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Before I would've said a bigger diamond that was in-between quality. But FI picked out a diamond with great quality and its so worth it.
With diamonds, if you want it to sparkle you should go with quality over size.
Do you know the other c's on each of those diamonds?
Have you looked for lose stones online?
If you want to PM me your budge for a stone I can help you look for larger stones in your budges that still have good color and clarity.
Sites like adiamor.com, bluenile.com, and others allow you to search for lose stones by size, price, color, clarity, shape, etc.
My FI sprung for a colorless stone that is internally flawless. I have never seen ANYTHING so sparkly. We looked at bigger diamonds of lower quality when on vacation and they just didn't catch the light the same way. Some looked cloudy. Others have VISIBLE black marks or chips in them.
ETA: Going through an online retailer you can often get stones cheaper than at a brick and mortar jewelry store since the online retailers don't have to pay for overhead of owning a storefront. Most of them also accept returns with full refunds so if you get the stone and don't like it, you can send it back. Or if you get it appraised and it's not what you thought it would be, you can send it back.
I'm going to say it depends. I don't think you need a D color internally flawless diamond for it to sparkle but if we're talking visible flaws on the larger diamond then yes you should go smaller.
you can tell when someone sacrifices on the quality for a bigger ring. some of the c's aren't as noticeable, but to go up half a carat you'd have to downgrade a few of them. higher quality rings are so much shinier - it's true they look bigger!
Definitely smaller but better quality. Maybe you should go in and look at the two stones side by side? I bet if you see a crazy sparkly white .75 ct sitting next to a dull yellowish 1.5 your decision will be a lot easier :)
It really makes a huge difference on which "C" is the lower quality. For me, it's more important that the color is clear (I didn't want any yellowness) - but as far as clarity, as long as I can't see a flaw with the naked eye, I could care less that it's there. My FI went to a wholesaler for my 1.12 center stone and we bought the setting from a respected family-owned jeweler. We had my ring appraised for insurance and it appraised at $4,000 more than he paid. The cut and color of my ring are excellent (I don't have the technical terms with me right now) but the clarity had some imperfections. I can't see them and I LOVE my ring!
@CorgiTales: I second this. If you can go and look at the stone sitting side by side. The quality difference will most likely be very obvious.
I mean, it really depends on what kind of quality you're talking about. I would prefer a .5ct. D color over 2ct. J/K color..but if it's difference between D and H, then it would matter less to me, and I would probably prefer something bigger. I agree with @milesbella regarding the clarity as well--if the flaws aren't visible to me/the naked eye, then I don't care about them.
Smaller and better quality - but to a point. For me, if the clarity is such that I can't see any imperfections with the naked eye - awesome, no need to go higher clarity than that. Same goes for color - if I can't see any color/yellowing with the naked eye - awesome, no need for a colorless diamond or anything.
So for me as long as those Cs are good enough that to the naked eye I can't see the flaws/color - then I'd go bigger.
Thanks so much everyone.
It is true that a better stone will look "bigger" but I guess I was just thinking of a ring my friend recently got. She went to the same jeweler and got a .5 carat princess that is very good quality but she keeps hearing that it's "cute" or other comments that are rude (about having a smaller stone) and has been noticing other women's larger rings. That got me thinking...do I want to spend the same amount of money for a smaller stone, even if it's better quality and then regret it? Because I also have another friend who has a carat that is not good quality, and yes you notice it's not, but my friend with the excellent diamond, says she rather have the bigger stone too, like our friend. And, every time I see this friend, I just love how her ring looks...nice size stone, high setting, just what I want.
I don't want a diamond that has tons of visible inclusions but don't really care too much about other things. I've seen diamonds that are more yellow and I actually really like those. I don't know.. I know I will have to go and see them in person but wanted to get opinions from other ladies who have recently received their diamond rings, as opposed to me having my ring for so long. :)
@pinkstardustdesigns: Just keep in mind there is a difference between a yellow diamond (i.e. fancy colored diamond) and a diamond with yellow tinges (i.e. low on the color scale).
I LOVE yellow/canary diamonds.
I have a triple excellents, 1.2ct, GIA certified rock and I am really happy with it! :)
I don't think I will ever upgrade to a bigger stone b/c every stone is unique and this one means a lot to me...
