Bad decision or is it decent?

[totallycluelessone]

Hiya, I just purchased an engagement ring for my girlfriend and have been wandering if the stone i chose was a good,decent or terrible decision, so i stumbled across this site and you seem to be a knowledegable bunch who could perhaps shed some light on the purchase for me.

I just want to say that we have an "Australia tax" where everything we buy here is horrendously over priced so i know that i didn't get a deal or anything

The girlfriend wanted me to buy some $1500 morganite thing for her ring which i couldnt bring myself to do so i went and purchased a diamond ring instead, it's only a small stone .53 carat with smaller diamonds around it bringing total carat up to 1. If she knew what i paid she would kill me as she wanted something a lot cheaper

The Jewellers "valuation" for insurance was $11800 AUD, which i paid nowhere near for the ring, i know this is a bs figure they seem to pull out of their backsides but is there a general rule for what the actual value is against the Jewellers valuation?

So although small i ask how would the diamond be rated?

I appreciate your opinions as i havent given her the ring yet and won't for some time, possible while we're in Thailand or on another occasion where i see fit.

Below is a cut and paste of the GIA report on the diamond in question.

Round Brilliant
Measurements
5.19 - 5.22 x 3.22 mm
Carat Weight
0.53 carat
Color Grade
F
Clarity Grade
VS2
Cut Grade
Excellent

proportions
Depth
61.8 %
Table
59 %
Crown Angle
35.0°
Crown Height
14.5%
Pavilion Angle
41.2°
Pavilion Depth
44.0%
Star Length
55%
Lower Half
80%
Girdle
Medium, Faceted, 3.5%
Culet
None

finish
Polish
Excellent
Symmetry
Excellent

Fluorescence
Fluorescence
None

clarity characteristics
clarity characteristics
Crystal, Cloud

 

[metatrix]

Hey I just wanted to reply to tell you that 0.5 ct can look stunning if you choose a setting that she likes. I have a ring that is 0.5 ct and I absolutely adore it, even though I love large diamonds (in fact I'm about to get a 3 ct). But I still love the look of the ring I already have and I have always gotten tons of complements on it.

 

[Lorelei]

Hiya, I just purchased an engagement ring for my girlfriend and have been wandering if the stone i chose was a good,decent or terrible decision, so i stumbled across this site and you seem to be a knowledegable bunch who could perhaps shed some light on the purchase for me.

I just want to say that we have an "Australia tax" where everything we buy here is horrendously over priced so i know that i didn't get a deal or anything

The girlfriend wanted me to buy some $1500 morganite thing for her ring which i couldnt bring myself to do so i went and purchased a diamond ring instead, it's only a small stone .53 carat with smaller diamonds around it bringing total carat up to 1. If she knew what i paid she would kill me as she wanted something a lot cheaper

The Jewellers "valuation" for insurance was $11800 AUD, which i paid nowhere near for the ring, i know this is a bs figure they seem to pull out of their backsides but is there a general rule for what the actual value is against the Jewellers valuation?

So although small i ask how would the diamond be rated?

I appreciate your opinions as i havent given her the ring yet and won't for some time, possible while we're in Thailand or on another occasion where i see fit.

Below is a cut and paste of the GIA report on the diamond in question.

Round Brilliant
Measurements
5.19 - 5.22 x 3.22 mm
Carat Weight
0.53 carat
Color Grade
F
Clarity Grade
VS2
Cut Grade
Excellent

proportions
Depth
61.8 %
Table
59 %
Crown Angle
35.0°
Crown Height
14.5%
Pavilion Angle
41.2°
Pavilion Depth
44.0%
Star Length
55%
Lower Half
80%
Girdle
Medium, Faceted, 3.5%
Culet
None

finish
Polish
Excellent
Symmetry
Excellent

Fluorescence
Fluorescence
None

clarity characteristics
clarity characteristics
Crystal, Cloud

Hi TC1 and welcome!

