1.7ct vs 2.0ct

[david b]

You are not a vendor but surely an expert in diamonds somehow if you saw so many diamonds as you said.

As I said, you are welcome to haunt the perfect diamond on earth, I think it is unnecessary.

 

[TreeScientist]

Well the bottom line is that I never had a customer come to me and to upgrade her diamond since she saw a super ideal and wanted the same.
And I very well know that the camera lenses does not "see" a diamond the same way the human eyes see.
I will not argue that there are 3ex diamonds that will look better because every grade has a range, I believe that Ex cut is good enough for the average person.
You are most welcome to haunt the perfect diamond on earth if this is what your clients want.

Well yes, GIA Excellent CAN be good enough. In fact, a GIA Excellent CAN be better than an AGS Ideal, if you're comparing a very well cut GIA excellent diamond with a diamond that just barely made the cutoff for AGS 0. As you may have noticed in the video I posted, JannPaul, a SuperIdeal vendor in Singapore, stocks mostly GIA graded stones due to the much greater recognition of GIA in Asian countries (whether it's correct or not, most Asians see GIA XXX as the pinnacle, and anything else is inferior). So focusing on the lab or grade is kind of a moot point.

The certifying lab (GIA OR AGS) and the grade really mean nothing other than serving as the first, most broad sweeping step to begin a diamond search. Once you've narrowed it down to only GIA excellent and AGS Ideal stones, that is where the real search begins. The HCA, while not perfect, is a good second step to find diamonds with complementary angles. IdealScope And ASET images, while only giving a 2D representation of light performance, are certainly good screening tools for thinning down the diamonds with decent HCA scores. And then it comes down to the eye of the individual.

So yes, GIA Ex CAN be good enough for the average person. No-one is arguing that all GIA Excellents are necessarily inferior to SuperIdeals. But I would say less than 10-20% of the stones that receive GIA Excellent are even decently well cut. So if you're in the industry, you should be focused on finding the best diamonds for your end consumers, which means that you should be helping them find the winners within the huge minefield that is GIA Excellent. And that typically involves helping them understand a bit about diamond geometry, symmetry, and light return so they can make an informed decision, rather than just telling them that "All GIA Excellents look the same."

If I was in the market for a diamond and heard this from a retailer, or if a friend of mine heard this from a retailer, I would tell them to run as fast as they can in the other direction, because that person obviously doesn't know their craft.

 

[MaisOuiMadame]

Hi OP,

I was just wondering if a superideal from HPD through one of their European retailers might be an option for you. If you count in all the taxes/duties/fees/shipping, fortrez in Belgium was comparable to US pricing the last time I checked. This way you could see (and exchange if you'd wish to do so) the stone. Also if they have an upgrade policy, you could take advantage of this.
https://www.hpdiamonds.com/en-us/diamonds/diamonds-city


(One's in Tampere, FI..)

 

[david b]

And as for the color, I would highly recommend against going with a J-color sight unseen. If you don't know your girlfriend's color sensitivity, there's a very high chance she's going to be able to see some color in a J. H seems to be the limit where most on here would agree it looks "white." At I and beyond is where discrepancies in color sensitivity start to arise. Many say that I still looks white. A few say that J looks white. But you really won't know how your girlfriend will react to color unless you've taken her to a jewelry store and looked at the various colors together. That's why most on here recommend that, if your purchasing the ring as a surprise (meaning without input from the other person), then H is a safe upper limit in color.

If you were thinking about setting the diamond in a halo or bezel where the side view would be obstructed, then a J might be OK. But in a prong setting she will be able to see the side profile of the diamond quite frequently. Remember, women don't always have their hand cocked at a 45 degree angle to see the diamond face-up at all times. So the side-color is also important.

And a final thing to keep in mind is the Pave color. Most of the non-custom rings come with F-G pave diamonds. So a J color would likely look "off" next to the F-G pave. It's typically safe to be within +/- one color grade of the pave, so for F-G pave, center stones in the E-H range would "match" the best.

 

[david b]

The Cut cannot compensate for the color, If I was to choose for myself I could take an H/I SI1 if the budget allows, SI1 is absolutely eye clean same as VS2, for safe side as a close video of the diamond to check that the SI1 is a normal one.

 

[LLJsmom]

Well the bottom line is that I never had a customer come to me and to upgrade her diamond since she saw a super ideal and wanted the same.
And I very well know that the camera lenses does not "see" a diamond the same way the human eyes see.
I will not argue that there are 3ex diamonds that will look better because every grade has a range, I believe that Ex cut is good enough for the average person.
You are most welcome to haunt the perfect diamond on earth if this is what your clients want.

I don't have clients. I only have me. I am not the average person, and proudly do I say this, but a below average Pricescoper. And I absolutely will hunt for the most perfect diamond on the earth that I can reach that is within my budget. Cause if I'm paying money anyway, I'm not settling. I'm coming for you CBI, Whiteflash and Victor.

@Belic With regard to your girl, did you say how color sensitive she is? I think everyone is different. Have you specifically asked her when you and she have gone ring shopping/looking? I'm much more color sensitive with MRBs than OECs. I usually won't go below an H with an MRB but am fine with a K OEC, and I've seen some stunning L's as well. Would you consider having this conversation with her before committing to a stone?

