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General Help for Newbie

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bino2two

Rough_Rock
Joined
Nov 15, 2010
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I've spent quite a bit of time here searching the forums and I appreciate all the valuable information and various points of view. I'm searching for an engagement ring for my gf, and I need some general help on my overall search trajectory. My budget for diamond and setting is +-$12k. My gf and I have spent some time looking at settings and we tend to gravitate to settings like this (her more generally, and me more specifically):

http://www.whiteflash.com/engagement-rings/diamond-settings/the-katie-pave-diamond-engagement-ring-1270.htm
http://www.jamesallen.com/designer-jewelry/meno-collection-by-danhov/18K-Gold-ME31-Designer-Ring.html

Given a setting of ~ $2k, my diamond budget is ~ $10k. My thoughts on a diamond are to get ~ 1.5 ct, with the best cut I can (not H&A), color H-I, clarity VS2-S1 (eye clear), with polish/symmetry EX-ID. I've read that color above H on a round doesn't add a lot of value. I've also read that there are many diamonds in the VS2-S1 range with inclusions that aren't visible to the naked eye so upgrades in clarity don't necessarily result in "quality you can see". Are these two thoughts reasonable?

The settings I've referenced above have pave accent diamonds with color F-G, and clarity VS1-VS2. Is it fair to assume that the clarity of the accent diamonds won't cause much, if any relative visual clarity difference between the accent diamonds and the center diamond? What about color? I'm concerned that the smaller, "whiter" accent diamonds will cause the larger center diamond to show color.

Lastly, will a ~ 1.5 ct center diamond in the settings above fill out this type of setting, or will the setting overwhelm this size center diamond? Ultimately I'm trying to figure out if given my budget, I can end up with a very good total product with the setting type I like, or if I need to redirect my setting selection to something different.

Thanks in advance for your help.
 
bino2two|1289858556|2767150 said:
I've spent quite a bit of time here searching the forums and I appreciate all the valuable information and various points of view. I'm searching for an engagement ring for my gf, and I need some general help on my overall search trajectory. My budget for diamond and setting is +-$12k. My gf and I have spent some time looking at settings and we tend to gravitate to settings like this (her more generally, and me more specifically):

http://www.whiteflash.com/engagement-rings/diamond-settings/the-katie-pave-diamond-engagement-ring-1270.htm
http://www.jamesallen.com/designer-jewelry/meno-collection-by-danhov/18K-Gold-ME31-Designer-Ring.html

Given a setting of ~ $2k, my diamond budget is ~ $10k. My thoughts on a diamond are to get ~ 1.5 ct, with the best cut I can (not H&A), color H-I, clarity VS2-S1 (eye clear), with polish/symmetry EX-ID. I've read that color above H on a round doesn't add a lot of value. I've also read that there are many diamonds in the VS2-S1 range with inclusions that aren't visible to the naked eye so upgrades in clarity don't necessarily result in "quality you can see". Are these two thoughts reasonable?

You've done a good job with your homework! Color is really a personal preference, but if you and she are both new to diamonds, H color is a very safe choice. If you're sticking to a stone certified by either GIA or AGS, your clarity range should assure you an eye clean stone with no visible inclusions. SI1 would give you the best bang for your buck, but be sure to double check with the vendor that it is eye clean.

The settings I've referenced above have pave accent diamonds with color F-G, and clarity VS1-VS2. Is it fair to assume that the clarity of the accent diamonds won't cause much, if any relative visual clarity difference between the accent diamonds and the center diamond? What about color? I'm concerned that the smaller, "whiter" accent diamonds will cause the larger center diamond to show color.

From the vendors you have linked, the pave diamonds will be clean and sparkly. This is a good question to ask however. As for color, these mounts are created to accomodate stones through the nearly colorless range (GHI) with no discernable visible difference.

