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Color or Clarity? Which one would you compromise on?

baroque

baroque

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Jul 13, 2005
Messages
308
To stay in my "budget" I believe I will need to compromise one or the other...which would you choose?
An I color over an H or G...or an SI1 over a VS2 or VS1 clarity?

Do you feel like an I color still comes through quite white? is the extra dough for the G or H really worth it?

For a 2+ carat, it seems that the stones I've seen in person, the SI1 have had visible inclusions.
We don't have jewelers around here that typically carry that size of diamond, so it's hard to compare.

Would love your thoughts! One think I don't think I would compromise on is cut & polish, as I want sparkly!
 
I'd compromise on both for size. I usually say spend money on what you can see. If you can find an si clarity stone with no visible (which is totally doable) why pay more for higher clarity? To me, eye clean is eye clean. Color you can see, cut you can, size you can, so I'd put my money there. Just try and find an eye clean stone,and don't get concerned if it ends up being an si is what I say. Some people have a "mind clean issue"but I'm not one of those.

As for color, see what you can handle in person. Don't just go high because you assume that's the only good color. Some people prefer near colorless to the stark whiteness of higher colors. Get informed on what you like, don't just assume.
 
So...Niel, size first...cut second? From what I'm understanding, cut seems to be the most important element in the performance of the diamond, would you say that it true also? I would definitely like to have the largest eye clean sparkliest diamond for the $, who wouldn't, right?
 
Personally I haven't yet come across an I-color diamond without a tint visible to me; but I have come across plenty of eyeclean SI1s - YMMV though.
 
baroque|1421602431|3818458 said:
So...Niel, size first...cut second? From what I'm understanding, cut seems to be the most important element in the performance of the diamond, would you say that it true also? I would definitely like to have the largest eye clean sparkliest diamond for the $, who wouldn't, right?
Click to expand...


I did not mean to give the impression cut doesn't come first in my mind. Cuts what makes a diamond sparkle, so I would go cut first.

However, I am one to go for a great giaxxx or a ags000 over a branded h&a as I find them perfectly beautiful without the price hike of a branded stone.
 
marymm said:
Personally I haven't yet come across an I-color diamond without a tint visible to me; but I have come across plenty of eyeclean SI1s - YMMV though.
Click to expand...

I could see the tint in the I-color diamond, but I could in the G and H too...but they were all together. I saw a L-color next to a G yesterday...now that was dramatic.

Would you think that going to an H-color vs the I-color would be enough?
 
I agree that the GIA XXX is good enough for me! I wonder if it's possible to find an eye-clean SI1 shopping online? I didn't have a problem with one of the SI1's I saw yesterday, even though I could find the flaw, it wasn't glaring at me. the Diamond didn't have much sparkle though, and she couldn't find the certificate...so I don't know that the cut and polish, etc. were.
 
baroque|1421603184|3818464 said:
I agree that the GIA XXX is good enough for me! I wonder if it's possible to find an eye-clean SI1 shopping online? I didn't have a problem with one of the SI1's I saw yesterday, even though I could find the flaw, it wasn't glaring at me. the Diamond didn't have much sparkle though, and she couldn't find the certificate...so I don't know that the cut and polish, etc. were.
Click to expand...

Absolutely doable. What's your budget for the stone?
 
Well...would love to stay around 20K, but can stretch a bit for the right stone...22K maybe?
if it's a dealer that we wouldn't be charged sales tax here, 8.4% more :-) (I am in WA state...Blue Nile charges tax to here)
 
Another question, if you would comment, how much weight to give to the HCA number? I've found diamonds that seem perfect, then using the tool, they come up short, since sparkle is my top priority, do I want to really pay attention to those parameters?
 
I'm color sensitive and likely OCD. For a ring, I could not go below VS2, even if I saw an eye clean SI1. Then I would choose as high a color as I could get. I'm fine with 3X. I don't need H&A. I would compromise on size before going below an H. However, that is JUST me. Everyone has different priorities based on their personal inclinations. What is most important to you? I would not have a problem with it falling out of range on the HCA. As long as I saw it in ALL kinds of lighting and environments and liked the sparkle. Again, JUST me. PSers, please don't skewer me. :|
 
baroque|1421603184|3818464 said:
I didn't have a problem with one of the SI1's I saw yesterday, even though I could find the flaw, it wasn't glaring at me. the Diamond didn't have much sparkle though, and she couldn't find the certificate...so I don't know that the cut and polish, etc. were.
Click to expand...
Not being able to find the certificate and the diamond not having much sparkle makes me assume . . . .the cut wasn't great on this stone.
Also there are SI1 one can buy that look messy on the report and one can find the inclusions w/ a loop but who walks around w/ a loop. For me (my tolerance) if I can't see it w/ --my-- eyes in all sorts of lighting it is thumbs up.

