Help selecting best stone from WF/BGD - tight budget 0.3ct

[foxfox]

Hello,

I would really like to get you support on selecting a nice stone for a ering from Whiteflash or Brian Gavin. I'm on a quite thigh budget, which generaly means the lower the better.

At first moment I looked for a 0.4ct stone but cannot find anything interesting below $950-1000. So I moved to a 0.3ct

1) Do you think it will be good to pay that extra money to get 0.4? I'm not sure - it's only a few mm in fact.

2) What do you think of this one? http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-540929.htm
I really liked it due to the price and others - but it's marked as not eye-clean and has visible clouds on the video. But I saw many other stones marked eye-clean from ACA category, and they often had more visible inclusions... I wonder if this would be a good choice...

3) If some of you can have a look at WF/BGD stones under 0.4ct would be awsome to help select something which is the best value you pay for. I don't have any mind issues with a stone being under ACA of else The fifht C, the cost plays a big role...

 

[Niel]

Re: Help selecting best stone from WF/BGD - tight budget 0.3

What's this stone for?

Is that including some sort of setting too?

 

[foxfox]

Re: Help selecting best stone from WF/BGD - tight budget 0.3

It will be bought with the basic classic 4-prong setting, yellow gold. The cheapest you can find on these website (price aroun 325-350).

So setting + stone for an engagement ring. Would love to keep it under 1000, unless there's something really excellent that I should aim for.

 

[yssie]

Re: Help selecting best stone from WF/BGD - tight budget 0.3

Ditto Niel - we need more info

Also - what are your/her priorities - how do you define "best value" for your money?
Biggest stone that looks white on the hand?
Is higher-colour important to you?
Biggest stone that's eyeclean on the hand?
Precision-cutting?
Generous buyback/trade-in/upgrade policies?
Are pre-loved stones okay?

 

[foxfox]

Re: Help selecting best stone from WF/BGD - tight budget 0.3

Ditto Niel - we need more info

Also - what are your/her priorities - how do you define "best value" for your money?
Biggest stone that looks white on the hand?
Is higher-colour important to you?
Biggest stone that's eyeclean on the hand?
Precision-cutting?
Generous buyback/trade-in/upgrade policies?

Whoa, not that easy to answer but will try:

Color: GHI
Cut: Of course the best, that's why I want to buy from WF/BGD - anything what is in-house for these companies. Besides BG Cape
Clarity: SI1/VS2 - eyeclan, but due to price probably SI1

What's the best? She has no idea about diamonds - for me it means the best price oriented combination of the above parametres.

And within these, something as big as possible, due to already small size. The stone will not be change at anytime - so I don't care about such policies, etc. Preloved stone I didn't consider - don't know where to get good ones. This ring will be shiped internationally far away from the USA so I don't have access to local stores

 

[Niel]

Re: Help selecting best stone from WF/BGD - tight budget 0.3

If its a branded cut are you willing to expand to other companies?

 

[foxfox]

Re: Help selecting best stone from WF/BGD - tight budget 0.3

I have considered GOG, JA and BlueNile. But as mentioned, I'm an international customer, so I'm willing to pay some premium to avoid any mess with sending back the ring. I read about JA and BN and it seems they are a little below WF/BGD

 

[Niel]

Re: Help selecting best stone from WF/BGD - tight budget 0.3

I have considered GOG, JA and BlueNile. But as mentioned, I'm an international customer, so I'm willing to pay some premium to avoid any mess with sending back the ring. I read about JA and BN and it seems they are a little below WF/BGD

Besides it being a branded stone, a lot of what you're paying with wf and bgd is the upgrade policy. Being that you'll never use it, I would consider that in your choice.

Also many here have had great success with bn, particularly on a strict budget like you have.

Just something to consider

 

[foxfox]

Re: Help selecting best stone from WF/BGD - tight budget 0.3

Yes... but I need yellow Gold setting, and BN has only 18K which is not that nice as the one from WF. The same with JA. cannot find good setting and the basic knife edge ring is too simple.

any other good places for an International purchase?

any thoughts on the Stone I linked?

