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Getting engaged. Need help ASAP on diamond

TC1987|1393870441|3626491 said:
Phinsfan4life|1393869116|3626474 said:
Do you have any recommendations on where I should buy at? I honestly don't know a whole lot about buying diamonds. I can only budget for around $2,500 (setting/diamond).

That what I was worried about with it not being GIA. Any recommendations on wheere to shop?

Thanks everyone
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I.D. Jewelry and B2CJewels have done some nice rings. You might contact them and see what they can provide in your price range.

We have the "HCA" Holloway Cut Adviser at the top, under Tools. You plug in the values off the diamond's report and look for score = 2 or less. It's a basic first-pass screening tool to eliminate some of the really leaky and poorly-made diamonds right off the bat. Any diamond with an AGS 000 rating, you don't need to bother. But run it for most of the GIA "excellents", because some are a lot better performers than others.

Pricescope has a very restrictive list of proportions to look for, and this is what probably a majority of PS buyers choose in a modern round diamond (antique cuts, "fancy" cuts are much more variable)
depth - 60 - 62% - maybe up to 62.4% (deeper may face up smaller diameter than typical for carat weight, though)
table - 54- 57% (most seem to like 55%-56%, but 57% is not huge)
*crown angle - 34- 35 degrees
*pavilion angle - 40.6- 41 degrees
girdle - avoid extremes, look for thin to slightly thick, thin to medium etc
polish and symmetry - very good and above

*Crown and pavilion angles must work together; increase one = must decrease the other. With angles at the shallower ends ( CA 34- PA 40.6) and steeper ( CA 35- PA 41) check to make sure these angles complement in that particular diamond - eyeballs, Idealscope, trusted vendor input - check as appropriate!

Then PS has loosely labeled three varieties of "ideal" round diamonds:
FIC firey ideal cut - Taller crown height, steeper crown angle 35 degree or more, smaller table, deeper stone, more biased toward fire, may look "dark" (fire is kinda the opposite of white light, brilliance) or face up smaller diameter due to its depth
TIC Tolkovsky ideal - Aims for a good balance between fire and brilliance, in all lighting conditions
BIC brilliant ideal -- biased a bit more toward brilliance (brightness, white light) than fire, may have lower crown angle, larger table, shallower depth.
The HCA, I think, still tells you things like TIC or BIC or FIC along with the cut rating and other info.

Diamonds that have a very low crown and a huge table really tend to not show as much fire, or it's all out around the narrow rim around the table.
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TC,

I know you said if it's an AGS 000 diamond then no need to run it.. However, I did run it in the HCA and it came back with 2.4 "very good"...

Is this is a diamond I should consider? Or should I pass?

http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.80-carat-j-color-si2-clarity-ideal-cut-sku-112261
 
It's fine as long as you have an idealscope to confirm performance. All stones should get an idealscope, ideally. If you cant' get one... FOR ME, the AGS0 is enough. But there are pickier people than I am swimming these waters.
 
Once i get the idealscope, i'll post it on here and hopefully you can give me your opinion. Cause I'm not going to know what i'm looking at...
 
Thar inclusion is probably eye visible.
 
Andelain|1393916400|3627085 said:
Thar inclusion is probably eye visible.
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That's my thought, too. It's SI2 clarity. That's a big feather and it's likely to be seen since it's in the table area.

The HCA used to have a bias toward shallower diamonds. Garry Holloway tweaks its calculations occasionally and I haven't kept up with how it calculates scores now. Maybe the steep crown angle with fairly big table is what dinged it. If I reduce crown angle to 35.0, the score is bumped up to 1.8 and "excellent" for fire. AGS has examined the stone, and the computer generated ASET image also looks good, and the stone was graded excellent for symmetry. So, it's evidently passed the test and it is probably it has some great fire.
 
So I shouldn't get that diamond either?

I thought it was going to be a good diamond considering it graded out as AGS 000.

Should I get the idealscopes? or should i just search for another diamond?
 
Phinsfan4life|1393950489|3627236 said:
So I shouldn't get that diamond either?

I thought it was going to be a good diamond considering it graded out as AGS 000.

Should I get the idealscopes? or should i just search for another diamond?
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There are better stones out there, without the SI2 clarity.

If you can swing a couple hundred bucks more (after Pricescope discount), this stone is the one I'd go for. It's about the same size as the stone you linked (look at the dimensions), a better color, better clarity (certainly eye-clean), and guaranteed to be top-notch cut:

.782ct, I, VS1
http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamonds/diamond-details/0.782-i-vs1-round-diamond-ags-bl-104069795031

Worth putting the extra money into the stone, as this one would be a great choice that you/her would feel proud to give/have.
 
The thing is I really liked the setting that James Allen provided..

Would you be able to find a quality diamond like the one you listed, but for sale by James Allen?
 
Phinsfan4life|1393954977|3627271 said:
The thing is I really liked the setting that James Allen provided..

Would you be able to find a quality diamond like the one you listed, but for sale by James Allen?
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I am not the best with the JA website, but here seem to be a few good options (all are AGS 0 - meaning they are Ideal performers):

.73ct, I, SI1
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.73-carat-i-color-si1-clarity-ideal-cut-sku-284003

.71ct, H, VS2
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.71-carat-h-color-vs2-clarity-ideal-cut-sku-281342 (my favorite of the options in your price range at JA)

.71ct, H, SI1
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.71-carat-h-color-si1-clarity-ideal-cut-sku-272405


Hoping some other posters might be able to assist you further!
 
