Round diamond rookie in need of help

[mgrimes22022]

Hi All,

My first post (and a very rare forum post for me) and could use your guidance. I've done a decent amount of lurking in hopes to not task anyone with helping me but haven't really gained the advice needed.

So I've been doing plenty of research but still unsure what to buy. I was venturing in the lab-created market but haven't seen the prices as low as people claim.

Am I crazy to think I can get this ring for under $6K? I am looking to buy the diamond on-line and have it set in a Platinum Pave setting. i am always all about getting the most bang for my buck (you should've seen me helping buy my gf's car, something I'm way more knowledgeable about than diamonds). I imagine the band will cost me around $1600

Carat: ~1.3
Color: the closer to flawless while being in my price-point, didn't want to go lower than I (know far well this isn't flawless) based on my research.

Clarity: ~ as low as an SI1 or even SI2, really unsure on this and if I should drop as low as SI2.

Color: As low as I

My questions to the chorus...

- Where do I begin? How can I know I'm getting a good deal?
- Should I still consider lab-created?
- It sounds like BlueNile and James Allen ar ethe gold standards for buying online, should I just use the price scope and see what works the best for my standards?
- Are there any round diamonds that meet my qualifications for sale now that you'd recommend?

Again, thanks so much for all the replies!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I recommend James Allen over BN just because if you are considering SI1 stones, you need to see them to have a clear idea of whether they are eyeclean. You can also judge the cut better. You are not going to get a 1.3 ct I SI1 diamond and pave setting for $6k. That is not realistic at all. I also would not recommend lower than SI1 in most cases for an engagement ring. The most important factor in the beauty of a diamond is cut, and that is the one thing I would not sacrifice.

Examples of diamonds up to $4500:

Well, didn't see a single I SI1 that I'd recommend, due to either cut or inclusions. This one is great, though, and has strong blue fluorescence which can only be seen in UV light. I really love fluoro and would be happy to have this stone which is I VS2 and nicely cut, as well. I'd reserve it if you are interested, because it is a very nice price for the specs.

https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/1.00-carat-i-color-vs2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-2380173

You are looking at 1 ct. with your budget. The 1.2 ct range starts at about $6k just for the diamond in I SI1.

 

[starrylight]

Pricescopers aren't allowed to discuss lab grown diamonds in RockyTalky, however if you go to the Lab Grown Diamonds section, there are some (significantly less traffic) posts to refer you to distributors.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I didn't answer the question about lab created, but at this time their prices are not low enough to tempt me to buy one over a natural diamond.

 

[AdaBeta27]

The cut and make of the lab created diamonds are also not generally in the range of proportions and angles that Pricescope people generally prefer, or at least that's how it was a year or more ago. What I saw is they gravitated toward large tables and shallow crowns and spready diameters, which is an older look, like a 60/60 diamond. That creates a bias toward brilliance at the expense of fire. But you are free to like what you like, lol.
https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/preferred-specs-cheat-sheet-for-rounds.88548/
depth - 60 - 62% - possibly allow up to 62.4%
table - 54- 57% (Personally, I like 55-56%)
crown angle - 34- 35 degrees
pavilion angle - 40.6- 41 degrees
girdle - avoid extremes, look for thin to slightly thick, thin to medium etc
polish and symmetry - very good and above

http://niceice.com/diamond-buying-secrets/5-minutes-diamond-buying-success/
Pricescope has a preferred set of proportions that give excellent light return plus an outstanding balance of fire and brilliance. I referred you to niceice, in link above, because Todd is probably where that executive summary "cheat sheet" originated.

Then we have the HCA cut adviser, under Tools https://www.pricescope.com/tools/hca You don't need to run it on any AGS 000 diamonds because AGS already screened for cut. Use it for GIA stones, and looks just for a score under 2. It's pass/fail, a rejection tool.\


SI2: If you want an eye-clean SI2, the best ones will be in-house stones owned by vendors. That's because the vendors snatch those up ASAP. Twinning wisps are good candidates to be eyeclean S2, or SI1, but that's one of those issues where you need skilled eyes to evaluate whether the twinning wisps diminish the brilliance. I'm one of the people who is okay with not 100% eye clean diamonds, because I'd rather have cut / size / color, in that order. My e-ring diamond was a 5.8mm G VVS RB. 20 years later, I'd rather have size over clarity. I don't want a big black blob, but even a dark crystal is okay with me as long as it hides well. You can't keep a diamond 100% spotless when it's worn in a ring; after a while, you quit passing the ring around so nobody but you gets the chance to look for "flaws"; after a while, even the wearer stops gazing at the stone close up and starts to admire it at arm's length. Those are reasons why I'd rank clarity last, and value size and performance far more.