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Seeking Evaluation of Center Stone

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movingshrub

Rough_Rock
Joined
Jun 30, 2014
Messages
5
I am trying to select a center stone for a diamond engagement ring.

I plan to go with a round diamond solitaire set in yellow gold. My gf's ring size is a 6.25.

She prefers larger jewelry so I am trying to maximize the size, without ignoring other considerations. My budget for the diamond is $8K.

This is the stone I am considering: http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-dia...-j-color-vs2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-314811

My thought process is that J color would work well when set in yellow gold. The inclusions seem to all be near the edge of the stone.

I have not really looked at other websites. I like the fact James Allen allows you to see the stone, but I am not opposed to looking elsewhere.

Feedback is welcome. Thank you
 
Welcome aboard! Thank you for joining and allowing us to work with you on such a fun adventure of a decision.

You have a reasonably healthy budget for a nice solitaire! I like that you're cognizant of the importance of balancing the 4 C's for a good stone.

Your girl's finger size is not huge so finding a ring that allows some good coverage and still looking good (not compromising too much on other stuff) is definitely possible.

Perhaps one of the biggest hurdles will be the weight. That's a "slider" (as I call them, the 4 C's being pictured like dials on a sound board) that can increase the cost very quickly!

Something to remember is that because the girdle is the widest part of the diamond, but proportions generally remain the same towards the culet, you will see weight increase faster than immediately obvious spread (diameter).

To give an example:

(1) http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3144243.htm
This stone is 1.015 carat, with a spread of 6.435mm.

(2) http://www.highperformancediamonds.com/index.php?page=view-id-diamond-infinity-new&id=916
This is 0.94 carat, but the spread is 6.315mm (or 98%) the diameter.

It's more obvious the wider the difference. A .66 carat stone might be 5.5mm and a stone half the weight at .33 carat might still be 4.4mm. So spread is important to consider for finger coverage related to ring size, and not just weight.

The prices are similar. The slight difference in color (H and G) and clarity (VS2 and VS1) makes one wonder how one assesses the difference in selection. The differences in cut quality go a long way towards good light performance. Cut is arguably the most important of the four C's and worth the most consideration when making a purchase of this type.

Regarding your desire to look mostly at JA so far, they're a good vendor! But I would urge you to verse yourself on light performance images like Ideal-Scope and ASET. (Read about them here: http://www.highperformancediamonds.com/index.php?page=education-performance)

Super close-up video looks nice but Ideal-Scope and ASET are what are used to assess a realistic expectation of how the stone may perform in real lighting conditions.

Check out other highly regarded and vetted vendors such as High Performance Diamonds, Brian Gavin, and Whiteflash. All quality vendors with some great well-cut selections.

Welcome aboard and let's have some fun. :wavey:
 
movingshrub|1404178112|3704151 said:
I am trying to select a center stone for a diamond engagement ring.

I plan to go with a round diamond solitaire set in yellow gold. My gf's ring size is a 6.25.

She prefers larger jewelry so I am trying to maximize the size, without ignoring other considerations. My budget for the diamond is $8K.

This is the stone I am considering: http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-dia...-j-color-vs2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-314811

My thought process is that J color would work well when set in yellow gold. The inclusions seem to all be near the edge of the stone.

I have not really looked at other websites. I like the fact James Allen allows you to see the stone, but I am not opposed to looking elsewhere.

Feedback is welcome. Thank you
Click to expand...

Welcome movingshrub lol! Love the name! :lol:

Sir above has given you a great intro on how to approach this very important and exciting purchase!

With the JA diamond you posted, I do have some concerns unfortunately, it is a bit deep and is facing up small for the weight, you want your almost 1.5 cts to look like almost 1.5 cts, this one falls a bit short. To be fair, it does look better than the proportions suggest but I think you can do better personally. We can certainly have a look around and post some suggestions for you.
 
Lorelei|1404218924|3704385 said:
With the JA diamond you posted, I do have some concerns unfortunately, it is a bit deep and is facing up small for the weight, you want your almost 1.5 cts to look like almost 1.5 cts, this one falls a bit short. To be fair, it does look better than the proportions suggest but I think you can do better personally. We can certainly have a look around and post some suggestions for you.
Click to expand...

What proportions should I be looking at to determine to avoid something facing up small?

Thoughts on this one?

http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/1.51-carat-k-color-vs2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-327923
 
movingshrub|1404222757|3704432 said:
Lorelei|1404218924|3704385 said:
With the JA diamond you posted, I do have some concerns unfortunately, it is a bit deep and is facing up small for the weight, you want your almost 1.5 cts to look like almost 1.5 cts, this one falls a bit short. To be fair, it does look better than the proportions suggest but I think you can do better personally. We can certainly have a look around and post some suggestions for you.
Click to expand...

What proportions should I be looking at to determine to avoid something facing up small?

Thoughts on this one?

http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/1.51-carat-k-color-vs2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-327923
Click to expand...


This is a very nice stone, it has better face up spread and it is cut to excellent standards. It is a K colour which although it wouldn't bother me, you are probably going to see some warmth in some lights, especially from the side view. Also, although it is advertised as a H&A precision cut, for me, the optical symmetry isn't quite as perfect that I would personally consider it to be a true example of this precision cutting style. But if the K colour is ok with you, it could be a definite contender.

Here is a chart you can use as a guide to help you judge face up spread or size of a diamond.

[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/mm-to-carat-stone-conversion-chart.17578/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/mm-to-carat-stone-conversion-chart.17578/[/URL]
 
Hi OP, that 1.62 ct. J/Si1 is interesting...the feather on the girdle (maybe why the girdle was left unpolished) and the various black carbon specs around the edge sets the Si1 grading, but it doesn't seem as clear or transparent as the other stones. The facets don't seem as crisp, maybe also because of this same issue as it doesn't appear to be a cut issue (being a True Hearts AGS0 stone). Maybe others experts can weigh in.
 
Lovely! Interesting box too.
 
Beautiful stone! Love the ring box! Ring O Romance! :lol:
 
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