Blue Diamond Engagement Ring

[sonukay]

Hi All,

I have been on your forum for over a month reading up on diff aspects of diamond purchasing , and have finally decided that some of the experts on here are more experienced than local jwlrs when it comes to knowledge, unbiased advice and stating an opinion, so here goes...

As a lady in waiting for almost 3 years I had ample time to figure out and decide what I liked/wanted when the time came and 2 yrs ago came across a blue irradiated diamond which was the most gorgeous intense shade of turquoise blue set in a ring and that has since then stuck with me (and my fiancé to be as I showed it to him at the time as well).

Ffwd to the moment of truth and we are now down to two options because whilst we are working to a strict budget (imposed by both him and me) I am also fond of big, chunky pieces of jwlry (loosely translated to expensive taste by some ) and looking for the right option has proven to be like finding a needle in a haystack!

So, as it stands currently, I am definitely looking for the following in rings:

colour: vivid fancy blue (teal/green blue/blue green)
cut: round brilliant
clarity: 'eye-clean' and 'sparkly' (I have seen this fit across many grades hence why kept the criteria flexible)
carat: 2.5 to 3.5 for the centre stone.
setting: halo (pref vintage)

The option of a natural blue diamond is obviously out of the question because they are extremely pricey and out of our budget, but also the actual colour we like is in treated diamonds only so yeay for us

I have so far narrowed it down to the following two options after exhaustive online research (local jwlrs did not have anything matching my description- most did not even know what an irradiated blue diamond was so we abandoned the search):

OPTION 1
http://jewelrybygaro.com/product/3-...ved-ring-14k-white-gold-handmade-unique-ring/

This was our first choice because the colour is perfect, as is the setting and everything else- but the only issue we've uncovered after requesting videos etc is that the clarity being as poor as it is, means the diamond does not 'sparkle' and is a cloudy (?) diamond

Since the above revelation, we have found another option:

OPTION 2

**edited by moderator** Liori Diamonds

This is a close second in colour, and the setting is still ok (not exactly what we liked but it'll do), is 'very-sparkly' as the video in the pics section demonstrates, but the catch is it's centre stone is clarity enhanced.

Now my questions are as follow:

-is option 1 overpriced and over-appraised owing to it's centre stone's clarity and how credible is a certification if it's issued by GAL?
-is option 2 a good proposition owing to the clarity enhancements it's undergone (durability, permanence, fragility) and is AGI a credible source of certification?
-will we be better off discarding both options and maybe going for a london blue topaz as the centre stone (it's the right shade and topaz is my birthstone-december)? ( but they def don't look as sparkly and my fiancé is against the idea of anything other than a diamond as the centre stone)
-will we be even better off looking for the stone itself and getting the ring made from scratch because we've inquired at local jwlrs and the setting we like can be made in under $1,000 with E-F, VS1 quality diamonds.

I can appreciate that sellers would price items based on demand but we def don't want to end up overpaying or buying something that isn't worth it in the long run- hence the dilemma...

Have had a look at your search option too (nothing there) and on DBL (nothing there in our budget that we liked) so pretty much at wits end on the subject - any input at all will be appreciated!

Cheers!

 

[Sunstorm]

I tell you very honestly that I think you would be better off using a London blue topaz in a diamond halo than either of these options. I do not know the vendors but both these "deals" sound fishy to me. I have to tell you that I am personally against treated goods but that put aside I could not wholeheartedly recommend you either of these options for the problem I see here is that quality suffers in every regard; starting from the quality of these stones, to the setting, the certificates, obviously overinflated appraisal values. I know some people on this forum do own treated blue diamonds but those look like diamonds should, except of course the color will not really look natural but they have good light performance and clarity, so perhaps they will chime in and let you know where to obtain your stone.

You do not have to get a topaz but you are probably better off obtaining your stone elsewhere, I can understand if properties you would like are those of a diamond. Paraiba tourmalines can also have a very vibrant almost neon teal color that is gorgeous, however, paraibas are priced very high in high qualities. If you decided to get an irradiated blue diamond, do so from a vendor that has better quality and then have the setting custom made for you, the whole thing will come out much nicer, lasting and better quality. Perhaps there are vendors that sell higher quality irradiated blues already set or will make the setting for you as well. Let's see if some who own such jewelry will find this thread and give you better ideas.

 

[Niel]

I really would not pick any of those. The first one looks like frozen blue spit and the second has a terrible cut/ clarity as well. And is green.

The whole reason to get a diamond is for its sparkle and life! These diamonds wont have that.
I have no problem with irradiated diamonds as long as you like them, you pay a fair price, and they are pretty. These dont meet that criteria

Nice ones do exist. Here is Dearbuddha's


upside's fiances ring that Good old gold sourced for him



Or kboggs3105's amazing yellow gold and irradiated diamond ring


These diamonds make lovely engagement rings.
You can have a jeweler like Good Old Gold try and find you diamond. They sell Gabriel and Co settings as well as Beverly K settings. they sell vintage styles and sell halos. You can get a very lovely ring for a fair price with your budget. The ones you are looking at arent, IMHO, right for an engagement ring.

You will not get 4 cts. Probably closer to 1-2 (i have no idea how much a good irradiated stone is). If youre unhappy with that, Id buy a colored stone such as zircon or topaz like the PP suggested. Those are not really great for everyday wear though, so you would have issues that way.

Dont think im trying to talk you out of blue diamonds in general, they can be lovely. I just dont think those are

 

[kb1gra]

The problem you're having is that a good quality diamond is never irradiated, because it's worth more as a white or near white stone. Only poorer cuts/clarities/colors will ever be irradiated. This is less true in the smaller sizes, like .50 and less, because those stones are worth about the same as near-colorless as they are irradiated.

You won't ever find a 4ct stone that's been irradiated unless it is a basically worthless stone that couldn't be recut smaller to be worth more. You can explain this to your fiance, but ultimately one of you will have to settle: either you'll settle on the size in order to get a blue diamond, or he settles on allowing a gemstone center.

If you want a large size, you're much better off pursuing a gemstone. You might look into blue zircon, which is quite sparkly, but you'll have to be very careful with a large zircon stone as they can be fragile.

I have a ring that has lovely irradiated blues in it-- 10 pointers. That one had to be specially sourced. I really think you're not going to find what you want.

 

[Niel]

Here is some interesting information. According to Rockdiamond, usually blues get irradiated after they are cut. So if say a light brown or S-T faint brown comes back from gia, dispite cut, it may get irradiated if the clarity is lower and they feel it would be worth more as a blue than brown.

So finding a well cut one isn't impossible, but isn't easy. This is why I'd go have good old gold find you one. They are better at finding reputable gia graded, needle in a haystack diamonds than you or me.
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/irradiated-blue-diamonds.189208/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/irradiated-blue-diamonds.189208/[/URL]