Help a newbie please! Blue Nile, James Allen, Diamond District?

[TooNyce4Wrdz]

Good Afternoon All.

I am new to this site. I read an article online advising to check it out so here I am!

My boyfriend and I are searching for an engagement ring.

Yes, I know he should probably be the one posting, but I am the one who has done most of the homework .

Here are the specs of my ideal ring:

• Carat: 1 – 1.25 carat
• Color: F – I
• Cut: Very Good – Ideal
• Clarity: VS1 – SI2
• Setting: Thin Pave

I am not super high maintenance; I would just like something pretty that shines bright . Not to mention, I have small hands so i don't want anything too big. I am not 100% sure of his budget but I am guessing somewhere between $5,000 - $7,500.

Are we better off finding something reasonably priced online via Blue Nile or James Allen or going to the Diamond District in NYC? I read that ID Jewelry and Jangmi were really good stores to check out.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!

 

[whitewave]

A lot of people here are very happy with IDJ, so that may be a great place to start in person.

 

[sln]

I will second IDJ. We had a limited budget and they found exactly what we wanted. 1ct cushion in a halo setting.

 

[rockysalamander]

I would recommend IDJ or any of the many online vendors we use here. We can post a few that are within your criteria.

Will look more in a bit, but something like this looks good.
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-di...e-color-vs2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-3593402

Or even a super-ideal like this: https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3916985.htm

I would suggest you only consider GIA or AGS stones that are XXX or 000, respectively. I would not look at very good unless an reputable vendor can help you.

For background, here is what I look for...I think we all have some variation of this based on our preferences.
table: 52-57.5 (but I really prefer under 57)
depth: 60-62.3 {consider 59.5)
crown angle: 34-35.0 (up to 35.5 crown angle can sometimes work with a 40.6 pav angle)
pavilion angle: 40.6-40.9 (sometimes 41.0 if the crown angle is close to 34)

For GIA excellent stones, I then look at the AGS Proportion Chart to see where they stone would fall in AGS grading as they are more strict (gotta include looking at adjacent grades due to GIA rounding) https://agslab.com/docs/pbcg/AGSLProportionCharts.pdf.

I run some stone through the HCA Tool to see if the angles are complimentary. The HCA tool includes some assumptions, which includes being pretty harsh on 60/60 diamonds. On HCA, reject anything greater than 2.0 (but 1.0 is not better than 1.0 . But, if you look at super-ideal stones (WF ACA, Brian Gavin Select, GoodOldGold, HighPerformanceDiamonds, etc.), just look at the images and ignore the above process.

To me, these three steps are coarse filters. They narrow the field to those worthy of pursuit and getting an IS (or better yet ASET). It is those images that document performance.

 

[TooNyce4Wrdz]

Thank you for the suggestions everyone. I made an appointment with IDJ

Rockysalamander, that is very detailed information; thank you. I will look into it.

 

[ringo865]

Tell IDJ you want images to vet on pricescope. They'll know you're going to scrutinize it (or we will) and will select awesome choices for you.

 

[TooNyce4Wrdz]

Good Afternoon, All.

Happy Friday!

I had my appointment with ID Jewelry and was very happy with the service that Lana and Yekutiel provided.

We found a stone that we liked and wanted your thoughts on it. It is a 1.2 G S12.



I want to be fair to my boyfriend and compare by going to one other store. Any recommendations for another store in the Diamond District or NYC area with reasonable prices and great quality settings and diamonds?

Thank you for your thoughts.

Btw rockysalamander your specs were so helpful!

 

[PintoBean]

From my personal experience, IDJ will be the most reasonable with pricing. Around the corner from them is Brilliantly Engaged.

Honestly, I would only send you to BE if you didn't click with the IDJ team. To make sure you're comfortable with your purchase, I would rather you take the diamond to the independent appraiser, David Wolf.

 

[TooNyce4Wrdz]

Good Morning!

My bf and I spoke and he is comfortable with working with Yekutiel and ID Jewelry. The service was great and the price was not too scary

Do some of you diamond experts have any thoughts on the images or GIA spec information I sent earlier?