Help with diamond ring selecting?ladies needed!

[lowtech1]

I have been to the local diamond store and they have a white gold princess ring with a round diamond that I am interested in (ideal cut, VS1, E, 0.66 carat). And, it is priced at $3200 USD, which seemed to be a bit low even with the 30% storewide sales.

I was wondering if this is a good deal or am I getting a rotten deal.

Should I go for a better quality diamond at around .40~.50 carat, because my gf have very small fingers and hand (only 5' tall) that a large diamond might look out off place.

Thanks

 

[isekii]

princess cut diamond is really pretty.
No matter how little she is they always want the big one

 

[lowtech1]

Originally posted by: isekii
princess cut diamond is really pretty.
No matter how little she is they always want the big one

The .91 carat that I looked at were huge on my pinky, and I can tell the diff in biliant & colour and it is only one notch down in quality (and it also cost a little more....still in my budget range).

 

[BigSmooth]

Check out this forum: http://www.pricescope.com/idealbb/
Or http://www.diamondtalk.com (you have to register with a CC there, though)

 

[kranky]

Do yourself a favor, and ask her what she wants instead of surprising her.

 

[lowtech1]

Originally posted by: kranky
Do yourself a favor, and ask her what she wants instead of surprising her.

where is the romance in that?

 

[waylman]

Originally posted by: lowtech

Originally posted by: kranky
Do yourself a favor, and ask her what she wants instead of surprising her.

where is the romance in that?

just ask her what she likes. she doesn't have to pick it out.

 

[lowtech1]

Originally posted by: waylman

Originally posted by: lowtech

Originally posted by: kranky
Do yourself a favor, and ask her what she wants instead of surprising her.

where is the romance in that?

just ask her what she likes. she doesn't have to pick it out.

Serveral weeks ago I told her that I hate diamond & she was angry at me, and pointed out that her cousin got a round single rock that worth $6000 and it look good.

I took that as a hint that she like a diamond that is similar to that. I'm not going to break my bank account on this adventure, because I truely belive that it is a gaudy thing to have such a useless thing on one finger.

 

[Bryophyte]

If you are going to spend that much money on a ring, you need to have it appraised by an independent jeweler. Make sure you can bring it back for a full refund if it appraises significantly lower than the sale price. Seriously. Also, make sure you get a renter/homeowner insurance rider to cover it in case of loss or theft.

Having said that, my husband got me a crappy little second-hand ring. New, it would have cost less than a hundred bucks. I don't wear it, usually just wear nothing or a gold band that I bought myself.

 

[fonzinator]

Originally posted by: lowtech

Originally posted by: isekii
princess cut diamond is really pretty.
No matter how little she is they always want the big one

The .91 carat that I looked at were huge on my pinky, and I can tell the diff in biliant & colour and it is only one notch down in quality (and it also cost a little more....still in my budget range).

You know your gf better than any of us. Would she be more concerned with the quality (color, cut, clarity) of a stone or the size (carat)? If you are unsure, you may want to ask her. I'd hate for you to buy a smaller stone, only for her to be unhappy with it later on because it's not "big" enough. However, if she's concerned about perfect facets and pavallion angles for that firey brilliance, then you better pray she's okay with a smaller stone! You probably wouldn't be able to afford that quality in a .9 carat weight.

I wouldn't go with anything smaller than .65ish. A .65 carat stone will look not look "too big" on any woman's hand...no matter how petite.

 

[lowtech1]

Thanks BigDan & fonzinator,

I think the diamond is certified, but I will ask a family friend that is a jeweler to take a look at it for me.

 

[Howard]

Originally posted by: lowtech

Originally posted by: waylman

Originally posted by: lowtech

Originally posted by: kranky Do yourself a favor, and ask her what she wants instead of surprising her.

where is the romance in that?

just ask her what she likes. she doesn't have to pick it out.

Serveral weeks ago I told her that I hate diamond & she was angry at me, and pointed out that her cousin got a round single rock that worth $6000 and it look good. I took that as a hint that she like a diamond that is similar to that. I'm not going to break my bank account on this adventure, because I truely belive that it is a gaudy thing to have such a useless thing on one finger.

She was ANGRY because you told her you hated diamonds?

Wow.

 

[WhiteKnight]

For fancy cuts (the princess), there is no clear formula to determine brilliance. You must look at it in person. As for the round, that is already a great quality diamond! You could go down to VS2 and G without any noticeable difference to the untrained eye. I'd even say that you could go to an eye clean SI1 and an H. Especially if you are considering a smaller stone because your girl is of smaller stature. Inclusions and color differences are less perceivable the smaller you get. That is pretty much the scoop you'll get over on the diamondtalk forums. I'm in the market for an engagement ring within the next year, so I've been doing my research.

