Rock Rookie's need some re-assuring

[gfmg2019]

Hi all, 1st time post from Ireland.

We are 1st time "considerable" diamond purchasers and are stuck between two rings from different stores so can't see them side by side we have decided we like it with yellow gold and just a simple straight up solitaire.

Diamond one
GIA Certified
1.01c
Round Brilliant Shape
F Colour
VS2
Tripe Excellent (cut, polish, symmetry)
No fluorescence
Price: €9,100 with yellow gold mount



Diamond two
GIA certified
1.25c
Round Brilliant Shape
D Colour
SI1 - since we have no cert to show you, i'll try to describe it. It is eye clean but through the loop (magnified) on the side you can see a line left of center but with a few smaller feathers. The cert had multiple small markings on both diagrams.
Tripe Excellent (cut, polish, symmetry)
Strong Blue fluorescence
Price: €10,500 with yellow gold mount
No picture or cert for this one.

So while the larger carat is attractive, it is currently in a platinum band so it is hard for us to visualize what it will look like in a yellow gold setting.

The reason we have just the one picture is because the jewelers where the bigger stone is didn't allow any pictures nor to take a pic of the GIA cert. They were nice people but didn't give us a warm fussy feeling ! We found this to be in direct contrast to the other jewelers where they were super nice, told us to take pictures, brought us outside to the street for the natural light. Has put the ring away for us until Monday with no payment. We even told her about the other ring in the other shop and discussed that for a while with no attitude from her. I mean she was so nice and put us at ease.

While the budget is not the main factor in this decision, it is a consideration. We are more looking for a quality diamond that will stand the test of time. We have read also that sometimes bigger isn't always better quality wise. However what girl doesn't like bigger !!!!!!

We need help, guidance and your votes/opinions. We have spent all day discussing this and its starting to really stress us out. I mean we even got to the point of trying to toss a coin !!

Thank you so much for your help in advance

 

[lovedogs]

Unfortunately we can't help much without more information about the stones, like table/depth/crown/pavillion, etc. Cut is King, and unfortunately gia XXX doesn't mean the stone is actually a great cut.

Could you ask the stores about the stone proportions from the Gia certificate and post them here?

 

[gfmg2019]

Unfortunately we can't help much without more information about the stones, like table/depth/crown/pavillion, etc. Cut is King, and unfortunately gia XXX doesn't mean the stone is actually a great cut.

Could you ask the stores about the stone proportions from the Gia certificate and post them here?

Here are the dimensions from diamond 1, does this help?

 

[lovedogs]

Here are the dimensions from diamond 1, does this help?

Yes that's perfect. This is a solid stone in terms of angles/proportion, etc. Nice work!

Scores a 1.5 on the HCA calculator, which is a tool to check that the angles all work well together (anythig under 2 = pass, over 2 = fail), so that's great.

Without any info on the other stone, and given that the othe jeweler was rude, I would go with this one!

 

[gfmg2019]

Yes that's perfect. This is a solid stone in terms of angles/proportion, etc. Nice work!

Scores a 1.5 on the HCA calculator, which is a tool to check that the angles all work well together (anythig under 2 = pass, over 2 = fail), so that's great.

Without any info on the other stone, and given that the othe jeweler was rude, I would go with this one!

Thank you for the feedback, much appreciated. We might try and get the proportion on Monday from the other vendor.

 

[lovedogs]

Thank you for the feedback, much appreciated. We might try and get the proportion on Monday from the other vendor.

Sounds good, especially if this one is being held for you. It's always good to fully understand your options.

 

[tyty333]

If no pictures, memorize the Table percentage, depth percentage, Crown (angle) and pavilion (angle)....come back and someone can let you know if
they are good. See my crudely circled numbers on the report you posted for the values to make note of.

 

[TODiamonds]

Proportions are a good starting point and those here will give you great advice on the specs but without good pictures (better pictures than the one you've posted) it's really difficult to give an informed opinion. It sounds like you're suggesting they are both already mounted which makes it even more difficult to assess the stones (why are they already mounted anyway? Kinda weird).

On paper at least, diamond 1 sounds promising (other than the spread which faces up slightly smaller than the ideal size for a 1ct) but I can't tell anything visually from that pic.

 

[gfmg2019]

Proportions are a good starting point and those here will give you great advice on the specs but without good pictures (better pictures than the one you've posted) it's really difficult to give an informed opinion. It sounds like you're suggesting they are both already mounted which makes it even more difficult to assess the stones (why are they already mounted anyway? Kinda weird).

