Does this gem look okay? Advice sought!

[adam2468]

Hi All,

Sorry to bother the community but I have finally narrowed my choices at J. A. to this one diamond after browsing through all the great information people have posted and discussed on this forum. I am seeking a second eye on this gem as none of my close friends in my life have a good understanding of diamonds. I have attached details including an image, G I A cert and the ideal scope from J. A. including their commentary (please excusing the spacings). The price was between 40 00 and 45 00

"The gem ologist reported that it has great light per formance, appears eye clean, and that its fluore scence has no negative impact on its beauty. Additionally, it has a tr ue "K" color, with only a faint amount of war mth. I believe you'll be very ple ased with its fire, brilli ance, an scintil lation, and find it to look fanta stic in person."

Many thanks in advance!

Carat weight:1.02
Color:K
Clarity: VS1
Girdle: Medium
Cut: Very Good
Depth %:62.50
Table %:56.00
Polish:Excellent
Symmetry:Very Good
Fluorescence:Faint
L/W/D (mm): 6.35*6.41*3.99

 

[metatrix]

Any particular reason you want to buy a K colour and 'very good' cut grade?

 

[adam2468]

Hi metatrix, thanks for the reply. I was hoping to keep my budget less than 5,000 while ensuring the diamond has a HCA < 2. I am willing to sacrifice on color to reach the budget.

 

[SirGuy]

Hi there. I see that you are willing to sacrifice color for the budget, which is understandable.

Cut is king. Nothing more greatly affects a diamond's brilliance, fire, and sometimes even apparent size as much as a good cut.

One might consider dropping weight to below a carat and increasing the cut quality. "1 carat" is a magic number that carries a price premium. If you're willing to go below that and increase cut quality, the color difference will be less pronounced, the stone will sparkle more, and it might even appear bigger than your current consideration anyway from the good cut.

Something to think about!

 

[tyty333]

The ideal scope image looks good and it looks to be a nice stone.

 

[teobdl]

Very nice find on the VG based on fat girdle (probably). However, I think much of the savings may be lost in the >1.0 ct mark.

If you haven't already done so, I strongly encourage you to go to a store and look at some GIA graded K color diamonds vs I or H color diamonds. Are you the wearer of this diamond? If not, are you sure the wearer is okay w/ K color?

I very much recommend this diamond http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.91-carat-i-color-si1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-293431
or maybe this one http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.91-carat-h-color-si1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-281366 if the cloud grading doesn't affect brilliance.

They are about the same price and very close to the same size (diameter) as the diamond you posted, but at least a couple grades higher in color. [URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/laboratory-master-set-photo.201317/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/laboratory-master-set-photo.201317/[/URL]

 

[adam2468]

Hi SirGuy,

Thank you for your thoughts! Cut seems important and I was conflicted with getting something that was less than excellent. The 1 carat definitely has probably made this purchase tough, but there is some suggestions from involved parties that I should go for the 1 carat size.

 

[adam2468]

Hi tyty333,

Thanks so much for your thoughts!

 

[proto]

This is a nice stone and I wouldnt let the VG cut bother you - its entirely due to the girdle. All other proportions seem fine and the IS looks very good. Not sure why you listed the girdle as medium when the GIA report says otherwise.

http://diamondcut.gia.edu/images/estimating_thickness_and_cu.gif

However

1. you are paying for VS1 - is this really necessary? you are paying quite a bit extra for this and will find the resale market tough for a K VS1.

2. you are paying for weight you cant see. the slightly thick to thick girdle is making you pay for this and also likely taking you over 1 carat.

3. you could go for an eyeclean SI1 and several grades colour higher and get a shy weight, like 0.9x. I would be cautious about buying K without knowing colour sensitivity of recipient.

 

[Gypsy]

The idealscope shows great performance, so the cut is fine, regardless of rating.

I like the stone. The spread isn't great, but I suspect it is incredibly budget friendly, and again the performance is quite lovely. So... very nice choice.

 

[proto]

The idealscope shows great performance, so the cut is fine, regardless of rating.

I like the stone. The spread isn't great, but I suspect it is incredibly budget friendly, and again the performance is quite lovely. So... very nice choice.

I agree the spread is slightly smaller than you would expect for a 1.02

the estimated weight for this diamond is 0.99 (using a rough calc) if the girdle were not as thick so I am now even more convinced its purely there to make the weight.

