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2ct J colour + Very strong fluorescence in halo?

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Belic

Rough_Rock
Premium
Joined
Mar 5, 2018
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Hi!

I found a really nice diamond, with great price and seems to be really good cut/sparkle/fire.

I'm worrying about to putting it into a halo-pavé setting, similar to this one,
https://www.instagram.com/p/BQBzgMTDWRd

Will the center stone look yellow due to all the small diamonds with higher colour? Setting will be in platinum.
Something else to think about?

My GF seems to love that type of halo(with several rows in pavé setting) but indicates that if "the diamond is big enough" she could skip the halo. Since the most usual size in our circle is 0.25ct-0.5ct i could go with both.

Best regards
 
Since your budget allows for a big enough center stone of 2 carats, then I say go for it and get the big diamond without haloing it. Put it in a solitaire setting, and if she does decide to halo it later it would be much easier than the other way around.
 
Alexiszoe said:
Since your budget allows for a big enough center stone of 2 carats, then I say go for it and get the big diamond without haloing it. Put it in a solitaire setting, and if she does decide to halo it later it would be much easier than the other way around.
Click to expand...
@Belic I agree with the above. A 2 ct solitaire is going to have quite a presence, especially if she has small fingers. I would save the halo for an anniversary upgrade down the road if she starts suffering DSS after a couple years. Good luck!
 
Thanks for the replies!

She is size 6 so that in combination with 2.15ct will definitely pop! Then it's time to search for some pavé band with solitaire "head".
 
Would the diamond benefit to have a smaller under halo?
 
If the main diamond is well cut, it shouldn’t need a halo to ‘benefit’ it; a halo is a matter of style preference. If she REALLY loves a double halo, but you think she may be self-conscious with too much bling, maybe shop for a slightly smaller diamond AND get her the double halo ... win-win. But IMO this really depends on HER comfort level and preferences within your budget tolerances. Does she want a huge diamond, or a medium/large-ish sized diamond with double halo?

The added sparkle factor of a halo (assuming it’s well-done with well-cut melee) is going to really stand out, so for me - personally - it’d be too much because I don’t care for the added attention it would likely bring, and I’m not comfortable with a diamond over 1.5ct for everyday wear. But that’s just me ... the only right answer for your intended is: “what does SHE prefer”.
 
Congratulations on your upcoming engagement. Regarding your question about if the tint of your center stone would be noticeable against melee - I’d say it’s pretty much a definite. Melee is very white usually, and a J has definite body color. From the top view it might not be as noticeable, but side views are a given. You might want to make sure she’s ok with that.

Also, as this diamond has very strong blue fluorescence, make sure it’s not hazy/cloudy and that you’re buying from a reputable vendor with a good return policy if you decide you don’t like how it looks. It’s the VSB’s that tend to have the most problems. Also be aware that a VSB is hard to resell, if you ever decide to go that route, so a solid trade-in policy would be beneficial to you as well.
 
My girlfriends reference is classic retailers with 0.25ct-0.5ct stones.

I'm trying to be above the standard GIA XXX but below H&A, some sweet spot in the middle which should have the most value. So wtih that said, what do you think about these?


ASET
ASET.jpg

H&A
HA.jpg
HA2.jpg

Idealscope
Idealscope.jpg
 
I think you should at least look for a stone with clear arrow patterns, from the IS and ASET, both the 12 and 6 o clock arrows are "missing".
Also light leakage at 12-1 direction.
Personally, I would look for a better diamond.
 
Sometimes the IdealScope images look lighter in the middle because they are over-exposed - but in this case, I think it is showing leakage under the table, which the ASET image also suggests.

Use the HCA tool (under the Tools tab at the top of the forum) to eliminate stones with a HCA score greater than 2. I think we only have three submissions per day, though? so it is good to have some 'outer limits' of angles to work to.

You should aim to stay within these measurements, as per @diamondseeker2006's recommendations:

Table: 54 to 58%
Crown Angle: 34 to 35 degrees (up to 35.5 crown angle can sometimes work with a 40.6 pav angle)
Pavilion Angle: 40.6 to 40.9 degrees (sometimes 41.0 if the crown angle is close to 34)
Depth: 60 to 62.3%

Higher Crown angles need lower pavilion angles, and vice versa.


If you are happy to post your budget and your priorities in terms of colour, clarity and carat (size), we can help you find something awesome :)
 
Hi!

Thanks again for all the answers! Problem is that Sweden has quite heavy Tax rates(25%) so US budget would be at absolute max at 13500$. If the stone is found within Europe(Blue nile for an example), price could be 17000$/14000€.

2ct +
Eye clean(preferably VS2 at minimum)
Min J colour

Would love any suggestions!
 