How to rate your decision....it could be good or decent looking at the info we have, I doubt terrible! Your diamond has what we call a steep deep angle combo. A steep deep basically means the diamond has a steep crown angle paired with a deep pavilion angle, this isn't desirable as it can cause light leakage, the pavilion angles are critical as you can have a lot more leeway with the crown angle than the pavilion. With steep deeps, rather like a bucket with holes in, instead of leaking water, light leaks through the stone which you don't want. The question is, how much discernible leakage do we have and if there is any, is it going to spoil the diamond's beauty...With this diamond I would estimate it could show some negligible, slight or distinct leakage, without images we have no way to know unfortunately. GIA round the proportions which can further muddy the waters, the stone could have ' worse' angles than we see on paper and if the overall cut precision isn't tight, that can also have a negative effect. Conversely, if the overall cut precision is good, looking at other factors of the diamond's proportions, it's possible these could ' save' it from any serious light leakage, but I am only speculating here. Do you have a return policy for this ring so if you choose to do so, you could get another diamond? I don't know which would be the best way to proceed really as the stone could be ok but I cannot responsibly tell you what you should do, only estimate that there might be an issue and just give you my opinion on the stone you have....You could purchase an Idealscope inexpensively and check the diamond out yourself, they do ship to Australia if you have the time to do so, that would give you a much better idea.

http://www.ideal-scope.com/cart_zoom_item.asp?Id=2&ShowAdd=Y

As for the valuation, this is usual that you get a vastly inflated appraisal, it's the feel good factor that your purchase is worth considerably more than you paid. I don't know how much is usual to add for a valuation, we have some expert appraisers here who might be able to shed some light on how they arrive at a valuation figure but it sounds as if you know the score with the type of appraisal that comes with purchase, if your ring was worth that much, that's what you would have paid in the first place.

Sorry I couldn't be more helpful but I hope this gives you some food for thought.

 

[totallycluelessone]

Hey I just wanted to reply to tell you that 0.5 ct can look stunning if you choose a setting that she likes. I have a ring that is 0.5 ct and I absolutely adore it, even though I love large diamonds (in fact I'm about to get a 3 ct). But I still love the look of the ring I already have and I have always gotten tons of complements on it.

Haha i think 99.99% of women like large diamonds, the issue seems to be affording them

Your ring is quite nice, you should have gone shopping for me!

I have a serious hatred of shopping so i tend to rush, more often than not it works for me but this time i feel it has bitten me, i did like the look at first but the past few days as i look at it i am beginning to dislike it, it's set way too high and waay too much going on there for my liking, i think i should have gone for something more traditional.

May try my hand at requesting an exchange and letting the missus lead me by pointing out what she ultimately wants online,

Damnit pics upside down!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

It is hard to tell without a more close up picture, but it looks like a pretty ring. Comps here for a diamond with those specs is about $2100-2200 plus the setting. So may be $3500-5000 total depending on what the setting is made out of and the quality of the diamonds. If you paid a lot more than that, then you might want to check what your import tax is and buy from the US. We have a lot of members here from Australia who buy from US vendors. I do think it is a fairly ornate ring, so if you think she might be uncomfortable with that, by all means get a more simple ring and let her choose her setting. AND, find out your jeweler's return and exchange policy, and propose within that time frame so it can be returned if necessary!

 

[Lorelei]

Just reposting your picture for you, very pretty ring!

 

[Lorelei]

Hey I just wanted to reply to tell you that 0.5 ct can look stunning if you choose a setting that she likes. I have a ring that is 0.5 ct and I absolutely adore it, even though I love large diamonds (in fact I'm about to get a 3 ct). But I still love the look of the ring I already have and I have always gotten tons of complements on it.

Your ring is beautiful Meta and although it's off topic, I like the nail polish, I am partial to white frosty nails.

 

[metatrix]

Hey I just wanted to reply to tell you that 0.5 ct can look stunning if you choose a setting that she likes. I have a ring that is 0.5 ct and I absolutely adore it, even though I love large diamonds (in fact I'm about to get a 3 ct). But I still love the look of the ring I already have and I have always gotten tons of complements on it.

Your ring is beautiful Meta and although it's off topic, I like the nail polish, I am partial to white frosty nails.

Thanks! I was actually cringing when I posted the photo because my manicure was all chipped. I have been painting my nails regularly since I've been going ring shopping, lol.