 

[adam2468]

Hi teobdl,

I think the wearer has little knowledge on color, but does on size and sparkleness level. I appreciate the suggestions!

 

[adam2468]

Hi Proto,

Thanks for your comments! I copied the girdle size from J.A.'s website, it was listed as medium, so they must have made a mistake since the GIA does differ. I tried looking for a SI at around 1.0 carat but a lot of them seemed not eye clean from my search.

 

[adam2468]

Hi Gypsy,

I appreciate your time for looking at what I found, thanks for your thoughts!

 

[adam2468]

The idealscope shows great performance, so the cut is fine, regardless of rating.

I like the stone. The spread isn't great, but I suspect it is incredibly budget friendly, and again the performance is quite lovely. So... very nice choice.

I agree the spread is slightly smaller than you would expect for a 1.02

the estimated weight for this diamond is 0.99 (using a rough calc) if the girdle were not as thick so I am now even more convinced its purely there to make the weight.

Hi Proto,

Interesting, no wonder it is being listed at its weight, thanks for seeing this!

 

[SirGuy]

Overall it's not bad; I didn't want you to misunderstand what some of us were saying. However I think it's a good example of how cutters are sometimes pressured to "make the weight." Hitting 1.00 carat helps with the sale. It is possible the girdle was kept thick to maintain the weight. (I do find it curious that the site's description differs from the report you posted.)

However, K is a peculiar color on the range, and it's easy to go down a little in weight and up a little in color and girdle thickness (the cut I mentioned) and stay around the same piece.

I've seen stones that have great symmetry, proportions, and overall cut around 0.90 that honestly looked bigger than 1.00 stones right next to them, just because the larger one wasn't as good for color or cut or what have you.

Good discussion.

 

[teobdl]

If you must have >1.0 cts, I really recommend going up in color to J or I and down in clarity to SI1. As SirGuy stated,

K is a peculiar color on the range

There are many J SI1's >1.0ct for under $5K on JA. eg http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/1.01-carat-j-color-si1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-227193

 

[adam2468]

Hi SirGuy,

Thanks for the insight! Is there anyway to get this while still achieving at least officially 1 carat?

 

[adam2468]

Hi teobdl,

Thanks for the recommendation! However it seems it has several noticeable crystals and a cloud. I am trying to avoid crystals in the diamond. Do you see other ones?

 

[RandG]

Hi SirGuy,

Thanks for the insight! Is there anyway to get this while still achieving at least officially 1 carat?

I like the stone you selected a lot and I suspect it will perform just fine. My one piece of feedback would be to explore the estate jewelry market. In your budget, you may be able to find something slightly larger, or under budget. With a good polishing, and overall servicing of the ring/stone, it will look as good as new. Just a thought.

 

[SirGuy]

Hi SirGuy,

Thanks for the insight! Is there anyway to get this while still achieving at least officially 1 carat?

Keep searching!

Some like to think of the 4 C's as four sliders on a sound board. Dial up or down for each one, and the price and rarity changes. A 1.00 carat, superbly cut, clean (few inclusions) and colorless stone can be expensive! Many here would advise consideration of an SI1 (instead of VS2) if you can verify it's "eye clean." Good cut can help with lower color in round brilliant (RB) stones.

I would look around and think about where'd you'd like to compromise. If you're dead set on the weight, that's one variable that's already fixed.

Alternatively, many do it this way:

1) best cut they can find
2) inclusions that are not visible to the eye (often VS2 or SI1)
3) color that isn't noticeably tinted face up (good cut helps)
...and then after that, the biggest they can go while maintaining the first three.

For me, cut is first. I'd rather half a smaller stone that's beautifully cut. But everyone has different tastes. There are lots of brilliant options (pun intended) out there, and some wonderfully helpful folks here. You're in the right place!

 

[metatrix]

Yep, SirGuy, I stuck to the minimum acceptable colour and clarity, while trying to maximize cut (without paying extra for the 'signature' lines), diameter, and my poor bf's budget.

 

[teobdl]

http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/1.00-carat-i-color-si2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-338171 - crystals are white
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/1.00-carat-j-color-si2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-314877 - crystals are white. definitely needs to be checked for leakage

I think the K you have chosen is a fine option if you are comfortable giving a K color. But I do not recommend giving a K color diamond in an engagement ring.

 

[adam2468]

Hi RandG,

Thanks for the suggestion! I will keep an eye out on these!