Help me choose between these 3

[moesymoe]

Hi Folks,

Close to narrowing down to a decision. Wondering if you could advise on which you would choose between these three.

Option 1:

http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.91-carat-h-color-si1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-281366
HCA: 1.7

Option 2:

http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.94-carat-i-color-vs1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-371009
HCA: .7

Option 3:

http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.90-carat-e-color-si1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-368120
HCA: .7

I have these three being called in to JA to inspect further and at the moment I have a sense of which one I am leaning towards.

I would be very interested to hear which one experts on here would choose (based on the information above) and why.

Also, would anyone be brave enough to hazard a guess at what a fair price should be for each?

Thanks in advance!!

 

[Johannes89]

hey, thats a tough one, they all seem worthy in general.
They all have their pros and cons tho.
assuming they all cost around the same and are all eye clean i personally would go for the third i believe coz i do like the fluor ( only if it doesnt have negative effects ofc)

but then again it depends on what u like: the third has the highest color by far, the 2nd has the better clarity and is a bit shallower, hence bigger looking, but also a table that brings it close to a not ideal cut 60:60 stone.
tbh im not quiet sure why id pick the first one between those ... maybe if u dont like fluor and dont want a 60:60 either but i guess u picked the other 2 for a reason xD


important note: Kepp in mind im far away from beeing a professional, so this is just my personal opinion so please treat it as such
would be nice to see the is and aset images

as for prices id just throw in random guesses which wont rly tell anything ... afterall in the diamond business u always get what u pay for as far as i know.

 

[Gypsy]

I'd buy the E, most likely.

Great idealscope. E color. If you can find a G that would be good as well.

The H is nice as well, and should IS out well.

The I is also nice. But with the higher colored stones on the table, you don't have to go to I color, so I wouldn't.

 

[moesymoe]

Thanks for the replies! Really appreciate it.

Anyone else have any thoughts to share?

With an approximate 5k budget, main thing I'd like to know is if I have narrowed down a decent shortlist given the requirements below or are there typically better options available that I haven't found yet?

Cut: Ideal, H&A - highest priority
Size: Ideally .9 - .95
Colour: G ideally
Clarify: VS2 ideally
HCA: within acceptable range given the high priority on cut.

Thanks,

 

[moesymoe]

Just to update with a little more info. Prices are as follows.

Option 1: $4700

Option 2: $5290

Option 3: $5170

- I was planning on discounting Option 2 due to the I color, but decided to bring it in for inspection anyway. Thanks for re-assuring me on this decision.
- My preference was Option 3. I had a minor concern about strong blue fluorescence but from reading online, this shouldn't be too much of a concern, especially if it has been included in JA's True Hearts collection and considering I will have a gemologist review in person. Again, thanks for the added confidence in what my preference had been.
- I haven't ruled out option 1 given the price. However, I am waiting to see what the IS images look like and what the gemologist's opinion is when compared directly to Option 3 in case it is better in person.

The main questions I am looking for some feedback on are:

1. Should I rest easy knowing I have selected at least two strong contenders given my requirements & budget of 5k?

2. Should I still keep Option 1 (.91/H) as a serious contender given the 470 price difference or is Option 3 (.9/E) the clear favorite irrespective of the price difference?

Thanks again folks for all your help throughout the process.

 

[moesymoe]

Anyone? Beuller?

 

[tyty333]

I like the looks of number 3 the best also. They all look pretty good but have subtle nuances (which leads me to pick #3.)

 

[moesymoe]

Ok so now I'm totally confused!!!

Got feedback from the gemologist (see below). Pretty much complete opposite of my initial preference and all the feedback received here. Any thoughts on what I should do or which to select now???

See below for JA gemologist feedback and attached for additional images.
-------------------

The gemologist has confirmed that all three of these diamonds are very bright, but that diamond 371009 ($5,290) performs the strongest. It has excellent fire, brilliance, and scintillation, which balances beautifully throughout the diamond. It has a beautiful cut and perfect internal symmetry. Additionally, it has a true "I" color and is completely eye clean.

Diamond 281366 ($4,700) is a close second for light performance and also has excellent fire, brilliance, and scintillation. It has a true "H" color, a beautiful cut, and appears eye clean.

Diamond 368120 ($5,170) is bright, has a true "E" color, a beautiful cut with perfect internal symmetry, and doesn’t have any visible inclusions. However, its fluorescence does cause the diamond to appear a little hazy.

Diamonds 371009 and 281366 are both gorgeous options and will look stunning mounted in any seeing. You can't go wrong with either of them, but I'd like to point you in the direction of diamond 371009 since the gemologist found it to have the strongest light performance between the two.

 

[telephone89]

With the new info, I'd probably go for the H. Save yourself almost $600, put it towards the band/setting.

 

[tyty333]

We (PSers) only get to see the stones under one type of light in the video. We don't get to evaluate them under different lightings and play
with the stones like the gemologist do. I personally like the faceting on the E but I wouldn't want a hazy stone due to fluorescence.
I would go with their suggestion.

 

[moesymoe]

Updated with images:

Option 1 (H, .91, SI1, 1.7 HCA, 4700)



http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.91-carat-h-color-si1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-281366

Option 2 (I, .94, VS1, .7 HCA, 5290):



http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.94-carat-i-color-vs1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-371009

Option 3 (E, .9, SI1, .7, Strong Blue, 5170):



http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.90-carat-e-color-si1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-368120

The haziness of Option 3 rules it out.

So now I'm leaning towards Option 1. The main reason is that I would prefer H over I obviously and save 690 in the process for a slightly smaller diamond.

To my untrained eye, the images (IS and magnification on the JA site) don't blow me away but if it's a close second to the gemologist's first choice in terms of light performance compared with Option 2.

Just my final question to you fine group of diamond experts,

- For $4700, do you think I can be confident that I made the right choice or are there better diamonds out there for the same price?

Thanks again! What a crazy journey this has been.

 

[D&T]

option 1, great stone, budget wise and I like my arrows a little fatter (my personal preference) although too bad option 3 is a little hazy - BUT who needs strong fluoro in an D E F stone anyways?