To sum up, I'd day that you could go with a "lower" quality round if that's what you want and save yourself the $. No normal people will know the difference and you can use that money for your future together rather than on something that DeBeers told you to buy (note that, of course, I'll be getting one too ).

Feel free to PM me if you have any more questions.

Edit: Fixed a typo

 

[isekii]

I'd say if she wants something big, send her over to me j/k

have you thought of Cubic Zirconia ? 5 -6 carats ?


LoL it came to my mind after watching stripperella.

 

[Lola]

Definatly do quality over quantity...thats my opinion. However, if you can swing a nice .75 carat ring in good color and cut, etc, i would go for that! Even if she does have small fingers, it will fit wonderfully, plus, ALL of her friends will be jeleous! either way, princess cut or round diamonds seem to be the most classy looking... what ever you do, STAY AWAY FROM MARQUIS CUT! they look horrible, like they should be for old ladies!

Congrats, BTW!!!

 

[DarkManXY2G]

I bought a diamond ring for my fiance a couple of months back and I remember how stressful it was. She doesn't know much about diamonds and at the time I didn't either. I did a lot of research on it before I made the purchase but I did get hints from her about what she would like. I would ask her about it while she was already window shopping the jewlery stires in the mall. I ended up getting a ~.60 kt (.59) round brillant with D color and VS1 clarity. I thought anything bigger would look wierd on her finger (BTW she wears a size 3 ring). The only advice I can give you is to research the diamond market some and never buy anything from a mall store (biggest ripout ever).

Also something you can do to get a better price is to try to get a karat size that is just under whole numbers, e.g. .49 or .74 These diamond can be had for quite a bit cheaper than ones that are .5 and .75 and the size is not noticable. That way you get a better bang for you buck. Good luck.

 

[fatkorean]

Have you tried costco? They sell rings there. dunno about the cut, but it is rated at >= vs1 and g?color? or so.. so the clarity and color are good, but like i said dunno about cut.

-fk

 

[Ameesh]

congrats man!

 

[WhiteKnight]

Try SuperbCert. All of the diamonds there are "Super Ideal" and the prices are reasonable. I know a lot of people have been very happy with them.

 

[Tinkerhell]

Lucky girl no matter what she gets. Congrats!

 

[lowtech1]

Originally posted by: DarkManXY2G
I bought a diamond ring for my fiance a couple of months back and I remember how stressful it was. She doesn't know much about diamonds and at the time I didn't either. I did a lot of research on it before I made the purchase but I did get hints from her about what she would like. I would ask her about it while she was already window shopping the jewlery stires in the mall. I ended up getting a ~.60 kt (.59) round brillant with D color and VS1 clarity. I thought anything bigger would look wierd on her finger (BTW she wears a size 3 ring). The only advice I can give you is to research the diamond market some and never buy anything from a mall store (biggest ripout ever).

Also something you can do to get a better price is to try to get a karat size that is just under whole numbers, e.g. .49 or .74 These diamond can be had for quite a bit cheaper than ones that are .5 and .75 and the size is not noticable. That way you get a better bang for you buck. Good luck.

Thanks DarkMan, I'm going to look for a lose diamond then have the ring custom made.

 

[lowtech1]

Originally posted by: WhiteKnight
For fancy cuts (the princess), there is no clear formula to determine brilliance. You must look at it in person. As for the round, that is already a great quality diamond! You could go down to VS2 and G without any noticeable difference to the untrained eye. I'd even say that you could go to an eye clean SI1 and an H. Especially if you are considering a smaller stone because your girl is of smaller stature. Inclusions and color differences are less perceivable the smaller you get. That is pretty much the scoop you'll get over on the diamondtalk forums. I'm in the market for an engagement ring within the next year, so I've been doing my research.

To sum up, I'd day that you could go with a "lower" quality round if that's what you want and save yourself the $. No normal people will know the difference and you can use that money for your future together rather than on something that DeBeers told you to buy (note that, of course, I'll be getting one too ).

Feel free to PM me if you have any more questions.

Edit: Fixed a typo

thanks

 

[lowtech1]

Thanks everyone for the support.

 

[shopbruin]

Originally posted by: isekii
princess cut diamond is really pretty.
No matter how little she is they always want the big one

seriously, i'd rather have a smaller diamond that is a LOT better qualiy. also i'm small with small hands, and an enormous diamond would dwarf my hand. my mom has a large rock but its not JUST the rock but with smaller diamonds on the side, which takes a lot of the emphasis off the larger diamond and it doesn't look as disproportionate.

i personally don't know about diamond pricing. i just know my preference.

but DEFINITELY get it appraised.