Please help end the insanity of first timer diamond search!

[jweaver]

Hello all,

Another 1st time diamond buyer looking for opinions and help to finally purchase the engagement ring my girlfriend has been so patiently waiting for. I've been doing a lot of research for the last couple of months and this site has been especially helpful, so I thought I'd reach out because I'm starting to go insane with my indecisiveness and want to get this process finalized sooner rather than later.

Essentially, I've decided I do not want to sacrifice quality of the cut. I'm willing to drop in color to an H, and am hoping to find an "eye clean" SI1 (could go up to VS2) to get it all done on a $4,000ish budget (diamond). That seems to bring me around the .80 carat range, and I think she would be thrilled with that. I've posted below an image of a diamond I'm particularly interested in, but I'm not quite sure what the effect of the cloud inclusion will have on the clarity of the ring. I don't want to get a great cut to go to waste with a hazy/cloudy diamond.

Any opinions would be much appreciated, as well as any other options within my budget, as pricescopers seem to really enjoy searching for diamond deals!

 

[tyty333]

Re: Please help end the insanity of first timer diamond sear

It can get insane cant it? The good news is you have picked a lovely stone. The cloud will have no affect on the stone at all or
it would not have made the A Cut Above label. It is also and AGS000 (being an ACA) which means it has Ideal light return.
Also designated as eye-clean but you can call and ask about the stone if it will make you feel better (why not)?

I dont think you have a thing to worry about...it will be a lovely stone. As an H it will face up white and it will be very sparkly due to
the strict cutting standards of an ACA.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Re: Please help end the insanity of first timer diamond sear

I agree with tyty! You can't go wrong with an ACA! They are beautiful stones!

 

[jweaver]

Re: Please help end the insanity of first timer diamond sear

Thanks for the feedback!

I know it does state it's "eye clean", and I have an email into them to confirm that, but I didn't know if since it had a cloud inclusion if that could cause it to be hazy/milky. I figured the pictures on the website are the same as what walking into the jewelry store would be, when the store has lighting set up to make the diamonds look better in their store than they would outside of the store.

Initially, I thought the ACA only referred to the quality of the cut and that the dimensions of the cut met the standards. Apparently, the ACA also means the diamond has the highest light performance as well, which would also mean an ACA diamond would exclude any diamonds with inclusions that negatively affect the light performance?

 

[ringo865]

Re: Please help end the insanity of first timer diamond sear

ACA also means the diamond has the highest light performance as well, which would also mean an ACA diamond would exclude any diamonds with inclusions that negatively affect the light performance?

^^Exactly!! Great choice.

Do you have ideas on how you'll set it ?

 

[jweaver]

Re: Please help end the insanity of first timer diamond sear

The majority of the budget will be going into the diamond.

My thoughts as of right now are to set it with the below ring...I'm hoping the smaller diameter of the ring, .2mm, will also help the diamond pop since it is a bit smaller than I was hoping I could afford.

http://www.whiteflash.com/engagemen...k-small-pave-diamond-engagement-ring-2810.htm

Thoughts?

 

[bunnycat]

Re: Please help end the insanity of first timer diamond sear

The majority of the budget will be going into the diamond.

My thoughts as of right now are to set it with the below ring...I'm hoping the smaller diameter of the ring, .2mm, will also help the diamond pop since it is a bit smaller than I was hoping I could afford.

http://www.whiteflash.com/engagemen...k-small-pave-diamond-engagement-ring-2810.htm

Thoughts?

It will be lovely in that setting, and be easy to stack with stacking wedding rings too.

 

[Bedot]

Re: Please help end the insanity of first timer diamond sear

Looks very good.

Yeah I just purchased a diamond on Whiteflash, an ACA with similar specs as yours.

I mean it's hard to pay thousands of dollars to not want the best cut possible. Otherwise, i would feel like what am I paying for? So if that means I sacrifice a tenth or .15 of a carat for premium optics, then so be it, imo.

Anyway, good luck to you. I'm sure your fiance will love it.

 

[jweaver]

Re: Please help end the insanity of first timer diamond sear

Looks very good.

Yeah I just purchased a diamond on Whiteflash, an ACA with similar specs as yours.

I mean it's hard to pay thousands of dollars to not want the best cut possible. Otherwise, i would feel like what am I paying for? So if that means I sacrifice a tenth or .15 of a carat for premium optics, then so be it, imo.

^^^ That's my logic exactly. I'd rather sacrifice that .15 and get a .85 that sparkles and shines like a diamond should, opposed to a larger diamond that doesn't display much life.

So, is it common and recommended for people get an independent appraisal of their Ering to confirm it's what they were sold???

 

[bunnycat]

Re: Please help end the insanity of first timer diamond sear

Looks very good.

Yeah I just purchased a diamond on Whiteflash, an ACA with similar specs as yours.

I mean it's hard to pay thousands of dollars to not want the best cut possible. Otherwise, i would feel like what am I paying for? So if that means I sacrifice a tenth or .15 of a carat for premium optics, then so be it, imo.

^^^ That's my logic exactly. I'd rather sacrifice that .15 and get a .85 that sparkles and shines like a diamond should, opposed to a larger diamond that doesn't display much life.

So, is it common and recommended for people get an independent appraisal of their Ering to confirm it's what they were sold???

I think it's a good thing to get an appraisal of the entire piece for your insurance purposes at the very least. An appraiser can also check the laser inscription of the stone on the girdle to make sure it matches what's on the report for you too. Though with a quality 10x loupe, you can usually find it on your own, even if it may not be entirely legible. For example- the inscription for my stone is parked right in the middle between 2 prongs so it was easy for me to find. And I suspect WF will set your stone similarly.