[nabwong]

Hey guys,

This is it. I think it's time to do my research on this. I hope you guys can give me advice like where to get the best price and not get ripped off.

Factors
1. Quality over size ( super clear, colorless, flawless )
2. Budget - Hopefully not more than $1000
3. Cut - i think she prefers princess (square), although i prefer round
4. *Revised* White Gold

What else is there to think about? I'm so excited i can't contain it. There's no deadline. I just want to make sure i get the best one i can find. Thanks in advance.

Edit : How safe is it to buy diamonds over the internet? Say a website like www.diamond.com

 

[Squeek]

Costco. Seriously.

Here in Canada they sell Canadian stones set in white gold for less than you would pay for inferior blood stones. Canadian diamonds are second in the world for quality ranked just below Russian gems.

I bought my girl a pair of .54cwt princess cut earings for Christmas at Costco. The quality is superb. They were G VS1, which is excellent colour and clarity. I paid just over $800cdn. After much comparison shopping, I realised just how phenominal of a deal that actually was. They appraised for 2.5 times what I paid.

You are right in choosing quality over size. A big bad diamond is just that.

The great thing about princess cut, is that they look bigger than their weight.

My best advice is to get very educated on diamonds. To me, colour and clarity are the most important. After that, SHOP AROUND!

Finally, you may want to stretch your budget a bit. $1k for an engagement ring of high quality and decent size is pushing it.

One last piece of advice...antique shops. You may find the steal of the century.

 

[Jahn]

CONGRATS!

Here are your criteria-
1. Quality over size ( super clear, colorless, flawless )
2. Budget - Hopefully not more than $1000
3. Cut - i think she prefers princess (square), although i prefer round
4. Platinum ring

Not a bad start, keeping in mind the 4 C's -

Cut
Clarity
Color
Carat

Cut - if she wants Princess, get her Princess. I prefer Solitaire (round) as well, but it's not about you or me, it's about her - she's going to wear it and see it more than you after all! And cut isn't just the stock shape - it's also the way it's cut to catch the light. I'd rather have a small gem that twinkles like a star than a brick of a rock that is as dull as a brick too. Check out the gem in REGULAR light, not just the fancy track lighting they have at the jeweler's table. And look under the face too, on the side - you don't want the side cut to have any odd horizontal cuts or too much light escaping out the sides - you want it all bouncing out of the top!

Clarity - honestly, NOT important as long as you can't eyeball a black speck in there. Who cares about microscopic inclusions. Just stay north of IS and you'll be ok.

Color - now this is important. unless she is into color, don't get the yellowish type, or the "champagne" looking ones. the more colorless the better!

Carat - that's up to your budget. Once all the other considerations are taken care of, pony up for the rock. If it means you have to get white gold band instead of platinum to get that perfect rock that is one size above your budget, then do it. After everything else is taken care of, Size Still Matters, and don't forget it! I know she won't!

Good luck and happy hunting! Oh, and take one of her rings one day that you know fits her perfectly and size it at the store you want to buy the ring from - because every store has a different finger size. a 5.5 finger size at Tiffany's might be a 6 at Fortunoff's, and so on.

 

[K2Grey]

Someone go and post links about the nature of the De Beers diamond cartel and the wonders of moissanite

Actually, I can do that myself in a little while, if you don't feel this is raining on the parade or thread hijacking.

 

[Oski]

Quote:

Originally Posted by nabwong 1. Quality over size ( super clear, colorless, flawless )

I think with your budget, a realistic quality may be G color (just outside of colorless) and VS2 (where inclusions shouldn't be visible to the naked eye). Incidentally both of the above are grades acceptable to Tiffany's for their own stones, so it should be good enough for you as well.

I went with the top D color because it's really just more crisp and brilliant looking compared to even E or F (which are also considered colorless). As for clarity, I went with a VS1 that only really had 2 very small inclusions that were extremely hard to see with even a loupe. The stone was 1.52 Ct., and I could have probably bought a 2 Ct. I/SI1, but I went with quality instead of size.

Quote:

Originally Posted by nabwong 2. Budget - Hopefully not more than $1000

Typically 2-3 months salary. I think it's worthwhile in this case to strech your budget a bit. Another $1k added would be nothing in the long run.

Quote:

Originally Posted by nabwong 3. Cut - i think she prefers princess (square), although i prefer round

Definitely go with what she wants! She's the one wearing it, and you want her to be happy. If it's the square shape she likes, consider also the Radiant cut, which is really a square/rectangular cut corner brilliant (which is similar to the type of cut for round, so the best of both worlds). My GF wanted a Radiant because it was more bling.

