked at rings at the mall (just for size of stone)... she preferred a "mall" 1/3 carat due to her line of work... so i assume that is .30-.36
not sure about cut since that seems more subjective than D-F, IF-VS1... I want it to sparkle great to the unaided eye and not appear cloudy
 
What is your budget? I found a really, really lovely .4ish (forget exactly what it was) at james allen very recently. H/VS2 I believe. It was in the $1700 range and I had to talk myself out of it.
 
So are you saying you are sticking with D IF? I'll take a look and see if I see any I like better.
 
Having absolutely no idea what the budget is, I like this stone.

https://enchanteddiamonds.com/diamonds/view/R42-A521C8?cid=pricescope

Further, it may not be to your taste, but David at DBL has an absolutely darling D/IF Daussi ring. I tried it on quite some time ago and it is such a darling piece and faces up WAY BIG for its .51ct center, plus the halo. If that's to your taste, and I have no idea if you only want a round or what-- it's a really neat piece.
 
kb1gra|1422238180|3822053 said:
Having absolutely no idea what the budget is, I like this stone.

https://enchanteddiamonds.com/diamonds/view/R42-A521C8?cid=pricescope

Further, it may not be to your taste, but David at DBL has an absolutely darling D/IF Daussi ring. I tried it on quite some time ago and it is such a darling piece and faces up WAY BIG for its .51ct center, plus the halo. If that's to your taste, and I have no idea if you only want a round or what-- it's a really neat piece.
Click to expand...

This one looks good, too. I was only looking in the .30 range since that was what he first mentioned.
 
diamondseeker2006|1422238426|3822055 said:
kb1gra|1422238180|3822053 said:
Having absolutely no idea what the budget is, I like this stone.

https://enchanteddiamonds.com/diamonds/view/R42-A521C8?cid=pricescope

Further, it may not be to your taste, but David at DBL has an absolutely darling D/IF Daussi ring. I tried it on quite some time ago and it is such a darling piece and faces up WAY BIG for its .51ct center, plus the halo. If that's to your taste, and I have no idea if you only want a round or what-- it's a really neat piece.
Click to expand...

This one looks good, too. I was only looking in the .30 range since that was what he first mentioned.
Click to expand...

I started there, but figured I'd go +$500 and see if there was anything interesting. If she liked a 1/3 carat mall stone, a .42 superideal would be a serious honker in comparison.
 
I am all for bigger if they are!
 
I have a .44 AGS0 stone as part of a 5 stone ring and it's a really nice size, actually. If this wasn't D/IF (too white/clear for me) I would consider snapping it up for myself.
 
must=less than $2000
must=round (what she wants)
doesn't want bigger than .33 (work issue), but i guess up to .36 would be ok
must=F or better, VVS2 or better... was gonna go D IF, but if imperceptible then could live w/ F/VVS2 (don't want it to look cloudy).
cut is very important... I want the "ooooh" factor from light...
If I can get a beauty for $1000, that's fine... not about price or size really... more about appearance
lol, I realize I sound like a rookie, but i am!
 
also, could someone explain F vs. IF? I'm confused...

and value/appearance (light reflection) of Fluorescence?
 
snowpondmaine|1422240992|3822081 said:
must=less than $2000
must=round (what she wants)
doesn't want bigger than .33 (work issue), but i guess up to .36 would be ok
must=F or better, VVS2 or better... was gonna go D IF, but if imperceptible then could live w/ F/VVS2 (don't want it to look cloudy).
cut is very important... I want the "ooooh" factor from light...
If I can get a beauty for $1000, that's fine... not about price or size really... more about appearance
lol, I realize I sound like a rookie, but i am!
Click to expand...

Is 2000 including the setting? And what kind of setting did you want?
 
An F stone has no flaws of any kind. These are exceedingly rare.

An IF stone can have surface graining, etc but no flaws inside the diamond. This only affects performance if you make the assumption that flaws obscure some light return, which often they don't.

In a .3-.35 you could easily go down to VS range and get a very clean stone. I wouldn't worry about it looking cloudy-- the mall stores are rubbing off on you ;) Those stones are often SI or lower, and these are a totally different breed.

An ideal cut stone with a reasonable clarity will definitely blow them out of the water. Similarly, I wouldn't really be bothered by fluorescence as a deciding factor at this carat weight and color range. It's very unlikely to negatively affect any diamond you're looking at.

This is an excellent stone: http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.30-carat-f-color-vvs1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-147726

I'd personally put it in this setting: http://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/pave/14k-white-gold-tailored-diamond-engagement-ring-item-41042

for a total of $1870.
 
I am going to stick with my original choice if your max is $2k for the stone. May as well go for the D IF because it is only $1400 in the .35.

https://enchanteddiamonds.com/diamonds/view/Round/GIA-Certified-0,35-Carat-D-Color-IF-Clarity-Diamond-9KUT5E

Do you know what kind of setting she wants?

A VS1 stone is totally clean. You would be hard pressed to see anything with a 10x loupe and certainly nothing with the eyes. Fluorescence is a preference thing, with jewelers mostly discouraging it, apparently. I happen to like it and many prefer it in lower colors as it can make a stone look whiter in certain lighting. But that is not an issue with a D colored stone, obviously!
 
She wants a plain 14K white gold, solitaire ring... no scrolling, diamond chips, etc which she thinks takes away from the stone... 2mm (she thinks bigger is uncomfortable)... and I insist on 6-prong not 4
 
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