what ticks me off...

[BigToque]

I know that both me and one of my friends are gonna get engaged in a little bit. My friend knows nothing about diamonds. He''s the kind of guy who will go to the store, see something nice and pick it out.

I have done lots of research about diamonds, know exactly what I want, etc.

His limit is about $6,500 USD
My limit is about $11,500 USD

What ticks me off is that I''m sure he will probably get a bigger carrat diamond than the one I''m getting (I want 1.2ct), and cost him less money. Now the problem isnt that he has the bigger diamond. I know that I will have the better diamond. My problem is that because other people don''t know anything, they will see his ring as being better.

GRRR... I''m waiting for him to get the ring first, just so I can out do his size, then blow him out with a higher quality diamond too

Btw, I''ve always wanted to get a great diamond for my girl, so I''m not just spending way more money JUST to 1-up my friend.

 

[BigToque]

Btw again,

I'd like to get a Round 1.2ct, D, VS1, Excellent cut diamond

 

[Giangi]

Hiya!

In first place, let me tell you that if your friend gets a larger diamonds than yours, it will be either badly cut or with low specs.
If you want to get a 1.2 H&A stone, it will probably be in the E-F-G/IF-VVS2. If I were you, I would move to a 1.50-1.75 in the H/VS 2 or even SI 1 range. Or, if you really want to amaze everyone, a stone like this one might be adequate 2.08ct J/SI 1 H&A. Looks very pretty and eye-clean. J/SI gives you great bang for the buck, especially if the cut is as great as on this one...

 

[Giangi]

Whoooooooooops! Just saw your last post! Sorry!

 

[BigToque]

My problem with lowering the specs of the diamond I want is because *I* will know that I have a lower quality diamond. I want to know that I bought the best quality diamond I could afford w/o filing for bankruptcy

(well its not that bad, but you know what I mean)

 

[canadiangrrl]

Go higher in colour and lower in clarity. D VS1 is overkill, with your budget. Colour is what people notice most after size and sparkle (cut) so drop that clarity to an eyeclean SI1. Don't pay for what you can't see. Look for well cut stones in the SI1 range. As for the colour, an F or even a G is going to face up the same as a D, and will be markedly less expensive. You will see zero yellow. Zero. Really.

A properly graded, GIA/AGS SI1 stone is far superior to the vast majority of e-ring stones out there. There is absolutely nothing wrong with SI1 quality.

 

[Roxy]

Canadiangrrl has some good points.

As Garry advises on this site (check out the subject "What to buy" in the tutorial), buy the highest color you can afford with the lowest clarity you can accept.

If you're sensitive to color and can't stand seeing any yellow, from any angle, then go for a D. You might even like an E or F, but some folks may be able to see yellow through the side of an F (I can't in every-day lighting).

Then figure out how low in clarity you can stand to go. Some people just want eye-clean, others want it to be VERY VERY difficult to find anything using a loupe. Only you can decide how best to balance those two. Remember, however, that unless your girlfriend walks around showing people her cert, or shows off her diamond to friends while holding a loupe above it for them to study the stone, no one will be able to tell the difference between a truly eye-clean SI and a VVS with the naked eye.

The one thing that you don't want to compromise on is the CUT - especially if you really want to "blow him out" as you said (ha ha).

For most women, size does matter, so keep that in mind. Yes, it's better to have small and sparkly than large and dead, however it's EVEN BETTER to have large and sparkly (hee hee).

 

[canadiangrrl]

An F is virtually indistinguishable from a D, especially in a round. D-E-F are all in the colourless band, but there's generally a premium on the D.

Size is relative. I have a 5 1/4 finger size, which is not especially small, but my 1.18 RB looks plenty big to me.

 

[valeria101]

There is no mistake about quality when the little thing is very white and seems to have a little light within! Also, the setting ( something equally top range as the stone, even if a simple 6-prong or something since those show craftmanship so well) does wonders to shout out loud 'GREAT STONE HERE'. There is no way anyone can mistake a D-VS, with top optical caracteristics for a I-J discount. The person who actually bought the lower quality would know this at least as well as you: (they know what they are missing! it was right next to their stone when they bought it). Well, and so do you (size). If the contenders are getting a E-F, VS, equally best cut, eh, well, their thing would be twice bigger and twice better, but not for that price.

