advice ASAP please!

[teddy006]

i''m pretty confident in this ring after talking to the rep, just wondering what you guys think.

Carat weight: 0.70
Cut: Signature Ideal
Clarity: VS2
Depth%: 66.9
Table %: 72
Symetry: Very Good
Polish: Excellent
Girdle: Slightly Thick - Thick
L-W Ratio: 1.02
Measurements: 5.06x4.96x3.32
Diamond Cost: $3089

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 2/6/2009 8:15:57 AM
Author:teddy006
i'm pretty confident in this ring after talking to the rep, just wondering what you guys think.

Carat weight: 0.70
Cut: Signature Ideal
Clarity: VS2
Depth%: 66.9
Table %: 72
Symetry: Very Good
Polish: Excellent
Girdle: Slightly Thick - Thick
L-W Ratio: 1.02
Measurements: 5.06x4.96x3.32
Diamond Cost: $3089

Hi Ted,

What is the grading report? BN diamond I take it? The table is larger than the depth, in Princess the reverse is preferred.

 

[teddy006]

there are reports from GIA and GCAL.
and yes, BlueNile.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 2/6/2009 8:27:15 AM
Author: teddy006
there are reports from GIA and GCAL.
and yes, BlueNile.

Thanks Ted!

Ok you know we can't tell much at all without images and BN don't offer such services. So really we are down to guessing with fancy shapes. From the little I can tell, the table is larger than the depth as previously noted and the reverse is preferred. The girdle is slightly thick to thick - with the thick part we have no way of knowing what sort of impact this has on the diamond, whether it encompasses most of the diamond or just a small portion. So really if you prefer to buy from BN then in my humble opinion you are really buying blind and will have to wait until you open the box to see what you actually have. BN have a good return policy so plenty of time to inspect the diamond to make sure you like it - but really it is like buying a medium size blue car without any other information if that makes sense! There are various looks the diamond can have and no way for us to learn more about the cut precision of this diamond without images.

 

[Ellen]

Ditto Miss Lorelei on BN, no info, etc.

Are you open to other online vendors?

 

[teddy006]

is that not what the grading reports and rating systems are for? so that you can get a great understanding of what it will look like without needing to view it? the way that the rep that i called put it was "you can make any good diamond look great or any not good diamond look good with lighting or angles. the information on the report is how the angle was viewed from all of the angles. now i know sales people have a great way with words and can make anything sound factual, but that does make sense. what do you typically look for when you have the pictures that the report doesn''t tell you?

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 2/6/2009 8:52:36 AM
Author: teddy006
is that not what the grading reports and rating systems are for? so that you can get a great understanding of what it will look like without needing to view it? the way that the rep that i called put it was 'you can make any good diamond look great or any not good diamond look good with lighting or angles. the information on the report is how the angle was viewed from all of the angles. now i know sales people have a great way with words and can make anything sound factual, but that does make sense. what do you typically look for when you have the pictures that the report doesn't tell you?

Teddy, it doesn't work that way regrettably. I will explain further.

The grading report - just gives some details on the depth and table of the diamond, the diameter measurements, the girdle thickness and finish such as polish and symmetry. It also gives the colour and clarity grades. Thats pretty much it. It really gives no information on the precision of the cut, the faceting, the crown height, whether there is any leakage in the diamond, or the quality of the light return. You could have five Princess diamonds lined up with exactly the same depth, table, girdle thickness and diameter and you would most likely see tremendous variance in how these diamonds actually look and sparkle! Cut is critical for a diamond's beauty, now granted not everyone is looking for the highest quality cut but good proportions and finish at least are necessary if you are going to get a beautiful diamond.

Bottom line - there is crucial information we are missing that the grading report and that any so called rating systems or cut labels can't supply. At best, all we have is a chalk outline of the diamond. These tools I have mentioned such as ASET are not trickery which ' gussy up' a diamond to tempt the purchaser into making the diamond look better than it is, ASET in particular is widely recognized now in the diamond industry as being a very valuable tool and AGS labs who are at this time the only lab to grade Princess for cut precision actually use ASET software when judging the cut of a diamond.