With regard to your question about the two WF stones you posted, I can see that the one on the right is more tinted. To be honest, I would not feel comfortable speculating how it will look top down. I would need a video (of both to compare) at the minimum. It may be ok. If I could not have the video, and had to choose without it, I would choose the stone on the left. But that is because I know I am more color sensitive. Do you know whether your girl is and to what extent?

 

[david b]

Well, all is true, but will I be able to find a prettier diamond than a chosen Super Ideal, maybe an Ultra Super Ideal etc. etc.
This is not my cup of tea so I am off this thread.

 

[blueMA]

True, that is the ultimate light show. Like the entire sky is a SuperIdeal diamond.

So envious To see such AB is on my bucket list.

 

[blueMA]

The Cut cannot compensate for the color, If I was to choose for myself I could take an H/I SI1 if the budget allows, SI1 is absolutely eye clean same as VS2, for safe side as a close video of the diamond to check that the SI1 is a normal one.

Oh my, many of us respectfully disagree!

 

[McGinnis]

Which stone did you end up going with? Any updates?

 

[gm89uk]

You are not a vendor but surely an expert in diamonds somehow if you saw so many diamonds as you said.

As I said, you are welcome to haunt the perfect diamond on earth, I think it is unnecessary.

Before I proposed I showed my aging grandma with eyes to suit, two GIAXXX, she wasn't into jewellery, one was HCA <2 and the other >5, and she instantly rejected the the worse cut stone.

People will be happy with lower quality cut GIA XXX because they are pretty, coming across well cut ones is much rarer and you don't miss what you never knew

 

[blueMA]

All one has to do is to visit a store like HOF that carry store-full of very costly H&As and compare your own H&A, GIA3x, or AGS0. Some people are just not into the superideal cut look of certain proportions refined for reflector-based technology, while some do notice and appreciate the more balanced fire/brightness sparkling patterns. Some like noticeable contrast and fire, but some still love the bright 60/60 like david b seems to prefer, but most general public who haven't developed keen eyes will pretty much notice the size difference of decently cut stones alone. When looking side by side IRL, though, it's not always the case a superideal will beat another good GIA3x or AGS0 that'll look more lively in person.

 

[Belic]

Hi guys!

First of all, you have been amazing helping me out here! It has been a stressful couple of weeks for me with work, selling/buying apartments as well as finding a nice stone.

I found a great stone at WF virtual, checked all the numbers in different charts and had an amazing price, tried to buy it but I was apparently to slow so when the wire was sent the stone was gone
I was convinced going with a 1.7-1.8ct but when the 2ct showed up I changed my mind, mainly due to that the price different was next to none and I could have piece of mind in the 2ct mark.

Now I'm battling if I am going to proceed with the purchase/proposal during the summer or if I should wait. We are going on vacation and need to invest in a lot of furniture and stuff, so not sure if the time is right. On the other hand I'm dead sure that I want to propose Will take a couple of days to consider if I want to get my wire back from WF or keep looking.

Which stone did you end up going with? Any updates?

 

[ringo865]

If you wait to buy, it could be sold ( as you found previously). If you but now and wait to propose, you could lose the 30 day return window.

 

[kn5]

I am a female with a size 4.5 finger. I have a keen eye for detail and my eye is usually really good when it comes to measurements etc.

With that said, I have tried on a 1.5 solitaire and 2.0 solitaire in store with my fiancé. I have also tried on 1.73 in store and from my personal experience the difference between 1.7 and 2.0 is very small and almost not worth the difference in price. The difference between 1.5 and 2ct however, can be noticeable. Personally I wouldn’t bother getting a 2 because realistically you will not see a major size difference. Bonus - if you get a very good cut or a solitaire that faces up larger, you can get a smaller diamond that looks larger while saving yourself substantial coin.

As for the setting - I vote the second one - the Tiffany one .. very beautiful

Hi!

A couple of weeks ago I was pretty much set on this diamond,
https://enchanteddiamonds.com/diamonds/view/R221-1Z01Z1232
But after checking with you guys I decided to look for a better cut diamond and go down a bit in size.

So obviously started to look at the super ideal vendors and decided I wanted to go with Whiteflash. Currently there is nothing in stock that feels 100% but I'm in no rush at the moment.

I'm starting to considering going below 2ct, but the question is, will I notice, once set, a "big" difference between lets say 1.7ct vs 2ct? It's not a question regarding cut vs size by now, it's more if I should wait a bit more or hit a 1.7-1.8 now and save a couple of 1000 dollars(which would be really nice). The most common size in Sweden is 0.2ct-0.5ct so it will be huge either way. Her finger size is 5.75.

"Her only wish is that i propose to her" but after some sneaking she would really appreciate a big diamond. What big is, is however another question, she hasn't tried out any stones

Bonus question,
Custom platinum setting from WF
3 rows pavé "ACA Melee" similar to this
https://www.instagram.com/p/BhL6u18hM6L/

6 prongs elegant style with diamonds on the prongs similar to this
http://media.tiffany.com/is/image/T...G_OVIEW_m.jpg?defaultImage=NoImageAvailable&&

Anything to think about in the above?