.9/Good cut vs .8/Ideal cut??

[HariSeldon]

Hi all,

I''m looking for a engagement ring to give to my girlfriend and I''ve stumbled on a few questions that no matter how much research I do to find the answers I just can''t seem to settle them.

I''ve been looking for about a month now and from what I''ve found so far I''m looking at spending around $5000-$5250 on the ring and really like the Petite Trellis Platinum setting on Blue Nile ($1500) so the diamond should be around the $3500-$3750 price range [if you know of any similar settings please feel free to share ]. I''ve narrowed down the diamond field to a SI1 clarity and a F or D color diamond (preferable F since I''ve read that after you set the diamond its hard to tell a D from a F even to an expert).

So here comes my pickle... from what I''ve found so far I can either get around a 0.8-0.85 carat ideal/H&A cut, F color, SI1 diamond or a 0.9 carat good cut, F color, SI1 diamond for around the same price. And I can''t seem to come to a conclusion on whether the size difference is large enough to offset the quality difference. Any thoughts? Another question I have is what is the difference between a H&A diamond and a GIA Ideal cut diamond?


Thanks for the help!

 

[katamari]

Hi Hari. I don''t know much about RBs, so I will let someone else weigh in on your GIA Ideal versus H&A question. But, I will tell you that the difference between .8 and .9 will only be 10th of a millimeter (i.e. very, very small), so I personally would much rather have the Ideal stone over the Good stone. Cut really means everything, because it determines the performance. I say, go with the cut!

Also, most vendors list the dimensions so you might want to look. You might even find .85 stones with bigger spread than the .9 because they aren''t as deep. Good luck with your hunt!

 

[Skippy123]

Hi and welcome, cut is king, it will give you the sparkliest diamond

I would go for the best cut. Have you also saw the Vatche Xprong (trellis setting)? Good Old Gold and Winfield''s sells it.http://www.goodoldgold.com/setting/V-102/ Also, WF as a trellis setting too http://www.whiteflash.com/Engagement-Rings/Styles/Solitaire/-X-Prong--Trellis-Solitaire_977.htm

I like to use this tool to help find well cut stones; I select excellent excellent for cut http://www.pricescope.com/sift.aspx

 

[rocknewb]

Hey Hari,

First off, I just want to congratulate you on an excellent sense of style.

I just received a blue nile .9 carat RB in the petite trellis setting. It looks awesome, and its also set lower than some of their other solitaire settings, which was important to me. One other poster just posted some real life pictures @ https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/thank-you-lookie.89871/

In terms of your diamond dilemma, I would agree w/ the above posters to get the best cut/polish/symmetry in order to get the most sparkle. So I would personally go w/ the .8 ct RB.

Good luck!
-J

 

[rocknewb]

Also, I noticed that the Vatche and the Whiteflash settings are offered in metals other than platinum. If its just the look that you like and you don''t specifically need the platinum, I would definitely go w/ the the white gold in order to allow your diamond budget to be increased by several hundred dollars.

 

[phoenixgirl]

I believe that when you hover over the diamond listings on Blue Nile the diameter measurements pop up. I''d be willing to bet that the majority of 0.8ish ideal cut diamonds will have bigger diameters than 0.9ish good cut diamonds. It IS possible to go lower on GIA cut parameters and still get awesome cut diamonds (my studs, 0.36 each, both scored "very good" on GIA cut, not excellent, and yet scored 2.0 or below on the Holloway Cut Advisor and spread BIGGER than their size), BUT the majority of the stones which do not receive excellent cuts are not in that category for a reason.

I''d go for the 0.8ish ideal cuts any day.

Also, how about G color? You''d be able to go to I color before anyone could really tell the difference. Even Tiffany''s sells I color! That might make it so you could get best of both worlds -- bigger diamond with excellent (or AGS 0) cut.

 

[honey22]

I would take cut over size anyday - you won''t be able to tell the difference between those sizes, yet you can see an inferior cut stone. Don''t sacrifice cut!!!

