Hey guys so I am close to pulling the triger on an engagement ring. I have no clue as to what i should be looking for in terms of clarity/color. I do know that I want a stone about 2.5-3.5 carots. I've been saving for 3 months and have about 25K to blow. First, where would be a good place to go? I am in the tri state area. Second, I was looking at the different levels of clarity and color. And to tell you the truth, I can't see the difference between any of the levels. Every stone looks similar to me. Some advice would be greatly appreciated.

Bobby

 

$25K???

 

Do yourself a favor....and go smaller, but better. First of all, the value of the ring will hold. I would rather have a 2 carat Tiffany ring than a 3.5 no name. So would your wife. Their diamonds are better, service is better, and it will always be worth what you bought it for. A 2 carat Tiffany will probably run you about 25K or so. Let me know if you need some more advice (more detail)....(I used to do this for a living)

 

While most jump at the carat weight, I would suggest instead using the other C's then letting the size fit the budget.

Color, Clarity and Cut affect the sparkle of the diamond. Skimping on one to reach a certain carat weight will result in a duller diamond. Also, at that size, there is a diminishing return visually of a larger diamond.

My suggested order of importance:
Color - D is colorless. E nearly so. Settle for nothing less.
Clarity - Flawless is obviously the best, but VVS1/VVS2 is nearly so. Again, don't go lower.
Cut - Two things. Round still gives the best sparkle, though some other cuts come and go in popularity. The actual rating of the cut is related to how well the facets line up. The better they line up, the more sparkle you get.
Carat - Find the best diamond you can (color/cut/clarity) for the money you have and this wll take care of itself. Again, dropping a bit in size, for better quality is the way to go.

 

[QUOTE=NFRs2000NYC,Mar 21 2006, 07:33 PM]Do yourself a favor....and go smaller, but better.

 

I wouldn't go Tiffany either.
Their prices are rediculous.

As far as comparing the diamonds, a trick is to put the diamonds on a white piece of paper and compare them side by side, you'll see the difference in color.
all the other stuff are covered by other posters.

 

also, if you want to check out the diamond, you can go to bluenile.com or amazon.com
I don't suggest you buy from them. But they have a handy table with prices along with the 4 C's.

 

To tell you the truth, women are always picky with things like that. If I'm not mistaken, don't jewelry stores have like temporary rings just so that you can propose to your gf? Then you bring that back and have her pick out the ring she wants. Like this you could possibly save some money and definately know that she likes it instead of later finding out that she would much rather want something else. But you should ask about that because I'm pretty sure I've heard of that before. I'll ask my bro because he's getting married in June. I'll keep you posted.

Andre

 

I did not have that much money to spend, but the trick is knowing its the right ring when you see it. The one I picked out for my wife was the 2nd ring I looked at at the first jewelry store I walked into. I just knew she would love it, and she did.

 

[QUOTE=Fusiondynamics,Mar 21 2006, 11:42 PM] Do yourself a favor and not buy from Tiffany. They sell GIA certified stones like any other diamond retailer.