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In search of round brilliant in the ~$3k range.

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flymybird

Rough_Rock
Joined
Jun 13, 2015
Messages
37
As I'm narrowing in on my e-ring selection, my jeweler and I have decided to split my $5k budget into $3k for the stone and $2k for the setting that he will create. He doesn't care if I source the stone myself if I think I can get a better deal. So off I go looking for a 6mm+ round stone. My criteria are:

Min Size: 0.9ct
Min color: J
Min clarity: SI1

I looked at a few stones in person and could not tell any difference between a very good cut and an ideal cut. I did a little searching and found a couple candidates. Am I on the right track? Between these two is there any difference on paper?

1) http://www.adiamor.com/Diamonds/J-SI1-Excellent-Cut-Round-Diamond/D26675975
0.91ct J SI1, HCA 0.9, $2990
Real picture: http://www.goldenet.com.au/diamond-details/OMSWJ59019

2) http://www.eternitybyyoni.com/diamond_detail.php?id=1918445
0.91ct J SI1, HCA 1.1, $3017

Thanks!
 

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JDDN

JDDN

Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Apr 2, 2015
Messages
2,334
Option #2 has better proportions and if only going by numbers, that's the one I would choose. Can you get an IS or ASET of it?
 
J

JJN

Rough_Rock
Joined
Jun 28, 2015
Messages
4
I also have a $5k budget. Research fluorescence with color h i j. Medium blue flour can give a white face up on h i j colored stones and the stone should cost a little less. Unless you are committed to a custom ring, here is a suggestion for us on a budget. After visiting many jewelers in the area and not finding "the" setting, we got lucky and found the local distributor/rep for Gabriel and Co and he had EVERY Gabriel and Co setting. After viewing over 1000 rings, she found the one! The rep had over 100 small display boxes with about 15 rings in each box. It sounds daunting looking at that many rings, but it really did not take too long. Also, because he was the rep and owner, family owned and run, he gave a nice discount and cash price :dance:

From a diamond site:

"Bottom Line Recommendation:

If your diamond is H, I, or J color, then look for a diamond with Medium Blue fluorescence for an added bonus – it can make your stone look slightly whiter. If not, your stone will still look great without it.

If you are buying a diamond with a G or higher color, then find a diamond with either no fluorescence or faint fluorescence. Otherwise, consider a diamond from the ..... Collection and shoot for an I or J color stone to get the best value."
 
F

flymybird

Rough_Rock
Joined
Jun 13, 2015
Messages
37
Found a few options at James Allen. Without additional imagery, any thoughts? All are within TIC range... Should I pursue this further and ask for ASET images? Can I do any better than these in general? At this size just how much visual difference can there be among stones with similar characteristics on paper?

1. http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.90-carat-j-color-si1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-539175
2. http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.90-carat-k-color-si1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-322909
3. http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.90-carat-k-color-vs1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-543766
4. http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/1.03-carat-j-color-si2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-541726
(not sure if it's eye clean, looks like it might not be, but a J 1.03ct is so tempting)
 
T

trevorfloyd

Rough_Rock
Joined
Jun 26, 2015
Messages
15
I'm very interested in this thread as I'm in the same budget range.

I was kind of leaning the other direction and aiming for a .75ct with G color and VVS clarity. Curious to hear the opinions on that.

Are you both looking to maximize size?
 
S

solgen

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Apr 10, 2015
Messages
563
At this price point you have to determine what's the most important characteristic you want. You can push close to a 1ct stone but you'll have to give up color, clarity and cut. You can find a very excellent .75ct stone though. I've seen some ideal cut .75ct at this pricepoint and even seen some used HoF for the price.
 
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flymybird

Rough_Rock
Joined
Jun 13, 2015
Messages
37
At this small size though, will there truly be any visible difference between a very good cut and an ideal cut or a difference between G and J that can be detected with a naked eye under normal conditions? Personally I could quite easily see a very healthy size difference between a 0.8ct and a 0.9ct that I greatly enjoyed but I could not pick out a G vs. a J when face up, or detect any less sparkle on a very good cut compared to an ideal cut.
 
S

solgen

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Apr 10, 2015
Messages
563
flymybird|1436209156|3899560 said:
At this small size though, will there truly be any visible difference between a very good cut and an ideal cut or a difference between G and J that can be detected with a naked eye under normal conditions? Personally I could quite easily see a very healthy size difference between a 0.8ct and a 0.9ct that I greatly enjoyed but I could not pick out a G vs. a J when face up, or detect any less sparkle on a very good cut compared to an ideal cut.
Click to expand...

IMO yes there are some noticeable differences. I'll grant you that seeing a perfect arrows pattern might be a bit difficult. G vs J is quite noticeable to me. Though if you got a superbly cut J it can face up pretty white. A vast size difference between .8 or .9 ct is unlikely. The actual cut of the diamond will have more effect. As for sparkle that can be skewed under jewelry store lighting. They can make just about any stone 'sparkle'. There's quite a difference when you take them outside and under normal lighting conditions. The ideal cut can grab light and you can see flashes of pinpoint colors. Other stones just seem dead in certain environments.

Being that these are smaller stones there are things you can sacrifice. Because if their size the facets are smaller so they can hide color a little bit better. They can also hide certain types of inclusions as well. And of course it's harder to see patterning so having a true hearts and arrow cut might not be so important. As long as it has solid light performance I wouldn't care that much about patterning or symmetry though these do play into light performance.

Now, when you step up to bigger size stones like 2cts in a RBC you can see flaws much more readily and perhaps that's part of the reason why prices skyrocket at larger sizes.
 
