EGL stone and Ideal-scope advice

[stonedtodeath]

I've had a thread open to compare a  couple of stones, and give advice on purchase, (see "egl vs gia purchase advice" thread) and thought I'd see what people think of this buy for HCA 1.6 for $7K: 

EGL (Israel/Europe cert.) 1.51 G SI 1

Vitals:

diameter: 7.34-7.29 x 4.56 mm

depth: 62.3
table: 55%
crown H. 15%
Pav angle: 40.9 (40.7-41.0)
Pav depth 43% (42.7-43.3)
Crown angle: 34.5 (34.4-34.7)
Girdle: sl.thk faceted

Flor: None

Polish: VG
symm: EX

"Excellent Ideal Cut"

Price: $7000

I know the stone is a little deep, obviously picking up weight in the girdle, to go for the magic 1.5c weight, but is 62.3 a tragedy?

I've gone to the store twice, w/ideal-scope/light tray and compared it to an AGS "000" G 1. 64c VS-2 stone they have in stock. The EGL stone is ever so slightly closer to H than the AGS (as viewed upside down in white card w/a GIA H for comparison, too). Under the Ideal-scope it looks to have a bit more leakage under the table, but has good dark arrows, and the overall same deep pink shading throughout as the AGS stone. Taken outside in the parking lot, the AGS stone's pavilion arrows are crisper and provide more dark contrast in the diffused light, but the EGL's still show up, they just down jump out.

Clarity-wise the EGL stone has a mid-sized feather that appears to break the surface, or comes very close to doing so on the upper girdle facet, but it is very shallow. It is eye-visible, only if you scrutinize it extremely closely, and then only if the light hits it just right. It's easily hidden w/setting. There are a couple of other very small feathers in other upper girdle/lower girdle/bezel facts, but totally not eye visible. I'm guessing the stone could grade as an AGS/GIA H SI 2, with a conservative grader.

It appears to me that it would fall around "VERY GOOD" for leakage on the Ideal scope table. If you look directly on axis down into the stone, there is very little white mixed w/pink, but when you move your eye slighty off axis, that's when more light creeps in. When viewed at all off axis, the table looks more like a "GOOD" in the Ideal-Scope table. This doesn' t happen w/the AGS 000 stone I looked at next to it -- it keeps a pretty good shade of pink even if you pull your eye off axis, remaining what appears to be "EXCELLENT/VERY GOOD", at almost any viewpoint

Big question: is this 1.51c EGL G SI 1 Stone (borderline GIA/AGS H SI 2) with a very average spread, worth $7000? Is it a good buy?

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

You have educated yourself very well.

The EGL gridle thiskness is more liberal than AGS - but in this case the stone still models with an AGS slt thk girdle.

the spread is perfectly acceptable -3% less than ideal (AGS will accept AGS0 as being to -5%) - so all in all it is a very fine stone

 

[stonedtodeath]

Thanks for your reply. I''ve had a great time with the ideal-scope, and it has been a key tool in narrowing my field of stone candidates. Amazing. Several jewelers have shown interest in it.

My only other real concern w/the EGL stone is the one shallow feather that appears to break the surface of the upper girdle facet. Is this a show-stopper?

 

[stonedtodeath]

Here''s the cert, for clarification. Does it look like a reasonable si1? The feather that I think breaks the surface is the longish one on the left upper-girdle facet.

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

It would not concern me, simply ask the setter to place a prong next to it to defelect any possible blows in that area.
But if in doubt, send it to one of our independant appraisers

 

[stonedtodeath]

Thanks. That''s kind of what I thought. I had just heard warnings about feathers breaking the surface making the stone more vulnerable, so it''s nice to hear that may not necessarily be the case. I''m still torn between this stone and the GIA certed stone 1.26 D SI2 EX/EX noted in the thread I referenced earlier on. Several people thought this EGL 1.51 G sounded pretty darn good for the price, but I did take another look at the D SI 2 stone next to an H, and the color is definitely noticable -- in a bright, perfectly lit (flourescent,daylight) jewelers viewing room. I just wonder if my fiancee will notice, too. Maybe the size of the 1.51 EGL G stone is the way to go. She won''t have the GIA D for a reference, anyway. I do hope to bring in an appraiser, we''ll see.

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

Only once or twice a monthdo I see Drena''s ring in an environemtn where the stones color is easily seen.