What was the inclusion/color of your old 1.5ct stone and were you happy with that?
Perhaps that would help you answer your questions
 
Cut would never be a compromise. Clarity would trump color as long as I was above a J. I like a VS1.
 
I think you will see that each of us has different parameters, likes and dislikes that we find personally tolerable. All posters have given very good advice but it all comes down to personal preference. Let your eyes guide you ( and your wallet of course!). Good luck, I hope you find the stone that makes your heart sing :wavey:
 
MY HO is decide by the stone ...We can debate this all day and until you actually see the stones you can't really decide where to compromise. One of my 1.21 studs is a Si2 and totally eye clean. So you really don't know you have to see them in person
 
Niel said:
Now this one is above a 2 on the HCA, but to your question about how lenient I am- if I like the look and it fits within a general "range", I find that sufficient for me to at least get an aset.

Unless I missed something this appears to be a lovely eye clean stone that, because of the look, the angles,and the price, I'd at least use one of my three aset reserves on

http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/2.01-carat-i-color-si1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-390217
Click to expand...

Niel, this one looks like potential, what does "aset reserve" mean?
 
James allen will allow you to pick your top 3 potential diamonds and then put them on hold while they get ideal scope images of each diamond. Their gemologist will also give you their opinion on the 3 that you choose. You can only get 3 ideal scope images though, so choose your diamonds carefully and be prepared to make the purchase after you are sent the images because you can only hold them for so long. And be sure to post the images here for input from all ps users.

Ps.. I believe Niel meant to say ideal scope instead of ASET image. ASET images are used to evaluate the fancy cuts, but JA only provides ideal scope images for rounds, so that is what you will get.
 
Us giving you our preferences won't really help as we all have our different tolerances. Try to see diamonds of different colours and clarity in real life and on threads here. I am thrilled with my J colour but other people wouldn't go below a G or even higherI have a VS2 but I would have been happy with an eye-clean SI1.
Good luck and please share when you find your diamond x
 
pfunk said:
James allen will allow you to pick your top 3 potential diamonds and then put them on hold while they get ideal scope images of each diamond. Their gemologist will also give you their opinion on the 3 that you choose. You can only get 3 ideal scope images though, so choose your diamonds carefully and be prepared to make the purchase after you are sent the images because you can only hold them for so long. And be sure to post the images here for input from all ps users.

Ps.. I believe Niel meant to say ideal scope instead of ASET image. ASET images are used to evaluate the fancy cuts, but JA only provides ideal scope images for rounds, so that is what you will get.
Click to expand...

Thank you! That is helpful! I love that idea! Now that makes me want to look more on their site for sure.
I appreciate all the input here, I'm getting a better idea of what I think I want! Well, I know what I really want, but that would really push the budget!
 
16ocean|1421610535|3818512 said:
baroque|1421603184|3818464 said:
I didn't have a problem with one of the SI1's I saw yesterday, even though I could find the flaw, it wasn't glaring at me. the Diamond didn't have much sparkle though, and she couldn't find the certificate...so I don't know that the cut and polish, etc. were.
Click to expand...
Not being able to find the certificate and the diamond not having much sparkle makes me assume . . . .the cut wasn't great on this stone.
Also there are SI1 one can buy that look messy on the report and one can find the inclusions w/ a loop but who walks around w/ a loop. For me (my tolerance) if I can't see it w/ --my-- eyes in all sorts of lighting it is thumbs up.

What was the inclusion/color of your old 1.5ct stone and were you happy with that?
Perhaps that would help you answer your questions
Click to expand...

My 1.5 was a J color, VS1 clarity and weird thing is my GIA certificate doesn't show the map, with measurements of the crown and pavilion, etc. I tried to pull it up online, but it's not coming up, wonder if it's because we reported it lost. I had pulled it up in the past. Anyway, I didn't know much about picking a diamond then, and I will say that I thought the diamond was a bit "dark" in some areas in lighting, but I didn't feel like it was yellow. I think the cut was the reason, even though it was an excellent cut and polish.
 
Yes idealscope is what I meant. (Pregnancy brain :shifty: )



What you do with JA is you find 3 stones you like, then you chat with a sales associate and ask them to reserve three so you can get idealscope images and a gemologist review.

Then after about three days you get the images and the gemologist review. You use the images plus what the rep says to help make a determination on which to buy. What's nice is the reviews will tell you if the si stones are eye clean.

I personally tink if you had a J 1.5 before an I would be safe,but I'm not you so I dunno. Seeing some in person is always fun,and a good way to learn.
 
baroque|1421619807|3818584 said:
16ocean|1421610535|3818512 said:
baroque|1421603184|3818464 said:
I didn't have a problem with one of the SI1's I saw yesterday, even though I could find the flaw, it wasn't glaring at me. the Diamond didn't have much sparkle though, and she couldn't find the certificate...so I don't know that the cut and polish, etc. were.
Click to expand...
Not being able to find the certificate and the diamond not having much sparkle makes me assume . . . .the cut wasn't great on this stone.
Also there are SI1 one can buy that look messy on the report and one can find the inclusions w/ a loop but who walks around w/ a loop. For me (my tolerance) if I can't see it w/ --my-- eyes in all sorts of lighting it is thumbs up.

