Here is another one that I personally like by the numbers :
https://black.briangavindiamonds.com/diamon...?a_aid=myengexp (affiliate link). Unlike Whiteflash, you might need to pay for shipping though, but you can try to request for free shipping, sometimes may get it. If no, shipping should be USD 50 and above. Just check with the sales consultant for the images.
FYI, the 0.71ct G VS2 price is relatively cheap compared to what you can get for a super ideal. But again, we don't know the cut quality base on numbers alone.
And there is one more player in the super ideal realm-https://www.hpdiamonds.com/en-us/diamonddetail/HPD10413
I am not affiliate with them but from what I know, a lot people like their diamonds. The diamond they distribute is known as Crafted by Infinity. Note that this brand is distributed by many other retailers, High Performance Diamonds is just one of them. I seldom promote them mainly because their prices are usually higher than both Whiteflash and Brian Gavin Diamonds. However, with the recent announcement that they have cut down on the cost, I am sure their prices are pretty competitive. What I really like about this company is always the Crown Angle and Pavilion Angle pairing. They seem to strike a very good balance. I started to analyse abit on this after their customers keep giving them good reviews. Also, the Crown Angle and Pavilion Angle correlates with what my wife's Lazare diamond is doing. To be honest, my wife love the Lazare more than the ACA, but we have to go case-by-case basis. Not all Lazare perform as good and not all ACAs are not as good. Anyway, I can agree that Crafted by Infinity has very good consistency in their Crown Angle and Pavilion Angle pairing. It is evident in their ASET which you can see on their grading report. They provide free ASET, Idealscope for you to play with too! Together with free shipping to Malaysia when I last check.
Overall, you choices are plenty. Buying from overseas are very safe as they are shipped using FedEx International Priority and the item is insured. There are no taxes for loose diamond, and you can get superior cut at a reasonable price. Using Money Match to transfer can assure that the recipient will receive the full exact amount, and you don't have to be worried about the recipient complaining and demanding for the differences. Anyway, I don't think they will demand if there are some bank charges at their side, I am pretty sure all these super ideal players will gladly absorb the charges, but since Money Match provides bank beating rates, I don't see why we will use banking service. Depending on various factors, they might be slight slower sometimes, but the benefit gained far outshine the cons. Besides, you can get RM 50 off using my referral code REF_ACOO for your first transfer.
For ring setting RM 3k... Are you planning to get platinum? Anyway, if you are getting 18k white gold, with your budget, you can already get 2 x ring settings from Memory Jewellery lol. But if you want comfort fit, you can consider iDo Jewellery. Price is higher, but they use palladium in their 18k white gold, which makes their ring hypoallergenic (highly unlikely to cause sensitivity to skin). Standard rings use nickel, which might cause sensitivity issue to a minority group of people. In other words, they are relatively safe for most people.
And if you don't want to do the ring setting first, you can request for a ring style holder, spring holder to hold you loose diamond for you to propose first, then only bring your other half to select the setting. This is because you save yourself some headache if you don't know the ring size or the design she likes. High Performance Diamonds give it for free, while both Brian Gavin Diamonds and Whiteflash can give it for free. Just remind them again to put it into the package before they ship. Warning: Ring setting will hold the stone much more secure, for spring holder, if you don't clip it nicely, it might cause the stone to fly out, so handle with care, don't shake it vigorously whatsoever. It might also fly out when you clip, so clip it in a secure room. That being said, I won't recommend you to do the proposal on a sandy beach... Just In case.
And since your special day is in April, you don't have much time left if you want to make the ring setting instead of using a spring holder... So give a good thought about it these few days.
Good luck.
Oh yes, was thinking of platinum as I like the heft making it feel more premium. I don't think the ring will see much everyday use tbh, so I think the weight if fine. Plus, her skin doesn't take well to silver and some other metals, so I am a bit worried about white gold with nickel. Anyway, this is still being considered as I know palladium will also work well with sensitive skin.
After some thinking, I think I will sacrifice a small bit on cut as I don't think I need a super ideal (no one but a trained gemologist would notice). Before embarking on the search, I never thought there'd be this much thinking to be done haha. If I didn't come searching here, I would have just walked into any shops in supermarket and buy over the counter.
so, I think I am likely to go with it.
The ASET is not up to par with those Black by BG or WF's ACA, but I think kinda acceptable for "layman" purpose. Based on what I learned from sifu's here, the crown angle is off by a bit and the light return at 11 and 5 o'clock is wrong angle.
Is this an acceptable piece? Do you know if that inclusion at the 2 o'clock is a feather? However, most online reference says feather on a VS2 and above will not have any structural issue. Is that correct?