3 replies to this topic

[Boomboom]

Just looking for a little info. I am just starting to look for an engagement ring. Looking to spend between $4500- around $7000. In terms of carats my girlfriend obviously wants a big rock but she does have about a size 4 to 4 1/2 finger. What would be a size that would fit this well ( I was looking between 1.25- 1.50) The other aspects I was looking at with carats being most important to her was:
Carats: 1.25-1.50
Cut: Very Good
Color: G,H,I
Clarity: VS1 or SI1

I know there is more to it than that but for the basics right now I am looking at that. I do know someone who works at the diamond exchange in NYC so I am sure I can get a pretty reasonable price on it. My main concern is getting a big diamond that doesn't reflect the light, or the clarity is not that great. What are some suggestions....What are the areas that I can deal with to keep the price in a good range but keep the ring in that carat range. Thank you

[denverappraiser]

If you’re serious about getting anywhere near the upper part of your grade range you will need to raise your budget substantially. The difference between a 1.50/VS1/G and a 1.25/SI1/I is enormous, even without considering the accuracy of grading issues.

You can get a pretty good feel for how the various attributes relate to price by using the tool at the top of the page titled ‘find online jeweler’ and entering a few parameters. Change a few things and repeat with a slightly different search. You can sort the list by price by clicking on the title bar word. Repeat this a dozen times with different ranges and parameters and you’ll end up with a pretty good feel for how these things relate to one another.

‘Diamond exchanges’ are generally pretty marginal deals. Pay extremely careful attention to the details of the grading and the lab that did it. You are entering a snakepit so you might want to consider just how good a friend this is. You may indeed get a good deal there, but the majority of shoppers do not.

Neil

Edited by denverappraiser, 27 March 2007 - 05:48 AM.

[engagediamonds]

With regards to your concern about the diamond reflecting light...this is determined mostly by the quality of the diamonds cut. You can see a mini-tutorial on cut at [url="http://www.engagediamonds.com/education/cut/"][url]http://www.engagediamonds.com/education/cut/[/url][/url]

A diamond with a cut grade of Ideal or Excellent (Gem labs usually use one of the two terms as their highest cut grade) will reflect the highest volume of light back to your eye. With regards to your concern about clarity, a diamond graded with a clarity grade of SI2 or better should have inclusions which are not obvious to the naked eye in the face-up position. There is room for subjectivity here of course, depending on how good your eyesight is and the type of inclusion (ie. a black inclusion is easier to spot than one that is white)

Hope that helps,

[diamondsonfifth.com]

engagediamonds

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