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Starting shopping soon...need advice!

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PantherPaws24

PantherPaws24

Rough_Rock
Joined
Jul 11, 2008
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43
Hi Everyone,
I''m new to this forum...you all seem like a really great bunch of people! My boyfriend and I are going to begin our search on our 3rd anniversary..which is in a couple of months! I have been looking at the pictures of alot of your three-stone rings, which is what I''m really interested in. What suggestions do you have for our first shopping excursion? I may eventually want to do a custom ring, but I think it''s good to look around and get ideas first. I would like to know your suggestions on what things I should be looking for or things that I need to know (besides the 4c''s...I''m working on that). Does anyone know which of the 4C''s is the most important? I ultimately want a ring that has a lot of fire and sparkle...it doesn''t have to be a monster though.

Any help would be great!!

Thanks :)
 
Hi and welcome!!
First of all congrats on your upcoming engagement
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I am sort of new here myself but from reading through the archives cut of your diamond is the most important feature for sure.

Here is some useful info to read
https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/information-needed-for-opinions-on-a-round-diamond.36869/

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/four-questions-about-diamond-databases-and-the-interpretations-of-cut-they-afford.17261/

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/helpful-threads-archive.72078/

There is so much here that I am sure others will chime in with some very helpful sites as I am just learning
myself.

Best wishes,
Missy
 
Which of the 4 Cs is most important? Cut! Cut cut cut cut cut. Have I said it enough? Cut. Cut is what will make it sparkle (don''t listen to the people that say clarity makes it sparkle. They don''t know what they''re talking about), cut will make it flash, cut will make it look whiter...cut cut cut!

I''m a bit of a cut nut. After that I''d (personally) rank them Carat, Colour, Clarity. But that varies from person to person.

Congratulations on this exciting time!
 
Oh, I would also start reading through the tutorials in the "Knowledge" section at the top of the page. They will give you a LOT of information. Take notes! I actually keep diamond notes in this notebook that I take everywhere. That way if I ever need to check some stats on the go, I''m ready!

Also go read through threads in Rocky Talky. Browse through pictures, and read what people have to say about different stones, as well as the process of custom making a ring. It is very informative. You can tell a lot about rounds by the numbers, but most other shapes you have to see in person to know the quality of the stone.

Unless it''s hugely important to you, I would say don''t go above VS clarity. Really, I like eye-clean SI1s. No use paying for something you can''t see! And you can go lower on clarity if you''re not very colour sensitive, or if you like warmer diamonds. Really, it''s all about finding your sweet spot and seeing what is important to you. But excellent cutting will make a huge difference.
 
Thank you so much Princess and Missy! I am so excited and your information is awesome - I can''t wait to check out the links and the knowledge section...I know it will be wonderful and so helpful!
 
Ooops, I meant you could go lower on colour if you aren''t very colour sensitive, not clarity. Clarity won''t really affect colour (unless there are a ton of black inclusions, and then it just won''t look white).
 
Have fun shopping, by putting the time into research, you will end up with the best ring for YOU. Above all, don''t skimp on cut. Next, choose the size diamond you want and compromise on color and clarity (never going below an eye clean SI2) in order to meet your size. Before dropping lower than SI2, it may be necessary to drop in size.

My personal preference is for smaller stones of exceptional quality (VS clarity and E/F color) in low settings -- to me they are understated and classy. I also prefer step cuts or cushions which do require higher clarity. Some people are quite happy with "warmer" color and if you are one of them, then you can go pretty low (J-M), especially in the antique cushion styles.

Rounds look the largest for their size, and are the most common choice. They will face up whiter and cleaner (with excellent cut) than fancy shapes if you decide on low color/clarity in favor of size. Many, many people prefer to have a stone as large as possible, and there certainly is nothing wrong with that -- in fact, the threads on these rings are usually the ones that accumulate the most pages of "WOW let me pick my jaw off the FLOOR your ring is GORGEOUS!!" But the most important thing is that you get the best diamond for YOU. YOU decide within the limits of your budget which "C" not to skimp on and which ones to compromise.
 
Princess - Good call on the eye-clean SI's....I never really thought that any SI's were eye-clean. This is a great tip that could potentially save a lot of money! Do you know how to determine whether an SI diamond is eye-clean based on a GIA or other certificate?
 
I think for determining eye-cleanliness, you need an eye.
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It may be listed on the report, but your best bet is to see it yourself or have somebody you trust look at it. If you can't see any inclusions when you look, ta-da! Eye clean! And go ahead and study that puppy. Make sure you
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it.