P

pfunk

Brilliant_Rock
Premium
Joined
Dec 2, 2014
Messages
770
Well it has the notation that the clarity grade is based on clouds not shown, which in an si1 could be an issue, especially considering i can see quite a few inclusions, including dark ones, on the magnified image. Usually a price that seems too good to be true is a bad thing. The folks pricing the stones know what they are doing, and if it is unusually low, there is a reason for it. I would take it to a qualified independent appraiser during the return period, or if your eyes love it after seeing it for several days, forget about the issues that could be present and enjoy the diamond.
 
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flymybird

Rough_Rock
Joined
Jun 13, 2015
Messages
37
Yeah I'm counting on the 30 day return policy as my way out in case it's a dog.. But same stone was showing up for $2400 more at another site... Definitely this was not a premeditated purchase but if it turns out to be nice to my untrained eye, it will be a steal. I just have to now stay ultra patient as the 2620rd ring with the stone in it will take a few weeks to arrive. The setting did cost more than the stone though. Keeping fingers crossed.
 
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flymybird

Rough_Rock
Joined
Jun 13, 2015
Messages
37
I'm working with GenesisDiamonds and so far the service I've gotten has been incredible. I had a nice conversation with Elizabeth, who is now helping me find the right stone that I want. She was concerned about the cloudiness of this particular stone, not having personally seen it yet. So, for now, "crisis averted." Here's one she found that may be a little better. What do you think?

http://www.gia.edu/cs/Satellite?pagename=GST%2FDispatcher&childpagename=GIA%2FPage%2FReportCheck&c=Page&cid=1355954554547&reportno=6202130752

Measurements 6.01 - 6.04 x 3.74 mm
Carat Weight 0.82 carat
Color Grade J
Clarity Grade SI1
Cut Grade Excellent
PROPORTIONS

Depth 62.1 %
Table 55 %
Crown Angle 33.0°
Crown Height 14.5%
Pavilion Angle 41.4°
Pavilion Depth 44.0%
Star Length 50%
Lower Half 75%
Girdle Medium, Faceted, 3.5%
Culet None

dia.png
 
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lxAsTrOxl

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Feb 5, 2015
Messages
128
Well....these stone selections...i'll have to say the 2620 will definitely make the ring.
 
F

flymybird

Rough_Rock
Joined
Jun 13, 2015
Messages
37
ok... this is taking so much time... all between $2400 and $2900; going HCA crazy:

0.82ct I VVS2 GIA 1199454396, HCA 1.7, $2,956.27
0.9ct J SI1 GIA 6167973889, HCA 0.9, $2,931.04
0.8ct F SI1 GIA 2186877427, HCA 1.8, $2,940.24
0.8ct G SI1 GIA 1189305476, HCA 1.7, $2,828.92
0.8ct I VS1 GIA 2171024864, HCA 1.1, $2,625.60
0.81ct I VS1 GIA 2206054030, HCA 0.7, $2,389.32
 
L

lxAsTrOxl

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Feb 5, 2015
Messages
128
flymybird|1436322809|3900183 said:
ok... this is taking so much time... all between $2400 and $2900; going HCA crazy:

0.82ct I VVS2 GIA 1199454396, HCA 1.7, $2,956.27
0.9ct J SI1 GIA 6167973889, HCA 0.9, $2,931.04
0.8ct F SI1 GIA 2186877427, HCA 1.8, $2,940.24
0.8ct G SI1 GIA 1189305476, HCA 1.7, $2,828.92
0.8ct I VS1 GIA 2171024864, HCA 1.1, $2,625.60
0.81ct I VS1 GIA 2206054030, HCA 0.7, $2,389.32
Click to expand...


Don't get caught up so much in HCA numbers, it's designed to be a rejection tool more than anything. For the most part if the HCA is under 2 it means they are worth a look. a few decimal points +/- shouldn't make the purchase for you. I'd look at the ASET/IS images for selection process.
 
F

flymybird

Rough_Rock
Joined
Jun 13, 2015
Messages
37
lxAsTrOxl|1436362483|3900316 said:
flymybird|1436322809|3900183 said:
ok... this is taking so much time... all between $2400 and $2900; going HCA crazy:

0.82ct I VVS2 GIA 1199454396, HCA 1.7, $2,956.27
0.9ct J SI1 GIA 6167973889, HCA 0.9, $2,931.04
0.8ct F SI1 GIA 2186877427, HCA 1.8, $2,940.24
0.8ct G SI1 GIA 1189305476, HCA 1.7, $2,828.92
0.8ct I VS1 GIA 2171024864, HCA 1.1, $2,625.60
0.81ct I VS1 GIA 2206054030, HCA 0.7, $2,389.32
Click to expand...


Don't get caught up so much in HCA numbers, it's designed to be a rejection tool more than anything. For the most part if the HCA is under 2 it means they are worth a look. a few decimal points +/- shouldn't make the purchase for you. I'd look at the ASET/IS images for selection process.
Click to expand...

I understand. Turns out the gemologist I'm working with says she doesn't put much value into HCA in general, which obviously flies in the face of this community's general recommendations. But, we'll figure it out, I think. GenesisDiamonds prices are many hundreds of dollars less than some other vendors that show up in the PriceScope search, which I thought were already low, like B2C or Eternity. It will just take a little back-and-forth to find the one. So far I'm very impressed with the support I've received from them, as well as this community. I just wish it was less time consuming, but then I remind myself that this ring will cost more than what I paid for the car that I've been driving for the last 3 years daily.
 
F

flymybird

Rough_Rock
Joined
Jun 13, 2015
Messages
37
0.81ct I VS1 GIA 2206054030, HCA 0.7, $2,389.32

They're going to get this stone and send me pictures and videos. Will be just over $5k with a 2620RDP setting if it works!
 
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