Clarity vs color????

[melgrek]

what is a good depth and good table size for a diamond? What are GIA standards? What is a good balance for color & quality? Should I go up the scale on clarity & lower on color with a strong blue flor.? I would truely appreciate some advice.......thank you. Is a VVS1 I color to much of a contrast?

 

[dimonbob]

Welcome to Pricescope.

You left out one important item. What is the shape you are interested in?

You can visit this web address for some good numbers:

http://www.gemappraisers.com/chrt.htm

As far as color and clarity. My own opinioin, which some agree or not would be G VS2. VVS1 is a super clean diamond that carries a serious price tag. Unless you are going to carry around a microscope with your dimaond, all you really need is an eye-clean diamond which should be SI1. VS2 is just a little extra security to know that it is a little better than eye-clean.

Stick with GIA or AGS diamond reports only and try to get a diamond with symmetry and polish of ideal, excellent or very good.

This should give you enough to get started on your search.

 

[dbgaap]

I am new at this but here is what I have learned so far. You did not mention cut but a good cut seems to have the most influence on the beauty of the diamond. An 'A plus' cut sparkles so much that a lower color will still look white and it will be hard to see past the sparkle to find any inclusions.
You do pay for the better cut, though.
If the cut is a little less perfect (a 'B minus' instead of an the 'A plus') the stone might need a whiter color to help it along, to the eye of a layperson like me. Also, you may be able to see any inclusions a little easier.
Now you are paying a little more for the higher color & higher clarity.
The costs seem to balance out, so it becomes a question of how good does the stone look to you.
Figuring out cuts gets challenging because there are so many different grading systems and brands (and none of them are called 'A plus' or 'B minus"... oh well)
One option is to get an inexpensive tool called an Ideal-scope and study up on how to interpret the images.
If you can get that far, you can effectively decide for yourself if the cut is good enough for you.
There is a ton more info. on this website. Take a couple hours and read through it all.
Frankly, I think I know just enough to be dangerous now, but there are lots of posters on this site who REALLY know their stuff and you can rely on their opinions.
Good Luck!!

 

[pqcollectibles]

There are 5 C's to buying a diamond.

Cost. You probably have established a budget.

Carat weight costs money. There are premiums assessed at different points. A 0.99 costs less per carat than a 1.0+ does. Some sizes like 0.75 and 1.25 carat are highly desireable and command a bit of a premium.

Cut cost money. Say you have two diamonds, with all other factors being equal,..... The better cut diamond will trade for a higher price than the lesser cut diamond.

Clarity costs money. Clarity carries a higher premium than color in most cases. Less included rough is more rare than highly included rough.

Color costs money. D/E/F color diamonds command a premium that near-colorless do not. G/H are priced higher than I/J.

The presence of blue fluorescence impacts pricing as well. Blue Flour can discount D and E color diamonds while it adds value to I and J color diamonds.

What will work for you?? Only you can answer that. How color sensitive are your eyes? Do you easily see inclusions? Will it bother you mentally to know the diamond has a certain level of inclusions? Cut quality can mask color and inclusions to some extent. Beyond that, it's your eye and personal preferences.

You have to strike a balance of the 5 C's that works for you. Find a diamond with performance that pleases your eye, in the color range that appeals to you, at a clarity level that is eye clean or mentally suitable, and works within your budget.

 

[EdSkinner]

Need the shape first. Then in order to determine ideal depth you will need a sarin report that gives the crown height%, pavilion depth%, girdle%, crown and pavilion angle. That will give you the basics for cut. But what matters is how the stone looks to you. There are 4 c's in diamonds. Carat weight, color, cut, clarity. This is not indorsed by anybody but me (for order of importance) 1=carat weight(not subjective), 2= color (you can see if the stone is light or dark with out magnification), 3 cut (you don't need magnification to see how much light is returning to your eyes) 4=clarity (if you can not see it why worry about it). I would say that a VVS1 I is overkill on the clarity. Save your money on clairty and use it to get either a larger stone, or whiter, or cut better. Depending on the size of the stone you are buying and what your budget dictates, I personally do not see anything wrong with an SI1 clarity, for that matter I find nothing wrong with an I color either (it is still considered white all the way to J color). So I would go with a lower clarity and move up on either weight or cut.

 

[Robyn12]

IMO, G & VS1 or VS2 (no flor) are the best combination of color and clarity, for a very clear, very white stone.

 

[melgrek]

Thank you for all the replys. The cut is RB and I paid $12,000 but I haven't picked it up yet>any thoughts? Did I pay to much?

 

[pqcollectibles]

We can't just tell you what an I, VVS1 diamond is worth without knowing some information. Color and clarity are part of the price of a diamond. There is also the carat weight and cut to consider. You would need to post the carat weight, table and depth %'s, crown and pavillion angles (if you have them) or crown and pavillion %'s. Also, the polish and symmetry ratings as well.