Please Help Me Decide on a Diamond for an Engagement Ring

[Lurker1]

Hello,

After lurking and learning for quite some time, I am attempting to decide on a diamond for an engagement ring. I have come across one diamond in particular that I absolutely LOVE. My first time buyer eyes think it looks amazing. However, I have one reservation. Size.

My GF wants a center stone (round) of at least 1 carat. She has not and will not go to a jewelry store to try on rings, but using the virtual fingers in the Diamond Database diamond comparison tool I have learned that GF likes 1.25 ct. better than 1 ct., and also prefers 1.25 ct. to 1.50 ct.
Her finger is a size 6.

I have read that 7mm is about where RB diamonds start to look big in some people's eyes, which I believe should be about the 1.25 ct. mark. The diamond that I can't stop thinking about is only 1.17 ct. (6.75 X 6.72 X 4.1 (will post the rest of the specs below). My question is whether or not this diamond http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-dia...t-h-color-if-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-506787 will actually look any larger than a 1 ct. stone, or if I should go up to the 1.25 - 1.30 ct. range for the same $ by dropping clarity.

SHAPE: Round
CARAT WEIGHT: 1.17
COLOR: H
CLARITY: IF
CUT: Excellent
POLISH: Excellent
SYMMETRY: Excellent
FLUORESCENCE: Faint
L/W/D (MM): 6.75*6.72*4.18
L/W RATIO: 1.00
DEPTH %: 62.10
GIRDLE: Medium
TABLE %: 56.00
CULET: None
CERTIFICATE: GIA
CROWN ∠: 36.00
CROWN %: 16.00
PAVILION ∠: 40.60
PAVILION %: 42.50

HCA: Light Return = Excellent, Fire = Excellent, Scintillation = Very Good, Spread = Very Good, Total Visual Performance = 1.8 - Excellent
within FIC range - See more at: https://www.pricescope.com/tools/hca#sthash.NDip6cK8.dpuf

I am very aware that IF clarity is serious overkill, and that unlike the other Cs clarity is essentially a binary factor, as a diamond is either eye clean or it's not. I was not looking for IF, but this IF was only a couple hundred dollars more than other similar stones (1.17ct, H, GIA triple EX) at VS2 on James Allen. The IF is not important to me, but to me this diamond lights up and sparkles like very few other diamonds I have seen on James Allen. I mean it just pops off the screen like WOW (please tell me if you disagree because this is a big reason why I am hung up on this diamond).

The SI grades make me nervous, because I don't feel like the definition of eye clean necessarily translates to real life for the person wearing the ring. I would be shocked if GF never looked at it closer than 10 inches away, and once an inclusion is seen, I doubt it will be unseen.

Sorry for the rambling. The big question is whether this particular 1.17 will appear larger than 1.00 or not. I understand that I can drop clarity to go larger, but I like the idea of the 1.17 because we "officially" started dating on November 7th (11/7) back in the day. I am happy with H color.

I would be incredibly grateful for any comments at all, either in support of this diamond or in favor of going in a different direction. We are only in our early to mid 20s, and I feel like this is a really nice diamond, but would love some advice.

 

[drk14]

Re: Please Help Me Decide on a Diamond for an Engagement Rin

I'm not an expert on rounds, but I feel like you can do better. While your pick has plenty of flashes around the periphery (under the crown), if you look at the facets under the table, there is not much happening. I think in a nice MRB, the arrows should flash on and off as the diamond is tilted. Here are two from JA that have more flashes in the center of the diamond (i.e., under the table):

http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/1.17-carat-g-color-vs1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-565971
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/1.23-carat-h-color-vvs2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-576130

(I only picked from JA to make it easier to compare the videos to the one you had posted, there are plenty of nice MRBs from other vendors, and hopefully someone will com e by shortly to help you out...)

 

[D_]

Re: Please Help Me Decide on a Diamond for an Engagement Rin

Hi Lurker,

Look at dimensions versus just carat.
1 ct diamond usually measures at 6.5mm.
So at 6.75mm this diamond will definitely appear larger.
The question is how much larger?

If you are making side by side comparison of 2 loose diamonds, people usually start noticing difference at .2mm difference (.1mm for those with keen eyes).
However, once set on a ring and worn the comparison will get a bit tricky, if people do that at all.
A lot of factors come into play: finger size, setting etc.
The difference in size between 6.5 & 6.75 can become much less noticeable.

With diamonds abound, it is important to get one that speaks to you.
I think JA still gives ASET & IS images for 3 diamonds.
The one you've chosen looks great.
One possible concern is the crown angle which is a bit steep.
So if you really like this one, request those images which will help predict how the stone performs.
Then, depending on whether you find it satisfactory or not, you have 2 other "chances".