Quote:

Originally Posted by nabwong 4. Platinum ring

This is a slightly tougher call. White gold is going to be less expensive. Some people prefer white gold also because it's self burnishing and will keep shinier by itself, though the flip side is the material will wear our slowly over time. Platinum is heavier and will, with fine scratches, result in a slightly greyish hue over time and should be polished periodically. I went with platinum because it's got a nice weight and will last much longer.

 

[Mikey01]

Nix the ring idea. Dump the girl. Get a dog and a nice new SinglePower SDS. I the long run, you will be very happier with this revised marriage.

 

[nabwong]

Hey guys,

I'll be visiting stores over the next week or so but I've found a few stones online. I don't know if 0.30 carat is too small. But i'm leaning towards exceptional quality.

Color - D
Clarity - VVS1
Cut - Ideal
Carat - 0.3 ( too small? )

I'm also looking at upgrade options. I've read that quality stones will retain their value irregardless of size. So you know, maybe in the 10th or 25th year, i can upgrade to a bigger stone.

Anyone with experience with online purchases? Retail stores seem to mark up 300% or something...

 

[nabwong]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mikey01 Nix the ring idea. Dump the girl. Get a dog and a nice new SinglePower SDS. I the long run, you will be very happier with this revised marriage.

Wonder what your kids look like?

kiddinnnnnn!

Seriously, I know i can never love anyone/anything as much as i love her, except god.

 

[Coltrane]

Quote:

Originally Posted by K2Grey Someone go and post links about the nature of the De Beers diamond cartel and the wonders of moissanite Actually, I can do that myself in a little while, if you don't feel this is raining on the parade or thread hijacking.

Ill do it:

http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/198202/diamond



The 2 months salary stuff is absolute garbage. De Beers is an evil organization that has pretty much brainwashed the world on the idea of diamonds and engagements rings. No WAY i spend over a thousand. Unless your prefer being a tool of American capitalism. (of course, most people do)

(and yes, i do have a girl who will marry me and does agree with me.)

 

[Linda513]

I agree. Buy a nice manmade diamond and tell her how lucky she is that she is marrying a man who is concerned about child labor, slave labor, civil war, etc. With the money you save you can get a platinum setting. My cousin is a jeweler and we get everything at his cost, but I won't buy diamonds.

 

[tattoou2]

Whatever you decide, wrap it up with a new K701 for her!

Congrats!

 

[philodox]

The best way to get a good deal on a ring is through family. Check with your family, her family and your friends to see if anyone has a relative who owns a jewlery store. I got my Wife's engagement ring through her Aunt's store and they sold it to me at cost with no tax. So I ended up with a beautiful platinum ring with nice detailing and a high quality princess cut stone. Not sure the carat, though it looks a hell of a lot bigger than it is. It cost me just over 1k in canadian currency.

 

[nysulli]

make sure you look at the stone carefully, because you could luck out with certain aspects of it

my fiances ring is vvs2, f color, however the one flaw that brings it down to vvs2 is right on the underside of the diamond on one of the edges, and is covered up entirely by the mounting, so as far as anyone else can tell without pulling it out of the mounting, it looks like a vvs1

but i'd say back down from vvs1, you pay a lot to take those last few steps, the diamond cost me 2k for a .75 carat, and i could have saved about 250 bucks by going down to a g color vvs2, but with how the flaw was placed on the one i bought, it was too good a deal to pass up

but as others have said, look at how the diamond sparkles, the depth vs. width and the angles of the other cuts plays a major roll there, and varies so much from stone to stone, you could just stumble upon a vs2 g-i color stone that looks every bit as nice as a vvs1 f color, just a matter of going out and hunting down the right stone, and its well worth spending the time to do it, because when you see the look in her eyes when she gets it, thats all that matters, she really won't give a rip if its vvs1 or vs2, it's just how it looks to her

 

[dvallere]

Quote:

Originally Posted by nabwong I'm also looking at upgrade options. I've read that quality stones will retain their value irregardless of size. So you know, maybe in the 10th or 25th year, i can upgrade to a bigger stone. Anyone with experience with online purchases? Retail stores seem to mark up 300% or something...

I have a bunch of experience with diamonds

First husband bought me a flawless 1/2-carat round stone set in gold. It had cost him $1800 (back in 1985).

