branded VS2 and SI1?

[wishingstar]

Is it pretty safe to assume that most/all branded BGD, ACA, GOG H&A, Infinity stones are eyeclean, since these are chosen by the cutters/brand?

Obviously, I''d check with the vendor before purchase, but for narrowing down purposes, is it pretty safe to assume this? They have all the specs/diag/paper info needed and I dont want to fall in love with an SI1 and find that it''s not eyeclean. Would it be better to stick with VS... or just have to check all contenders individually?

ps. Also, is there any need to check HCA for these stones since it is their claim to fame?

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 5/12/2010 4:04:57 AM
Author:wishingstar
Is it pretty safe to assume that most/all branded BGD, ACA, GOG H&A, Infinity stones are eyeclean, since these are chosen by the cutters/brand?

Obviously, I''d check with the vendor before purchase, but for narrowing down purposes, is it pretty safe to assume this? They have all the specs/diag/paper info needed and I dont want to fall in love with an SI1 and find that it''s not eyeclean. Would it be better to stick with VS... or just have to check all contenders individually?

ps. Also, is there any need to check HCA for these stones since it is their claim to fame?

Hi Wishingstar

No it is not safe to assume that any of the above brands, particularly in SI clarity grades will be eyeclean to your particular standards. In each case you would need to check with the vendor.

These branded diamonds have images to show light return and optical symmetry, the HCA is really not needed for these diamonds but you can of course run the proportions through if you like, but bear in mind that you won''t learn anything from the scores as the HCA cannot physically see the diamonds and is used for rejection, not selection.

 

[Todd Gray]

Hello Wishing Star,

As Lorelei has pointed out, it is not accurate to assume that an SI-1 clarity diamond is "eye clean" simply because it is represented by a recognized brand... the primary focus of the brands which you''ve mentioned is on the Cut Precision and Cut Performance of the diamonds represented and not necessarily on the visibility of the inclusions. Each vendor or ''brand'' maintains different criteria for diamond cut quality and for the type, extent and visibility of inclusions. Therefore, it is important to work closely with your vendor of choice to determine to what extent a diamond may be "eye clean" with the understanding that the degree of "eye clean" varies from person to person depending on their vision and the lighting environment used to evaluate the diamond.

There are many SI-1 clarity diamonds which are "eye clean" and many which are not... Since clarity is a factor dictated by nature, it is important to consider each diamond upon its own merits, a good vendor will be able to assist you with selecting a diamond which is likely to meet your expectations.

 

[wishingstar]

thanks for your input... I was hoping that they were eyeballed for eyeclean, since they were branded.
My next step will be to select my vendor, so hard as everyone has beautiful stones.

 

[stone-cold11]

Well, eye visible inclusions are usually cheaper as they are more difficult to sell but some like it for ease of identification that a stone is indeed theirs, so to each his/her own.

 

[yssie]

Ditto - and a stone where the main inclusion can be hidden under the prong is a great find, depending on what you're looking to optimize

 

[WinkHPD]

Date: 5/12/2010 2:19:31 PM
Author: wishingstar
thanks for your input... I was hoping that they were eyeballed for eyeclean, since they were branded.
My next step will be to select my vendor, so hard as everyone has beautiful stones.

WishingStar,

You may need to let your vendor know what you consider eye clean. In the trade we consider anything without visible inclusions from the table to be eye clean, but many many consumers want it to be eye clean from all angles. Since light physics are light physics, this means that many many diamonds that are totally eye clean from the top will have inclusions that are easily seen from the side or bottom, even into the VS1 range. Also, none of us can tell you how great your visual accuity is.

I had a client once who could see VS2 inclusions in a diamond, face up, from accross my desk. His wife loved a particular VS2 stone, but he could see the inclusion so we found him an nice VS1 that was eye clean to him. (I have about 1.5x vision as I am very near sighted and see things that most people can not, and I could NOT see the inclusions that he saw.

Ten years later however, when he came in to buy an anniversary diamond, he was quite happy to tell me that age and working at Hewlet Packard had ruined his close up unassisted vision and that he would now be buying an SI1 or even SI2 stone and saving the extra money that he would have had to have spent ten years earlier.

Wink