What was the inclusion/color of your old 1.5ct stone and were you happy with that?
Perhaps that would help you answer your questions
Click to expand...

My 1.5 was a J color, VS1 clarity and weird thing is my GIA certificate doesn't show the map, with measurements of the crown and pavilion, etc. I tried to pull it up online, but it's not coming up, wonder if it's because we reported it lost. I had pulled it up in the past. Anyway, I didn't know much about picking a diamond then, and I will say that I thought the diamond was a bit "dark" in some areas in lighting, but I didn't feel like it was yellow. I think the cut was the reason, even though it was an excellent cut and polish.
Click to expand...

I think "dark" probably was a cut thing. Did you ever notice when it was? Say in the elevator when ita under spot lighting? That will happen even to the best of cuts- its ends up getting dark and very fiery. My eye almost things it looks sort of like a mirror in those lightings.
 
Niel|1421622603|3818605 said:
Yes idealscope is what I meant. (Pregnancy brain :shifty: )



What you do with JA is you find 3 stones you like, then you chat with a sales associate and ask them to reserve three so you can get idealscope images and a gemologist review.

Then after about three days you get the images and the gemologist review. You use the images plus what the rep says to help make a determination on which to buy. What's nice is the reviews will tell you if the si stones are eye clean.

I personally tink if you had a J 1.5 before an I would be safe,but I'm not you so I dunno. Seeing some in person is always fun,and a good way to learn.
Click to expand...

This sounds great! Ooops...my 1.5 was an I-color, that was a slip. I agree it was probably the cut, it just didn't sparkle as I thought it should, as much as some of the others I have seen. So...I really do agree that cut is probably my first concern. I'll post my 3 choices before I ask JA...and see what you think.
 
I recently compromised on clarity due to my color sensitive eyes.

My pear is an "F", and I knew I was in trouble when I could see the difference from a CBI that were "F" and a "H" face up, even
though I know that they are graded face down.

The one thing that I would not compromise on was cut, GIA Triple X, or AGS0 alone was not good enough.
It had to be a Cut to Order Crafted by Infinity Diamond that was cut to perfection for me. Yes, I paid a premium
for it over other AGS0 cuts, but I would not have it any other way because I simply wanted the best. My 2.21 F-SI1 CBI
diamond amazes me everyday. It performs in all types of lighting conditions (I'm not kidding as I just got back
from a cruise and saw dispersion/fire even in dim lighting that I had never seen before).

So my compromise was to drop to SI1 so I could still have a colorless diamond.
CBI has a way of hiding inclusions so that they are difficult to find in lower clarity grades.
My SI1 is eye clean at 6" with 20/20 corrected vision. (I don't know what their "official" definition of
"eye clean" is though).

Good Luck with your search.
 
With my recent diamond purchase I compromised on color rather than clarity. I can't see the difference between my new I colored diamond and the F colored center stone in my previous ring, but I went up in clarity from SI1 to VS1. There is just something mind clean with the VS grades that I prefer. I absolutely refuse to compromise on cut and went with a Brian Gavin Signature stone which is AGS 0. I feel that BGD's cut standards are as stringent as any in the industry and the diamond is stunning. I also had a certain size I wanted to achieve, but I wasn't willing to go any larger if it meant compromising on cut. We each choose what is most important to us. Good luck to you on your search!
 
My sweet spots are G-H/VS2-SI1 and if I had a lot of money then I'd go with an F VS1.
 
baroque|1421600833|3818447 said:
To stay in my "budget" I believe I will need to compromise one or the other...which would you choose?
An I color over an H or G...or an SI1 over a VS2 or VS1 clarity?

Do you feel like an I color still comes through quite white? is the extra dough for the G or H really worth it?

For a 2+ carat, it seems that the stones I've seen in person, the SI1 have had visible inclusions.
We don't have jewelers around here that typically carry that size of diamond, so it's hard to compare.

Would love your thoughts! One think I don't think I would compromise on is cut & polish, as I want sparkly!
Click to expand...

If you consider Fancy cuts then answer depends from cut Design.
See table for Princess and Cushion with short length pass( as in round cut). Crushed ice cushion designs have very long ray pass

screenshot_2015-01-19_11.png
 
We went for Excellent cut (also excellent polish and symmetry) then color (F for me) and then clarity. We picked an SI2 stone with a nicely placed inclusion...it is eye clean to me.
 
Depending on the cut, for ECs, I am prepared to drop the colour but not clarity in order to get a bigger diamond.

DK :))
 
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