Advice needed on engagement ring

[vf0valkyrie]

Hi everyone,

I''m been lurking around for the past month or so, and found lots and lots of useful info and posts.
Thanks to everyone out there who made it possible so that newbies like me can learn lots more and not be paying through our noses for rocks that are not worth their shine.

Am thinking of getting a diamond from either WF or James Allen and have it set back home in sunny Singapore.
And then i stumbled across vivodiamonds (www.vivodiamonds.com) which seems to have reasonably priced diamonds here in Singapore. I''m looking at their Signature diamonds.

I have a few questions, and these are the rocks i''m comparing against.

From JA WF Vivo
carat 0.51 0.553 0.52
colour G G G
clarity VS1 VVS2 VS2
HCA 0.6-EX ex- 0.9-EX ex- 1.0
ex-ex-vg ex-ex-vg
AGS 0, H&A 0 AGS certified
Depth 60.4% 60.8% 61.6
Table 56.9% 55% 55.4
Crown 34.2° 34.6° ?
Pavillion 40.6° 40.7° ?
Girdle thn-sl thi thn f ?
Polish id id id
Sym id id id
Flr neg no N
Mea 5.17*5.2*3.13 5.32-5.34x3.24 ?
USD 1720 1994 1960

My worries are:
1. Has anyone heard of vivodiamonds? Are they reputable and how''s their service like?
2. Can i really tell the difference in the spread, brilliance, fire, light return, scintillation among diamonds which have HCA of 0.6, 0.9, 1.0, and 1.3? Are they really that different?
3. Assuming cost is not an issueand approximate carat sizes, would going for a higher HCA mean more bang for bucks? Also granted that I won''t be able to see the diamonds in person to make the final decision...

Can anyone kindly please provide advice?

Warmest Wishes for the new year!

Best Regards,
Vf0valkyrie

 

[diamondseeker2006]

The HCA is just a screening tool. You don't even need to use it if a stone is AGS0 (Ideal). Any number less than 2.0 is fine, so 1.3 is not better than 1.0, for example. I've never heard of vivodiamonds, but we cannot evaluate that stone in comparison to the others unless you get the missing information. So far I like the WF stone because it is a little larger than the JA stone.

Oh, and welcome to PriceScope and happy new year to you!

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 12/30/2008 11:12:14 PM
Author:vf0valkyrie
Hi everyone,

I'm been lurking around for the past month or so, and found lots and lots of useful info and posts.
Thanks to everyone out there who made it possible so that newbies like me can learn lots more and not be paying through our noses for rocks that are not worth their shine.

Am thinking of getting a diamond from either WF or James Allen and have it set back home in sunny Singapore.
And then i stumbled across vivodiamonds (www.vivodiamonds.com) which seems to have reasonably priced diamonds here in Singapore. I'm looking at their Signature diamonds.

I have a few questions, and these are the rocks i'm comparing against.

From JA WF Vivo
carat 0.51 0.553 0.52
colour G G G
clarity VS1 VVS2 VS2
HCA 0.6-EX ex- 0.9-EX ex- 1.0
ex-ex-vg ex-ex-vg
AGS 0, H&A 0 AGS certified
Depth 60.4% 60.8% 61.6
Table 56.9% 55% 55.4
Crown 34.2° 34.6° ?
Pavillion 40.6° 40.7° ?
Girdle thn-sl thi thn f ?
Polish id id id
Sym id id id
Flr neg no N
Mea 5.17*5.2*3.13 5.32-5.34x3.24 ?
USD 1720 1994 1960

My worries are:
1. Has anyone heard of vivodiamonds? Are they reputable and how's their service like? Sorry, haven't heard of them.
2. Can i really tell the difference in the spread, brilliance, fire, light return, scintillation among diamonds which have HCA of 0.6, 0.9, 1.0, and 1.3? Are they really that different? The HCA is used for elimination, it can't see the diamonds physically so is only estimating the above factors. A lower score is not better than a higher one, the aim is to score 2 or under in most cases then evaluate from there.

3. Assuming cost is not an issueand approximate carat sizes, would going for a higher HCA mean more bang for bucks? Also granted that I won't be able to see the diamonds in person to make the final decision...See above, a lower HCA score is not better than a higher one. Evaluate HCA good scorers with Idealscope images if you can get them from the vendor.

Can anyone kindly please provide advice?

Warmest Wishes for the new year!

Best Regards,
Vf0valkyrie

The WF and JA diamonds look very promising, with the third we need the angles to be able to judge.

 

[vf0valkyrie]

Hi everyone,

Managed to get the reply from Vivodiamonds.
Allow me to fill in the blanks below.

From JA WF Vivo
carat 0.51 0.553 0.528
colour G G G
clarity VS1 VVS2 VS2
HCA 0.6-EX ex- 0.9-EX ex- 1.0 EX ex-
ex-ex-vg ex-ex-vg ex-ex-vg
AGS 0, H&A 0 0
Depth 60.4% 60.8% 61.6
Table 56.9% 55% 55.4
Crown 34.2° 34.6° 34.5°
Pavillion 40.6° 40.7° 40.7°
Girdle thn-sl thi thn f 1.3%to 4.3%
Polish id id id
Sym id id id
Flr neg no neg
Mea 5.17*5.2*3.13 5.32-5.34x3.24 5.16x5.21x3.20
USD 1720 1994 1960

Which would be the best candidate in your opinions? Any advise?
There are some rather big inclusions that i''m concerned about (please see picture) but the sales person assured me the diamond is eyeclean and is willing to show me the diamond.

Also, is there a differnece with a diamond graded from AGS versus from EGL?
Because i stumbled across this other diamond:

Report: EGL
Shape: Round
Carat: 0.62
Color: G
Clarity: VVS2
Regular Price: $1,895
Cut: Ideal
Measurements: 5.47-5.54x3.38
Depth Percentage: 61.40
Table Percentage: 55.00
Crown height: 15%
Pavillion Depth 43%
Girdle: Thin, faceted
Polish: Excellent
Symmetry: Excellent
Fluorescence: None
Culet: None
Certificate #: 2807660837
HCA: 0.8?

My concern is it seems to be cheaper, and bigger, but only difference is that it''s EGL graded.
Are there very huge differences in AGS and EGL graded diamonds?

Ireally appreciat any insights on these issues.

Regards,
Vf0valkyrie

 

[beach]

A G EGL will likley be an H or maybe even an I in AGS or GIA grading. So it is likley not as good of a deal as it may seem. The only way to tell would be to take the EGL stone to an independent appraiser. I would stick with the AGS stones to be safe.

 

[Lorelei]

Read this page on how the grading labs rank - http://diamonds.pricescope.com/grading.asp

The three AGS candidates you posted look great, ask your SA to help you choose if you are unsure by talking you through the merits of each diamond.