Engagement Rings (merged)

PaulS9_

Hi all,

Am going to take the plunge and propose to my gf in the coming months, and have read this entire thread (eventually!) with great interest.

Thanks everyone for all the input so far.

I went down Hatton Garden last week, and into Cool Diamonds, as they had been reccomended, they seemed really good, knew what they were going on about etc.

I think i have settled on the cut and the setting for the ring, now its all about getting a good price!

I have seen one on their website, and the GIA certificate number is 19719, i was wondering if stumpjumper or someone could tell me A) is it as good a diamond as i think it is, and b) what kind of price should it be worth?

Cheers,

Paul

TediousPhoenix

What's the weight of it? You can stick that in here to pull up the GIA report.

http://www.gia.edu/reportcheck/

stumpjumper

kr15snw wrote: »

With the colour and clarity I dont really know what Im looking at.

Does it make that much of a difference?

It can be very confusing to start with, but try not to worry.
in the main Clairty - this relates to little bits of other things within a diamond - which can be seen either under magnification or with the naked eye depending on how big/how many inclusions there are.
this is a good walk through with lots of picture of diamondsd pointing out the inclusions at different grading points.
but basically - clarity graded IF (expensive) through VVS 1 or 2 to VS 1 or 2 (cheaper) having inclusions which are invisible to the naked eye.
SI 1 graded diamondds can have inclusion which are invisble to the naked eye, others which can - as there can be lots of little inclusions spread around the diamond you cant see, or they can be clustered together and look like a cloud and visable, or can be a large single inclusion which is visable or not depending on position within the diamond. SI 2, I 1, 2 & 3 are more likely to have visable inclusions, and it is at these grades which light performance can be effected by the number of inclusions.

Colour grades generally start at D (colourless) E and F (near colourless), and down to Z (yellowy brown)
good explination here
simply keep within a range of D-H and you should be fine, but remember that a D colour is the most expensive (and gets very expensive if you go for D IF as these are the top top grades - tho it doesnt make it sparkle any better than a H VS2 if the cut of the diamond is the same)

and i could go on a while about Cut - by which i mean the proportions of the diamond - the better the cut, the more light is returned to the viewer
but Rhino talks about it better here

TediousPhoenix

TediousPhoenix wrote: »

What's the weight of it? You can stick that in here to pull up the GIA report.

http://www.gia.edu/reportcheck/

Never mind, found it.

Report Type: GIA Diamond Dossier® Date of Issue: September 04, 2008
Laser Inscription Registry: GIA 17597458
Round Brilliant
Measurements: 5.64 - 5.70 x 3.56 mm
Carat Weight: 0.70
Color Grade: E
Clarity Grade: VS2
Cut Grade: Excellent
Proportions:
Depth: 62.8 %
Table: 56 %
Crown Angle: 36°
Crown Height: 16 %
Pavilion Angle: 41°
Pavilion Depth: 43 %
Star length: 50 %
Lower Half: 80 %
Girdle: Medium to Slightly Thick, Faceted
Culet: None
Finish:
Polish: Excellent
Symmetry: Excellent
Fluorescence: None
Clarity Characteristics: Feather, Crystal, Needle

The same diamond on BlueNile would be something like this: http://www.bluenile.co.uk/round-diamond-1-carat-or-less-ideal-cut-e-colour-vs2-clarity_LD01346134?__fun_frm=i&filter_id=0 which is £2410.40. £2307 isn't bad.

It's a nice diamond.

2003wastheyear

kr15snw wrote: »

As someone has reccomended on another thread, and I thought it was a great idea (HINT HINT Boyfriend of mine ). How about buying her a cheap one (£10 type thing from argos) for the proposal then explain (very quickly) that youll take her shopping and she can pick her own one.

Not only do you not have to stress about picking the right one, she can enjoy herself trying them all on!

My beloved did this and I am loving the Argos ring!! Heading to hatton garden soon, can't wait! Where is best to get a ring to your own design?

Much love and romance to you all xxx

stumpjumper

kr15snw wrote: »

Dream ring would be platinum thin band with an emerald cut diamond. Unfortunately this appears to be harder to find. From showing my OH some rings at the weekend he seemed pretty happy with a ring that was about £900. So I think under 1k is my limit (this sounds like so much money, and I know it is!!!)

