Can a novice choose diamonds succesfully online ?

[keithwca]

OK, I know the answer to my subject question probably is "yes" but I just bought a pair of diamonds on line and I feel that I faultered somehow. First I want to say I have nothing against the diamond broker (Whiteflash) and feel they did an excellent job with me. Second my only other experience with purchasing a diamond was my wifes engagement ring from Tiffany''s and that diamond is high quality ( I believe) [1.67 c, ideal cut, D color, and vss2 clarity] (though steeply priced). It could be that I was expecting more brilliance based on my limited experience with that one diamond. Anyway, I''d like to provide a link to the diamonds that I purchased and get feedback about this pair. I talked with my wife about the diamonds last night and of course, she is happy with whatever I get her but my current plan is to upgrade these through Whiteflaash at Christmas and then maybe again next year improving on size and brilliance parameters. My only concern is that I (as a novice) will not be picking the right things to improve on as I upgrade or that maybe I truly do need to see the stones in person more than just look at technical parameters to improve on there appearance. Please follow this link and give me feedback about why these diamonds might have been anticipated to be not as "sparkly" as I may have been expecting.

http://www.whiteflash.com/diamonds/Compare_Diamonds.aspx?idnos=256,292641

Thank You, Keith

 

[JulieN]

I don't think you can compare a 1.67 to 1/3 ct stones. The bigger stone is going to be more sparkly.

 

[JulieN]

2nd issue is that without knowing the specs on the ring diamond, it is impossible to know exactly what you like more about that one!

 

[keithwca]

I diidn''t really mean to bring the engagement ring into the picture. I think the diamond studs that I got my wife are very nice but they don''t catch the light as much as I was expecting. I guess I don''t know if that''s becasue they are small, if that is becasue they are SI1, if it is because my only experience has been with a bigger diamond, or if there are some elusive qualities that I about choosing a diamond that I may be missing by not knowing enough about it. They don''t seem to catch the light and reflect back sparkles quite as much as I had anticipated though they are very pretty. I guess if I had to refine my question more, I would ask which parameters I should focus on in an upgrade ? Thank you for your help

Keith

 

[jstarfireb]

This is really interesting to me, since ACAs are the cream of the crop when it comes to sparkle, because they''re some of the best cut diamonds around. These stones should really be a couple of little firecrackers! I don''t think it''s the clarity, since all ACA diamonds are supposed to be eye clean from 8", so they shouldn''t have clouds that affect light performance. I think it has to be the size...?

 

[purrfectpear]

Another vote for size. I don''t think any third carat will be able to hold it''s own against a 1.67 (and that''s what you''re used to seeing, re "sparkle").

You could take them into a store that carries AGS ideal stones and compare a third carat against a third carat to see if that was the issue.

 

[swingirl]

I think the WF stones you picked are almost perfect selections. They are the top of the line -- A Cut Above -- and a very desired combination of G color and SI1 clarity. They are no doubt beautiful stones.

Because of their size, though, you can''t fully appreciate the smaller facets and H&A pattern that you might see in a larger stone. If you are used to looking at a 1.67 ct that has larger facets and larger flashes of light you might be expecting the impossible.

Maybe what you really want is larger stones. If you stick with Whiteflash''s ACA stones and let them pick out matching ones you should have no problem. Everyone there is great and their ACAs are gorgeous.

 

[keithwca]

All these feedbacks are vary helpful to me and I do think it probably is a size issue. I don''t think they look small but I don''t think there is as much gem there to pull in and reflect back as much sparkle as I have seen looking at her diamond in the past. I think also the earlobes probably afford less light then being poised on top of a ring on her finger. I imagine I will be looking at a half to two thirds of a carat each as I upgrade over time. I guess I wanted to feel confident that the SI1 clarity level or the G color wasn''t something of significance enough to create a decline in sparkle and that there wasn''t some paramenter that I missed accounting for on this occasion which I should take into account in the future. I want to say again that I was very happy with the help that I recieved from Whiteflash and also the help I recieved (before I bought the diamonds and now) from this website. It''s really wonderful that there is this website filled with people simply passionate about the pure gems themselves. Thanks again

Keith

 

[Lorelei]

Hi Keith!

The two size diamonds you mention are going to have very different personalities and looks, that probably accounts for the difference you are seeing.

 

[Allison D.]

I'd suspect that it's a combination of the size difference and the fact that they're being worn on the ear.

A diamond worn on the hand is subject to several different angles as the hand moves. Because the hand is much less static, there is more opportunity to catch/reflect light.

Diamond studs don't move around the way a ring does, so they don't have the same opportunity to pick up light from several angles as a diamond on the hand does.

 

[keithwca]

Just to be clear; the diamonds I am talking about are both approx. 0.35 C (see link in initial post), the two other sizes I mentiioned in my last post are the sizes I plan to "upgrade" to (i.e. a pair of 0.5 c or a pair of 0.66 c) over the next year. I think I feel assured now (i.e. from the feedback I have been recieving) that for the most part, the diamonds that I choose were good choices but their size is probably responsible for less sparkle than I am accostomed to seeing on my wifes diamond engagement ring. The only other question I might have left is whether when I purchase a larger size diamond (i,e, upgrading from 0.35 to 0.66) do any of the other parameters (color, clarity, etc.) take on more importance than they did in the smaller size stone?

 

[jstarfireb]

Date: 8/29/2008 11:15:10 AM
Author: keithwca
Just to be clear; the diamonds I am talking about are both approx. 0.35 C (see link in initial post), the two other sizes I mentiioned in my last post are the sizes I plan to ''upgrade'' to (i.e. a pair of 0.5 c or a pair of 0.66 c) over the next year. I think I feel assured now (i.e. from the feedback I have been recieving) that for the most part, the diamonds that I choose were good choices but their size is probably responsible for less sparkle than I am accostomed to seeing on my wifes diamond engagement ring. The only other question I might have left is whether when I purchase a larger size diamond (i,e, upgrading from 0.35 to 0.66) do any of the other parameters (color, clarity, etc.) take on more importance than they did in the smaller size stone?

Probably not. Your diamonds are G/SI1, and the G color will look white at any size. SI1 clarity is not a problem at any size provided that it''s eye-clean. In the larger sizes (say 2ct and above), color and inclusions become a little easier to see, but not at 0.5-0.7, and pretty much never with G color!