[Advice Needed] Trying to decide between two H&A stones

[sn25]

Hi All,

I was hoping to get some advice regarding my hunt for a H&A stone for an engagement ring.

I have found two stones which are within budget, and look like they could be a good fit - however, I am no expert and would really appreciate some of your advice in making my decision!

These are the two stones I am considering:

Stone 1:
0.984ct
Colour: E
Clarity: SI2
http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamonds/diamond-details/0.984-e-si2-round-diamond-270.00-104079526007

Stone 2:
0.918ct
Colour: F
Clarity: VS2
https://www.victorcanera.com/diamonds/tkhxzx-0.918-f-vs2-ideal-hearts-arrows-round

I can purchase both stones for roughly the same price (taking into account setting discount from Victor) and from my eyes - they both look like great stones from the scope images and both score quite well using the HCA tool.

My questions are:
1. Any major issues that can be spotted on either of these? Would there be any large difference in light performance between them? What should I be looking for when looking at the scope images to compare performance?
2. I spoke to a representative from BGD, and they mentioned that all of Brians SI2 and SI1 stones are checked and verified as eyeclean - therefore any reasons why I would not buy the larger stone, if both will be eyeclean? There are no other stones in Victor's inventory that I can compare within this price range unfortunately.

Any feedback would be really appreciated!

 

[solgen]

It looks like there might be some slight light leak under the table on the BG stone. I think the VC stone is better but whether that would translate to a noticeable difference in appearance is questionable and probably unlikely.

You may want to consider each vendor's upgrade policy as there's some noticeable differences.

Aside from that it'll come down to what aspect is most important to you, price, clarity, size, upgrade policy, etc.

 

[ecf8503]

They will both be beautiful - who has the setting you want? One-stop shopping is ideal, both for convenience and because sometimes a package deal can be had. The difference in size is very small - you likely wouldn't even notice a difference side by side.

 

[sn25]

Thank you both for your replies.

The slight light leakage is a bit worrying on the BG and has put me off a little bit on this stone - especially if the size difference will not be noticeable.

I will purchasing the setting from Victor and was originally planning to also purchase the diamond from him also. However, having checked his inventory, there was only one stone (the one I have linked) which matched my budget and criteria so I decided to shop around and see if I could get a better deal on similar diamonds.

I have found this BD stone which looks great: http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamonds/diamond-details/0.903-f-vs2-round-diamond-ags-c-104077286006

It has the same clarity & colour as the Victor's stone - and only 0.015ct difference (assume this would be negligible when compared side by side). The big difference here is that the BG stone is around $700 cheaper - larger than the discount I would receive from buying a stone and setting from Victor. Any thoughts on picking between this one and the Canera stone?

Both companies provide full lifetime upgrade policies so no issues there. Will probably look to decide to take the plunge soon so any advice I could get would be great - it is reassuring to know that both suppliers have a great track record and their stones will be beautiful regardless who it comes from

 

[yssie]

BGD Signature stones will show zero undesirable leakage under the table. Guaranteed. Stones can be fickle in photography, and that in the case of that particular stone it's an issue of being so used to seeing stones photographed in certain ways that the eyes trick you into seeing what's not there in different styles of photography.

That said the second BGD is very nice! How much is the difference between buying the second stone and having VC set it and buying both from VC? It's always preferable to stay in-house with one vendor if possible - there are other costs to consider like shipping, insurance on the stone whilst VC is working on it (some vendors accept liability under their own policies, some don't)... If the difference isn't huge I'd definitely recommend just staying with VC. The VC stone you posted is beautiful

 

[sn25]

Thanks for the feedback Yssie - I've just calculated the difference to be just over $300 between purchasing the stone from VC and BGD. In the grand scheme of things, the difference is not much.

I have decided to source the stone from VC for the peace of mind of having everything completed in-house and making any upgrade/re-setting process easier in future. Wish me luck!

Thanks again everyone for your input