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Thoughts On Diamonds And Settings

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herolad

Rough_Rock
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Aug 13, 2008
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My first ever eRing and I don''t know anything about diamonds beyond what I have read on this site. I''m currently looking to spend under 4k on the diamond and looking to get around a 1 carat diamond. My GF works at a magazine company, and reviews pages before they go and get published. So she is pretty keen on color and detail, and I was curious if a H/SI1 would cut it? Below are a few I''ve search for and thought would be good choices, if I could get everyones opinion it would be much appreciated. If others think there are better diamonds out there please post here and let me know.

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/G-SI1-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1087669.asp
http://engagementringsdirect.com/loose_detail.php/session/1c777707947203ebbf03a0964b04e9ec/id/16005040/sz/150
http://engagementringsdirect.com/loose_detail.php/session/1c777707947203ebbf03a0964b04e9ec/id/15978578/sz/150/premium/premium
http://www.whiteflash.com/round/Round-cut-diamond-1133133.htm#


The second half of my question is for the setting, I''m looking to spend around 1500. I''m not sure what she wants beyond that she really like her sisters 3 diamond setting, and that she likes something simple and classy. I was hoping to suprise her with the ring so I don''t want to give anything away and ask her opinion. I''m also confused on if I should buy the setting online to save money, or buy it at a local retailer so we can get it cleaned ever once in awhile. Also if I do have to buy it locally anyone know of a good place in Arizona? Here are some I''ve seen online that I like, and any suggestions would be much appreciated.

http://diamonds.com/Main/ProductDetails.aspx?ItemId=2378#
http://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/settings-with-sidestones/ring/item_58-1441_design.asp?module=setting
http://store.pearlmansjewelers.com/jewelry/view/2834/1014/
 
From the ones you selected I''m assuming you want a RB? My suggestion is you contact the jewelers (GOG/WF/JA/ERD) and give them your budget and see what they find. I had a similar budget and Mark at ERD did great by me (I got Cushion 1.08 H/VS2). SI1 is fine if someone you trust says its eye-clean.

As for the setting - what metal are you looking for? I''d suggest buying everything from one place so you know the diamond/setting will work together.
 
Hi there and welcome to Pricescope!

As for your diamonds, I think crcostal had some great suggestions. Those diamonds you picked out were nice, but you could probably do a little bit better on the cut. Cut is the most important part of the diamond. I''m also glad you recognized that going just under 1ct will save you a lot of money and won''t be noticeable at all. Check out the cut quality search bar at the top of the page. That will only find excellent cut diamonds for you and is a great place to start.

As for your settings, those are all beautiful! If you would like a better look at the last one from Pearlman''s, I bought that one in yellow gold instead of platinum. It is absolutely gorgeous and I love it! I haven''t actually given it to her yet, but I''m guessing she''ll love it to. Here''s a link to my pictures:

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/shameless-bragging-but-i-love-this-ring.88222/

Good luck with your search and keep bringing us diamonds to look at and we''ll let you know what we think!
 
i think that buying from big companies you are just paying for the name, remember thex have lots of costs, storage, employees, offices, and that is why their rings are overpriced

i bought my ring from a smaller company wonderjewelers.com and i bet you they will give you more for our money

that is just my opinion

they gave me financing option too, i doubt JA offers that and 30 days return

And when I tried to contact thses big companies over chat I was taking to chat operator that had no idea about the products or even worse their chat support was off most of the time or the wait time was like 1 hour
 
There are tradeoffs to larger vs. smaller companies. As gracioso said, you may pay less at a smaller retailer. The advantage to the big ones I mentioned earlier is they have a track record here of satisfied customers. ERD does a lot of business but Mark (the president) gave me fabulous CS. WF reps post here all the time. Give them a call and see what feels comfortable.
 
