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2 Carats Under 8K: Doable or Bad Idea?

HDer:
I really love this:

http://narolagems.com/MovieDetail.aspx?StoneId=1405-444

The color contrast in a white diamond halo will be beautiful; this center will look like a light chocolate/dark champagne diamond, surrounded by white diamonds, set in rose gold. That's very similar to LeVian...which is becoming very popular.
You'd have to see the contrast for yourself, but I think that combination of contrast will be beautiful....
I am a contrast kinda gal, though. I'm not a big fan of halos that blend with centers. I like to see the separation, and the varying patterns & contrasting colors between the diamonds...it's just my preference.
 
HDer said:
I found the first one on James Allen. The difference in price is 1500: https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-di...l-color-vs1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-3282550
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HDer,

First of all, I wanted to cheer you for your search and sticking to your preferences. Really often, I have seen people coming to PS to search for something and then being forced into agreeable preferences. I really appreciate you sticking to your priorities and doung so in a quiet and non-confronting manner. This tread could have gone wrong plenty of times, but it keeps getting back on track.

Secondly, you found a lovely L-VVS - grab it if you can!!!!

Thirdly, before you grab that stone show the K Asscher that Niel found to your girlfriend (but tell her that it is small). If she does not want that, than so be it. That is a freaking gorgeous stone.

Finally, once you purchased the stone for your proposal, please teach us how the heck do you find those narola gems images :)
 
Dizzie said:
HDer,

First of all, I wanted to cheer you for your search and sticking to your preferences. Really often, I have seen people coming to PS to search for something and then being forced into agreeable preferences. I really appreciate you sticking to your priorities and doung so in a quiet and non-confronting manner. This tread could have gone wrong plenty of times, but it keeps getting back on track.

Secondly, you found a lovely L-VVS - grab it if you can!!!!

Thirdly, before you grab that stone show the K Asscher that Niel found to your girlfriend (but tell her that it is small). If she does not want that, than so be it. That is a freaking gorgeous stone.

Finally, once you purchased the stone for your proposal, please teach us how the heck do you find those narola gems images :)
Click to expand...

^ THAT!! I agree...but you already know that. ;)2
If she's on board with Step-Cuts, I'll be so excited! Step-Cuts are my heart!! My second loves are old Cuts. I'm anxious to know what you choose!!! :mrgreen2:
 
I prefer brown undertones to yellow as well and that stone you've found is really very lovely. Since you've brought her into the discussion can you maybe buy the stone and let her see it in person? Return it if she doesn't like it and keep it and surprise her with whatever Halo you choose if she does.
 
What they say.

"Oh, what a nice diamond! Is it over two carats?"
"Yes, of course!"

What they mean.

"Mine is ugly! But I bet hers is under two carats!"
"We both know what you really mean, so I'm just going to lie to shut you down."
 
ChristineRose said:
What they say.

"Oh, what a nice diamond! Is it over two carats?"
"Yes, of course!"

What they mean.

"Mine is ugly! But I bet hers is under two carats!"
"We both know what you really mean, so I'm just going to lie to shut you down."
Click to expand...

I just read this entire thread for the first time this morning, and I'm literally LOL over this!! HA!! #sotrue
 
OK, update. I decided to go with the fan favorite http://narolagems.com/MovieDetail.aspx?StoneId=1405-444

I made a few calls this morning. Martin at USA Setted went to voicemail again. I think he probably went on vacation, which is understandable. B2C I talked to this guy named Shane. However, after asking me for the details, he said he couldn't tell me the price, and that they would have to put it on their website (wtf?), and he would get back to me after 24 hours because the supplier in India is closed. So in all, not a great interaction, and I really hope he doesn't spike the deal somehow. Last call was to Yukatiel at IDJ. I told him what I wanted and that I wanted to give him an additional 400 on top of the Narola's price for making the order. He said that there would be no refunds, which I'm fine with. The price he was seeing from Narola was a bit more than what I was seeing 7.8 vs 7.6. That might be due to the shipping charge of 150 Narola charges on shipments smaller than 15K, or his price feed could be delayed. Either way, hopefully that would put me at 8K (+ a few dollars) exactly, or 8.2 (for reference, the USA Setted online price for this diamond is 8.7).

EDIT: Yukatiel said that he would send an e-mail to Narola, but once again, won't know until they get back to him. I did tell him I called B2C first.

So all in all, hopefully I will get confirmation from Yukatiel soon. Called the bank to get the wire ready.

For those asking how I got all these Narola images? The simple answer is I went to their website and signed up. Probably helped that my old company name sounds like it could be in the diamond business. If anyone wants me to do any searches for them, let me know. May not be super responsive during the day, but will try my best.

Finally, thank you everyone! It's been fun. Next step: ring setting. I'm hoping to get it from James Allen, and I've got the 25% discount code.
 
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Niel said:
I prefer brown undertones to yellow as well and that stone you've found is really very lovely. Since you've brought her into the discussion can you maybe buy the stone and let her see it in person? Return it if she doesn't like it and keep it and surprise her with whatever Halo you choose if she does.
Click to expand...