 

[marymm]

Re: Help selecting best stone from WF/BGD - tight budget 0.3

Particularly in the sub-half-carat diamond sizes, a difference of 2-3mm in face-up size is absolutely noticeable. If this is a forever diamond, I wonder if you might want to reconsider options other than WF/BGD? For example, here are two exceptional diamonds from BN which face up apx 4.7mm, both within budget:

0.40cs H-VS2 (4.72mm) ($956) - http://www.bluenile.com/mp/diamond-details/LD06197044
0.41ct I-VVS2 (4.75mm) with medium blue fluorescence ($957) - http://www.bluenile.com/mp/diamond-details/LD05892330


eta: here's a link to BN's yellow gold solitaire ring settings - none of these work for you? http://www.bluenile.com/build-your-own-ring/settings?track=NavEngSolitaire

 

[Niel]

Re: Help selecting best stone from WF/BGD - tight budget 0.3

Which setting from wf and bg are you talking about, exactly? I thought you siad their most basic one and that is extremely comparable to ja and bn


Still looking for you
I'm sure if you linked a branded wf or bg stone its lovely. They're branded to be lovely.

 

[foxfox]

Re: Help selecting best stone from WF/BGD - tight budget 0.3

Ha, in fact, I spent lot's of time on BN comparing rings and emailing...

The issue is my soon to be fiance She once saw a ring she loved. It's simple: a yellow ring with a soft knife edge which is small and almost round on the bottom and more visible on the top:

Most similar are these:

http://www.whiteflash.com/engagement-rings/solitaire/4-prong-tiffany-style-solitaire-engagement-ring-588.htm
http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/engagement-rings/solitaire/four-prong-solitaire-14k-yellow-gold-5342y14

This one is 18K, so not a big saving and less durable (I wanted 14K) and it's a bit different style:
http://www.bluenile.com/pl/build-your-own-ring/diamond-engagement-ring-setting-gold-solitaire_7217?elem=img&track=product

It's doesn't have a soft knife edge, but instead an aditonal side forming [) instead of |> (sorry, don't know how to describe


The linked stone indeed looks great, but I'm afraid of it's lack of eye-clean mark

 

[girlyglam]

Re: Help selecting best stone from WF/BGD - tight budget 0.3

Congratulations on this exciting time! Just wondering if you are set on a round? Certain shapes face up bigger for their weight (ex: oval, marquise, pears), so if you are looking to maximize size, that might be an option to consider. It's something I did for my e-ring (an oval) and what I'm doing for my current project (a marquise) since I am always working on a strict budget. That being said though, I wouldn't go for any of those shapes if you don't know if your intended will like them or not!

 

[aftereffects15]

Re: Help selecting best stone from WF/BGD - tight budget 0.3

Do you think she might like http://www.jewelsbygrace.com/rings/46tcw-3-stone-oec-band-63#.VpM98ZMrKb8

It has the knife edge becoming round you described (i think?)

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Re: Help selecting best stone from WF/BGD - tight budget 0.3

It is a shame that there is such a price jump at .4. You need to buy what you can afford, but the .4 range is still good because you avoid the increase at .5. If you are never going to upgrade, I would go for the absolute max you can now.

Here are some .3 stones, though...

http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3497440.htm

http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3222872.htm

http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3497439.htm

.4

http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3213726.htm

 

[foxfox]

Re: Help selecting best stone from WF/BGD - tight budget 0.3

Thanks for answers. I did consider other shapes but I think my girlfriend wants something reall classic - incl. shape of a diamond.

The linked ring is nice, however it's not exactly that design and we don't want a 3-stone style.

Despite premium prices I think I will have to stick to WF/BGD. She would definitely prefer a 0.3ct stone in a setting she loves, instead of 0.4 in other setting.

Probably sticking to 0.4

Thanks for posting links, I think I will decided this week - it's still better than what I would get at a local store

 

[foxfox]

Re: Help selecting best stone from WF/BGD - tight budget 0.3

Cannot edit:

In the view of all the above circumstances and sticking at this moment to the WF/BGD due to the setting style -

would you advise to get something from a Virtual Inventory? I will not return the ring - therefore what I get, I will stay with.

