2.48 E SI1, SBF - Please give me your opinion!

[LightBright]

I've been looking for a 8.5mm plus, "White" (H or higher), SI2-I1 stone for a while. My budget has creeped up and up, as I've found so many of the sub $20k stones were compromised by cut or -really- visible inclusions. I am sensitive to color but not that sensitive to some well placed inclusions.

I'm about to send for a 2.48, E SI1 diamond that's currently on hold at JA. I've been searching there because of the ability to see the actual stones. I am attracted to this one because it's an E and I am not sure if for example an H would truly exhibit the crisp whiteness I like in MRB stones. (For an old cut it would be great). Also, the arrows seemed fatter and crisper (75% LGF) than the other stones I've found, which I presume will make the light flashes thicker/faceting more defined, and more like an old cut to me. I also love the small table (54%) but don't know it that's 'too' small for an MRB. To my inexperienced eye, the Idealscope approximates H&A, but it is not an H&A stone.

I'm trying to determine if I really want to bust my budget for this stone. It's $9375/carat, $23,250 total. That's the E, SI1 price bump, I suppose.

May I please get your opinion on the potential of this stone? On faceting/proportions, and potential issues with SBF (as the gemologist says there is a very slight haze that is not noticeable to the untrained eye)? I'd also love to know if the price is in line for a diamond with these specs. Should I keep looking (now that my GASP budget is really generous)...

Gemologist assessment from JA as follows: "I am pleased to inform you that 2314693 is a dazzling, eye clean diamond. It is a true "E" color that faces up a beautiful icy white. This diamond has excellent brilliance, fire, and scintillation throughout, making the diamond bright and lively. Strong blue fluorescence gives the diamond a very slight haze, but does not negatively affect the diamonds overall appearance. It would not affect or be noticeable to the untrained eye."

I would GREATLY appreciate your opinions and ideas!

Link to the stone which I've got on hold:
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/2.48-carat-e-color-si1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-2314693

HCA is 1.1
CUT: Excellent
POLISH: Excellent
SYMMETRY: Excellent
FLUORESCENCE: Strong
L/W/D (MM): 8.63*8.69*5.38
L/W RATIO: 1.01
DEPTH %: 62.20
GIRDLE: Medium - Slightly Thick
TABLE %: 54.00
CULET: None
CERTIFICATE: GIA
CROWN ∠: 34.00
CROWN %: 15.50
PAVILION ∠: 40.80

Idealscope has been reviewed and considered "Very Good" (not Ideal or H&A) by cut experts here. See my previous post.

 

[PintoBean]

I'm not a fan of JA gemologist opinions because they look at the same video we do, as opposed to looking at the diamond in person

 

[gm89uk]

I'm not a fan of JA gemologist opinions because they look at the same video we do, as opposed to looking at the diamond in person

How would they know the SBF has a slight haze if they didn't look at the stone in hand?

 

[LightBright]

PintoBean and gm89uk thanks for responding. The JA gemologist has the stone in hand and wrote his assessment based on that. When I read it, I wondered about the "neutrality" of an in-house gemologist, though.

BTW the JA customer service person I spoke to mentioned that the "very slight haze" was only in UV light, but the actual language of the report is not so clear.

Full disclosurer, I had to charge my credit card on this stone in order to get it sent from overseas. The gemologist does the report once an overseas stone is in hand, and now having completed that they are asking me if I want it sent to me, or if they should return it.

 

[PintoBean]

I'm not a fan of JA gemologist opinions because they look at the same video we do, as opposed to looking at the diamond in person

How would they know the SBF has a slight haze if they didn't look at the stone in hand?

Whenever I have clicked on chat now about a stone the rep usually just went over the video and report which I thought was odd. I would also ask what the vendor notes said and they wouldn't have access to them.

For OP's case, I didn't realize this was above and beyond the type of inquiry I previously made with JA and included money being put down.

When I worked with UD, IDJ, and BGD for virtual stones, I did not have to put money down for them to reach out to the vendors holding the stones and then call them in to personally look at them... but these are all stones that were already in the US

With JA having lots of overseas stones, it's good to know that I can follow suit as OP has and put down money and have them call in the stone. I hope that clears up the confusion.

 

[LightBright]

PintoBean, thanks for clarifying further.

For future JA customers, yes, the online chat involves trained salespeople reviewing the same video as we have access to, I believe those images may even be slightly magnified from the customary images. However, I'm not sure if they are gemologists, and they do not pull the actual stone. That service was really not that valuable to me in assessing the stone, unfortunately.

For stones that are overseas I was told I had to pay in full in order for me to get the stone shipped to JA and assessed by a JA gemologist. Before I paid anything, JA did obtain an Idealscope image from the overseas vendor which I approved.

I asked and Was told there is a way to exclude overseas stones from your JA diamond search. The customer service rep said the only way you can tell if it's an overseas or domestic stone is by "receive by" date.

I hope that clarifies the process of working with James Allen on an overseas stone purchase.

 

[flyingpig]

There have been a few people who did the exact same as what the OP did with JA. I believe B2C also has a similar policy. Once they receive the stone , they provide the IS/ASET for final approval from the customer before mounting. I think it is a winwin for both parties.

 

[LightBright]

Does anyone think the diameter is slightly smaller than average for a 2.48? Maybe because of the depth being 62.2 or the girdle being medium/slightly thick? Any comments on the stone itself?

 

[flyingpig]

I dont see any issue with the spread, depth, and girdle

 

[ariel144]

I checked other stones that size and the price seems very reasonable. Most 2.5c are round $30k. I think you will be happy with that stone but I'm not an expert on MRB's.

I would probably get a 2nd opinion from another gemologist on the "hazy" appearance that they stated is not noticeable to an untrained eye, since you are out of the country. I see no haziness at all from the video. There are no clouds or graining which can also make a diamond milky or hazy but RARELY does fl. affect the clarity. Personally I prefer SBF. I think the spread is fine, I wouldn't worry about that personally as I think the price is very good for that size and it seems to be a very nice SI1. I also love the smaller table and higher crown.

Hope it's the one!

 

[arkieb1]

I'm going to be the voice of dissent here and say if it was my money I'd avoid it if it has any haze at all. If it's way cheaper then it has been discounted for a reason.... and what the JA gemologist has said above totally contradicts itself, a stone IMHO can't have slight haze and not have the scintillation impacted, unless the haze is so minor that you don't see it in which case, why would you even mention that it's "slightly hazy." I've seen a couple of diamonds that were hazy due to fluorescence and out in strong sunlight and some specific indoor lighting they look like they are straining to sparkle. If it's mild haze then basically you won't even notice that much until you compare it next to a H & A stone without any slight haze. If you ever had the chance to do that then you would 100% get it, and you would probably say wow, it makes a difference and I like the stone without it more because it is brighter and it sparkles more. I'm not against fluorescence in diamonds, in some it makes them a higher colour or have a blue hue that some people like, but if it's even remotely impacting on performance it's a big miss for me.

And for the record the JA website isn't going to show haze in a stone like this in those videos, they aren't taken in the right lighting conditions for it to be seen.

 

[bmfang]

Looking at the SuperZoom vid, very hard to detect any "haze" in it. I'm not too keen on the rather large black crystal under a star facet which might be difficult to prong over and as such, it might be visible face-up (but that is a caveat which can be worked around I would think with the JA consultant).

But for its size, the IS image looks pretty darn good.