What carat weight diamond are you aiming for? What have you seen for prices for that stone on eBay? Give me some specifics, and I’ll give you some very specific prices here.
You also said you want a certified stone. Do you mean that the lab which certifies the stone will call it an SI[sub]1[/sub]-H, or do you mean that they’ll certify it as a diamond?
I buy and sell diamonds for a living, in addition to being a coin dealer. Give me some specifics.
At least in my end of the world, it would not be cool to give a disclaimer to your wife to go along with this most romantic (and permanent) of gifts: “don’t wash it or get it too hot!”
Nothing screams cheap quite so loudly.
Maybe in some jewelry in a birthday present. But an engagement ring is supposed to be symbolic of your eternal love, etc.
Personally, knowing now what I do about diamonds and their intrinsic worthlessness and the evil they fund in places and the greed of debeers I think I would’ve gotten her something else in an engagement ring. But it sounds like you know all about that side of things.
Bill H: Well, that’s why I’m asking… is this an irrational fear (i.e. maybe a clarity-enhanced diamond is usually 99.9% diamond and 0.1% filler?) or are these real concerns? (i.e. “10% of the time, you will see noticeable discoloration in the first year…”) If less than 1% of people ever experience a problem, no matter how badly they mistreat them… then I wouldn’t think twice about choosing one.
samclem: Glad you showed up, my good man! Ok, here are some specific examples:
Ring set, 1.15 TCW, 0.7 CT Center Stone G, VS2 (enhanced) sold today at $1,182.00
Ring, 1.98 TCW, 1.50 CT Center Stone D, VS2 (enhanced), current bid $787.00
Ring, 0.93 TCW, 0.62 CT Center Stone H, SI2 (enhanced), current bid $455.00
Ring, 2.15 TCW, 1.03 CT Center Stone F, SI1 (enhanced), current bid $761.51
Ring, 2.17 TCW, 1.09 CT Center Stone G, VS2 (enhanced), current bid $1325.00
Granted, some of these prices will go up before closing…
Some more answers to samclem:
I’m shooting for 0.7 to 1+ carats, G/H, SI2 or better. Preferably round brilliant cut.
(although I’ve seen some real sorry looking SI2s and even SI1s… I am going by the textbook definition of SI2, with no visible flaws to the naked eye)
The eBay seller sends an “Appraisal”, but this isn’t really an officially certified gem. A lot of places refuse to certify clarity-enhanced diamonds, and I know, I know… that’s supposed to be a warning sign.
I’m not sure I care if it is truly certified, because I fail to see the correlation between someone else’s opinion of value and our enjoyment of the gemstone. And I’m not planning on resale, since I figure it is futile given the nature of the diamond market. I’m also not planning to ever reset or recut the stone.
Sorry, one more that ended just now:
Ring, 1.64 TCW, 1.00 CT Center Stone, H VS2 (enhanced) sold for $1800.00
btw, these enhanced gems are princess cut, not round. :smack:
And some wives have’em appraised just because they can----if you scrounge on the engagement ring, you ain’t getting off to a good start if she does have it checked out.
Without a reputable certification, you don’t know that you’re getting the color or clarity you are paying for. This is why GIA certified diamonds go for more than EGL certified diamonds of the same grade. EGL is looser with the grade, it might be accurate, but it might grade for less than what you paid for. I think EGL will cert enhanced diamonds.
You also have no idea about the cut of the diamond, maybe some eBay sellers provide cut angles and measurements, but I wouldn’t count on it. For all the talk about clarity and color and carat, a lousy cut will make for a lousy diamond.
OTOH, for all the potential negatives, the price sure looks right, I’m seeing .70ct H/SI2 going for about $1,800 online, then you have to buy a setting and side stones.
Thanks for the comeback. I’m gonna talk to our repair guy in the AM. He’ll tell me the ins and outs of experience with sizing a ring with a “glass filled” diamond. I’ve heard the heat problems, but would rather get it straight from the horses mouth.
I’ll also talk to both of our GIA graduate gemologists about the filling. I’m not sure how you grade a diamond VS[sub]2[/sub] when it’s filled. It was an SI[sub]2[/sub] at best before filling.
We see them from time to time, but tend to not buy them. We certainly knock them down mightly in price.
I may not post til Sunday morning. Even mods have Saturday night lives…
Ok, usually I don’t. But tomorrow… 
It’s okay, samclem… a lot of the auctions don’t close until next week and there will probably be more that show up anyway. I’m not in a huge hurry, but I am planning to buy in the next week or two.
As for getting a lousy diamond, I’m relying on the no-questions-asked return policy. I figure I will look at it and if it looks great, then I’m all set. Otherwise, back it goes.
You do know that to the untrained ye- a CZ looks even nicer than a diamond, right? And a $1000 diamond looks exactly like a $5000 diamond. Get it appraised.
Or of course- you can ask her “I’ll buy you a CZ+ downpayment on a nice car- or a diamond”. 
DrDeth: Hmm. Your ideas are intriguing to me and I wish to subscribe to your newsletter. 
When you propose to/present your fiance with a clarity-enhanced diamond ring, would it bother you if she said “Since you’ve been honest about the ring, I feel it’s only right that I tell you I’m a surgically-enhanced woman. Actually, I usta be a guy.“ :eek:
edited to add: So, how did it turn out, ring & finace-wise?