We''ve looked at a few places in Arizona (we''re in Chandler), and haven''t been terribly impressed with price or selection. I''ve heard great things about some of the online vendors here, so I feel comfortable shopping online (hey, my boyfriend and I found each other online, so we know there are fabulous finds in cyberspace!). I just contacted Whiteflash yesterday and they''ve responded very quickly and are very helpful so far.
 
Yes I''m looking for a Round Brilliant, I''m guessing that is what RB means. Is there a difference between RB and H&A? The only thing I''m worried about again is getting it all done in one place would mean out of town, and getting it clean every time would be a hassle and the price would just mount up. For the setting I was looking for white gold.

Are those cuts not the best that I''ve selected? Most are listed as ideal, or excellent... could it be better and if so what is the terminology for it? I see that at ERD they list it as premium, and other sites seem to have their own terminology.
 
I am not an expert on diamonds, so I don''t have much to say about those, but I like the first setting the best. Happy hunting!
 
Sorry - yes RB is round brilliant. H&A are Hearts and Arrows, a specific type of round diamond that many people like (goodoldgold.com has a good explanation of this). AGS/GIA provide cut grades for RBs (that are actually useful), which can help.

As far as cleaning goes - yes you''ll pay some over the long run for cleaning. But isn''t it worth it for a better diamond ;)

As far as terminology - ERD has a "premium" collection, WF has A Cut Above (ACA) and "expert" selection. They''re good places to start. But if you give them a call (or email) I think you''ll find they''ll help you sort it all out better than you can do by yourself.
 
I think you're doing great by starting with the PS vendors. 0.9 is a great size too, because it will look like 1ct, but you're not paying the 1ct premium. I would suggest going for a better cut stone as well. I didn't run the first 3 through HCA, but I did for the WF stone, and it didn't come up well:

Factor Grade
Light Return Good
Fire Fair
Scintillation Fair
Spread Very Good
Total Visual Performance 5.1 - Good - Only if price is your main criterion

This diamond scored 5.1, and you want to get one that scores 0-2 to have the best possible cut. Who wants a diamond with only "fair" sparkle? You can do better!

I would seriously consider I-J color. There are lots of beautiful Js and even Ks on PS, and nobody can tell face up that they're not G-H or so. This gorgeous J/SI1 is a bit above your price range, but if you go with a simple and classy setting like this baguette setting for $900, your budget for the ring and diamond together can work. Remember, there's a PS discount on ACA stones (I think it's 5% if you pay by bank wire, 3% if you don't).

ETA: You can save money and stress by buying the diamond and setting at the same place. Local jewelers clean my ring all the time, even though it was purchased online. I don't think you'll have a problem with that.
 
The non-H&A diamond you linked to is probably virtual. WF doesn''t own it, may not have seen it, and would have to call it in to tell you anything.

Most of the ACA diamonds they list they have in-house. Which means you can get pics, IS/ASET/SARIN etc, but you pay for storage/overhead.
 
Hmm interesting do any other company give a discount coming from PS, or I guess other discounts out there?
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Date: 8/13/2008 5:38:37 PM
Author: herolad
Is there a difference in whiteflash''s diamonds listed as ACA H&A compared to let say a diamond like this?


http://www.whiteflash.com/round/Round-cut-diamond-1185710.htm#


Or am I just paying for the brand of ACA H&A?
Click to expand...

Factor Grade
Light Return Excellent
Fire Excellent
Scintillation Very Good
Spread Very Good
Total Visual Performance 1.4 - Excellent
within TIC range

This diamond appears to be much better cut than the one you referenced first. At 1.4 on the HCA, it''s worth calling in to get some more info. The difference is that ACAs are a branded superideal cut with H&A optical symmetry. They are in house at WF and do not need to be called in. Some of the other stones are also in house (like the Expert Selection stones). This stone appears to be ideal cut and could be an AGS0 candidate based on its HCA score, but it may or may not be a H&A stone based on optical symmetry.
 
Ok I thought I had a good grasp of things, but I''m even more confused then ever now. I''ve been talking to WF and ERD, and I''m not sure on pricing and on the diamonds they are showing me...

