1.5c AGS0 vs. 1.7c GIA3X

[thewho2who]

I've essentially narrowed down with my gf, after checking stores, to the following:

H(+) Color
SI1 clairty (eye clean)
Excellent HCA score

I'm going to get her a simple mini-pave cathedral setting, so the diamond needs to be high quality since since it will be displayed so prominently.

I took her briefly, before we did much research (and when she originally wanted a Halo ring), and had multiples diamonds brought out without her seeing the size etc. The sweetspot for her was around 1.7c, but we were looking at Ideal cut GIA diamonds that had low HCA scores (something I found quite common at the Jewelry district in LA, but thats another story).

Will the 1.5c be a significant downgrade in size, and will the extra clarity/cut make up for it? I do see posting about how a super ideal cut can make the diamond look better & bigger, but does this hold true against a GIA3X with excellent HCA score?

My budget is around $13k

Some of the diamonds I have been looking at are:

AGS0 ~1.5:
http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3774791.htm?source=pricescope
http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3738240.htm?source=pricescope

GIA 3x:
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/1.67-carat-e-color-si1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-2296644
https://www.pricescope.com/diamonds/round/1_74-carat-h-color-si1-clarity-961958

 

[Strawberry129]

Hi,

The difference between a 1.5 vs a 1.7 is quite small. We're measuring in millimeters here.

The better question to ask is will she always want that "1.7" cause that's her ideal size and it's bigger than 1.5 and closer to 2 carats (mind thing)...Or will she be happier with a higher color/clarity. Diamond shopping is not about what a bunch of random strangers think is better, it's about what YOU and your beloved thinks is better. Not much help I know, sorry.

As for the diamonds, maybe some of the other diamond experts can help you.

Are you planning on upgrading in the future? That's something to keep in mind too because you have to pay double to upgrade with jamesallen...b2cjewel offers upgrades with 20% off restocking fee. Whiteflash allows you to upgrade as long as it's higher or equal in price and you bought one of their in house diamonds. If you don't plan on upgrading, your vendors are a lot less limited.

 

[ac117]

You can't go wrong with a WF stone! I don't think the JA stone you posted will be eye clean and like this one a lot better...see if they could provide you with an idealscope:
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/1.64-carat-h-color-si1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-2205258

But yes, something always has to give when you're on a budget. There are lots of people who would only go for a super ideal stone. There are many others who would rather get more size or color or clarity by hunting for a top performing GIA excellent stone that falls within ideal parameters. WF does has an amazing upgrade policy as the poster before me mentioned so even if you sacrifice a little on size, you could always upgrade down the line!

 

[Sagefemme]

How about this one?

http://highperformancediamonds.com/shop/i/HPD7785/?shop=yes

I had a great customer service experience with High Performance Diamonds, and Wink has a pretty good array of super ideal stones with SI clarity that may be in your price range.

 

[thewho2who]

Upgrading is def important to me, but both JA bands & diamonds seem cheaper.

She isn't dead set on 1.7c. I do remember, when looking at diamonds, that was the size we approx settled on when eyeballing (7.98mm across).

I also remember, that even though these diamonds were GIA3EX we were looking at in store (though they did have poor HCA score), I was still impressed by how shiny all of them were (this may be because we have never really looked at diamonds before).

With this said, the upgrade policy with WF is REALLY nice (and I like their bands better)

I was also thinking of pushing my budget up $1k and getting this:

http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3075972.htm?source=pricescope

 

[ac117]

Upgrading is def important to me, but both JA bands & diamonds seem cheaper.

She isn't dead set on 1.7c. I do remember, when looking at diamonds, that was the size we approx settled on when eyeballing (7.98mm across).

I also remember, that even though these diamonds were GIA3EX we were looking at in store (though they did have poor HCA score), I was still impressed by how shiny all of them were (this may be because we have never really looked at diamonds before).

With this said, the upgrade policy with WF is REALLY nice (and I like their bands better)

I was also thinking of pushing my budget up $1k and getting this:

http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3075972.htm?source=pricescope

A beautiful stone!! If upgrading is important to you, then I really think WF is a better choice bc they don't require a minimum spend. They also credit you 50% of certain settings when upgrading.