Find your diamond
Find your jewelry
shape
carat
color
clarity

Angles and HCA performance (HELP)

C

christianfredrik

Rough_Rock
Joined
May 4, 2013
Messages
20
Hello,

After having spent days browsing this and other forums for info on diamonds, I thought I was finally ready to graduate. Not quite so: I was on the verge of buying a seemingly OK diamond, but then the price $3600 struck me as a bit low. What's wrong, then? the specs are as follows

Carat: .73
Table: 56%
Depth: 60.8
Crown angle: 33.5 deg
Pavilion angle: 41 deg
GIA certified XXX
HCA score: 0.9

After having spent too many hours reading on my own instead of consulting the community, I finally find myself in a hurry. Stupid. Any last minut suggestions as to whether this is a keeper or not?

Thanks in advance!

Best regards,

CFWP
 
Where is this diamond from? Can you get idealscopes? What's the color?
 
I knew I forgot something!

Color: E

Idealscope is apparently only available after I have placed the order, as they do not have it right now (!). Return policy sounds OK, though
 
You forgot the clarity too. Any chance of posting the GIA report?
 
Sorry. I am obviously not passing the exam anytime soon.

Not sure how to post GIA report. I know it by heart, though:

Clarity: VS1; Characteristics: crystal, pinpoint
Fluorescence: faint
Girdle: thin to medium, faceted

Anything missing?
 
I believe the crown angle is very slightly shallow for a 41 degree pavilion (I've read advice on PS that says you should aim for a 34.0-34.5 crown with that pavilion), but that's PS standards, so IRL its not shallow at all. You might have a stone that appears brighter, but has a bit less flashes of fire (absolutely nothing wrong with that!). It's hard to feel completely confident about it without an idealscope though.

All in all, I think you did very well :appl: . The price seems on par with online vendors. May I ask which vendor you bought from? Online or B&M store?

Mind you, I'm still learning myself so you might want another PSer's opinion :lol:
 
Thanks hawk!

I'll take your word for that (unless somebody were to advise me not to ;) It resonates well with my thinking on the matter... I'm ordering it from b2c online. Seems to have got ok reviews.

CFWP
 
I'd still try to get the idealscopes, and post them here. The numbers are promising, but we'll be able to get a better idea how the stone performs with the images.
 
Ok, I'll have to wait till they receive it, then.

Should you in general be weary if the HCA score drops below 1? I thought this diamond looked OK, but the HCA score along with the price scared me a bit.

By the way, I think I located the upload-problem: I am on an iPad. Apparently the "choose file" button does not work on the iPad.
 
The HCA is used as rejection tool only, where anything below two is a pass. A score of 0.6 is no better than a 1.4. It only tells you that a stone below a 2 is worth checking out further
 
I had secretly hoped that a lower score would indicate better performance, but I feared as much... What worried me, however, were all these posts about "the ring of death" etc. which apparently could be a problem with sub-HCA-1 diamonds.
 
christianfredrik|1368626809|3447311 said:
I had secretly hoped that a lower score would indicate better performance, but I feared as much... What worried me, however, were all these posts about "the ring of death" etc. which apparently could be a problem with sub-HCA-1 diamonds.
Click to expand...

Hawk25 is correct -- lower scores aren't better scores under the HCA.

With regard to the diamond you are considering, a 33.5 table with a 41 pavilion angle is just fine. The lower the crown angle, the higher the pavilion angle can be (inverse relationship). The depth and table size are fine, too.

Some stones that score below 1 on the HCA may have problems, but I believe those are stones that have a shallow crown and a shallow pavilion angle -- not the case with the stone you are considering.
 
Ok, that's a relief. Thanks, you both.
 
I keep dreaming up questions - I hope I'm not wearing you out! Apart from idealscope images (and of course the original GIA report), is there something else I should require from the vendor in order to sleep well at night :)
 
christianfredrik|1368651877|3447614 said:
I keep dreaming up questions - I hope I'm not wearing you out! Apart from idealscope images (and of course the original GIA report), is there something else I should require from the vendor in order to sleep well at night :)
Click to expand...

You're being very thorough, which is good. Ask the vendor about the thin girdle -- how much of the girdle is thin, and if the vendor believes the thin girdle will make the stone more prone to chipping. Typically, you only have to be concerned about "very thin" girdles, but the lower the crown angle, the more you have to consider the girdle thickness. So, while I don't expect there to be any problems with the girdle, if you want to cover all bases, ask the vendor about the girdle. Also make sure you understand the vendor's return (and upgrade or trade-in policies if those are important to you). Never buy a diamond unless there is a decent return policy -- some vendors offer a week; others 10 days or 21 days; and still others up to 60 days. And, if you are proposing with this ring, I advise you to propose within the return period, if at all possible, just in case you or your fiancee want to change something (again, unlikely, but this provides peace of mind).
 
Thanks, you both. Thanks for your most informative replies! Here are the idealscope images. It seems they have been taken in a hurry. are they sufficient, you think? :
 
ridiculous .. impossible to post pictures here... voila nr 23234663.jpg
 
what's the clarity of the stone?
 
christianfredrik|1368835959|3449333 said:
ridiculous ..impossible to post pictures here... voila nr 2
Click to expand...

Nothing wrong with the forum, though - just that my handheld devices disobey me when I want to post images... :)
 
christianfredrik|1368834785|3449326 said:
Thanks, you both. Thanks for your most informative replies! Here are the idealscope images. It seems they have been taken in a hurry. are they sufficient, you think? :
Click to expand...

Yes, it looks like the stone is being held a bit too far into the viewer, and the images are a bit blurry, but overall, the IS is sufficient. No major issues in the IS that I can see. The photo of the actual stone is less helpful -- I think it's tipped, so I can't make out any details of the diamond cut from that photo. I think it looks like a nice stone -- nice color and clarity, too!
 
Maybe its me... but does that look off centre to you? The arrows appear to be different lengths from top - to side - to bottom. Maybe the diamond is tipped in all three pics - is that possible? If it is not tipped, then the lack of symmetry would concern me.
 
Hmm, I agree. The symmetry is a bit odd. The circle in the middle seems to be off center as well.
 
christianfredrik|1368878991|3449495 said:
Hmm, I agree. The symmetry is a bit odd. The circle in the middle seems to be off center as well.
Click to expand...

Exactly!! I'd be a tad cautious with this one -- can you ask the rep to provide you with other pics to reassure you this is symmetrical?? and if it is not, then I personally would pass on the stone. There will be others... :halo:
 
Indeed, I am going to ask them for more pics. Is there also tomething off with the square shaped facet in the middle? It appears much more visible than normal.

How often oes it happen though, that a diamond with GIA "excellent" cut and symmetry has such odd symmetrical issues?
 
I don't know that answer, but reviewing all of your pics above... I just find it odd that not a single pic would have been dead on centre - leading me to think there is something off with this stone.

Were there others that were 2nd on your list you may reconsider?? I'm just not comfortable with this stone. look at the IS - it is not symmetrical there either.
 
I am pretty sure the photo was taken on angle.
 
Here is the IS-photo with perfect circles drawn on top. Since the diamond fits well within the outer circle, I fear that the picture might not have been taken at an angle after all. The culet also seems to be a bit off center... I hope that I might be saved by the bell, somehow: I rather need it by next week..

photo-1_1.png
 
GET 3 FREE HCA RESULTS JOIN THE FORUM. ASK FOR HELP
Jewelry Blog
PriceScope-Concierge-Ad
Find prime cuts.
Top