1.85 E SI2 premimum cut or 1.75 H VS2 Excellent Ideal Cut?

[nikol333]

My fiance and I just purchased a diamond for around $11,400. It is 1.85c E color and SI2 premimum cut....we took this over a 1.75c (even though it looks bigger than the 1.85) H color vs2 excellent ideal cut that is a few hundred dollars less because of the color. Did we make the wrong decision?

 

[valeria101]

Not from my point of view

I am a bit puzzled when you say that the 1.75 looked bigger then the 1.85. The stones should have had quite different cut proportions (right at the opposite extrames of the 'ideal' range), so that extra depth and/or girdle thickness on the 1.85 could 'hide' all that extra material... were they?

 

[nikol333]

The 1.85 is GIA cert, so I don't have all the specs., but the depth is 62.5%, table is 59%, and the girdle is medium to thick faceted. The 1.75 is EGL (i thought it was also GIA)....table depth 60%, table width 58%, crown height 13%, pavilion depth 44%, girdle is thin faceted and very slight blue flor.

 

[hoorray]

There isn't enough information here to do a complete apples to apples comparison. In general lots of people trade off clarity for higher color as it makes a bigger difference in what you see.

The 1.85 is deeper so some of the weight will be there and in the girdle. However, if you did a side by side comparison, and choose the 1.85 because you thought it was the more beautiful of the 2 stones, then you made the right decision. At the end of the day it should be about what your eyes see, and what appeals to you.

If you selected the 1.85 for some other reason alone (color or weight or clarity), then you would need more info to compare the full cut of the two stones to know which is the better cut. You would also need to provide more information on the inclusions of the SI2. Some are eye-clean and some have inclusions that could show or be a little troublesome.

 

[nikol333]

I picked the 1.85 because i figure what people notice right off is the color, and i don't want a yellow looking stone....we actually purchased a 1.71 j vvs2 2 weeks ago, and it looked way too yellow...that's probably why i decided to go with the E color--to avoid any possibility of having the same problem. Now I'm just thinking that maybe I got a bad cut with the 1.85 even though the GIA cert says "premimum", and the 1.75 would have sparkled a lot more and not have had such and offensive yellow color. I guess when we go back to pick up our bands on Saturday i'll ask to see the H again...it's just so hard to tell until you get the stone in purely natural light. I guess what I really want to know is if an excellent ideal is REALLY that much different from a premimum cut, and also if the color scale for EGL is lower than GIA, which would make the EGL H an I or a J. Please help...i'm driving myself and my fiance crazy.

 

[Hest88]

When you go back, take a good look at the two side by side and erase all the table, depth, color, etc. information from your head and just figure out which *looks* better to you. If you chose the E because the cert said E as opposed to it looking like an E, and rejected the H because the cert said H as opposed to looking like an H then you were thinking too hard. Just go with the one you like better, regardless of what the certs may say.

 

[Giangi]

The 'Ex Ideal' is EGL Israel graded, so I would assume it's at least one grade off in color & clarity. Of course it could be accurate, but I would not swear on that.

About the E/SI 2 stone... It's GIA graded, right? If it's so, how can the report say it's premium cut??

 

[hoorray]

Good point Giangi! GIA doesn't currently place any cut grade on the cert.

If you look at them side by side, ask to see them in lots of different light, including going outside and in as natural of an indoor light as you can find. Get away form the overhead halogen lights -- they are so bright, they'll mask the differences. Also, maybe they can place them in the tweezers without telling you which is which so that you can erase the specsmanship battle and just look at the stones. For color, look at both of them face up on a white surface first, and if you are color sensitive, also look at them face down -- that is where you will see the most color.

Ask if they have sarin or OGI reports on the stones. That will tell you the whole picture cut-wise. Cut will make a difference in the looks if there are big difference between the two. If they are slight, your eye probably wouldn't pick them up.

good luck!

 

[Mara]

Damn I wrote a response last nite and apparently never submitted it!




I said that you should make sure you are comfortable with your decision.




If that means taking the 1.85 back to compare again with the 1.75, do it. Because second guessing yourself never helps and it only gets worse. You have to be 100% on board with that decision.




Personally I would have gone for the 1.75c that LOOKED larger because that probably means the cut was better, if it was EX vs Premium, and also I have 3 G colored stones and one H and the different is not there..and I saw G and E side by side loose and never saw a difference in color. So I would have gone for the better cut, looks larger, H colored stone IMO.




But in the end its your decision. Just be sure you are 150% on board with it because otherwise you will always wonder if the other stone should have been...you know the drill!

 

[nikol333]

the jeweler lists the diamond as "premium", not the GIA report.

 

[hoorray]

That makes sense. Ask the jeweler for a Sarin report on both stones, so that you can do a real comparison of their cut. Premium is pretty generic and broad. It doesn't ensure a truly great cut.

 

[Giangi]

Now I see.

Definitely ask for a Sarin or OGI report so that you can get a more specific idea of the proportions on each stone. The EGL report lists some %'s, but they are all listed to the nearest 1% so they are not that useful. But it could be a very nice, non conventional ideal stone.