Buying a 2 carat round -- which of these should I get?

[ironcondor]

Hi all,

Been a long-time lurker. Now a first-time poster. I am now in the market to get the girl a 2-ct round ring in a classic 6-prong setting.

I'm willing to compromise a bit on color (H,I) and clarity (down to SI2) in order to optimize for size and brilliance.

Here are some diamonds I've found in my searches -- how are they, and should I be looking for different criteria?

1. 2.0 I VS1 / HCA 1.5 https://www.bluenile.com/build-your-own-ring/diamond-details/LD09367247
2. 2.11 H SI1 / HCA 1.8 https://www.bluenile.com/diamond-details/LD09477877
3. 2.05 H VS2 / HCA 0.7 https://www.bluenile.com/diamond-details/LD09262354

Thanks all! Still learning a ton from these forums, so any pointers are appreciated.

 

[SimoneDi]

Hi there, you have selected some nice stones. The first one is definitely my favorite - nice complimentary angles, nice VS1 clarity, still very white at I and with awesome chunky arrows, also no flouro.
I do not love the inclusions on the second one, although most likely it will be eye-clean. Strong flouro needs to be inspected and I don't love the skinny arrows.
The third one has a really shallow crown angle and will lack fire, so that would be a no for me.

 

[ironcondor]

Hi there, you have selected some nice stones. The first one is definitely my favorite - nice complimentary angles, nice VS1 clarity, still very white at I and with awesome chunky arrows, also no flouro.
I do not love the inclusions on the second one, although most likely it will be eye-clean. Strong flouro needs to be inspected and I don't love the skinny arrows.
The third one has a really shallow crown angle and will lack fire, so that would be a no for me.

Hi - and thanks for your reply. I'd love to learn more about how you're judging the diamonds based on the same pictures and information I have.

"Nice complimentary angles" -- what specifically do you mean by that?

"Still very white at I" -- how are you able to judge this from pictures?

"Awesome chunky arrows" -- how are you spotting this? I can't figure out how you can see this from the picture, as I'm still new to this.

Thanks! Appreciate the help so far.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Number one is the only one of these that I would consider buying. It looks great! If you are new to this, you are off to a good start on choosing number 1! It falls into the numbers below and is one of the better cut GIA Excellent cut stones.

These are measurements to help you stay in ideal cut territory with a GIA excellent cut stone.

table: 54-58

depth: 60-62.3

crown angle: 34-35.0 (up to 35.5 crown angle can sometimes work with a 40.6 pav angle)

pavilion angle: 40.6-40.9 (sometimes 41.0 if the crown angle is close to 34)

 

[ironcondor]

Sadly, looks like #1 is already sold.

What about this one?

• 2.13 Ct I VS2 / HCA 2.0, seems very eye clean https://www.bluenile.com/build-your-own-ring/diamond-details/LD05970023

 

[diamondseeker2006]

It's second best to the one that sold. The pavilion angle of 41 works better with a crown angle of 34, and this one is 34.5. If they offered ASET images, we'd know for sure it it's okay. But it looks good to me in the image!

 

[ironcondor]

It's second best to the one that sold. The pavilion angle of 41 works better with a crown angle of 34, and this one is 34.5. If they offered ASET images, we'd know for sure it it's okay. But it looks good to me in the image!

Thanks. I'd like your opinion one one more stone in comparison too, appreciate the fast responses so far!

This one:

• 2.08 ct VS1 I / HCA 1.6 https://www.bluenile.com/build-your-own-ring/diamond-details/LD09386713

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Well, the still diamond image of the 2.13 I VS2 looks better to me. I prefer the wider arrows (75 lower girdle facets) over the other one. I do like VS1, but that VS2 looks really clean to me. I don't think either one is a bad choice at all with the amount of information we have.

I take it you are specifically looking for fluorescence? I really like it but you'll need a UV flashlight to see it!

 

[ironcondor]

Well, the still diamond image of the 2.13 I VS2 looks better to me. I prefer the wider arrows (75 lower girdle facets) over the other one. I do like VS1, but that VS2 looks really clean to me. I don't think either one is a bad choice at all with the amount of information we have.

I take it you are specifically looking for fluorescence? I really like it but you'll need a UV flashlight to see it!

Thanks, good to know! Great to see how you examine the diamond.

I'm agnostic on fluorescence -- based on my research, in most cases fluorescence should not impact the diamond negatively, correct?

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Right, medium should never have a negative impact on a VS+ clarity stone. I've had a strong blue in a VS1 stone before, and it had no negative affects, either. Mixing poor clarity and fluorescence is maybe more likely to result in a hazy stone, and I'd be careful with very strong, also.