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Thinking of Purchasing One of These Diamonds for an Engagement Ring

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sollie

sollie

Rough_Rock
Joined
Apr 1, 2008
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So I''ve been lurking here for a while and this is my first post. I plan to purchase a diamond for an engagement ring. My fiancee-to-be desires an OVAL diamond. Like everyone else, I''ve been looking to get the most bang for my buck. My budget is around three-thousand dollars for the stone. On Mondera I found these two stones, both at around the same price. Both stones are 1.33 carats.

Stone 1:
$3,102.00
Cut: Very Good
Color: J
Clarity: SI1
Laboratory: GIA
Measurements: 8.5x6.26x3.78mm
Depth: 60.4%
Table: 64%
Girdle: Medium to Thick
Culet: NONE
Polish: VERY GOOD
Symmetry: Good
Certificate No: 16757713
Fluorescence: Medium blue

Stone 2:
$3,047.00
Cut: Ideal
Color: J
Clarity: SI1
Laboratory: GIA
Measurements: 8.3x6.06x3.88mm
Depth: 64.0%
Table: 56%
Girdle: Slightly thick to Very thick
Culet: NONE
Polish: VERY GOOD
Symmetry: VERY GOOD
Certificate No: 16769228
Fluorescence: NONE

Questions:
Which stone would you choose?
Are these reasonable deals?
If not reasonable deals, any suggestions? Again, I am looking for an Oval stone at a price point of approximately 3K.

Thanks for your help!

Sollie
 
Welcome Sollie!

Ovals are tricky and can''t be judged by the numbers unfortunately. I don''t know if Mondera actually have these diamonds in house as part of their inventory, so it would be best to ask and if so, could they provide you with detailed photographs of the diamonds. I would not buy a fancy shape without photographs at least, otherwise you are really guessing how the diamonds may look.
 
OK then. I''ll ask for pictures. I guess I just assumed that the company actually had the diamond they are selling.
 
Date: 4/1/2008 1:59:48 PM
Author: sollie
OK then. I''ll ask for pictures. I guess I just assumed that the company actually had the diamond they are selling.
Click to expand...
I am not very familiar with Mondera, some vendors have access to what are called '' virtual stones'' which are owned by the cutting houses/ suppliers, if so then they have to call the diamond in. Ask Mondera if these diamonds are part of inventory / owned by them and if they can get you some pictures.
 
I would call Whiteflash or GoodOldGold and tell them what you''re looking for and have them find a stone. Buying a drop-shipped fancy shape isn''t a very safe venture. You need the vendor to inspect the stone and provide pictures IMO.
 
I found a picture of one of the stones! However, I can''t seem to post it. It''s being sold at JamesAllen.com. It is one of only two 1.33 Oval diamonds being sold and the price is $3,070. How does this diamond look to you? Thanks in advance to anyone who can help out!
 
Also, what''s the word on buying from JamesAllen.com?

Thanks.
 
Please link us to the stone. James Allen is good.

Ovals are HIGHLY prone to BAD bowties. Hard to find nice ones by just shooting blind. I second the GOG, or WF recommendation, but James Allen can also get you Sarin ASET or at least a, darn it my brain is dying today... a PINK pic on light return (not as good as an ASET for fancies but better than nothing) so I would ask for one of those if it looks to be okay.
 
James Allen are a very reputable vendor with an excellent rep here. I believe they have their own in house diamonds as well as access to ' virtual' stones. Can you post the link to the diamond?

Also it is of great value to have an expert vendor opinion to help you with a diamond, they will be honest if it is suitable for your purposes.
Gypsy - is it Idealscope you mean?
9.gif
 
Here it is.

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/J-SI1-Premium-Cut-Oval-Diamond-1123642.asp
 
I assume by bowtie you mean that black thing running down from North to South.
 
I know I am being a newbie but "Sarin ASET", "PINK pic on light return"? I''m not sure what you mean here. Thanks for your help.
 
