Buying H&A w/Strong Blue Fluorescence?

[kevinyonker]

Buying my girlfriend a diamond engagement ring. I found 0.85ct F VVS2 H&A diamond. Polish and Symmetry are GIA Excellent - Hearts and Arrows. Proportions are AGS Ideal. Light Return is excellent. Holloway Cut Advisor grade of 1.4 with Light Return - Excellent, Fire - Excellent, Scintillation - VG and Spread - VG. GMEX Light Performance Analysis is White Light - Pegged out on Very High, Color Light - Pegged out on Very High and Scintillation - In the Middle of Very High.

AGS has Flourrescence as Strong and Helium Report reads Very Strong Blue. I have put a deposit down on this diamond. Total cost is $4,950. Question is this...Should I be concerned or pleased that this stone has strong flourescence? I haven''t bought a diamond in 15 years and did no research. I want a diamond that will amaze my soon to be wife.

This is an interent purchase and I have not physically seen the diamond. Advise is welcome and appreciated!

Kevin

 

[kechal]

I am far, far from an expert as I have only recently begun educating myself but I have read differing opinions on Fluorescene. Some have said it should not factor into the buying decison while another says pay attention to it. I have also read that for higher color diamonds it can be a negative as it has the potential to make the stone appear cloudy or oily (but that is not the case all the time). On lower color diamonds the blue can offset the yellow color to make the diamond appear whiter. I am looking at an H color stone with Stong Blue fluoresence and I cannot see any negative effect. All in all, it there seems to be a lot of debate on this.

 

[laney]

Blue flour is a preference. As it is said above - it can be desireable in lower color stones.. H - I J etc because it is seen to cancel out the yellow somewhat.

The stone would be higher priced at an F VVS without blue. The milkiness or cloudiness that is described does not occur on all stones. Probably not yours - but give a quick call to the vendor to take a look. It sounds like you are purchasing from a vendor that has done loads of tests on this stone and is familar with it. I think it would be priced lower if it had the undesirable cloudy/milk issue.

It sounds like a super stone. And, you''ll have the added bonus of the "fun" part of the Blue flourence.. under black light your stone will glow! Sometimes even in strong sunlight.

Good Luck with your purchase.

 

[BSHAW]

Yes I too have read differing opinions on this issue and I also am no expert but I think the biggest issue is that in a small percentage for strong blue flourescence diamonds they look cloudy or oily and you need to inspect them under a scope to make sure that is not the case (the online retailer may do this for you). That being said I just bought a 1.08 ct Princess cut diamond VVS2/H that had Strong Flourescence from a B&M store and I could not find any affects caused by the flourescence it just made the purchase price a little cheaper

If you do a search for flourescence you will see alot of articles on this issue and some of the experts opinions on the possible affects.

 

[Gonzodogg]

I am also not an expert, but the way flour has been described to me is that I do not want anything to do with it. (Maybe I would consider med blue, but not strong)
Do you know that you are paying A LOT of money fro something you will never see by buying the VVS?
If I were you I would see what else they have (GOG, right?) in a lower clarity. As long as it is "eye clean", no one will ever no the difference.
If you are willing to come down to an I or H in color, you might even be able to find one that is a full carat. (Call GOG or check out Whiteflash''s Expert Selection)

good luck

 

[cinnabar]

Date: 12/7/2005 1:11:47 PM
Author: Gonzodogg
I am also not an expert, but the way flour has been described to me is that I do not want anything to do with it. (Maybe I would consider med blue, but not strong)

Do you know that you are paying A LOT of money fro something you will never see by buying the VVS?

If I were you I would see what else they have (GOG, right?) in a lower clarity. As long as it is ''eye clean'', no one will ever no the difference.

If you are willing to come down to an I or H in color, you might even be able to find one that is a full carat. (Call GOG or check out Whiteflash''s Expert Selection)

good luck

Different people have different preferences and priorities - not everyone''s top C has to be carat size. I''d MUCH rather have a 0.85ct colourless diamond than a 1ct in I colour.

Fluorescence is also a matter of personal taste. I don''t like it at all so I made sure we got a diamond with none. Lots of people really love it and wouldn''t buy a diamond without, though. It''s not "good" or "bad", any more than liking round diamonds more than square ones. For strong blue fluor, I''d want someone (either trusted vendor or appraiser) to check that it''s not one of the very rare oily-looking stones. If you haven''t seen what strong blue fluor looks like, it''s probably a good idea to go to a jeweller''s and ask to see one before buying.

 

[diamondlil]

Fluorescence is definitely a matter of personal taste. Personally, I like it and have an E color with medium blue. But if I were purchasing a high color diamond (D, E, F) with strong fluorescence, having the vendor eyeball the stone before sending it would make me feel much better just to be sure there is no milky/oily look to it.

I would agree with USMC about the VVS1 clarity, but again it''s a personal preference. There is no way my eyes would see an inclusion in a VS1 or probably VS2 (I''m personally fine with SI1 or SI2), and by dropping to that level you could get a larger stone for the same $$. Just my 2 cents though.

 

[kevinyonker]

Many thanks to everyone that took the time to share their thoughts and comments. The diamond is from goodoldgold.com.
Ask them to take a look at the diamond to check for oily/milky appearnace due to strong flouresence? Wow...what a great idea! Why didn''t I think of that?

