What, where to buy diamond ring? Help!!!

[Ballwatch]

[Ballwatch]

Did some leg work, some info gathered (purely my personal opinion only):

1. Colour - from best colourless group D,E,F down... Very gradual variation... I would say almost indistinguishable to naked eye.

2. Clarity - inclusion or to layman impurities within... Also not observable using normal scope.

3. Certification
- quite commonly from internationally recognised GIA. There are a few other bodies certifying as well.
- some only have in-house certification

4. Cut
- this makes the difference to me.
- perfect or ideal cut is the one where lights entering the diamond are reflected back, giving rise to the "shine"
- 3 "excellents" or perfect cuts (56 facets) as GIA certified, are not all the same though...
- some of these have further perfectly symmetrical "hearts & roses" patterns & can be seen with a normal scope quite easily.

A. Taka - I don't find it cheaper, same specs, apple to apple. Sales person offered to show me perfect cuts kept under lock, but I declined since those on display already don't appear cheaper.

B. SK, LH, Citigem, Goldheart - have perfect cuts, some create their own named series at higher prices, like Destinee, etc

C. Meyson - have a section with each ring clearly marked with "hearts & arrows" tag, showing colour grade, clarity grade & price... Makes shopping & decision making way easier.
- In addition to the GIA cert, each one also has a separate cert (Singapore certifying body) for the "hearts & arrow" perfect symmetry cut.
- "hearts & arrow" pattern also clear & easily seen under the scope.

I haven't "pulled the trigger" since first day I went around shopping... But I guess my choice is clear... Unless I discover more info to the contrary subsequently thanks for all your help

[Trinidad]

Ok i buay koyok for my distance cousin and her family
Her parents-in-law are the old couple behind Canary Diamonds at Delphi orchard.
Her husband is in recent years slowly taking over the business.

They have a lot of nice loose diamonds.
Setting can be done for about $500. The style is up to you.

Take note that diamond prices get exponentially higher as the size gets bigger.
In other words, all else equals, the price of a 1 carat diamond can buy more than 2x0.5 carat diamonds
And a 2 carat diamond can buy more than 3 x 1 carat diamonds.

Therefore to save you some money, ask the sales person where is the threshold for prices at various sizes.
For example, most people on a budget may choose to buy a 0.95 carat diamond rather than a 1.03 carat diamond becos the price difference when it crosses 1 carat is significantly greater.
Likewise, it is proportionately much more economical to buy a 1.47carat diamond compared to a 1.53carat although the difference in size is negligible, becos 1.5carat is another point where prices get exponentially higher.

Somewhat like car road tax, you get the drift...heh

Fire and sparkle are very important, so i would advise you to make sure you get a triple X cut or ideal cut.
In terms of the inclusion, use a loupe to pick the one you prefer. Even if both have the same grading, the inclusions are different and you should pick the one you prefer. Dont take it that they are the same.

The last diamond i bought was an F color VVS2 triple x ideal cut.
I chose it carefully and bought it even though it was $2000 more than another similarly graded one which was only 4 points smaller! I had to bring a few diamonds out of the shop to view under daylight using a loupe to make my final decision!

Bo pian, kiasu Singaporean, must pick the best one.

Good luck and hv fun.
Hope whoever receives the gift appreciates your effort.

[Clement_jr]

i brought mine from a private jeweler.
pros,
-u get to customize your own design. from the setting to mixing other precious stones. u get to fully design your unique one.
-i waited and chose a diamond's birthdate same to my wife. and added pink sapphires which she loved.
-u save quite abit from the markups from the retailers.

con:
u don't get the branded label box.

you will realize the diamond at the retailer is much shiny/reflective or even brighter than those which you see at those private jeweler. this doesn't really matter because the retailers are having spotlights everywhere, while those jewelers i visit are just having normal florescent lights - they let the papers do the talking. so don't get skeptical if u feel how i felt initially.

[kadios]

Another point to add, is an often overlooked specs, fluorescence. It should be none to reflect the true color of the diamond. Take for example, a F color diamond with fluorescence may in fact be an equivalent 1-3 color grades lower, meaning technically, it a G color. Normally the expensive diamonds tend to have no fluorescence. So if u come across a big carat, good color diamond at a reasonably low price, pls look deeper.

[Ballwatch]

Dear All,

Thanks for all your info sharing... really appreciate it

I bought it this evening at Meyson... decided to go for cut (Hearts & Arrow), colour (D) & clarity (VVSI)... reduce size a bit

You should take a look at this website... quite useful... of course for full info on each one selected... the GIA cert tells the story

http://www.meysonjewellery.com/0-50ct-to-0-59ct/