Advice on our e ring please!!

[ideal5555]

I spent hours search, browsing through websites, going into stores with SO and we are still not sure which one to choose...

We wanted Ideal Hearts & Arrow.. appx 2 carats... good clarity ... relatively good color... those were our requirements

Now we were offered two stones, relatively similar in price, and I wanted some expert advice of which maybe a potential
candidate or should I continue the hunt?

Stone 1 RB
8.18 * 8.21 * 5.01
AGS Ideal 0
G color
SI1
2.054 ct
57.3% 61.0%
crown 33.5 degrees pav. 41.1 degrees
*my main concern with this stone is it's graded SI1 by AGS but the stone is full of little red marking on the certificate! (should I be concerned? I haven't seem the stone in real life yet)

Stone 2 RB
8.10 * 8.16 * 5.018
AGS Ideal 0
G color
SI1
2.093 ct
56.4% 62.5%
crown 35.6 degrees pav. 40.5 degrees
*this is is about 2000 less, looks clean according to the certificate just a few feathers and couple clouds...

Stone 3 RB
8.01 * 7.97 * 4.95
EGL Ideal Plus
G color
VS2
2.00 ct
56% 62.3%
crown 35 degrees, pav. 40.4
*now this 3rd stone... is about 15,000 less than the other two AGS stones..

Please help! Advice much needed. Thank you!

 

[LGK]

Well, you can't really judge eye cleanliness based on the inclusion plot. Sometimes a plot can look nice and clean- maybe one mark on it- but the inclusion is super visible to the eye because it's the only inclusion, if you see what I mean. The plot itself says absolutely nothing about visibility of the inclusions- it's mostly a map saying what's where. The only way to know is to either see it yourself, or explain your requirements about eye-cleanliness and have a trusted vendor evaluate it for you. For example, most vendors call a stone eye clean if no inclusions are visible *face up only* from 8-10 inches away. That means that there are plenty of stones considered eye clean that you can see inclusions upon super close inspection, especially if you're near sighted. And that you can see the inclusions from the side on. So you need to decide what you consider eye clean and communicate it clearly to the vendor you're working with. Hope that helps!

ETA: Also, of course, an EGL cert is comparing apples to oranges when compared with the GIA diamonds you're looking at. While there are plenty of beautiful stones out there that can't help having an EGL cert , you just have no clue what you're buying if you get one blind. If you decide to pursue one, get a trusted, independant appraiser to evaluate it within a return period so you have some idea what you've got. Frequently there are no "deals"- EGL stones are typically priced about right for what they'd be if they weren't graded soft. It's also harder to find well cut ones. Usually there's a reason a stone has an EGL cert; like, if it were a GIA or AGS grade, it'd be about at a cut off that the public considers undesirable, like I1 clarity or below J color, and someone who knew a heck of a lot about the business felt it would be more saleable with a soft grade. Also the "ideal plus" cut grade on the EGL cert means exactly zilch. It's easier to just stick to AGS & GIA stones so you have a more accurate idea of what you're really paying for... the stone you have here is undoubtedly not a G or a VS2 if it were graded by GIA, typically EGL is off by two or more colors and sometimes clarity grades as well; so if you're actually fine with an I or J color, might as well shop for those grades from GIA, is the general idea- it's more straightforward.

 

[ideal5555]

thank you for advice. that is a great idea, I should request for a independent appraiser to evaluate and ensure they allow returns if the independent appraiser comes back to very different from whats on the EGL cert.