EC help!

[Emrldlvr]

I’m looking to upgrade my current Blue Nile 1.21, J, VS2, EC stone 6.61x5.1x3.73. D:73.1% T:61%. What I love about my stone is it’s fire and sparkle, which is quite brilliant at times. It is also quite clear so I can appreciate the facets. it’s slight yellow tinge in certain lights doesn’t really bother me. What I’m looking for is a bigger diamond, with at least V clarity since I can’t see in person. I had hoped to get a better color grade, but doesn’t seem to match my budget of 8000 as it sacrifices on size. I have found 2 diamonds I’m interested in, however their depths are on the lower end of what I’ve read is acceptable for a quality EC cut diamond. Is anyone able to review these and tell me if they’d sacrifice on the fire I adore in my current ring, which I know is quite deep.

1.50-Carat Emerald Cut Diamond | Blue Nile

www.bluenile.com

track=FCOM&slot=2&type=6

1.70-Carat Emerald Cut Diamond | Blue Nile

www.bluenile.com

There is no photo available for the second stone. BN has been working on getting me that. I like that this one has fluorescence which I’ve read can improve the color appearance. The first stone appears quite white to me, which I’m wonder if that is because it’s rather shallow.
Any expert insight would help! Thank you!

 

[whitewave]

Without seeing the second one, I’d say go largest you can lol. As you know with steps cuts, they face up small.

 

[OoohShiny]

Is your current stone still on the BN website as a Sold stone? Would be useful to understand crown height and, if it still has one, video performance!

 

[Emrldlvr]

Is your current stone still on the BN website as a Sold stone? Would be useful to understand crown height and, if it still has one, video performance!

No, my current stone is not still on website as it was purchased 10 years ago, but here is a screen shot of the specs. I’ve read you guys referring to crown on here, but I don’t know how to determine that and it isn’t listed as a spec on blue Nile.

 

[Emrldlvr]

Without seeing the second one, I’d say go largest you can lol. As you know with steps cuts, they face up small.

Thanks for the feedback! That’s the mentality I started my search with for sure and I’m easily seduced by the larger measurements. I just don’t want to sacrifice on the bit of fire and sparkle ECs can provide and from what I’ve read depth has something to do with that.

 

[OoohShiny]

I will have to politely call our resident stepcut guru @Karl_K to see if he might be able to suggest some general guidelines to stick to if you're specifically looking for fiery ECs!

 

[Karl_K]

High crown helps as does small table but it comes down to facet alignment and how they work together.
Crown height can be seen in videos that rotate or good side images.

 

[OoohShiny]

High crown helps as does small table but it comes down to facet alignment and how they work together.

Thank you muchly, kind sir!

 

[Emrldlvr]

High crown helps as does small table but it comes down to facet alignment and how they work together.
Crown height can be seen in videos that rotate or good side images.

Thanks so much! I’ll have their diamond experts review the photos with me for that. I wouldn’t be able to tell a high crown from a shallow one. I appreciate the insight!

 

[Emrldlvr]

I will have to politely call our resident stepcut guru @Karl_K to see if he might be able to suggest some general guidelines to stick to if you're specifically looking for fiery ECs!

Thank you for the help! It’s much appreciated!

 

[marcy]

Hi @Emrldlvr what EC did you end up buying?

 

[Emrldlvr]

Hi @Emrldlvr what EC did you end up buying?

Hi @marcy. I bought the 1.7 J VVS2 EC from BlueNile. They were able to get a picture of it to me and it looked beautiful to my untrained eyes. The images they sent were different than the ones one their website though, which makes me a little nervous. The diamond was standing vertically and the lighting was a bit dim. It was magnified and I did see a rotating image, but It just wasn’t how I was accustomed to viewing the loose diamonds on their site or James Allen. We shall see! I can return if it doesn’t work out, but hopefully it will make my heart sing!

 

[marcy]

Hi @marcy. I bought the 1.7 J VVS2 EC from BlueNile. They were able to get a picture of it to me and it looked beautiful to my untrained eyes. The images they sent were different than the ones one their website though, which makes me a little nervous. The diamond was standing vertically and the lighting was a bit dim. It was magnified and I did see a rotating image, but It just wasn’t how I was accustomed to viewing the loose diamonds on their site or James Allen. We shall see! I can return if it doesn’t work out, but hopefully it will make my heart sing!

Emrldlvr if it doesn't make your heart sing you will find one that does. I am so anxious to see it.

 

[AV_]

I was wondering if you might be missing anything good among the SI & found this www - the inclusions are beyond minute 'crumbs' / crystals.

 

[Emrldlvr]

I was wondering if you might be missing anything good among the SI & found this www - the inclusions are beyond minute 'crumbs' / crystals.

Thanks so much! I’m sure there is so much I missed. I really know nothing about diamonds and how to buy them. I’ve just been reading about it for the last 6 weeks, but no practical experience in doing so. I looked at SI diamonds online, but if I saw inclusions in the table it made me nervous. I just decided I’d have more peace of mind sticking to V clarity. However, I’ve seen so many gorgeous SI diamonds on this site it made me wonder if I shouldn’t have looked harder in the SIs. I did already purchase the 1.7 whose link I posted, but if it doesn’t work out I will keep this one in mind! I’ve marked it in my favorites. So inclusions like the ones in the diamond you linked probably aren’t visible to the eye? I know I can ask BN if they are eyeclean. I just got impatient and overwhelmed with looking! I have 4 small children and the process was consuming me more than it should have! Thank you for the help!

 

[AV_]

I hardly know how it might be to spend holidays with four kids in the house!

The videos exagerate color allot & when brilliance does not appear exagerated [often is], inclusions show enormous too; it is all surreal... IMHO, these displays are more like laboratory microscopy than anything else, and it took me months to get use to any of it [around half a year, at least, but even a year after I'd be so drained after a typical four hour session of thinking through the delusion on the screens!] At best, the stuff makes sense once you have seen a few diamonds - good or bad, in person.

I am very tolerant of 'clarity characteristics' - often I am finding myself impressed by how serious ones play with the cut [the good folk who cut the complicated - included, colored, diamonds, do know a thing or two about how they will be looked at! It is a show... ]. Perhaps because many taken into accout for grading are not visible, GIA calls them this way - 'characteristics'. SI1 is often clean to me, SI2 - some of the time, IF-VS2 - not worth thinking of clarity.

The size of stones is also a factor. I would only see shape & brilliance out of a two carat diamond on the back of my hand typing; color- within a large berth, since there is stronger color than at least the 'near colourlss' GIA range for diamonds everywhere [I cannot not compare! - then again, there is this white coffee cup & dish nearby - a H, I think] Clarity! Eh...

The specs in the E/SI are smaller than dust & since they are included crystals, they should be particularly beautiful dust [eg. included crystals in a garnet www trailing garlands of ... some other characteristic!].

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If you are not ready to buy, so be it. I enjoy the hunt more by allot. Would certainly appreciate spending a couple of months taking pictures of diamonds than buying one [I did do this with natural pearls - diamonds, not yet]

rant!