ANother diamond to look at, feedback appreciated..

[michgirl16]

What do you think of this diamond:

Round Brilliant
1.71 carats
Color: H
Clarity: SI1
Cut Grade: Very Good
Polish: Excellent
Symmetry: Excellent
Flourescence: None
Table: 58
Depth: 62.7
Crown Angle: 35.5
Pavillion Angle: 41
Price: $13,000

I ran the HCA on it and it is 4.7 I believe? How much weight should I carry on the HCA output? I am stuck going with this jeweler and he says it is a beautiful diamond! My bf bought a 1.4carat diamond that is not what I wanted so we returned it but I think we are stuck buying through them now because they have our money? It looks great on the GIA report but not sure how much i should worry about the HCA number??
THANKS!!!

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 9/16/2008 3:07:12 PM
Author:michgirl16
What do you think of this diamond:

Round Brilliant
1.71 carats
Color: H
Clarity: SI1
Cut Grade: Very Good
Polish: Excellent
Symmetry: Excellent
Flourescence: None
Table: 58
Depth: 62.7
Crown Angle: 35.5
Pavillion Angle: 41
Price: $13,000

I ran the HCA on it and it is 4.7 I believe? How much weight should I carry on the HCA output? I am stuck going with this jeweler and he says it is a beautiful diamond! My bf bought a 1.4carat diamond that is not what I wanted so we returned it but I think we are stuck buying through them now because they have our money? It looks great on the GIA report but not sure how much i should worry about the HCA number??
THANKS!!!

Hi Michgirl,

It is deep and what we call a steep deep with the crown and pav angles, it could leak light and not perform as well as it could, but the main thing is if you like the diamond, check it out in different lights to evaluate it properly. Do you have the diameter measurements? But having said that how long ago did you buy the first diamond? If it is recently you may be able to get a refund, or ask him to show you some GIA Excellent or AGS0 cut grade stones if you want to stick with him.

 

[Ellen]

Yes, steep/deep, I would say pass. Can he get some AGS0 stones in to look at? If not, show him the HCA, tell him you want a diamond that falls within the overlap of GIA/AGS. That ought to get you a decent stone.

 

[michgirl16]

My boyfriend bought the stone about 3 weeks ago, we never picked it up, it was just payed for. I actually got your advice on pricescope and decided I could get a better diamond for my money (I wanted it as close to 2 carats around 15K budget). I really should get some balls and ask for a refund but it is sticky because it is through a family friend and since they already have our money, I don''t know if we could get it back. We officially returned the stone and they said they would look for something bigger for me.

I showed them some diamonds I liked that I found on here and they said that they don''t deal with AGS, they only deal with GIA because they are a much more reputable and higher quality. And also they noticed some diamonds I showed them on paper had some blue fluorescence and they told me that could make the diamond appear cloudy so they didn''t like that either. I guess I am going to pass on this diamond and tell them that I want the GIA Excellent???

 

[Ellen]

Date: 9/16/2008 6:57:07 PM
Author: michgirl16
My boyfriend bought the stone about 3 weeks ago, we never picked it up, it was just payed for. I actually got your advice on pricescope and decided I could get a better diamond for my money (I wanted it as close to 2 carats around 15K budget). I really should get some balls and ask for a refund but it is sticky because it is through a family friend and since they already have our money, I don't know if we could get it back. We officially returned the stone and they said they would look for something bigger for me.

I showed them some diamonds I liked that I found on here and they said that they don't deal with AGS, they only deal with GIA because they are a much more reputable and higher quality. And also they noticed some diamonds I showed them on paper had some blue fluorescence and they told me that could make the diamond appear cloudy so they didn't like that either. I guess I am going to pass on this diamond and tell them that I want the GIA Excellent???

*sigh* I hate to hear the family friend part, this exact situation is why we try to steer people away from doing business with them. But you're in it, let's see if we can get you out, or get you better.

First, if they're a friend, a real friend, I think they should appreciate your honesty. I would simply tell them the truth, you've been doing research, you've learned a lot, and you would like to look elsewhere for stones on your own. That's it's nothing personal, but you would feel better doing it that way. And you are sorry it didn't work out, but you think it would be best this way. Or something along those lines.

