egl or gia

You're comparing apples and oranges. An EGL G VS2 might be equal to a GIA I SI1. Compare those prices and you won't see as much difference. EGL certs are not as reliable as GIA or AGS.

not comparing price but looking at it once in ring?

In a ring, it will depend on the cut quality of the diamonds. A poorly-cut diamond of any size will look flat and lifeless compared to a well-cut diamond. Cut quality makes more of a difference in the appearance of a diamond than does size, color, clarity.

ETA: if you are comparing an EGL and a GIA diamond, what are the cut grades?

Most people and probably ALL PSers would prefer the smaller GIA or AGS stone assuming it was well cut (EX or AGS0).

h for egl g for gia cut grades are verygood

Written by nino77 » October 28th, 2011, 3:07 pm:h for egl g for gia cut grades are verygood

Have you seen these two stones in person?

If so, have you compared them to each other in a variety of lighting conditions, e.g., dim light, spotlight, natural daylight, under an incandescent (table lamp) light?

And have you compared both of them to a diamond that has GIA Excellent cut grade or an AGS 0 cut grade? Many stores do not carry well-cut stones, so it is hard to know what you're buying if you don't see a range of cut grades.

Is there a Jared's near you? Or a jewelry store that carries the Hearts on Fire brand of diamond? If so, stop in there sometime and ask to see the Jared's Peerless line of diamonds. Same with Hearts on Fire. If you cannot tell the difference in the way these diamonds look compared to the diamonds you are considering, then it may not be worth it to you to pay the extra to go up in cut grade from very good to excellent. Many people can see the differences in cut grades, though, especially in low lighting conditions. Look for dull, dead, or dark areas in the center of the diamond and around the edges. Diamonds that are dull or dark around the edges look smaller than their carat weight. If they are cut deep, they may look dark in the center and also have a smaller diameter than a well-cut diamond of a smaller carat weight. That's why cut is so important to the appearance of the diamond.

But, remember, all diamonds look good in jewelry store lighting, so try to evaluate the stones in low lighting, away from the spotlights.

If you have access to the following numbers on the grading report, we could give you some more detailed help:
Crown angle
Pavilion angle
Table percentage
Total depth percentage
Stars
Lower Girdle Facets.

Check out the information in this link http://www.pricescope.com/wiki/diamonds/diamond-grading-report/ to learn more about grading reports and how to read them.

I think most people would be tempted to want the larger stone. However, knowing what you are getting with a GIA graded stone is worth quite a bit...especially if you ever want to sell it or do a trade in - the paperwork really counts.

Also, you may very well be able to tell the difference once set into a ring if the EGL graded stone is really a J or K versus a GIA G color stone.