PinkydaPimp
Footballguy
Bump as i need to start looking soon. So is the diamond district really worth a trek? Will paying cash get me a better deal?
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Engagement Rings - What cost am I looking at? (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter TheIronSheik
- Start date
SIDA!
Footballguy
I have done quite a bit of research on this front and feel pretty comfortable making a diamond purchase at this point in time. My advice is as follows:
You got to figure out what sort of shape/cut of the diamond she likes (e.g. princess, cushion, round, etc.). This decision will somewhat impact the color grade of the stone you can get away with, as will the color of the metal used for the ring. If she likes yellow gold over white gold or platinum, you are going to be able to go even lower on the color scale and save money because the yellowish tint of the ring is going to compromise the stones with the higher color grades.
Anyway, for the most part, you are probably not going to want to go lower than H on the color scale. Though you can probably get away with an I. It is kind of like looking at televisions at Best Buy. All together you can see how one is better than the other...but on their own and in your house, a high quality television is going to look pretty good no matter what on your wall by itself.
I personally don't see the value in going higher than an SI1 or SI2 on the clarity scale. As long as you can't see it with the naked eye, you are good.
You don't want to skimp on the quality of the cut. That is basically going to determine how sparkly and brilliant light bounces off the stone. A lot of people wanting "more diamond" will get the larger, ####tier cut stone so that they can say it is such and such carat size. But, then it will look like a dull turd. You are much better getting a smaller stone with a great cut that will reflect light well.
Potential shark move is to buy a round or cushion diamond and augment the stone with a well done halo of smaller diamonds. These smaller diamonds can really make the stone look much bigger than it is. Another potential shark move is to go with a Yehuda clarity enhanced diamond. Basically, some stones have inclusions that can be repaired. However, the process prevents the stone from being graded by the legitimate rating outfits.
I took my girl to go see some clarity enhanced stones in the diamond district in downtown Los Angeles. She was against clarity enhanced until she saw them in person and couldnt tell the difference. You can save a decent amount going that route.
As others have said, if you get something just below a carat, below 1.5, below 2.0, you are going to save because the amounts tick up once you hit those key levels.
You got to figure out what sort of shape/cut of the diamond she likes (e.g. princess, cushion, round, etc.). This decision will somewhat impact the color grade of the stone you can get away with, as will the color of the metal used for the ring. If she likes yellow gold over white gold or platinum, you are going to be able to go even lower on the color scale and save money because the yellowish tint of the ring is going to compromise the stones with the higher color grades.
Anyway, for the most part, you are probably not going to want to go lower than H on the color scale. Though you can probably get away with an I. It is kind of like looking at televisions at Best Buy. All together you can see how one is better than the other...but on their own and in your house, a high quality television is going to look pretty good no matter what on your wall by itself.
I personally don't see the value in going higher than an SI1 or SI2 on the clarity scale. As long as you can't see it with the naked eye, you are good.
You don't want to skimp on the quality of the cut. That is basically going to determine how sparkly and brilliant light bounces off the stone. A lot of people wanting "more diamond" will get the larger, ####tier cut stone so that they can say it is such and such carat size. But, then it will look like a dull turd. You are much better getting a smaller stone with a great cut that will reflect light well.
Potential shark move is to buy a round or cushion diamond and augment the stone with a well done halo of smaller diamonds. These smaller diamonds can really make the stone look much bigger than it is. Another potential shark move is to go with a Yehuda clarity enhanced diamond. Basically, some stones have inclusions that can be repaired. However, the process prevents the stone from being graded by the legitimate rating outfits.
I took my girl to go see some clarity enhanced stones in the diamond district in downtown Los Angeles. She was against clarity enhanced until she saw them in person and couldnt tell the difference. You can save a decent amount going that route.
As others have said, if you get something just below a carat, below 1.5, below 2.0, you are going to save because the amounts tick up once you hit those key levels.
Officer Pete Malloy
Footballguy
TheAristocrat
Footballguy
It was a good run, Iron Sheik.
PinkydaPimp
Footballguy
Since i have done a good amount of research in the past few weeks just going to add the following to those who come after me.
When looking for a diamond, there are certain measurements which you want your diamond to be in. This will help weed out the bad ones that don't perform as well.
For Round brilliants:
depth - 60 - 62.5%
table - 54- 57%
crown angle - 34- 35 degrees
pavilion angle - 40.6- 41 degrees
girdle - avoid extremes, look for thin to slightly thick, thin to medium etc
polish and symmetry - very good and above
You need to also make sure that the certification is either GIA or AGS. EGL is being banned by many trading networks as of late and tends to grade diamonds higher than they really are (Hence the reason they are cheaper).
Also, if you can, ask the vendor for an idealscope or ASET image. Basically, these measure the light performance of a diamond. Its easier to tell which diamond is better using these than with the naked eye(at least for me) since most jewelry stores lighting will make all stones look good. I know i really couldnt tell the difference in many cases.
Once you have a good cut, then you can decide what size and color based on your budget. I would probably stay H or better and SI1 or better. But you could get a good deal if you find a I color SI2 that is superbly cut thats eye clean or has an inclusion that could be hidden by a setting.
Good luck
When looking for a diamond, there are certain measurements which you want your diamond to be in. This will help weed out the bad ones that don't perform as well.
For Round brilliants:
depth - 60 - 62.5%
table - 54- 57%
crown angle - 34- 35 degrees
pavilion angle - 40.6- 41 degrees
girdle - avoid extremes, look for thin to slightly thick, thin to medium etc
polish and symmetry - very good and above
You need to also make sure that the certification is either GIA or AGS. EGL is being banned by many trading networks as of late and tends to grade diamonds higher than they really are (Hence the reason they are cheaper).
Also, if you can, ask the vendor for an idealscope or ASET image. Basically, these measure the light performance of a diamond. Its easier to tell which diamond is better using these than with the naked eye(at least for me) since most jewelry stores lighting will make all stones look good. I know i really couldnt tell the difference in many cases.
Once you have a good cut, then you can decide what size and color based on your budget. I would probably stay H or better and SI1 or better. But you could get a good deal if you find a I color SI2 that is superbly cut thats eye clean or has an inclusion that could be hidden by a setting.
Good luck
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