Size vs quality, my own experience.

[greengator]

Hi everybody,
I guess a lot guys here want to know what is an appropriate size for an e-ring these days and just to share my story and to say that bigger is not always better. You really have to know your girl and what she really wants.

My e-ring experience didn''t end last Friday when I recieved a brilliant 1.13 F, VS1 H&A ideal cut from Todd at nice ice.
To me, the diamond is as perfect as there is.

When I showed her the ring, her first reaction was, "it looks great but it is too BIG"! (In her defense, she has really long slim fingers and the ring does look HUGE on her figure.)

I was totally floored and speechless. I mean every single advice I have got from ladies (on this board or at home) is bigger is better. So after six months of combing the internet and finding what I thought was the perfect diamond, I had to start all over again.

Yesterday we went to Barmakian brothers in Nashua, NH and the sales guy Joseph showed us a 1.04 D, VS1 diamond. Days earlier he faxed me the Sarin report and it scored a 0.9 on HCA. In order to demonstrate the difference between D and F, he showed a loose D and F side by side on a piece of white paper and oh my god, I actully can TELL there is noticeable difference between a D and F. D is more transparent and shinier, while F looks cloudy and milky. Of course one wouldn''t be able to tell the difference once the diamond is mounted.

I knew both are equally excellent choices and let her decide between them. She also tried on a mounted 1.02 Carat and it looked more proportional on her figure and she liked the Tiffany four-prong setting instead of the six-prong I picked for her. I guess that decided for her. (Sorry Todd)

We are going back tomorrow to pick up the ring and hopefully that will be the end of my e-ring journey.

Phew!

So guys, before you pop the question, if possible, I suggest taking your girl to your local jewelry store and let her try on a few rings. Let her decide the size and the setting first and then you can embark on the journey to seek out the perfect diamond!

One more thing about Barmakians is that they sell diamonds based on color, clarity, and weight, but NOT cut. So mine ideal cut D, VS1 is being sold the same price as a not so good cut D, VS1. One just has to ask for the ideal cut one and they do give your Sarin/OGI report for free too.
-- Larry

 

[Mara]

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On 6/4/2003 7

7:37 PM greengator wrote:

I actully can TELL there is noticeable difference between a D and F. D is more transparent and shinier, while F looks cloudy and milky. Of course one wouldn't be able to tell the difference once the diamond is mounted.
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This is very interesting. I have seen an E stone next to a G stone and they look the SAME to me unmounted. Definitely nowhere near cloudy and milky from E to G. Both E and G looked bright clear colorless see-through. Maybe it is one's eyes vs another....but that is an interesting observation you note. I know that I have heard of people seeing a diff between D/E/F but not described as milky cloudy?

Too bad your girl didn't like the 1.13c....I am sure it was amazing. Congrats on the engagement even though you had to do the diamond thing all over again!!

Your advice is very sound, but what about those men who are keeping this whole entire thing a secret?

I think we should do a poll...maybe Leonid can host it on the site as a popup or something that resides on the homepage...for women to respond on what their ideal carat size is for a stone. They can choose their ring size and the ctw they would choose and then the results can be posted. It may be helpful for those shopping for rings to see what size fingers want what ctw and also give us an idea of how our little forum stacks up against the US average trends, etc. Leonid are you reading this?!?

 

[greengator]

Hi Mara,
I think that's a brilliant idea. So we should have size advisor to go along with cut advisor, right?

That would definitely have saved me a lot of time and hassle, although I do enjoy the experience thoroughly.
-- Larry

 

[Iceman]

Its only too big if its on another girls hand

 

[Hest88]

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So guys, before you pop the question, if possible, I suggest taking your girl to your local jewelry store and let her try on a few rings. Let her decide the size and the setting first and then you can embark on the journey to seek out the perfect diamond!
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Uh, yep. I like Mara's idea, and it would make for an interesting poll, but really we'd just be getting an idea of what diamond-obsessed cut-geekesses like. The really important thing is for guys to thoroughly research what their individual gals want.

 

[Nate]

Like Mara said, strange that you describe the difference between the D and F as being milky. The color of the stones should have nothing to do with them looking milky or cloudy... maybe they showed you an F stone that had high fluorescence?

 

[greengator]

I guess I can see D is more clear and transparent than F when both are facing down and view from the side. He didn't show me the cert for the F so maybe it was of a high fluorescence.
I am sure once mounted one can tell the difference anyway but the difference did tilt her decision to go with a D than a F. One more reason to shop online, SHE CAN'T SEE THE COMPARISON in person.

Otherwise we will all be broke! I read somewhere only 2% of diamonds are D color. Personally I don't think it is worthy the money but hey, it is her ring, right?

-- Larry

 

[DancinGirl]

I can understand your pain. I personally was engaged once with an .80ct and I was surprised at how HUGE it was on my slim 4.5 finger. The engagement ended, and as some of you know, I traded it in for a loose stone to use later in life. (and paid a substantial amount more to get a larger size)

Luckily for me, the next guy I was with looks as though he'll be my next fiance too. We plan on using the stone. I got a 1.07ct. To be 100% honest here, I am afriad I will feel the same way as your fiance did...it being too big for me!!! I look at it constantly trying to picture what it would look like set in a ring. The stone itself almost covers the entire width of my ring finger! YIKES!

But I am sure I will LOVE whatever he picks out for it (whenever that will be)...let's just hope I don't faint when I see it! Hee-hee!

 

[Mara]

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On 6/4/2003 9:33:39 PM Hest88 wrote:

Uh, yep. I like Mara's idea, and it would make for an interesting poll, but really we'd just be getting an idea of what diamond-obsessed cut-geekesses like.
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Not necessarily!! My thought is that YES...while WE are all madly diamond obsessed...there are those who are just floating onto Pricescope starting to look for information or those who want to steer their boyfriends in the right direction, or those who just hope to maybe get engaged soon and want to look at some stones and learn some info (that is how I originally found the forum).

If the poll was on the homepage of Pscope, you'd get both newbies who haven't a clue, and people like me who thinks bigger (when it comes to diamonds) is better. So I think it'd be really interesting to see the different perspectives. Also us big--diamond-love girls would have a run for our money, there are those who started out with smaller stones or have smaller stones and don't/didn't want bigger.

I guess yes if the guy could definitely know what his girl would like, it would be easiest, but some have nothing to go on and conduct their searches blindly on the size bit. It may help to know that 60% of Pscope floaters/forum members with size 4 fingers feel that anything over 1c is too big and gaudy. Or that 90% of people with size 6 fingers feel that 1c is too small.

Anyway...just an idea...plus it'd be fun--we need something new to do around here! Leonid oh Leonid!

 

[Spyder]

Ten years from now she will definitely wish she had stayed with the larger stone. She will post here saying, "What was I thinking??"

Diamonds do shrink with normal wear.

 

[urbasic]

I have been searching for a good .9-1c Emerald cut. I went to a store just to see some emerald settings in person and to compare prices.

They showed me a 3 emerald setting with a .6 center and .25s on the sides. That thing seemed pretty big. Granted these werent probibly werent ideal cut stones, and may have had an overly large table, but still. It really looked large. It was good I looked, now instead of getting a 3 emerald design, Im looking at narrow baguettes for the side stones.

My GF has small hands, but not as slender 5-6.

 

[trichrome]

Any diamond from 0.01 to 10 ct can look good on your fiance's finger....

it all depends on the style of the setting you're choosing ...

I think that people are way to much concentrating on THE diamond and not
enough on the setting.....bottom line...we're not just buying a diamond... I prefer
to think about it as buying an exquisite piece of jewelry.


Trichrome.