Yet another "which one?" question . . .

[Sue777]

Hi Folks. Thanks so much for all being on this forum.... I have learned so much and have enjoyed reading the posts every free second I''ve had for the past week. All the different factors involved in choosing a diamond are mind-boggling! Me and my husband went back to the jeweler''s this afternoon to view the 1.66 round we saw Tuesday night . . . I wanted to see it in natural daylight. He had some other stones for us to look at also, and we quickly were able to narrow it down to 2:

The round 1.66 J color, SI2, by EGI standards (I believe the percentages were 59% and 61%)

And a 1.50 J color, SI1, by GIA standards. (percentages were 60% and 60%)

(Bear with me on those percentages because I don''t have any of the paperwork with me at this computer - I''m going off of memory, and I know you''d like a lot more of the other information, also, but I''m not typing this from a place where I can access the actual data)

Suffice it to say, the dimensions and cut were basically equal on both stones..... the two major differences were the size and the grading association.

Even though they were both rated "J" there was a NOTICEABLE difference in color. The larger, EGI rated stone had an obvious yellow tinge when placed next to the smaller GIA-rated J. At first that didn''t bother me and I still leaned towards the larger one, but the more I carried them both around the store, into darker rooms, lighter rooms, outside, in the car, etc. I started leaning towards the smaller stone. (that is NOT like me!)

I don''t think the color bothered me as much as the fact that the smaller stone just seemed "crisper" and "sharper". I don''t know the technical term for it, but it seemed like someone had fine-tuned the focus when viewing the GIA stone, the EGI was more of a "fuzzy" sparkle.

The jeweler kept stressing that the rating of SI1 from GIA is MUCH higher than a SI2 from the EGI..... do you all agree? He says the European rating system is not as strict, so for it to be called a J color SI2 by their standards, it would be less valuable than that according to GIA ratings.

As much as I really wanted the .15 size increase, I ended up choosing the smaller but "cleaner" diamond. As far as inclusions go, there were quite a few on the EGI stone when viewed through the 10x, but only a few on the GIA stone.

It''s still not too late to change my mind, as we''re waiting for my setting to come in late next week. I guess what I''m hoping to hear is that the smaller diamond may LOOK as big as the bigger one simply due to the fact that it sparkles more, and that the "drool factor" will be as great or greater on the smaller stone thanks to it''s higher quality. Your thoughts and opinions, please? (price wasn''t a deciding factor.... $700 difference between the two)
Sue

 

[pqcollectibles]

You can check out a survey of the grading labs by clicking on the Reviews link above and selecting Grading Survey.

EGL is a bit more lax and inconsistent than AGS or GIA. So that EGL J/SI2 you saw could really be an AGS/GIA/K/I1. Either color or clarity, or both could make a price difference. However, there are many accurately graded EGL diamonds bought and sold every day. Since EGL diamonds tend to trade at a lower price, an accurately graded EGL diamond can be a bit of a bargain for a diamond buyer.

In this case, if those are the only 2 diamonds you are going to consider,.............. Go with what your eyes told you. One diamond spoke to you and the other one didn''t. Simple as that!

 

[Sue777]

Hi, PQ, and thanks for the comments. I can''t believe how something that started out to be so wonderfully exciting has turned into something that is causing me so much distress. I fell asleep for a few hours and woke up with this horrible feeling that I''d made the wrong decision..... second-guessing myself, but I would probably have done that regardless of which choice I made. It''s now nagging at me that I may regret NOT going for the bigger stone. I mean, in real life, who actually examines the stone under a loupe under several different lighting situations?! I probably won''t notice how "clear" the stone is, but I WILL notice that I could have had a bigger one and turned it down!

The only thing that can support my choosing the smaller one is if I can convince myself that the "sparkle" factor will be prominent, but I''m not convinced of that. Again, in "real life" there are hairsprays, handcreams, and a variety of other things on our rings daily and the sparkle may not be there - but the size WILL.

Wow - this is really torturous. Think I''m swinging back towards the one with the European rating, because realistically speaking, if I don''t plan on ever re-selling it, who cares WHAT the paperwork says!?!?!

Anguished and confused.

 

[pqcollectibles]

Date: 12/31/2004 11:14:33 PM
Author: Sue777
Hi, PQ, and thanks for the comments. I can''t believe how something that started out to be so wonderfully exciting has turned into something that is causing me so much distress. I fell asleep for a few hours and woke up with this horrible feeling that I''d made the wrong decision..... second-guessing myself, but I would probably have done that regardless of which choice I made. It''s now nagging at me that I may regret NOT going for the bigger stone. I mean, in real life, who actually examines the stone under a loupe under several different lighting situations?! I probably won''t notice how ''clear'' the stone is, but I WILL notice that I could have had a bigger one and turned it down!

