DiamCalc

[gm89uk]

Hey,

I'm relatively new to the diamond business. Been shopping around for a diamond and finally came across an affordable 1.32 carat.

I thought it had a great sparkle and found it for £4500. I have shopped around and there diamonds with more sparkle out there for sure, but this price is excellent. I then ran it on HCA and it scored a heart breaking 5.4

Here are the specs:

SHAPE AND CUT ROUND BRILLIANT
CARAT WEIGHT 1.32 Carat
COLOR GRADE H
CLARITY GRADE SI 2
CUT GRADE EXCELLENT
POLISH EXCELLENT
SYMMETRY EXCELLENT
Measurements 6.93 - 6.95 x 4.40 mm
Table Size 57.5%
Crown Height - Angle 15.5% - 36.3°
Pavilion Depth - Angle 43.5% - 41.2°
Girdle Thickness MEDIUM (FACETED)
Culet POINTED
Total Depth 63.4%
FLUORESCENCE SLIGHT

I have put a deposit on the diamond but there is a full money back guarantee anyway within 30 days. I was wondering if someone could kindly run it on DiamCalc for an idealscope (would that even be helpful or is this diamond a no brainer terrible diamond).

For the UK that is an excellent price (due to VAT). My other alternative would be finding the right one on something like jamesallen and flying across to get it.

Many thanks in advance!

George

 

[OoohShiny]

With an HCA of 5.4, I don't think it's even worth looking at what it might look like under an IdealScope.

I would request your money back ASAP and start looking at diamonds available from GOG, Wink/HPD, James Allen, White Flash, Brian Gavin and the other good vendors. I doubt you will get a stone anywhere near as big in a SuperIdeal cut for that money but what you will get is a diamond that looks amazing all the time rather than looking like a dead lump of glass with no sparkle or fire away from the specially-designed shop window lights. I've spent a good deal of time looking in shop windows both before and after purchasing the Crafted by Infinity diamond I got for the missus, and none I have seen match the CBI stone for brightness and fire in all conditions. I was nervous I would be disappointed but I was blown away when it arrived - I can waste hours just staring at it, watching the light play off the facets and loving the rainbow of fire off it!

Use the diamond search tool under the Resources tab at the top and play with the parameters to see what is available for your budget. This will give you a idea of what is available and what you should expect to get - you can then adjust your parameters accordingly, varying colour and clarity and carat as required. Ideal cut will make the best of whatever you buy so don't compromise on that front. Allow £5-800 for a good solitaire ring being custom made in platinum in Hatton Garden, for example.

Oh, and no need to fly to the USA to get a stone - most vendors will ship insured to the UK, then you just need to pay the 20% VAT when it arrives, which will be roughly the same as a return flight to the USA (with none of the risk you'd be exposed to if you were considering bringing it back and not declaring it...).

 

[gm89uk]

Thank you very much for your informative reply.

I'm very much a newbie at this. From my reading around I gather a lot of people respect the AGS ideal cut as one of the best tools around.

This one here http://www.agslab.com/pdf_sync_reports/104076567019-PLDQR.PDF scores an HCA 5.9!
(62.5% depth, 58.5% table, 34.3° crown angle, 41.6° pavilion angle)

I have to go to the states anyway in November for work so I might as well get it while I'm there! Other diamonds I've found are ones like this (which score very well):
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/1.29-carat-g-color-si2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-468369
(Triple Excellent 1.29SI2G, D59%,T59.8%,C33.0,P41.0,80).

This to be seems like a very shallow stone, but somehow scores well across the board. I'm aware not all GIA excellent score well HCA but can still be very beautiful and vice versa. As I won't have the opportunity to see the diamond in person before purchasing, my methodology is to choose a AGS/GIA excellent/ideal which also scores highly HCA to cover all grounds, such as this shallow diamond above (where those inclusions are most likely eye clean).

George

 

[gm89uk]

I'm seriously considering this stone:

http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/1.30-carat-g-color-si2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-528685
1.3SI2G. The inclusions seem very well dispersed and will likely be eyeclean in my opinion. The dimensions look good too:

6.95*6.99*4.32
62% depth, 57% table, 35° crown angle, 40.8° pavilion angle
HCA 1.7.

What do you guys think considering I will never see the stone until purchased (and the returns would be very tricky being in the UK)?

 

[OoohShiny]

Looks like that second stone is Not Available - have you purchased it or reserved it?

For me, because clarity is a key 'thing' for me, that first one would bug me with the inclusions on the table - if inclusions are elsewhere then they can kind of get lost in the internal reflections, but if they're on the table, they can always be seen. (IMHO, of course.)

Reasons such as this are why I had to go to VVS to satisfy my 'mindclean' issues lol


Before you go any further, can I ask...

- is this for an engagement ring?
- If so, have you sounded out the person in question (either directly or through their friends) to see what they would like? Shape, carat, colour, clarity?

Everyone has personal taste and thinks different things about clarity and colour and size. For me, as above, I don't like seeing inclusions, so clarity is important. I'm also quite colour sensitive so I was looking for no lower than a G, and fortunately I found an F. (My good lady would have been happy with a rubber band if it meant I asked her to marry me, so I could really have given her anything; I just wanted to get something I'd be happy with too for the rest of our lives! lol)

If you are looking to give this to someone, you need to do some detective work on whether they will sacrifice colour and clarity for size, or whether they want higher colour and clarity so would be happy enough with a smaller stone. Some people can't really see tints so are happy with lower colours, others can see them and are not bothered by them so are equally as happy with lower colours, and I'm led to believe that in some countries in the East higher clarity and colour are much more sought after. So, what I'm trying to say is 'people vary' (to misquote Kenny on here ) and you need to try to find out what the person in question likes so you can get it right. (If you haven't already, that is.)

