3.67ct. H VS1 EX,EX - thoughts, please!

[diamondseeker2006]

Dreamer is right that I like optical symmetry and I like excellent symmetry on the grading report, too! It may be more of a mental thing, but I like to have it when it is available. Again, you will have a much smaller pool to choose from when buying a stone in the size range you are looking at so you may have to be more flexible. This stone could be great, but I don't see how you will know without some objective analysis.

Color is a range, so this stone could be low H, borderline I. The advantage to having someone like Jonathan at Good Old Gold call in virtual stones for you is that not only can he run lots of tests on the stones for you (like idealscope and helium scans) andmake a video of it's light performance, he can also check the stone's color in a colorimeter. I am not fond of buying a stone that is in the low end of it's color range when it means that you start seeing the tint.

I do not like that vendor's attitude about the idealscope, because you are seeking assurance of the stone's cut and light performance. For a purchase of that magnitude, I would not buy from them. Jonathan can access most stones from suppliers easily since many are in NYC, and he can run the tests for you. His services will add a small amount more to the purchase, but it is well worth it to me. I had him call in a stone for me which I eventually bought after he did the evaluation on the stone for me. I would honestly just call him and let him call in a couple of stones for you.

 

[Bitsy_too]

Gosh, more food for thought! You guys are just great! Yikes! I had been under the (apparently) erroneous assumption that most of the online vendors required a purchase to evaluate/independently appraise a stone.
I have been given a budget and I want to stick to it. The conundrum continues with smaller perfect stone vs. larger less perfect stone. What are you willing to give up if anything - color? clarity? sparkle? I think this stone appears to marry well those factors I can live with/let go of. I suppose (thinking of the color thing) there would likely be stones on the "border" that a GIA gemologist would have to flip a coin about the grade. What is the policy then? Opting for the higher grade, or is that circumstance a second consensus of the group? In any event, I am hoping the new photos will be truer to the real stone qualities, which I will post for feedback. Jonathan at GOG makes those great videos, right?

 

[04diamond<3]

Are you giving up on this stone? If you're anything like us, then DDS will set in fast and you'll only want something bigger. You may be different, but most of us think this would worth looking into. Do they have a return policy? You could always buy it, get your own idealscope and see how it does.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Gosh, more food for thought! You guys are just great! Yikes! I had been under the (apparently) erroneous assumption that most of the online vendors required a purchase to evaluate/independently appraise a stone.
I have been given a budget and I want to stick to it. The conundrum continues with smaller perfect stone vs. larger less perfect stone. What are you willing to give up if anything - color? clarity? sparkle? I think this stone appears to marry well those factors I can live with/let go of. I suppose (thinking of the color thing) there would likely be stones on the "border" that a GIA gemologist would have to flip a coin about the grade. What is the policy then? Opting for the higher grade, or is that circumstance a second consensus of the group? In any event, I am hoping the new photos will be truer to the real stone qualities, which I will post for feedback. Jonathan at GOG makes those great videos, right?

No, GOG is a NY vendor and they can pick up stones that are located in NYC thereby reducing the shipping cost back and forth. Of course not all stones are in NYC. But I would never have him do all that and not buy the stone from him unless he just couldn't find a good one. I really haven't seen that happen, though! Yes, he does the great videos. He did one for me recently when I was looking for a small asscher for a right hand ring. It was amazingly helpful!

I am in the camp of better quality and slightly smaller for myself. But there are lots of people here who go to I-J color and SI1-SI2 to maximize size. I guess the main thing most of us agree on is that the cut needs to be excellent. I don't go below G-H for color in rings or VS in clarity. I think H VS1 is great for that size stone. But I'd need more than this vendor is willing to provide to make that kind of investment. Few vendors stock 3 ct stones, so Jonathan can access a lot of the stones available from suppliers, if you decide to go that route.

 

[Dreamer_D]

Why do you not have it called in by a vendor who does not pooh pooh Ideal Scopes?

Hi Julie,
I have been working with this person for a while, so would not likely do that. Other than that, I doubt the stone is on anyone's list (it is not on theirs - it was "found") so I do not know the specific location of the stone anyway. I thought it was an interesting aside, as the purpose would be for giving the consumer more information when making an internet purchase. Is it your understanding that a gemologist relies on an Idealscope - that it's a new and /or 'necessary' tool?

Bitsy_too -- the stone is definitely on a list. It looks great, you just have to be OK with the warmth.

Interesting about the list, Pavejeweler -
I am not OK with the warmth in these photos, though I believe it's the camera software more than anything else. I have other "near colorless" stones that appear positively white to my eye. An "H" has little variation with GIA, correct? Therefore, gotta' be the poor quality shots.