WF showed me a diamond from their round ideal cut, and expert selected:

Carat: .90 carat
Color: E
Clarity: SI1
Cut: AGS Excellent 1
Pol/Sym: EX/EX
HCA: 1.3 (e.e.e.vg) - tic range
Table 53.4
Depth: 62.9
Crown Angle: 34.6
Pavilion Angle: 40.7
Girdle: Thin - S Thick Faceted
Fluorescence: Negligible

$4500

It was a bit out of my price range so we talk over some more and then WF showed me this, but they will have to call to see if it is available:

Carat: .90 carat
Color: I
Clarity: SI1
Cut: GIA Excellent
Pol/Sym: EX/EX
HCA: 1.9 (e.vg.vg.vg) - tic range
Table 57
Depth: 61.4
Crown Angle: 34.5
Pavilion Angle: 41
Fluorescence: faint

$3100

Should I be worried about the price difference? Is the expert select going to be cut a lot better and give a better scintillation? What does everyone think about the two diamonds and could I have some input on both diamonds?


While ERD showed me this:

Carat: .84 carat
Color: G
Clarity: SI1
Cut: GIA Excellent
Pol/Sym: EX/EX
Table 57
Depth: 62.5
Crown Angle: 34
Pavilion Angle: 41.4
Fluorescence: none

$2900

While this scored horribly on the HCA, ERD told me that I shouldn''t worry to much about HCA. They also showed me a few more out of the HCA ranging in the 4-5. Should I worry that they are showing me diamonds like these? Though I have to point out that I originally told them that I wanted something between .75 to 1.00 so that''s why its not around my desired .9 carats. How hung up should I be about the cuts that WF/ERD labels for ACA H&A and Premium cuts? It seems sometimes diamonds within these categories for WF/ERD doesn''t even rate a excellent by GIA or AGS, even though they are listed as ACA H&A or premium cuts. Should I follow more by the GIA/AGS rating compared to ratings by ERD/WF, or do people think that their ratings tend to reflect a good diamond compared to the GIA/AGS rating, and its worth paying more for these diamonds?
 
From what I''ve seen, all of the ACA stones from WF score very well on the HCA and all are under 2 and are excellent diamonds. You do pay a bit more for them, but they are hand selected to be the best of the best. You really can''t go wrong. The expert selections, on the other hand, are diamonds that for one reason or another missed the cut to be ACA. They may still be great stones, but they are what WF thinks is a good bargain for the money. If you don''t particularly need the H&A look, then the expert selection stones could be perfect for you, as this what usually keeps an expert selection from becoming an ACA. The ACA diamonds fall within a small subset of the GIA Ex range and not all GIA Ex are ACA, so they are some of the best stones.

As for the three you''ve mentioned, the first one looks good to me. The table is a little on the small side, which I believe will give you a bit more fire, but it also only scored an AGS1, which is not quite as good as AGS0.

The second one looks good too. It is a much higher color than the E, which will lower the price significantly, and it is also GIA as opposed to AGS, which lowers the price just a bit. The table and pavilion angle are on the edges of what is generally considered to be "ideal", but it is still a very nice diamond. I''d want to see more info and pictures before making a final decision.

The pav angle on the ERD is pretty far out at 41.4. The pavilion angle is really important for overall performance and I would pass on this one. Its a lot cheaper, but you get what you pay for.

Again, I don''t know too much about ERD, but I have gotten pretty familiar with WF and I don''t think I''ve seen a "bad" ACA yet.
 
Hmm after a few days I''m not sure if my 4k range is enough to get a .9 carat excellent cut diamond. What do others think, do I need to up my price range to get that .9 carat diamond?
 
I don''t know, BN has some nice stones these days, including this 0.91 H SI2 with MB fluoro and this .9 I SI1 that fall into your budget. The downsides of BN are that they can''t always look at the stones for you, they don''t have an upgrade policy and they don''t have a PS discount.
 
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