Advice on pair 1.29 or 1.22 CT Ideal G VS2

[Kyla]

Hi, I've been looking for a round diamond but can't decide between these two:
1.29 ct Ideal cut G color VS2 I saw online, or
1.22 ct Ideal cut G color VS2 viewed at a shop
Price difference is only $890 between the two. Please advise. Thanks!

 

[ringo865]

Well, the second one isn't "ideal" it is GIA excellent. But the pavilion angle is too steep at 41° and also not complementary to a 35° crown angle.

What lab graded the 1.29 ideal? Do you have crown/pavillion info on that stone?

What is your budget and desired specs? Is it for a ring?

 

[Kyla]

Hi Ringo, thanks for your quick response!

For some reason the shop told me the 1.22 one it was Ideal cut which was in fact lower than their Signature Ideal range.
The 1.29 one is GIA graded too. Sorry I don't have the crown/pavilion info.
What is the difference between Excellent and Ideal?
My original budget was $8000 but it's since been adjusted due to the ones I saw . Yes for ring.

 

[WinkHPD]

One difference is that GIA does NOT have an Ideal grade, the highest GIA grade is Excellent, and the excellent often aren't.

I have an issue with retailers telling people that their GIA Excellent steep deep cuts are ideal. If they know better then they are dishonest. If they do not know better, then they are incompetent.

As per forum rules, I am not talking abut these two particular diamonds, but about such "overgrading" in general.

Wink

 

[crbl999]

The 1.22 is too deep and if they said that is ideal then I would be cautious of all of their recommendations. I don't think the other stone will be a great cut either with a depth of 62.7.

 

[Kyla]

Found this for the 1.29 ct. Is that useful for the crown

 

[crbl999]

Too steep for me.

 

[Kyla]

Thanks all for the feedback! But my budget is limited. If I were to get one of them, which do you recommend if the diff is $890?

 

[crbl999]

Thanks all for the feedback! But my budget is limited. If I were to get one of them, which do you recommend if the diff is $890?

For myself and if it was my money, neither. I would drop in size to get a better cut. It is the cut that brings the brilliance and sparkle to the stone.

 

[sp3]

The first diamond (1.29 ct) has a price per carat of 10061, so I assume your current budget is around $13k. With that budget you should have no problem finding a diamond that has the specs you are looking for (~1.25 ct, G, VS2) with better proportions (and some money leftover) from online vendors such as Bluenile and JA. The two you listed are simply just too deep.

 

[Kyla]

Thanks! What's a recommended proportion?

 

[Lykame]

Thanks! What's a recommended proportion?

I agree with the others that I would be leary of this jeweller.

If you're going to use a jeweller that sells GIA certificated stones, as a STARTING POINT you should have triple excellent within the following specifications:

Table: 54-58

Depth: 60-62.3 (maybe even less than 62)

Crown angle: 34-35.0 (up to 35.5 crown angle can sometimes work with a 40.6 pavillion angle).

34 crown pairs better with 41 pav and 35 crown pairs better with 40.6.

Pavillion angle: 40.6-40.9 (sometimes 41.0 if the crown angle is close to 34).

That is from my cheat sheet that I generated after months of reading on here and all the excellent advice that is here.

I actually have a more narrow range based on my own specific preferences but I don't recommend becoming that obsessed .

Once you have a stone like that you need to see it. Everyone here would additionally recommend you get some imagery of the stone including idealscope and ASET.

I think in general jewellers will bandy around terms like ideal in a very willy nilly way, but it's incorrect. Ideal is only for a specific subset of stones and then there's super ideal.

If you let us know your criteria... Like size range, colour tolerance etc I'm sure we could find you some beautiful stones for your budget from extremely trusted online vendors here. It really depends what is important to you. Let us know!

 

[lovedogs]

I agree with other posters that you can do much better for the money (assuming the budget posted above is accurate). Please take the advice here and look for alternatives with a better cut!

 

[MissGotRocks]

Absolutely keep looking - don't settle for either of those stones!