Advice/opinions on idealscope/ASET images

[AdamW]

Hi

Very new here and first-time diamond buyer!

I'm buying a three stone engagement ring and want to get opinions on the idealscope/ASET images of some diamonds I am going to view this weekend. They are three GIA Ex and all score 1 or below on HCA.

I've never really looked at Idealscope/ASET images before and I would be grateful if someone with experience would provide comment. I'm slightly concerned that the centre stone (0.71ct) looks like it might have a fair amount of light leak but I don't know what impact this will have on the way the diamond looks and whether I'm over-calling it.

Thanks so much in advance.

Adam

0.71 F SI1


0.37 F SI1


0.36 F SI1

 

[ringo865]

The idealscope looked like the diamond is tilted. The ASET doesn't show the same imaging issue. It does seem slightly less bright in the center, under the table. But probably not a dud.

Can you ask them to re-image that center stone?

 

[rockysalamander]

Can you give us the measurements (size, table%, depth%, crown angle, pavilion angle, star%)? These are all F color, would you drop to a G to get more size/performance? They are all SI stones, what are the grade-setting inclusions?

 

[AdamW]

Hi

Thanks for your reply.

Cut dimensions are:
0.71 Table 59%, depth 60.3%, crown 34°, pavilion 40.6°, star 50%. Clarity: twinning wisp, feather.

0.37 Table 55%, depth 61.3%, crown 33.5°, pavilion 40.8°, star 50%. Clarity: feather, crystal, cloud.

0.36 Table 57%, depth 60.2%, crown 34°, pavilion 40.6°, star 50%. Clarity: twinning wisp.

Adam

 

[Katya DXB]

I think the table differences in a three stone ring setting may be apparent. Human eye can be quite sensitive to subtle variations in proportions. Based on a recent advice I got here, I would also assume that the center diamond (which is close to 60/60) would show a lot of brilliance but perhaps less fire than the side stones, meaning you'd have two different looks in one ring. However, with the HCA stating otherwise I may very well be wrong and hopefully someone more experienced can confirm or silence my doubts.

 

[rockysalamander]

#1 is a 60/60 style diamond that will have more white light return over fire. I like these diamonds, but current trend is for firey diamonds with a balance of brilliance. It would be useful for you to view this diamond and see how you like it.

We have a cheat sheet of numbers we use here on PS. If you stay within these numbers you are pretty much guaranteed a decent stone*.

Depth 60-62.3%
Table 54-58%
Crown angle 40.6-41 degrees
Pavilion angle 34-35 degrees
lower crown pairs better with higher pavilion angle and vice versa. 40.6 with 35 and 34 with 41 for example.

#2. I would eliminate #2 due to the low crown angle at 33.5 degrees.

#3. This looks ok to me. When matching stone, I usually try to stay very close in the angles. So, if you keep this one, look for other very close in size. I prefer a smaller table (54-57 is my preference).

If you want to post your budget for the stones, we can look to see if there are some that are in the 'open' market your jeweler can call in...or you can buy online if you like.

3-stone settings can be difficult to match with a flush fitting wedding band, so talk to the jeweler about this. The gallery (aka "basket") that holds to diamonds in most 3-stone settings can be too low and require a curved band. I like to wear my band alone when doing certain tasks, so I'm always thinking of this. I'd also look for a setting where the side-stones are slightly tilted away from level. If you look at the ring below, you'll see that it is flush fitting - even with a larger stone -- and has tilted side stones (ignore that it is 5-stones...same principle applies).
https://thegemstoneproject.com/the-resilient/

Here's another ring that will have a flush fit.

 

[AdamW]

Hi @rockysalamander

Thank you for your very helpful reply, much appreciated.

I must admit it's a little intimidating shopping for diamonds, realising now that there is so much to know and that even diamonds rated as GIA Excellent can be relatively poorly cut!

