Diamond Engagement Ring advice

Hey guys,
I was wondering what price range, clarity, color, etc. go for a 1 carat (or around there) princess cut ring. I don't really want to do the natural diamond route really since they are distinguisable. Any advice on price to pay or place to go? Thanks in advance.
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http://www.pricescope.com/idealbb/

what do you mean by "natural diamond route"?

the best way to shop for diamonds is to shop for loose diamonds and put them in your own setting. I wouldn't know the pricing right now as i bought my 1.5 carat 2 years ago but some stuff i learned as i went through the process.

1. You can never judge the diamond if you don't see it first hand.
2. DO NOT SHOP AT MALL DIAMOND STORES LIKE Zales. This is where you will get ripped off while getting a "40% discount"
3. There are a handful of NY diamond wholesalers that supply a good portion of the diamonds. I shopped at a mom/pop store in VT and found the same diamond listed on BlueNile.com for a few hundred dollars cheaper. (wholesalers will list inventory as available in a central database for multiple retail stores to access - it only goes off the list when it's actually paid for).
4. mom and pop stores will claim to show you the rappaport book (going price of wholesale diamond cost). Retailers get a good clip of additional discounts off this "wholesale" price so this is not some magic number.


JohnAnthony1978 said: Hey guys,
I was wondering what price range, clarity, color, etc. go for a 1 carat (or around there) princess cut ring. I don't really want to do the natural diamond route really since they are distinguisable. Any advice on price to pay or place to go? Thanks in advance.

rigor said: G-H color...Depending on the shape of the diamond (rounds show color the least), your visual acuity and the cut (ideal cuts typically face up at least a color grade higher), you can buy I and even J colored diamonds. Check out the following threads:

"I" colored stones in platinum: http://www.pricescope.com/idealbb/view.asp?topicID=9689
"J" colored stones in platinum: http://www.pricescope.com/idealbb/view.asp?topicID=24731&forumID=3&catID=&search=1&searchstring=

VS to VVSIf all you are looking for is eye-clean, it is simply not necessary to pay the premium associated with VS or VVS clarity -- there are plenty of SI1 and SI2 clarity diamonds that are perfectly eye-clean. As long as the stone is eye-clean, there is absolutely no reason to pay for attributes (higher clarity) that you can only see under magnification. Some retailers will try to sell you higher clarity since it makes it easier for them (the retailers) and more expensive for you -- if you go the SI clarity route, the retailers have to spend time pulling the actual stone to confirm their eye-clean status. Every reputable retailer will do this for you, though!

High ICU and Brilliancescope rating, high table %, medium girth (whatever the edge is called), not to much depth. (depth and table % usually go hand in hand with a good picked stone).You can't look at one or two individual stats to determine whether a particular diamond is cut well -- one or two individual stats can, however, tell you that it is NOT a well cut diamond. As Pricescope explains: "diamonds with AGS 0 or ideal cut reports that were issued before 1st of June 2005 might not be considered to be AGS 0 under the new system, which is more like the HCA (http://www.pricescope.com/cutadviser.asp) inverse crown and pavilion system. It uses light performance factors including software like DiamCalc, and the ASET scope, which is like a multi colored Ideal-Scope. Proportions are now only to guide to manufacturers and not the basis of grading. Stones must not breach certain 'bad proportions' and finish rules outlined below (this chart is indicative, but not the same as later AGS copyrighted versions)." The explanation can be found below: http://diamonds.pricescope.com/agsideal.asp.

New GIA reports also list cut grades, although GIA's "excellent" cut allows for wider variations that AGS's ideal cut.

the ICU and Brillianescope will take the #'s out of the game, and show you which ones will BLING or not.That is not entirely true -- for instance, see this thread by Garry Holloway, the inventor of the Holloway Cut Advisor tool I referenced earlier -- http://www.pricescope.com/idealbb/view.asp?topicID=44007

A perfect colorless diamond flawless internally could have ZERO flash, be like looking into glass. That is not what she wants (or is it?). Most people want to see the bling from across the room eh.That is absolutely true. A well cut diamond will maximize its beauty and will appear larger, brighter and significantly more attractive than a poorly cut one.

Thanks for all the advice. I hit the malls and those places are insane! You were right! I think I might have found a decent one but the price of diamonds is still crazy.