I'm going to agree with @Niel on this... the brown undertones will be stunning in rose gold! Also agree about letting her see the stone in person. In the end, she's the one who will be wearing it -- most ladies would appreciate their FF letting them "vet" their potential diamond, so there's no chance for a negative reaction. :)
 
msop04 said:
I'm going to agree with @Niel on this... the brown undertones will be stunning in rose gold! Also agree about letting her see the stone in person. In the end, she's the one who will be wearing it -- most ladies would appreciate their FF letting them "vet" their potential diamond, so there's no chance for a negative reaction. :)
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She saw the 360 videos, and this was the one she liked. Not as good as an in person viewing for sure, but that's the downside to ordering this way. If anything, I expect the diamond will be whiter and brighter in person. She doesn't know how many carats it is yet. I've been dropping hints about 1 and 1.5 so that should be a nice surprise.
 
Katesimone said:
You're not "helping/educating" anyone by rolling your eyes at me... nor is the person who posted a picture of a smashed up car saying that's what OP can buy for his $8000
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That was me. If you read, you will see that was a joke. I said that Martin would be the best vendor for him along with diamonds by lauren. Martin has rock bottom prices and DBL has the same general idea as OP that your eyes tell you all you need to know about a diamond-- forget specs, the average person sees what they see and the difference isn't a big deal (basically summarizing dozens on threads on this topic of specs and precision vs. eyeballs and judging for yourself, etc)
 
HDer said:
She saw the 360 videos, and this was the one she liked. Not as good as an in person viewing for sure, but that's the downside to ordering this way. If anything, I expect the diamond will be whiter and brighter in person. She doesn't know how many carats it is yet. I've been dropping hints about 1 and 1.5 so that should be a nice surprise.
Click to expand...

Ok. I see I am slightly behind. I do love this stone with the brown undertones and I hope she likes it. I would be wary of no refunds though (no disrespect to yekutiel though) since you have not seen one in person yet.
 
whitewave said:
Ok. I see I am slightly behind. I do love this stone with the brown undertones and I hope she likes it. I would be wary of no refunds though (no disrespect to yekutiel thoughy, ) since you have not seen one in person yet.
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That's the clear disadvantage to buying the diamond this way. Yekutiel did his best to warn me that the diamond had a "brown spot" but honestly he hasn't seen the diamond either (it's in Hong Kong at the moment) But the advantage is that I'll be paying 500 less than what Martin would charge me, and a full 2000 dollars less than what JamesAllen would charge me.

Honestly, for what JamesAllen offers: best website, great customer service, 30 day return policy, 2x upgrade policy, etc. 2.4K on a 8K diamond is not a lot. And if Martin had been available this week, I might have been tempted to go with him because I would still have the peace of mind of the 7 day return policy. But... this is the cheapest way to go.
 
I think if you go for a tinted stone, you really have to "go for it". I appreciate @Niel and others raising that there are two directions we could recommend less color or more, I was focused on less and failed to offer another approach. I apologize and hope you know all our joking really was in good fun. So, I'm glad you found a stone she loves. I agree with others that a brown tint is more attractive on these lower colors than yellow. I like @Matthews1127 ideas of adding contrast to make this more of a champagne or mocha diamond in a white stone halo, rather than an almost matching.

Just saw the "no refund" update and that I would share @whitewave wariness, but seem to have missed the heart of the solution here, so maybe I'm also off on this.
 
What did b2C say about refunds?

You are expecting it to show whiter and I would expect for it to be browner. *It is an L with brown undertones* and while it is likely a beautiful brownish stone, you may hate it in person.

It is a giant risk and if you don't like it, good luck selling it and at 30% less than you paid.
 
I highly respect the OP for being professional throughout the entire process , sticking to the plan, and doing research.

Great man.
 
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rockysalamander said:
I think if you go for a tinted stone, you really have to "go for it". I appreciate @Niel and others raising that there are two directions we could recommend less color or more, I was focused on less and failed to offer another approach. I apologize and hope you know all our joking really was in good fun. So, I'm glad you found a stone she loves. I agree with others that a brown tint is more attractive on these lower colors than yellow. I like @Matthews1127 ideas of adding contrast to make this more of a champagne or mocha diamond in a white stone halo, rather than an almost matching.

Just saw the "no refund" update and that I would share @whitewave wariness, but seem to have missed the heart of the solution here, so maybe I'm also off on this.
Click to expand...

whitewave said:
What did b2C say about refunds?

You are expecting it to show whiter and I would expect for it to be browner. *It is an L with brown undertones* and while it is likely a beautiful brownish stone, you may hate it in person.

It is a giant risk and if you don't like it, good luck selling it and at 30% less than you paid.
Click to expand...

B2C refused to quote me on the price, and didn't say anything about refunds. I'm expecting that at best they would match Martin's price on the stone.

