Advice on some RB's for upgrade yet again...

[MrsT]

I abandoned my upgrade from a few years back and want to try again. When I think of all that has transpired since that time it's a good thing we DON'T know our futures. Happy to say we survived by the Grace of God.

My quest: 2.75 - 2.90 H - Eye Clean SI1 with excellent proportions.

I've reread all my posts regarding this change and all the issues remain the same. The advice was excellent and I now know what needs to be done. I'm not happy with the size of my diamond nor my setting and I want to try and fix it. I was hoping some members might advise on some options below.

My trade up policy is not working out for me and I'm somewhat discouraged. That led me to searching for a stone on my own to see if I could find one. At this point I'm in a holding pattern with my original vendor until they get something in. I guess that's o.k. since I want their expert eyes to help me make the right choice.

After searching however, I came across some stones in my price range that I would say are not "Ideal" cuts but score well on HCA and would welcome opinions on the specs of these stones in order to know if I should have them sent in to see. Not sure this is customary but I was sent a lovely list of possibilities and had so much fun picking these two as the only ones I might like to see.

Some of them have issues that make them more affordable but I'm not sure these issues mean I should rule them out. The other issue is they are not from my vendor and trade up policy puts me in a bad place for replacement cost.

All the diamonds below have GIA certs that I have viewed online. They are 3ct stones but still in my budget. There are no SARIN's available.

3.01 G SI1

HCA: .09

GIA Excellent
9.31 x 9.36 x 5.67

T - 56
D - 60.7
CA - 34.0
Pa - 40.8

Girdle: Medium 3.5%
Lower Half - 75%
CHt - 15%
Pdpth - 43%

Inclusions: twining wisp, crystal, feather

The obvious issue is the strong blue fluorescence. I know that sometimes they look blue or cloudy so know way to no unless you see this stone. What characteristics does a stone that scores that low exhibit?

A second option with no fluorescence:

3.07 H SI1

HCA: 1.4

GIA Excellent
9.31 x 9.34 x 5.75

T - 57
D- 61.7
CA - 35.5
PA- 40.6
Girdle: 3.5% Medium

80% lower half
15.5% Crown ht.
43.0% Pavilion dpth

Fl: None

Inclusions: crystal, feather, cloud, needle (additional clouds are not shown)

Looking forward to learning anything about the specs of these two options.
Best,
Mrs T

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I am thankful to hear that things are better and that you can now search for your upgrade!

I guess my first caution is that many 3 ct SI1 stones just aren't going to be totally eyeclean from all angles. That is the great difficulty looking at grading reports instead of the stones. You can look at sites like James Allen and access those stones through other jewelers since they are owned by a diamond supplier than many vendors can access.

Strong blue fluorescence isn't usually going to be a problem unless there are clarity issues such as clouds, etc that when combined can make the diamond look hazy. I have had a VS1 stone with SBF and it was never seen except very slightly in sunlight and even then, it was not hazy at all. You'd have to be more cautious when looking at SI stones with lots of clouds or wisps, for example.

I think both of those stones would be worth pursuing and I'd want ASET images on them. Is your original vendor a PS vendor? If your diamond has increased in value since purchasing it, honestly, you maybe will do just as well selling the stone outright as opposed to trading it in. I wouldn't let the trade in policy restrict me to one vendor especially if that limits your options.

 

[MrsT]

Thank you Diamondseeker. I didn't know that about James Allen and I didn't think my diamond would have went up in value.
I think your comments about inclusions on a larger stone is something that I've been wondering. I will need to be very careful.

Yes, my original purchase is a PS vendor. I don't want to speak negatively since I'm early in the game. They simply don't have anything right now. I need to be patient but I'm still looking at other options.

Has there been a shift in the criteria of SI1 stones? Mine is so clean and some VS2's look like they have more inclusions than my SI1.

Thanks for your input. I have relied on the knowledgeable member here for a long time.

MrsT