Larger size and lower color/clarity.

[Love2Travel]

I have noticed from searching and reading posts on here, many of you go w/ a larger diamond and sacrifice color/clarity. My thought has always been the opposite. Go w/ smaller size but get higher color/clarity. After seeing the pictures on here though, I might be thinking of going the other way.

How many of you are/were like me? I guess maybe b/c I was always told to not go below H color and don''t go below VS2 clarity. But w/ sites like WF and GOG giving you SO much info about the diamond, I am starting to think differently.

Does the cut play that BIG of a role ? I know I have seen a I color next to a G color in local store and I could tell the diff easily. Does a well cut stone "remove" that difference?

 

[Lynn B]

OK...I''ve said this before, but I''ll say it here again!

My first diamond was a beautiful AGS-0 1.53 RB, G/VS2. I bought that color/clarity combo because I was a nervous newbie and it was a very *safe* choice. And it was a gorgeous, killer stone.

The only problem with it was the size... the darn thing kept shrinking right before my very eyes!!!

So I hung around PS, continued to get educated, and when I upgraded, I chose another AGS-0 diamond, this time a J/SI2... and in a wonderful 2.36 size. Yeah, babeee, yeah, THAT was more like it!!!

The diamond is gorgeous... blazingly white, and completely eyeclean. The only thing wrong with it? It''s shrinking , too... just not QUIIIITE so fast. Yes, I''m sick. Sick, sick, sick.

(But that''s another thread for another time!)

So, my 2 cents... concentrate on CUT... and you may be very surprised at how *loooooow* you can go! If I upgrade again (which I probably won''t due to the limitations of the blasted budget

) I would absolutely look for another J/SI stone... hey, maybe even a K! Yum, yum!.

Here''s a link to my diamond... BTW, the photos start getting better (new camera) on about page 6 or 7! Lynn''s Rings

 

[bagelboy]

For a very long time, jewelers have explained the 4 C''s. Higher colors and higher clarities were thought to be better quality diamonds. Cut was either"All our diamonds are well cut." or cut is the shape of the diamonds. There still are many jewelery stores that still sell this idea. However how a diamond is cut determines how well it captures and returns light to your eye as sparkle. Does not matter what color or clarity the diamond is. A well cut diamond gives off more sparkle which makes it harder to note the precise color of the diamond. Your eye just sees sparkle!!! Also a well cut diamond usually will face up larger than a diamond that has a steeper crown and pavilion angles. Plus with the naked eye, you can''t see any inclusions above VS-1 clarity grade.Most people can easily tell the difference between a half carat diamond and a two carat diamond. As to what color and clarity grade rocks your boat, that is entirely a personal subject. Lots of people change their minds or their priorities along the way. Maybe yours is....changing too!!! Another pricescoper is born!!!

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 6/30/2008 10:42:15 PM
Author:Love2Travel
I have noticed from searching and reading posts on here, many of you go w/ a larger diamond and sacrifice color/clarity. My thought has always been the opposite. Go w/ smaller size but get higher color/clarity. After seeing the pictures on here though, I might be thinking of going the other way.

How many of you are/were like me? I guess maybe b/c I was always told to not go below H color and don''t go below VS2 clarity. But w/ sites like WF and GOG giving you SO much info about the diamond, I am starting to think differently.

Does the cut play that BIG of a role ? I know I have seen a I color next to a G color in local store and I could tell the diff easily. Does a well cut stone ''remove'' that difference?

Yes, it is what gives a diamond it''s beauty. Also it depends on the buyer and their preferences, not everyone needs to buy a superideal diamond which is cut to as close to perfection as possible, sometimes just a well cut stone can be the right choice, or what we call a good / nice make, with good proportions. A great cut may make it less easy to determine an I from a G colour, but there are many variables with colour perception, however I think it is safe to say a great cut will show off any colour grade to it''s best advantage.

 

[Indira-London]

In strong agreement with the previous posters on this thread, CUT quality is KING - it is the KEY to sparkle AND visual apparent size!
A well-cut diamond will LOOK bigger and sparkle more than a commercial or average cut larger carat diamond! Regulars to PS will likely have seen this comparison before (photo credit to Garry Holloway). The stone on the left is actually smaller carat weight (0.8 carat) than the one on the right (1 carat), but it looks larger because it has the topmost cut quality and hence is returning light from edge-to-edge.

Re. colour - diamonds are graded when they are face-down (pointed side up) and when looked at sideways whereas when set in jewellery they worn face-up so that they can look whiter when face-up than when graded.

Again the better cut diamond will show less tint (I prefer to use this word rather than colour when talking about white diamonds!) I will post another picture in a separate post as picture explains this more easily

 

[Indira-London]

Colourless (D-F) and Near Colourless (G-J) are shades or tints of white which are graded when face-down and from the side. It means that face-up they can look whiter ESPECIALLY if well-cut as the sparkle from the diamond when face-up helps to hide the "tint" and even hide some inclusions.

 

[Indira-London]

oops here is the picture to go with my previous post: it didn''t attach the first time!

Hope this helps

 

[Lorelei]

Those are very useful pics Indira, thanks for posting them!

 

[MomHelpingSon]

I am currently helping my son select a stone. I am a strong believer in quality over size. But it really depends on personal preference. Another thing to keep in mind is that if you plan on "trading up" later on, a lot of jewelers will give you a much better deal if the stone is at least G/VS2. Most jewelers mentioned on this site (GOG) won''t even take back a stone of lesser quality then that.