It really is about finding *your* sweet spot, and if a D IF is what you want, then go for it. You just need to find where you're willing to balance. Terry is completely right. This is about getting YOUR perfect stone and focusing on YOUR dream ring.

ETA: I forgot to mention that different grading labs are focused on different things. There was a thread a little while ago that mentioned that GIA is stricter with colour/clarity, AGS is stricter about cut. So if cut is huge (like for me) and colour less so, I'd go with AGS. If you're very colour sensitive, GIA may be the way to go.
 
1) cut - ideal is the best
2) color - don''t go below I/J (yellow starts to show)
3) clarity - I prefer staying above VS2 but SI1 is fine too...

I would try Tiffany''s/Debeers as a starting point. Then you can try local jewellers. I find the diamond prices are usually lower at smaller jewellers and the diamonds can be better.
 
Ditto on the cut. You won''t find too many PSers who rank cut below first, except maybe a few people who would bump size above cut. For an engagement ring, I wouldn''t go for anything below AGS Ideal, unless that price was really fantastic and I saw the stone and loved it.

As for shopping, first figure out your budget. Then I''d hit the local jewelers (do you live in a city with a diamond district?) and mall stores just to get an idea of what settings, shapes, and sizes you like. Tiffany''s, Bailey Banks & Biddle, and Jared tend to have some nice stuff (nicer than, say, Zales or Kay) and lots of choices. But when it comes to actually buying the ring, go with one of the trusted PS vendors like Good Old Gold, Whiteflash, James Allen, or Pearlman''s. You''ll get a nicer stone for much less.

I found my dream ring at Costco, bought it, photographed it, and returned it, and then I had Whiteflash custom-design a nearly exact replica with the diamond of my choice. Costco in fact has some nice stones, and I''ve been told they''re on par with Tiffany''s when it comes to cut quality, for prices similar to the online vendors. So that''s another place you can look for ideas if you''re a member.
 
PantherPaws, when you first begin shopping it can be sooooo overwhelming. What I did first is focused on what setting/style I preferred. I went to regular mall (maul?) stores to do this. I just played dumb and nodded my head at everything the salespeople were trying to tell me about the diamonds; it didn''t matter, since I had no intention of buying my actual ring there. After I had a clearer idea of what really looked great on my hand, I was ready to shop seriously for the setting and the stone.

One caveat; some settings will only accept a narrow range of diamond sizes. If that''s the case, be sure you purchase a setting that will accommodate the size of stone you want, and make sure that the stone will fit before you purchase it.
 
In my mind... CUT is most important... it will determine how light goes in and out of the stone.

Question to clarify... are you GETTING engaged, or is this a 3 year wedding anniversary ring?
 
Date: 7/12/2008 2:28:08 AM
Author: LuckyTexan
In my mind... CUT is most important... it will determine how light goes in and out of the stone.

Question to clarify... are you GETTING engaged, or is this a 3 year wedding anniversary ring?
Click to expand...
Thanks everyone for all the info...I will keep it in mind and will need to sort through all the helpful resources you all have given so far! I should have clarified this though...we are thinking of getting engaged...and we decided to begin our ring search on our 3 year dating anniversary. I hope that''s more clear! It seems like everyone is in consensus of cut, so I''ll definitely put that first!
 
Date: 7/11/2008 1:14:09 PM
Author: princesss
I think for determining eye-cleanliness, you need an eye.
2.gif
It may be listed on the report, but your best bet is to see it yourself or have somebody you trust look at it. If you can''t see any inclusions when you look, ta-da! Eye clean! And go ahead and study that puppy. Make sure you
30.gif
it.

It really is about finding *your* sweet spot, and if a D IF is what you want, then go for it. You just need to find where you''re willing to balance. Terry is completely right. This is about getting YOUR perfect stone and focusing on YOUR dream ring.

ETA: I forgot to mention that different grading labs are focused on different things. There was a thread a little while ago that mentioned that GIA is stricter with colour/clarity, AGS is stricter about cut. So if cut is huge (like for me) and colour less so, I''d go with AGS. If you''re very colour sensitive, GIA may be the way to go.
Click to expand...

Good advice - I was asking about the eye-clean issue because I may order my center stone online and in this case, may not be able to see an actual picture of the diamond. I would of course, check out what an SI looks like in stores, but knowing that diamonds are different from one another, just wanted to know if there was a way to tell this when eventually purchasing online.

Thanks!
 
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