I''m worried about that one''s crown height. I would ask them what the crown height is. I prefer a much smaller table on ovals as a rule.
 
Date: 4/1/2008 2:49:11 PM
Author: Lorelei
James Allen are a very reputable vendor with an excellent rep here. I believe they have their own in house diamonds as well as access to '' virtual'' stones. Can you post the link to the diamond?

Also it is of great value to have an expert vendor opinion to help you with a diamond, they will be honest if it is suitable for your purposes.
Gypsy - is it Idealscope you mean?
9.gif
Click to expand...

Why yes, darlin'' it is.
2.gif
 
OK. I emailed them about the crown height. I'll let you know.
 
ring12.JPG

Pic above shows bowtie when set. See how it''s dark?



Unset:

120c.JPG
 
SARIN is a machine that measures (confirms) the stones''s dimensions. The report will list crown height.

ASET is a device that meausres light return in diamonds. It produces a picture full of bright colors that mean things and show patterns.

Idealscope is a device that measures light return, it''s best for rounds, and not as good for fancies as an ASET, and it produces pink and white pics that show light return and patterns.
 
Yikes. However, the picture on the link I posted doesn''t appear to have a bowtie nearly that bad.
 
It doesn't. You are right. But it's best to check with MULTIPLE pics of a stone, since the cut is so prone to them.

With that particular stone my FIRST concern is the crown height issue... if the crown height is too low and the table is too big you lose a LOT of fire and scintillation and the stone will look dead or flat or glassy. The table is on the big side... so I'm worried about the crown height FIRST, then we'll move on to see if it's worth pursuing this stone and asking for more pics and reports.
 
OK then. Regarding crown height, what kind of range would be acceptable for this stone?
 
Well, I personally wouldn''t go as low color as J in an oval diamond. You''re likely to see some color in a stone like this. I would buy something smaller and no lower than an H.

Here are some you might want to check out:

http://search.virtcert.com/cgi/u/1012/v.cgi?stock=7047930&_s=1012&_p=sdf348gd743&_c=&_fs=1&prestock=&_ln=ps

http://www.angara.com/diamond-details.do?pID=407265

http://search.virtcert.com/cgi/u/1012/v.cgi?stock=7166631&_s=1012&_p=sdf348gd743&_c=&_fs=1&prestock=&_ln=ps

http://www.angara.com/diamond-details.do?pID=405487
 
The higher the better, honestly.

PERSONALLY I''d prefer a crown height over 14 for an oval. But 12 or 13 would be worth pursuing. Below that, but above 11%... I''d have to ask for the vendor''s opinion of the stone in terms of fire and sparkle and see if the table/crown height are really impacting things... then get pics and so forth. Anything below 11... I wouldn''t pursue, PERSONALLY.
 
OK Gypsy, I''ll let you know when I find out.

Coda, my fiancee desires a yellow gold setting. My understanding is that I can safely go to J with yellow gold, correct?
 
Well, it all depends how color sensitive your future fiancee is. For fancy shapes, I think H is the limit on color whether it''s being set in yellow gold or white gold or platinum. For well-cut rounds, J or even K could be fine. But that''s just my opinion and people may disagree with me.
 
14.9% crown height
 
Date: 4/1/2008 3:31:08 PM
Author: sollie
14.9% crown height
Click to expand...

COOL BEANS. Ask for additional pics, a ASET and SARIN and an IDEAL SCOPE. AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, ask them for their OPINION of the stone and if it''s eyeclean.


If you did J in a yellow gold setting, I''d set it in a platinum head so that you get a whiter reflection into the diamond and it looks whiter. I wouldn''t set a J into a YG head, personally as I''d be worried it would look yellower than it is.

As for J''s... well, they can look noticeably tinted in a fancy. It depends on your sensitivity.
2.gif
 
Gypsy,

All great questions. You know, on your links you are getting a pricescope discount? How do you do that?
 
I see now. Good Deal.
 
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