Surface area vs. carat weight: which matters more?

[MrsDrP]

I agree with diamondseeker about trying the halo. She will get more finger coverage with a halo.

I'm not sure if she likes cushions, but Daussi cushions face up pretty large for their carat weight! A .60-.70ct Daussi cushion has the same facing up size as a 1 ct! I attached a picture to show you what I mean.

They are cut a bit shallow - table %s are on the high side while the depth %s are on the low side - and some people don't like the look of his stones. I personally think they are very lovely!

The diamond in the picture is .90ct but faces up like a 1.5ct. (My finger size is 4.5 for reference) That diamond is a rectangular cushion but he has square ones too!

 

[OsGirl]

New user here who came out of months of lurkedom!

I have very elementary diamond knowledge but gained everything I know from the incredibly knowledgeable people here. My significant other is also in the DC area while I live in Atlanta. We looked at engagement rings in both places. On the recommendation of the people here, Quest Diamonds in DC was a HUGE help. They have an amazing stock at good prices. It's worth checking out if you are planning on just looking to get an idea in person. We wound up buying my ring from Ascot Diamonds in Atlanta (which is AMAZING - great people, near wholesale prices) and they have a showroom in DC as well. I've heard good things about that operation, but I can only personally vouch for Atlanta.

 

[Gypsy]

www.oakgem.com

and

www.doverjewelry.com

Two of my favorite sites for secondhand shopping. OakGem I've never heard anything negative about: Dover tends to be a little more hit or miss (some people have gotten AMAZING deals from them - I believe one member bought a Graff ring for, like, pennies on the dollar ... and some have had to return because the specs were nothing like advertised ... which is also doable, as they have a good return policy).

I agree with the Oakgem recommendation. But dover is very unreliable (that's why they mislisted the Graff ring) and NOTHING-- not carat weight, not color and not clarity can be taken at face value. I would not advise buying from them unless you ONLY go by the pictures and forget about the stats. The prevailing feeling about their stats and (completely wrong) appraisal values is that they use a dart board.

I've bought 2 pieces from them and the first was listed as 50 points of diamonds and was 21 points (BIG difference, and I knew there was somthing wrong the minute I saw it) and the second had the carat weight ENGRAVED ON IT and they still overlisted the carat weight. The first was returned to them, the second was kept because I'd learned my lesson and only bid based on the pics.