I will email goodoldgold or call them and ask if they will check it out for me. If you''d like, I''ll let you know if they will do this?
FYI, I went to the mall and checked out a "Hearts of Fire" diamond. It was .73 SI1 Clarity and I color. They were asking
$5,025 for such a mediocre quality stone. That said, it was absolutely stunning due to it''s cut. For the money, I thought I would look for a higher quality diamond with just as much "WOW"...maybe even a little more for around the same price.

I guess what impressed me was the 3 out 3 very highs this diamond scored on the Gemex Light Performance Analysis.

Kevin

 

[Shay37]

The stone sounds wonderful. BTW, we already know that they will look at it for you.

Jonathan''s one of the good guys around here.

shay

 

[glitterata]

It will probably look purplish in sunlight. You might not like that. Or you might love it--I do! GOG has a good return policy, so if you don''t like it you can send it back.

 

[MrsFrk]

I have a G colored stone with strong blue, and I love it.
I think the fluoro gives it character. Did you know that diamonds with blue fluoro used to command a premium?
Definitely ask GOG if it is milky at all in sunlight- most are not, and in the sun they look like they are lit from within. Plus if you ever walk under a black light it glows. Pretty nifty.

 

[kevinyonker]

Shay37 and Glitterata and others who commented,

I called Good Old Gold and the gentleman that answered the phone knew who I was. He said he was just getting ready to send me an email on another diamond I inquired about. He was knowledgeable about the diamond I put on hold with the
strong flourescence. He said it had absolutely no milky/oily appearance. I am so glad I ask. Also, I ask him about the other diamond I was interested in. It is a Solafera .70 E SI1 for $4,365...$700 less than the H&A .85 F VVS2 I have on hold. I emailed Good Old Gold asking if the inclusion on the Solafera was visible to the naked eye. It looked prominent in the microscope photo. He said it took him 5 minutes to find it with a loop. It must have been highly magnified in the photo.

I ask him if I should go with the Solafera or the H&A. He said he would go with the H&A because it was a nicer/larger diamond and the difference in "visual performance" would be very small. Any comments of the Solafera?

Kevin

 

[ecf8503]

Date: 12/7/2005 4:01:55 PM
Author: kevinyonker

I guess what impressed me was the 3 out 3 very highs this diamond scored on the Gemex Light Performance Analysis.


Kevin

I have a D color with strong blue fluoresence and I like it! Mine is not oily or milky at all, and I kind of like the "life" it has - don''t be afraid of it. If you get it and don''t like it, send it back.

That said, be cautious about interpreting BS reults too - a triple very high isn''t for everyone (especially if you like broad flashes of colored light). The more I learn about the BS the more I think a tr VH isn''t for me either, although that''s what mine is. It isn''t right or wrong, just a visual preference - if you want a stone with lots of pinpoint sparkle and white light return, yes go with a tr VH. If you want to see more colored flashes, maybe consider a different stone - Jonathan can help you sort through them if you have a preference. Also because of the extra faceting the Solasfera is going to look "busier" than an 8 point H&A. I''ve never seen one in person, but I know that in a smaller stone I don''t think I''d like the busy look visually.

Just some food for thought (not meant to confuse you at all, as the stone you have selected is very nice!)

 

[portoar]

I haven''t seen a Solasfera but I have seen diamonds with extra faceting. The choice between that and a H&A diamond has to be a personal choice. For me, I did not like the business of the extra faceting, it is not a "clean" look. It may come off better with bigger carat weights.

I''ve never seen a diamond with strong flourescence but would be very interested to see one. Can you post the link to the one you are considering at GOG?

 

[blodthecat]

Hi Kevin,

Please go for your first choice. As the others have pointed out, you can always return it, if your not happy.

I have recently bought my first solitaire with flourescence. It is a ''leo diamond'' 1.15ct S1 colour I. (flourescence strong blue)

I bought it because it had a fantastic light analysis report. When the ring arrived, i was over the moon.

Mine has no cloudiness at all. I absolutely love the appearance.

I am not an expert, but i am a serious diamond fanatic and I know a good stone when i see it.....so take a look at the H&A, because i think you''re going to absolutely love it.

Let us know what you decide.

best wishes dyanne (england, UK)

 

[Brighter_Suns]

Knowing now that it is not oliy or cloudy, I say go for it. I just bought a .87 carat H&A F VS2 which scored a HSA of 0.8 and I love it (FYI I paid $4664 which puts yours right in line with the VVS2 grade). It is true you could go down in colour or calrity and get a larger stone but keep in mind your diamond is probably less than 5% in diameter of a full carat. Faced with the same decision I kept the smaller diamond with higher grade. That it demands a higher price is because of the rarity and exquisite cut, and to me I wanted her to have something you would never find in a mall store. You found a beautiful diamond.......enjoy it!

 

[WinkHPD]

Date: 12/8/2005 8:57:36 AM
Author: kevinyonker

He was knowledgeable about the diamond I put on hold with the strong flourescence. He said it had absolutely no milky/oily appearance. I am so glad I ask.

I and most of us here already knew it without your asking and without him having to tell you. The advantage of dealing with the vendors here is that most of them have already checked for these things before you ask. It is always still appropriate to ask, but it is also nice to know that this work is being done so that even those who do not know to ask do not suffer for not asking.

Wink

 

[kevinyonker]

Portoar and others who care to look.

http://www.goodoldgold.com/0_85ct_f_vvs2_h&a.htm

Above is the diamond I am seriously considering purchasing. Comments appreciated.

Kevin