Non-mainstream stores can consider (just google/facebook them):
1. Tailored 1Jewel (The diamonds they offer me is decent, I think all of them scored 100% on Enchanted Diamond Cut Score Calculator (https://enchanteddiamonds.com/cut-score-calculator) and all of them scored below 2 for HCA (http://www.pricescope.com/tools/hca, lower score is better) and the price is good. I did not purchase from them because I prefer super ideal whereby Hearts and Arrows can be seen clearly, however I did ask them to custom made my ring setting. Although the final product did not meet my expectation, which I think is a rare case for Tailored Jewel, but they honour their money-back guarantee and refunded me in full, hence I will still recommend them. You may read about my experience here: http://myengagementringexperience.blogspot...ia-review.html). They should be having promotion now, so feel free to ask them.

2. iDo Jewellery (My ring is customized by them, there are some initial problems, but the overall outcome is alright. (http://myengagementringexperience.blogspot.my/2016/08/looking-for-ring-setting.html)

3. ZCOVA (The diamond I randomly asked recently seems good for that price point, hence I will recommend it as well, although some diamonds they offer me previously did not fare well on the Enchanted Diamond Cut Score Calculator or HCA, so just request for the GIA number of the diamonds they are able to offer for your budget). They should be having promotion now, so feel free to ask them.

Mainstream stores (Wah Chan is recommended by colleagues and forumers, while Habib is recommended by forumer. It seems that both have competitive prices for GIA graded diamonds:
1. Wah Chan

2. Habib

Online from USA:
1. WhiteFlash (I bought my stone from this site, got taxed 6% GST for importing it in). http://myengagementringexperience.blogspot...ash-review.html

2. Brian Gavin Diamonds (Recommended this because the cutter used to be with WhiteFlash)

Other Tips:
1. Now, for your budget, you probably can get something around 0.4-0.48ct. Importing in a WhiteFlash 0.4~0.43ct super ideal diamond + ring setting done locally will up your budget til around RM 8K.
2. Buying loose diamond and ring setting separately will be more expensive.
3. Western custom is left hand ring finger.
4. It is hard to measure without letting her know, but you can try to do it when she is sleeping, or ask her family/friends. Also, you have to know her preference, some people like it tight, some people don't. If I were to do it all over again, I will propose using a temporary loose stone ring holder: http://beyond4cs.com/loose-diamonds/is-it-...-mounted-stone/. And then, I will go find a custom setting together. This is because resizing can have complications, such as slight drop in quality compared to the first time, also, some settings are so unique that they are unable to be resized. If you like this way, you can get the ring holder at AliExpress: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/FREE-SHIPPI...20-317462baee4b
5. Lastly, you can post your questions here: https://forum.lowyat.net/index.php?showtopic=3224055&hl=

Few days... If shipped out on Tuesday from US, probably can receive latest by Friday, for West Malaysia. WhiteFlash uses Fedex International Priority, so it is pretty fast. Please also note that WhiteFlash, which is based in Houston, is slower by 14 hours, so even if you purchase at 4pm Malaysia time, they are still able to ship out around 11pm - 12am our time, and someone from Fedex will actually be able to pick them up that time. Fedex will help you pay all the necessary taxes first, so please prepare slightly more than 6% of your purchase price. This is because on top of the item you purchase, you will need to pay the taxes for the shipment and insurance, which is actually not that much, compare to the 6% of the diamond.

And yes, making the setting separately is more costly, but it gives me more freedom, so I am okay with it.

This post has been edited by kambingkoh: Jan 3 2017, 02:01 PM

If you are referring to Designer Ring Setting, unfortunately, it is really sold separately. Normal ring setting is already more expensive than what you can get locally, so designer ring setting itself is definitely more expensive. However, the loose diamond price is quite competitive for such quality, that's why I purchased my loose diamond there, and have it set locally.

You can always get customized setting here. I got mine from iDo Jewellery, however, I heard that price has increased til RM 1,900 now for simple solitaire design.

Between - 10K to 11K, my diamond is 0.53ct.

Between - 10K to 11K, my diamond is 0.53ct F color VS2.

If you decided to buy from WhiteFlash, appreciate if you can use my affiliate link:
http://www.whiteflash.com/?a_aid=myengringexp

And quote me as referral:

all the best!

Haha, I did not buy from them before. But they are quite fast in terms of repsonding to emails. It is a good place to survey for diamond prices, but I am not sure about other areas. One thing I am sure is that they end my emails with "Do you wish to proceed with the sale?". Anyway, that time I was very new to diamonds and I don't know what questions to ask. Maybe they will be able to answer on certain questions regarding the diamond angles and proportions. Anyone interested should try asking.

