Question for Swanky and other diamond experts
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I think that budget is probably a bit too low. Check out Goodoldgold.com. Do a search by size and budget and see what comes up!
Hey there,
I'm directing this post to Swanky because I know she recently bought a diamond ring near my specs but everyone should feel free to comment.
My boyfriend and I are looking for an enagement ring in the 3ct neighborhood (give or take a few depending on the other specs) and we have a budget in mind (at or under 30K for the diamond). I understand that we may not have budgeted enough considering the fact that we want as close to a 3ct as possible but that's where ya'll come in
Within these two parameters (ct size and price) what is the best that we can get? We don't have many b&m (bricks & mortar) stores near us so we've been looking on bluenile.
Any help would be very greatly appreciated! I want sparkle and dazzle but I'm just not konwledgable enough to know which combinations of cut, color, and clairity make up sparkle and dazzle :shame:
yes in a 2 carat stone
A GIA Ideal cut vs. a very good EGL or IGI
could be a great difference as EGL & IGI especially do not grade reliably.
IGI is WAY off usually and EGL *can be* a grade or 2 off as well but seems to be getting a little more reliable.
So if you compare a 1.99 GIA Ideal G color SI1 to an
IGI 1.99 Very good cut G SI1 - this IGI could actually be 1.80 Good cut I color SI2.
If you compared a GIA Ideal to a GIA Excellent - it's likely there's be no visual differences.
Does this make sense?
The certification houses are not equal - GIA is most dependable and accurate.
A GIA Ideal cut vs. a very good EGL or IGI
could be a great difference as EGL & IGI especially do not grade reliably.
IGI is WAY off usually and EGL *can be* a grade or 2 off as well but seems to be getting a little more reliable.
So if you compare a 1.99 GIA Ideal G color SI1 to an
IGI 1.99 Very good cut G SI1 - this IGI could actually be 1.80 Good cut I color SI2.
If you compared a GIA Ideal to a GIA Excellent - it's likely there's be no visual differences.
Does this make sense?
The certification houses are not equal - GIA is most dependable and accurate.
i second what Amanda (swanky) said and also, i personally think the cut is the most important aspect...especially dealing w/ round shapes. cut affects symmetry and also brilliance..the better the cut, the more light it will reflect, thus giving you the BLING a quality diamond should. my mother collects diamonds (an expensive hobby of hers..lol..) and to her, the COLOR was the most important..so it depends on your personal take. but out of the 4 Cs, I place carat as the LEAST important b/c a diamond needs to be quality..diamonds are suppose to be COLORLESS (white light..if you go down in color grade, then you are buying a colored stone..) and it needs to be BRILLIANT..
when you buy diamonds, ask to see LOOSE diamonds, and examine it on a WHITE PAPER, in SUNLIGHT. a good color should be as white as the paper..try to compare the diamond w/ the GIA reports it accompanies, make sure you are looking at the same diamond. GIA report is the most dependable..if you ever want to resell your diamond, having GIA certificate, + good Cut and Color will make your diamond very desirable!
when you buy diamonds, ask to see LOOSE diamonds, and examine it on a WHITE PAPER, in SUNLIGHT. a good color should be as white as the paper..try to compare the diamond w/ the GIA reports it accompanies, make sure you are looking at the same diamond. GIA report is the most dependable..if you ever want to resell your diamond, having GIA certificate, + good Cut and Color will make your diamond very desirable!
Swanky is right on about cut but I agree with Rockstar regarding the color aspect. I've never seen a Color Grade H or I stone that I didn't think was yellow. And a little of point, but I bought a D color solitaire pendant for valentine's day and the purity of this stone puts everything I own in the Color Grades E through G to shame. In fact, this may sound crazy but having beheld the D Grade Color stone made me resolve to never again buy anything below a D even if I have to defer the puchase a little longer to afford the extra $. So I would most MOST DEFINTELY sacrifice size and go smaller for a higher color Grade and Cut.
I've gotta disagree about the color, because some of the gals on this board (and pricescope even more so) have posted AMAZINGLY white diamonds that are G, H, I, even J. So I don't think its impossible to have a diamond that isn't a D look amazing, venusfly may just not have seen any of them.
