Help picking a diamond around 2 ct and $14K

[SMC]

Hi everyone,

I've been learning about diamonds through this site for the past month or so and my boyfriend is ready to pull the trigger on a diamond. I have 3 diamonds on hold which are within the same price range with the pricescope discount (~13-14K). Which one do you all think would be best?

Option 1:
http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/J-VS2-Excellent-Cut-Round-Diamond-1534192.asp - about $12.9K. I couldn't get the Idealscope image on this diamond because it is located in Chicago, not NY.

Option 2:
http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/I-SI2-Excellent-Cut-Round-Diamond-1534025.asp - this one seems to look eye clean to me but James Allen informed me that there is a "surface breaking cavity" which MIGHT compromise the integrity of the diamond. Any thoughts on this?

Option 3:
http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/J-SI1-Excellent-Cut-Round-Diamond-1546436.asp - there are inclusions at 12:00 in the picture but James Allen informed me they could put a prong over the diamond.

All the diamonds have HCA scores less than 2.0. I've asked for Idealscope images for Options 2 and 3 which will take 3-4 business days. I'm going to be setting it in this setting: http://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/pave/Platinum-Thin-French-Cut-Pave-Set-Diamond-Engagement-Ring.html.. James Allen confirmed that they can change the style from 4 to 6 prongs for no charge.

Questions:
1. Given that they are all around the same price, which one would be the best buy?
2. Option 2 is graded by AGS while Options 1 & 3 are graded by GIA. It seems like GIA is more "strict" than AGS, so is it possible that the AGS I is equivalent to the GIA J?
3. Option 3 has medium blue fluorescence. I believe this will enhance the appearance of the J color. However, I live in Seattle and we don't get much direct sunlight and I've read that fluorescence makes diamonds look the worse when it's cloudy & overcast (and it's overcast all the time here).
4. My budget for ring + setting is around $15K. The setting is $900 leaving me ~$14K for the stone alone. Anyone have any suggestions? I'm just looking for a stone 1.8 ct+, eye clean, J color or above (I or above is definitely preferred, but I know I have to give somewhere).

Thanks to everyone for reading! Please let me know if you have any thoughts.

 

[SMC]

I forgot to mention that the GIA cert for Option 1 isn't linked to the right certificate. James Allen told me they would fix it. Here's the link to the right cert: https://myapps.gia.edu/ReportCheckPortal/getReportData.do?&reportno=1149150787&weight=1.88

Thanks again!

 

[JulieN]

I think for a 2 ct you need a wider setting, bigger melee. This is the same, just a little bigger. http://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/pave/14k-white-gold-32ct-french-cut-pave-diamond-engagement-ring-11005w14.html

I have never heard the thing about cloudy skies and fluorescence. It doesn't seem to make sense...

You are getting insurance, right? I doubt the insurers will say, HMMM, surface-breaking cavity, must charge more for the extra risk.

It would be silly to speculate on the color, as being off by one grade is within tolerance. The JA gemologist should get back to you with that information.

 

[Christina...]

I just wanted to chime in about the setting. I've owned the thin version that your considering and currently own the .32 version that JulieN suggested. I exchanged the thin version because to me, there was a lot of metal and I felt that the melee was much too small, often it looked as though I was wearing an engraved band instead of a pave band. Here's a couple RL photos...


The photo of the thin version was under bright lamp light. There were some lighting conditions where it looked like a tiny ring of diamonds around my finger, and then as I said before, others were it just looked more engraved. The .32 always looks like a pave setting to me.

 

[Niel]

I wanted to chime in and say that I live in MI near lake mich, and around this time of of year its cloud all the time. and as you can see from my avatar my pear has a LOT of flour. Ive never had a problem. I know this is a J but I wanted to send it your way. Leave you a lot for a setting,
http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamonds/diamond-details/2.008-l-si1-round-diamond-ags-bl-104062571043 (just ask if they are eye clean


I agree that that seems a bit to think for a stone that big.... And that would leave you 2k for a setting from BG, and you could get it all in one place
http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/engagement-rings/pave-and-side-stones/classic-truth-sleek-micro-pave-18k-white-gold-5542w18
http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/engagement-rings/pave-and-side-stones/u-shaped-half-eternity-18k-white-gold-5483w18
http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/engagement-rings/pave-and-side-stones/fishtail-euroshank-18k-white-gold-5381w18

http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/engagement-rings/pave-and-side-stones/six-prong-fishtail-pave-18k-white-gold-5509w18

 

[SMC]

Thanks for the comments!

@JulieN & @Christina...thanks for the feedback on the settings. I decided that I'll probably go with something that doesn't have any stones on the band (maybe a Tiffany-style replica) for my setting. After reading more about pave, I decided that I don't want to worry about having the diamonds fall out after awhile.

@nielseel, thanks for the BGD link. I'm sure that I don't want an L, since I'll be able to detect noticeable color from the sides. I'm not very color sensitive, but the L stones look too warm to me. I looked through Brian Gavin's signature inventory, and they don't have anything that would fit our budget right now.

Any idea on which of the 3 I've chosen would be the best?