How to find a matching diamond?

[Hongerhond]

We upgraded to a larger stone last year for our 10th anniversary. Up to now I have been very sentimental and insisted on keeping my old engagement ring exactly the way it was. Now I have to face reality - I never wear it. I want to get a pair of stud earrings, using that diamond and a new one. How do I find a diamond that matches my old one? I have no information on the cut, I just know that it is a .41 carat E VVS2. I thought about going into stores and comparing diamonds, but I want to buy online. Any ideas?

 

[DiamondOptics]

Hi Hongerhond,

I might guess there are more than one way to go about this, but one opinion, might be to get the diamond you currently have, examined by an appraiser,jeweler, or someone in the trade, whom has experience with diamonds and carries the proper equiptment to give you the measurements, and cut approximation, so you have an idea of what a matching diamond candidate may be.

Once again this is only one opinion, and i hope that others in this forum may suggest something else in order to expand your options.

kirk

 

[Jennifer5973]

Hi. I think diamondoptics alludes to a key factor--that the diamonds have a similar cut. The color, size and clarity are easy, but you want them to be balanced visually, and cut does have a huge impact on the stone's appearance. Investing in a thorough appraisal where you get the measurements might be a good idea. You could experiment with local resources just to get some ideas also. I am sure several of the online vendors here would be happy to help you as well.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

What about getting a sarin report on your diamond? This may provide as much info as you can about the cut (like crown/pavilion angles, girdle, etc.). . .

These are cheap and you can have a local jeweler help you with this (probably have to call around a bit). . .

 

[diamondsbylauren]

HI Hongerhond,
When matching stones for earrings there's an old saying jewelers use- "What does it matter if the stones don't match- there's a head in the middle!"

Although it's difficult to argue with such logic, many people still want their earrings to match well- I like it when earrings match.

When matching stones for a ring, it's even more important to get a very close visual match. IN the case of a ring, the stones will be fixed in position- and easily visible.
You can have reports up the kazoo- but the best way to do it is to have one stone in front of you when you're picking the match. Many times we have two stones with very similar GIA report yet the stones look quite different.

As I said- I think the matching of earrings ls less important than that of stones in a ring.
If you needed a very good match, that would require you to send your diamond to the dealer matching it.

 

[Jennifer5973]

----------------
On 10/16/2004 7:44:45 PM diamondsbylauren wrote:

HI
I think the matching of earrings ls less important than that of stones in a ring.


I definitely agree but I know it would drive me nuts if the makes were too different.

It's kind of like "mind clean" & clarity--how close is close enough for you?

 

[Hongerhond]

Thank you for all your replies, what a great forum! As far as having a Sarin done, how much (rough estimate) would that be? This is not a very expensive stone, if I go with say, a G colour. If a Sarin is more than $100, I don't think it's worth it on this purchase. David, are you saying I could send the diamond to a jeweler of my choice and have them find a match? Would they be willing to do that? My fear is that this could be quite a bad cut and therefore noticeably bigger/smaller than an ideal cut.