Advice needed! Please help!

[ilazdiamond]

For those of you that have read my previous posts, you know that I am (unfortunately) locked into a jeweler in terms of an upgrade. My husband and I are taking a special trip to see a few diamonds tomorrow...and with your help...I''d appreciate any feedback on the following.

Thanks! Pricescope is the best!

Report Type: GIA Diamond Grading Report
Round Brilliant
Measurements: 6.73 - 6.81 x 4.22 mm
Carat Weight: 1.20
Color Grade: E
Clarity Grade: SI1
Depth: 62.3 %
Table: 56 %
Girdle: Medium to Slightly Thick, Faceted
Culet: None
Polish: Excellent
Symmetry: Very Good
Fluorescence: Medium Blue
Crown Angle: 34°
Crown Height: 15 %
Pavilion Angle: 40.6°
Pavilion Depth: 43 %
Star length: 55 %
Lower Half: 85 %
Cut Grade: Excellent

HCA: EX, EX, EX, VG = .7 Excellent

 

[lizzyd]

Hi,

How exciting!

The numbers look good. That''s a smokin'' HCA score, huh?!

An E color is more than I would pay for (I''d rather put my money into the size), but it should be beautifully white, and with flouresence it could look really incredible.

Be sure the flouro does not cause it to look milky or oily. Really take it out into the natural light to stare at it from all different angles.

Also, get it into some really indirect lighting (like hold it in the shadow under the counter) and see if it looks like a little head light turned on under there. If it doesn''t, then the cut is off. The E color could mask that in the regular store lights.

The only other thing I would comment on is the diameter numbers. 6.73 x 6.81 is not very tight. I like the numbers to be no further apart than .04mm. These are .08 apart, which might indicate the stone is a little "out-of-round". It may or may not affect how it returns light. You''ll have to judge with your eyes.

Good luck. I can''t wait to hear what happens. You may fall in love with it as soon as it''s unwrapped from it''s little blue-lined, white paper envelope. Or, you may have doubts. Listen to your gut. Don''t get carried away in the moment. You can always go back and see it again. If you must walk out of there with it in your posession, make sure they have a really good return policy.

Also, you might want to make sure to get their trade-up policy in writing (for future use

).


Best,
LizzyD


P.S. If this one doesn''t work out, is it possible for you to give the jewler certain criteria (parameters) for the stone you''re looking for, and have him go out and find one for you?

 

[ilazdiamond]

Thanks for the long reply!

I agree with many of the things you said. I too was not thinking that I wanted an "E" color, as my current diamond is an "I." However, based on the numbers, I felt that it looked pretty good. Unfortunately, the jeweler we are going to is out of state and so if I don''t decide this weekend...it''ll be awhile before I can upgrade. I know that I shouldn''t rush into a purchase like this, but I upgraded to a princess about 6 months ago (having had a round) and have been unhappy with the way it looked ever since it was set. Therefore, I really would like to go back to a round and be done with upgrading...for awhile!

I posted this diamond the other day. What do you think about this one? The numbers look pretty good, but I worry about the "J" color.

GIA Cert:
Round Brilliant
Measurements: 6.95 - 6.98 x 4.18 mm
Carat Weight: 1.23
Color Grade: J
Clarity Grade: VS2
Depth: 60.0 %
Table: 59 %
Girdle: Thin to Medium, Faceted
Culet: None
Polish: Good
Symmetry: Excellent
Fluorescence: None
Crown Angle: 33.5°
Crown Height: 14 %
Pavilion Angle: 41°
Pavilion Depth: 43.5 %
Star length: 50 %
Lower Half: 80 %
Cut Grade: Very Good

HCA: EX, EX, VG, EX = 1.4 Excellent

 

[lizzyd]

I love J''s! In fact, I''m getting two as side stones to sit next to my H center stone. But enough about me...

This one looks good, except it is a little "spready" (table too big) for many on the board. Once again, let your eyes be the judge.

But seriously, if one of these isn''t absolutely making you jump up and down, don''t do it.

I know, six months seems a long time to wait. But if you buy the wrong one, you''ll be looking to change it again pretty soon anyway.

