Clarity questions

[moo_cow]

Hi all,

I''m a couple weeks away from buying the diamond for my soon-to-be fiancee, and I''m trying to figure out exactly the right one. I''m looking for a 0.75, and I''m looking for a nice one without being too extravagant. I certainly don''t want anything with naked-eye-visible inclusions, but my question is how high should I go?

I''ve heard that once you get into VS and above (or even a really good SI1), there''s no difference to the naked eye. Obviously this is true for inclusions, but I''ve heard the same is true for brilliance/fire/scintillation. I''ve heard going to VS1 or even into VVS is "money under the microscope" and I''ve also seen the term "mind-clear" go by on these forums. I ask the appraisers and gemologists here: is there actually a noticeable difference between say, a VS2 and a VVS2 in terms of sparkle?

I have also heard that there is that extra shine/sparkle that you get with a VVS. Is this quantifiable at all? (I''m an engineer, so I like to deal in numbers).

In any case, my jeweler is going to pull 3-4 in the range I ask for and then we''ll examine them together and pick one - but my question is what range should I really look into.

(Side note - I''m looking for ideal cut and E-F color, regardless of what clarity I get)

Thanks in advance!

 

[kenny]

Sparkle and other aspects of good light performance are the result of the diamond being well cut (all the angles being cut just right).

Color and clarity really do not affect light performance as long as there aren't massive huge hompin buggers in it - and certainly not in the VS range.
It is possible to find SI1s that are eye clean and almost all VS2s are.
Discuss and agree on a definition of eye clean with your vendor.

Learn about good cut here on PS.
At the top of this screen click on KNOWLEDGE.
Then Advanced Tutorial.
Get a cup of coffee and start reading.

Cut is the most important quality affecting a diamonds beauty but cut is the least understood.
Most diamonds are poorly cut.
A well-cut J SI2 will perform much much more beautifully than a poorly cut D flawless diamond.

Are you looking for a round diamond?

 

[Dreamer_D]

Date: 5/29/2010 12:54:59 AM
Author: kenny
Sparkle and other aspects of good light performance are the result of the diamond being well cut (all the angles being cut just right).

Color and clarity really do not affect light performance as long as there aren''t massive huge hompin buggers in it - and certainly not in the VS range.
It is possible to find SI1s that are eye clean and almost all VS2s are.
Discuss and agree on a definition of eye clean with your vendor.

Learn about good cut here on PS.
At the top of this screen click on KNOWLEDGE.
Then Advanced Tutorial.
Get a cup of coffee and start reading.

Cut is the most important quality affecting a diamonds beauty but the lest understood.
Most diamonds are poorly cut.
A well-cut J SI2 will perform much much more beautifully than a poorly cut D flawless diamond.

Are you looking for a round diamond?

Ditto, nicely put.

 

[moo_cow]

Yes, I''m looking for a round diamond.

 

[kenny]

Date: 5/29/2010 1:52:31 AM
Author: moo_cow
Yes, I'm looking for a round diamond.

Lucky you.
It is easier to find a well-cut round than any other shape.

Three Steps:
1. Consider only the rounds that score under 2.0 when you plug four numbers from their lab reports into the HCA.

2. Obtain Idealscope pics of those.

3. Compare those Idealscope pics to this chart.

Oh and only consider diamonds graded by GIA or AGS.
The other labs may give higher color and clarity grades to a diamond than GIA and AGS would, so it is impossible to be sure of what you are really getting and what it should cost.
For instance if you sent the same diamond to both labs, GIA would give it H SI2, but EGL may give it F VS2 or even higher.

This is shocking but true.

 

[FB.]

If the diamond is graded to GIA/AGS equivalent, in stones around the 1ct size, you are unlikely to notice a difference in sparkle between IF, VVS and VS clarity grades and you are unlikely to notice the difference between D, E and F colour.
G SI1 is about the point where a sharp eye can start to notice a slight difference - but only in the right lighting.
In 1ct round stones, F VS1 is a very safe choice that would not disappoint (assuming GIA/AGS grading).

For the right stone, or to meet the 1ct carat milestone, I''d go down to G SI1 (maybe H SI2 if I was only just short of the magic 1ct) - but with SI stones, you need to check that grade-setting inclusions are eye clean; some SI1 inclusions (especially if clustered) are on the threshold of eye visible at 6-12 inches. Also, some SI1 clarity-grade-setting clouds can make the whole stone appear milky in certain lighting.
If the stone is to be set in yellow gold, I''d be happy to go down to I-J colour and SI1 clarity.

 

[tyty333]

Date: 5/29/2010 12:23:20 AM
Author:moo_cow
Hi all,

I''m a couple weeks away from buying the diamond for my soon-to-be fiancee, and I''m trying to figure out exactly the right one. I''m looking for a 0.75, and I''m looking for a nice one without being too extravagant. I certainly don''t want anything with naked-eye-visible inclusions, but my question is how high should I go?

I''ve heard that once you get into VS and above (or even a really good SI1), there''s no difference to the naked eye. Obviously this is true for inclusions, but I''ve heard the same is true for brilliance/fire/scintillation. I''ve heard going to VS1 or even into VVS is ''money under the microscope'' and I''ve also seen the term ''mind-clear'' go by on these forums. I ask the appraisers and gemologists here: is there actually a noticeable difference between say, a VS2 and a VVS2 in terms of sparkle?

I have also heard that there is that extra shine/sparkle that you get with a VVS. Is this quantifiable at all? (I''m an engineer, so I like to deal in numbers).

In any case, my jeweler is going to pull 3-4 in the range I ask for and then we''ll examine them together and pick one - but my question is what range should I really look into.

(Side note - I''m looking for ideal cut and E-F color, regardless of what clarity I get)

Thanks in advance!

Not all "ideal" cut stones are good performers. Make a note of the table, depth, crown and pavilion angle and post them here. We
can help you figure out whether the stone should be a good performer in most lighting conditions. Also, remember that jewelers
lighing can tend to make even a badly cut stone look good. Take the stone outside, in the bath room and under as many different
lighting conditions you can get to. See how it performs under the differnent lights.

Also, a well cut stone will show up fairly bright/white. You should be able to go down to the G/H* color range pretty easily if you
want to save $ or go bigger.

*unless you or your girlfriend are very color sensitive.

 

[moo_cow]

Thanks for the info. Just picked out the diamond this afternoon.

F, VS1
AGS triple 0
Hearts and Arrows

I don't have pictures from a scopy thing, but there's this image from the cert sheet.

(Ok, I can't figure out how to post a picture - the URL is below)

**Please upload images directly to forum. Per PS policies we do not allow linking to outside photos to protect privacy and reduce the number of broken links on the forum**