There must be a middle ground to have the best of both worlds. PS seems to favout G color, VS2-SI1 for such a purpose, keeping cut quality sky high. However, compromises are just that, and I would keep at least one stryking charactristic very high, which you are doing (color).

 

[antiquediamond]

I agree w/ the others. You obviously want a great stone; everyone who comes on this forum does. What people are saying is that with $11K, you could do a lot better visually than a D VS 1.
A G VS 2 w/ excellent cut quality and great size is something most women, I think, would be much happier w/ and would never consider a sacrifice. Of course I'd love D VS 1 rock (who wouldn't?) I could have had that; but the stone would have had to have been significantly smaller and we never would have looked for a setting as beautiful as the Mark Morrell that I got. I'm not speaking for all women, but the setting to me is very important, and it really makes for a more original and special engagement ring. Consider the following: If she'd like sidestones, you'll want them to be close to the D VS1 center. If you're going for platinum, you'll be paying a bit more as well.
I make these points because your friend will inevitebly become educated in buying a diamond as he begins to shop. Just because he's not interested yet, he obviously will want to get his intended a great diamond...He may end up w/ a decent size and quality G VS2 w/ an awesome and original setting and you may get an ok size, great quality D VS1 w/o the expensive setting. Women friends try on each other's diamonds, and for the most part, all we look at is size, setting, and sparkle. Good luck w/ whatever you choose, just don't think that anything below D and VS 1 is less than beautiful. Take a look at some of the beautiful rings on this forum, esp. in "Show Me the Ring" and you'll see what I mean. sorry so long!!

 

[valeria101]

Competitions... competitions..

Really, below 7k, the contender might end up with something below 2ct, unless the quality screams 'NO COMPARISON'. On your budget, you can get a G,VS2, H&A between 1.5-2ct with stryking optical caracteristics and comparable size (commercial cuts are often deep, while H&As should keep theirs around 60%-a relatively low number-among other things) I still think your choice is great, but I guess this is the alternatives which keeps building up...

I guess there is little issue here: the 'other' stone canot be that much bigger anyway. Not to mention that the diameter of the stone does not increase all that fast with size, so a 1.75 great will not be all that dwarfed by a 2ct rank-and-file. So, what was the problem?

 

[rextrailer]

I know how you feel. I wanted a 1.2 because I felt like that is the right size diamond for her. I have friends who got 1.75-2.0 and paid no attention to cut at all...

Anyone- here's what I decided:

*I started thinking I would get a D or E color. I ended up getting a G. Why? Because an F or G is virtually the same.

* I got a VS2- again- beacuse it's the sweet spot for price and makes NO difference to how the diamond look.

*cut is the most important to how the diamond looks. At your budget, get a stone that is AGS 0 and maybe H&A, with a low HCA score. The diamond will glow with fire and brilliance and that's how everyone will know you have a better stone than the one your friend picked out!

 

[Giangi]

I'll never be tired to stress that a G-I SI 1 diamond **is** a quality stone. As a matter of fact, even a J/SI is still a good quality stone, especially if well cut!

Also, try to keep in m ind that gals like size

and believe me, once set they will look really birght and white.

 

[ccuheartnurse]

It sounds like your actually in a bit of a struggle here. If you want to put yourself out of your misery, then follow the excellent advice you've been given thus far. A D, VS-1 stone is no better than an G, SI-1 stone. I'm partial cause I have a 1.55 SI-1, G.

You CANNOT see any inclusions & the stone is white. Buying VS-1 is only making YOU feel good. Your girl isnt going to go around saying, my man got me a VS-1 stone! No, what she's going to hear from people all around her is "omg that thing sparkles, oh its so white, & the best one OH its so BIG. My finger size is
5 3/4 & mine looks huge. But you know, I love that! LOL But its not gaudy in the least. CuriousCanuck has seen my ring, he can attest to how blown out of the water he was with my SI-1. He didnt know it could look so good.

Bottom line, no one can tell you how to spend YOUR hard earned money. What we try to do here is to STRETCH your hard earned money.

If you've set your sights on a VS-1, D, then go for it.

Judy

 

[fire&ice]

----------------
On 11/22/2003 4:18:20 PM Giangi wrote:

I'll never be tired to stress that a G-I SI 1 diamond **is** a quality stone. As a matter of fact, even a J/SI is still a good quality stone, especially if well cut!