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There are a couple of CBI stones that might be of interest if you could go to a K, as they should be able to get them to their Antwerp base and therefore be able to be purchased within the EU:

2.02 K VS2
https://www.hpdiamonds.com/en-us/diamonddetail/HPD8962

2.07 K VS1
https://www.hpdiamonds.com/en-us/diamonddetail/HPD8575


WF also has a 1.91 K VS2 ACA for under your US-sourced budget:
https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3858597.htm

but I appreciate that tint will be visible in a K from the side.


A good J over 2ct for $13500 might be a challenge, but we like a challenge on here ;-)

How about these from BN? (Have to press Ctrl when clicking the links, I think):

2.02 J VS2
GIAXXX / HCA 1.4 / 8.07-8.11mm
https://www.bluenile.com/se/diamond-details/LD10058732
Small table = more fire
VSB Fluor = may lift the colour quite a lot in UV-rich light but would need inspection for 'oiliness' or haziness - only a small percentage of VSB suffer from this, though, AIUI.

2.07 J VS1
GIAXXX / HCA 1.8 / 8.13-8.15mm
https://www.bluenile.com/se/diamond-details/LD09640030
Small table + high crown = more fire (although 36degree angle might be 'pushing it' - I'd welcome comments from others!)
Faint Fluor = a bonus
'Additional clouds not shown' may need inspection for any haziness effects.
 
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How about this?

2.06 J SI1
AGS000 / HCA 1.6 / 8.07-8.14mm
https://www.b2cjewels.com/dd/10697950/round-diamond-J-color-SI1-Clarity?sku=10697950
Small table + higher crown = good fire
Completely clean table! All inclusions hidden under the facets round the edge!
Some feathers in the plot, though - I welcome input from others on any potential weakness risks.
'Additional clouds not shown' may need inspection for any haziness effects.
 
If you're happy with inclusions in the table, this is a big one!

2.37 J SI1
GIAXXX / HCA 1.7 / 8.46-8.5mm
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-di...j-color-si1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-3691902
'Additional clouds not shown' may need inspection for any haziness effects.

Personally speaking, I couldn't deal with the inclusions within the table, but many others can. I would perhaps postulate, though, that you may want to stick to definitely eye-clean stones - if others will be looking at the ring, they will also be judging it, and although we shouldn't judge others or care what others think, they might try to infer that you bought 'lower quality' to try to get impressive size!

Again, that is just my personal view so please ignore me as required! :))
 
Some from JA that might be of interest - don't forget to reserve them while you ask any questions of JA!:

https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-di...j-color-vs1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-3605289
HCA 2.4 so a touch deep, but only feather is on the girdle so very eye-clean.

https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-di...-j-color-si1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-519309
HCA 2.3 so a touch deep, but I am struggling to see any inclusions in the video, despite the SI1! Only some small clouds under the table but 'additional clouds not shown' may need assessment by the JA person if you ask to look at this.

https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-di...j-color-si1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-4637387
HCA 1.7. Twinning wisps as the main inclusions, which are 'better' inclusions to have, but also one darker crystal within the table. Would need review by a JA person.
 
I don't think you'll be able to get into I colour unless you drop below the magic 2ct mark!
 
It seems to me that if the diamonds in her circle are .25-.5, it would make far more sense to go with a better cut stone in H or I color below 2 cts. A 2 ct stone is going to look out of place in a world of diamonds below a half carat. I personally would not be comfortable with that. Is she?

So I'd like to link you some stones with better color and cut which will still be huge and far larger than her friends' rings. But I need the link to the UK Blue Nile because I am not seeing it when I search.
 
diamondseeker2006 said:
It seems to me that if the diamonds in her circle are .25-.5, it would make far more sense to go with a better cut stone in H or I color below 2 cts. A 2 ct stone is going to look out of place in a world of diamonds below a half carat. I personally would not be comfortable with that. Is she?
Click to expand...

I second this! :clap: It’s kinda like having the biggest/nicest house on the street ... after the novelty wears off after a bit, you just have the house that people talk about a lot (not always positively) and usually the highest mortgage. Some people have no problem being/having their home/jewelry be the center of attention ... I’m not one of those people and I know I’m not alone in that.

If everyone else in my circle had <.5 ct diamonds, I’d feel a bit ‘show off-ish’ having a 2+ carat diamond, not to mention the security factor of attracting unwanted attention, IYKWIM. It’s not so much that I worry about what others think per se; it’s more about how I feel when I’m in those social settings, and my not wanting to stand out because of my jewelry.
 
