who to help me buy?

[NicApple]

I know my question is not politically correct because this site does not recommend any one vender and is mostly for people who want to know everything there is to know about diamonds-- but here goes.

My GF sent me here to learn how to buy the best looking round dimond for her ring. I only want to learn enough to make her happy. I know she wants a 1- 1.5 ct. regular round brillant. I don''t think she cares if she can see hearts or arrows under a microscope so I figure I just need something eye clean, round, and white that sparkles.

Beyond those basics- I also know she wants the most brillant eye popping "oh my gosh, that is the BEST looking diamond" diamond and this is where my confusion sets in.

After looking around on this site- it seems like I can get away with keeping her happy and keeping myself sane by just calling Whiteflash and ask them to pick out the nicest round ACA I can afford.

If I maybe want to check out GOG or some of the other recommended venders here- how do I tell them what I am looking for when I only know that I am looking for the "oh my gosh..." diamond stated above. I don''t want to learn all about angles - i just want someone trustworthy to tell me THIS is the best cut you can get for your money that is in the 1-1.5 size range.

Will other venders be insulted if I say I want an ACA quality diamond? It seems like I need to request more than just AGSO Ideal to get the very best? Is it right to ask a couple different venders to help me - or do just stick with one because prices are probably about equal?

I am leaning towards WF because the ACA part for me says "keep it simple, stupid" - but folks mention a lot of other good venders.

What is a dumb guy to do?

 

[Regular Guy]

Just had to say this is hilarious, and fabulous.

You could read below my signature, but forget about it...you know what to do.

I'll mention a couple suggestions in a minute, but just had to write.


edited to add...by the way...what can you afford?


Ok...I'm back. I still need to know what you can afford. You know what to do. Still, you can spend in a range, based on the general criteria you've mentioned, from $4K to $16K.

She'll be reading here, right?

Look here. It's laid out...with pretty much all the ACA's you could have, with calculations done for you...sitting right next to GOG, so you can see what you might get instead, and next to JA, so you can see what you could sort of save...but...nah.




P.S. Just to mention two extremes...these are two you might consider...with a lot in the middle. The search by cut db, linked above, should help pull them together for you. Now...with cut sort of established...it's just some minor variations in size, color & clarity. Try broadly F - J (I prefer F - H), and VS2 - SI2 or better, SI1.

 

[luckystar112]

Did my BF write this? LOL!

 

[hedarud]

You need to let us know what you can spend......do a search right up top. I think when I looked at an ACA stone, i felt it was a bit expensive for the color / clarity but that is not the most important factor and can get confusing.....

Anyways, i would search for an H color Si1 stone...that is the most value, and look for excellent polish sym cut or AGS000...then when i narrow the stones down, i would request certs and look at the angles, you dont need to learn alot...just run the HCA....look under tools up above, if the numbers look good ask if the stone is eyeclean..youre done. Call it a day, some of the folks here (not RG) can be very very picky and for most, a very good stone is just fine, it does not have to be some above and beyond H & A bla bla.....LOL, sorry I dont mean to offend anyone, but the guy asked and he wants to keep it simple and sane, lets keep it in perspective for him

 

[find45di2]

Even if you are relying on someone else for the major details, I would at least understand the basics. In my shopping so far, every store I've gone into has definitely swayed its sales pitch around what I thought was important even though I am still learning, and not necessarily what a good combination of a diamond truly is.

Learn a little, and you will probably get a better value...even if you trust where you buy it is still a sales process and the less you know, the more you pay for knowledge

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 8/7/2007 12:41:07 AM
Author:NicApple
I know my question is not politically correct because this site does not recommend any one vender and is mostly for people who want to know everything there is to know about diamonds-- but here goes.

My GF sent me here to learn how to buy the best looking round dimond for her ring. I only want to learn enough to make her happy. I know she wants a 1- 1.5 ct. regular round brillant. I don''t think she cares if she can see hearts or arrows under a microscope so I figure I just need something eye clean, round, and white that sparkles.

Beyond those basics- I also know she wants the most brillant eye popping ''oh my gosh, that is the BEST looking diamond'' diamond and this is where my confusion sets in.