FWIW, I believe that 1.3+carats is LARGE for the UK, generally speaking. Does the person in question have a circle of friends where large stones are worn? Is there a lot of money in their circle of friends? Sad though it is, if the person in question's friends are judgemental of others' possessions (which of course they shouldn't be, but I am a realist) then going for a large rock that's lower in clarity may be frowned upon or seen as trying to "keep up with the Jones". In reality it's nothing to do with them, it's entirely something between you and the person you are giving it to, but I think we are all guilty of being influenced by / influencing others at times.


So, er, I feel like I've gone off on some big rant and am attempting to dissuade you from your quest Please be assured this is not my intention - merely to emphasise that research is vital, both into the person's tastes and what you can get for your money!

Do check out all the recommended vendors - Good Old Gold, Brian Gavin, White Flash, High Performance Diamonds, James Allen, Blue Nile, etc - and see what you can find. You will need ASETscope and IdealScope images to get an idea of the performance of the stones you are looking at, and I think James Allen will only do it once and for three stones max, so with JA you will need to pick carefully then request the information. Other vendors already have it on their websites, which is very useful.

Personally speaking, I went with one of the 'premium' cuts - and I (and my good lady) are very happy with the result, so I can only recommend ensuring that you don't compromise Cut!


Of course, if this is just for a stone for yourself, ignore all my wafflings and just choose whichever of the stones with good ASETscope and IdealScope images that you like... lol

Where are you going in the US for work BTW? The recommended vendors have B&M stores you can visit, so I think going to see stones in person is the best thing you could do

 

[JDDN]

You absolutely must confirm that an SI2 and an SI1 is eye clean, meaning that you cannot see the inclusions with your naked eye. Given that returns would be very difficult, I would hesitate. Personally I'm not a fan of the way those inclusions look, but you would need to speak to someone at JA to get more details on it's clarity. You really cannot tell if it's eye clean from that image, so please don't assume.

 

[gm89uk]

Thank you both very much for your help.

I was aiming to get the biggest eye clean diamond I could get with ideal proportions.

I currently have this one: http://www.igiworldwide.com/verify.php?r=134466580 which looks beautiful in person. I am told that it isn't the best diamond proportions but personally it looked lovely to me and it is a little deep. I am probably just going to go with this as the price is highly competitive! Can you tell if a diamond is eye clean through the idealscope?

OoohShiny, 1.3 is large for the UK but the person is surrounded by people who live in a community where others have large stones. The girl herself really doesn't mind the size of the stone at all! I figured an eye clean SI2 isn't much different from a VS2 if the cut is right. The person in question, similar to your situation is not at all a picky person. My quest for the great diamond is generally more for me. She is unaware of anything going on at present. I do know from testing the waters she wants a round. Colour > H is fine, or = H if seeing in person.

George

 

[Texas Leaguer]

Thank you very much for your informative reply.

I'm very much a newbie at this. From my reading around I gather a lot of people respect the AGS ideal cut as one of the best tools around.

This one here http://www.agslab.com/pdf_sync_reports/104076567019-PLDQR.PDF scores an HCA 5.9!
(62.5% depth, 58.5% table, 34.3° crown angle, 41.6° pavilion angle)

I have to go to the states anyway in November for work so I might as well get it while I'm there! Other diamonds I've found are ones like this (which score very well):
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/1.29-carat-g-color-si2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-468369
(Triple Excellent 1.29SI2G, D59%,T59.8%,C33.0,P41.0,80).

This to be seems like a very shallow stone, but somehow scores well across the board. I'm aware not all GIA excellent score well HCA but can still be very beautiful and vice versa. As I won't have the opportunity to see the diamond in person before purchasing, my methodology is to choose a AGS/GIA excellent/ideal which also scores highly HCA to cover all grounds, such as this shallow diamond above (where those inclusions are most likely eye clean).

George

Hi George,
The AGS report referenced above is not an Ideal (it's an AGS 1), so it is not all that surprising that it is a lower HCA score. If you stick with AGS0 you will have a very nicely cut diamond and one that typically scores well on the HCA tool. An AGS light performance grade is a much more accurate measure of cut quality than an HCA score.

You are smart to be looking for high cut quality, but be aware too that Si2 clarity is a very broad grade and even those that are technically eye-clean often have diminished light performance because of light scattering effects from features such as trinning wisps, clouds, and graining.

You should be very clear with your vendor on the specific properties and effects of clarity features. Sometimes they represent bargains that do not diminish beauty, but sometimes they will lead to disappointment in terms of the fire and brilliance you are expecting, especially when shopping for a high cut grade.

 

[gm89uk]

Hey, thanks very much for your help

I have purchased the Jamesallen stone (http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/1.30-carat-g-color-si2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-528685)

I was assured it was completely eye clean from the top and did not diminish it's brilliance and beauty. Due to time constraints I could not wait for the idealscope image! The cut seemed excellent. I just hope you folks at HCA could approve of it with limited information.

George