Brilliant Ideal Cut (BIC) Diamond for ring

[DrKnuckles]

Hi all,

Like many guys on here, I'm researching for an engagement ring... I don't have a strict time frame, but I like to be thorough in my research, and the information available here is invaluable! I've been trying to find examples of round Brilliant Ideal Cut (BIC) diamonds, as classified by the HCA. I've come across a diamond online that I may be interested in, it scores 0.8 on the HCA (excellent on all 4 categories) and is a GIA graded XXX stone.

Here are the stats:
Color Grade: J
Clarity Grade: VVS2
Cut Grade: Excellent
Polish: Excellent
Symmetry: Excellent
Fluorescence: Medium Blue
Depth: 59.3%
Table: 58%
Crown Angle: 31.5°
Crown Height: 12.5%
Pavilion Angle: 41.0°
Pavilion Depth: 43.5%
Star Length: 50%
Lower Half: 75%
Girdle: Medium (3.5%)
Culet: None

I've read a number of posts from quite some time ago (some about 10 years old!) and I understand that this stone would likely favour brilliance over fire, though this might also help it face up whiter. I was hoping to find some more examples of stones like this, as well as the opinions of people here. I've attached a photo of the diamond - I don't have an ideal scope or ASET image, but that would be available if I ask them to call it in. Does anyone think it's worthwhile to request them to bring this diamond in?

Thanks in advance!

 

[ecf8503]

To my eye it looks very nice in the pic. The HCA is good, so if you are interested then yes have them bring it in for light return imaging. But be aware up front about fees for doing so, and possible refund of funds if it doesn't turn out to be what you want.

Why not drop clarity and get a higher color so you don't have to weed through tons of stones looking for a BIC? A nice balance of fire and white light return will be more appealing to (my) eye.

 

[DrKnuckles]

Thanks for the reply. Yeah, there's a $200 deposit to call it in, which isn't refundable if you just don't like the stone.

I wasn't specifically looking for that high clarity, and a higher colour might be better. I thought it looked quite good from the photo, was in budget, and faced up a little bigger than other stones of a similar weight, but I was unsure about the BIC so thought I'd ask here. From what I've read it does seem the general consensus is to go for more of a balance between fire and brilliance, so I might leave it for the time being and do more research.

 

[Christina...]

Have you had an opportunity to view a BIC type stone in person? I assume your preference is for white light return, or is there some other appeal for you?

 

[DrKnuckles]

I'd never heard about them until a couple of days ago, so I haven't had the chance to see any in person. I've been trying to find some videos that show the difference, but haven't had much luck.

There's no particular appeal to me (apart from size/budget), but if there's a significant reduction in the visible flashes of colour, I might be better off to avoid them. I'm pretty sure my girlfriend would prefer more fire in her diamond

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I think the crown angle is very low. We normally look for around the 34-35 range with a pavilion angle of 40.6-41.0. I think you can do better than this one. Try to stick with vendors who provide an idealscope image.