I wonder how to best approach a jeweller to get the right stones? Thus far I've asked for the 'best cuts' and have been offered GIA 3xEx but all with HCA scores >2 apart from these three stones above, and even then it seems these might not be great diamonds!

I'm based in New Zealand so I'm not sure if you'll be able to point me toward some better stones but if you could, that would be fantastic. Budget is circa $10k NZD (approx. $7.4k USD) for the complete ring, preferably in platinum.

I'd be open to online shopping but my preference would be to buy diamonds from the ringmaker. My local jewellers can also arrange duty free sales which saves approximately 15%.

Finally, regarding the setting, I like the trellis setting by Whiteflash and would ask the jeweller to make something similar which would sit flush with the wedding band.

Thanks once again!

Adam

 

[Vander_25]

Just pointing out that the target reference angles provided above have the crown and pavilion angles mixed up.

OP, do you know if whiteflash of any other online sites ship to New Zealand? I can try to help in spare time if you can direct me to which sites you could purchase from.

 

[AdamW]

Hi

Thanks for your reply.

Whiteflash, and I'm sure other retailers, do ship to NZ. The sting in the tail however is combined import duty and GST of 20% (which I would avoid buying locally due to duty free).

@rockysalamander mentioned about looking on the 'open market' to see if there were some stones that my jeweller could get in. How would I go about that?

Thanks

Adam

 

[rockysalamander]

If you look at BlueNile, JamesAllen, EnchantedDiamonds -- and avoid their branded stone, those are all stones that they don't actually own. They are with a vendor, which is why you will often see the same stone on different sites. So, you can find stones you like and then give the GIA numbers to your local jeweler to see if they can get it. The problem may be that you have to make a financial commitment to the stone before seeing it with a local jeweler making that special order.

Its not NZ, but if there are any advantages to buying from Australia, you can reach out to Gary Halloway who is the inventor of the HCA tool and tell him PS sent you. His site seems to be down right now.

https://www.hollowaydiamonds.com.au/

Let me suggest you post your wants (minimum color, clarity, size) and budget (in usd minus all the taxes). Its also helpful for us to know what kind of setting you want and how much you plan on spending on that setting. So, your "all-in" budget.

PS members can look for you and make recommendations. It may turn out that buying from the US, even with all the taxes, is still a better deal. That certainly has been the case for many of our Aussie and other overseas members. Even if not, buy seeing what we select and why, it may help you make a more informed decision. We have a number of Aussie and a few NZ members that can guide you on wire transfer services and money exchanges to save money.

 

[AdamW]

Hi @rockysalamander

So helpful! Thank you.

I'm looking for the following:

Size: Approximately 5.7-5.9mm centre with side stones ~80% diameter, so 4.6-4.7mm.

Clarity: eye clean SI1 or above.

Colour: I'm not sure about colour but I'd like it to look colourless (to an amateur) in a platinum setting.

Setting: Platinum trellis similar to the Whiteflash setting, which sits flush with a wedding band.

Overall budget: USD 7500.

Kind regards

Adam

 

[AdamW]

Edit: apologies, just re-read your post, budget for setting and stones would be 6250 USD, leaving the rest for the tax man...

 

[rockysalamander]

You can totally afford the actual WF setting with ACA super ideal diamonds!!

Setting: https://www.whiteflash.com/engageme...e-butterflies-diamond-engagement-ring-231.htm {$1938.15 usd)

Diamonds:
https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3916976.htm {$4286, .834 VS1; Expert}
https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3880143.htm {$4422, .833 G VS2; Expert}
https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3880147.htm {$4292, .808 G VS2, ACA}*** my choice since the side stone will be F/G ACA.
https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3954411.htm ($3304, .735 H VS1, 5.79 mm)

 

[kitten24]

First post to say hello from another Kiwi. I'm hoping to purchase a ring myself later this year, so am really interested in watching your journey...we don't have anywhere near the options available in other countries do we?

Wishing you all the best on your search