After looking around on this site- it seems like I can get away with keeping her happy and keeping myself sane by just calling Whiteflash and ask them to pick out the nicest round ACA I can afford.

If I maybe want to check out GOG or some of the other recommended venders here- how do I tell them what I am looking for when I only know that I am looking for the ''oh my gosh...'' diamond stated above. I don''t want to learn all about angles - i just want someone trustworthy to tell me THIS is the best cut you can get for your money that is in the 1-1.5 size range.

Will other venders be insulted if I say I want an ACA quality diamond? It seems like I need to request more than just AGSO Ideal to get the very best? Is it right to ask a couple different venders to help me - or do just stick with one because prices are probably about equal?

I am leaning towards WF because the ACA part for me says ''keep it simple, stupid'' - but folks mention a lot of other good venders.

What is a dumb guy to do?

I wonder if you might be best actually getting an ACA as that is the quality you want - that indeed is the simplest way!

 

[Ellen]

Hi nic,

What a funny and sweet post.

It might be easiest to just call WF, but I''ll recommend a few from GOG, and these are the same quality as ACA''s.

Don''t know how much you want to spend...


Here''s one that will give you the "look" of a 1.5 without the price.

You''d need to ask for the pics on this one.

Then there''s this one. Need to ask if eyeclean.


Just to give you some options, which you may, or may not want.

Some of it depends on what you want to spend, as you can see, prices vary quite a bit depending on size, clarity and color.

HTH

 

[NicApple]

Sorry- left out the most important factor- how much money can I spend. I feel like a guy talking to a girl at a bar when she asks "What type of car do you drive?" (I read the thread about how much to spend and car analogy- very helpful)

And, by the way- my GF swore to me, cross her heart and hope to say ''bye bye'' to the perfect ring if I thought for one second she peeked at pricescope. I know her and she would NEVER be able to keep from joking about my big bad manly lady bug aplet so I chose this one on purpose just to tempt her to giggle. So- be warned little lady. If you are reading this now and I think you have peeked in any forums- the $$$ goes WAY down.

Ok- back to the wallet. My budget only narrows it down a little (no 17k stones, but thanks for showing me) because I was hoping to get away with a great stone somewhere around 9- 13k and there are many in this range.

Question about AGSO and HCA scores under 2.0- many stones have Ex for B, F, And S- but then only VG for spread. Can I find one that has 4 EX? Or is VG spread good enough if I am looking at an ACA F color, VS2 clarity?

 

[Regular Guy]

Date: 8/7/2007 12:57:56 PM
Author: NicApple

Question about AGSO and HCA scores under 2.0- many stones have Ex for B, F, And S- but then only VG for spread. Can I find one that has 4 EX? Or is VG spread good enough if I am looking at an ACA F color, VS2 clarity?

Confirmed by the HCA author...EX for spread even carries its own problems. They''re considered a bit unusual, so you shouldn''t find it a surprise to find them hard to find, and shouldn''t worry about it.

Hope you''re having fun!

 

[Ellen]

Ditto to what Ira said.


Shallower stones get Ex on spread, almost always more so than one wants for a ring.


This chart may help you in your search. Any stone that falls on, or close to the diameters given will be fine.



p.s. Hope your girlfriend doesn''t get caught peeking.

 

[NicApple]

Should I ask for Jon at WF because he is the one I see on all the posts?

Is he assigned for dealing with the very very picky PS smart shoppers? Or do I just ask for anyone and say I am only looking for a diamond that will pass the scrutiny of the PS site?

I believe if I say the diamond specs are going to be posted on PS- they will know I am not messing around!

 

[Regular Guy]

Interesting. I did look at the selection earlier today, and now with your post...again.

Two that look most attractive to me, and without compromise...are both from GOG. F & G VS2s.

If you want WF, and there''s nothing wrong with that...you''d want to know this SI 1 (at $13,5) was eye clean, and it probably is...and it is just above the $13K you mentioned.

But the other 2 are both 1.4 in size at GOG. Actually...I see the first one Ellen mentions above is the G...and that''s gotta make you think twice. (The other one is this one).

