anglesversereality
Rough_Rock
- Joined
- Aug 17, 2016
- Messages
- 3
First I would like to thank everyone who has/is about to help me.
For the past 3 weeks I've studied diamonds heavily but still struggle finding good answers for diamonds that are close "perfect" and not absolutely "perfect." Online many websites give you the "perfect" dimensions/diamond and then you talk to gemologist with the online shop and they say its GIA excellent cut in reality you won't see the difference between a few .1-.3 degrees in a PA or 0.5-1.5 degrees in a CA (which I don't fully buy - I've seen the variability in a GIA EX x3). I'm better with analogies so I will stick with that. I realize that for measurement on a GIA/AGS report there is a range, for simplicity sake lets use school grades, so an A grade can be a A+, A, or A-. Thus an A- in the H color would be pretty close to an B+ I color, compared to a A+ H verses a B- I color.
I also know given what she would like (~ 1.7 ct, VS2+, H color, GIA EX x3, strong fluro at most) I'm not gonna get an A+ cut diamond for ~12k. And even thought I'm totally optics >> size, I am okay with not getting the "perfect" diamond for me, if it is perfect for her. But after saving for a year and a half, and since this is a forever ring, I would really like to try and get an A over an A-. I know the members on this forum are extremely helpful but to not waste any of your time, I'm limited to a well known online retailer that doesn't provide images because there is a setting she adores - She'd would take a good/very good cut diamond and this setting over a Perfect as can be diamond and some of the other halos out there.
So after that very long intro, the question is which diamond would you pick, and will the differences in cut make a noticeable real life difference. Also, and I'm not trying to be snobby at all I PROMISE, but I would prefer if really those who have seen a lot of diamonds provide feedback. I say this because I know people will jump at the HCA scores, and I know I'm not getting perfect and I know (= read on here and other reviews) the HCA tends to slightly favor shallower cut over steeper cut. I guess put another way, the people who have had hundreds of diamonds go through their hands will know the angles, know when there will be light loss on an ideal scope, but also know when that light loss really doesn't make a difference, and when customers start to notice. It is precisely this knowledge/experience I need; as i feel stuck between the perfectionist websites recs (which I can't afford) and the over-realistics on the phone (i want to give her an A over an A- if I can).
Diamond 1 (I will try to upload the charts)
GIA# 1225662099 http://www.gia.edu/report-check?reportno=1225662099
HCA score of 4.0 due to a steep deep CA35.5/PA41 depth of 62.4 - I know good old gold did a trial where they showed light loos under the table with 35/41 on ideal scope but no real naked eye changes.
VS1 with a small crystal on the table, and a couple other point pints on lower girdles -clean plot
middle of the AGS 1 for cut on this https://www.americangemsociety.org/Content/uploads/85481435071929.pdf
middle of GIA excellent on this: http://www.gia.edu/cut-grading-charts-booklets
AGA 1B
flouro - verified no over white/milky, etc. from vendor and online seller
Diamond 2
GIA# 2237040979 http://www.gia.edu/report-check?reportno=2237040979
HCA of 1.9
CA 36/PA 40.6 depth of 62.1
VS2 - a pretty large group of crystals and clouds clustered on table
Just on the edge of AGS 0
actually on the edge of GIA excellent - i found this interesting given they are more broad then AGS.
AGA 1 B
Vendor will verify if "eye clean" and if there is milky or haze from fluro tomorrow.
unfortunately neither of these are A+, but they are about as good as I've found for the angles within ~1k of the price about anywhere even using price scope not just this vendor. Also diamond 2 is about 300 dollars more. So which diamond would you pick and really how big of a difference would you expect. Would this be something you feel an expert would pick up? What about someone with it on their finger, in a halo, not comparing it side by side?
Thank you very much again for your help, I know this would be so much easier if I had another 3k, and images for optical symmetry and an ideal scope. I just want to try to get her the best.
For the past 3 weeks I've studied diamonds heavily but still struggle finding good answers for diamonds that are close "perfect" and not absolutely "perfect." Online many websites give you the "perfect" dimensions/diamond and then you talk to gemologist with the online shop and they say its GIA excellent cut in reality you won't see the difference between a few .1-.3 degrees in a PA or 0.5-1.5 degrees in a CA (which I don't fully buy - I've seen the variability in a GIA EX x3). I'm better with analogies so I will stick with that. I realize that for measurement on a GIA/AGS report there is a range, for simplicity sake lets use school grades, so an A grade can be a A+, A, or A-. Thus an A- in the H color would be pretty close to an B+ I color, compared to a A+ H verses a B- I color.
I also know given what she would like (~ 1.7 ct, VS2+, H color, GIA EX x3, strong fluro at most) I'm not gonna get an A+ cut diamond for ~12k. And even thought I'm totally optics >> size, I am okay with not getting the "perfect" diamond for me, if it is perfect for her. But after saving for a year and a half, and since this is a forever ring, I would really like to try and get an A over an A-. I know the members on this forum are extremely helpful but to not waste any of your time, I'm limited to a well known online retailer that doesn't provide images because there is a setting she adores - She'd would take a good/very good cut diamond and this setting over a Perfect as can be diamond and some of the other halos out there.
So after that very long intro, the question is which diamond would you pick, and will the differences in cut make a noticeable real life difference. Also, and I'm not trying to be snobby at all I PROMISE, but I would prefer if really those who have seen a lot of diamonds provide feedback. I say this because I know people will jump at the HCA scores, and I know I'm not getting perfect and I know (= read on here and other reviews) the HCA tends to slightly favor shallower cut over steeper cut. I guess put another way, the people who have had hundreds of diamonds go through their hands will know the angles, know when there will be light loss on an ideal scope, but also know when that light loss really doesn't make a difference, and when customers start to notice. It is precisely this knowledge/experience I need; as i feel stuck between the perfectionist websites recs (which I can't afford) and the over-realistics on the phone (i want to give her an A over an A- if I can).
Diamond 1 (I will try to upload the charts)
GIA# 1225662099 http://www.gia.edu/report-check?reportno=1225662099
HCA score of 4.0 due to a steep deep CA35.5/PA41 depth of 62.4 - I know good old gold did a trial where they showed light loos under the table with 35/41 on ideal scope but no real naked eye changes.
VS1 with a small crystal on the table, and a couple other point pints on lower girdles -clean plot
middle of the AGS 1 for cut on this https://www.americangemsociety.org/Content/uploads/85481435071929.pdf
middle of GIA excellent on this: http://www.gia.edu/cut-grading-charts-booklets
AGA 1B
flouro - verified no over white/milky, etc. from vendor and online seller
Diamond 2
GIA# 2237040979 http://www.gia.edu/report-check?reportno=2237040979
HCA of 1.9
CA 36/PA 40.6 depth of 62.1
VS2 - a pretty large group of crystals and clouds clustered on table
Just on the edge of AGS 0
actually on the edge of GIA excellent - i found this interesting given they are more broad then AGS.
AGA 1 B
Vendor will verify if "eye clean" and if there is milky or haze from fluro tomorrow.
unfortunately neither of these are A+, but they are about as good as I've found for the angles within ~1k of the price about anywhere even using price scope not just this vendor. Also diamond 2 is about 300 dollars more. So which diamond would you pick and really how big of a difference would you expect. Would this be something you feel an expert would pick up? What about someone with it on their finger, in a halo, not comparing it side by side?
Thank you very much again for your help, I know this would be so much easier if I had another 3k, and images for optical symmetry and an ideal scope. I just want to try to get her the best.