Small and Perfect or Larger Imperfect

blndygrl18

Hi All,

I'm going ring shopping with my boyfriend/future fiance this weekend.  I have been looking and have picked 2 rings.  One is a quarter carat smaller perfect diamond the other is larger about .75 and less perfect.  Slightly yellow and cloudy, but still very beauitful.  Price is very similar. 

Which would you get?

redheadfsu

Perfect, without a doubt

I have a perfectly cut diamond (hearts & arrows) & people stop me to tell me it sparkles so much (honestly). I have had strangers go wow that sparkles...even now.

An imperfect diamond is dull, why spend money on something that doesn't sparkle?

Plus a diamond that is cut well looks bigger b/c of the light/sparkles. 

alyssep

I would absolutely pick the better diamond. My diamond is not that big but it looks amazing and sparkles like you wouldn't believe in the light.

jagore08

I would also go with the better quality.  

Diamond1031

I love diamonds and I know that quality over size. I rather have a smaller better quality diamond than a bigger and poor quality. Yes bigger is sometimes Bette but not in this case. It will make you feel better knowing your diamond is perfect. I learned my lesson where I bought diamond studs that were bigger and not the greatest quality and I was very unhappy with them so I returned them and got smaller diamond studs that we're great quality. Smaller and better. :-)

greeneke2

Quality is def. better!!

I have a Leo diamond and it is so beautiful!  I get compliments everywhere I go!!

desertmomnm

I'd get the better quality for sure.  That being said you don't need it to be colorless and internally flawless to be stunning.  The cut matters more than anything.  I strongly dislike large diamonds that are poor quality.  What's the point?  They don't look nice. 

CassieeK

Definitely go for better quality!

the1inWhite

Im no ring expert, but I think you should go for the one that was smaller but better quality. big diamonds are over rated anyways, and are kind of a hassle when they catch on things.  I'd rather have something sparkly and beautiful rather than big but so-so. Good luck!!!

breaness

Quality is the way to go... but I would say keep looking.

You can sacrifice a little on color to get a larger stone, but you don't need to sacrifice on cut quality or clarity.

I'm going to say that you can keep looking and find something better.

My diamond is a .74 carat, F color, S12 clarity

It's a little lower on the clarity scale, but it's entirely eye-clean. I've looked at it with a jeweler's loupe and I've only seen one inclusion.

Most people I know with beautiful stones have stones that are graded "low"  but are eye clean. My boss got his fiance a 1.7 carat diamond (which in my opinion is a bit much) but he got it for a steal because it was graded as I1... but there are NO visible inclusions with the naked eye. There are 8 inclusions on the diamond, and they're all white and require a loupe to see them.

Anyway-- the moral of the story is that quality totally wins over size, but you can't just look at the grading reports.. you need to look at the stone in person. Get what makes you happy. If you think the larger size will make you happy-- go for it.

I really recommend you checking out pricescope.com forums. The people there are incredibly knowledgeable and really helpful. They can help you find a great stone at a great price. I wish I had found them before we got engaged.

blndygrl18

Thanks All!

KristenandJeremy

I thought the same thing when I was ring shopping...I wanted bigger even if it wasn't as perfect....

BIG time changed my mind when I was in front of rings. Smaller and perfect is so much better.

redheadfsu

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_just-engaged-proposals_small-perfect-larger-imperfect?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:683Discussion:366c7972-1564-4218-9659-8bfc9cc173e4Post:47e677ad-582a-48ee-9a84-5209672f5816">Re: Small and Perfect or Larger Imperfect</a>:
[QUOTE]I guess I will go against the majority and say go with the one you love the design/setting of more. If it is the smaller one, than go for it, if it is the larger, you can always go with the so-so diamond and upgrade in the future.  For me personally, I don't need a huge diamond, nor do I need a perfect quality one, it was more important he could comfortably afford it and I LOVE my setting.  I wouldn't change that for anything- a better diamond or larger ring.  I think it is important for you both to love it-and be proud that it is your ring.  Either way, you wont go wrong and future congrats :)
Posted by jkramas[/QUOTE]

Maybe I'm confused but why would the setting matter?  You  buy the loose diamond & then the setting. Unless it is an antique or something.

joyfulbride424

Pick the smaller more perfect one you won't regret it. Bigger and not as nice will look dull.

Milsey32

Whichever makes you more happy! [: 

meganb1977

Are you buying the center stone separately?  I think color really matters.  We looked at two diamonds, one with E color (one step down from the best you can get) and one with G color.  Size and price were comparable.  The clarity on the E color stone wasn't as good but still nothing visible to the naked eye, and that's the one I got.  It's .59 carats, not huge, but it's cut well and catches the light well and I have gotten compliements on it.  Better color = brighter more sparkly diamond :-)  I know you're eager to have your ring but you can keep shopping around if you're not certain about either of those options, if you're going to be wearing it day in and day out for years it will be worth waiting a few more weeks or even a couple months until you find the diamond you really want, see if another store or maybe even an online site like Blue Nile has better prices where you could go up a little on the size without sacrificing quality.

MeaganR12

I agree with what all the PP's have said about quality > size.

But I also wanted to add that I've heard if you're getting a yellow gold ring the color of the diamond means less than if you're getting a white metal ring. 

Good luck1

Sarahkayfa

Small and perfect. No question.

BlueBoxBride

Get the best quality you can afford. Most women with diamonds less than a carat are getting halo settings because it makes smaller stones look bigger. The other benefit to a halo or bezel set setting is that it covers the underside of the diamond... So if your diamond faces up white, that's one way to get "more look" for the money. My diamonds are all H color and VVS clarity. The higher clarity was most important to me after cut (they are all Tiffany cut) since I like perfectly clear look. The H color is bright white about 90% of the time, just not in elevators or under the different lights in our back office. If you are looking at a D, Flawless diamond and are concerned about size, you might want to look at F, G and H stones (smaller diamonds also don't show as much color. My center stone is about 1.06) and diamonds with VS2 clarity. At a VS clarity, you shouldn't see any specks and your ring should not look dirty. And always aim for an excellent CUT. A well cut stone will sparkle more and look whiter! Good luck!

Kimberly0402

Go for the smaller perfect stone. It's an investment.

MeeJay22

I would get the smaller diamond you can always get a higher setting that makes it appear larger - down the road when finances are better you can always use the smaller diamond to complement a larger one but with the lower quality larger diamond you are stuck with what you have!

dvg716

it's me...the original poster.   I was accidentally signed in under my brother's fiance's name.  She was showing me all the cool features of the knot!

We were looking at rings from a Jewelry stores estate sale and they are all pre-owned rings, but the value of them is amazing,  About  85% less than buying a comparable ring new.  They have this sale once a year for 3 days.  We bought the smaller perfect ring, which looks so beautiful and perfect on my hand. We are on a budget and the ring was $500 but is appraised for just under $3000.  Amazing Deal and we couldn't pass it up.

Not engaged yet...just bought the ring and waiting on the proposal!

Thanks for the advice everyone!  I am really happy with my decision.

MeaganR12

VERY lovely!