Engagement ring upgrade

[catabie]

Hubby and I have been looking for an upgrade for quite some time and we are fear that by the time it's our 10 year anniversary the price will be too high so we are shopping around now.

our specs is 5 carat colorless ideal cushion cut, no less that VS2 with GIA certification. I am going to have it set to resemble the Tiffany Legacy ring.

Do you think we should go lower than VS2?

And honestly, can people tell the difference between VS2 and SI1?

I need your diamond experts' advice.

Thanks!

 

[2manybags]

It all depends on the cut. There are some SI1s that can look better than VS2s depending on the cut. If you find a really good SI1 you can save a considerable amount of money.

 

[jayhawkgirl]

I agree so much! my e-ring is a si2 and we had completely refused to even look at si1 until the jeweler brought out a diamond that was bigger and in our budget. if i didn't know how to use a loupe, i would never even know the inclusion was there. now that the stone is mounted and the inclusion is under one of the prongs, no one but me knows my stone isn't a vvs.

And don't forget. most of your girlfriends don't carry loupes in their purses!

 

[ame]

Personally Id go SI1 if you can, as long as it's eyeclean. Not only will it allow for a bigger stone, itll also allow a price break.

Though at that size you might have a hard time finding a good selection.

I am super envious.

 

[Swanky]

I'd totally entertain the SI1 especially if three's a GIA one.
In quality stones, you can almost never see an inclusion in an SI1.

 

[satine112]

heh. your girlfriend might not carry a loop but i have one that flat out asked me the specs. rude. she wanted to see if hers was "better" than mine. some people...

 

[Japster]

You're looking at a $30-50k difference between VS2 and SI1 (in the specs we were chatting about).
In my humble opinion, I don't think it's necessary.

 

[stevenash]

I agree that an eyeclean SI1 is fine. I also suggest that you take a look at some lower color stones - you'd be surprised at what will face up white in a well-cut stone.

 

[catabie]

thanks everyone for your input~

 

[isus]

A well cut diamond will return a lot of white light especially in the Round Brilliant. For that reason, I picked an RB some years ago, however, my love to have favorite shape of all is the cushion shape that you're considering.

catabie, you've been given good advice. Go with AGS or GIA reports on the stones you look at....and do be sure to actually see the stone or else have someone you trust to see it. Don't go by a paper report alone.

A flawless diamond, D color can look like c**p...the cut is the key to how much white light it returns ( and thus, how white it looks) no matter what color or clarity grade the stone carries.

Have fun.....diamond shopping is so exciting!