Can anyone give me a RB cheatsheet? (Australia/Melbourne)

[michela002]

Hi knowledgeable diamond people,




A friend of mine is getting married, and for her engagement ring her boyfriend bought her a channel set band ... basically, what should be a wedding ring. He was not so diamond-knowledgable and was a student, so he bought a band instead of a solitaire and she loves it, but has decided that since she got the band for her engagement, she will get a solitaire as her wedding ring. Slightly backwards, but it''ll give her the set in the end.




She went to a mall jewellery store and found this ring that she really liked as her solitaire:




/idealbb/files/kathrynsring_s.jpg




The total carat weight is 1 carat, and the centre stone is 0.6. However, when she asked about the "clarity" (quoting words I''ve tried to teach, lol), the salesgirl looked confused, then looked it up, and told her it was an "I" - even though she didn''t know exactly what it meant, her heart sank a little. I then explained how an "I" meant it probably had inclusions visible to the naked eye, etc.




I suggested that perhaps if she wanted, she could see about getting the diamond herself, or through a custom jeweller, because maybe for the same amount of money ($3000 Australian) she could buy a better/bigger/both diamond than through a mall jeweller, and get someone to make a similar setting to the one pictured.




Since I am not a big Round Brilliant fan (my personal research has been in emerald cuts and platinum) I was wondering if somebody who was way knowledgable in the area could give me a cheatsheat that I could pass on to her.




E.g.:

1. What clarity is the minimum for an "eyeclean" RB?
   
2. If it is to be set in yellow gold, what colour is the minimum in an RB before the diamond starts to look yellow?
   
3. What are the range of specs (i.e. table, girdle, total depth, etc - all the things people post on PS!) she should be looking for to get a decently cut RB?

Also, if anyone has any experience with an Australian jeweller in Melbourne that could do something similar but with better diamonds for a similar price, if you could pass on the name that would be fantastic.




Any quick, easy to understand RB help that people could pass on would be great. She''s not highly diamond knowledgable, she just wants something beautiful she loves, where that she doesn''t feel like she got ripped off on. I plan on assisting as I''ve learned some stuff on Pricescope, but I don''t know much about RBs cos they''re not my preference, so any help would be appreciated. Especially as to minimum cut, clarity and colour to look for.




Thanks so much!




Michela.

 

[abradabra]

Michela,

Unfortunately for you, there isn't really a "minimum" from which you can guarantee eye clean and a lack of yellow (other than D-FL, I guess, but I'm assuming you want to get a bit more bang for your buck than that).

Clarity and color grades are not an exact science and a lot of your perception depends on how eagle-eyed you are and your sensitivity to color. The difference between, say G and H, is not clear cut like the difference between red and blue. The best way to shop is not to be so concerned about what the stones shows up as on paper (unless you're dead set on the D-FL route), but rather how it looks to you.

Fortunately, it sounds like your friend is shopping for stones in person. She should really scrutinize each stone. If possible, she should have the jeweler show her the inclusions with a loupe and then she should look for them. If she can't find them in all sorts of light conditions (not just magic jeweler lights), then it will be eye clean for her. The same thing with color. If she sees yellow in the stone, then that stone is too yellow to her.

If you really need a rule, most people start to notice color in the I range and most people start to notice inclusions below the VS2 range. But that isn't always true. The best advice I can give your friend is to visit as many jewelers as she can (especially independent ones) until she finds one she trusts. From there, he or she should be able to guide your to what she's looking for.

Cut guidelines are much easier to tell you about. Check out the AGA Cut Charts on Dave Atlas' site. They'll give you good general guidelines to work with.