Lastly, will a ~ 1.5 ct center diamond in the settings above fill out this type of setting, or will the setting overwhelm this size center diamond? Ultimately I'm trying to figure out if given my budget, I can end up with a very good total product with the setting type I like, or if I need to redirect my setting selection to something different.

A 1.5 round brilliant diamond will look stunning and very proportional in either of these settings.

Thanks in advance for your help.

Congratulations on great prep work!! Let us know if we can help in any other way. And remember, PICTURES ARE A MUST!!!! Good luck with your quest!
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Given a setting of ~ $2k, my diamond budget is ~ $10k. My thoughts on a diamond are to get ~ 1.5 ct, with the best cut I can (not H&A), color H-I, clarity VS2-S1 (eye clear), with polish/symmetry EX-ID. I've read that color above H on a round doesn't add a lot of value. I've also read that there are many diamonds in the VS2-S1 range with inclusions that aren't visible to the naked eye so upgrades in clarity don't necessarily result in "quality you can see". Are these two thoughts reasonable?

Yes. Why are you avoiding H&A-are you trying to avoid the brand premium or do you prefer a different look of stone? That can help guide your selection.


The only other thing I would add about the settings you linked is that one is knife-edge and one is not, so that may affect your preference. They will both be beautiful with a ~1.5 ct diamond! And please do come back with pics :) :)
 
On the H&A, trying to avoid the premium. Although it would be nice to have, it seems that it's not worth the sacrifice in other areas just to get that. I'm trying to find a good balance of all factors within my budget. Any thoughts on this reasoning are appreciated.
 
bino2two|1289865975|2767398 said:
On the H&A, trying to avoid the premium. Although it would be nice to have, it seems that it's not worth the sacrifice in other areas just to get that. I'm trying to find a good balance of all factors within my budget. Any thoughts on this reasoning are appreciated.
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good news: you don't need those perfect hearts to get a spectacular stone.
bad news: because most in-house stones are these branded H&As or near-H&As, you'll have to do some weeding to find your stone.
 
Here is a quick search using the In HOuse diamond search tool. H&A means hearts and arrows- so looks for ones that say N in that column. Also, try to look for stones under 2.0 on the HCA, if the HCA score is not listed you can use the HCA tool to find the number yoursef. Try to stay with GIA/AGS for one main reason- standard of grading. Those grading labs are stricter so when you buy an H VS1, you can feel confident that you are getting an H VS1. Other labs are not as strict so you can figure that the color and clarity may be 1-2 grades less than stated, hence the "bargain" price.


https://www.pricescope.com/diamond-...&type_search=1&InHouseSearch=&InHouseSearch=0
 
Thanks for all the help! With all the suggestions on diamonds, what is the best way to narrow down? I understand an I'll want to get an IS but I would think I need to narrow down to 3 or 4 first?
 
Stone, on the diamond you linked, I'm coming up with an HCA value of 2.9. Shouldn't I be looking for an HCA value >2? What am I missing? Thanks.
 
Longer lower half facets. HCA is grading the cut based on 4 averaged numbers while AGS is using the actual proportions and orientations of all facets. The idealscope image will tell which is more accurate in this case.
 
Stone-cold11|1289899559|2767970 said:
Longer lower half facets. HCA is grading the cut based on 4 averaged numbers while AGS is using the actual proportions and orientations of all facets. The idealscope image will tell which is more accurate in this case.
Click to expand...

This. HCA is just a guideline - can and are pretty stones that fall outside HCA's recommended range, because of the fact that the HCA is based on just 4 input values.

For what you are missing, see Karl's article: https://www.pricescope.com/journal/do_pavilion_mains_drive_light_return_modern_round_brilliant
Reported pavilion angle is the angle of the pavilion mains. In the modern RB though it is the lower girdle facets, not the pavilion mains, that first begin to leak as angle is made steeper (see pics in article) - since the lgfs are angled more 'steeply' than the mains, and the shorter they are the steeper they are by geometry - hence why 'longer' lgfs can mitigate the leakage expected given a specific PA.
 
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