Would you step down on cut?

[somethingshiny]

My friend is looking for a stone for an e-ring. They will be on a limited budget of about $1000 total. So, we all know cut is king, but on such a budget, would you consider stepping out of ideal parameters to get a bigger carat weight? She already plans on looking in the eye-clean SI range with a G-H-I color.

BTW-RB with a plain tiffany inspired band.

They do not intend on ever trading up. Some weird thing about "sentimental value"

Any help is appreciated!!

 

[marcy]

My personal preference would be to stay with an ideal cut but go down to H / I color and an eye clean diamond.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Poor cut often looks smaller. So you don''t gain anything by going for more weight with a poorer cut. She''s be better off sticking to I SI and excellent/ideal cut. Something like WF expert selection would be a good place to look.

 

[somethingshiny]

what do you think of either of these?

first stone

second stone

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Those are terrific! Can't go wrong with an ACA, but did you check ES? Might get a little more size for the money.

(Nevermind, I see there aren't any. I'd take the .43 H SI1)

 

[marcy]

Between the two I would go for the first one. The clouds in the second diamond would worry me. WF has a good reputation on PS and would let you know if the 2nd diamond is eye clean.

 

[somethingshiny]

Thanks for the advice. I knew to stay in the best cut range, I just couldn''t bring myself to not get her a big stone. But, I guess on a size 4 finger, these will probably look just fine. And with the sparkle, she''ll love it.

 

[ccuheartnurse]

I would absolutely continue looking for the best cut you can find, even with a small budget. However, having just had personal knowledge & purchased an I-1 stone for my sister-in-law, I have turned my thinking around a bit. Her stone is a J, I-1, table 60, depth around 59 (sorry, cant remember exactly anymore). The stone had some lovely arrows, & it sparkles like there''s no tomorrow. The reason for this stone, my brother in laws budget was very tight. He also bought an entire new set too so even tighter. If your friends budget is super tight like it is, I would still consider buying from a vendor that has a trade up policy. You just never know about the future.

I found a stone on Excel''s (exceldiamonds.com) site, an SI-2, J, GIA vg/vg, .65, stock #69029V for $1058. They most likely dont have this stone in house, and perhaps another vendor here on PS can obtain it for you if interested. You might want to inquire about it & have the option to say no if you dont like it. These kinds of stones go pretty fast. I think it''s pretty much a 60-60 stone & thats why I say to a) give it a chance & b) you never know about the future. They also list some simple gold mounts for about $300. Not too badly over the budget. Stone would look much bigger than .39.

For someone on a tight budget, I would save some money and look at SI-1 or 2, with the focus on 2. There are a lot of eyeclean 2''s out there & the PS vendors will be able to find one for you.

Judy

 

[iheartscience]

I wouldn''t step down on cut but I would lower the color to include even Ks and the clarity to include maybe even I1s.

A friend of mine''s e-ring is a .3ish carat K/I1 and it sparkles like crazy. It was bought without PS and she had nothing to do with picking it out, but it''s a great cut from the looks of it. And the color isn''t noticeable at all, probably because it''s smaller, in a yellow gold setting and it''s super firey and sparkly.

I did a search with the PS search engine and I found several AGS 0 .5 carat diamonds for under $1000 in the I/J/K color range. I would definitely steer your friend in that direction. I think with such a limited budget, a branded stone, even a reasonably priced one like an ACA, isn''t necessarily the best way to go.

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

there are many beuatiful diamonds that do not rate as various labs versions of ideal or excellent cut.

Read our tutorials here and find out about the tools to find better looking stones and off you go. In the budget market there is also no need for certification - as you can see the color and clarity yourself. But beware of the effects of different lighting - try to shop in middle the day and use north shaded daylight.

 

[somethingshiny]

Thank you to all for your input.

Gary, thanks for suggesting the tutorials. I think we can find her a better deal than I originally anticipated.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 10/9/2007 11:57:49 PM
Author: Garry H (Cut Nut)
there are many beuatiful diamonds that do not rate as various labs versions of ideal or excellent cut.

Read our tutorials here and find out about the tools to find better looking stones and off you go. In the budget market there is also no need for certification - as you can see the color and clarity yourself. But beware of the effects of different lighting - try to shop in middle the day and use north shaded daylight.

Personally, I would find a diamond which has a " nice make" of cut rather than a Superideal to get more size, so I would sacrifice cut slightly and do as Garry suggested. In fact, I have actually done this and been more than happy with the results!

 

[Ellen]

Here''s a possibility. There is a discrepancy on table size between the grading report and JA''s info page (report says 5, but either would be acceptable. You would need to call and get more info, and maybe an IS image, but I think it''s got potential. And it''s well over the half ct. mark.

Also, there''s a PS discount, but I''m not sure what it is.

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/I-SI1-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1106624.asp

 

[somethingshiny]

Thanks for the link Ellen!

Garry, I''m so sorry I misspelled your name. I''ll get it right next time!!