Yet another help me out topic! Diamonds of course

[thepaul500]

Hello! Holy information overload on this site!We are in way over our heads, and every single sales person pushes the diamond in front of us. Its annoying beyond belief.

I'll throw it out there, and see if anyone can be of assistance...looking for a round cut diamond.

I am looking at 0.72-0.8 carats (those are what fit exactly in the ring we have picked out)

Color is very important, we looked at a bunch (even the D seemed yellow, but it was EGLI), so we want as nice as we can get colorwise. I certainly need to do more research on this, but beyond personal preference, it is very hard to guess how diamonds will look in natural light. The jewelers in this area weren;t too keen on taking their wares outside... basically, can we get away with a G?

Must be eye clear, but it will never be looked at under a microscope.

Cut is obviously going to make the diamond shine and sparkle, so Ideal would well, be ideal. hearts and arrows unimportant, looking great is.

$4000 limit, but would be much more comfortable in the 2500-3000 range.

I have used the online searches extensively, I think, but have no way of telling if its eye clean, a good diamond, etc.

If you can't tell, I'm asking someone to do my work for me, which is unfair, but a push in the right direction maybe?

 

[yssie]

Hello! Holy information overload on this site!We are in way over our heads, and every single sales person pushes the diamond in front of us. Its annoying beyond belief.

I'll throw it out there, and see if anyone can be of assistance...looking for a round cut diamond.

I am looking at 0.72-0.8 carats (those are what fit exactly in the ring we have picked out)
What shape?
What are the exact mm dimensions that this setting can tolerate?

Color is very important, we looked at a bunch (even the D seemed yellow, but it was EGLI), so we want as nice as we can get colorwise. I certainly need to do more research on this, but beyond personal preference, it is very hard to guess how diamonds will look in natural light. The jewelers in this area weren;t too keen on taking their wares outside... basically, can we get away with a G?
Yes. A reputably graded (GIA or AGSL in the US) G or H will look *white* in this size! If she works with nuances of colour for a living or something and you know you want a colourless stone it may be better to stick with F or higher, but the odds of anyone seeing a 0.8ct G or H and thinking anything but White Diamond are very, very, very slim.

Must be eye clear, but it will never be looked at under a microscope.
You're fine with VS2 or SI1 then

Cut is obviously going to make the diamond shine and sparkle, so Ideal would well, be ideal. hearts and arrows unimportant, looking great is.

$4000 limit, but would be much more comfortable in the 2500-3000 range.

I have used the online searches extensively, I think, but have no way of telling if its eye clean, a good diamond, etc.

If you can't tell, I'm asking someone to do my work for me, which is unfair, but a push in the right direction maybe?
's what we PSers do for a hobby

A handful from JA on a quick search (JA will provide ISs and review on three stones free)

0.75 G SI1 $2.8k MBF http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/G-SI1-Excellent-Cut-Round-Diamond-1488238.asp
(GIA EX/EX/EX 2012) 56/35.5/40.8/80

0.8 G SI1 $3.3k http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/G-SI1-Excellent-Cut-Round-Diamond-1445019.asp
(GIA EX/EX/VG Dec2011) 59/34/40.8/80

0.72 H SI1 $2.5k http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/H-SI1-Excellent-Cut-Round-Diamond-1499747.asp
(GIA EX/EX/EX 2012) 56/34.5/41/75

0.72 F SI1 $3.2k Canadian http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/F-SI1-Excellent-Cut-Round-Diamond-1484299.asp
(GIA EX/EX/EX 2012) 56/34/40.8/80

0.72 F VS2 $3.2k MBF http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/F-VS2-Excellent-Cut-Round-Diamond-1501668.asp
(GIA EX/EX/EX 2012) 55/35/40.8/75

0.73 D SI1 $3.2k MBF http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/D-SI1-Excellent-Cut-Round-Diamond-1503115.asp
(GIA EX/EX/EX 2012) 56/34/41/75

0.8 F SI1 $3.7k http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/F-SI1-Excellent-Cut-Round-Diamond-1450871.asp
(GIA EX/VG/EX DEc2011) 56/35.5/41/80

Other vendors you may want to look at -
www.whiteflash.com
www.goodoldgold.com
www.briangavindiamonds.com
www.highperformancediamonds.com (they sell branded Crafted by Infinity H&A rounds)

 

[Gypsy]

I would rather have the mm measurements for the stone than the carat weight. So let us know what the ideal dimensions of the stone you want are. That said, Yssie has some nice choices for you.

 

[thepaul500]

Ok, let me try my best here:

https://myapps.gia.edu/ReportCheckPortal/getReportData.do?&reportno=2141507107&weight=0.72

This is a link to the diamond cert that we looked at that she really liked how it fit (I think...) but I wasn't ready to buy the diamond yet.

This is a link to the setting:

Item# 41051979, on www.shaneco.com

round cut please!