Bitsy, first Pave Jeweler is in the trade and as such I don't believe he should be commenting on diamonds for sale by other vendors.

Second, the diamond is a GIA graded H color. I am unsure what "warmth" pave jeweler is referencing in this case. You cannot judge color from photos I do not think you need a photo of the diamod beside a G and an I color stone, either. That will tell you little or nothing. If you desire any assessment of color you will need an independent appraisal by an appraiser with a master set of comparison stones. And even then it will be the appraisers opinion against the opinion of GIA. There is some variation in grading of diamonds. Some talk about "High H" and "Low H" stone, for example. But you cannot judge that by photos, even if such variation exists and is noticable to the naked eye (I am not convinced).

 

[Bitsy_too]

Are you giving up on this stone? If you're anything like us, then DDS will set in fast and you'll only want something bigger. You may be different, but most of us think this would worth looking into. Do they have a return policy? You could always buy it, get your own idealscope and see how it does.

Oh, no - not giving up on this stone. They have a very generous return policy if I am unhappy in any way with the stone. My plan is to make "the purchase", have it appraised, then have it set. What's DDS? I know it cannot be Dr. of Dental Surgery on this forum unless I somehow missed him/her and that's next in the process.

 

[Bitsy_too]

Why do you not have it called in by a vendor who does not pooh pooh Ideal Scopes?

Hi Julie,
I have been working with this person for a while, so would not likely do that. Other than that, I doubt the stone is on anyone's list (it is not on theirs - it was "found") so I do not know the specific location of the stone anyway. I thought it was an interesting aside, as the purpose would be for giving the consumer more information when making an internet purchase. Is it your understanding that a gemologist relies on an Idealscope - that it's a new and /or 'necessary' tool?

Bitsy_too -- the stone is definitely on a list. It looks great, you just have to be OK with the warmth.

Interesting about the list, Pavejeweler -
I am not OK with the warmth in these photos, though I believe it's the camera software more than anything else. I have other "near colorless" stones that appear positively white to my eye. An "H" has little variation with GIA, correct? Therefore, gotta' be the poor quality shots.

Bitsy, first Pave Jeweler is in the trade and as such I don't believe he should be commenting on diamonds for sale by other vendors.

Second, the diamond is a GIA graded H color. I am unsure what "warmth" pave jeweler is referencing in this case. You cannot judge color from photos I do not think you need a photo of the diamod beside a G and an I color stone, either. That will tell you little or nothing. If you desire any assessment of color you will need an independent appraisal by an appraiser with a master set of comparison stones. And even then it will be the appraisers opinion against the opinion of GIA. There is some variation in grading of diamonds. Some talk about "High H" and "Low H" stone, for example. But you cannot judge that by photos, even if such variation exists and is noticable to the naked eye (I am not convinced).

Thank you for your thoughts, Dreamer. I am an active serious photographer, so I am fairly well versed in all that can be "wrong" and manipulated re: color with photographs - and even monitor displays, for that matter. My hunch is that a vendor with a generous return policy would not be anything but judicious in their recommendations on this stone given the clout these forums carry with newbies. Makes sense, anyway. Should this go well (so far, so good), I won't hesitate to share a recommendation.

 

[Dreamer_D]

I think diamond04 is referring to a joke on PS about DSS: Diamond Shrinkage Syndrome. Diamond seem to get smaller the longer you wear them.

Anyways, I think that you are proceeding is a good direction and keep us posted! Will you personally be able to see the diamond when it is appraised?

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I totally agree that stones cannot be judged for color in photos! There are vendors that provide icy white photos of J-K color stones, and I know good and well that they are not! People on here all the time ask for pictures of lower color stones to get an idea if they like them, and I always say the only way to judge color is to see them in person! Although when I am buying a stone via long distance, I get Jon to check the color for me in the colorimeter.

 

[pavejewelers]

Dreamer is right that I like optical symmetry and I like excellent symmetry on the grading report, too! It may be more of a mental thing, but I like to have it when it is available. Again, you will have a much smaller pool to choose from when buying a stone in the size range you are looking at so you may have to be more flexible. This stone could be great, but I don't see how you will know without some objective analysis.

Color is a range, so this stone could be low H, borderline I. The advantage to having someone like Jonathan at Good Old Gold call in virtual stones for you is that not only can he run lots of tests on the stones for you (like idealscope and helium scans) andmake a video of it's light performance, he can also check the stone's color in a colorimeter. I am not fond of buying a stone that is in the low end of it's color range when it means that you start seeing the tint.

