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2nd Post - Stone opinions

D

Deucer

Rough_Rock
Joined
Dec 11, 2012
Messages
50
Hi all,

I previously posted looking for setting/stone opinions. I've decided to put a little more of my budget towards a stone and go with the simplest setting possible, then upgrade the setting after I propose with my girlfriend present. I don't want to spend $3500+ on a Tacori settign unless that's exactly what she wants.

So my budget is still 10K, but I'm putting more of it towards the stone. Figure $500 max for a simple setting.

I'm looking for something ideally cut, eye clean and white (willing to go down to J).

I'm seriously considering this stone (It's on hold):

http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamonds/diamond-details/1.532-j-si1-round-diamond-ags-bl-104062571042

I'd welcome some thoughts on that stone or other suggestions.

Also, b2cjewels.com and brilliance.com seem to offer great pricing. I don't see them recommended much. Any particular reason why?
 
Because unlike BGD and a few other select vendors, they are drop shippers without stones in-house that they can pull up right away, not to mention often do not even have an actual picture of the diamond. The stones run the gamut from very poorly cut to well cut which the buyer has to weed out himself or herself. Some offer ASET to assist in this decision and some don't. With BGD's branded cut, you are assured for an excellent cut because of their extremely tight cut parameters which ensure maximum light return aka sparkliness. They also have excellent customer service, generous review and refund policies, does custom setting and also offer many other types of settings.

You cannot go wrong with this diamond. It's gorgeous!
 
Chrono|1356143229|3337760 said:
Because unlike BGD and a few other select vendors, they are drop shippers without stones in-house that they can pull up right away, not to mention often do not even have an actual picture of the diamond. The stones run the gamut from very poorly cut to well cut which the buyer has to weed out himself or herself. Some offer ASET to assist in this decision and some don't. With BGD's branded cut, you are assured for an excellent cut because of their extremely tight cut parameters which ensure maximum light return aka sparkliness. They also have excellent customer service, generous review and refund policies, does custom setting and also offer many other types of settings.

You cannot go wrong with this diamond. It's gorgeous!
Click to expand...

My only real issue with the stone is with the "J" color... Too warm for an engagement ring? Thoughts?

As far as the drop shippers, I have a bit of time, so if I got sent a bad stone, I could theoretically send it back and find something else. It would be a pain, but the price difference on similar stones would let me go up in size about a quarter carat... and I don't mind running the stones listed through the HCA. Decisions, decisions...
 
Does BGD have no other options? What about Whiteflash or James Allen?
 
Chrono|1356144086|3337772 said:
Does BGD have no other options? What about Whiteflash or James Allen?
Click to expand...

The whiteflash "virtual selections" are within my price range, but I"m assuming those are drop shipped, and they only come with a 10 day return policy, which I'm not comfortable with.

I've been scouring James Allen, as they are 100% my preferred vendor, but the options in my budget are limited.
 
Nothing in WF's expert selection? Selection is limited everywhere at the moment due to the holiday season.
 
Chrono|1356145615|3337792 said:
Nothing in WF's expert selection? Selection is limited everywhere at the moment due to the holiday season.
Click to expand...

Maybe it would be better to wait until mid January after all the Christmas and NYE proposals are out of the way :bigsmile:
 
If you have plenty of time, I don't see why not.
 
Deucer|1356142762|3337758 said:
Hi all,

I previously posted looking for setting/stone opinions. I've decided to put a little more of my budget towards a stone and go with the simplest setting possible, then upgrade the setting after I propose with my girlfriend present. I don't want to spend $3500+ on a Tacori settign unless that's exactly what she wants.

So my budget is still 10K, but I'm putting more of it towards the stone. Figure $500 max for a simple setting.

I'm looking for something ideally cut, eye clean and white (willing to go down to J).

I'm seriously considering this stone (It's on hold):

http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamonds/diamond-details/1.532-j-si1-round-diamond-ags-bl-104062571042

I'd welcome some thoughts on that stone or other suggestions.

Also, b2cjewels.com and brilliance.com seem to offer great pricing. I don't see them recommended much. Any particular reason why?
Click to expand...

Hi Deucer,

That BGD stone has blue fluor, so even though it's a J, I think it'll look very white! It really looks like a beauty.

You could mount it in this for an inexpensive temp setting: http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/engagement-rings/solitaire/six-prong-solitaire-14k-white-gold-5351w14

Blue Nile, B2C, Brilliance, etc. don't get recommended much not because they are bad, but because of what Chrono said--they generally can't offer images of the stones. If you have the time and patience though, you can buy from them if you're so inclined. Blue Nile seems to have really good prices.
 
You can't go wrong with BG blue...love them...nice choice!
 
great choice! And Im sure she will love the solitaire and love searching for her perfect setting... that like twice the fun!
 
Hey all,

Sorry for the indecision. I went out to look at some diamonds this weekend. I havn't seen a ton with very strong flourescence in person, but the J color is really warm for my taste.

