Find your diamond
Find your jewelry
shape
carat
color
clarity

Time to buy help decide please!

G

gordab

Rough_Rock
Joined
Jul 8, 2013
Messages
11
So, after trying to educate myself on the best way to buy diamonds for the last 6 months I'm now approaching the date to ask my partner the big question. I've decided to buy the diamond and present it on the day so that we can then together go to a local specialist ring maker here in Edinburgh (Scotland) for the setting.

The basics:
My partner has very slim fingers and is not a lover of "bling" per se, though she naturally does like pretty things. I've therefore settled on a smaller sized gem (when I pointed out a 1ct ring she was horrified at the size and after all this leaves me an anniversary upgrade path!) and it is highly likely we'll choose a tension mount in platinum as this features highly in the lady's tastes during our window shopping - she was concerned at claw fittings "catching".

I'm therefore looking an ideal cut (preferably "Hearts and Diamonds" type), colour G to I, with the best proportions, polish etc possible. From 0.7ct to 0.75ct. Eye-clean obviously. I'm feeling this should be around the $2750 mark if bought in the USA (import tax/shipping will add to cost), £2200 in UK to allow for the additional cost of a custom made ring.

Although some are relatively obviously, I'm most concerned about being "eye-clean" and is it worth filtering to "Hearts and Diamonds" only? If I do that on my search there's very few available

Being in the UK, I've been looking around and have come up with the following possibilities:

James Allen.
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-dia...0&DepthTo=62.00&TableFrom=52.90&TableTo=58.40

An example of my dilemma (I know one of these is overbudget) - is it worth paying more for their "Hearts and Diamonds" cut and could the ring maker hide the SI?
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.75-carat-h-color-si1-clarity-sku-232599
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.70-carat-i-color-si1-clarity-sku-222308

I'm open to other vendors such as Blue Nile, but I'm uncomfortable with buying an SI if there are no detailed images to examine the gem, which obviously makes them a little pricier:

http://www.bluenile.com/uk/round-di...ure-ideal-cut-i-colour-vs2-clarity_LD03396169

Your help is much appreciated!
 
To get a truly ideal cut stone in that color range, in my opinion you are under budget by 500-3000 depending on what end of the color/clarity spectrum you are on. If you want detailed images to see what the stone will truly look like, buy from www.goodoldgold.com ... if Jon and crew don't have the stone you are looking for, they will gladly call stones in and get them in the door for you.
 
Well I did mention what clarity/colour I was interested and some examples?

When it boils down to it, if it's Ideal and eye-clean (or any fault can behidden by the mount) at H/I colour that's all I'm asking - forgive me but you come across as just saying - "go buy from here".
 
gordab|1373288616|3478962 said:
Well I did mention what clarity/colour I was interested and some examples?

When it boils down to it, if it's Ideal and eye-clean (or any fault can behidden by the mount) at H/I colour that's all I'm asking - forgive me but you come across as just saying - "go buy from here".
Click to expand...


Hi gordab! I did a quick search and found this beauty... unless anyone can give a reason why not, I would put it on hold ASAP. :))

GIA XXX H/SI2 (eye clean) 0.75ct $2800!!! Great value!! :appl:

http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-dia...-h-color-si2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-182566

Good Luck!!
 
Forgot to mention that James Allen offers a "pricescope discount" if you ask about it and say you found then on PS. I think it's something like 1-3%-ish -- don't quote me on that... It would definitely be worth asking the SA! (every little bit helps, right??!) Also, it would most likely put you at or below your budget of $2750! :bigsmile:
 
That's a great find, reserved it just in case and looking to see if there's anything similar. Thanks!
 
Fellow UK poster.

Just wanted to make sure you've budgeted for VAT and customs duties, as you'll have a bit of a shock if you haven't!

We bought my engagement ring from Blue Nile and are very pleased with it. It was a very quick process!
 
Thanks everyone, both on hold and I'll let me ringmaker decide today :)

Pomellina. Thanks yes it works out about the same (around £100 cheaper) as buying from Blue Nile but I'm preferring James Allen for two reasons:

Firstly, they don't have detailed images of the gems, therefore there's no way to tell where the faults are and if they'd be visible without physically inspecting every one unless the certificate has the location and even then no way to tell if it's eye-clean.

