.96 vs 1.2 carat

[rnbwsktles]

I found 2 potential diamonds for an engagement ring on Blue Nile:

.96 carat round brilliant, Very Good cut, D color, SI1 clarity, Scores 1 on the Cut Advisor
1.2 round brilliant, Very Good cut, F color, SI2 clarity, Scores 4.8 on the Cut Advisor

I picked these 2 because they are close in price, but represent opposites in terms of features. I always wanted the biggest diamond possible, but with a max budget for the diamond being $5,000 -$6,000 1.2 is about the biggest I can go.

Here is my question, is the quality difference in the two diamonds going to be noticeable enough by the naked eye? Should I sacrifice quality for the bigger diamond if you can''t tell the difference, or will the smaller diamond be so much nicer that it will make up for the size? The "Excellent" Score on the cut advisor is what''s really throwing me off. I feel like I can''t pass the .96 up!

I''ll take any advice!

 

[Avus00]

FWIW,
The 3/4 carat I went with looks 100 times nicer than some of the bigger stones I looked and it actually "appears" bigger than the 1ct's I looked at because it's such an incredible cut.

It depends on many variables, for me, it was about finding the most beautiful stone, not necessarily a bigger stone. The 3/4 I went with looks like a 1ct on the ring itself because of the interactions of all the variables.

I could have went with a bigger stone and sacrificed some quality, but for me, the size stone was perfect for the ring I had made for my girlfriend.

Generally speaking, 1 score vs a 4.8 will absolutely have a visual difference. You have to see different stones and compare them individually. That's what I did. I probably looked at a few dozen stones before settling on just one.


Post some specifics of the diamonds, too ... such as table, depth etc.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 11/3/2008 3:08:05 PM
Author:rnbwsktles
I found 2 potential diamonds for an engagement ring on Blue Nile:

.96 carat round brilliant, Very Good cut, D color, SI1 clarity, Scores 1 on the Cut Advisor
1.2 round brilliant, Very Good cut, F color, SI2 clarity, Scores 4.8 on the Cut Advisor

I picked these 2 because they are close in price, but represent opposites in terms of features. I always wanted the biggest diamond possible, but with a max budget for the diamond being $5,000 -$6,000 1.2 is about the biggest I can go.

Here is my question, is the quality difference in the two diamonds going to be noticeable enough by the naked eye? Should I sacrifice quality for the bigger diamond if you can't tell the difference, or will the smaller diamond be so much nicer that it will make up for the size? The 'Excellent' Score on the cut advisor is what's really throwing me off. I feel like I can't pass the .96 up!

I'll take any advice!

Welcome!

If you post the proportions of each diamond then we can get a better idea, although 4.8 on the HCA does not sound promising - post the...

depth
table
crown and pavilion angles
polish and symmetry grades
girdle thickness
diameter measurements


Avus makes a good point that a smaller well cut stone can hold its own against a larger poorly cut stone due to the superior light return. If you like, maybe we could have a look for you and suggest some diamonds?

 

[Tuckins1]

I think that the clarity difference would/could be noticeable, depending on the type and location of the inclusions. The size difference is so small that I would go with the smaller and better quality myself.

 

[onvacation]

If I had to bet without further information, I''d go with the .96. The better color, better clarity, and much better cut would be enough to outperform the size difference for me.

 

[neatfreak]

I''d rather the .96 any day.

 

[ilovedogs]

Another thing you may want to consider is going down in color. I recently purchase an I color 1.23 S12 James Allen Hearts & Arrow in your price range. It is a stunner and icy white. In an excellent cut you will not see the color....something to consider.

 

[Regular Guy]

Date: 11/3/2008 7:10:27 PM
Author: neatfreak
I''d rather the .96 any day.

Ditto between the two.

Maybe check out this one? If interested, request more info, though...

 

[rnbwsktles]

Thanks for the advice everyone! It''s been very helpful and encouraging to see that the .96 looks like the way to go.

For the record...

