3 diamonds to choose from...which one??

[edmontonflora]

I''ve narrowed down my search to three stones, all from Whiteflash. I''m going with the Mark Morrell petite Torchiere setting with the surprise diamonds. Let me know which one you prefer. Thanks!!

Whiteflash ACA 1.032 I SI 1
http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/A-Cut-Above-H-A-cut-diamond-1151352.htm

Whiteflash ACA 1.006 J VS2
http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/A-Cut-Above-H-A-cut-diamond-1466985.htm

Whiteflash Expert Selection 1.098 I VS2
http://www.whiteflash.com/round_ideal_cut/Round-Ideal-Cut-cut-diamond-1467014.htm

A side-by-side comparison of a few more options.

http://www.whiteflash.com/diamonds/Compare_Diamonds.aspx?idnos=1467008,1467003,1467004,1467009,1466992

Last thing, my initial criteria was to have something in the G-H, VS2/SI 1 ideal cut range. I didn''t think I''d be able to get anything over one carat. After looking at the 1.098 stone that someone suggested to me in another thread, I''m pretty open to the idea of going lower in color as long as the cut is ideal since it should face up pretty white anyways. At this point though, I have no idea which one to go for.

 

[stone-cold11]

To me, no contest, I would go for the 1.098 I VS2, it is the largest, color and clarity wise better than the other 2 and still the cheapest... :p I also like the ASET better. Depends on if you like MB Fluor I guess...

Definitely not the 1.006ct, it just got into the price jump size range while not having much to show for.

 

[edmontonflora]

I was leaning towards the 1.098 as well. The only concerns I have is that the polish and symmetry are only excellent and not ideal. How much does this affect the appearance of the stone anyways? I understand the idea of symmetry but am not sure about the difference between an ideal polish and an excellent polish. The 1.098 also has medium fluoresence(which I prefer anyways).

 

[stone-cold11]

From what I understand, a layperson should not be able to tell the difference between the two grades in polish and symmetry.

The only thing to caution about this choice is you will probably not be able to get a H&A pattern in your stone if that is what you are going for. One of the things I do not like about WF is that their ACA line do not have Fluor which I also like...

 

[edmontonflora]

Can you explain the H & A pattern to me a little and how it''ll affect the appearance of the stone? Thanks.

 

[stone-cold11]

From my limited understanding...

H&A stones have excellent optical symmetry, but you can have that without a H&A pattern too, just that no one market those so you never know until you view it yourself under a H&A scope. Optical symmetry allows for better light return that can sometimes result in a less than ideal cut stone with optical symm performing better than an ideal cut stone without it. But as I said before, a ex to ideal polish and symm performance is almost indistinguishable. So usually H&A is just use as a bragging right and you can''t see the hearts picture properly once the stone is mounted anyway. :p

 

[edmontonflora]

Anyone else want to chip in?

 

[neatfreak]

I like the first one. It looks like it would be eyeclean which is all that really matters with clarity and it is also a H&A stone, which many people really like. The third one is also really nice though, and will save you a few bucks. I really doubt you will notice the difference between the two, as #3 does show a really nice arrows pattern as well. It looks like it's just a haaaaair outside the AGS0 line, which is still really nice.

If $ is a big issue, go with #3. If a few hundred dollars won't break your budget I'd go with #1 personally (assuming it's eyeclean, just ask WF).

 

[edmontonflora]

For the third stone, when I click on the "enlarge" button, why do I see some yellow and orange light on the diamond?

 

[neatfreak]

Date: 10/14/2008 10:46:08 PM
Author: edmontonflora
For the third stone, when I click on the ''enlarge'' button, why do I see some yellow and orange light on the diamond?

You could ask WF to be sure, but I think it''s just lighting reflection.

 

[swingirl]

I would go for the 1.098 ct, too. It looks like it missed the ACA rating because of the symmetry and polish which is very minor. The inclusions are off to the side. It has the largest dimensions.

I think the G-H range is going to be over $6K for a 1ct but "I" will get you a nice full carat.