Secondly my local branch seems to be staffed by teenage salespersons more interested in their appearance than being serious about someone who is spending a considerable amount of money. Comments of "isn't it pretty" and "do you want one with a certificate" do not fill me with confidence in a jeweller's competence.

I'd certainly advise people in the UK to try them as the prices are as I said almost identical once tax is figured in, but this was my view and why I felt more comfortable with James Allen
 
You'll probably want to clarify with JA whether the SI2 is eye-clean from top and sides, and if they think it is appropriate for tension setting.

You might also want to pick a third for the gemologist to review.
 
JulieN|1373357236|3479530 said:
You'll probably want to clarify with JA whether the SI2 is eye-clean from top and sides, and if they think it is appropriate for tension setting.

You might also want to pick a third for the gemologist to review.
Click to expand...


Good advice, I have done just that!

Many thanks for your input
 
gordab|1373353368|3479524 said:
Secondly my local branch seems to be staffed by teenage salespersons more interested in their appearance than being serious about someone who is spending a considerable amount of money. Comments of "isn't it pretty" and "do you want one with a certificate" do not fill me with confidence in a jeweller's competence.
Click to expand...
I'm confused by this comment as Blue Nile is an online retailer and doesn't have any branches. If you're referring to UK jewellery shops in general, I understand where you're coming from!

We considered James Allen too but it worked out, in our case, a little bit more expensive and, as we found the diamond we wanted in BN's Signature Ideal range, we felt more confident buying it. We also weren't working to a timeline so were able to send it back if it turned out not to live up to our expectations.

Looking forward to seeing pictures of your ring!
 
For a diamond intended for a tension setting, I would consider three issues that relate to clarity: location, type, and size. Anything VS or higher, the clarity characteristics will be microscopic in nature. For those with budget constraints, I usually recommend diamonds in the SI range. But for a tension setting, I would be more concerned with what types of inclusions are present and where they are located. Review a detailed plot of the stone and check the area around the girdle.
 
Well the gemologist at JA has reported back and confirmed your and JulieN's thoughts - the SI diamond flaw location would make it too visible and unsuitable for a tension fitting. Many thanks for the advice.

He has confirmed that the second diamond http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-dia...-h-color-vs2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-230961 faces up eye-clean and although graded as very good polish rather than excellent actually presents better visually than the other diamond.

Thanks once again for everyone's help. Will post a picture of the ring once my partner has worked out the design with the custom jeweller here and we've had it made!
 
For info there's no UK import duty for loose diamonds, just VAT (currently 20%) to pay. For rings there's an additional 2.5% duty

This makes JA about the same price as Blue Nile in the UK. I've no idea if my searches were representative, but it seems much harder to find an eye-clean gem on Blue Nile. If you're paying for higher clarity this shouldn't be so much of an issue but without high resolution pictures available you can still run the risk of having an inclusion that's visible.

Very happy with JA customer service so far.
 
Actually, just worked out the price including exchange rate. JA works out around 15% cheaper than buying in the UK
 
gordab|1373525300|3480904 said:
Well the gemologist at JA has reported back and confirmed your and JulieN's thoughts - the SI diamond flaw location would make it too visible and unsuitable for a tension fitting. Many thanks for the advice.

He has confirmed that the second diamond http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-dia...-h-color-vs2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-230961 faces up eye-clean and although graded as very good polish rather than excellent actually presents better visually than the other diamond.

Thanks once again for everyone's help. Will post a picture of the ring once my partner has worked out the design with the custom jeweller here and we've had it made!

Actually, just worked out the price including exchange rate. JA works out around 15% cheaper than buying in the UK
Click to expand...

This is GREAT!!! So happy you found your stone!! :appl:
 
Looking forward to seeing lots of photos!! ;))
 
The finished article.

18k white gold custom setting by Clarksons of Edinburgh

0.71ct
VS2
H colour
Excellent Cut

20130816_113218.jpg

20130816_140035.jpg

20130816_142256.jpg

p1030651.jpg
 
Congratulations!!! This looks lovely! :appl:
 
Thank you, really pleased we went for (non-plated) white gold. Compared to platinum the diamond stands out much more because of the off-white of the gold.
 
That's gorgeous congrats on your engagement and doing your homework!
 
Nice pictures. And ring!
 
GET 3 FREE HCA RESULTS JOIN THE FORUM. ASK FOR HELP
Jewelry Blog
PriceScope-Concierge-Ad
Find prime cuts.
Top