Newbie--help me pick a center stone!

[tmot14]

Hi everyone,
I've been married for 5 years now. My husband and I were poor college students when we got married, so our rings are terrible quality from a department store. We always said we'd upgrade when the time was right, and now we're ready!

I've decided on this Tacori setting (the halo has .69cts). The shop said it would best fit a 1.5-1.75ct round stone, but the display model had a CZ placed. I'm unsure if I want to upgrade my bands now, or opt for a nicer diamond now and upgrade the bands later. Assuming I buy a new band, the budget for the diamond would be $10k max. If I stick with the current band, the budget would be $13k max.

I've read simple guides on what to look for. We'd like:
Cut: Very Good/Ideal
Color: H or better
Clarity: VS1 or better
Carat Weight: 1.4 or above
Certification: GIA or AGS

I'm only seeing a handful of stones in the 10k price range, and I don't know what specifics to look for given the shape of the ring and the size of the halo stones. I'm very new to diamond-buying, so please advise if I should lower my standards a little bit with any of the criteria. Rings are on my pinky since we just had our first baby and nothing fits on my ring ringer at the moment!

 

[Gypsy]

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/12447/
http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3164219.htm?source=pricescope
http://www.b2cjewels.com/dd-6257604-1.51-carat-Round-diamond-H-color-SI1-Clarity.aspx?sku=6257604&utm_source=pricescope.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=pricescope.com

Ask if the above are eyeclean.

Get an idealscope and images: http://www.b2cjewels.com/dd-5138625-1.50-carat-Round-diamond-H-color-VVS1-Clarity.aspx?sku=5138625&utm_source=pricescope.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=pricescope.com

 

[tmot14]

I'll ask them--thanks!

 

[tmot14]

Would there be a noticeable difference to a novice like myself if I loosened my criteria? I found this 2.05 ct, I color, Si1 diamond that's very close to my price range. I'd prefer a bigger stone if possible.

http://www.solomonbrothers.com/DiamondDetail.aspx?sku=77Y5F886&affiliate=9318613A-AD0C-4530-A456-0409DFEFB8DE&utm_source=PriceScope

 

[tmot14]

This one also seems like a good option? http://www.gia.edu/cs/Satellite/?childpagename=GIA/Page/ReportCheck&pagename=GIA/Dispatcher&c=Page&cid=1355954554547&reportno=5161199860

 

[Gypsy]

No.

The entire purpose of faceting a diamond is to reflect light.
How well or how poorly a diamond does this determines how beautiful it is.
How well a diamond performs is determined by the angles and cutting. This is why we say cut is king.
No other factor: not color, not clarity has as much of an impact on the appearance of a diamond as its cut. An ideal H will out white a poorly cut F. And GIA Ex is not enough. And you must stick to GIA and AGS only. EGL is a bad option: [URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/egl-certification-are-any-of-them-ok.142863/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/egl-certification-are-any-of-them-ok.142863/[/URL]
So how to we ensure that we have the right angles and cutting to get the light performance we want?
https://www.pricescope.com/wiki/diamonds/diamond-cut
Well one method is to start with a GIA Ex, and then apply the HCA to it. YOU DO NOT USE HCA for AGS0 stones.
https://www.pricescope.com/wiki/diamonds/holloway-cut-advisor
The HCA is a rejection tool. Not a selection tool. It uses 4 data points to make a rudimentary call on how the diamond may perform.
If the diamond passes then you know that you are in the right zone in terms of angles for light performance. Under 2 is a pass. Under 2.5-2.1 is a maybe. 2.6 and over is a no. No score 2 and under is better than any other.
Is that enough? Not really.
So what you need is a way to check actual light performance of your actual stone.
That's what an idealscope image does. https://www.pricescope.com/wiki/diamonds/firescope-idealscope
It shows you how and wear your diamond is reflecting light, how well it is going at it, and where you are losing light return. That is why you won't see us recommending Blue Nile, as they do not provide idealscope images for their diamonds. BGD, James Allen, GOG, HPD, ERD and WF do.

The Idealscope is the 'selection tool'. Not the HCA.
So yes, with a GIA stone you need the idealscope images. Or you can buy an idealscope yourself and take it in to the jeweler you are working with to check the stones yourself. Or if you have a good return policy (full refund minimum 7 days) then you can buy the idealscope, buy the stone, and do it at home.


Now if you want to skip all that... stick to AGS0 stones and then all you have to do is pick color and clarity and you know you have a great performing diamond. Because AGS has already done the checking for you. That's why they trade at a premium.