But like its been said before, depend on your eyes to tell you whether or not its good enough!
In response to the color/clarity comments, I have a G VVS1 from Whiteflash because I have eagle eyes for inclusions. 
In the end, I chose higher clarity because the other diamond (Good Old Gold, F VS2) looked cloudy. Although it was "whiter" it faced up cloudy because of the inclusions (which were invisible to the naked eye, but affected the appearance of the stone). The ideal cut is non-negotiable, but you really need to see these diamonds IRL to appreciate them. I recommend narrowing it down to two stones online, then having them sent on loan to your local appraiser to look at them yourself.
In the end, I chose higher clarity because the other diamond (Good Old Gold, F VS2) looked cloudy. Although it was "whiter" it faced up cloudy because of the inclusions (which were invisible to the naked eye, but affected the appearance of the stone). The ideal cut is non-negotiable, but you really need to see these diamonds IRL to appreciate them. I recommend narrowing it down to two stones online, then having them sent on loan to your local appraiser to look at them yourself.
Swanky.. can you please explain to me the cuts.. Good, Very Good, Excellent and Ideal? pros cons? decent? I have never compared the cuts..
Also when do the cuts actually matter.. over 1ct in size? How does this all work =)
Also when do the cuts actually matter.. over 1ct in size? How does this all work =)
cut ALWAYS matters except maybe in pave{?}
Even a 1/4 carat looks much better and even bigger w/ an ideal cut.
Each certification house has their own little standards.
For example, GIA's highest quality rating is EXCELLENT, AGS the other VERY reputable cert's highest rating is called IDEAL.
For regular folks, there's no difference.
Here's an excerpt I found online:
"The American Gem Society (AGS) and the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) laboratories are the two most recognized and respected independent gemological laboratories in the country and most of the world. Both laboratories provide extremely accurate and impartial analysis of the characteristics of the diamonds that they grade including the weight, measurements, clarity, color, level of fluorescence, culet size, girdle thickness, and plot the type and location of the inclusions or clarity characteristics present within the diamond.
Both the AGS and the GIA issue individual grades for polish, symmetry and an overall cut grade. The highest grade available from the AGS is "AGS Ideal 0" and the highest available from the GIA is "Excellent". The diamond grading reports issued by both laboratories provide a plotting diagram of the inclusions contained within the diamond represented by the lab report and a proportions diagram which is a scale rendition based upon the proportions of the diamond. The AGS Laboratory goes one step further than the GIA and provides a rating for the visual performance of the diamond."
cut is king because it determines how much fire/sparkle/scintillation/light return you'll get. If you could compare side by side a GIA Excellent and a non-cert good cut, you'd see a difference, even in half a carat.
Even a 1/4 carat looks much better and even bigger w/ an ideal cut.
Each certification house has their own little standards.
For example, GIA's highest quality rating is EXCELLENT, AGS the other VERY reputable cert's highest rating is called IDEAL.
For regular folks, there's no difference.
Here's an excerpt I found online:
"The American Gem Society (AGS) and the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) laboratories are the two most recognized and respected independent gemological laboratories in the country and most of the world. Both laboratories provide extremely accurate and impartial analysis of the characteristics of the diamonds that they grade including the weight, measurements, clarity, color, level of fluorescence, culet size, girdle thickness, and plot the type and location of the inclusions or clarity characteristics present within the diamond.
Both the AGS and the GIA issue individual grades for polish, symmetry and an overall cut grade. The highest grade available from the AGS is "AGS Ideal 0" and the highest available from the GIA is "Excellent". The diamond grading reports issued by both laboratories provide a plotting diagram of the inclusions contained within the diamond represented by the lab report and a proportions diagram which is a scale rendition based upon the proportions of the diamond. The AGS Laboratory goes one step further than the GIA and provides a rating for the visual performance of the diamond."
cut is king because it determines how much fire/sparkle/scintillation/light return you'll get. If you could compare side by side a GIA Excellent and a non-cert good cut, you'd see a difference, even in half a carat.