Another Comparison, and a couple questions

[Habo]

Ok, so I think I am getting pretty close to deciding which diamond it is that I want to go with, at the least I know what I am looking for. The diamond will be set in a yellow gold setting with a pair of roughly 1/4C side stones. I was looking for a diamond between .9 and ~1 Carats in weight with the best possible round ideal cut. The stone must be completely eye clean and I would prefer that it have no visible yellow tent at all when set in yellow gold.

The two diamonds I have picked out here are both SI1s. That is the biggest part of this that makes me nervous because as I said above the stone must be completely eye clean, and I have sharp eyes. Even though I plan to call the vender and ask their opinion on how eye clean the stones are, I would go with a higher clarity ranking for my peace of mind, but at the present time I can''t find a stone with a color grade of H or higher and good proportions within my price range.

1.025 G SI1 0.4-EX ex-ex-ex-vg 0 60.9% 56% 34.7° 40.5° 0.8-1.2 pt id id no 6.51x6.55x3.98 AGS $5441

1.015 H SI1 1.1-EX ex-ex-ex-vg 0 61.8% 56% 34.6° 40.7° 0.9-2.0 pt id id no 6.41x6.47x3.98 AGS $5205

The vender in both cases is www.dirtcheapdiamonds.com

These two diamonds are actually more than I would like to pay for the center stone but are among the closest candidates. That same site does have a setting very similar to what I was looking for however. Does anyone know if it is reasonable to expect a discount when purchasing a diamond and a setting together in a case like this? Has anyone here done business with this site?
When purchasing a stone and a setting from the internet what is the most appropriate course of action? Should I first have the stone appraised and then set, or should I have the final product appraised? Both?

 

[strmrdr]

pass on this one:
1.025 G SI1 0.4-EX ex-ex-ex-vg 0 60.9% 56% 34.7° 40.5° 0.8-1.2 pt id id no 6.51x6.55x3.98 AGS $5441
Its a better pendant diamond than in a ring it will suffer in indirect lighting.

The other one is much better from the limited amount of data.

dcd has many happy customers around here.

Get an IS image of the h si1 as well as ask about the inclusions.

 

[sjz]

I just posted a picture on another thread that might help you a little. It''s an H SI2 in yellow gold next to a J VS1 in white gold. I think that an H color stone won''t show any yellow tint, especially set in yellow gold. A lot of people have eye clean SI stones, I think it''s up to your own eyes on whether you can see the inclusions or not. If they are small and there are several of them scattered throughout the stone, you might not see them easily. If they are fewer, bigger, and closer together, you might see them.

 

[Habo]

Here is another possibility

0.84 E SI1 0.7-EX ex-ex-ex-ex 0 60% 55% 34.1° 40.3° 0.6-1.1 pt id id no 6.15x6.19x3.70 AGS $3871

This diamond seems to have an unusually large spread for its weight.

.6-1.1% is the girdle. Does that sound too thin?

 

[Habo]

"Its a better pendant diamond than in a ring it will suffer in indirect lighting."

Why is that one a better pendant diamond? I can guess that is has something to do with the difference in depth % in the two because that is probably the biggest difference between them but I don''t know why that would make one better for a pendant.

If diamonds with proportions more similar to the second stone are better suited to a ring then I will refine my search some and try again.

thanks

 

[strmrdr]

Date: 8/17/2005 1:24:23 AM
Author: Habo
''Its a better pendant diamond than in a ring it will suffer in indirect lighting.''


Why is that one a better pendant diamond? I can guess that is has something to do with the difference in depth % in the two because that is probably the biggest difference between them but I don''t know why that would make one better for a pendant.


If diamonds with proportions more similar to the second stone are better suited to a ring then I will refine my search some and try again.


thanks

In indirect light they will apear darker than other combos.
The warning signs are hca score under 1 and where the last number in the crown angle is larger than the last number in the pavilian angle
as in.
34.x and 40.y where y is bigger than x by a large amount (.2 or so) and if the pavilian angle is under 40.6 its worse.

 

[strmrdr]

0.84 E SI1 0.7-EX ex-ex-ex-ex 0 60% 55% 34.1° 40.3° 0.6-1.1 pt id id no 6.15x6.19x3.70 AGS $3871

This one is a shallow/shallow and suffers from poor indirect light performance also.
Im working on a long thread that will explain it in more detail its complicated because not all diamonds with hca scores under 1 are a problem.

 

[Mara]

I agree, nix that first stone....the HCA score is too low for me.

The second one looks better.

I also love H SI''s! IMO they are a sweet spot. I think if it''s eye-clean (when you call the vendor ask them if it''s eye clean from all angles, not just top down) then it''s a great find.

Good luck!

 

[strmrdr]

sheesh just ran some numbers a 40.3 pavilion needs a 37 degree crown for the problems with it to go away.
40.6 is better matched to crowns in the 35.2 range and is also a good match to those close to 34.6 but gets bad quick on either side fast.

40.5 no optimal combos in the 34.x range best is 35.6

So its even further complicated that the actual best combos for those are steeper than the worst problem angles.

 

[Regular Guy]

sorry no one else is helping you with this heavy lifting; I take it you''re using Diamond Calc alone to do this analysis right now?

 

[strmrdr]

Date: 8/17/2005 10:17:31 AM
Author: Regular Guy
sorry no one else is helping you with this heavy lifting; I take it you're using Diamond Calc alone to do this analysis right now?

Im using diamcalc to try and explain it.
All of the vendors have seen it and most of the PS vendors filter the worst of them out allready so it isnt an issue a lot of the time.
It has been said to avoid the low hca score diamonds for a long time but it wasnt fully discussed why.
What got me interested in looking into it more is Garry's research into using shallower pavilian stones for earrings and pendants.
So that started my hunt for info.
Jon @ GOG has been very helpfull in helping me to understand the issue.
I have also managed to view a diamond in person that is one of the problem combos and verify that its a real issue myself.

I wanted to clarify that the above opinions about these diamonds are mine and not Jon's he may or may not agree with them.
As with anything else relating to diamonds an independant appraiser isnt a bad idea once its narrowed down and seeing for oneself is the final test a diamond has to pass.

 

[Regular Guy]

yeah, we hear a lot from our independent appraisers about avoiding those combos.