Amatuer seeking advise

[blastdoor]

Hi,

I have been following this forum, but always as a visitor and this is the first time I''ve actually registered myself to post some questions.

1) I came across this online diamond shop "Diamonds on Web" and am wondering if anyone have had any experience / recommendations / idea regarding these guys?

2) Any recommendations for online shops where I can find good valued "D" or "E" colour, "IF" clarity round "Ideal" or "Excellent" cut diamonds ranging from 0.65 to 1 carat?

Thanks in advance.

Have a Blast...

 

[JulieN]

what does a good value D/E IF stone mean? the only good deals are on stones with fluorescence.

 

[Regular Guy]

Mr. Blast, welcome.

Coincidentally...I was just reading some old threads concerning this vendor. They DID use to offer some unique and value added services...but I don't think these particular services (involving local jewelers) are any longer part of their repertoire. That said, they may be OK.

But, if you stick around here, you'll learn several vendors have been vetted extensively, one if which is Good Old Gold, you'll note a shop like this will almost inevitably provide a great deal of information Diamond on the Web has no practice of doing...and though you may get some discount...you may not...and your confidence in the selection will tend to be diminished.

I mention specifically GOG because I see they do have two options presenting like what you seek, though at different price points.

Finally, however...unless you're quite sure you want that high color, and very high clarity...read more here about that, too. Especially on clarity, there's some logical confounds that you might want to question, before paying for that premium, and being reduced to a smaller selection, to boot.

Best wishes...

 

[blastdoor]

Thanks Ira,

yeah, I get what you mean.. do I really need or want to go D-IF?

story goes, I found the woman I want to marry and the next thing is to find her a nice proposal ring.. I needed to budget my money between this and the rest of the wedding preparations so I started out looking for something around H/I-VS1/2, thinking I can always get her a better diamond in the future..

but the more I researched and thought about the issue, I slowly began to incline towards the thinking that not matter how many more diamond rings or necklaces I''m gonna buy her in the future, this would be the one most significant stone/ring that started it all.. and that was why I ended up with the idea of a D-IF...

and you''re right on, those two rocks you picked out from the GOG inventory had been in my watch list for a few days now, especially the 0.86ct one... I wrote to Marie about it and according to her, the jewelers (I''m thinking to get the ring from the same place I get the diamond) are away till next week so I got myself a little more buffer before making my decision..

in the mean time, I''m just sniffing around to see if I can acoop out some more potential alternatives..

 

[blastdoor]

Hi Julien,

yeah, bad choice of words...

what i meant to ask is, are there any online shops that holds more of such D-IF diamonds so I can make better comparisons? because maybe that''s why they''re D-IF, they''re so D-IFficult to find... not to mention fish out those that come with fluorescence discounts...

 

[JulieN]

Date: 12/30/2008 2:22:52 AM
Author: blastdoor
Thanks Ira,


yeah, I get what you mean.. do I really need or want to go D-IF?


story goes, I found the woman I want to marry and the next thing is to find her a nice proposal ring.. I needed to budget my money between this and the rest of the wedding preparations so I started out looking for something around H/I-VS1/2, thinking I can always get her a better diamond in the future..


but the more I researched and thought about the issue, I slowly began to incline towards the thinking that not matter how many more diamond rings or necklaces I''m gonna buy her in the future, this would be the one most significant stone/ring that started it all.. and that was why I ended up with the idea of a D-IF...

H/I colors and VS clarity are not poor qualities by any stretch of the imagination.

And a stone or ring is just a symbol...a significant symbol. It is not more significant if it''s D IF.

 

[blastdoor]

Date: 12/30/2008 3:05:33 AM
Author: JulieN

H/I colors and VS clarity are not poor qualities by any stretch of the imagination.


And a stone or ring is just a symbol...a significant symbol. It is not more significant if it''s D IF.

agree..

its not to say H/I-VS are poor qualities, bur rather a matter of personal philosophy on what i personally see as a suitable proposal ring in my case..