Yes, it's a different mode of operating. I'm basically paying Yekutiel to be a courier and escrow service, and rather handsomely at that (I doubt the whole thing will take more than 30 minutes of his time, so he's making 800/hour). That means he doesn't need to show me diamonds, send me pictures, worry about me not being happy about the diamond and returning it, figuring out where to get it set, any of that. He said on the phone "this is a rather pleasant way to do business."

For 500 extra, if Martin would get back to me, then I would get the curated list of diamonds, a 7 day return period, a viewing at the gem appraiser, etc.

For another 1500 on top of that I would have gotten the full James Allen experience.

So it's a choice, and not necessarily the right choice for everyone. But if someone else wants to do the same, I'm happy to help. Plus, it's not 100% in the bag yet that I will get the diamond, as Yekutiel still needs to hear back from Narola, and if there are any regrets after I receive it, I'll post it here!
 
Yekutiel will be able to describe it to you. You can go from there. I sincerely hope it works out for you. Please keep us posted, and I do applaud your good nature with this thread. :clap:
 
whitewave said:
IMG_3484.PNG

Here is a brown L diamond. Now, I love it. Will your GF?
Click to expand...

Just showed her the picture. She says it's "very pretty."

EDIT: Honestly, if it were up to me, I would have taken a yellow stone at this color, because I think it would be less apparent in most cases, especially with the strong blue fluorescence. However, she told me that the reason she doesn't like yellow is that she got a diamond before that was yellow (now I don't think it was GIA L grade; she got it in a mall jeweler in China) so gotta give the lady what she wants!
 
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flyingpig said:
I highly repect the OP for being professional throughout the entire process , sticking to the plan, and doing research.

Great man.
Click to expand...

Thank you! Thank you! There were definitely some comments I disagreed with but I know they were speaking from experience. However, comments like yours really make my day!
 
HDer said:
OK, update. I decided to go with the fan favorite http://narolagems.com/MovieDetail.aspx?StoneId=1405-444

I made a few calls this morning. Martin at USA Setted went to voicemail again. I think he probably went on vacation, which is understandable. B2C I talked to this guy named Shane. However, after asking me for the details, he said he couldn't tell me the price, and that they would have to put it on their website (wtf?), and he would get back to me after 24 hours because the supplier in India is closed. So in all, not a great interaction, and I really hope he doesn't spike the deal somehow. Last call was to Yukatiel at IDJ. I told him what I wanted and that I wanted to give him an additional 400 on top of the Narola's price for making the order. He said that there would be no refunds, which I'm fine with. The price he was seeing from Narola was a bit more than what I was seeing 7.8 vs 7.6. That might be due to the shipping charge of 150 Narola charges on shipments smaller than 15K, or his price feed could be delayed. Either way, hopefully that would put me at 8K (+ a few dollars) exactly, or 8.2 (for reference, the USA Setted online price for this diamond is 8.7).

So all in all, hopefully I will get confirmation from Yukatiel soon. Called the bank to get the wire ready.

For those asking how I got all these Narola images? The simple answer is I went to their website and signed up. Probably helped that my old company name sounds like it could be in the diamond business. If anyone wants me to do any searches for them, let me know. May not be super responsive during the day, but will try my best.

Finally, thank you everyone! It's been fun. Next step: ring setting. I'm hoping to get it from James Allen, and I've got the 25% discount code.
Click to expand...

OMG! I love that stone...
 
Sorry to throw a wrench in things but does she like brown diamonds? If she likes the look of that would she go lower ?
 
Just to give you an idea of finger coverage on a size 7...
L (solitaire), R (addition of 1.5 mm halo, which is pretty dainty)
Soli to Halo1.jpg


...then to show how adding the halo almost DOUBLES the finger coverage @ 87%!
Soli to Halo2.jpg
 
Niel said:
Sorry to throw a wrench in things but does she like brown diamonds? If she likes the look of that would she go lower ?
Click to expand...
That's what I was starting to wonder, because I found these that are really nice colors from DiamondsbyLauren...

http://www.diamondsbylauren.com/ind...t-brown-si2-round-brilliant-diamond-gia-r6359

http://www.diamondsbylauren.com/ind...light-brown-si2-cushion-cut-diamond-gia-r7469 {this is a bit pink and brown and might lovely in rose gold}

Has a 7-day return and trade-in/up options. http://www.diamondsbylauren.com/index.php/content/refunds-and-policies
 
rockysalamander said:
That's what I was starting to wonder, because I found these that are really nice colors from DiamondsbyLauren...

http://www.diamondsbylauren.com/ind...t-brown-si2-round-brilliant-diamond-gia-r6359

http://www.diamondsbylauren.com/ind...light-brown-si2-cushion-cut-diamond-gia-r7469 {this is a bit pink and brown and might lovely in rose gold}

Has a 7-day return and trade-in/up options. http://www.diamondsbylauren.com/index.php/content/refunds-and-policies
Click to expand...


I love that 2.08 from dbl and posted it a few pages ago
 
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