Diamond studs help & opinions please...

[schadenfreude]

I DID IT! Passed my specialty medical boards.... a culmination of 4 years of college, 4 years of medical school, 4 years of residency, and a 2 year MBA thrown in for fun. It's officially OVER and DONE! So, that said, it's reward time, now that I have a very good job.

I've decided to get diamond studs, and I mean nice ones.

One of my friend's mothers is a wholesaler. I talked with her today and she has a few pairs in mind. Now, this is where I get stupid. Please help. The options are (and they are all rounds in white gold):

a) 2.71 ctw, I color, one stone with a decent size inclusion (SI2?). $6930. She thinks she could get the one stone swapped out for a nicer one for about $1k more.

b) 2.29 ctw, H, SI1 and SI2. $7320.

c) 2.62 ctw, H, SI1 and SI2. $10,544.

d.) 2.32 ctw, H, SI2. $9482.

Mind you, she is across the country, so I can't actually see them. I trust her judgment. She seemed to think that options B and D were the best. To me, the only difference between B and D is a couple of points and $2K!

OK, diamond queens, that's the dilemma. What would you do?

[NurseAnn]

Do you have any information about the cut of the diamonds? That, to me, is more important than color and clarity.

By the way congrats on passing the boards!

[liz4382]

I would pick the one with the best cut quality, that's what will make it sparkle! But from the info you gave...

If A has a decent size inclusion you can see without magnification, its most likely lower than SI2...like an I1 or I2.

I don't think the difference between B and D will be noticeable, definitely not worth $2,000!

C is expensive...I would go for B unless you really want the bigger size of C and are willing to pay that much for it.

[Swanky Mama Of Three]

I agree, that's great info you have but not nearly as important as find out what the cut level is. Ask her to fax you the certificates to review since you can't see them and post the specs here for us to really help

Just FYI, on your ears, I color and SI2 {depending on where the inclusion is} is totally fine if the cut is ideal.
Your eyes will not see the size difference between B & D = 2.29 vs 2.32 = 1.14 vs 1.16/ear.

[BagLuver]

Sounds like B is the best choice, but cut is really the most important.

[KPP]

Congrats.

B seems reasonable. As everyone else has already stated, cut is more important.

[pazt]

i love these prices....lucky you can deal with a wholesaler....congrats on passing your boards!

[Japster]

Originally Posted by schadenfreude

I DID IT! Passed my specialty medical boards.... a culmination of 4 years of college, 4 years of medical school, 4 years of residency, and a 2 year MBA thrown in for fun. It's officially OVER and DONE! So, that said, it's reward time, now that I have a very good job. I've decided to get diamond studs, and I mean nice ones. One of my friend's mothers is a wholesaler. I talked with her today and she has a few pairs in mind. Now, this is where I get stupid. Please help. The options are (and they are all rounds in white gold): a) 2.71 ctw, I color, one stone with a decent size inclusion (SI2?). $6930. She thinks she could get the one stone swapped out for a nicer one for about $1k more. b) 2.29 ctw, H, SI1 and SI2. $7320. c) 2.62 ctw, H, SI1 and SI2. $10,544. d.) 2.32 ctw, H, SI2. $9482. Mind you, she is across the country, so I can't actually see them. I trust her judgment. She seemed to think that options B and D were the best. To me, the only difference between B and D is a couple of points and $2K! OK, diamond queens, that's the dilemma. What would you do?

Prices are pretty good but that's without knowing whether these include a cert and what the cut is like. I've seen jewelers call stones SI2 that were more like I2 with so many black spots, you could probably find the dead sea scrolls in them.
It sounds like she is very trustworthy though and I think I would just ask what the cut is like on B & D. D might be ideal which is why there is a jump in price.
Congrats on passing your boards! Woooo hooo!

[keodi]

Originally Posted by pazt

i love these prices....lucky you can deal with a wholesaler....congrats on passing your boards!

I agree, also like other posters mentioned the cut is the most important than colour and clarity..congrats on passing the boards!

[frick&frack]

CONGRATULATIONS!!! you deserve a HUGE reward for all of that hard work...way to go!

again, cut it the most important. I would never go higher than I & SI1 for my ears...you just won't be able to tell much of a difference in color/clarity on your ears. so based on the cut & the position of the inclusion, I'd go for A. or swap out the included stone, & still go for A.

[chanel-girl]

Congrats! I totally agree with everyone, CUT is the most important factor and what will make them look super sparkly on.

[schadenfreude]

OK... I will call her back tomorrow and see if I can get the certificates faxed to me or to get some more info on the cuts. She was saying something about the cuts, but my cell phone (or hers) was totally cutting out. Grrrrr!!!

Thanks for all the well wishes! It's still sinking in that I am truly board certified! :)

[park56]

Congratulations on passing the boards! Always a wonderful idea to celebrate something with jewelry that you'll have forever. :)

I was just diamond shopping with my brother and the dealer had two stones - one a super-ideal cut and one just a 'normal' cut. We put the two stones under this instrument that measures brilliance. Even though the 'normal' cut stone had better color and clarity than the "super ideal" cut, the "super ideal" cut was far and away more brilliant (and cost less too).

Good luck with your search!

[schadenfreude]

An update!

So I called her back and asked about cut. She said since the stones are all round they have the same number of facets, and that cut actually matters *less*, especially on the ears. (E-rings are a whole other ball game.) The stones she has aren't officially certified... so there are no certificates for me to see, she said to have that done is 10-15% more, and again, not really worth it for the ears.

I stopped at (don't laugh) Zales after work just to sniff around and get some comparisons. They had a 2 ctw set that were nice but had noticeable inclusions, $5500.

So, with that information, what do you guys think? I've been to this woman's home and trust that she's not going to sell me crap. I just wish I knew more about this process so that I didn't feel so vulnerable.

[Sass]

congrats on passing, i can offer no diamond expertise but please post pics when you get em!