Expertise, please--which stone is better and why?

[Gala139]

Hi all--

I need your expertise. Can someone tell me why a cost-conscious girl would go with one stone over another?

http://www.bluenile.com/diamonds_details.asp?pid=LD00453326&query=2&filter_id=0

http://www.bluenile.com/diamonds_details.asp?pid=LD00433496

I''m looking for a stone that is eye-clean, 1.5-1.7, and with plenty of scintillation. I can''t see inclusions on an SI2 on any of the stones I''ve seen so far so I''m clearly not that eagle-eyed.

Thanks for your much-appreciated input!!!

 

[Demelza]

Personally, I would try to find a stone with enough information with which to determine cut quality. Here are a couple in the same price, color, and clarity range. Both of these stones should be in-house, so the vendors should be able to tell you whether they are eyeclean. Unfortunately, I don't believe Blue Nile is able to provide you with sarin data (crown and pavilion angles and ranges, etc.) for their stones which doesn't give you a whole lot to go on. If I were you, I'd put most of my energy into finding a superbly cut stone. Hope this helps.

http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/A-Cut-Above-H-A-cut-diamond-1312935.htm

http://www.goodoldgold.com/1_59ct_j_si2_h%26a.htm

 

[Gala139]

A thousand thank yous, Demelza! I did email Blue Nile for the Sarin data to get the full picture.

I still have so much to learn--what makes a H&A stone so much better? thanks!!!!!

 

[noobie]

How can you tell that you can''t see the inclusions on the Blue Nile stones?

 

[aljdewey]

Date: 9/13/2005 6:44:37 PM
Author: noobie
How can you tell that you can't see the inclusions on the Blue Nile stones?

I'm guessing she meant that she's seen other SI2s in person and can't see the inclusions.....not the BN stones.

That said, not all SI2s are created equal, and I think that's where Noobie's heading. While you may not see the inclusions in some SI2s, you may in others, so it's important to make sure through verifying with the vendor that they are eyeclean.

 

[Gala139]

Date: 9/13/2005 6:44:37 PM
Author: noobie
How can you tell that you can''t see the inclusions on the Blue Nile stones?

I emailed BN customer service and asked them to call the vendor to inspect. They told me that two of the stones I asked about weren''t eyeclean.

 

[hoorray]

Date: 9/13/2005 7:20:35 PM
Author: Gala139

Date: 9/13/2005 6:44:37 PM
Author: noobie
How can you tell that you can''t see the inclusions on the Blue Nile stones?

I emailed BN customer service and asked them to call the vendor to inspect. They told me that two of the stones I asked about weren''t eyeclean.

Then I would keep looking. THer eare many people here who have found SI1 and Si2 stones that are eye clean. You have to cherry pick -- it is not automatic at this level, but they can be found.

You also should know that most vendors call eye clean from the top view only, while some consumers expect it to be form all views. When you talk to a vendor, ask them to get specific about what they can see from all views, and then decide what matters to you.

 

[noobie]

lop gave you some very good advice. One thing to keep in mind is that even though BN reps try very hard, they don''t see most stones before they ship. They use a code 1,2,3, or A,B,C or something like that with their vendors to describe eye clean. It''s hard to know if it fits your definition. I''ve ordered a couple times from BN. One time is was as described, the othe rtime the inclusions were not as described. Fortunately I had an email history of questions and answers and they refunded my shipping. It was the principle, not the money.

If you are interested in BN virtual listed stones you should contact Mark at Engagement Rings Direct. He can often look at the actual stone for you without shipping and his prices are often much lower.

Good luck

 

[Gala139]

Thank you lop and noobie! That is great advice. The more I learn the more I realize I need to learn and at this point, I feel overwhelmed--how do you ever know what the right questions to ask are?? All help is greatly appreciated!!

 

[cutes814]

I''m not too fond of the two BN stones since the cut is only very good. Never sacrafice on cut, that is where the sparkles and fire florish from.

Dem listed two other stones, now those look a lot better.

 

[Gala139]

Date: 9/14/2005 6:16:26 PM
Author: Milly
I''m not too fond of the two BN stones since the cut is only very good. Never sacrafice on cut, that is where the sparkles and fire florish from.

Dem listed two other stones, now those look a lot better.

Thank you, Milly! I just got data back from BN and the 1.64 stone scored a 1.7 on the Holloway Cut advisor, including very good on light return, and excellent for fire and scintillation. Is that more desirable?

And if a stone scores high on light return and/or scintillation (how are they different), doesn''t that make up for cut quality somewhat?

 

[cutes814]

I have to be honest, I don''t know the answers to that question. Hopefull some other experts will chime in. Good luck with your search.