Buying a Men's Diamond Ring: Color, Clarity & Cut Advice

Question
hello mr. Levy
happy holidays~
I'm considering my first diamond purchase, a solitaire with a nice big .5 or bigger.
...need some more information. This is for
style, not for investment. Is the extra money
for an Ideal cut worth considering, and will
I really be sad later if I dont get a grade F
or better?
Thanks a lot~
Dan

Answer
Hi Dan,
Happy new year,
In my opinion, for a mens ring you shold be happy with an H-I color and an SI1-SI2 clarity.
A 0.50 ct like this in an ideal cut should cost you no more then a $ 1000 total for the stone, if its not an Ideal cut you should pay about $ 800- 850 total.
I dont think an F color is necessery at all and for an untrained eye there will be no difference once the stone is mounted in the ring.
If the prices that your jeweler is asking you for are higher then those I indicated, he is overcharging you and you should look around.
If you need, I can reffer you to a jeweler in your area that can provide the diamond to you in this price.
Hope I helped.
Moshe Levy
Legend Diamonds
213-820-3242