For jrrsim, if budget is really your main concern. Please get the quotes from the 3 vendors below:
1. Tailored Jewel (was introduced by bb100 too)
2. ZCOVA
3. Eumayco (you will see them alot on facebook advertisement once you searched for rings)

Ask them if they have promotion running. Ask them for a few diamonds' cert number. To determine which one is the best:
http://www.pricescope.com/tools/hca (type in proportions according to cert, not that hard)
http://www.pricescope.com/tools/AGA_NAJA_Cut_Class_Grader (type in the proportions according to cert, not that hard)
https://enchanteddiamonds.com/cut-score-calculator (easiest, just put in cert number)

Good luck and all the best in your diamond hunt!

This post has been edited by kambingkoh: Jan 9 2017, 02:10 PM

Usually online stores overseas use Fedex. Along with insurance as well. They will pass to you by hand!

http://datlas.com/do-it-yourself-aganaja-cut-class-grader/
http://datlas.com/AGA_NAJA_Cut_Class_grader/index.php:


https://enchanteddiamonds.com/cut-score-cal...ate=2171945737:


The crown angle is actually too steep at 36 degrees. May affect light return. Hence Datlas class grader returns 2B for it, which means it is at 4 out of 8 (lower is better). Read:

ProsumerDiamond link


Therefore, check with iDo for the IdealScope and ASET as suggested by bb100, they do have them according to what I was told.

This post has been edited by kambingkoh: Jan 9 2017, 01:59 PM

Wow, same proportions, other than the depth.


Tab Percent: 1A
Crown Angle: 2B
Crown Height: 1A
Pavilion Depth: 1B
Girdle: 1B
Depth: 1B
Polish: 1A
Symmetry: 1A
TotalGrade: 1B

Girdle and depth grading drop slightly by 1 grade. HCA is same as before @1.9. Fire is excellent because of the steep crown @36 degrees, but at the expense of brilliance (light return).

But then, my advice is still go for the 0.4ct because every 0.1ct is a big jump, and the amount difference (RM 400) does not seem to fill the actual price difference. In other words, 0.4ct is more value for money. 0.34ct is not worth it in this case.

If you buy anything less than 0.4ct from iDo, WhiteFlash can offer you a better deal. They provide free shipping as well as insurance (but the price for shipment and insurance is taxable in Malaysia at 6%, luckily it is not that much). The diamond is also taxable, but then even adding in 6% GST, the price is still cheaper than what is offered to you. Just plug in the numbers into Datlas Cut Grader and HCA, I am sure the score will be better than what iDo offered you for the 0.34ct. Also, I have also included in RM 2000 for the setting when calculating the price.


In fact, another diamond that is sold by BGD is very close to 0.4ct, but you save on the premium for the 0.1ct price jump. They provide you with all the details, and the price is still not bad. Although it is SI1, since this is their signature diamond, it should be fine, then D colour is even 1 grade higher, although not significantly higher. But then, people will notice the overall colour more than clarity because colour is more obvious.
http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamonds...#33;prettyPhoto[gallery2]/0/
The downside of BGD is that you may need to pay for the shipping, insurance, and the ring box (as far as I remember). Anyway, I may check with them when I have the time.

So once again, my advice is to go for 0.4ct if possible. If not, buy online elsewhere is cheaper.

Here is the math for a 0.33ct diamond:
I round up to 900 USD. Exhange rate I put it 4.53 so diamond price is RM 4077. Add in GST, total is RM 4321.62. Add in tax for freight and insurance, probably will only cost you something like RM 50 - RM 100. Anyway, I just put high enough til RM 4500. So diamond price is RM 1000 difference. Let iDo do the setting is probably RM 1900 (last heard is this). So I boost up til RM 2000. So total is RM 6500. Complete ring. E color and F color is 1 grade different. So is VS1 and VS2. But you now get a super ideal cut from WhiteFlash, compare to a over-steep 36 degrees. I am not expert, but I know 36 degrees is not that recommended by experts, unless of course when the deal is good, but it is not in this case.