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 12/30/2008 2:26:49 AM
Author: blastdoor
Hi Julien,

yeah, bad choice of words...

what i meant to ask is, are there any online shops that holds more of such D-IF diamonds so I can make better comparisons? because maybe that's why they're D-IF, they're so D-IFficult to find... not to mention fish out those that come with fluorescence discounts...

If you aren't having much luck with in house diamonds, then a trusted vendor might be able to find you something on the virtual listings.

 

[blastdoor]

Date: 12/30/2008 4:15:48 AM
Author: Lorelei

If you aren''t having much luck with in house diamonds, then a trusted vendor might be able to find you something on the virtual listings.

Hi Lorelei,

i seen many of your replies to the other forumers here and thought to ask your advise on the following piece i found...

0.84 carat, D, IF, 6.20-6.17 x 3.67, depth 59.3%, table 58%, crown 33%, pav 40.8%, culet 0, HCA 0.7 Excellent, fluor none

the GIA cut grade is VG (pol/sym Ex/VG) with a Very Thin to Medium girdle..

in this case, how will the cut grade and girdle affect (if they do) the diamond on a whole?

thanks in advance..

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 12/30/2008 7:21:00 AM
Author: blastdoor

Hi Lorelei,

i seen many of your replies to the other forumers here and thought to ask your advise on the following piece i found...

0.84 carat, D, IF, 6.20-6.17 x 3.67, depth 59.3%, table 58%, crown 33%, pav 40.8%, culet 0, HCA 0.7 Excellent, fluor none

the GIA cut grade is VG (pol/sym Ex/VG) with a Very Thin to Medium girdle..

in this case, how will the cut grade and girdle affect (if they do) the diamond on a whole?

thanks in advance..

Hi Blast!

No problem, glad to help!

Ok, the diamond probably got the VG cut grade because the girdle is very thin. However this might not be a problem if the very thin part is only on a small portion of the girdle, get a trusted vendor or appraiser to check it to give you an opinion as to whether it is a potential durability issue or not. The diamond itself is well cut and has good proportions, ( the depth is a titch shallow but shouldn't be an issue) assuming you get the thumbs up on the girdle from a trusted expert that it won't have a negative effect on the diamond, then it could be a good choice out of the VG cut grade stones.

 

[blastdoor]

Date: 12/30/2008 7:31:11 AM
Author: Lorelei
Hi Blast!


No problem, glad to help!


Ok, the diamond probably got the VG cut grade because the girdle is very thin. However this might not be a problem if the very thin part is only on a small portion of the girdle, get a trusted vendor or appraiser to check it to give you an opinion as to whether it is a potential durability issue or not. The diamond itself is well cut and has good proportions, ( the depth is a titch shallow but shouldn''t be an issue) assuming you get the thumbs up on the girdle from a trusted expert that it won''t have a negative effect on the diamond, then it could be a good choice out of the VG cut grade stones.

i see... ok, will get that checked out... wow... thank you very much for the prompt reply, really...

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 12/30/2008 8:02:52 AM
Author: blastdoor

Date: 12/30/2008 7:31:11 AM
Author: Lorelei
Hi Blast!


No problem, glad to help!


Ok, the diamond probably got the VG cut grade because the girdle is very thin. However this might not be a problem if the very thin part is only on a small portion of the girdle, get a trusted vendor or appraiser to check it to give you an opinion as to whether it is a potential durability issue or not. The diamond itself is well cut and has good proportions, ( the depth is a titch shallow but shouldn''t be an issue) assuming you get the thumbs up on the girdle from a trusted expert that it won''t have a negative effect on the diamond, then it could be a good choice out of the VG cut grade stones.

i see... ok, will get that checked out... wow... thank you very much for the prompt reply, really...

I am very glad to be able to help, let us know how you get on don''t hesitate to ask if you need any more help

 

[blastdoor]

hi, me again,

am trying to figure this out...

for two diamonds around the same size of 0.84~0.85 carat, which of the following would look better?