 

[oldminer]

In the USA G-VS2 passes as "quality" where in many other parts of the world, E-VVS1 is close to the lower limit of acceptable "quality". It is cultural and has little to do with the intrinsic qualities of diamond. The way a finely cut diamond handles light is its primary special quality and this works reasonably well from D-IF to beyond Z and I1 clarity.

The sort of compromises you select will dictate the carat weight, shape and cost. Using reasonable compromises will end up getting you a diamond which best suits our personal requirements at a price you can afford. Diamond color "quality" is a totally arbitrary scale with nothing to do with intirnsic quality. Clarity and cut have are based upon material facts which can be quantified and reliably categorized. The categories are pretty much a human construct and subject to changes in the future. The color, clarity and appearance will be "forever", but the grading we place on these measures may change over time.

 

[TopSecret]

I just reserved a J from GOG. I was considering a F. Yes, there is a difference, even with ideal cuts. That being said, it's not a huge deal [to me], especially in the "real world" where side-by-side comparisons are pretty unlikely.

Check out this video that Jonathan from GOG made for me; it compares four stones, one of which is a F. The others are I/J.

http://www.goodoldgold.com/videos/HA106109117.wmv

 

[Love2Travel]

Thanks for the replies everyone

MOMHELPINGSON: GOG says on their site that every diamond they sell has a lifetime buy back (25% less then what you paid).

In regards to the video. I noticed all the diamonds are of lesser clarity. Would it be a noticeable diff in sparkle etc in a better clarity diamond or no b/c clarity is about inclusions on the inside of the diamond?

I love how GOG has so much info and is willing to go the extra mile with videos.

 

[TopSecret]

Inclusions generally won''t make any difference in sparkle/fire/etc. Cut makes the difference there.

 

[ursulawrite]

I''m in the high colour, high clarity camp. Before I lost them

I used to own a pair of 1.98 tcw earrings, which were H, SI1. *Totally* white from the front, but I could see yellow from the side, and I hated it. My e-ring is a D and I can only ever imagine buying D-F, and would willingly sacrifice size a million times over to get this.

Curious to know where in the world E, VVS1 is considered "quality"? I''m British and though my friends'' stones tend to be in the 0.5 carat range or so, they''re all at least VS and colourless.

 

[oldminer]

"Quality" in parts of India, such as in the high tech Bangalore region, and places like Japan are at the upper ranges of color and clarity. We find many people of Asian background who reside in the USA often have very high quality aspirations, too.

 

[MomHelpingSon]

Oops, it was ERD with the "no trade ups" unless at least G/VS2. See below:

All diamonds graded J thru Z are not eligible for our trade up policy. All diamonds graded SI2 thru I3 are not eligible for our trade up policy.The policy will apply to the color and clarity individually or together.Thus a J color VS1 will still not be eligible as is a D SI2.

 

[geckodani]

I have a .75, D, Ideal Cut, VS2. I wouldn''t trade it for a larger stone in the G-I range. Having had the D, I don''t think I''d ever want to go "lower" than a F. That said, if you hold it up to my sister in-law''s G, you can only tell a difference if you''re PEERING at them.

And I mean up close and personal.

But that''s just me. It''s totally a personal preference thing.

It really depends on what''s important to you/whoever is receiving the ring.

That said, I''d choose a smaller well cut diamond over a larger, badly cut one any day, regardless of color.

 

[dreamer_dachsie]

Date: 7/1/2008 11:42:21 AM
Author: MomHelpingSon
Oops, it was ERD with the 'no trade ups' unless at least G/VS2. See below:

All diamonds graded J thru Z are not eligible for our trade up policy. All diamonds graded SI2 thru I3 are not eligible for our trade up policy.The policy will apply to the color and clarity individually or together.Thus a J color VS1 will still not be eligible as is a D SI2.

According to that statement they would also accept and I SI1.

 

[dreamer_dachsie]

Cut is all that really, intrinsically matters to the look of a diamond. Clarity doesn''t affect light performance, it just looks poopy when there is a big black blob marring the table. As for color, it is a personal preference. I have an ideal J and I love it, I also have some D/Fs and though they are whiter, they are no more or less beautiful. What is beautiful to me is the price of Js

and I have had nothing but compliments and jealous stares from people I know, none of whom knows a thing about color or gives a hoot about it!

So buy whatever you want, just make sure it is a killer cut!

 

[dockman3]

I agree that cut is important, but I also agree with you and would take a smaller stone with a higher color and clarity. My ranking of the 4 c''s is as follows: cut, color, clarity, carat. I choose the best possible cut and then the lowest color I would like. Then I choose the lowest possible clarity and see what carat stones I can get in my budget based on the other three. My reasoning is that the cut can lessen effects from color, clarity and carat even. A well cut 0.8 can look just as big as a poorly cut 1.0. With clarity, I am not able to see any inclusions with my naked eye for anything better than SI2, so why pay for what you can''t see? I''m pretty sensitive to color and like a colorless stone, so G is my lower limit. So when I''m going to buy a new diamond, I find the biggest ideal cut G, SI1-2 that I can afford. If it happens to have a better color/clarity with the same carat, then that''s even better.