I'm not at that point yet, but I could see a need to buy a ring in the coming months. I've never shopped for a ring before. In general, any recommendations? Is bluenile a good option to buy the center stone? I figure guys on here have gone through these hoops before. Is there really that big a difference in the various color/clarity rankings after a certain point? Any help appreciated.
The 4-C's.
Look it up.
Do not settle for anything other than GIA certification. I would recommend buying the stone you want, then having the stone mounted in a setting you (she?) like.
And I've bought successfully from Whiteflash.com in the past.
Color: D, E, & F are colorless. Those would be the best choices, but even G, & H diamonds are OK.
Carat: Obviously, that is preference and budget.
Clarity: Another preference. If it is for a ring, VVS or VS would be a good choice. SI or I is not a good choice for a ring. Of course IF is best, if you can find it and afford it.
Cut: Preference again. Round is the most brilliant of all cuts. The more facets the diamond has, the more it will sparkle. Ideal "Hearts & Arrows" cut is freakin amazing.
Always take a diamond out of the store and look at it in natural light. Certified diamonds are also better to get. If it is not certified, then you can almost guarantee that the grading it has is not accurate and usually graded a step or two higher than it should be.
My personal preference when buying diamonds is D or E, Ideal cut, VS or better.
__________________ Mark in SoCal. "He who has the answer and does not know it is as doomed as he who never knew."
A Rapaport Diamond price sheet will help you to understand what diamonds go for, as it's like the Kelley Blue Book for diamonds.
The only problem is getting your hands on a price sheet, as it is for jewelers only.
I remember giving an engagement ring to my X on Christmas Morning. It was a Tiffany's diamond. My friend is the Regional Director for Tiffany's here in the SE United States.
Still not cheap by no means, so she opens it up..(I'm expecting all kind's of thankyou's) and she goes "Ieeyeee Cono Andy! This DIAMOND HAS FLAWS!!!) She was Dom/Puerto Rican pulled that shit in front of my family too....My Dad shot me that look..and made a motion w/his hand (like get'er outta here)!!!
Notice how she's EX status...I def. now know the value of the 3 F's!!
Where do you live? I know quite a lot about buying a diamond but you need someone with you when you go. It takes experience not to get screwed. If you are in the So Cal area I would be glad to take you shopping for a good diamond. You should buy it separately from the setting. I have a great guy by my house that you can trust and his prices are awesome! You need to decide what your price range is first. The four C,s are not all equal in importance depending on the size of the diamond (As it applies to the look of the diamond). The four Cs are important to the value overall, but some of the Cs can help make up for flaws in other areas. Good luck! Buying a diamond can be very stressful.
It has a lot of information for newbies and experienced buyers. I recently bought a big diamond for my fiancee and I found the information and tools very useful in deciding which diamond was best for my money.
I'll tell you this... once you or your girlfriend sees a perfect cut hearts and arrows diamond, you won't want anything else. The problem is they are not cheap carat for carat.
You can get a one carat yellow looking diamond for $1000, or you can get a one carat hearts and arrows ,VS1, F color, etc for $10k. The choice is yours.
What pisses me off is that most people are so ignorant to diamonds all they know is carat weight, so they act like their 1 carat yellow ass crappy diamond is better than a .5 carat perfect diamond that cost 5 times as much.
I'm not at that point yet, but I could see a need to buy a ring in the coming months. I've never shopped for a ring before. In general, any recommendations? Is bluenile a good option to buy the center stone? I figure guys on here have gone through these hoops before. Is there really that big a difference in the various color/clarity rankings after a certain point? Any help appreciated.
Color: D, E, & F are colorless. Those would be the best choices, but even G, & H diamonds are OK.
Carat: Obviously, that is preference and budget.
Clarity: Another preference. If it is for a ring, VVS or VS would be a good choice. SI or I is not a good choice for a ring. Of course IF is best, if you can find it and afford it.
Cut: Preference again. Round is the most brilliant of all cuts. The more facets the diamond has, the more it will sparkle. Ideal "Hearts & Arrows" cut is freakin amazing.
Always take a diamond out of the store and look at it in natural light. Certified diamonds are also better to get. If it is not certified, then you can almost guarantee that the grading it has is not accurate and usually graded a step or two higher than it should be.
My personal preference when buying diamonds is D or E, Ideal cut, VS or better.
When it comes to carats, Rocman sure knows his onions!
The lab diamond is more perfect than the mined diamond.
As to size, ... size matters. A not-visibly-imperfect larger diamond will have more presence than its perfect smaller peer. Her friends will size her up based on her diamond size, not diamond quality, as long as they can't see the flaws. Just the way you compare your car to another guys (and vice versa), she'll be comparing her diamond to every girl she meets....and vice versa.