I wonder if it's better to sacrifice ideal cut of in-house 0.3ct stone and blind-buy for example something like this ("only" gia ex):
http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3592928.htm

 

[PintoBean]

Re: Help selecting best stone from WF/BGD - tight budget 0.3

I have the BGD setting linked but with a six prong head. It is a Stuller setting. As such, anyone in the jewelry business can get the setting from Stuller. I would suggest opening up the search to include IDJewelry who have been known to help PSers get the most bling out of a budget.

 

[tyty333]

Re: Help selecting best stone from WF/BGD - tight budget 0.3

Cannot edit:

In the view of all the above circumstances and sticking at this moment to the WF/BGD due to the setting style -

would you advise to get something from a Virtual Inventory? I will not return the ring - therefore what I get, I will stay with.

I wonder if it's better to sacrifice ideal cut of in-house 0.3ct stone and blind-buy for example something like this ("only" gia ex):
http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3592928.htm

That one is not well cut. You can buy blind with rounds but you need to be able to make sure it is eye-clean and the numbers
on the stone all work togehter (which they dont on that one).

I'll see if I can find a well cut stone for you in budget. Give me a minute.

 

[tyty333]

Re: Help selecting best stone from WF/BGD - tight budget 0.3

I dropped down into the "J"s .4+ on WF and couldnt find a well cut one in budget.

Only thing I could find at BGD...you would need to ask if they guarantee it to be eye-clean
http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamonds/diamond-details/0.423-j-si1-round-diamond-bfg-19441


Since you are willing to look at non-branded stones, I''ll post a few from JA.
AGS000 H&A (according to JA)
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.41-carat-h-color-vs2-clarity-ideal-cut-sku-554221 $930

non-h&A
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.42-carat-e-color-si1-clarity-ideal-cut-sku-554214 $970

Nice color and nice price AGS000
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.41-carat-g-color-si1-clarity-ideal-cut-sku-550733 $880

Well cut GIA stones
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.46-carat-i-color-si1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-806666 $750
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.44-carat-h-color-vs2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-689357 $900 nice stone

(needless to say, they have quite a few that fit in your budget). Also, they should be able to get that BGD setting since it is a
Stuller setting like PintoBean said.
http://www.stuller.com/products/140401l/?groupId=7533

If you want to try to go a little larger on your stone and stay in budget, I ditto Pintobean in talking to ID Jewelry.
http://idjewelry.com/

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Re: Help selecting best stone from WF/BGD - tight budget 0.3

Definitely do not get into stones with no pictures.

Here's a stone that is about as good as you can find in GIA Ex non-branded stones:

http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.41-carat-i-color-vs2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-688841

a pretty H if you don't want to go to I color:

http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.43-carat-h-color-vs2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-618432

 

[foxfox]

Re: Help selecting best stone from WF/BGD - tight budget 0.3

Thank you so much forum help. JA doesn't ship to Poland I May have a workaround for this if they can make the setting I need.

So, options are go for 0.3 branded or 0.4 JA. I checked IDJ but their website seems broken :/

 

[JDDN]

Re: Help selecting best stone from WF/BGD - tight budget 0.3

Unless you have a mind clean issue you can absolutely go to an SI1 in a 0.4 carat. Lesley at BGD has said all their SI1's are eye clean. I have a 0.7 SI1 color I from BGD and it's a stunner. I've louped it and still cannot find the inclusions (I know they're there somewhere!).

This looks like a gorgeous stone, 0.4 carats, H, SI1 for $958.


http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamonds/diamond-details/0.420-h-si1-round-diamond-ags-c-104082020002

 

[foxfox]

Re: Help selecting best stone from WF/BGD - tight budget 0.3

In fact, I wanted to get this can i have a last request. can you advice on cheapest worth 0.3 in case i will not take 0.4?

 

[JDDN]

Re: Help selecting best stone from WF/BGD - tight budget 0.3

Hm, I'm not sure what your question is. Can you clarify?