Anyway...you''ve got some nice options. You could call John, and no doubt he''ll help you. Maybe, or the associates there are probably pretty helpful, too. Also, however, their duds are on display pretty good here, too.

 

[Ellen]

Nic, just for clarification, Jon is at GOG, and John is at WF.

You can''t go wrong at either place, it''s just a matter of finding what suits you.

 

[NicApple]

Got it- Jon, John. The thing is- I am an East Coast man (GO SOX!) so I want to throw business to GOG. However- if those specific stones recommended don''t work for whatever reason- WF seems to have a TON more inventory. This was why i asked is it right to contact two venders, or pick the one with biggest inventory, or go with my East coast roots and trust the GOG will find the stone I need if they don''t have the right one now? The draw of WF is ACA AND I am sure WF will agree that everything is bigger and better in Texas (or so I am told).

 

[Ellen]

Date: 8/8/2007 12:36:01 PM
Author: NicApple
Got it- Jon, John. The thing is- I am an East Coast man (GO SOX!) so I want to throw business to GOG. However- if those specific stones recommended don't work for whatever reason- WF seems to have a TON more inventory. This was why i asked is it right to contact two venders, or pick the one with biggest inventory, or go with my East coast roots and trust the GOG will find the stone I need if they don't have the right one now? The draw of WF is ACA AND I am sure WF will agree that everything is bigger and better in Texas (or so I am told).

Well, I can't tell ya what to do. What I can tell you is, if you want to give the East coaster the biz, they have several resources to call on to find you what you want, should those not work out. And their H&A's stones are just as nice as ACA's. I know, cuz I have both.

It's really up to you. Like I said, you can't go wrong either way.


One word of advice though, if you post one on here you are considering, make sure you reserve it first. Stones sometimes get snatched from under the intended buyers nose.

 

[phoenixgirl]

I wouldn't worry about stones with VG for spread. Spread, after all, is how big the diamond looks for its carat weight. It doesn't have anything to do with its sparkle. Here is a diamond that scores EX for spread, but then notice how it doesn't score EX for white light return. It's really hard to accomplish all four. If you search by cut for F VS2 1.0 to 1.5 carat stones, you'll notice some stones with depths of 62%+. If you want a larger looking spread, check out the diameter of the stone for its carat weight. (Example: this 1.238 spreads larger than this 1.25 and almost as large as this 1.276). If the depth is under 62 and the girdle is not particularly thick, your stone will have a very nice spread, just not an unusually large spread.

By the way, performing the search I mentioned above yields 9 stones, 3 from Good Old Gold and 3 from White Flash. There's no problem with calling both and discussing those stones. If you were buying a new car, you'd call/check out all the local dealerships to make sure you found the right car at the right price, right? Obviously as consumers who respect the vendors who feed our addiction and give us all the images and analyses we could want, we don't want to waste their time for no reason. I wouldn't do that. But if you are honestly unsure of which one to go with, I'd contact both and see which one works out best for you. Both have the lifetime upgrade policy, so it really just depends on finding "the one" that is the stone your girlfriend will wear happily.

 

[Jenn5504]

What an adorable post! You''re such a great BF for doing your research!

My less than overly romantic husband just handed me the keys when we were starting to talk rings because he didn''t even want to bother trying to learn all of this stuff.

An ACA would be a great choice, no question there. But there are certainly other choices. Following a stone break I was lucky enough to get to re-do the whole ring buying thing a couple of months ago. I wanted the best cut, BIGGEST stone I could manage financially. I ended up going with WF who were wonderful to work with, Celina was my salesperson and she absolutely was equiped and willing to help with our PS obsessivness.

For the budget you''ve given, you can easily get what you are looking for.

I found an AGS000 J SI2 1.59ct round brillant diamond in the WF virtual inventory for just $6800 with the PS discount, they called it in, looked it over and it turned out to be a keeper---I honestly believe that WF will NOT sell you a dud and that they will be very fair an honest. I know Jon at GOG will do thte same. You have a LOT of options as far as color/clarity go, and just to throw out my 2cents, I''m all about a super cut diamond in the H-J VS2-SI2 range to get more bang for you buck.