The .80 diamond i found on JA was also AGS 0, however, everyone is telling me I would see the inclusion due to it being Si1..

I was hoping it was fine cause i like the fact it was .80 ct
 
The one you picked is not a SI1, it's a SI2. You'll probably see the big crystal with your naked eyes. Have you contacted Yekutiel yet? If you want eye-clean stone, stick with one of the stones rocky posted.
 
Phinsfan4life|1393961038|3627356 said:
The .80 diamond i found on JA was also AGS 0, however, everyone is telling me I would see the inclusion due to it being Si1..

I was hoping it was fine cause i like the fact it was .80 ct
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The stones I had suggested are approximately the same size (look at dimensions). The size differential is minimal. You don't want to sacrifice a stone being eye-clean for a tenth of a millimeter diameter difference.

The stones I had suggested are also a higher color, with better clarity.
 
I guess i need to do more search on the JA website, cause i really wanted to stay atleast .75ct.

Are you able to find any stone between .75-.80 that are worth taking a look at?

I will continue my search and if/when i find something i'll post it for the experts opinions..

I do not want to make a mistake and purchase the wrong diamond.
 
Also Rocky,

Whats the difference between ideal cut and True Hearts?

Cause one of those 3 diamonds you found was a "True Heart".
 
True Heart is a trademarked term from JA for Hearts & Arrows stones.

These stones are cut with great optical symmetry, to get that pattern.

It doesn't necessarily mean the stone will outperform a non-H&A stone, but that it does possess excellent symmetry. The benefit of the True Heart (in my opinion) is that you get Idealscope images directly on the website.

To respond to your other question - the stones I had linked above were the largest I could find in clarity/color combos that I would consider for an engagement ring, within your budget. If you're willing to increase your budget, it would open up other options.
 
I'm willing to increase my budget to get closer to .75-.80 ct. I've heard excellent things for colors I-J and am willing to go there for a bigger stone.

If I find anything tonight I'll certainly post the link.

Thanks everyone
 
Phinsfan4life|1393974281|3627532 said:
I'm willing to increase my budget to get closer to .75-.80 ct. I've heard excellent things for colors I-J and am willing to go there for a bigger stone.

If I find anything tonight I'll certainly post the link.

Thanks everyone
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Personally, I wouldn't suggest going below I color for an engagement ring, but some people may advise otherwise.

Under $3,600:
.78ct, H, VS2
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.78-carat-h-color-vs2-clarity-ideal-cut-sku-281020

.75ct, H, VS2
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.75-carat-h-color-vs2-clarity-ideal-cut-sku-281028

.75ct, I, SI1
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.75-carat-i-color-si1-clarity-ideal-cut-sku-213415
 
This is a lot more difficult then I originally thought.... This is stressful..
 
I like the .73 James Allen stone suggested above. What sort of setting would she like?
 
I'm thinking a Pave setting.. These are the two i'm thinking about..


WhiteFlash:

http://www.whiteflash.com/engagement-rings/diamond-settings/benchmark-shared-prong-diamond-engagement-ring-2813.htm


James Allen:

http://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/pave/14k-white-gold-thin-french-cut-pave-set-diamond-engagement-ring-item-7092


The lady i spoke to at BG was telling me not to get 14K and/or 18K WG and just go w/ platinum, but i'm not so sure i can afford the platinum upgrade.

Please let me know what everyone thinks.

Thanks!
 
Phinsfan4life|1394027940|3627904 said:
I'm thinking a Pave setting.. These are the two i'm thinking about..


WhiteFlash:

http://www.whiteflash.com/engagement-rings/diamond-settings/benchmark-shared-prong-diamond-engagement-ring-2813.htm


James Allen:

http://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/pave/14k-white-gold-thin-french-cut-pave-set-diamond-engagement-ring-item-7092


The lady i spoke to at BG was telling me not to get 14K and/or 18K WG and just go w/ platinum, but i'm not so sure i can afford the platinum upgrade.

Please let me know what everyone thinks.

Thanks!
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If you were trying to put all the money into the diamond then I would go with the James Allen setting then you can upgrade later down the road
 
What does everyone think of these H/VS2 round diamonds?

Need opinions from the experts...

http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.72-carat-h-color-vs2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-243459

http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.72-carat-h-color-vs2-clarity-ideal-cut-sku-281015

http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.75-carat-h-color-vs2-clarity-ideal-cut-sku-281028

I would pair one of those w/ this setting by JA:

http://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/pave/18k-white-gold-thin-french-cut-pave-set-diamond-engagement-ring-item-289

Does anyone think for the price of those diamonds ($3k+) that I can do better anyone else? I do like this setting at WhiteFlash

http://www.whiteflash.com/engagement-rings/diamond-settings/benchmark-shared-prong-diamond-engagement-ring-2813.htm

Which setting is better?

Thanks all!
 
Julie,

Can you recheck my last post, I added a little bit more after editing it..

Would really appreciate your opinion especially in regards to setting..

Thanks
 
Love the second one ! Similar to my setting. Problem free and has a very elegant look imo !
 
If you haven't chosen the setting yet, I like both but would go w/ JA's setting if you've decided to purchase a diamond from them.

I think it's easier to work w/ the same vendor for both. It's just one less thing to worry about during a process/purchase that many of us are somewhat nervous about to begin with.
 
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