Which pair of earrings is better?

[cgsauer]

Hello. I am looking into purchasing diamond stud earings for my wife for our 1yr anniversary. What do you think about these two pairs - budget is somewhere around $1000-1200

http://www.whiteflash.com/diamonds/Compare_Diamonds.aspx?idnos=2432811,2432814
Both A cut above - 0.317 and 0.312 H SI1 - $525 each

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamond.asp?find=1&cid=130&item=856537 0.34 H SI2 GIA
http://www.jamesallen.com/diamond.asp?find=1&cid=130&item=856004 0.36 H SI1 GIA

Or, any other thoughts on other diamonds out there??

Thanks

Cary Sauer

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Well, I usually go for the larger size, but the WF pair are perfect matches. The second pair are not as close to the same diameter. I look at the diameter and not so much the carat weight. The other nice thing about WF is that if you decide in 5 or 10 years to upgrade those stone to .5 or even more, you can do that. So I''d choose the WF stones.

 

[cgsauer]

What about these two options too:

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamond.asp?item=865392&cid=56
http://www.jamesallen.com/diamond.asp?item=865288&cid=56

Both 0.35carat, I VS2. They are both AGA ideal but when I look at the pdf chart for diamonds, both fit in the GIA ideal but not the AGA ideal.


Depth: 61.7%
Table: 55.1%
Polish: Ideal
Symmetry: Ideal
Girdle: Medium to slightlyl thick
Culet: None
Fluorescence: Neglible
Measurements: 4.51*4.54*2.79
Crown Angle: 34.0°
Crown %: 15.1
Pavillion Angle: 40.8°
Pavillion %: 43.1



Depth: 61.5%
Table: 56%
Polish: Ideal
Symmetry: Ideal
Girdle: Medium to slightlyl thick
Culet: None
Fluorescence: Neglible
Measurements: 4.52*4.54*2.79
Crown Angle: 34.5°
Crown %: 15.2
Pavillion Angle: 40.6°
Pavillion %: 42.7

 

[JulieN]

The I VS2 set looks really good!

 

[JulieN]

There are slightly different proportion sets for different sizes of stones. I think the AGS outline on HCA is for a 6mm stone, but I'm not sure on that. When it's graded in the lab, they'll do all the procedures with the size of stone taken into account.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

James Allen does not have a good trade-up policy, so that would make me very hesitant. I''m just thinking that it''s likely that she''ll want larger studs one day. WhiteFlash and Good Old Gold have much better trade-up policies.

 

[cgsauer]

James Allen said they have a 100% trade up policy since these diamonds are in their on hand stock.

I purchased my wifes engagement ring from Whiteflash but they don''t seem to have the same selection as James allen (plus the whiteflash guy has been a bit pushy)

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Date: 9/6/2006 6:16:08 PM
Author: cgsauer
James Allen said they have a 100% trade up policy since these diamonds are in their on hand stock.

I purchased my wifes engagement ring from Whiteflash but they don''t seem to have the same selection as James allen (plus the whiteflash guy has been a bit pushy)

Hmm...did you look at the site? Even if they allow 100%, I think they have a 5 year limit, don''t they? The others have lifetime trade-up. (I don''t like pushy either, but I''d want you to be sure that in 10 years if you want to upgrade to a carat each, you still could!!!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

P.S. How much time do you have before the anniversary?

 

[cgsauer]

I have a few weeks until my anniversary - Sept 24th (I need it in hand by the 21st)

I was happy with Whiteflash with my ering purchase but the prices seem to be higher than James Allen.

I''m open to other diamonds our there too - thanks

Cary