1 karat vs. 90 choice

[gio_cerruto]

Hi,
I have narrowed my search for the diamond for an engagement ring to a 1.01 kt or a 90 kt. The price for the 90 point is only $100 less than the 1.01 kt however the 90 kt is a better quality diamond.
Below are the details...

.90 kt - very good cut
- f colour
- SI1
- fluorescence: medium blue

1.01 kt - good cut
- h colour
- SI1
- no fluorescence

I have attached a photo of each below. I would like to know what everyone else would do? Does the quality of the 0.90 kt trump the size of the 1.01 kt?

Thanks

 

[maxs.memo]

Which one looks better in real life? IMO, always get ideal cut or save until you can afford it. It's what gives the ring "sparkle" from across the room... that's what women want out of a ring.

 

[ecf8503]

Can't tell anything from the photos. Do you have any measurements on them (pavillion and crown angles, table and depth %?)? You really need idealscope images to assess light performance. Can you get that?

An ideal cut stone will face up whiter and larger than a poorly cut one, so you shouldn't sacrifice on cut quality. For me and many others here, "very good" and "good" (as determined by who, by the way?) are not good enough. And F is not "better" than H - it's just a color - the question is whether or not you can see that color and if so do you like it or not? An ideal cut H will face up white!

 

[benrocky]

I'm in the same predicament right now. I reckon everyone will tell you its down to personal preference. I would go quality over size but looking at the image, a bigger diamond does seem tempting.

 

[heididdl]

Its all about the cut......Ideal cut trumps vg or Good or F or D or H or I........period

 

[maxs.memo]

I had originally priced out 1ct diamonds with ideal//si1/g color but found that by reducing xor to the minimum "see able" by the general population w round brilliant (H/I/J) I was able to increase carat size to 1.2. Similarly, you can prob increase to 1 ct using similar parameters. For engagement ring, I figure she would like the brightest whitest largest stone that she can see. Unless shopping for a diamond connossieur, prob best value with round brilliant is H/I/J color, eye clean si1, ideal cut. Just my humble opinion... Ymmv

 

[Niel]

I wouldnt get either as people have said cut is most important here. Cut is king. Color is subjective. I would, however, for the normal woman who's receiving an e ring, recommend dropping down to an I/J to reach the size you'd like. Clarity is only really important to make sure the stone is eye clean. Eye clean can come at SI1 and at VVS1...the only difference there is price.

Also its important to look at mm size of those stones. I would be those stones in MM size are smaller than a well cut stone at the same MM. What is the two mm sizes of those stones?

And i mean, buying a stone for all of us is a game of compromises, "what's the best stone i can get for my price? What charaxteristics do will i compromise on and which wont I?", and those are questions you ask with a 1k or 100k budget. But cut is most important. Thats what maximizes the sparkle . Its the thing that draws someone to that mineral instead of others. You can get a white eye clean CZ at 6 cts, but it wont have the SPARKLE of a diamond... so dont think that color and size is the only important thing.

I dont know what they are asking for those stones but assuming its between 4-5k here are some options. (notice the mm size and compare them to the stones you were looking at)

http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/1.02-carat-j-color-vs2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-184916

http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.90-carat-i-color-vs2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-213709

 

[Lemar]

I wouldnt get either as people have said cut is most important here. Cut is king. Color is subjective. I would, however, for the normal woman who's receiving an e ring, recommend dropping down to an I/J to reach the size you'd like. Clarity is only really important to make sure the stone is eye clean. Eye clean can come at SI1 and at VVS1...the only difference there is price.

Also its important to look at mm size of those stones. I would be those stones in MM size are smaller than a well cut stone at the same MM. What is the two mm sizes of those stones?

And i mean, buying a stone for all of us is a game of compromises, "what's the best stone i can get for my price? What charaxteristics do will i compromise on and which wont I?", and those are questions you ask with a 1k or 100k budget. But cut is most important. Thats what maximizes the sparkle . Its the thing that draws someone to that mineral instead of others. You can get a white eye clean CZ at 6 cts, but it wont have the SPARKLE of a diamond... so dont think that color and size is the only important thing.

I dont know what they are asking for those stones but assuming its between 4-5k here are some options. (notice the mm size and compare them to the stones you were looking at)

http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/1.02-carat-j-color-vs2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-184916

http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.90-carat-i-color-vs2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-213709

Those are some nice options in the 4-5K range IMHO. I second the suggestions here, always go down in size or save up a bit more for a higher cut. Large diamonds with a bad cut are always worse than a smaller diamond with a better cut. Also, i'd go see the various sizes in person. If you're like me, some close ct weights look so similar that if you separate them, you can't even tell which the bigger one is. I've been embarassed by a salesperson who separated two diamonds of different sizes because I couldn't tell which was larger when separated by 3 feet.