I have a .5 carat Leo Diamond and I would never trade it for a larger diamond of lesser quality.
quality over quantity would be my mantra. i have seen low quality diamonds that are cloudy or with inclusions you can see with the naked eye, and i just don't think it's worth it!
You could always go with something in the middle like a 1 ct.
Larger. Smaller rings look silly on my ridiculously long fingers. That being said, I don't want a diamond.
always go with quality over quantity when it comes to diamonds - trust me you notice when a diamond is of less quality. it doesnt sparkle as brightly and it really does look fake even if its not. a good diamond regardless of size will show that. also remember the ring is between you and your FH - not everyone else. who cares what other people think of it?
i liken it to getting a fake huuuuuge coach bag from a street vendor, or a small quality real coach wallet from the company. yes you get more complements on the big huge bag, but when folks look closely they will see the issues with it. the real wallet, will last longer, look better and you FEEL better about it because you know its quality.
quality quality quality....
...neither.
I guess if I had to choose I'd pick the one that was the most expenseive so I could sell it and get something I'd actually want :D
If the size matters more to you than the clarity, by all means, go for the carat size. I was reading an article yesterday in Ebony magazine where a jewelry expert said that Cut is actually the most important of the C's. Based on that, I think it's possible to get a diamond that may not be the highest clarity, but b/c of the cut, it's just as sparkly.
As long as the bigger diamond is still sparkly and doesn't look included or yellow (when it's not supposed to be) to your eye, go for the bigger size. But I've seen larger diamonds of bad quality, and they're just... I don't know, disappointing. They don't even look like diamonds should because they're so dull.
And you know, some people are going to make snarky comments no matter what. If you get a small, high quality diamond, people are going to say it's "cute." If you get a big, okay quality diamond, people are going to think you're trying to show off with a big rock. You can't please them all. Choose your ring based on what you want, because as long as you're happy, who cares what anyone else thinks?
Gosh I just spewed out a big nerdy explanation on my take on the subject on this thread:
http://boards.weddingbee.com/topic/is-color-or-clarity-more-important-to-you
To summarize: clarity and color do not equal "sparkle!" Cut is key, and as others mentioned, clarity that's at least eye-clean will suffice. Color is a matter of preference, but that being said, many people won't be able to tell the difference between a D (the highest and in "colorless" category) and an H (G-J are "near colorless"), if that gives you an idea of how subtle the changes are. Many times a J or even K color will face up plenty white enough to appear colorless. Okay I'll stop "summarizing" now before I start writing a novel again, heh. :)
@pinkstardustdesigns:I think you should define what is "better quality". If I could get a 1.5 carat stone and the cut was VG, and the clarity was VS2 I would absolutely take that over a .75 Ideal Cut, VS1.
I love my ring but the DH paid for a ring that was certified. I think that he could have gotten a bigger diamond for the price he spent for the certification. I doubt I would be able to notice if my diamond was slightly yellow. I won't tell him that.
@Sking: I actually have no idea. Ignore what I said. I thought that not all diamonds were certified but I could be wrong. At I don't know how much extra the DH spent on a certified ring vs a non-certified. I know the one good thing about having it is that if my diamond is ever stolen or lost, there is an identification code on my diamond so the diamond will be traced back to me.
@yrret107: That sounds like a good thing. I have no clue either, that's why I was wondering. Is a non-certified diamond maybe not a diamond?
Missmango said it perfectly. 90% of the population is not going to be able to discern between a excellent cut D, IF diamond and a G/H VS2. If you go on boards like Pricescope you will learn alot about diamonds, and how to get the best value for your money.
If you are already concerned about size, I would go to a near colorless G/H (again, it will be hard to tell the difference) diamond with VS2 clarity.
I personally would not be OK with a .5 carat diamond, but would never judge the choices of others.
i am all about quality. my future father-in-law says it best when speaking about "saving" money by buying lesser quality products: "Congratulations, you just saved $1000 on that ring! Now you have a $5,000 piece of crap!" It may not be that extreme with a lower quality diamond haha but you get the point. I guess this is all personal preference but I would much rather know that I have one of the highest quality diamonds than try to "show off" this larger diamond that probably won't sparkle nearly as much. My diamond is .75 carats and it is fantastic. I get compliments about how beautiful my ring is constantly! I have friends who have bigger rings but they do not sparkle nearly as much. '
quality wins in my book.
