Trying to pick out the right stone. - So much to think about

[tlroyce1]

I''ve been lurking around here for a while (for some reason my computer wouldn''t let me post).

Anyway I''m in the process of picking out a stone for my girlfriend.

I had a jeweler from St. Thomas which my mom has done business with send a stone that is EGL cert, and understanding that they are lenient. I took them to a local store and told them it was a family stone and I wasn''t sure if I wanted something different.
EGL had it as a 1.7 Very Good F SI2. for 9,300
The store rated it as a 1.7 Good (4) H I1, which seems like a huge difference.

I had previously thought Color made the most difference to me but at the store when they showed me some GIA I1''s that were ideal cut, I realized the cut made more difference to me, and the brilliance difference was huge
The store showed me a:
1.58 Ideal 1.58 I1 6.6k
1.74 Ideal G I1 for 9.3k
1.75 Ideal J SI2 10.9k
They showed me the I1''s to compare them to my stone (which they claimed as an I1) but theirs had larger inclusions that were VERY visible which I didn''t think on my stone they were. They also said to steer clear of the J''s for platinum or white gold, bc they appear more yellow.

So, now after realizing that I think the stone my mom''s guy sent is a little overpriced, and realizing the store is overpriced, I want to base my search off web vendors.
My original budget was 8k, but I upped it to 10k after realizing I could get a VERY nice stone for a little more. I would like the stone set in a tiffany style solitaire setting. The problem is how to shop off the web, w/o seeing the stone.

Here are some stones on blue nile which seem like great deals that caught my eye.
http://www.bluenile.com/diamond_comparison.asp?track=dc_interactive_header&filter_id=0&AdvSearch=1/services/site_comparison_service.asp?action=sort


Any help would be appreciated in guiding me, as this has all become WAY more complicated than I would have anticipated.

Thanks
-Terry

 

[Lorelei]

Welcome Terry!

I would recommend shopping with vendors who have in house diamonds and all the cut analysis done to help you select a gorgeous diamond, popular vendors with an excellent rep are -

www.winkjones.com

www.whiteflash.com

www.goodoldgold.com

I would check these guys out for starters and look at their AGS0 and GIA Excellent cut grade diamonds. Also consider what you want, whether that is a branded hearts and arrows superideal, or just a very well cut diamond which isn't branded. Decide what you want for carat, colour and clarity, then you can see what you can get for your budget. The above vendors have photographs, Idealscope and ASET images amongst other things to help you judge cut quality. They are also very approachable, expert and glad to help you in any way they can, so don't hestitate to make full use of your chosen vendor's skill! If the diamond is intended for an engagement ring, then SI2 and above might be a good choice rather than I1, also J colour will still look white in white metal if well cut. Perhaps a good middleground could be G or H colour and SI1 or SI2 clarity. And don't go by labels used by some vendors such as Ideal Cut, Premium Cut etc, it is no guarantee of a well cut stone.

By the way the link you provided for diamond comparison doesn't seem to have any diamonds on it?

Here is a lovely stone, G SI1 in budget if paid by bank wire as an example of what you could get.

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/4974/

I would want an Idealscope image for this one, and you would need to check if it was eyeclean to your standards, but it is 1.5 cts and within budget from James Allen.

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/H-SI2-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1131284.asp?b=16&a=12&c=77&cid=131

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Welcome! Glad you realized that the stone you were sent wasn''t so great before you were stuck with it! Those island jewelers are pretty notorious around here for high prices and questionable quality.

I''d say that buying ideal cut stones online is by far easier than looking at random diamonds in jewelry stores!

These are the closest to your range that I can find right now in the in-house stones from G-I color and SI1 clarity.

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/4974/

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/4973/

http://www.whiteflash.com/round_ideal_cut/Round-Ideal-Cut-cut-diamond-1445190.htm

 

[tlroyce1]

Sorry about the Blue Nile link. I scanned in the page along with the EGL cert for the stone my mom's guy sent.


I also went back to the Smyth by me today and looked at some more stones, after looking at some of their SI2's and looking at the I1's the other day (which they said mine is) I am wondering if they intentionally graded mine lower. Because both some of their Si2's and definately the I1's appeared to have more inclusions than mine.
I will scan and upload the Sarin printout of mine too to get some more candid advice.

Thanks for posting the links to the stones, the characteristics seemed great they are a littler smaller than I was shooting for. I will have to sit down and look at the other traits between the blue nile stones and the ones you guys posted.

I think I've also decided to give up more ground on color and get an SI diamond, to get a larger carat and cut. Overall I can't tell a huge difference between color grades unless diamonds are being compared at the store, and even then its hard. The cut seems to make the largest difference to me.

Thanks again for all your guys input.