is 1.20 carat a big diamond?

[OpticalPrime]

my wife and I got married when we were 20-21 years old. At the time, we didnt have alot of money being so young and a baby on the way.\

We have now been married going on 9 years (anniversary in 2 weeks). The engagement ring I bought her is platinum, but only like .5 carrat total. The solitare is like .25 ct. Ya its pathetic, but I was young.

well alot of our friends are finally getting married and settling down and all the girl's rings are big and fancy. She doesnt really say anything, but I know she is wishing she had one like it.

Well today I bought a loose diamond. I figured we could have it placed in her ring to replace the baby diamond.

Its been 9 years since I have shopped for diamonds, so needless to say Im no expert to this... but how did I do?

Size:1.20 CT
Color: D
Clarity: VS2
Cut: princess cut

i hope it blows her away!

[J Eddington]

It only matters if it make HER happy.

[MikkiStreak]

Excellent choice!!! Each year it gets harder to locate larger diamonds that are colorless without having visible flaws...

Now that you have the center stone, if you're just looking to place it into the existing band---- you can head to almost any jeweler (retail or local) with your wife's band for advice on the best way to put the stone in.

Don't know if you're planning on having this done before your anniversary or not; but having a feel for your wife's preference is good. Depending on your current setting, some of the things they'll want input on are how high you'd want the mount to sit off the band, etc... That is the kind of question that is best answered by your wife because it's mostly about lifestyle (ie: bang the ring a lot doing dishes or not?)...

[OpticalPrime]

ya, there is no way I could have it done prior to our anniversary without her knowing. So I figure Ill just wrap up the loose diamond and give to her. Then we can go in together and let her do the rest.

[kenw]

Make sure she's ok with the idea....My wife would kill me. 32 years later, that 1/3c ring has been repaired numerous times, and is now permanently soldered to another ring to increase the strength so it doesn't bend as much.

I once did exactly what you propose, but the loose 1/2c diamond wound up as a pendant. She loves it, and it is special, but nothing can replace the original. btw, I paid $150 hard earned bucks for that ring in 1976....

In 32 years, I've been patched up a few times, and am missing a few parts myself. I hope she keeps me....

but yes, 1.2 is big.

[Rson]

Originally Posted by kenw

Make sure she's ok with the idea....My wife would kill me. 32 years later, that 1/3c ring has been repaired numerous times, and is now permanently soldered to another ring to increase the strength so it doesn't bend as much.

I once did exactly what you propose, but the loose 1/2c diamond wound up as a pendant. She loves it, and it is special, but nothing can replace the original. btw, I paid $150 hard earned bucks for that ring in 1976....

In 32 years, I've been patched up a few times, and am missing a few parts myself. I hope she keeps me....

but yes, 1.2 is big.

Yeah, after so many years the size doesn't matter, the sentiment does.

Did she express a need for a larger stone? If not, I would go for something different like a anniversary ring, milestone ring, or parent ring with childrens stones in it.

[Imagebuffet]

The Strawn-Wagner Diamond on display in the visitor's center at Crater of Diamonds, Arkansas, is a 1.09 carat, flawless diamond. Shirley Strewn sold it to the Park for $30k. It was the first flawless diamond certified by the American Gem Society.

[peeker]

Well, it is going to be based on where you bought the diamond and if it has a certification. Here is an idea of what it should cost... Based on the wholesale marketplace...

Size:1.20 CT
Color: D
Clarity: VS2
Cut: princess cut

Costs $8,700 per carat

Which means minimum, it should be worth $10,440 on the wholesale market...
Retail could be as high as $16-18K just for the diamond.

http://www.awesomegems.com/diamond-priceguide.html#top

My recommendation is depending on where you bought it, to have it appraised before you take it anywhere to have it mounted.

[Brains]

Nah, you can get that stone cheaper than 10k retail. Search bluenile for cost comparisons.

I'm planning on "upgrading" the wife's stone at random intervals throughout our life together. I proposed to her with a half caret center stone. I upgraded her to a one caret for the wedding. I'll upgrade her to something larger at one of our anniversaries.

As for size, a lot of it's visual impact depends on the setting and the cut. But all that really matters is how it makes your wife feel.

[ggeen]

Don't know nuttin about diamonds. My dad bough mom a NEW engagement ring for one of the anniversaries. Same basic design but with the type of modification you mentioned for the exact same reason. The original is in a safety deposit box and mom wears the new one now. It has been 57 or 58 years now. He must be doing something right. :)

Mom said the original has sentimental value and did not want to change it. So, talk to the Mrs. about your idea.

[toverman]

Opinions are going to vary, but hers is the most important ... so let her pick what she wants to do with it. She might want it placed in another ring, or in a pendant. Or maybe she'll follow your original thought and upgrade the ring she's got.

My wife and I have been married 10 years this year, and we got hitched when both of us were poor newpaper journalists. She wouldn't trade her ring for anything, even though it's a total 1 ct weight, with a half-carat center stone and two quarter-carat stones on either side.

[C!LLY]

my husband decided to surprise me with a ring a few years ago, nut he went the wrong way. he took my other rings and didnt tell me about it and let me think that I had lost my mind (and rings) for two weeks, then took me with him to pick up my new ring. He took my other rings so that he had the right size. I was kinda mad that he did that. I do however love this ring and I wear it with my wedding band since I never had an engagement ring.

[DeannaD]

She will LOVE it. If she can't part with the original she can just relocate it to a different finger.

[srwatters]

With the naked eye, you're going to have to look REALLY hard to see the difference between colors D, E, & F. Personally I think in the larger stones, going higher (less color) than G is a bit of a waste of money. It's the same with the clarity. Without a loupe, I can't see the inclusions at VS1 or VS2. You're spending a ton more money to get to VVS. or F if you go there.

Now where the $ IS really spent well is the cut. Depending on the shape you want, getting a stone with the ideal table size and cuts will make all the difference in the world in how it presents and reflects light. That you can absolutely see with the naked eye.

Have fun. I know my wife sure loves the shiny little buggers

[Hogleg 44]

Make sure it is securely mounted!!!
If it is just held by prongs, they can get caught, and bend, and bye bye diamond!
"Voice of experience!!!"