0.486 G ...

[wanderer]

So I''m trying to decide if the following is a good buy:

0.486 G, SI1. No "overtones". Round cut, table slightly large : 63 I think, depths 0.57, thin girdle, V good culet according to cert.

Price $1000.

Good or not ?

 

[barry]

57% depth, 63% table with thin girdle
indicates the cutter has "squeezed" the
stone to get the "light" half-carat size.
Crown angles are probably at or below 30 degrees
that combined with 'flat' depth results
in minimal light output and considerable
light leakage.

You can do much better looking for a 60-60
table/depth combination that will be much more
visually attractive. Keep in mind that you should obtain
detailed Sarin or MegaScope reports on any diamond
you're interested in as there are various table/depth
combinations that will result in 60/60 or better
proportions, not all of them conducive to
maxed light output. These reports will give you the data
on crown angle, pavillion angle, crown height,
pavillion percentage.

You also don't indicate the certifying lab.
GIA and AGS are the most reliable and consistent
for color/clarity grading. Outside the U.S. you
can rely on HRD.

Barry
www.superbcert.com

 

[wanderer]

I'm outside US - in Africa. As I recall, the cert was EGL (EJL ?). I'd need to get the details again. How does the proce sound, or are the details not precise enough for a gut feel ?

 

[barry]

EGL. Which one? They are wildly inconsistent.

As far as price is concerned, always factor it in relation
to the quality of the merchandise offered.
You get what you pay for. Personally, I
would stay away from this one as the numbers
suggest a poor light performer.

Barry
www.superbcert.com

 

[Giangi]

EGL SA is just terrible!

 

[Mara]

Without more info, it's really impossible to tell you much other than what Barry has already noted as a possibility. The table is a little large combined with the depth. My stone is a 57% depth, 61.4% table and it works really beautifully...but I think anything larger on the table for my particular stone would have thrown things off significantly.

EGL labs can be somewhat lenient in their grading, depending on the lab. For example, your G may be an H or I color or your SI1 may be an SI2 or even worse, a borderline I1. GIA and AGS are the more reputable labs, with HRD for overseas as an a-ok choice.

Anyway--use your gut to make the decision but I agree that you should probably pass on this stone and keep looking. For your $1000 budget, you can get a GREAT stone...not one that may be borderline poor cut, with an EGL cert.

I ran a quick 2-second Pricescope search on only excellently cut stones and found this stone at WhiteFlash. They sell to overseas customers I believe, you may want to check this out. It's exactly your stone's specs, but an excellently cut Hearts and Arrows 'A Cut Above' SuperIdeal stone that should knock your socks off. Check out the H&A images and also the IdealScope image. A burner!

http://www.whiteflash.com/acut/diamond_details.asp?ItemCode=471878

.48c G SI ACA H&A $1100

As you can see, your $1000 or $1100 will get you a top of the line cut stone as opposed to one with an EGL cert and a questionable cut. If you want to keep looking offline, use the stone at WF as a guidance of what you COULD get...or if you are interested, check out some of the online vendors on Pricescope's cut quality search or Hearts & Arrows search. There are tons of stones out there. Don't settle for one where the questions number more than the answers.

Good luck!!