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What would you look for in a $3700 diamond?

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Picabia

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Apr 10, 2010
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147
Hello again everyone,
I''m struggling a bit deciding what stone to get for an engagement ring. At this point I think I want to go through an online jeweler who can also provide a setting. I originally wanted a 90 point stone, min. SI1, G color (or better), ideal cut. But the rep at blue nile suggested I drop the color down to H, maybe go smaller, and get at least VSII. What do you guys think? I''m not looking for an investment, but I want it to "look" flawless and have a lot of fire and sparkle. They suggested that an SI stone will have visible inclusions, however I was under the impression that with an ideal cut they would likely be invisible to the naked eye (assuming the stone is eye clean). Can you give some tips? Should I just shop locally so I can see the stone?
Thanks!
 
love the G SI1 combo
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a F VS1 stone will look D IF to me.
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what is important? do you want size? I''m a size girl I''ll admit, but within reason to my budget, so I would drop color and go with an eye clean SI1 or even SI2 if I had someone I trust to look at the stone for me. Blue Nile doesn''t have the stone inhouse, so they''ll just give you a canned answer and the most cautious one, but if you went with a PS vendor, you will most likely able to trust their words if it is eyeclean or not.

So I would go H or even I color SI1, just my personal thoughts though.
 
You should be able to find an eye clean SI diamond and I think a G is a great color for a diamond. Many of the online vendors can provide you images and some of the trusted vendors can confirm for you the diamond is eye clean.
 
Dumb question I know, but the vendors here--is there some level of oversight? A standard return policy, etc? I can just do a diamond search, but I''m nervous about giving out my email to sales people.
 
You would have to check their individual websites to see what kind of return policies they have - do a search here and see what people think of different vendors. I know Whiteflash, Good Old Gold, Brian Gavin Diamonds and James Allen are very popular on this forum.
 
Thanks! Hopefully I can make this work in the next month or so. I must say, I know you guys buy diamonds regularly, so this is old hat, but for someone without much experience it''s very anxiety provoking. I really appreciate that there''s a community here to ask questions. Going in to this I thought I''d just have to memorize a few "grades." But it turns out there are ratios and florescence and "eye clear"-ness to add to the confusion. My local jeweler only has a few .9 stones on hand, so choices are limited. Online I can''t really see them...

Just venting, thanks for the help!
 
We just purchased our first diamond through a popular PS vendor. Fortunately for us, we had the benefit of having two of the vendors being local...Whiteflash and Brian Gavin. Thus, we had the opportunity to view stones in person. We looked at ideally cut SI1s and VS1-2. All of each were completely eye-clean.

Take a deep breath. If you use any of the vendors that are recommended in this forum (GOG, WF, BGD), you are in VERY GOOD HANDS. Their most important asset is their reputation and they aren''t going to jeopardize that for one sale. When they say a stone is "eye clean," there is a 98% chance that you will agree with them.
 
It is pretty personal. For me in a ring, I like ideal cut diamonds, biggest size possible, color G-J, VS2-SI2 (if eyeclean). I went a little higher than your budget, since in another thread you had quoted a higher number. You can get a lovely inexpensive solitare setting and design a more elaborate custom setting down the road if that''s of interest to you both...

Ideally I would get a G SI1 that''s eyeclean (ideal cut is a given, preferably AGS, but GIA is fine). If you could find an eyeclean SI2 that would be like the holy grail b/c you can save a nice chunk of change:-)

Here are a few options for you (you should call and see if they are eyeclean):

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/J-SI1-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1274564.asp

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/G-SI2-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1289506.asp

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/G-SI1-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1288894.asp a little deep

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/G-VS2-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1290093.asp table a little big

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/G-SI1-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1198871.asp

Of this list, I''d probably go with the G SI2 if it is eyeclean or the last G SI1, but there are others on this forum who are much better at evaluating diamonds than me...I am still somewhat of a newbie
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Thanks Bella,
Actually the price I mentioned in my last post (4300) was for the entire ring. I''d like a semi-decent setting. I think 3700 is the most I can do for the actual diamond. That said, thanks so much for the suggestions. They all seem to come from James Allen, so I assume you approve of his site? I was looking at Blue Nile, but I''ll definitely check out those stones. Thanks again!
 
Date: 4/11/2010 10:16:59 PM
Author:Picabia
Hello again everyone,
I''m struggling a bit deciding what stone to get for an engagement ring. At this point I think I want to go through an online jeweler who can also provide a setting. I originally wanted a 90 point stone, min. SI1, G color (or better), ideal cut. But the rep at blue nile suggested I drop the color down to H, maybe go smaller, and get at least VSII. What do you guys think? I''m not looking for an investment, but I want it to ''look'' flawless and have a lot of fire and sparkle. They suggested that an SI stone will have visible inclusions, however I was under the impression that with an ideal cut they would likely be invisible to the naked eye (assuming the stone is eye clean). Can you give some tips? Should I just shop locally so I can see the stone?
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Pica, most SI1 stones will be eyeclean to most people with standard eyesight. Whether or not they''ll be eyeclean to you depends on how sensitive your vision is when it comes to inclusions.

Also, between color and clarity, most people are more sensitive to color, so I think your original plan is a good one as long as you work with any of the vendors that have a good return policy. A good return policy will let you try out the SI1 with the assurance that if it doesn''t work for you, you can return it and go VS2 instead.
 
I would get the largest H SI1 I could afford, and get a near H&A to maximize the buget. www.jamesallen.com is a great resource and they have a stellar eputation. Also the Expert Selection line at White flash.
 
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