Q&A: Irishman in Japan Looking for Princess Cut Diamond Ring

Hello, thanks for your helpful website. Was looking for a good engagement ring with my girlfriend online yesterday but had no idea what websites to look at so I just looked at the websites from a couple of brick and mortar shops in Northern Ireland (which I come from and no longer live in).

I was wondering if you could give me your opinion on what you think about this ring and if you have any advice?

http://lunns.portfoliooffinediamonds.com/Diamonds-&-Engagement-Rings/Single-stone-diamond rings/AllCuts/AllPrices/1300040089

My main issue is that I’m currently living in Japan so I’m a little worried about going into shops over here or Japanese websites. A friend of mine also told me prices over here are vastly inflated because of the wedding industry.

Looking forward to your reply.

Here is the GIA reference number: 2121172409

…….

Thanks for offering to help. I’ve asked what the GIA number is but here’s the last e-mail I received from them with some pictures.

Thank you for getting back to me.

I have spoken to our watch manager, who would post high value items to clients in the Far East, and he uses FedEx through a company called G4S. This fully insures the item to a higher value, as Royal Mail will only cover each parcel to £2500, which would mean if you wanted wedding bands they would have to go in 2 parcels and would be twice the postage price.

Anyway, with his option the postage should be cheaper. We would have to get the exact price if you wanted to go ahead, as it is based on the value of the items. But apx £150 should cover the total, it may even be less. 

I have attached a pic of the ring that you are enquiring about and I have also sent you 2 pics of the diamond ring with plain gold wedding bands. The wedding bands are also from our Portfolio collect so you can view them on line.

The first ring is the ladies 3mm medium weight court shaped band at £260. The 2nd is the heavy weight court shaped band at £325.

Personally having tried them on I think that the heavier weight feels more comfortable on with the engagement ring, but this is just my own personal opinion. There isn’t a big difference in the price, but I have also attached an image so that you can see the difference from the side, as they are the same width.

If you were thinking of a diamond set wedding band, just let me know and I will have a look to see if there is anything suitable in stock.

The Portfolio wedding bands also have a selection of gents, in 5mm, again in medium and heavy weight. They are available in three metals. 18ct yellow gold, platinum and palladium, which is a member of the platinum family, it is a pure white metal and very durable, but is less dense than platinum. It is considerably cheaper than platinum, which has been getting increasing more expensive, so it is included in our collection as a less expensive alternative.

With regards to choosing a diamond, this can be a minefield. As diamonds are a natural gemstone, there will never be two exactly the same, even if on paper (ie a certificate) they have the same characteristics. I would advise you that a certificate by a reputable diamond grading lab (IGI/GIA/Anchorcert) is important to a customer as it is your guarantee that you are getting what is being stated. However choosing a diamond for beauty and sparkle is something that can only be seen by the eye.

With Portfolio of Fine Diamonds at Lunn’s our expert diamond buyers hand pick every diamond that comes into our stock. The diamonds are chosen by eye as this is what our customers see when they come to look at a diamond.

Regarding clarity – Inclusions in a stone are ‘birthmarks’ that have occurred during the diamonds formation. Whilst a VS graded diamond will be more expensive than an SI grade, it is certainly the type of inclusion that effects greatest on the appearance of a diamond. For example a few tiny black marks in a stone can impair the appearance greater than a larger cloud or feather.

The diamond in question, is a G colour and SI2 clarity. I have looked at it and whilst there is a feather type inclusion visible with a 10x magnification, it is not easily detected with the naked eye, and this is whilst looking for it. The certificate is from GIA and states the polish as very good and symmetry good, there is no florescence in the stone and the measurements are 4.87 x 4.76 x 3.50mm.

Xxxxx, I obviously want to give you as much information as possible, and hope I haven’t overloaded you. But as you cannot see the ring until it would be sent to you and at that stage, it would be a hassle to return the ring if you weren’t happy. If there is anything else at all that you would like to ask, or any queries, just forward me an email and I will be happy to answer these for you.

Q’s Response: 

Also another couple of quick questions, I was looking at some websites that listed cut quality, table and depth as factors in making a decision, do you have these ratings for the ring in question? I also read that the minimum recommended clarity for a princess cut diamond would be VS2 but the ring in question is SI2 how will this difference affect the appearance of the diamond? Should I consider going for a lower carat diamond to have a higher quality clarity?

Response from Irish jeweler:

Unfortunately at this time, we do only ship to Ireland and the UK. 

However, we would like to try to help you with this, so could you leave it with me and I will make a few enquiries about options and prices for posting to Japan.

But this diamond at least has a GIA certificate, since it has the number 2121172409. I tried looking at the report on the GIA website and so this diamond seems legit. Do you think it’s worth the asking price?

Having said that I went out with my girlfriend yesterday and we were looking at rings together and in the end she wasn’t as married to the princess cut as I’d thought. Essentially what we’re looking for is a simple setting with a fairly large diamond say around 0.7 ct or bigger. Her fingers are size 6 in japanese terms but she really likes a diamond of good size. She says that she doesn’t mind between yellow gold and platinum but I think her preference might lean toward platinum. Considering my budget altogether would be around $3700 could you give me any advice?

0.71 carats.

By the way I noticed on your TAD profile a picture that looks like it’s from the Giant’s causeway in Northern Ireland, am I right?

Thanks for the warning! I certainly won’t buy it then! Could you help me find another diamond then within my price range or is it a bit too much of a big ask?

My budget is $3700 and I’m looking to have it shipped to Japan if that’s not too much trouble. Just to reiterate what I’m looking for is a 0.7 or larger carat diamond in a simple yellow gold or platinum setting. We were originally interested in finding one in a princess cut but when we saw some of the round (I assume brilliant) cuts yesterday I think the sparkle won her heart a little.

So it does’t matter that there isn’t a picture of the diamond? I shouldn’t request a look should I?

Ok I’ll ask them to put it on hold. But it’s your strong recommendation to strike while the iron is hot on this particular stone?

By the way I noticed that the setting is 14k white gold I know that’s to help keep it within budget but I was wondering if I should also consider stretching my budget to get the platinum if I’m going for the silver look. I read somewhere that white gold loses it’s finish reasonably fast and that in paying for maintenance I’ll probably end up spending the same as I would for the platinum eventually.

Also doesn’t TAD have a coupon code or is that for special occasions/circumstances?

I will certainly let you know. You’ve been a great help and I’ll like you right after I pop the question. One last thing (I hope), you mentioned asking them not to set the diamond, what is the advantage of that? Does it save some cost or something should I receive it and be unhappy? And is it easy to get a jeweler to set a diamond?

They added a picture of the diamond so I was wondering if you could take a final look. There does appear to be something like a thread in the top left but that shouldn’t put me off should it?

https://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/H-VS1-Ideal-Cut-Princess-Diamond-1499778.asp

I proposed to my love last Thursday and I just wanted to thank you for helping provide the perfect ring for the occasion!