On paper at least, diamond 1 sounds promising (other than the spread which faces up slightly smaller than the ideal size for a 1ct) but I can't tell anything visually from that pic.

Yep in Ireland, most diamonds you buy are ready mounted !

Looks like the other store wouldn't give us the GIA code to get the report nor do they allow pictures ! So I guess it's diamond 1 for us. I just don't understand why they won't let us see the cert, I even asked if I could take a picture of it when we go in and they didn't sound keen on that either, kinda makes them seem shady !!

 

[elizat]

I think that some people from Ireland have shopped on Blue Nile before without an issue. It may give you additional options.

 

[Kaycee2018]

Yikes! The pricing for diamonds in Europe is just so high! €9,100 = $10,000 USD! I just purchased a 1.01ct G VS2 and a .96 ct H VVS2 for $5,150 USD each! Have you considered taking a trip to the US for your diamond shopping? The cost would be about the same and you would get a nice holiday out of it . Or I'll actually be in Dublin this weekend if you'd like me to bring you one LOL Seriously though, Diamond 1 does seem like the better choice given the information you were provided and how you were treated. And at least the diamond you were offered has very complimentary specs. Congratulations!

 

[sledge]

Kind of surprised no one mentioned this yet, but while I have no qualms with fluor I don't particularly like a D color stone coupled with strong blue fluor. Most the time fluor is fine. My wife's current H VS2 has medium blue fluor. That said, the small minority of stones that have problems tend to happen in strong and very strong levels.

Not to say this stone has those issues, but it's something to be aware of and to check on.

Prior to committing to stone 1, can you purchase an ASET scope and take with you to the store? We can guide you how to read the image you will see and it will provide some assurance to the light performance.

I only ask because while the proportions are promising I have seen some 35/40.8 combos that have leakage in them. Not all of them. Depends on the exact cut and other specifics. On the stone you are considering I see it's carrying a little fat in the girdle (slightly thick @ 4% per cert). Also, I see where the stone barely surpasses the magic 1 carat weight.

I don't want to rain on your parade but these factors make me want to exercise caution, get the scope, check the light performance and make sure the stone wasn't cut to retain weight which may affect the beauty.

 

[OoohShiny]

@gfmg2019 - I may have missed it, but are you open to buying online?

If so, we would be happy to help find you some options to consider

 

[sledge]

@gfmg2019 - I may have missed it, but are you open to buying online?

If so, we would be happy to help find you some options to consider

Agreed. We can find some killer options for you via online sources.

That said, the tone of OP's original post made it sound like he was trying to work with local jewelers. Not sure if that was preference, or just lack of not knowing about reputable online vendors.

 

[kmoro]

I think the F was definitely cut to get to that one carat mark ... however, only barely so. The girdle and depth are only slightly deeper than ideal, and the proportions look really great, even if there is GIA rounding.

There is no real way to tell the light performance without an actual test, like the ASET. The HCA is only a predictor, and used to rule out non-AGS (light-performance tested) certified stones. An ASET scope is cheap but then you will be comparing diamonds etc ... You may not care, knowing that the F is probably close to ideal.

Without a certificate # to go with the D, I would suggest avoiding that one ... it may not be GIA graded, and then it is probably lower than D, the SI1 could be cloudy or not eye-clean, the fluorescence might be an issue at “strong,” however, a cloudy or milky look is still only rarely caused by fluorescence ... it does happen though, and is something for which you should check.

I have a D set in a yellow gold band with a while gold head ... it looks as white as my D in platinum, from all angles, in all light ... I would expect this to be the same for E and F as well ... maybe you can consider setting the F in a white metal head with a yellow band ... although I think that a high colour diamond will never look tinted by the gold ...

Just my opinion ...

 

[lovedogs]

Agreed. We can find some killer options for you via online sources.

That said, the tone of OP's original post made it sound like he was trying to work with local jewelers. Not sure if that was preference, or just lack of not knowing about reputable online vendors.

Sorry, I was assuming that OP was only willing to work with local jewelers.

And I wasn't going to comment on the Fluor of the D stone until we saw the cert because it might just be poorly cut and ruled out for that reason. But good point!

 

[sledge]

Sorry, I was assuming that OP was only willing to work with local jewelers.

And I wasn't going to comment on the Fluor of the D stone until we saw the cert because it might just be poorly cut and ruled out for that reason. But good point!

It's all good. Nothing but massive respect for you -- hopefully you know this. Sorry if my posts came across as anything to the contrary.

 

[Dancing Fire]

Yep in Ireland, most diamonds you buy are ready mounted !

Come to the US for diamond shopping. We are giving diamonds away.