 

[rcrosier]

I think that you will be able to see a slight difference, if they are both cut properly. To make a decision on size, look at the actual cut dimensions. However, I agree with honey22 that I would select the best cut over the slight gain in size... Also, everyone told me to look for stones before settings. It is much easier to compromise on a setting than it is a stone when it comes to value for the dollar... I think that you would be well off to go back and start with your original budget to see what all you could get in the diamond, then make a selection on the setting based on the remaining money.

 

[Jelly]

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE get the ideal cut diamond. Go lower on color and even clarity (as long as it''s eye clean) and maybe even white gold instead of platinum, but stick with the best cut diamond you can find.

 

[Jelly]

=295&src=loupe:2o8h065d]this diamond

Although this is an I1, I would consider this beauty cut by Infinity and available through Winfield''s for $4202 with the PS discount.

 

[Regular Guy]

Regardless of GIA''s categorization...let alone Blue Nile''s...let the HCA be your friend.

Frankly last night, before I fell asleep, I ran your constraints on their options, and only saw one option in your budget at .9 or higher. Though called by BN very good, it got a 5 plus on the HCA, and you don''t want it.

You may want to experiment with tweaking your parameters. Raising budget always helps. Though SI1 is not a guarantee of being eye clean, some SI2s may be. Unfortunately, BN is not your best source of feedback on that, but there''s always their 30 day return policy.

 

[hearts-arrows_girl]

Boy, I''d sure consider going to a white gold setting with an SI1 - G,H, or I color. There are oodles of nice cut 1ct stones for under $5,000 under the PS diamond search. They may not all be Ideal, but Excellent cut is good too. That way you could have size and quality with your stone. I would for sure not get the "Good" cut. I tried one, and was disappointed when it couldn''t perform well.
(I love the trellis style setting you chose!) Good Luck!

 

[HariSeldon]

Thanks all for the great advice!

I''m def going to be looking at the best cut quality diamonds instead of going for size. As for considering going with white gold, I''m pretty set on getting a platinum setting cause I don''t want the ring to yellow over time (my 2 year old college ring is white gold and I''m already noticing the change in color). Thanks for posting the Vache X-Prong setting Skippy. Looks exactly like the Blue Nile setting only slightly cheaper. Also, I know a lot of you have recommended going with a lower color than F but to me the F+ color is def worth sacrificing a little size. All the same thanks for the suggestion.

Could someone explain the difference between a H&A cut diamond and an Ideal cut diamond? Is getting a H&A over an Ideal justify the higher price?

Thanks again for sharing your insight with me!

 

[jstarfireb]

Date: 7/20/2008 7:39:05 PM
Author: HariSeldon
Thanks all for the great advice!

I''m def going to be looking at the best cut quality diamonds instead of going for size. As for considering going with white gold, I''m pretty set on getting a platinum setting cause I don''t want the ring to yellow over time (my 2 year old college ring is white gold and I''m already noticing the change in color). Thanks for posting the Vache X-Prong setting Skippy. Looks exactly like the Blue Nile setting only slightly cheaper. Also, I know a lot of you have recommended going with a lower color than F but to me the F+ color is def worth sacrificing a little size. All the same thanks for the suggestion.


Could someone explain the difference between a H&A cut diamond and an Ideal cut diamond? Is getting a H&A over an Ideal justify the higher price?


Thanks again for sharing your insight with me!

Just found this thread when I was searching for the BN petite trellis setting for another poster. I wanted to let you know that the yellowing of WG over time is due to the rhodium plating rubbing off, and it''s VERY easily remedied by a replating, which cost me about $35 the last time I had a ring done. WG may be a really nice option for you because of your budget (the price of platinum in particular has skyrocketed lately). You could always re-set it in platinum later too.

To answer your question, H&A is a specific pattern of optical symmetry, generally only seen within ideal cut stones, so it''s pretty much a subtype of ideal cuts. H&A diamonds are sometimes called "superideals."