Even worse.

https://enchanteddiamonds.com/cut-score-cal...cate=5233181671
Cut Score: 65.6

Datlas Cut Class Grader:
Tab Percent: 1B
Crown Angle: 3A
Crown Height: 2A
Pavilion Depth: 1A
Girdle: 2B
Depth: 1A
Polish: 1A
Symmetry: 1A
TotalGrade: 2B

So, grade: 4/8

Remember HCA is not everything because they take into account of 17 facets only. Standard round diamond has 57 facets, include culet will have 58 facets. Anyway, we just call it 57 facets.

Also, remember that HCA is not diamond selector tool, it is a diamond rejection tool. Although this diamond passed HCA with 1.1, but then it failed on other tests. Read more about HCA here: http://www.goodoldgold.com/consumers-guide-hca

Checked on the cert indicates that the crown angle is toooooo shallow at 31.5 degrees. More steep = more fire. Usually online research will encourage people too choose a crown angle between +- 34 to +- 35.

Also, at 31.5 degrees, Hearts & Arrows most likely will not be found:
http://www.heartsandarrows.com/hearts-arro...al-cut-dna.aspx

Just don't buy it.

This post has been edited by kambingkoh: Jan 9 2017, 04:00 PM

Well it passed all the checkpoints. What is cert number?

http://niceice.com/diamond-buying-secrets/...buying-success/

Total depth between 59 – 61.8% (pass)
Table diameter between 53 – 58% (pass)
Crown angle between 34.3 – 34.9 degrees (pass)
Pavilion angle between 40.6 – 40.9 degrees (pass)
Lower girdle facets between 75 – 78% (fail)
Star facets between 45 – 50% (last check with him, he increased the star length to 55%, so pass)
Girdle thickness between thin and slightly thick (pass)

http://www.prosumerdiamonds.com/how-to-pick-diamond/

Table: 53-57% (pass)
Total Depth: 60 – 61.5% (max 62.5% for a 4% girdle) (pass)
Crown Angle (CA)/ Pavilion Angle (PA)
– For CA = 34°, PA = 41°
– For CA = 34.5°, PA = 40.6° – 40.8° (pass)
– For CA = 35°, PA = 40.6°
Star Length (SL) / Lower Girdle (LGF)
– For SL = 50%, LGF = 75 – 80%
– For SL = 55%, LGF = 75% (fail)
Girdle Thickness: Thin to medium (2.5 – 3% preferred) (pass)

http://beyond4cs.com/shapes/round/ideal-proportions/


Table: pass
Crown: pass
Pavilion: pass
Depth: pass

http://www.heartsandarrows.com/hearts-arro...al-cut-dna.aspx
Pavilon: pass (optimum)
Crown: pass (optimum)
Table: pass (optimum)
LGF: pass (not optimum)
Star: pass (not optimum)

Crown angle = Tolkowsky’s ideal proportions
Pavilion angle = Close enough to Tolkowsky’s ideal proportions (40.75)

Don't worry about the "fail" part, those are just individual opinions from different websites. Also, don't worry too much about the faint fluorescence. In fact, according to http://beyond4cs.com/grading/fluorescence/...parency-issues/, there is a significantly high chance that it won't cause any issue such as milky appearance. You may ask your seller to check for the appearance and see if it is milky or not, if he/she is able to get the images of the diamond, it is even better. Images will be diamond image, ASET image, idealscope image.

Lastly, among all the stones you show me, I think this is the one I will buy myself personally. Since we are buying without actually looking into the real diamond, then all we can rely is the figures, and it will be best if we can verify our decision with the necessary images.

Hope this helps and good luck.

That's why I keep on repeating myself "please get the diamond image, ASET image, Idealscope image." Hahahaha. And if buying blind is the buyer's only options, all they can rely on is really figures. But then okay... jacky91, really please get the images.

Actually bb100 is right as well. Diamond with fluorescence is cheaper than those with none. So is good if you can negotiate the price.

Your one is Virtual Selection. Hence, no images. Try to look at their A-Cut-Above (ACA) or Expert Selection. Personally will only look at ACA to save on time and headache. All the scopes are there for your viewing pleasure. The diamonds are graded by AGS, not GIA. But then, really, this 2 labs are compatible with each other, if AGS is not better. Their certs will show more detail.

Don't bother getting GIA from them. It is not cheap on WhiteFlash. If you want GIA, JamesAllen got plenty of them for your viewing pleasure. But then, they do not ship to Malaysia. However, they do ship to Singapore, hence, if you are working there, or someone can get it back for you, then it is good. But please be reminded VAT may apply - SG is 7%.

Open your cert URL. Is inside.

I think the "payment" is for shipment of the diamond to their store. Not for the actual stone. jacky91 please correct me if I am wrong.