Choosing between 2 very similar stones. Need Help!

[slippy1]

Hi everyone.

Here is my dilemma. I have narrowed down my selection to 2 stones. Both are round and can be had for the exact same price. ANY comments or insight into which may be better would GREATLY be appreciated.

Stone #1:

GIA certified
Size: 1.01
Color: D
Clarity: SI1
Measurements: 6.43-6.45x3.97
Depth: 61.6%
Table: 55%
Polish: Very Good
Symetry: Excellent

This stone has quite a few inclusions, mostly scattered around the outside. It does have a couple inclusions (a crystal and a needle) in the table which I was able to spot instantly with a loupe (sp?). They arent that big but they are easy enough to find. The ones scattered along the outsides, while high in number werent very noticable to me. I could not see any inclusions with my naked eye.

Stone #2

This is a GemScan certified stone, so I do not have as much info.
Size: 1.04
Color: F
Cut: Very Good
Clarity: SI1

This stone has very few inclusions. It took a LONG time to find anything under the loupe. Its VERY clean for an SI1. Definately eye clean and loupe clean without the jewler telling me where to look.


OK, both stones are of course very similar. Both are eye clean to me. When I place them both side by side on a white piece of paper I see little or no diff in color. If I flip them upside down I can see the difference in color, with the F stone slightly yellowish in comparison to the D. Also, From the top, stone #1 seems to sometimes be black or dark in the middle. Its only at certain specific angles but I can sometimes see it. Stone #2 doesnt not show this darkness as much.


So that is my dilemma. Whats going through my head right now is: Should I get a better clarity SI1 (stone #2) but sacrifice on the color (f vs d)? WIll I even notice the difference with an F vs D? Is stone #1 cut too deep and is that why I am seeing darkness under the table sometimes?

Stone #1 will probably appraise higher because its color D, but the higher number of inclusions and slight darkness turn me off a bit. Which stone should I chose?

I know its ultimately up to me but any opinions would be helpful. Thanks for your help and sorry for the long post.

D

 

[klayman]

Slippy,
What are the color and clarity of the 2 stones? I know you listed them, but then in your text what you listed and what you are writing about don''t match up?

 

[slippy1]

klayman, thanks for spotting my error! Stone #1 is a D color, and Stone #2 is F. Both are SI1 (although the number and location of inclusions vary greatly between the two). I've edited the origional post as well.

 

[noobie]

Can you get more specs on the second stone? Can you look at the stones side by side? If both of them are eye clean to your satisfaction, meaning you can''t see inclusions form the angle and distance that you are comfortable with, then I would choose the one that optically performs the best in various light conditions.

Actually I would choose the best cut stone in any situation and sacrifice on clarity and color. I would not pay for a D color though because I can''t see the practical everyday difference between D and G when set.

 

[slippy1]

Thanks for the comments noobie.


I''m starting to think maybe I should flip a coin

 

[JohnQuixote]

Date: 10/29/2004 4:30:29 PM
Author: noobie

Actually I would choose the best cut stone in any situation and sacrifice on clarity and color.

I strongly agree. Cut is King. Especially when the colors are only a grade or two away.

 

[slippy1]

Based on the info I posted for stone #1, could you tell me if that would be considered a very good cut, or perhaps an ideal cut? The details look really good to me but I am still concerned about the darkness I am seeing from certain angles. Or maybe thats normal?

 

[Rowan]

I''d go with number 2.

 

[Hest88]

Hm. I''m having a difficult figuring out what you mean by darkness. A well-cut stone is going to show lighter and darker areas, as well as flashes of light. Are you seeing a uniform dark area, like a star, or more of circle effect?

You can see lots of light and dark in this example: http://www.goodoldgold.com/cut.htm

 

[slippy1]

Date: 10/29/2004 5:18:19 PM
Author: Hest88
Hm. I''m having a difficult figuring out what you mean by darkness. A well-cut stone is going to show lighter and darker areas, as well as flashes of light. Are you seeing a uniform dark area, like a star, or more of circle effect?

Its more like a star than a circle. And I only see it when I look straight down into it. What does this mean?

 

[aljdewey]

It means your head is blocking the light source. That''s why you see it only looking straight on.

There isn''t enough information on the cut proportions of the second stone to make any kind of meaningful comparison.
I personally wouldn''t consider buying any stone without that information.....it''s like buying a used car without knowing how much mileage is on it.

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

1. Will you, the wearer or freinds ever notice a difference between a good and bad SI1?
2. A bad SI2 is not less sparkly than a Flawless diamond.
3. It is unlikely you would be able to notice a difference between D and F.
4. You have made no mention of the cut quality of either stone - the ony thing likely to make a difference.

 

[slippy1]

Date: 10/31/2004 7:57:56 AM
Author: Garry H (Cut Nut)

4. You have made no mention of the cut quality of either stone - the ony thing likely to make a difference.

I gave all the info I have. The first stone has a symetry of "excellent", a polish of very good, a table of 55% and a depth of 61.6%. Is this not enough information? This is al that GIA provides.

As for the second stone its rated as a "very good" cut by GemScan. Is this not the cut quality?

If not..then what info do I need to determine cut quality?

I was reading somewhere that to figure out the proportions of the pavilion depth/angle I should look for the reflection of the table. It should be a certain size and color right in the center of the diamond. It sounds easy enough.

 

[JohnQuixote]

Slippy,

The minimum information necessary for a realistic prediction of performance is depth%, table%, crown% and pavilion%. (if you can get crown and pavilion angles they will give a more accurate result).

The HCA, linked here, is a free tool which provides very useful information.

Ask your dealer (or dealers) if they have the resources to provide Sarin or Ogi reports; They would provide all pertinent measurements.

Best,

 

[fortheloveofdiamonds]

Or to make it easier on you, you can ask the jeweler to provide you with a Sarin or OGI Megascope report which will provide you with the *crucial* pavillion and crown angles. If you get those, you can post them on this site and you will get lots of feedback on if it is a good stone or not...

Good luck! and HAVE FUN!!

 

[slippy1]

Date: 10/31/2004 2:25:46 AM
Author: aljdewey
It means your head is blocking the light source. That''s why you see it only looking straight on.

One question about this though. If the darkness is due to my head blocking the light source, why is it that it only happens in stone #1 and not stone #2?

 

[slippy1]

Do certain cuts show dark centers due to the observers head, more so than other cuts? Just wondering why it appears in one stone but not the other.