When we divorced (1992) I needed money and had it appraised for resale. Best offer was $300. This was because the jeweler could get the same quality/size diamond new from a broker for $300. I did not sell it, but had it made into an earring.

After I started making more money where I could buy luxuries for myself (late '90s), I bought a diamond earring on ebay to match. It was described as 1/2-carat, slightly colored, with minimal flaws not visible to the naked eye. (I figured this would be OK because the earrings would be separated from each other by the width of my head

) Well, this guy must have been blind, because I could SEE the inclusions from a distance of about 18"! I had it appraised and they were in fact diamonds (part of my fear was that they were not), but the appraiser said it wasn't even worth the $90 I paid for it.

My ex-brother-in-law bought his fiancee a very nice diamond at a store we have here called Service Merchandise (maybe out of business by now - the store's image was kind of like a Costco for jewelry). He got a good deal on it; it was a great-quality diamond, 1/2-carat, beautiful setting, and she went ballistic on him because of where he bought it. She wanted one from a proper jeweler. So that might be something to consider. (He said, "If you don't like it, we won't get married." She kept the ring.)

So I would probably go to a store if I were in your shoes - at least you get to see the actual stone and make sure it's up to your standards, not something yellowy with flaws in it. Yeah, you may pay more than if you shopped online, but imho the money's worth it to make sure of what you're getting.

On the other hand I have a friend who majored in geology and he decided to get his fiancee a different kind of ring. He designed a ring with a center stone of Alexandrite (? been a long time since we discussed it) flanked by 2 flawless diamond trilliants. Cost him a little less than a diamond, pleased the fiancee because he'd put some artistic thought into it instead of just running to the jeweler for a plain old "typical" diamond ring, and everyone who sees it continues to praise him for his artistry and unique ideas, even though they've been married 15 years.

Edit, forgot to mention I have had both a white gold and a platinum ring. The platinum definitely has the "cool factor" but only my husband and I know it. They look identical, they wear the same (I'm comparing the two now).

Oh, and get an ultrasonic cleaner for it so nice to just drop the gems in, let it vibrate for a bit, and come out beautifully clean! Just cleaned mine and they look great.

 

[Gravitas]

Ok dude, listen up. I was in your spot a year ago. I took the time and did a ton of research about diamonds and read a couple of books on the subject.

Cut - definitely the most important aspect, as it will be the biggest factor in the diamond's level of brilliance. Put most of your money into this. Then again, a princess cut is less involved than a round (which I got)...I'm not too smart on the dynamics of princess cuts, but you definitely want to make sure it has good symmetry.

Color - for me, I didn't want anything lower than F. Mostly because I got a platinum setting, so any hint of yellow would be obvious. Also, I saw no need to go higher than F. You'd be hard pressed to find anyone that can tell the difference between a E and F with the naked eye.

Clarity - I can't believe some posters are actually recommending anything higher than a SI1. SI1 is definitely the best bang for the buck. Just make sure it's "eye clean"...meaning you can't see inclusions with the naked eye. Probably 90% of SI1s are eye clean. Plus, jumping up to a VSwhatever will bump up the price....with no added visual appeal.

Carat - that's up to your budget. Just remember that this is a symbol of your love, not a measure of it! No need to blow your life savings...especially if you plan on upgrading down the road.

Where to buy- I highly recommend buying online. The prices are so much better, and you'll likely get a higher quality stone for the price.

Where NOT to buy - any store that's in a mall. They sell craptacular stones for craptacular prices.

Here's a couple of sites I found that helped a lot:

www.pricescope.com -- excellent diamond forum. Kinda like the Head-fi of diamonds...also, it has a lot of useful tools like a "cut advisor" that tells you the brilliance of a diamond based off different angle measurements (it's just geometry).

www.whiteflash.com -- this is where I ended up buying. Very friendly people and patient with answering the tons of questions I had (No, I don't work for them). They also have a referral program where I can get $100 for referring a friend. I'll split it with you if you want to do it. Honestly, though, I could care less if you go with them or do the referral thing. Just thought I'd mention it since it's free money!!

Also, a good book to read is "How to Buy a Diamond"...by Fred Cueller (or something like that). I'd offer to let you borrow my copy, but it's currently with a friend of mine who is also in diamond mode.

Anyway, take your time finding what you think she'll like and have fun with it. I turned into this nerdy diamond guy that trolled diamond forums and went to jewelers to look at their selection just for fun...strange, but turned out to be worth the effort in the end.