The simplest way to explain this is Certified means that the ring has paperwork to verify that it is 100% what you paid for. If it says you're getting a G/VS2 then that's exactly what you're getting. If it's not certified, they could say you're getting a G/VS2 but actually round up (like saying "it's close enough") and it actually be more like an H/SI1. For non certified rings, it's more like getting an estimate.
Most diamonds in places like Kays or Zales are NOT certified suprisingly enough.
@yrret107 and @Sking - yes not all diamonds are certified. I don't know all the specifics. FI knows much more about diamonds than I do but he told me that not all diamonds are certified. However, there could be other certifiers than just GIA. Who knows.
i dont know too much about the 4 Cs. but i think the better quality, the more they sparkle! and i love rings or jewelery that sparkle!
Wow. Tons of great information. Yes, I noticed that not all diamonds are certified. I was wondering about that.
Ugh...I don't know what I will do. As of right now, I just want to get an entirely different stone in a size I want and leave it at that! I would be happy with that since I have other diamond rings I could wear if I want something sparkly but my husband is so damn traditional that he thinks a 3 stone diamond ring with a plain band doesn't look like you are married, so no way would he think a blue sapphire or something else would look like I was married, even if Kate Middleton has one now.
I guess I have tons of research to do when we really do plan to look in September. It's just hard b/c I want a bigger ring b/c of the way it looks on my hand. I just can't justify spending tons on a smaller ring, regardless of quality. Hmmm...I guess I have my answer there. Although, I won't spend tons of a really crappy ring either.
@pinkstardustdesigns: What kind of budget are we talking here? Might be able to help you out.
I second littlemissmango. This is what my local jewler told FI and me as well. The better the cut the more sparkle you get. If you want sparkle absolutely make sure the cut is nothing less than Very Good, but go higher if you can. And she's right as well about putting a D and H side by side you can barely tell a difference if at all. And once it gets mounted on your ring, without a D to compare it right next to, you absolutely cannot tell. So to answer your question, I think you have to meet somewhere in between. Certainly, if the clarity is kind of low, but you cannot see any inclusions with the naked eye, then its worth the money you save. And if you pick an H color and it still looks clear once put in your setting then its probably worth the money you save.
My FI and I picked something in the near colorless range, a little lower than I had originally expected to pick and somethign with a little lower clarity grade as well. This was at the advice of our jeweler and he ended up saving us a few thousand dollars and I was still able to get a good size diamond within our budget that doesn't look like we skimped just for size.
I actually voted for the bigger stone. My mom has a 1.5 carat that is gorgeous and has one flaw in it that I still can't see it even when she points it out.
I voted bigger less quality. As long as it doesn't look fake, and not too over the top huge.
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bigger diamond but not as good quality, or a smaller diamond that was very good quality?
Now that hubby said we would upgrade my ring this fall, I have been researching like crazy. What I really want is a 1.5-2 (more like 1.5 with our budget) solitaire. I know a great jeweler who only deals with high quality diamonds. I could get a .75 ct from him for about the same amount of money. He says (which I know is true) that it will look better than a bigger stone because of the quality. But...I can't help but still want the big stone. I wear bigger jewelry all the time and just rather have a bigger stone. My husband also says no way should we pay to get a smaller stone, even if it's much better quality. I'm not 100% sure what to do. I don't want a bigger stone to "show off". It's just I always wanted that single solitaire ring and the one I currently could wear (my mom's .3 or smaller) is just so small on my hand. My mom told me that when my dad gave it to her years ago, she couldn't stand it b/c it was so small (she always wears big rings). I wear it on my right hand sometimes for sentimental reasons but when I tried to wear it on my ring finger when my original e-ring was so tight, I just felt like I was wearing a child's ring.
Can you just please (if you don't mind) tell me what you would do. Just want to get some opinions.
I know...I'm totally ring obsessed lately! I just got my anniversary ring re-done (granted it was free b/c the diamonds were from a necklace a client gave my mother) and while I really like it, I know it's not something I want to wear forever as my upgrade and my husband doesn't really like it that much anyways.
Thank you!