Re eye clean: make sure your definition of eye clean matches the vendor's.
You may want to know whether you'll be able to see inclusion, say from the pavilion/side view/from certain viewing angle/from closer viewing distance. There may be some great SIs to be had.

Hope that helps.

 

[Lurker1]

Re: Please Help Me Decide on a Diamond for an Engagement Rin

Thanks drk14 and D_! Much appreciated!

 

[craiguk]

Re: Please Help Me Decide on a Diamond for an Engagement Rin

http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-2909291.htm

HCA is 1.5

 

[tyty333]

Re: Please Help Me Decide on a Diamond for an Engagement Rin

There will be an 8% increase of face-up area over a 6.5mm 1 carat. it will look bigger. Will it look as big as a 1.25? No, but
it will look bigger than a 1 carat.

A 1.25 (7mm) has another 8% increase of face-up area over the 1.17 so you are sort of splitting the difference.

I would lower the clarity and try to get up to the 7mm mark.

 

[Lurker1]

Re: Please Help Me Decide on a Diamond for an Engagement Rin

***UPDATE***

Hello again,

Thanks again for all of your help! I agree that going up to the 1.25ct mark is the way for me to go. I went back to searching, and I think I have narrowed it down to 2 stones. I am definitely leaning toward one over the other, but want to make sure that I am not missing some reason why I should be going with the other stone.

Diamond A = $9,380 (http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/1.28-carat-h-color-vvs2-clarity-ideal-cut-sku-645113)
(In the process of being brought in for idealscope etc.)

Shape: RB
Cut: AGS 0
Light Performance: AGS 0
Polish: AGS 0
Symmetry: AGS 0

Depth: 60.1
Table: 57.7
Crown: 34.0
Pavilion: 40.7
Girdle: Thin to Medium
Star: 46
Lower Girdle: 77
(I am not 100% confident I know what I am looking at with star and lower girdle%)

Carat: 1.281 (7.04 X 7.06 X 4.24 mm)

Color: H

Clarity: VVS2

Fluorescence: Negligible

HCA: 0.7, Excellent rating for all four of light return, fire, scintillation, and spread


Diamond B = $9,879 (http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3565132.htm)

Shape: RB
Cut: AGS 0
Light Performance: AGS 0
Polish: AGS 0
Symmetry: AGS 0

Depth: 61.6
Table: 56.2
Crown: 34.7
Pavilion: 40.6
Girdle: Thin to Medium
Star: 53
Lower Girdle: 77

Carat: 1.253 (6.90 X 6.91 X 4.26 mm)

Color: H

Clarity: VS2

Fluorescence: Negligible

HCA: 0.8, Excellent rating for light return, fire, and scintillation, Very Good rating for spread


Thoughts on which diamond you would choose? I was going to go with the ACA, but then found the James Allen diamond a couple weeks later and am having a hard time coming up with a reason why I shouldn't go with the JA stone. Cheaper, cut still looks great to me on paper, larger in diameter (really like getting to 7mm), and a boost in clarity (to the point that I would get to have the benefit of a mind clean diamond). I wasn't looking for VVS2, just at least VS2, so this is kind of an unexpected/unsought perk. I also kind of feel like all of the diamond homework I did feels more validated by going with the diamond I found on James Allen rather than the Whiteflash ACA.

All of that being said, if there things that I am missing for why the ACA is a better choice, I would very much appreciate hearing those things and would reevaluate the two options. I would have to say that both of these are at the upper end of my budget.

 

[solgen]

Re: Please Help Me Decide on a Diamond for an Engagement Rin

I was reading some older threads that talked about 34 crowns with 40.6 or 40.7 pavs and how there could be obscuration that leads to a dimmer stone. Your head or in this case the camera is close to the stone and makes it look darker. You can kinda see in that vid that there's more dark areas that just the arrows. The few diamonds I've seen with these proportions looked fine however. Yes, the arrows tend to stand out more but they are far from dark or black. They just add a little more contrast.

 

[Lurker1]

Re: Please Help Me Decide on a Diamond for an Engagement Rin

I was reading some older threads that talked about 34 crowns with 40.6 or 40.7 pavs and how there could be obscuration that leads to a dimmer stone. Your head or in this case the camera is close to the stone and makes it look darker. You can kinda see in that vid that there's more dark areas that just the arrows. The few diamonds I've seen with these proportions looked fine however. Yes, the arrows tend to stand out more but they are far from dark or black. They just add a little more contrast.

Thanks! I assumed that since both measurements were within the ranges I have seen for having an ideal cut that these were good. I had no idea this was an issue. Will the idealscope image show if that effect is happening or not? Or would you just flat out recommend the other diamond?