I found this at James Allen:

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/G-SI1-Very-Good-Cut-Round-Diamond-1539328.asp

I have it on hold. Pricescope price is $8,400, which leaves more headroom for the permanent setting compared to the above BG stone.
http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamonds/diamond-details/1.532-j-si1-round-diamond-ags-bl-104062571042..

BG stone pluses:
AGS Ideal Cut
Cleaner looking SI1

JA stone pluses:
HCA 1.0 (even though it's only a GIA VG)
G Color
$1,250 less expensive (can put more money into setting)
I can order it now and still be able to return it within the 60 day window (I'm proposing on Feb. 18th)

Thoughts? Which one would you pick?
 
The JA stone is very nice, but it has very strong blue fluor, so I'd check to make sure there are no negative effects on the stone (e.g. appearing milky). Otherwise, I like it and I'd save the $$ and go with that one.
 
No ASET for the JA stone? Looks nice but I prefer to be 100% sure.
 
Chrono|1356570464|3340348 said:
No ASET for the JA stone? Looks nice but I prefer to be 100% sure.
Click to expand...

They told me they only provide an ASET image for fancy diamonds. They are sending over an idelscope image though, and a gemologist comment on any haziness...

If they come back ok, I'm thinking my GF will love that one.

Thanks again for all the help. While I've been working through this buying process my grandfather passed away and I don't know what I'd do without all the helpful advice making this easier.
 
Ask for idealscope if you don't have it already. ASET doesn't do too much for the rounds.
 
Oh, I'm so sorry for your loss.
 
JA stone needs to be checked for darkness. Much prefer the BG.
 
Laila619|1356152965|3337860 said:
Deucer|1356142762|3337758 said:
Hi all,

I previously posted looking for setting/stone opinions. I've decided to put a little more of my budget towards a stone and go with the simplest setting possible, then upgrade the setting after I propose with my girlfriend present. I don't want to spend $3500+ on a Tacori settign unless that's exactly what she wants.

So my budget is still 10K, but I'm putting more of it towards the stone. Figure $500 max for a simple setting.

I'm looking for something ideally cut, eye clean and white (willing to go down to J).

I'm seriously considering this stone (It's on hold):

http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamonds/diamond-details/1.532-j-si1-round-diamond-ags-bl-104062571042

I'd welcome some thoughts on that stone or other suggestions.

Also, b2cjewels.com and brilliance.com seem to offer great pricing. I don't see them recommended much. Any particular reason why?
Click to expand...



That BGD stone has blue fluor, so even though it's a J, I think it'll look very white! It really looks like a beauty.

You could mount it in this for an inexpensive temp setting: http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/engagement-rings/solitaire/six-prong-solitaire-14k-white-gold-5351w14

Blue Nile, B2C, Brilliance, etc. don't get recommended much not because they are bad, but because of what Chrono said--they generally can't offer images of the stones. If you have the time and patience though, you can buy from them if you're so inclined. Blue Nile seems to have really good prices.
Click to expand...

Hi Deucer,

I too agree the BDG diamond does look good when compared to JA, but it is quite expensive.

If you have time in your hands, look at other vendors like B2C, Blue Nile etc for the best deals.

They may not be the big fish, but they are also here for your business. If you do not explore your options you may loose out on some better deal.


Good Luck :loopy:
 
Great thing about JA is that they're very good about providing detailed pictures and their customer service is top notch. 60 days return / Free Return Shipping is amazing.
I'm currently talking with JA about a stone and Angelia, has been fantastic.

Also if you're in the NYC area you can always reserve 3 stones and see it in person with their gemologist.
 
I heard that B2C will provide IS but I know that BN doesn't although their Signature rounds are supposed to be well cut. I just purchased from JA too and found their customer service excellent and their 60 day review/return policy amazing.
 
JulieN|1356592760|3340526 said:
JA stone needs to be checked for darkness. Much prefer the BG.
Click to expand...

An Idealscope image for the James Allen stone is on the way.

Do you prefer the BG stone considering the "J" color and the price difference? I could really use the extra $ for the setting. Do you think I could do better at the $8,400 price point?
 
Please accept my condolences and I feel deeply hurt for your loss as I know what it means to have a grandfather as mine was an angel sent from above.

With regard to B2C?
My experience with B2C was pretty smooth. They were able to meet my needs. I feel that every company has positives & negatives to it but I am sure every negative has a reason. From my experience B2C is not a drop shipper, like most of the online stores that I have been too, B2C works on the same business module. I agree that there are several other giants who create an illusion of stocking all the diamonds with them but I doubt it as I feel that stocking hundreds of thousands of diamonds at one place would be virtually impossible.
A very good example: during my search I have come across a couple of diamonds which were listed with all the online stores and I wonder how?
 
Thanks for the kind words regarding my grandfather. I'm happy told him about my engagement plans before he passed. He was so excited about the idea. He loved my GF too.
 
Looks like the Brian Gavin stone has been reserved by someone else. James Allen told me that I shouldn't expect the IS images before Wednesday or Thursday of next week due to the holiday...

So I guess the search is on hold for the moment.
 
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