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Bad HCA score?

Athena10X said:
Can you purchase a diamond from a different vendor and have the jeweler set the stone in their setting? Or, are you locked into an exchange/upgrade policy with the jeweler since you’ve already purchased/upgraded previously? Basically, can you return the current diamond for a full refund and start anew with sourcing an ideal/super-ideal diamond through a PS-recommended vendor like WF? If so, would the return policy apply to the setting, too, as many PS-recommended vendors also make lovely settings. Just want to have a more global understanding of your situation.
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I believe I'm locked into an exchange/upgrade policy with my current jeweler, but I will definitely check to see if she can order from another vendor! I'm pretty attached to my setting (it was my husband's great-grandmothers!) so definitely won't change that :)
 
sixmillionmiles said:
I believe I'm locked into an exchange/upgrade policy with my current jeweler, but I will definitely check to see if she can order from another vendor! I'm pretty attached to my setting (it was my husband's great-grandmothers!) so definitely won't change that :)
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I doubt your jeweler can order from these vendors, because their stones are cut in house. If your jeweler were to order the stone, he/she wouldn't make any money off of it, so that won't work.

We can find some alternative stones that are virtual inventory that your jeweler can likely order.
 
Great news! Went home and talked with my hubby about it, and he was happy to drop another grand to make this upgrade perfect (the budget was more self-imposed). My jeweler has a .96 ct that has an excellent HCA score for that price! Thanks for your help, everyone :)
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sixmillionmiles said:
Great news! Went home and talked with my hubby about it, and he was happy to drop another grand to make this upgrade perfect (the budget was more self-imposed). My jeweler has a .96 ct that has an excellent HCA score for that price! Thanks for your help, everyone :)
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That's great news!
 
I'm so happy for you! Please post photos!!!
 
That tiny table = fire :) Congrats!
 
sixmillionmiles said:
Great news! Went home and talked with my hubby about it, and he was happy to drop another grand to make this upgrade perfect (the budget was more self-imposed). My jeweler has a .96 ct that has an excellent HCA score for that price! Thanks for your help, everyone :)
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Looks like a much better cut than your first one. :clap:
 
Dancing Fire said:
Looks like a much better cut than your first one. :clap:
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Yes! Hopefully it's worth the extra cost, but having it be "mind-clean" will likely be priceless. Thanks for trying to help by looking for alternative options :)
 
As others have said, this stone should present a lot more fire. The first stone would have looked big for its size but not had as much 'going on' as in scintillation.
 
Garry H (Cut Nut) said:
As others have said, this stone should present a lot more fire. The first stone would have looked big for its size but not had as much 'going on' as in scintillation.
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Thanks for the explanation, Garry! Helps justify my decision to go higher in cost while actually a smidge lower in dimension to achieve more fire...gotta love that fire!
 
Your original stone and the new stone have very different personalities. I know you hated to give up the size, but as others you were only gaining size due to a poor cut. Big table, shallow crown and a crazy 41.6 pavilion. I am glad you returned this stone.

Your new stone is very promising -- 55 table, 62.4 depth, 35 crown & 40.6 pavilion. It measures out nearly the same diameter, but these proportions are much better. Small table and steep crown (paired with complimentary shallow pavilion) should make big bold rainbow flashes.

Since your jeweler is aware of the HCA and understands your desire for higher cut quality, it may be worth asking if they have an ASET, IS or H&A viewer to help you further analyze the light performance and symmetry of the new stone. You can do the ASET, IS and arrows images on a mounted stone, but need a loose stone for the hearts image.

I only mention the images because while the proportions and HCA score are very promising, they are only one part of the equation. There are nuances in the cut and some rounding/averaging that occurs on all GIA reported crown & pavilion angles. Those little things may or may not affect the stone, but the images would provide an additional layer of reassurance.
 
