Can an average person tell the difference?

[Whrreami]

Hello! After a lot of reading (most of it from here, thank you!) and absolutely no practical experience as I'm out of the country and nowhere near a jewelry store, I am set on a round diamond for an engagement ring from an online loose diamond jeweler. It rates 0.8 Excellent on the Holloway Cut Adviser (see attached), has an Excellent Cut, VS2 clarity, and seemed like a good diamond from all I read (see GIA lab stats below). A recent conversation with a friend got me second guessing myself. He is by no means an expert, but he did get married recently. He said an average person (i.e. other girls my fiancee will show her ring to), would never be able to tell the difference between a high quality diamond and a much lower quality larger carat diamond for the same price from a discount jeweler (e.g. a brick and mortar jewelry shop).

My fiancee will be happy if I give her a plastic ring, but I'm just wondering if she and other people will really be able to tell the difference without looking through a microscope between a nicer quality diamond and a cheap diamond from a discount jewelry shop that may have rated poorly on the HCA and had overall poor stats, but be way cheaper. Will it really sparkle more when she shows off her ring to other girls and compares the rings with someone else? Is there really any different to an AVERAGE person? Please feel free to be candid. Again I have no practical experience, so it's difficult for me to say.

The diamond I purchased is rated as follows:

Lab: GIA
Carats: .90
Cut: Excellent
Color: J
Clarity: VS2
Clarity Characteristics: Crystal, Cloud
Polish: Excellent
Symmetry: Excellent
Fluorescence: None
Measurements: 6.31 x 6.34 x 3.76 (note, I kind of like that it's more close to a 1 carat diamond in width, but not sure if this affects its quality).
Table: 58%
Depth: 59.4%

Price: $3,500.

Thank you!!!

 

[ame]

Yes because the sparkle comes from the cut quality. And the edge to edge brightness is going to make that thing look bigger than a poorly cut stone of the same carat weight, not to mention the proper spread dimensions of the carat weight you paid for vs a potentially deep stone being smaller in diameter than it "should be" for that weight.

 

[kenny]

It depends how bad the other diamond is but, yes good cut makes an enormous difference in light performance, especially under spotlighting conditions.
Under soft even lighting a better cut diamond will look brighter, and therefore seem larger.

High color and clarity, within reason, are less noticeable than good cut to the average Joe, or Josephine.

 

[chrono]

I have seen the difference cut quality makes in diamonds of various shapes under various types of lighting. It is the cut that affects the sparkle.

 

[lookingforsparkle]

Only you can know what your gf will value, so maybe she would want a bigger size over quality. But, having had diamonds of various qualities over the years, I can tell you that there is a BIG difference. A well cut stone will look better in almost all situations.

Personally, I think her girlfriends will wonder why their rings don't sparkle as much.

 

[yssie]

None of us are good test subjects for this question because really, none of us are "average" anymore when it comes to diamonds


Yes, I can see differences between different types of stones, and yes, I prefer certain types, and yes, I will pay more for those types. But my "preferred types" are probably different from yours or hers!

 

[Enerchi]

I don't know if an average person could tell the difference or not - PSers could! - but buying the best you can possibly afford within your budget is usually where most guys lean towards. Not everyone is as well educated in the ways of diamonds, as you chose to be, so I would imagine that the difference between your fiance's ring and your buddies, will be noticable!!

Looks like you got a great diamond there- congratulations!

 

[Christina...]

It's the cut that determines the beauty of a diamond. I think that once you see her ideal cut diamond next to friends with stones of lesser cut quality, that you too will easily be able to see the difference in how hers performs.

 

[vintageinjune]

I am going to have to answer 'Yes', they will be able to tell when your future fiance is comparing her ring to those around her, because the sparkle will be better, and honestly, I cannot walk into a regular B&M store without cringing at some of the diamonds on display. I've been in situations where friends were comparing stones and many of the girls wanted to know why their diamonds didn't look as nice as one girls in particular.

That isn't to say a slightly less "perfect" diamond wouldn't be equally as beautiful to the eye if you were looking on saving some money, but yes, a noticeable difference exists.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Yes, they will be able to tell the difference! I got my eng ring back in college and didn't know ANYTHING about cut. I picked it out based on having good color/clarity and that it sparkled. A friend of mine made a comment that we picked out "a good one." We could tell, visually, even though I didn't understand much and there wasn't an HCA back then! I would just see other stones and they didn't look as good and I had a friend who started to HIDE her ring...she use to say it needed to be cleaned...but finally gave up on that. It was sad.

Just to add: Be sure she keeps it clean. Even a well-cut diamond should be cleaned. You can use a baby toothbrush and a bit of dishsoap on it once a week. Nothing worse than a beautiful diamond covered in handcream

 

[Whrreami]

I'm floored by how helpful you guys are! Thank you very much for taking the time to respond. I have just ordered the diamond. I can't wait to see it in person!

 

[MichelleCarmen]

I'm floored by how helpful you guys are! Thank you very much for taking the time to respond. I have just ordered the diamond. I can't wait to see it in person!

Yay, glad you ordered it! You will be pleased you picked out the best. If you had gone for a lesser cut, you may have always wondered if you should have gone for the better cut.

 

[wsblue430]

Number 1 is CUT by far! Then color, clarity, size... You picked a gorgeous stone and I know it will sparkle so much.. come back with pics once its ready! Congrats!

 

[bunnycat]

I agree with everyone else. A really well cut stone will look better. And I do think people will notice it, mostly from how much more it will be sparkling than other peoples or how much brighter it will be.

As a little bonus on the stone you picked, it's going to face up very nearly at a carat (physical dimensions) anyway because it's a little shallow cut. A well cut 1ct stone measures around 6.4-6.5 and a .9 is generally somewhere in the 6.20-6.25 range or thereabouts and yours is in the middle. Probably what this means for your stone is it will be a bright stone (brightness is what people see from far away, I think).

You can always put it in a halo setting one day, if you think you want extra finger coverage.

 

[hearts-arrows_girl]

Yes, the average person can tell the difference. An extra sparkly stone is always noticed, and unfortunately, a cloudy, dull stone is noticed too, but not in a good way.
The stone you got will look beautiful, and your fiancee will be proud to show it off. Congrats on a great choice!

 

[nala]

As a person who used to be the average person and who is currently surrounded by many average people (in regard to diamond knowledge)...the answer is NO. How do I know this? Because my family and friends, who all have poor diamond rings, have no idea that my ring is far superior to theirs. The average folk focus on the shape and setting and assume that because they bought their ring at the mall, they have a great ring and do not take the time to notice how superior other rings are.

 

[Whrreami]

Thanks guys! The overall sentiment is pretty overwhelming (albeit maybe slightly biased ) and I do understand that there will always be people (guys like me especially) who don't look at people's rings for more than a second or really cared until shopping for one.

Now I just need to find the perfect setting. I'll take some photos once it's all put together.