Also, try to keep in m ind that gals like size

and believe me, once set they will look really birght and white.----------------

My mantra as well. Go for the bigger stone. You are buying the specs on paper which does not translate to human eyeball.

Also, you said it's what you want. IMHO, it's more about what *she* wants. She is the one to wear & field compliments or disappointment when a larger size stone gets noticed. In a well cut quality (see above) stone, size is what is noticed more than anything. I have yet for someone to ask for the specs on my stone. Just something to think about.

 

[Jolie]

I know I'm in the minority here, but I think you should stick to what you value (high cut/color/clarity) rather than trying to compete with another person's stone. Why try to impress some casual acquaintances and strangers with the sheer size of a stone? Who cares what they think. YOU AND YOUR GIRL will know how precious your stone is, even if it's a 1.2 carat (which can looks vary large, by the way).

Coincidentally, we bought a 1.2 carat, D color, VVS1 stone. There are larger stones out there, but I am satisfied that we ended up with something small and precious versus large and flawed. An ounce of gold means more to me than a pound of dross. After all, if the ring is supposed to symbolize your commitment to each other, why not get as "flawless" a stone as you can? I find no comfort in the mantra "I don't think others can see the inclusions on the table" -- as long as I know they are there, it would bother me.

Again, it's a personal choice. But since you stated that you wanted quality over size, don't abandon what you value just to compete with what someone else values. Let him have the biggest (and most flawed) diamond on the block. It won't matter to you, trust me. A quality 1.2 carat D diamond will take your breath away. I know, because that is what we have.

 

[fire&ice]

----------------
On 11/22/2003 7:37:33 PM Jolie wrote:

Who cares what they think. YOU AND YOUR GIRL will know how precious your stone is, even if it's a 1.2 carat (which can looks vary large, by the way).

.----------------

yeah, who cares. But, the key is you and *your* girl. Again, what does she want? Having done the the quality vs. size thing, I would find a common ground. Research & look around to find out if you or rather *she* really wants a smaller or more expensive stone.

 

[knowverylittle]

Your in the very fortunate position of being able to spend 2x what your friend is. I would let him be happy that he out did you for once - don't burst his bubble. Now if he becomes cocky about it inform him what a D color is and what good cuts are. Hiding your wealth is a noble challenge! On the other hand if you want to win the size war buy as big as possible, but be aware that if you get really cocky with someone like me I'll probably point out what a D color is!! Personally 1 carat is my maximum are there are many people in this country who would struggle to spend $500 on a ring. There come a point where we are just rubbing peoples face in it. Ooops I am ranting again!!!

 

[hoorray]

We all agree here that it's very important that you consider what she wants. However, I personally think it is also important to consider what is important to you and find a good blend. My husband takes a lot of pride in my stone. It was a gift from him, and he is proud of it's quality. He considers it a symbol of our marriage, even if I am the one to wear it. (I make him admire it a lot since I love to watch it sparkle

).

Many women will gladly trade off quality specs that are hard or impossible to see for size. Others, like me, have a tendendency towards perfectionism, and like "knowing" the quality, whether you can see it easily or not. I care about color, and wanted to stay in the colorless range, but not pay the rarity premium for D. My husband didn't want to go below VS2 for clarity. (He would have like it to be higher -- I had to convince him it wasn't worth it by looking at the various stones in person.)

You've gotten lots of advice here about what ranges will look white and clean. Now you have to figure out what works for both of your priorities. Good luck!

 

[magna2]

----------------
On 11/22/2003 12:40:02 PM BigToque wrote:

My problem with lowering the specs of the diamond I want is because *I* will know that I have a lower quality diamond. I want to know that I bought the best quality diamond I could afford w/o filing for bankruptcy

(well its not that bad, but you know what I mean)----------------

The best quality diamond is the diamond that falls within all your parameters for a "quality" diamond. If you believe that only a "D" color stone is quality then why are you also settling for a "VS1" clarity since the best quality in clarity is FL/IF clarity. So since you are already starting with a less than "quality" stone you might as well try to maximize the carat size by going to a E/F color stone.

If you believe only "D" color stones are qulaity stones, you still have quite a bit to learn so don't go rushing into the diamond purchase just yet.