Perhaps you could check into selling yours on consignment (at Pearlman''s? or some place), or find a P''scope vendor who might be willing to take yours in for a trade-in. If it''s a decent stone, you never know. Then, you can be with a P''scope vendor for trade-ins, trade-ups, and you''ll be out of this situation with this guy. Especially since he''s out of state.

Just thinkin''...

LizzyD

 

[ilazdiamond]

I agree that if any of these diamonds don''t "speak to me," I will wait.

If a diamond has a large table (such as the VS2 J), what could be the result? I thought it would be ok considering it received a 1.4 on the HCA.

OK...if you don''t mind...I have one more...the jeweler says that this one is "eye-clean."

Report Type: GIA Diamond Grading Report
Round Brilliant
Measurements: 7.26 - 7.34 x 4.52 mm
Carat Weight: 1.50
Color Grade: I
Clarity Grade: SI2
Cut Grade: Very Good
Depth: 61.9 %
Table: 59 %
Crown Angle: 35.5°
Crown Height: 15 %
Pavilion Angle: 40.8°
Pavilion Depth: 43.5 %
Star length: 60 %
Lower Half: 80 %
Girdle: Thin to Thick, Faceted
Culet: None
Polish: Very Good
Symmetry: Good
Fluorescence: None
Comments: Additional twinning wisps are not shown. Surface graining is not shown.

HCA: VG, VG, VG, VG = 3.1 Very Good


Thanks again for all of your help! By the way...your diamond is beautiful!!!

 

[JulieN]

Sure, 1.4 is fine. Keep it under 2. But this is if you don''t get to se them.

 

[lizzyd]

I have no personal experience with a spready stone, so I can only repeat what I've read here.

I remember (I think) Mara saying that her first stone was spready, and it just didn't perform, or have the liveliness that her better cut stones have. I think she wrote that it was a little "dead" in places, or something to that effect.

Dave Atlas has written that his wife has a spready stone, and they both love it.

The spread will give you more of a size impression. But it could be at the expense of sparkle.

The question is, where do you want to make your trade-offs and compromises?

What you think is more important to you might not really be the more important thing once you actually see it with your own two eyes.

Also, as for the HCA, I think I remember a post by the creator of that wonderful tool (Gary Holloway), or, actually, it might have been said to me by my appraiser (I'm loosing my mind), stating something to the effect of "the stones that the HCA identified as bad really are bad, and the stones it identifies as good, probably are good". In other words, if it calls it a dog, it is a dog. If it gives the thumbs up, there's still a chance it may not be so great.

I wouldn't go for that last one. And once again, I'm not an expert here. I just know that anything greater than a 2.0 on the HCA is unlikely to be as sparklie or as lively as I would want my stone to be. Especially since I've been so spoiled now by the one I have. I will never go back to substandard cut stones again.

Hope this helps (or at least didn't hurt).

LizzyD


ETA: thanks for the compliment on my stone. I love it! You deserve to love yours too. It's like men. Sometimes it just takes a while to find the right one for you.

 

[ilazdiamond]

What is interesting, is if I change the crown angle in the 1.5 SI2 I from 35.5 to 35 the HCA scores drops from a 3.1 to a 2.1. However, I do know that it is best to stay below a 2.

So...based on numbers alone...if you were to pick between the first diamond (SI1 E) and the second diamond (VS2 J)...which one looks better on paper?

I know that only your eyes can make the final decision and that is why my husband and I are going to look at these stones (along with a few others) tomorrow. I will follow my gut and see where it takes me...

Thanks again for all of your help! I really appreciate it!

 

[lizzyd]

I honestly wouldn''t go for either of them.

The cut looks better on the E, SI1, but I wouldn''t want to pay for that color.

I like J, VS2 (but would prefer SI1 or SI2, eye clean), but would have to really love what the stone does with the light, and would probably always wonder if it was as sparkly as a less spready stone.

Sorry. I wish I could tell you I''d be jumping all over one of these, but I just can''t. Maybe in person tomorrow you''ll have a really strong reaction to one of them and just "know". Maybe not.

Please let us know how the visit goes. When will you be able to post what happened?

Best,
LizzyD