I do not like that vendor's attitude about the idealscope, because you are seeking assurance of the stone's cut and light performance. For a purchase of that magnitude, I would not buy from them. Jonathan can access most stones from suppliers easily since many are in NYC, and he can run the tests for you. His services will add a small amount more to the purchase, but it is well worth it to me. I had him call in a stone for me which I eventually bought after he did the evaluation on the stone for me. I would honestly just call him and let him call in a couple of stones for you.

Sorry, I accidentally included the ASET image requirement, it's optional for round stones in this case. The ideal scope will be the biggest help, and the colorimeter. Request the image be taken on a black surface (attached) to expose as much color as you can and eliminate any light, or a pure white surface (also attached). Furthermore, it should be taken in light box to avoid any reflections. This is what your H color should potentially look like (assuming there's no tinge of yellow i.e. warmth). The stones are attached are purely examples of H colors on different backgrounds.

 

[pavejewelers]

Why do you not have it called in by a vendor who does not pooh pooh Ideal Scopes?

Hi Julie,
I have been working with this person for a while, so would not likely do that. Other than that, I doubt the stone is on anyone's list (it is not on theirs - it was "found") so I do not know the specific location of the stone anyway. I thought it was an interesting aside, as the purpose would be for giving the consumer more information when making an internet purchase. Is it your understanding that a gemologist relies on an Idealscope - that it's a new and /or 'necessary' tool?

Bitsy_too -- the stone is definitely on a list. It looks great, you just have to be OK with the warmth.

Interesting about the list, Pavejeweler -
I am not OK with the warmth in these photos, though I believe it's the camera software more than anything else. I have other "near colorless" stones that appear positively white to my eye. An "H" has little variation with GIA, correct? Therefore, gotta' be the poor quality shots.

Bitsy, first Pave Jeweler is in the trade and as such I don't believe he should be commenting on diamonds for sale by other vendors.

Dreamer_D, I was only trying to assist bitsy in making sure that he gets the appropriate image of the stone, and that's it. I'll take note and going forward will refrain from posting about other vendor's diamonds. Nonetheless all of your other advice is spot on.

 

[Bitsy_too]

I think diamond04 is referring to a joke on PS about DSS: Diamond Shrinkage Syndrome. Diamond seem to get smaller the longer you wear them.

Anyways, I think that you are proceeding is a good direction and keep us posted! Will you personally be able to see the diamond when it is appraised?

DSS - ahh...funny!
Yes I will see the stone on delivery, then take the next step of certified independent appraisal.

 

[04diamond<3]

I think diamond04 is referring to a joke on PS about DSS: Diamond Shrinkage Syndrome. Diamond seem to get smaller the longer you wear them.

Anyways, I think that you are proceeding is a good direction and keep us posted! Will you personally be able to see the diamond when it is appraised?

Ha, that is what I meant Thanks Dreamer!

 

[Bitsy_too]

Dreamer is right that I like optical symmetry and I like excellent symmetry on the grading report, too! It may be more of a mental thing, but I like to have it when it is available. Again, you will have a much smaller pool to choose from when buying a stone in the size range you are looking at so you may have to be more flexible. This stone could be great, but I don't see how you will know without some objective analysis.

Color is a range, so this stone could be low H, borderline I. The advantage to having someone like Jonathan at Good Old Gold call in virtual stones for you is that not only can he run lots of tests on the stones for you (like idealscope and helium scans) andmake a video of it's light performance, he can also check the stone's color in a colorimeter. I am not fond of buying a stone that is in the low end of it's color range when it means that you start seeing the tint.

I do not like that vendor's attitude about the idealscope, because you are seeking assurance of the stone's cut and light performance. For a purchase of that magnitude, I would not buy from them. Jonathan can access most stones from suppliers easily since many are in NYC, and he can run the tests for you. His services will add a small amount more to the purchase, but it is well worth it to me. I had him call in a stone for me which I eventually bought after he did the evaluation on the stone for me. I would honestly just call him and let him call in a couple of stones for you.

Sorry, I accidentally included the ASET image requirement, it's optional for round stones in this case. The ideal scope will be the biggest help, and the colorimeter. Request the image be taken on a black surface (attached) to expose as much color as you can and eliminate any light, or a pure white surface (also attached). Furthermore, it should be taken in light box to avoid any reflections. This is what your H color should potentially look like (assuming there's no tinge of yellow i.e. warmth). The stones are attached are purely examples of H colors on different backgrounds.

Thank you Pavejeweler - now I know how the image should appear, at the least. I will post and we will compare. Thank you!

 

[hearts-arrows_girl]

That sounds like a very nice stone. I hope you love it when you see it in person, I think it will look beautiful.