If you don't want to do that (but personally I would try it first), take my suggestion from before, and tell them you want a stone that falls in the overlap area of the HCA.


And for the record, while GIA is one of the top two labs, AGS is the other. And AGS is regarded as better/stricter by a growing population.

Fluorescence can affect a diamond at strong to very strong, but not that often. Most of the time, it's no problem.



Their attitude/understanding of things is typical of many jewelers still today, but not really correct.

 

[Dancing Fire]

Date: 9/16/2008 6:57:07 PM
Author: michgirl16
My boyfriend bought the stone about 3 weeks ago, we never picked it up, it was just payed for. I actually got your advice on pricescope and decided I could get a better diamond for my money (I wanted it as close to 2 carats around 15K budget). I really should get some balls and ask for a refund but it is sticky because it is through a family friend and since they already have our money, I don''t know if we could get it back. We officially returned the stone and they said they would look for something bigger for me.

I showed them some diamonds I liked that I found on here and they said that they don''t deal with AGS, they only deal with GIA because they are a much more reputable and higher quality. And also they noticed some diamonds I showed them on paper had some blue fluorescence and they told me that could make the diamond appear cloudy so they didn''t like that either. I guess I am going to pass on this diamond and tell them that I want the GIA Excellent???

be careful with GIA EX cuts they can be outside of thee AGS "ideal box" IE... c.a. 35.6'' X 41.4'' pavil. i''ve seen many GIA stones with these kind of specs floating around.

 

[michgirl16]

Okay here is another option -
GIA Certified
Carat: 1.7
Color: G
Clarity: SI1
Cut Grade: Excellent
Polish: Very Good
Symmetry: Very Good
Flourescence: None
Table: 58
Depth: 61.2
Crown ANgle: 32.5
Pavillion Angle: 41.4
Price: $14,000

He says this one appears larger than it is and is VERY eye clean for an SI1. This is much better than the other one when I ran it through the HCA, but he told me not to focus too much on the HCA because the best way to determine the quality of the stone is by examining it. He says he has had many stones where the numbers don''t seem right but they look amazingly beautiful with so much fire and brilliance... What do you guys think of the stone and price?

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 9/17/2008 3:37:37 PM
Author: michgirl16
Okay here is another option -
GIA Certified
Carat: 1.7
Color: G
Clarity: SI1
Cut Grade: Excellent
Polish: Very Good
Symmetry: Very Good
Flourescence: None
Table: 58
Depth: 61.2
Crown ANgle: 32.5
Pavillion Angle: 41.4
Price: $14,000

He says this one appears larger than it is and is VERY eye clean for an SI1. This is much better than the other one when I ran it through the HCA, but he told me not to focus too much on the HCA because the best way to determine the quality of the stone is by examining it. He says he has had many stones where the numbers don't seem right but they look amazingly beautiful with so much fire and brilliance... What do you guys think of the stone and price?

It looks ok and could be a nice diamond, but it depends on what you want...Do you want to try to hold out to get the best cut and performance possible, or just what we call a nice make of diamond which is not cut to the strictest standards, but looks good? The HCA is a very useful tool for eliminating stones, and it is well worth using. However beauty is subjective, ultimately your own eyes are the best judge if you have a good idea of what you are looking for. Ask him if he can source some GIA Excellent if possible if you don't want to pursue this diamond, don't settle if it looks better than the other one, we want you to be very happy and excited with your choice!

 

[Dancing Fire]

Date: 9/17/2008 3:37:37 PM
Author: michgirl16
Okay here is another option -
GIA Certified
Carat: 1.7
Color: G
Clarity: SI1
Cut Grade: Excellent
Polish: Very Good
Symmetry: Very Good
Flourescence: None
Table: 58
Depth: 61.2
Crown ANgle: 32.5
Pavillion Angle: 41.4
Price: $14,000

He says this one appears larger than it is and is VERY eye clean for an SI1. This is much better than the other one when I ran it through the HCA, but he told me not to focus too much on the HCA because the best way to determine the quality of the stone is by examining it. He says he has had many stones where the numbers don''t seem right but they look amazingly beautiful with so much fire and brilliance... What do you guys think of the stone and price?

what is the crown height on this diamond?