1) a VG cut D-IF diamond with better HCA score (HCA score < 1)

or

2) an Ex cut D-IF diamond with not-as-good HCA score (1 < HCA score < 2)?

Thanks in advance..

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 1/9/2009 10:47:02 AM
Author: blastdoor
hi, me again,

am trying to figure this out...

for two diamonds around the same size of 0.84~0.85 carat, which of the following would look better?

1) a VG cut D-IF diamond with better HCA score (HCA score < 1)

or

2) an Ex cut D-IF diamond with not-as-good HCA score (1 < HCA score < 2)?

Thanks in advance..

Hi there!

Can you post all the proportions please, then we can get a better idea - depth, table, angles and so on?

 

[blastdoor]

actually the question was more in general as in which would indicate better light performers, lab certified cut grades or HCA analysis results? but specifically the 2 stones i am looking at are as follows: -


1) depth 59.3%, table 58%, crown 33%, pav 40.8%, culet 0, HCA 0.7 Excellent, fluor none, VG cut (pol/sym Ex/VG) with VTh-M girdle

or

2) depth 61.9%, table 55%, crown 34.5%, pav 40.8%, culet 0, HCA 1.3 Excellent, fluor none, Ex cut (pol/sym Ex/VG) with M-STk girdle

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 1/9/2009 11:11:24 AM
Author: blastdoor
actually the question was more in general as in which would indicate better light performers, lab certified cut grades or HCA analysis results? but specifically the 2 stones i am looking at are as follows: -


1) depth 59.3%, table 58%, crown 33%, pav 40.8%, culet 0, HCA 0.7 Excellent, fluor none, VG cut (pol/sym Ex/VG) with VTh-M girdle

or

2) depth 61.9%, table 55%, crown 34.5%, pav 40.8%, culet 0, HCA 1.3 Excellent, fluor none, Ex cut (pol/sym Ex/VG) with M-STk girdle

You can't tell with HCA scores, the HCA is used for elimination, not selection and as it cannot physically see the diamond, it can't predict various unknown factors and nuances of performance etc. Lab cut grades, AGS0 are considered to be ' safe' bets for cut quality however I personally prefer not to assume anything in my consumer capacity, but to evaluate each on its own desirable physical and visual properties. GIA Excellent's criteria for the Excellent cut grade is wide, and can encompass some less desirable cut combos. So with these evaluate each diamond carefully as above.

Both look good but I prefer the second by the proportions, everything looks excellent on this one. Do you have the diameter measurements for these?

 

[blastdoor]

yup.. they are

1) 6.20 - 6.17 x 3.67

and

2) 6.04 - 6.08 x 3.75

price diff is about $800 with (2) costing more..

 

[oldmancoyote]

Date: 1/9/2009 11:11:24 AM
Author: blastdoor
actually the question was more in general as in which would indicate better light performers, lab certified cut grades or HCA analysis results?


The HCA assumes perfect symmetry based on average readings and only considers 16 facets out of 56. The labs use considerably more sophisticated algorithms and have a lot more information including all the angles (not just the averages), but the workings are considerably less transparent.

Neither system is perfect, but I trust the lab's rating way more - and most of all I'd trust my eyes.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 1/9/2009 12:00:05 PM
Author: blastdoor
yup.. they are

1) 6.20 - 6.17 x 3.67

and

2) 6.04 - 6.08 x 3.75

price diff is about $800 with (2) costing more..

Thanks, those look fine - just to confirm the carat weights of each? Also I just noticed the first diamond notes a very thin girdle? If you decide to consider that one, check with the seller or an appraiser that it isn't a potential durability issue - this is not always the case as sometimes the very thin part can be in the microns and in a tiny non vulnerable area, but best to check.

 

[blastdoor]

the carat is 0.84 for both..

and yup, i did get the girdle checked out based on your earlier advise.. the verdict is that its a very tiny portion and will not be an issue..

 

[blastdoor]

Hi..