 

[yssie]

Ok, let me try my best here:

https://myapps.gia.edu/ReportCheckPortal/getReportData.do?&reportno=2141507107&weight=0.72

This is a link to the diamond cert that we looked at that she really liked how it fit (I think...) but I wasn't ready to buy the diamond yet.

This is a link to the setting:

Item# 41051979, on www.shaneco.com

round cut please!

http://www.shaneco.com/Catalog/ProductDetail.aspx?O=PRODSEARCH&X=41051979&nid=GN_Header_Search_Button

Please get the exact tolerance in mm from the vendor, halos are not forgiving settings. What you care about is acceptable diameter and pavilion depth. Overall depth and carat weight don't matter - carat is just a measure of weight, depending on how the stone is proportioned the same volume of diamond material can be distributed more horizontally or more vertically.

Glad you didn't buy that stone - poor proportions combo + overly thick girdle hiding weight (volume distrib vertically).
So based on that stone, what you want is something w/ diameter ~5.65mm and pav height <1.6mm. The well-cut 0.8ct I suggested earlier is 5.95mm diameter - MUCH bigger than the stone you are considering, and would require a very different fit in the setting (illustrating problem w/ using carat instead of mm). You are actually looking at well-cut ~0.65-0.7ct w/ those dimensions:
http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/D-VS2-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1475232.asp 0.67 D VS2 H&A 5.6-5.66mm

 

[Gypsy]

You really need to have someone tell you exactly what the measurements are for the diameter for the stone.

 

[thepaul500]

Ok, I'll try to get them to measure it for me... or I pick it up from them on Thursday and can pull the measurements myself (I have a micrometer somewhere around here). We looked at thousands of settings, and that one won the day once a round stone got put inside it. Salesperson got really pushy with the diamonds and would only show like 1 at a time, so we got the setting and went on our merry way.

So, what measurements are needed? The halo is basically a square with slightly rounded edges

Also, she really liked the way that one diamond looked sitting in it size-wise, so I am probably not going to want to venture too far away from that...if I can get away with a smaller stone, great! However, I also don;t want to have to do through the order online, return, try again, return, try again deal a thousand times. Do it right the first time.

 

[mandasand]

Oh, we can help you!! I tried on this same setting at ShaneCo and it really was the one I wanted until they showed me crappy stones. I would go with a stone recommended from one of the experts here with this setting:
http://www.gabrielny.com/engaged/style/ER7525W44JJ

It's a million times better!! Some online vendors that sells Gabriel is Good Old Gold and ID Jewlery.

 

[Haven]

Oh, we can help you!! I tried on this same setting at ShaneCo and it really was the one I wanted until they showed me crappy stones. I would go with a stone recommended from one of the experts here with this setting:
http://www.gabrielny.com/engaged/style/ER7525W44JJ

It's a million times better!! Some online vendors that sells Gabriel is Good Old Gold and ID Jewlery.

Oh, this Gabriel setting is a million times nicer than the Shane & Co. setting. Can you return the Shane & Co. setting? If you can, that would make your diamond hunt much easier, as well.

 

[thepaul500]

I think we are set on the setting. She literally tried on hundreds of that exact style and this was the one she liked. I am not going to argue with that!

 

[mandasand]

I know that ShaneCo will set a diamond bought from somewhere else but make sure you insure the stone separately. ShaneCo will also not cover any replacement value for the stone if not purchased by them, just the setting. And you need the center stone insured for the benchwork. Actually, ShaneCo does have a decent bench for a B&M IMO.

Also, if you want to go ahead and get the whole thing from ShaneCo, please just be specific about what you want to see. You should be able to find a stone in one of their GIA or AGS certified "ShaneCo Classic" diamonds.

I have been a ShaneCo customer for a really long time. They offer amazing customer service. You just have to be really specific about what diamonds you want to see (you know, 4 C criteria, see only Shane Classics). If you don't like the salesperson, ask to work with the manager. Or, just get a stone online and them bring it in.

You know with that setting, the wedding band won't sit flush, but there will be a gap, right? When I tried on the setting, I also tried on a band to test if there would be a gap. The setting is really pretty and very delicate. Plus it's under $1000k so you have more $$ to spend on the center stone.

 

[thepaul500]

Yeah, we will probably go back in once its sized and look at a few more diamonds there to at least get size (not carat... Im learning!) down to perfection. With that info, we can then match a diamond much easier.

We tried the setting on with wedding bands and a few get very close to sitting flush. Once we actually move beyond getting the ring, we will continue to look at wedding bands, or just get one made up custom to match that can be soldered flush. Or go without, that ring is already pretty flashy IMHO! We are both also really into sporting activities, so might do a entirely different wedding band that can be worn for times like that, I could see that ring snagging a wetsuit very easily.... SO many options!

Thanks for everyone's help so far