I need some help!!

[christinatrieu]

Hi everyone

First I want to say thank you to all who will respond to my forum. My fiancee and I are trying to find the perfect loose diamond for us! I am having a hard time deciding what to do. Our budget is around 20,000 and being our first time in search for a diamond we are feeling a little overwhelmed

To me I think the cut is the most important followed by color and carat we want something that is eye cleaned and so most importantly finding the best thing we can for our buck

I have narrowed it down to three different stones and of course we are open to any suggestions and ideas hoping you all could help us in making our decision. We have never made a purchase like this online so we want to be as cautious as we can and do all our homework

the first is from Zoara

www.zoara.com/diamonds/p_round_excellent_cut_i_vs1#p=3189057&a_aid=y&chan=x


the second and third is from whiteflash

http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3114563.htm

http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3114558.htm

Hoping you guys could help

- Christina

 

[Lorelei]

Hi everyone

First I want to say thank you to all who will respond to my forum. My fiancee and I are trying to find the perfect loose diamond for us! I am having a hard time deciding what to do. Our budget is around 20,000 and being our first time in search for a diamond we are feeling a little overwhelmed

To me I think the cut is the most important followed by color and carat we want something that is eye cleaned and so most importantly finding the best thing we can for our buck

I have narrowed it down to three different stones and of course we are open to any suggestions and ideas hoping you all could help us in making our decision. We have never made a purchase like this online so we want to be as cautious as we can and do all our homework

the first is from Zoara

www.zoara.com/diamonds/p_round_excellent_cut_i_vs1#p=3189057&a_aid=y&chan=x


the second and third is from whiteflash

http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3114563.htm

http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3114558.htm

Hoping you guys could help

- Christina

Hi Christina and welcome!

Many congratulations on choosing your engagement stone, very exciting and what a super budget!!

Actually, you have done an excellent job with your selections, you have obviously been reading and doing your homework! The first stone has definite potential but as you may be aware, images are really needed especially looking at the proportions to make sure they all work well together. As to whether this diamond is in fact cut to the standards of the branded hearts and arrows we routinely see here in my opinion I would think not in this case, images of both hearts and arrows are essential to judge the overall cut precision and although it might display h&a patterning it might not reach the standards of the superideal h&a. If an undisputed hearts and arrows diamond is what you want, then stick with an ACA such as the one you posted below, Infinity h&a. GoodoldGold's selected h&a and Brian Gavin's range etc. If you want a stone that doesn't quite meet brand standards for h&a but still has excellent patterning and optical performance, the other WF diamond could be just the ticket, in fact, I rather like the look of this one, it's large and it does have very nice optical symmetry and super light performance by the looks of it. It just depends what you want but I think you are in a great position to make an informed choice and you will be delighted with the end result!

I hope this helps and as you have further questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

 

[RockyRacoon]

The Whiteflash options you linked look great.

If you drop slightly in clarity, you would be able to go up a color and save about $7k, for a similarly-sized stone:

1.64ct, G, SI2 (ask Wink if this is eye-clean)
http://www.highperformancediamonds.com/index.php?page=view-id-diamond-infinity-new&id=1130


Here are some other options, worth considering:
2.2ct, I, SI1
http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/11316/

1.732ct, G, SI1
http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamonds/diamond-details/1.732-g-si1-round-diamond-ags-104065663001

1.8ct, H, VS2
http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/11882/


If you decided you weren't color-sensitive, you could go with this option, at 2.17ct:

2.173ct, K, VS1
http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamonds/diamond-details/2.173-k-vs1-round-diamond-ags-bl-104067041010

 

[christinatrieu]

Thank you so much for your help - in your opinion do you think this is the best choice I am making in regards for going for cut then carat then color ? I am a little concerned about the I color - I know people say once it is set that you can't totally tell the difference in color I just dont want it to be yellow.

Is there a big difference between H and I

I really do appreciate your advice

 

[metatrix]

Thank you so much for your help - in your opinion do you think this is the best choice I am making in regards for going for cut then carat then color ? I am a little concerned about the I color - I know people say once it is set that you can't totally tell the difference in color I just dont want it to be yellow.

Is there a big difference between H and I

I really do appreciate your advice

Can you go to a local jewellery store and view some similar stones of different colour grades side by side? That way you will know how colour sensitive you are.

 

[RockyRacoon]

Thank you so much for your help - in your opinion do you think this is the best choice I am making in regards for going for cut then carat then color ? I am a little concerned about the I color - I know people say once it is set that you can't totally tell the difference in color I just dont want it to be yellow.

Is there a big difference between H and I

I really do appreciate your advice

You would need to see with your own eyes. Or even better, the eyes of the receipient, since her color sensitivity is the most important thing.

Maybe try casually asking her if she sees any color in stones that you might see ('randomly' walking past the window of a quality jewelry stone, or happening to walk past the GIA stones at Costco)?

Color is definitely a major pricing factor, so if turns out that you can get away with I instead of G, you will be able to save money or go up in carat.

In my opinion, I would opt for the 1.64ct G-colored stone I had linked above, as there will be no question about color there, and you will save a significant chunk of $!

Best of luck!

 

[Lorelei]

Thank you so much for your help - in your opinion do you think this is the best choice I am making in regards for going for cut then carat then color ? I am a little concerned about the I color - I know people say once it is set that you can't totally tell the difference in color I just dont want it to be yellow.

Is there a big difference between H and I

I really do appreciate your advice

You would need to see with your own eyes. Or even better, the eyes of the receipient, since her color sensitivity is the most important thing.

My cute stripy friend nails it. To my eyes, an I colour is in no way '' yellow'' even in big stones, not as icy as a D E or F of course but an I to me is still pretty white but softer, if that makes sense. Colour sensitivity really does vary, I would definitely view some diamonds yourself Christina as Rocky R suggests, it's important to compare apples to apples however. I would suggest viewing some similarly well cut stones in the size range you want. Try Tiffany if you have a store near you for comparison purposes ( they sell up to I colour), or alternatively if you have a Hearts on Fire dealer nearby, have a look at those in I colour to get a better idea of where your preferences lie.

Otherwise, stick with colour grades you know you are comfortable with, same with clarity, one can definitely lower colour and clarity without visual sacrifice if the stone is well cut, but it's important to know where your tolerances are so the diamond is not only visually as beautiful as you wish but also ' mind clean.'

 

[msop04]

Here are some other options, worth considering:

2.2ct, I, SI1
http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/11316/

1.8ct, H, VS2
http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/11882/

Hi OP

I think the two stones RR listed would be a great compromise! I don't think you will be able to tell a G from an H, so I wouldn't spend the extra cash or sacrifice size for that color personally.

Some say that I color is where you may start to see a bit of a "tint", but it is not yellow by any means. A lot depends on the setting you plan on getting. If the setting shows a lot of the stone's side view, then an H may be the safest bet. However, if the side view is hardly seen (like in a lot of halo settings or with those having very intricate baskets), I would totally go for the I color, as it will look very white from the top. I have a J color in a larger carat size (2.43) and it's very white from the top... that said, if my setting were a solitaire with exposed sides, I think I would need to an I color to be happy. FWIW, the first stone I chose was a 2 ct I/SI2 and it was plenty white in a 6-prong solitaire to my eyes.

What really matters is that the wearer be happy with the color, not anyone else. She may be more color sensive, but then again, she may not see anything color at all!