This is where particularly ASET images are so useful. ASET breaks down the light running through the diamond so the viewer can analyse it. This isn't as complicated as it might seem and I will post a very useful link you can read which explains more.

http://www.highperformancediamonds.com/index.php?page=education-performance

 

[Ellen]

Absolutely what Lorelei said!

(great post miss)


There are other online sites that give the info you should rightfully have when making such a substantial purchase online.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 2/6/2009 10:40:34 AM
Author: Ellen
Absolutely what Lorelei said!

(great post miss)


There are other online sites that give the info you should rightfully have when making such a substantial purchase online.

How very kind.....

 

[teddy006]

Date: 2/6/2009 8:49:46 AM
Author: Ellen
Ditto Miss Lorelei on BN, no info, etc.

Are you open to other online vendors?

i am open to other online vendors, but i would much prefer if the pricing was at least done in canadian. i don''t mind dealing with american vendors obviously, but it''s far easier to compare everything if all of the pricing is the same. and with the canadian and american dollars always changing, it''s hard to get a good idea of what the actual costs will be for me.

 

[EightStar_jr]

While I agree with all that Lorelei is saying cut making all the difference, GCAL goes farther than any other lab to represent actual performance on their certificates.

The images on their reports are not computer generated images based on Sarin averages, but rather actual photographs using the performance grading technology of Diamond Profile, a lab originally created with the input of EightStar, Al Gilbertson (now with GIA research), and many other industry leaders in the early 1990s. This technology is proven and far predates that which AGS (with EightStar''s consulting) and GIA had developed to catch up.

I believe that unlike a GIA or AGS certificate, a GCAL certificate can be relied on if no other means of previewing is available.

Just my opinion, for what it''s worth

Cheers,

Dana

 

[teddy006]

thanks a bunch for that advice. everyone seems to have their own opinions on which reports are better for what. it''s quite overwhelming to take it all in!

 

[MikeRato1]

the best thing to do is look at it with YOUR eyes, since bn has a nice return policy you wont have to worry if you are not pleased with it
good luck

 

[JulieN]

Date: 2/6/2009 2:27:41 PM
Author: EightStar_jr
While I agree with all that Lorelei is saying cut making all the difference, GCAL goes farther than any other lab to represent actual performance on their certificates.


The images on their reports are not computer generated images based on Sarin averages, but rather actual photographs using the performance grading technology of Diamond Profile, a lab originally created with the input of EightStar, Al Gilbertson (now with GIA research), and many other industry leaders in the early 1990s. This technology is proven and far predates that which AGS (with EightStar's consulting) and GIA had developed to catch up.


I believe that unlike a GIA or AGS certificate, a GCAL certificate can be relied on if no other means of previewing is available.


Just my opinion, for what it's worth

Cheers,


Dana

I'm not sure how a GCAL picture, which is pretty standard, diffused lighting type, really tells you very much about the stone, especially fancies.

The Gilbertson-type pictures are only on the GCAL reports for rounds, and the stone in question here is a princess.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 2/8/2009 12:55:19 AM
Author: JulieN

Date: 2/6/2009 2:27:41 PM
Author: EightStar_jr
While I agree with all that Lorelei is saying cut making all the difference, GCAL goes farther than any other lab to represent actual performance on their certificates.


The images on their reports are not computer generated images based on Sarin averages, but rather actual photographs using the performance grading technology of Diamond Profile, a lab originally created with the input of EightStar, Al Gilbertson (now with GIA research), and many other industry leaders in the early 1990s. This technology is proven and far predates that which AGS (with EightStar''s consulting) and GIA had developed to catch up.


I believe that unlike a GIA or AGS certificate, a GCAL certificate can be relied on if no other means of previewing is available.


Just my opinion, for what it''s worth

Cheers,


Dana

I''m not sure how a GCAL picture, which is pretty standard, diffused lighting type, really tells you very much about the stone, especially fancies.

The Gilbertson-type pictures are only on the GCAL reports for rounds, and the stone in question here is a princess.

Ditto.

Teddy, all you can do is to order it and see how it looks to you, BN do have a good return policy.