.96
depth - 61.9%
table - 56%
crown - 35
pavilion - 40.2
polish - very good
symmetry - good
girdle thickness - Medium to thick, faceted
measurements - 6.27 - 6.29 x 3.89mm
fluorescence - medium blue
http://www.bluenile.com/round-diamond-1-carat-or-less-very-good-cut-d-color-si1-clarity_LD01149955?filter_id=1

1.2
depth - 60.2%
table - 64%
crown - 32.5
pavilion - 41.4
polish - very good
symmetry - very good
girdle thickness - Slightly thick to thick, faceted
measurements - 6.84 - 6.88 x 4.13mm
fluorescence - strong blue
http://www.bluenile.com/round-diamond-1-carat-very-good-cut-f-color-si2-clarity_LD00143397?filter_id=1

Not sure the links will work for you, but thought it might be helpful if they do.

 

[rnbwsktles]

I''ve decided to go with the .96, but I keep looking at the GIA cert and the inclusions. I''ve seen pictures of feathers in other diamonds and they don''t bother me, but this one is right in the middle and looks pretty big. I think there is also one on the other side? I thought that was an extra facet at first.

Any comments? It''s only SI1 so I wasn''t expecting a perfect diamond, but is this bad?

Picture attached

 

[AprilBaby]

Get the .96.

 

[rnbwsktles]

*bump*

Sorry, for the bump, but can someone please tell me how bad this feather is and is the line on the other side a feather or an extra facet? I might buy this diamond today and I really want to make sure I am not making a mistake!

 

[t-neck]

If it is SI1 you probably can''t see it with naked eye. Also, once it gets set it may also be even harder to see. I was leaning towards buying online but not being able to see the diamond before purchase scared me. But I think with BN you could have a return period.

I agree with the people above to go for the smaller better stone. I just did that and don''t regret it at all. It looks bigger than it is. Good luck.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 11/13/2008 9:46:55 AM
Author: rnbwsktles
*bump*

Sorry, for the bump, but can someone please tell me how bad this feather is and is the line on the other side a feather or an extra facet? I might buy this diamond today and I really want to make sure I am not making a mistake!

Please don''t apologize!

What you will need to do is to contact your BN rep and ask them if the feather is eyevisible - also let them know your expectations concerning your ideal of an eyeclean diamond so that you are both on the same page. It could well be fine but there is really no way we can tell much from the report, so asking BN is your best bet.

 

[rnbwsktles]

Thanks, i''ve heard a few people complain that BN didn''t give them an accurate answer over the phone since they don''t actually have the diamonds in house. I assumed they would automatically say it was eye clean, but it doesn''t hurt to call.

I am actually more concerned about what is on the bottom. I am having trouble distinguishing between the lines, is it a feather or extra facet? I don''t care about the facet, but if it''s a feather, it looks like an entire chunk of the diamond could potentially come off since both ends of the crack touch the girdle.

 

[edl]

Welcome to Pricescope!

Between the two I would purchase the .96 and if it doesn''t meet your standards, you should be able to send it back. The GIA certificate looks fine, and I wouldn''t be worried about an entire chunk of the diamond coming off.

That being said, have you gone to a store to look at diamonds? Many people focus on the specifications of the diamond, and D color is as good as it gets - but in person it is difficult to distinguish color and clarity between two reasonably similar diamonds, if cut is equal. Once they''re mounted it''s even more difficult.

In your first post you said you wanted the biggest diamond possible, so I would search for that. Yes, the quality difference will be noticable (to some people) between the two stones you picked, but you picked a 1 vs. a 4.8. There are better big stones out there.

And don''t limit yourself to BN. I did a quick search on WF, there''s a few nicely cut RB''s in the 1.1-1.2 range for under $6K. I''d also consider G color, if you''re mounting it in platinum it''ll face up white.

Good luck!

 

[rnbwsktles]

Thanks, edl. In my original diamond searches I was looking for a D-F diamond, mostly because I liked the way it sounded. Even if no one could tell, it would make happy knowing that I had something in that range. With that said, I have lowered my standards a bit. The problem is that I have an obsessive personality and have already fallen in love with this diamond and only a chunk falling off of it could change my mind. I have no idea why i love it, I just do. I get this way with lots of things

I am also happy with the size now. i saw a .77 in an almost identical setting to what I want at Costco of all places the other day and I thought it was absolutely beautiful. That reassured me that I would be happy with both the size and setting.

The FF and I are going to have a serious talk about the ring tonight and decide if we are going to get it (and hopefully buy it right then). I get to look at the ring and make sure it looks ok and then he is going to hide it from me until he decides to propose (could be months!). I will also have it inspected somewhere first.

We have a rather unconventional way of going about this lol. I did all the work