shape
carat
color
clarity

Which "C" to sacrifice first?

goingon5

Rough_Rock
Joined
Aug 3, 2014
Messages
10
Not sure I can ask this the right way, but if I wanted to "upgrade" (haven't bought ring yet) from a RB, .5, VS1, G, very good, GSI to a .75, which "C" should I sacrifice first? I still want a nice sparkly white diamond to the eye.

Don't want to spend what it would cost to have the same stats in a .75.

Hope this makes sense. Thanks!
 

diamondseeker2006

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Jan 11, 2006
Messages
58,547
First priority would be to go to excellent cut only, then I'd go down to H color and VS2-SI1.
 

goingon5

Rough_Rock
Joined
Aug 3, 2014
Messages
10
Thanks! The diamond in your photo is beautiful!
 

Gypsy

Super_Ideal_Rock
Joined
Aug 8, 2005
Messages
40,225
What is GSI?

If I understand you correctly. You have the budget for a .5 G VS1. I hope that is for GIA or AGS stone. And one with excellent cut, as that can impact price significantly.

The first thing I'd do is drop to an eyeclean SI1 clarity. And also open color up to H.

What you don't want to sacrifice is cut.

What is your budget we'd be happy to help you find a nice stone.

Here's some information for you.

The entire purpose of faceting a diamond is to reflect light.
How well or how poorly a diamond does this determines how beautiful it is.
How well a diamond performs is determined by the angles and cutting. This is why we say cut is king.
No other factor: not color, not clarity has as much of an impact on the appearance of a diamond as its cut. An ideal H will out white a poorly cut F. And GIA Ex is not enough. And you must stick to GIA and AGS only. EGL is a bad option: [URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/egl-certification-are-any-of-them-ok.142863/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/egl-certification-are-any-of-them-ok.142863/[/URL]
So how to we ensure that we have the right angles and cutting to get the light performance we want?
https://www.pricescope.com/wiki/diamonds/diamond-cut
Well one method is to start with a GIA Ex, and then apply the HCA to it. YOU DO NOT USE HCA for AGS0 stones.
https://www.pricescope.com/wiki/diamonds/holloway-cut-advisor
The HCA is a rejection tool. Not a selection tool. It uses 4 data points to make a rudimentary call on how the diamond may perform.
If the diamond passes then you know that you are in the right zone in terms of angles for light performance. Under 2 is a pass. Under 2.5-2.1 is a maybe. 2.6 and over is a no. No score 2 and under is better than any other.
Is that enough? Not really.
So what you need is a way to check actual light performance of your actual stone.
That's what an idealscope image does. https://www.pricescope.com/wiki/diamonds/firescope-idealscope
It shows you how and wear your diamond is reflecting light, how well it is going at it, and where you are losing light return. That is why you won't see us recommending Blue Nile, as they do not provide idealscope images for their diamonds. BGD, James Allen, GOG, HPD, ERD and WF do.

The Idealscope is the 'selection tool'. Not the HCA.
So yes, with a GIA stone you need the idealscope images. Or you can buy an idealscope yourself and take it in to the jeweler you are working with to check the stones yourself. Or if you have a good return policy (full refund minimum 7 days) then you can buy the idealscope, buy the stone, and do it at home.


Now if you want to skip all that... stick to AGS0 stones and then all you have to do is pick color and clarity and you know you have a great performing diamond. Because AGS has already done the checking for you. That's why they trade at a premium.
 

Gypsy

Super_Ideal_Rock
Joined
Aug 8, 2005
Messages
40,225

goingon5

Rough_Rock
Joined
Aug 3, 2014
Messages
10
Thank you! Yes, sorry... I did mean GIA.

I'm getting an independent designer made-to-order ring.. Online communication. I fell in love with the ring and I won't find it in jewelry stores. It's hard to say my budget for just the diamond... The ring design currently includes a .5 diamond and I'm not sure what the markup is to figure just the diamond price. My options for getting a larger diamond are to provide the exact GIA specs (she only buys conflict free GIA diamonds) I want, or give a total budget for the ring and the she will pick the best diamonds available at that price range and provide them to me for review.

Thank you for all the info, very helpful!
 

goingon5

Rough_Rock
Joined
Aug 3, 2014
Messages
10
Gypsy|1407386425|3727715 said:
The diamond in Diamondseeker's AV is an August Vintage Round diamond. It is a new stone, with ideal light performance, cut with antique stone faceting. Good Old Gold carries the line.

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamondResults.php?shape=1&ctMin=0.4&ctMax=10&optSym=64&inHouse=3&resultsColumns=268435535

They are gorgeous and unique stones.

If you really like the faceting... you can also get a true antique: http://www.jewelsbygrace.com/loose-diamonds/under-1-ct.html
I love that! Another option is to provide my diamond, I'd need to workout the details with designer. But I love these. I don't really care for the "hearts and arrows" look.
 
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