 

[ShariMichele]

Date: 10/14/2008 6:13:34 PM
Author: edmontonflora
Can you explain the H & A pattern to me a little and how it''ll affect the appearance of the stone? Thanks.

Edmontonflora,
I just came across this site myself that was helpful in explaining the whole H&A background:
http://www.heartsandarrows.com/default.htm

 

[edmontonflora]

2-1 for the bigger stone so far...doesn''t help me much! Thanks for those who have given input so far. I''m learning so much as I go along. I just have a few more questions...will an ideal cut "I" show any color? I like the icy white look but could sacrifice it for a just white...hehe. I read somewhere that a high crown, small table is a good thing. Do the two diamonds in contention fall into this category? In regards to the H&A, is it really relevant once the stone is mounted. I guess the arrows are still visible but not so much the hearts. So is H&A really just a confirmation of a perfectly symmetrical stone? Sorry for all these questions but I told WF I would let them know our decision by Thursday.

Thanks so much again to those that have responded. Your patience is awesome!

 

[stone-cold11]

Date: 10/15/2008 2:21:57 AM
Author: edmontonflora
2-1 for the bigger stone so far...doesn''t help me much! Thanks for those who have given input so far. I''m learning so much as I go along. I just have a few more questions...will an ideal cut ''I'' show any color? I like the icy white look but could sacrifice it for a just white...hehe. I read somewhere that a high crown, small table is a good thing. Do the two diamonds in contention fall into this category? In regards to the H&A, is it really relevant once the stone is mounted. I guess the arrows are still visible but not so much the hearts. So is H&A really just a confirmation of a perfectly symmetrical stone? Sorry for all these questions but I told WF I would let them know our decision by Thursday.


Thanks so much again to those that have responded. Your patience is awesome!

My 2cts here. I color should be enough white, with a MB it might be whiter in the presence of UV. High crown and small table, from what I understand, gives of more fire at the expense of total size of the stone and more volume is now in the crown and not contributing to the overall spread size of the stone. All your diamonds are in the standard RB Tolkowsky Ideal Cut range, the cut you are describing is more like a FIC in my opinion. FIC, BIC explanation

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 10/15/2008 2:21:57 AM
Author: edmontonflora
2-1 for the bigger stone so far...doesn't help me much! Thanks for those who have given input so far. I'm learning so much as I go along. I just have a few more questions...will an ideal cut 'I' show any color? I like the icy white look but could sacrifice it for a just white...hehe. I read somewhere that a high crown, small table is a good thing. Do the two diamonds in contention fall into this category? In regards to the H&A, is it really relevant once the stone is mounted. I guess the arrows are still visible but not so much the hearts. So is H&A really just a confirmation of a perfectly symmetrical stone? Sorry for all these questions but I told WF I would let them know our decision by Thursday.

Thanks so much again to those that have responded. Your patience is awesome!

An I colour is where the average person may begin to notice a hint of warmth, especially from the side. However an I colour is still white enough for many, best to see some similarly graded, size, cut quality and shape diamonds in person if you are not sure.

The diamonds you listed are all excellently cut, you could pick any one of them and not go wrong. Select according to your preferences. A high crown and a small table can enable a diamond to display a little more fire or coloured light if the lighting is comducive, not always at the expense of spread. If you want a true fiery ideal cut ( FIC) sometimes these are cut a bit deeper but that can be a trade off. The diamonds you have listed will show a good mix of both fire and brilliance, these stones are cut for optimum visual performance. You won't notice arrows in all lights and then they look more silvery than dark, most of the time what you will notice is sparkle. If you go for the last diamond, you will not notice any difference between excellent for polish and symmetry or ideal to the naked untrained eye.

This info explains about hearts and arrows diamonds - https://www.pricescope.com/hearts_indx.asp

 

[kcoursolle]

Number 3, the cut is still very cherry, the color is better than J, it looks really clean, it could be visibly larger than the others, and it''s cheaper!