Long time lurker here 
. This forum and the HCA tool were invaluable to me when I was looking for an engagement ring with my boyfriend (he popped the question week before last!). If it weren't for this site we would have wasted money on clarity and color and probably ended up with a smaller stone. My goal was to figure out what sacrifies needed to be made to end up with a decent stone clarity/color wise and to spend the maximum (within our budget) on cut/weight. Since this site helped me so much I wanted to post my ring & specs in the hopes that it helps someone else considering something similar .
Originally we started out looking at some B&M stores (though I had an idea of what online price ranges were). I found that, as expected, most everything was about 20% more expensive in person. My fiancé was NOT at all keen on buying online, but finally gave in to the idea when I shared all of my research, but said that we basically had one shot at an online purchase (he was not thrilled at the idea of shipping lots of rings back and forth). Together we sat down and picked out a diamond we both liked & was within budget off of Blue Nile (I know some might suggest WhiteFlash, James Allen, etc but he had purchased from BN before and I think it was the only one he was comfortable with based on his own experience). As for a setting, we went with the classic six-prong platinum setting from BN as well (I liked the nouveau style better, actually, but found the prongs to be too large based on photos someone shared here. It's actually really difficult to find photos of the six prong setting other than on the BN website, which is another reason I felt compelled to share. So all that said, we are really happy with the purchase, but if anyone notices something odd about the stone or has a suggestion I am open to that too...we are still within the return window.
Specs (GIA)
Cut: Ideal/Excellent (or a 0.9 according to the HCA). Everyone comments on how sparkly it is! I would have loved to have gone with a Blue Nile signature cut but they are super expensive..
Measurements: 1.5 carat, 7.46 x 7.43 x 4.51 mm - Spread was very important to me...I didn't want to pay for a 1.5 with the appearance of a 1.3.
Color: H (I was a tad nervous about this, but happy to report it is very white in person)
Clarity: SI1 (I was even more nervous about this, but a VS2 added $1k to the cost, and I wasn't sure if it was worth the money. There are two needles and a crystal near the table, but I don't think they are visible to the naked eye.. at least I can't see them. I called Blue Nile and they told me it was eye clean before we purchased it (though I wasn't 100% sure I could trust it - the seller wants to sell the stone, right?).
Symmetry: Very Good
Polish: Excellent
Depth: 60.6%
Table: 56%
Crown: 33 degrees
Pavilion: 41 degrees
Fluorescence: None
Girdle: Thin to Medium
Price: Appraised at $2k more than we bought it for
. This forum and the HCA tool were invaluable to me when I was looking for an engagement ring with my boyfriend (he popped the question week before last!). If it weren't for this site we would have wasted money on clarity and color and probably ended up with a smaller stone. My goal was to figure out what sacrifies needed to be made to end up with a decent stone clarity/color wise and to spend the maximum (within our budget) on cut/weight. Since this site helped me so much I wanted to post my ring & specs in the hopes that it helps someone else considering something similar .Originally we started out looking at some B&M stores (though I had an idea of what online price ranges were). I found that, as expected, most everything was about 20% more expensive in person. My fiancé was NOT at all keen on buying online, but finally gave in to the idea when I shared all of my research, but said that we basically had one shot at an online purchase (he was not thrilled at the idea of shipping lots of rings back and forth). Together we sat down and picked out a diamond we both liked & was within budget off of Blue Nile (I know some might suggest WhiteFlash, James Allen, etc but he had purchased from BN before and I think it was the only one he was comfortable with based on his own experience). As for a setting, we went with the classic six-prong platinum setting from BN as well (I liked the nouveau style better, actually, but found the prongs to be too large based on photos someone shared here. It's actually really difficult to find photos of the six prong setting other than on the BN website, which is another reason I felt compelled to share. So all that said, we are really happy with the purchase, but if anyone notices something odd about the stone or has a suggestion I am open to that too...we are still within the return window
.Specs (GIA)
Cut: Ideal/Excellent (or a 0.9 according to the HCA). Everyone comments on how sparkly it is! I would have loved to have gone with a Blue Nile signature cut but they are super expensive..
Measurements: 1.5 carat, 7.46 x 7.43 x 4.51 mm - Spread was very important to me...I didn't want to pay for a 1.5 with the appearance of a 1.3.
Color: H (I was a tad nervous about this, but happy to report it is very white in person)
Clarity: SI1 (I was even more nervous about this, but a VS2 added $1k to the cost, and I wasn't sure if it was worth the money. There are two needles and a crystal near the table, but I don't think they are visible to the naked eye.. at least I can't see them. I called Blue Nile and they told me it was eye clean before we purchased it (though I wasn't 100% sure I could trust it - the seller wants to sell the stone, right?).
Symmetry: Very Good
Polish: Excellent
Depth: 60.6%
Table: 56%
Crown: 33 degrees
Pavilion: 41 degrees
Fluorescence: None
Girdle: Thin to Medium
Price: Appraised at $2k more than we bought it for
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