I saw one in fraser hart that Ive been drooling over for a while but can anyone reccomend any other places? Maybe even some websites? Buying online doesnt phase us at all.

Thank you

ok, Emeralds are a niche in the advice - because of the way Emeralds are shaped, they tend to show the body colour of the diamond more, and because of fewer facets, inclusions can be seen more easily. Also there are no real hard and fast rules on what the best proportions of an emerald - the best option i would give would be to have an expert pair of eyes hunt out a stone for you.

i would recommend talking to Whiteflash.com, Goodoldgold.com and hpdiamonds.com
these are people who pride themselves on the picking/cutting the top performing diamonds, and whoes eyes I trust for giving honest opinions. Emeralds arent very common, and there are alot of duds on the market which dont sparkle alot.

stumpjumper

TediousPhoenix wrote: »

Never mind, found it.

Report Type: GIA Diamond Dossier® Date of Issue: September 04, 2008
Laser Inscription Registry: GIA 17597458
Round Brilliant
Measurements: 5.64 - 5.70 x 3.56 mm
Carat Weight: 0.70
Color Grade: E
Clarity Grade: VS2
Cut Grade: Excellent
Proportions:
Depth: 62.8 %
Table: 56 %
Crown Angle: 36°
Crown Height: 16 %
Pavilion Angle: 41°
Pavilion Depth: 43 %
Star length: 50 %
Lower Half: 80 %
Girdle: Medium to Slightly Thick, Faceted
Culet: None
Finish:
Polish: Excellent
Symmetry: Excellent
Fluorescence: None
Clarity Characteristics: Feather, Crystal, Needle

The same diamond on BlueNile would be something like this: http://www.bluenile.co.uk/round-diamond-1-carat-or-less-ideal-cut-e-colour-vs2-clarity_LD01346134?__fun_frm=i&filter_id=0 which is £2410.40. £2307 isn't bad.

It's a nice diamond.

my personal opinion would be to pass on the stone, the given proportions lead me to believe the light performance isnt as good as it could be.
I would put it as a classic steep/deep - as in the angles of the crown and pavilion are on the steep end of the scale, and at 62.8% depth couples with the smaller table, and thick girdle means its hiding alot of its weight, which can be seen in its slightly smaller than normal diameter.

as a compairson: have a look here
its a 0.72ct E VS2 but its proportions are far better, which gives it better light performance. I'd bet you could tell the differance if you put both together.
But it is more expensive - at £2900.

I havent got time ATM to look more, but if you want i can later when i get home.

TediousPhoenix

Stumpjumper, seeing as you know far more than me about the proportions, may I ask what you think of mine - we got it because we fell in love with the diamond and its sparkle.

Would the same apply with the depth and table on a princess cut? I'm just trying to compare (and I'm interested)!

Square Modified Brilliant
Measurements: 4.72 x 4.64 x 3.39 mm
Carat Weight: 0.62
Color Grade: D
Clarity Grade: VVS2
Proportions:
Depth: 73.1 %
Table: 70 %
Girdle: Medium to Slightly Thick
Culet: None
Finish:
Polish: Excellent
Symmetry: Very Good
Fluorescence: None
Clarity Characteristics: Feather, Pinpoint

Swans1912

I love my engagement ring, it cost £2350 but its not the price tag that I fell in love with. Its platinum half a carat princess cut diamond (square cut) I havent seen many emerald cut ones in platinum KR15SNW. Got mine from Clive Ranger, but saw some lovely ones in Ernest Jones

Kavanne

iKennett wrote: »

I love my engagement ring, it cost £2350 but its not the price tag that I fell in love with. Its platinum half a carat princess cut diamond (square cut) I havent seen many emerald cut ones in platinum KR15SNW. Got mine from Clive Ranger, but saw some lovely ones in Ernest Jones

Don't do it!!! If you ask them what the clarity of the diamond is the best you will get is P with them.... No offence to anyone who bought from EJ but you can make your money go a LOT further elsewhere!