Update: The original candidate was unfortunately sold, but I landed on another one that my jeweler shipped in for me, and I got to see it today in person. Its specs are the following:
.97 carat ($4,550)
I color, Si1 (eye-clean, a couple of very small, non-black crystals I could only see with the loupe)
Table: 55%
Depth: 62.3%
Crown: 34.5%
Pavilion: 40.8%
Measures: 6.30*6.35*3.94
HCA score: 1.3

I checked out some other threads and followed some advice for jewelry store viewing (saw it in various lighting beyond jewelry store lights - fluoro, sunlight, shaded - and compared to other diamonds). It had amazing fire and scintillation in a variety of settings, and faced up very white despite the I color. I can't wait to get back the finished ring! THANK YOU all for your help - this forum has been a wealth of knowledge. I could clearly see the difference in brilliance and fire between this stone and the original one I had selected. :)
 
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sixmillionmiles said:
Update: The original candidate was unfortunately sold, but I landed on another one that my jeweler shipped in for me, and I got to see it today in person. Its specs are the following:
.97 carat ($4,550)
I color, Si1 (eye-clean, a couple of very small, non-black crystals I could only see with the loupe)
Table: 55%
Depth: 62.3%
Crown: 34.5%
Pavilion: 40.8%
Measures: 6.30*6.35*3.94
HCA score: 1.3

I checked out some other threads and followed some advice for jewelry store viewing (saw it in various lighting beyond jewelry store lights - fluoro, sunlight, shaded - and compared to other diamonds). It had amazing fire and scintillation in a variety of settings, and faced up very white despite the I color. I can't wait to get back the finished ring! THANK YOU all for your help - this forum has been a wealth of knowledge. I could clearly see the difference in brilliance and fire between this stone and the original one I had selected. :)
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This stone has a fairly thick girdle but that will have little impact.
Could be a good option.
 
Fantastic job!

Many seek that 34.5/40.8 combo and coupled with a small 55 table I have little doubt it does the sparkle bomb dance effortlessly.

With 62.3 depth I'm guessing she's a little fat in the girdle but doubt it will be an issue.

Be sure to post some pics once you get it. Congratulations! :cool2:
 
So I got her back, and am absolutely in love! The prong setting is a smidge lower than my old one, so I may see if I like it once I'm used to the new look (I used to bump my diamond against things all the time so this may be a good change), or if I may want to reset higher so it pops even more.

As for the diamond itself, it's been performing beautifully! It's been very sparkly and firey in sunshine and indoor lighting, and I've enjoyed the scintillation even as it's faced up more white in cloudy conditions. I've certainly been distracted and snapping photos while running errands today. Here it is in a variety of lighting conditions - thanks SO much for all of your help and wisdom :)

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Congrats, it looks great!!!
 
This is really beautiful! Enjoy. The stone is so beautiful and I love the warm yellow gold.
 
Beautiful ring!, Congrats! :clap:
 
Thanks, everyone! The bridal set is my husband's great-grandmother's, so I'm thrilled to do it justice with my own additions.
 
@sixmillionmiles
Congrats to you! Looks like your patience and PS knowledge have paid off!! I absolutely love that this was your husband’s great grandma’s setting. How beautiful, sweet and sentimental it is!! Wear it in good health!!
 
P. S. I would love to see video! Your pictures are lovely!!
 
I think it looks perfect! I would not raise it...it looks beautiful and pops plenty! Great Grandma would be proud!
 
tyty333 said:
I think it looks perfect! I would not raise it...it looks beautiful and pops plenty! Great Grandma would be proud!
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Thanks so much!! That means a lot to me. I've been feeling a little self-conscious since this stone isn't set as high as my old .63 used to be, so it feels a bit different. I actually think that maybe I didn't lose much height, but rather the wider stone diameter makes it feel thicker and shorter. Here are some more pictures for the comparison (first two pics are how it used to look, versus last two are how it looks today)!

Before:
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After:
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The new .97 doesn't seem that much larger than the .63 when viewed from above since it used to be set higher, but I may just need a bit to get used to the different shape. What do you think?
 

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I love your videos. Such a pretty ring and stone. I can see a big difference in the size of the two stones (then and now). It is set quite high. I wouldn’t change a thing. And you have beautiful hands.
 
Your hand looks like a jewelry store now! What a fun grouping of jewels and a beautiful diamond to boot!
 
You're all so kind! It's always nerve-wracking making a ring change, especially given the investment of not only money, but so much thought-energy and second-guessing. I so appreciate the support, and I think you just saved me another trip back to the jeweler to request a bit of a higher setting, just because I was so used to having a super high pop. It's been such a back-and-forth process and I've been overthinking like crazy!
 
Congratulations! I'm pleased that you were able to get something awesome using the info on here :))

If it is distracting you from doing what you are supposed to be doing, you have bought well ;) lol
 
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