Will lower clarity, but larger carat size, result in a large price jump?

[LoveMeDo]

On Saturday we put a down payment on my e-ring, and we are going back to the jeweler this weekend to pay the balance and watch the stone be set. We decided on a princess stone, 1.01 carats, VS1, H-color. I am now wishing that I had gone for a 1.2 carat with less clarity. The jeweler is great and does upgrades for his customers, so I don''t think he''ll have a problem switching the stone before it''s even set. I have two questions:

1) If I called my jeweler today, is it likely that he''d be able to secure a stone of my description by the weekend? I wasn''t sure if jewelers had a store of diamonds somewhere or if they''d have to order them.

2) Is clarity the most expensive C? I don''t want much of a price difference, and I was wondering if dropping the clarity to SI-1 and upping the carat size to 1.2 would result in a large increase in cost.

If anyone has any insight, I''d really like to hear it.

Thanks!

 

[Lorelei]

Contact them ASAP and explain you have decided on a larger diamond and see what they can come up with. They might be able to get something quickly depending on their contacts, if they don't have what you want. See what they have in a VS2 or SI1 , this might be able to keep you in budget by tweaking the clarity you could get increased size by using the cost of that instead. Keep in mind the dimensions of the diamond will show as size rather than carat weight and you could shoot for maybe below the 1.2 to a little less, sometimes the dimensions will vary in depth and girdle thickness etc and you could find maybe between a 1.10 and above might face up as large as a 1.2 without the price jump. If you look in the FAQ there should be a mm to carat size conversion chart which will help you discern diameter measurements and what to look for - also can be known as spread. Belle is good with Princess cuts and may be able to help you further. Just make sure in an SI1 clarity that it is eyeclean but hopefully it shouldn't be a problem. If having the actual 1.2 carat weight is important to you then try to aim for that but just be aware that carat equals weight and face up appearant sizes can vary with the cut and dimensions. You could even look at an I colour, but sometimes in fancy cuts they can show more warmth than rounds but you could look.Whatever you do , shoot for the best cut you can, but if you can see the diamond first your eyes will tell you which one. You might also be able to find a great S12 which is eyeclean which will save you more still. Don't rule those out. Good luck!

 

[LoveMeDo]

Thanks so much for the response! I actually set out looking for an SI-1, but I was excited to find a stone within my budget that had even better quality than I thought I would get. Once I got home, I realized that I probably made the wrong decision, because a size difference will be noticeable, while the clarity difference probably will not be. I feel like I''m being too superficial, but I really wanted a stone closer to the larger size...

Hopefully the jeweler will be able to provide me with some options!

 

[Lorelei]

I really think if you don''t go for the larger size it might haunt you that you didn''t.

If you can find an eyeclean S1 clarity which you have every chance of doing, clean diamonds are clean diamonds and you won''t see the difference between an S1 and a VS - I know what I would rather do too! Actually you are lucky that you know what you want before the deal is done and find a diamond you will be completely happy with rather than any niggling regrets. You are not superficial my dear in wanting the larger size, you go for it and enjoy it!

Best of luck in finding a good one which I know you will

 

[LoveMeDo]

Aw, thanks so much! I agree about the good chance that I''ll be hearing annoying little voices of regret later on. I feel a lot better about this now...Besides, the way I look at it, if I get the stone I want now, I won''t have the desire to upgrade it years down the line!

 

[Lorelei]

Of course! Best to get it right now, so glad I was able to help. Little voices of regret can get VERY annoying after a while so don''t risk it

Look forward to hearing what you found and pics!