0.69 Carat, Ideal (AGS 0), F, VS1
Girdle: Thin to Medium, Faceted
Fluorescence: Medium Blue

Depth: 62.4, Table: 55, Crown: 34.1, Pavilion: 40.7
Cutlet: Pointed (Does it mean zero?)

I bought it because in the Holloway Cut Advisor it fares:
Brilliance: Excellent, Fire: Excellent, Scintillation: Excellent, Spread: Very Good, and,
Total visual performance: 1.2 (Excellent, within TIC)

When compared to similar diamonds (similar in 4Cs only not in Cut Advisor results) on Blue Nile this diamond seemed $200-$300 cheaper, which I assumed is due to the fluorescence.

Your opinions will be helpful.

Regarding fluorescence, why is it discouraged? I kind of like the color of the light which shows up sometimes. I have made available some nice quality images of this diamond ring under direct California sunlight. There is quite a bit of blue colored light. Please check out the images and let me know your opinion on the fluorescence.
http://y42.photos.yahoo.com/bc/anandpillai/lst?.dir=/Diamonds

The reason I seem to ask very basic questions is that I have never bought diamonds before and have seen a diamond only once in the past for no longer than a few minutes. My purchase was based purely on my extensive research on the Internet.

Congratulations with your diamond! Proportions look excellent! I hope you had a good buying experience and like your rock

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They also sent me an appraisal report for $6800 signed by their in-house graduate gemologist. Why is there such a big difference?

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Appraisal value is often higher than you paid for a diamond especially when you got it from the same vendor. Perhaps it is done to make the buyer happier... Such an appraisal is called "overinflated".

Obviously, appraisal value is not what you can get if you want to sell the diamond. You only can use it for insurance purposes so in the case of the loss you could get a similar diamond. I don't think it is a good practice - it makes you pay more for the insurance and some insurance company won't give you cash anyway but replace the diamond themselves.

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When compared to similar diamonds (similar in 4Cs only not in Cut Advisor results) on Blue Nile this diamond seemed $200-$300 cheaper, which I assumed is due to the fluorescence.

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It's difficult to tell why - could be many other small reason including that another diamond is from another cutter who wants a bit more for his diamond. There is nothing really wrong with medium blue fluorescence. You do not see it as blue as it looks on your pictures, do you?

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The reason I seem to ask very basic questions is that I have never bought diamonds before and have seen a diamond only once in the past for no longer than a few minutes. My purchase was based purely on my extensive research on the Internet.

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You did a great job educating yourself and bought an excellent diamond for very reasonable price from reliable source. I wish all the people will do so. Enjoy your diamond!

Thanks for sharing images with us. If you don't mind, I uploaded them to show them here.