Help choosing a diamond

[Agent3Civ]

Hi everyone, first post here. Been reading the forum for almost a month now getting my knowledge of the whole diamond buying process up to par. I have to say, I have learned soo much from the forum and all of you who post on here. Just a little background, I am 24 yrs old and am looking to buy an engagement ring for my girlfriend of 5 1/2 years. I have been looking for the diamond ring to be around $1500 because we have both graduated college within the past 2 years and have a lot of student loans to pay off. I have found a diamond from WhiteFlash that I just absolutely love. It falls into all of my categories which are at least .5 carats, at least SI1, at least I color, Ideal cut, HCA score of 1.1 . The only question I have, which is why I wanted to ask some of you for your opinions, is that on the diamond, from the top down view in the bottom right just off center, you can see one of the imperfections. I have talked with WF and they assure me it is eye clean. I am just wondering everyones take. Here is a link to the diamond http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/A-Cut-Above-H-A-cut-diamond-2361993.htm#
and here is a picture

Any advice, opinions, or anything is very much appreciated.

 

[Agent3Civ]

 

[Agent3Civ]

A little more info

Item Code: AGS-7088904
Price: $1,271.00
Report: AGS
Shape: A Cut Above H&A
Carat: 0.555
Color: I
Clarity: SI1
Depth: 60.5
Table: 55.6
Crown Angle: 34.5
Crown %: 15.2
Pavilion Angle: 40.8
Pavilion %: 43.1
Girdle: Thin to Medium
Polish: Ideal
Symmetry: Ideal
Culet: Pointed
Fluorescence: No
Measurements: 5.35-5.36X3.24

 

[belle]

if they said it is eye clean, i would trust them completely.
i like those static one dimensional 40x (that''s 40x mag!!) pictures for picking out inclusions that you aren''t going to see in real life. it''s a good way to get to know your stone so that you can identify it if need be.
trust me, when you get that diamond all you are going to see is sparkle. you will be blinded by rainbows and you won''t even notice that little birthmark tucked away in there.

 

[Agent3Civ]

Thanks a lot belle, I really appreciate the advice!

 

[belle]

Date: 3/27/2006 12:29:21 PM
Author: Agent3Civ
Thanks a lot belle, I really appreciate the advice!

you''re welcome!

i know how hard it is to actually make the jump.
trust me, you won''t be dissapointed!

 

[Agent3Civ]

Yes, it has been a little difficult. You always want to make something as important as this be the best that it could possibly be. Though all the great advice from everyone on here has really made it a lot easier. I was able to learn so much stuff that I previously had not know.

 

[aljdewey]

I can also vouch for WF - if they say it''s eyeclean, it''s eyeclean by most!

Nice, nice selection!

 

[Agent3Civ]

Thank you aljdewey! You are all making me feel very good about buying this diamond.

Anyone have opinions about the band? I am looking at 18k but not sure about white gold or gold. Any opinions about which would set off the diamond more?

 

[strmrdr]

What color is her other jewelry?
Which color does she prefer?

Nice diamond.

 

[Agent3Civ]

Well, she doesn''t really wear all that much jewelry besides earings. And those she has so many different styles and colors to go with her unending supply of outfits to wear. She has a very fair complexion, blonde hair. Not sure if that will help. I am not sure if getting a nice gold band that would stand out on her finger would be good, or go with a white gold that would go with her complexion.

 

[atroop711]

I bought my stone through WF and I can tell you that you can take their word for it. They are a great company to deal with! GL

 

[Agent3Civ]

yes Atroop, I believe every word that everyone has said about how WF is so great. I emailed them from work on Friday because I didn''t have the chance to call and ask about the stone. A woman named Katie called me back within 20 minutes, emailed me back, and again called me today. That is what I call customer support!

 

[firebirdgold]

What is her watch like? That might help in deciding the color of the gold.
Also does she wear cool colors or warm colors? The easiest way to tell this may be to look at her clothes that are in shades of red/pink. Do they tend to have a slight yellow/orange/peach undertone, or do they have a blue undertone? Does she have any tops that are in shades of purple or lavender?
For instance I wear coral, rust and peach, but my sister wears lavender, ameythyst, and pink. Warm vs Cool. This is just my personal opinion, but I would go for white gold with someone who wears cool colors.
Also if you or she are color sensitive in regards to diamonds, the slight warm tint of the diamond will not be noticeable with yellow gold. Of course with a cut that good, you probably won''t noticed the color anyway.

oh, btw, great diamond!!

 

[lil_jay78]

I''m in the same boat as you AGENT, about to purchase a stone from WF...after doing a lot of research, I am really looking forward to my purchase, he he he. My roommate''s brother actually purchased from there too.

I think the stone looks awesome too. One thing I was gonna ask was the HCA, what does that stand for again?

GL with your ER!

 

[Agent3Civ]

HCA (Holloway Cut Advisor). It is a very nice tool to use. I am glad someone told me about it and I was able to see how different some diamonds are.

 

[lil_jay78]

oh okay. I used it on the stone I was thinking about from WF and it scored a 1.1 also, which I think is pretty good...

thanks!

 

[Agent3Civ]

Jay, I believe anything under 1.6 is pretty good, but closest to 1.0 or under is ideal

 

[lil_jay78]

Awesome! Thanks for the helpful info, and for your reply to my other post as well!

 

[ChooChoo]

I have blond hair, and I think white gold looks much better with my hair and complexion than yellow gold, which makes me look kinda tired.

 

[Agent3Civ]

Thank you Choo Choo. That was the way I was leaning, but I am glad to have someones personal point of view from experience.

 

[Agent3Civ]

I have my list down to the 5 diamonds I am choosing from. I plan on getting it within the next 3-4 days. Need help on which of the 5 to get.

This One HCA of 1.1

and this one HCA of 1.6

and this one HCA of 1.1

another one HCA of 1.6

last one HCA of .9

 

[Small]

Date: 3/28/2006 11:01:41 AM
Author: Agent3Civ
I have my list down to the 5 diamonds I am choosing from. I plan on getting it within the next 3-4 days. Need help on which of the 5 to get.

This One HCA of 1.1

and this one HCA of 1.6

and this one HCA of 1.1

another one HCA of 1.6

last one HCA of .9

Choice #1 is my favorite

Good luck!

 

[Agent3Civ]

Thanks Small, I appreciate your comment!