The only thing that can support my choosing the smaller one is if I can convince myself that the ''sparkle'' factor will be prominent, but I''m not convinced of that. Again, in ''real life'' there are hairsprays, handcreams, and a variety of other things on our rings daily and the sparkle may not be there - but the size WILL.

Wow - this is really torturous. Think I''m swinging back towards the one with the European rating, because realistically speaking, if I don''t plan on ever re-selling it, who cares WHAT the paperwork says!?!?!

Anguished and confused.

Well cut diamonds seem to perform thru the grime, but a dud''s a dud all the time.

Size is a relative factor. If all the gals you know are wearing 2 carat rocks, then size might be an issue. I have a 1.25 carat and it looks huge compared to most diamonds I see on a regular basis. But the size isn''t what attracts people''s eye to my ring. It''s the sparkle factor.

 

[TLS]

sue this is my own personal opinion so take it for what it''s worth - just an opinion. If it is strictly between these two stones only I would take that GIA graded (slightly smaller) stone any day of the week and twice on sundays if it''s a nicer looking more sparkly stone. In my opinion it is the sparkle factor that people will be more "wowed" by - trust me most people do not have a well cut stones so if it sparkes more it will stand out more.

also, i think the yellowness of the bigger one would be an issue down the road, some people are color sensitive, and i think i might be one of them. If that color is bothering you know it might start to gnaw at you down the road... also without an appraisal you have no idea whether that EGL graded "J" is really a "K" and whether the clarity is really an "I1". Might not be as good a bargain if that is the case...

having a bigger stone is nice, but having a bigger yellower stone might not be as nice. I would think the size difference would be negligible anyhow - did the EGL one really look that much bigger?

at the end of the day though it all comes down to which one appeals to you more and it sounds like you made the right call, but I understand the 2nd guessing, i do it all day long....

 

[valeria101]

In theory EGL's colors may not be the same as GIA's but with the diamond at hand to compare... the general stats count little. It may be that the EGL stone here is better cut and graded conservatively after all. It could also be that the GIA J is on the lower end of the grade.

With the two diamonds place culet up in a fold of white paper the grades will show what they are all about asap.

Besides, neither of these has traditional ideal proportions and the cut stats are not there. So the better cut of the two could make a clear winner in person although there's no telling from the description here. It would be nice to see then via that Ideal Scope if choosing in person...

Just IMO, of course.

Btw... how about fluorescence ? It would be nice to have some on top of the J color

 

[Sue777]

Thanks, Everyone, for your thoughts and opinions - they helped a lot. After agonizing all night, I now feel pretty confident I made the right choice in going for the smaller but cleaner round diamond. Yes, we did have them both in a "fold" of white paper, quite a few times, and tried mixing them up, but the larger stone always came through as much more yellow, very obviously. And even though I won''t always be placing my ring into the fold of white paper, I think down the road it WOULD nag at me that I could have had a whiter, sparklier, diamond. I''m betting the .15 size difference will be negated by the extra sparkle factor, too, as you said.

Also, after reading the surveys of the different reporting agencies, it seems that EGL is usually off on their color gradings, so the larger stone is probably more of a "K" than a "J", at least in GIA terms. All in all, a GIA cert still fares better than an EGL cert, or if nothing else, provides more piece of mind.

I think what caused the majority of my turmoil is that I felt like I was being pressured into choosing the better stone by the jeweler. Granted, he didn''t say much and let me spend a lot of time making my own decision, but AFTER I did, he really spoke his mind about the smaller stone being the "hands down" BETTER diamond. Between him stressing that and my husband giving me "the look" (hubby would ALWAYS choose quality over size) I think I felt bullied and ended up doubting whether or not it''s what "I" wanted or what THEY wanted. So after letting hubby know that I was having second thoughts and getting his OK to change my mind, I came up with wanting the smaller diamond ON MY OWN. NOW maybe I can sleep tonight.

Thanks again. I''m sure the agonizing isn''t over yet, but at least it''s closer!
Sue

 

[rosy]

Great decision. A 1.50 carat diamond is not small at all!!

 

[Patty]

I think that you made the right decision, Sue. If the yellow tint bothered you at all in the store, it would only get worse once you had the stone at home. You would constantly be noticing it and wondering if you made the wrong decision. Also, the "crisp" look of the GIA graded stone sounds more appealling to me. I think that going up just .15c would not have been worth the color difference, not to mention the clarity and crispness difference!