I''ve finally got my ring last evening.. and wanted to take some pictures and post them here.. but apparently my camera (camera phone actually) can''t do the job well and i only manage to find 1 that is almost in focus out of the 40+ i took..

please take a look and let me know what you think... or maybe even some advise on how to take pictures for a diamond..

thanks...

 

[Lorelei]

YAY CONGRATS - it looks great!!!!!

Quick pic advise, use macro mode on the camera ( flower icon) and no flash, try shooting outdoors with the sun behind you and keep the ring and camera as steady as possible.

 

[blastdoor]

Hi Lorelei,

Yeah! I thought it looked great too but hearing it from you, now I KNOW it looks great!!! Thanks!!

I even "cheated" a little by shining a torchlight onto it and watching it do a "fire dance"...

during my "hunt", my fiancee was so "impressed" by my level of enthusiasm and apparent excitement that she jokingly said she''s worried I might end up keeping the diamond for myself after I eventually find one (she don''t know I got it already, it''s gonna be my surprise for her on Valentine''s day).. who''s know... she might be right.. haha..

last but not least... really really thank you, and all the other PriceScopers who''s helped by offering advises and suggestions... you guys are the best...

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 1/24/2009 6:17:12 AM
Author: blastdoor
Hi Lorelei,

Yeah! I thought it looked great too but hearing it from you, now I KNOW it looks great!!! Thanks!!

I even ''cheated'' a little by shining a torchlight onto it and watching it do a ''fire dance''...

during my ''hunt'', my fiancee was so ''impressed'' by my level of enthusiasm and apparent excitement that she jokingly said she''s worried I might end up keeping the diamond for myself after I eventually find one (she don''t know I got it already, it''s gonna be my surprise for her on Valentine''s day).. who''s know... she might be right.. haha..

last but not least... really really thank you, and all the other PriceScopers who''s helped by offering advises and suggestions... you guys are the best...

You are most welcome Blast, you did well!!!!

LOL at the cheat, I love the pastel colours coming from the diamond!

And it has been a pleasure helping you, you have been a terrific poster and I have really enjoyed participating as I know the others have!

I can''t wait to here her reaction and of course there are always more diamond buying opportunities in the future....

 

[tyty333]

Yah! It looks beautiful (even with a phone pic).

Lorilei and other PS''ers - I can only imagine the numer of people you have helped to reduce their anxiety about making such a big/important purchase? Its a great service
you provide and usually with a smile to boot!

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 1/24/2009 8:24:43 AM
Author: tyty333
Yah! It looks beautiful (even with a phone pic).

Lorilei and other PS'ers - I can only imagine the numer of people you have helped to reduce their anxiety about making such a big/important purchase? Its a great service
you provide and usually with a smile to boot!

You are so kind to say so, thank you so much!!! And we do try to provide service with a smile!!

Also it is because of such nice posters like yourself and Blast that I and some of the others like Ira and Julie have been doing this for such a long time, and will continue to do so in the future - it is our pleasure and privilege to be able to help with such significant purchases!

 

[blastdoor]

Date: 1/24/2009 8:24:43 AM
Author: tyty333

Lorilei and other PS''ers - I can only imagine the numer of people you have helped to reduce their anxiety about making such a big/important purchase? Its a great service

you provide and usually with a smile to boot!

ditto...

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 1/24/2009 8:48:25 AM
Author: blastdoor

Date: 1/24/2009 8:24:43 AM
Author: tyty333

Lorilei and other PS''ers - I can only imagine the numer of people you have helped to reduce their anxiety about making such a big/important purchase? Its a great service

you provide and usually with a smile to boot!

ditto...

* collective blush!!!!* Thanks guys for being so kind, we all very much appreciate it!!!

 

[blastdoor]

just upgraded the camera...

 

[Ellen]

Date: 2/9/2009 9:13:12 AM
Author: blastdoor
just upgraded the camera...

Well woohooo! You did great! (on both)

She''s going to love it, good luck!