I know you're paying for a branded cut with BGD, but the precision cut will give you edge to edge brightness which will translate into a very sparkly diamond and maximize the face up size. These are the cream of the crop.

 

[foxfox]

Re: Help selecting best stone from WF/BGD - tight budget 0.3

I meant advices on great value/quality stones as you have linked but smaller size in 0.3 range

 

[mrs-b]

Re: Help selecting best stone from WF/BGD - tight budget 0.3

As far as I know, a Blue Nile stone can be set in a BGD setting; I, myself, have done it twice.

At .4 you can get a stone with beautiful stats from Blue Nile which will be EASILY competitive with a BGD or WF stone. Since you're talking about tight budgets and stones on the small end of the spectrum, I would suggest you get the biggest stone your budget allows - and that will most likely be from Blue Nile, not BGD or WF, where you're paying for branded stones and upgrade policies. I've bought dozens of stones between .25 and .47ct from BN, and they are GORGEOUS, and I would strongly recommend this company to you if you want maximum impact for your budget.

BN will ship to BGD (I know this for sure!) and BGD can set from there. At this size, if you stay with an SI1 stone, I don't believe any inclusions will be visible, so SI1 is your best bet for a nice eye clean stone. To that end - here's a great find:

Go to the BN site - www.bluenile.com

In the top right of the page, there's a search box. Enter the stock number for the diamonds - one at a time - in there.

So - here's a few suggestions:

LD06578278 .45ct, G SI1 - 1.4 on the HCA. $888, wire price

(and my personal favorite!) LD06568435 .47 G SI1 - 1.8 on the HCA. $963 wire price

Good luck!

 

[foxfox]

Re: Help selecting best stone from WF/BGD - tight budget 0.3

Wow, this seems to be the best possibility now. So I Just Say at BN to send to Whiteflash, and ask WF to mount it? what is the cost of that?

You think I should drop choosing based on pics and get only by stats everyone seem to advice checking pics aset etc..

Last but not least, I know it's not great but what stones would you advise from BN up to 750usd range and up to 600? Yes, even less.

 

[mrs-b]

Re: Help selecting best stone from WF/BGD - tight budget 0.3

foxfox -

I'll be straight with you. I think at $600 that your budget is so small, you should steer away from a diamond engagement ring altogether. If you can get a bargain second hand - great! But normally you get what you pay for, and at $600 you're talking about a diamond so small, you need to ask yourself why it needs to be a diamond at all. Perhaps at that point a colored stone might work, or perhaps you should skip the engagement ring altogether and just stay with a wedding ring. Both these things are perfectly acceptable ways forward, and would perhaps work better for you than getting a diamond which was very, very small. You've said that you'll never trade up, so I think it would be wise to get the nicest ring you can now, and the .47ct stone I linked to, while small, would be a nice stone in a perfectly acceptable setting.

As for sending from BN to WF - call WF and ask them how they'd like you to do it. Then, when you buy your stone from BN, ask them to ship to the address WF gives you.

I know people here often push the idea of never buying without photos, but that's a personal choice. I buy from BN OFTEN, and I never have a photo if the diamond is less than 1ct - and it doesn't bother me. Neither have I ever had a bad stone if I stay within the parameters for best possible cut. So since your budget is very tight, I would forgo the photos and extra certification, and put all your money into the best, biggest stone you can afford.

Here's a terrific stone. It's .47ct again, J SI1. it has a HCA score of 1.7, and it's $757, wire price. I think for a stone this size in a yellow gold setting, there shouldn't be a problem with the J color.

LD05692711

Good luck!

 

[kmarla]

Re: Help selecting best stone from WF/BGD - tight budget 0.3

I'm just going to suggest something slightly different given your budget. Blue Nile is having a 15% off sale right now on diamond wedding bands. I'll link one just as a suggestion to you to see what you think. Is this something you might consider as an option? Best of luck!

http://www.bluenile.com/halo-diamond-ring-white-gold_56593?elem=img&track=product