 

[tmot14]

Thank you so much for taking the time to write up such a thorough explanation. I obviously have a lot more research to do. Thanks to your advice I was able to reject a stone a jeweler offered since it seemed to fit the bill on paper but had an awful HCA score.

 

[luvdajules]

Hi OP, If your budget is $13k for center stone only, I do believe you could get a 2 ct stone, I did. You will need to look at I/J colors and make sure that's okay with you, mine is a AGS0 mid grade J and I love it, plenty white. Did you happen to read this other thread, some advice about budget friendly choices to consider if you want a larger stone (the poster wanted a 2 ct for $12.5k)
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/looking-for-engagment-diamond-ring-in-nyc.205830/page-2']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/looking-for-engagment-diamond-ring-in-nyc.205830/page-2[/URL]

my advice pasted below from above link
Hi OP, it sounds that seeing the stones in person is important to you so I second making appointments to see GOG or IDJewelry. You can make several cost saving measures while still getting a fantastic stone with a top cut. Stay with GIA and AGS certs. and do HCA calcs on any stone, consider only those with HCA under 2.5 (2 and under best).

1. Color I/J most likely for 2 ct. stone with $12.5k budget
2. Fluoro is your friend with near colorless stones (G-J)
3. VG on polish is ok
4. Depending on inclusion(s) type, an eye clean Si1/Si2 is budget friendly. Consider a near eye clean stone that's high color and size.
5. An H color is maybe possible if you go 60/60 type with a 1.7-1.8 ct, but it will still face up to nearly the same as 2ct.
6. a 60/60 stone that's 2ct. will face up even bigger
7. to get most bang for buck, probably won't get branded stones (WF, BGD, JA). Try more IDJ, B2C, Union Diamond, Ritani, Eternity by Yoni.

I really do think you will get what you want with your budget, so just stay the course. It might take a little extra work, but it will be worth the effort in the long run (and you will have such a nice ring to cherish after).


Hope this helps with making your decision to nail down the size. You can go smaller and higher color/clarity or go max size but slide on color and clarity to eye clean, or something in the middle somewhere. Go look at some diamonds and see what makes your heart happy! It's homework, but fun and keep your wallet at home.

ETA I just looked at the 2 GIA reports you linked (one from Solomon Bros). You will want to stick with just GIA triple X stones, meaning Excellent Cut grade (VG is not good enough). From the triple excellents, you will want to narrow them further with the HCA score (2.7 max). I believe that's why Gypsy dinged those two stones. You can find others that are 2 cts. or close and top notch cut, color and clarity are personal preferences that sway price immensely (and indicate rarity, not diamond beauty).

 

[tmot14]

That was so helpful, luvdajules! We're going to look at a diamond shop in San Francisco sometime in the next week or so to get a better idea of how low I want to go in color vs. size. I will likely still order online to save $$ and sales tax, but I'll at least leave a bit more educated about what I'm looking for.

In the meantime, I saw this 1.6ct which seemed to tick all of the boxes. The HCA is 1.5, and the idealscope image looks good to my untrained eye. What do you guys think?

http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3045741.htm

 

[luvdajules]

Oh man! You can't go wrong with a WF ACA! It doesn't say eye clean and my guess is the crystal right in the middle (but I'm surprised because it looks so small). Have them pull for you to discuss this and how visible it is. I love the fat arrows (76% lgf). This is a nice choice.

 

[AprilBaby]

That ACA looks like a winner and will probably be eye clean!

 

[tmot14]

Buying a diamond is hard work! I went into a well regarded diamond exchange this afternoon, and saw what looked like three lovely stones. Got the GIA certificate numbers, went home and plugged them into an HCA calculator, and all 3 failed . Two of the stones were even a few thousand above my price range because the store said they could replicate the Tacori for a fraction of the price.

In terms of setting, I love the floral look of the Tacori one, but really dislike most halos I've tried on. I'm not attached to the Tacori name--is it worth exploring custom options in order to go up in stone size? I'm very fearful of buying something sight unseen...

 

[tmot14]

I spoke to the lovely folks at Whiteflash and unfortunately the ACA diamond was not eyeclean. They had a few other recommendations in the same price range and I think this one is going to be the winner! It's on hold for me at the moment. They had an ACA that was a close call, but it was $1k more and the lady I spoke with said this is actually the better value (better clarity grade, comparable performance).

http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3164214.htm

Any thoughts before I take the plunge?

 

[Gypsy]

Very nice.

 

[tmot14]

Purchased! Should arrive in 3 weeks .