need advice

[momofgroom]

My son is about to purchase the following 2.12 S1 I ex ex ex Round Hearts and arrows diamond for $15,300. The gia report says Clouds are are not shown. My husband feels he can see some clouding in certain light, we were told this price was a mistake but they would give it to us because they had shown us and not realized it was priced too low. Should we move on or is this a good purchase? Thanks.

 

[pfunk]

What is the GIA report number? That will help tell us a little more.

 

[momofgroom]

1199469555

 

[ecf8503]

It's not very well cut - it's a steep/deep and will not have great light performance. It scores a paltry 4.4 on the HCA (good only if price is your main criterion). https://www.pricescope.com/tools/hca

Ideally you want a score under 2, as it is a weed-out tool (especially for those excellent GIA's that aren't actually that well cut - their range is too broad) and those over 2 generally aren't well cut. Once under 2, lower is not better. The next step after finding one under 2 is to get an idealscope image to assess light performance.

You likely are seeing the clouds - it says right in the report that the clarity grade is based on clouds not shown. I'd pass.

Up to you. It sounds like price is a factor here, but just know that what you'd be buying is not the best you could do.

 

[pfunk]

Glad you posted the report. At first I thought you meant the report had a note about additional clouds not being shown. The note on the report is actually that the clarity grade is BASED ON clouds not shown. This is a very different issue and one that I would be concerned with. The clarity plot looks clean, except for that they didn't plot any clouds, which would likely be very large, very numerous, or both. Since you can spot the cloudiness, the diamond likely has some transparency issues and is not as clear and crisp as it should be. This is the reason for the "low" price, not a pricing error on their part. Do NOT purchase! Instead, make your way to the next vendor or let us help you search online.

 

[momofgroom]

Thank you what could he expect to find for approx. $16,000 to $18,000 2 CARATS or above hope to stay $17,000 and under

 

[John P]

Glad you posted the report. At first I thought you meant the report had a note about additional clouds not being shown. The note on the report is actually that the clarity grade is BASED ON clouds not shown. This is a very different issue and one that I would be concerned with.

100% correct. In some cases even diamonds with no comment can have unreported issues affecting transparency, but the "based on" comment is a bright red flag.

In terms of your observation about the price; This information, in another ongoing thread, may be of interest.
https://www.pricescope.com/communit...nvestment.214959/page-2#post-3908159#p3908159

 

[ecf8503]

You can get in the 2ct range but you'd have to drop color a bit. There is a huge markup at the 2ct mark, so finding a stone just under that would save you money and will look exactly the same. I'd look at Good Old Gold, James Allen, Whiteflash, Brian Gavin, Crafted by Infinity, just to name a few. I'll look and see what I can find.

Keep in mind that an ideal cut stone will face up whiter and larger than a less ideal cut stone of the same carat weight. You can safely drop to the H/I color range - even down to a J - and have a beautiful stone. brb -

 

[telephone89]

http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3449653.htm 1.966 ct I SI1 $17,326
http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3488754.htm 1.962 ct J VS2 $15,622
http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3388140.htm 2.058 ct J SI1 $18,188
Will all be stunners, and face up only the tiniest bit less than the 2.12.

 

[ecf8503]

Just as examples to get you started:

http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3488754.htm

http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-dia...arat-h-color-vs1-clarity-ideal-cut-sku-584262

http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/d...ls/1.758-i-vs2-round-diamond-ags-104073209013

Ask if this is eye clean: http://highperformancediamonds.com/shop/diamonds/HPD7421/

http://highperformancediamonds.com/shop/clarity/HPD7491/

 

[momofgroom]

I really appreciate all the information that I was given. I am in driving distance of Good Old Gold and also know someone who bought from them and were very happy. So I think we will try that option . My son has a $500 deposit down on the ring we discussed and are now not buying. I am hesitant to deal with them as they were not forthcoming with the information on the comment on the GIA. The setting we had made was a .40 carat platinum

 

[VRBeauty]

This jeweler also has another stone which is a 2.03 triple ex VS2 I ( awaiting GIA) for $17,500 if I do the HCA (?) and it comes under 2, do you think he should go with that?

As you've just learned, selecting a good diamond involves more than looking at the numbers.