I know there's other posters suggesting that you could consider going smaller because in her social circle diamonds tend to run smaller. My question is, have you spoken to her about it/gone shopping to see what she likes, and what are her thoughts on size etc? Because fundamentally it doesn't matter what others have - but what she herself would love wearing, that puts a smile on her face years down the road. A friend of mine, her social circle all wears around 0.5 carat e-rings, but she wanted something much larger. She's one of those low key/don't wear jewelry kinda person, so it was unexpected i.e. you never know till you ask!
 
He said she wants either a halo or larger solitaire, but I agree, it's unclear if she has specifically expressed wanting a 2 ct stone. Even a 1.5 ct solitaire is going to look huge in comparison to half carat diamonds. And it would be even more huge in a halo.

OoohShiny said:
I just adjusted the options in the top right - I'm not sure if that would work??

I'm not sure if there is a specific UK site or if it's all just subsections of the .com site!
https://www.bluenile.com/uk/
https://www.bluenile.com/se/
Click to expand...

I thnk there is a different site, but I am not positive. These seem to be the US site with country specific pricing including the taxes.
 
Yep, I agree with the idea of going smaller and better quality, especially if her circle is .25-.5ct. I mean, think about it... if you give her a 1.5ct diamond, that’s 300% larger than the biggest in her circle. My vote would be for a just-shy* 1.5 carat G-H diamond with a great cut.

This way, not only does she have a gorgeous diamond but if she still wants larger then you can halo it without the difference in melee color being as obvious.

*By going shy you’ll save money and the visual difference is minuscule. Win-win.
 
Sorry I mean strong blue
 
@Belic - Here is a photo that may help. It's a visual comparison of a .5ct round diamond vs. a 1.45ct diamond on a size 6 finger. As you can see... BIG difference already at this size!
Screen Shot 2018-03-28 at 2.20.45 PM.png

And here's the difference between 1.45ct and 1.5ct
Screen Shot 2018-03-28 at 2.28.44 PM.png
See? You can barely tell any difference side by side.
 
As for size. It seems great to be able to stick around 8 mm (it’s really helpful to think about mm rather than ct). My own diamond is 1 mm bigger than that, and it’s 4 carat.
 
@Belic - I'm going to continue with the thought that you'd be okay with ~1.5 and show you two options:

https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3947713.htm
https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3965472.htm

Both of these are ACA (A Cut Above), rated AGS000 (the best rating you can get), hit that sweet spot of just under 1.5, are G-H and eye clean, AND come in under budget!

This one might be my favorite though:
https://www.hpdiamonds.com/en-us/diamonddetail/HPD10008

It's a CBI (Crafted By Infinity) diamond, which (like the ACA) pretty much guarantees that it has top-notch performance in brightness, contrast, fire, and overall performance. It's an H/VS1 and all of the inclusions are tiny, and if you can get it from their Antwerp location (as @OoohShiny suggested) then it could be quite a bit under your budget!
 
Super thank you to all of you guys! Truly amazing!

My first diamond suggestion is a 2.21ct stone, which is quite big. How would you rate it in terms of sparkle/fire etc on a scale 1-10? 5 being standard GIA XXX, 10 being ACA/Infinity? In business I'm always trying to be at 7-8 because it seems to be most bang for the buck :)
HCA Score seems to be 3.8
62.2% depth, 58.0% table, 36.0° crown angle, 40.8° pavilion angle

I'm afraid K is not a option, I'm already really stretched at J, same goes for SI1.

Regarding size, it's hard to say, she's neither a show off nor a shy one. Me on the other hand is more of a show off :boohoo: Nothing says occupied as a 2ct pave ring :cool2: In terms of sparkle and quality, most center stones in Sweden is GIA Very good or similar, so either way I go the stone will definitely stand out.

With that said, a smaller diamond might work. If HPdiamonds are able to have the same prices but shipped from EU, this one at 1.8ct still fits the budget, what do you think?
https://www.hpdiamonds.com/en-us/diamonddetail/HPD9459

Another alternative is to go for 1,45 as suggested previously and add a halo.
 
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My first diamond suggestion is a 2.21ct stone, which is quite big. How would you rate it in terms of sparkle/fire etc on a scale 1-10? 5 being standard GIA XXX, 10 being ACA/Infinity?

We can’t rate it. It can only be assessed in person for these qualities. We only have the images to go by and the stats. Sparkle and fire only show in the real world. It’s score indicates it is underperforming.

You seem to be saying that your number one priority is size, and you don’t think your beloved has a preference. If that is the case, what do you think of the linked larger size diamonds?

The HPD diamond is beautiful, but you may not be size satisfied.
 
@Belic - what colour stones are in local shop windows? What clarity are they?

Whatever you buy may be judged against the usual stones that people buy and wear locally, so it may be preferable to go smaller but higher in colour/clarity, especially if your intended has not expressed a particular desire for size over other characteristics.

After all, you have said you are the more ostentatious one! ;)) lol
 
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