What to sacrifice?

[Meg3237]

I''m new here so i apologize if a similar forum has already been posted.

My boyfriend wants to know exactly what to look for in a diamond and i told him i wanted a cushion cut around 1 ct. or more.


my question is, should i tell him to get the best 1 ct. for his budget (4 to 6 thousand) or can color and clarity be sacrificed for a larger stone without anyone(other than an expert) really noticing. i would like to have a larger stone obviously but i want to know i have a high quality diamond

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 4/20/2009 3:21:28 PM
Author:Meg3237
I'm new here so i apologize if a similar forum has already been posted.

My boyfriend wants to know exactly what to look for in a diamond and i told him i wanted a cushion cut around 1 ct. or more.


my question is, should i tell him to get the best 1 ct. for his budget (4 to 6 thousand) or can color and clarity be sacrificed for a larger stone without anyone(other than an expert) really noticing. i would like to have a larger stone obviously but i want to know i have a high quality diamond

Hi Meg,

If GIA graded then you can definitely lower the colour and clarity in a cushion, I would suggest looking at G or H colour and VS2 to SI clarity initially, also consider SI2 if eyeclean and the cut is great. This should give you a nice balance of quality and size, but whatever you do look at some cushions to see what you love best, for example this might be the chunky faceted look. They can vary tremendously in appearance.

 

[Meg3237]

thanks so much for you help.

I was looking at some diamonds on Good old gold and james allen just for reference of some of the SI1 diamonds and on some of them it just seemed like there was no way they could be eye clean, but i''m thinking thats just because of how magnified the pictures are. are most SI1s eye clean?

 

[stone-cold11]

Large numbers of SI1 are eye-clean. Just ask GOG about the stones that you are interested in if they are eye-clean.

 

[Meg3237]

one last question.


I am in love with a setting from James Allen, but i like alot of the diamonds on GOG better. how would i go about putting together a diamond from one with a setting from the other. would that be too difficult?

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 4/20/2009 3:33:38 PM
Author: Meg3237
thanks so much for you help.

I was looking at some diamonds on Good old gold and james allen just for reference of some of the SI1 diamonds and on some of them it just seemed like there was no way they could be eye clean, but i'm thinking thats just because of how magnified the pictures are. are most SI1s eye clean?

Many SI clarity grades can be eyeclean, the pics are hugely magnified to show the inclusions. The trick is to work with a vendor who has in house diamonds so they can evaluate them for you, and let the seller know your expectations. For example if you don't want to see any visible inclusions from any angle at close scrutiny, make sure you tell the vendor that so you are both on the same page.

Jon at GOG has an excellent eye for cushions and is great to deal with, so you could email or call him and see what he can come up with for you . Also Mark at www.engagementringsdirect.com has a great rep with cushions.

And you are most welcome, glad to help!

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 4/20/2009 3:39:04 PM
Author: Meg3237
one last question.


I am in love with a setting from James Allen, but i like alot of the diamonds on GOG better. how would i go about putting together a diamond from one with a setting from the other. would that be too difficult?

You can certainly do so but the thing is that if you have the diamond set by a different vendor to the one who sold it, then if something happened that the diamond got damaged whilst setting, the vendor might not assume responsibility. It is also very difficult to get insurance for the procedure in these circumstances.

Jon has many more settings available than he shows on his website, tell him what you are looking for and I bet he might be able to come up with something that will work for you.

 

[LadyBlue]

I will go for an H SI1 eye clean, the biggest one I can find for the budget,.