Comparing Three Diamonds

[Chan Chan]

Hi! this is the first time I am posting a question. I enjoy reading discussions on price scope and am learning a lot (and also getting confused about things such as HCA below 1 and above 1!)

I am grateful for any comments and suggestions from you all

Recently I saw a diamond at a store that was so beautiful and captured my attraction immediately. Then I searched for similar stones on James Allen to compare with (price, HCA score, etc).

1) 2.07 lab Diamond I saw at a store
Depth % 62.1
Table % 54
Crown Angle 35.0
Pavilion Angle 40.8
HCA 1.5

2) 2.07 lab Diamond online
Depth % 61.1
Table % 56
Crown Angle 33.0
Pavilion Angle 41.0
HCA 0.7

3) 2.08 lab Diamond online
Depth % 60.7
Table % 57
Crown Angle 34.0
Pavilion Angle 40.8
HCA 0.9

They are all triple excellent diamonds and vvs 1.

Based on these information, which one would you recommend? I personally like small tables but then I don’t know much about diamonds and I am not sure whether lower HCA is better (0.7 vs 1.5).…

My other diamonds (just two) both have the table size of 55 and I seem to prefer small tables so I am inclined towards 1), but regarding the proportions and the HCA scores do you think other two might be possibly better ones? It’s hard to compare online images with 1) I had a chance to see at a store.

Thank you so much for sharing any comment with me!

 

[DejaWiz]

Hi! this is the first time I am posting a question. I enjoy reading discussions on price scope and am learning a lot (and also getting confused about things such as HCA below 1 and above 1!)

I am grateful for any comments and suggestions from you all

Recently I saw a diamond at a store that was so beautiful and captured my attraction immediately. Then I searched for similar stones on James Allen to compare with (price, HCA score, etc).

1) 2.07 lab Diamond I saw at a store
Depth % 62.1
Table % 54
Crown Angle 35.0
Pavilion Angle 40.8
HCA 1.5

2) 2.07 lab Diamond online
Depth % 61.1
Table % 56
Crown Angle 33.0
Pavilion Angle 41.0
HCA 0.7

3) 2.08 lab Diamond online
Depth % 60.7
Table % 57
Crown Angle 34.0
Pavilion Angle 40.8
HCA 0.9

They are all triple excellent diamonds and vvs 1.

Based on these information, which one would you recommend? I personally like small tables but then I don’t know much about diamonds and I am not sure whether lower HCA is better (0.7 vs 1.5).…

My other diamonds (just two) both have the table size of 55 and I seem to prefer small tables so I am inclined towards 1), but regarding the proportions and the HCA scores do you think other two might be possibly better ones? It’s hard to compare online images with 1) I had a chance to see at a store.

Thank you so much for sharing any comment with me!

He, @Chan Chan !
Barring further assessment for cut precision and optical performance, I'd order them 1, 3, then 2 based on the numbers.
I, too, like smaller tables especially if they result in a jump in crown height.

 

[Chan Chan]

Thank you so much for your reply! I am so glad to hear that you will also order them 1, 3 and 2 I wasn’t sure whether HCA 0.9 (3) is better than 1.5 (1) as some people seem to think lower HCA score is better (close to 0) but others suggest 1-2 is better than scores lower than 1.

0.9 is pretty close to 1 so I was torn between 0.9 and 1.5. At the same time I don’t encounter diamonds with table size less than 56 too often when I browse online, so I felt lucky to find a diamond at a store that sparkles so beautifully and table size of 54!

 

[Chan Chan]

He, @Chan Chan !
Barring further assessment for cut precision and optical performance, I'd order them 1, 3, then 2 based on the numbers.
I, too, like smaller tables especially if they result in a jump in crown height.

Hi DejaWiz!

Again, thank you so much for your comment and sharing your thoughts with me. I have been enjoying reading a lot of discussions on PS in the last few years but have been too shy to post anything so it took some courage to do so, and I am so grateful for your kind response.

After thinking a lot, reading a lot, and trying to compare the online images of 2) and 3) with 1 at the store, I ended up purchasing 1) - the one I fell in love with and fortunately with your endorsement

I will attach a picture though my i-phone does not seem to capture the crazy bold fire this diamond creates.

My final question - I was actually concerned about choosing 1) that has 1.5 HCA score as opposed to something like 3) that has 0.9 HCA score and even 2) with 0.7 HCA score. In your opinion, do you think 0.9 is better than 1.5 (getting close to 2) in general? This time, as I had a fortune to look at 1) in person closely and examine the beauty of it, it did help my decision making but if I were choosing all these 3 diamonds online I might have oped for 3) or 2) base on their HCA scores. As I loved the table size of 54 and crown 35 (a bit on the steep side) of 1) I decided not to care about HCA 1.5 in the end but I did wonder whether finding a stone that is close to HCA 1.0 will be a safe decision.

Thank you so much for any comment and I hope to post more questions in the future

 

[DejaWiz]

Hi DejaWiz!

Again, thank you so much for your comment and sharing your thoughts with me. I have been enjoying reading a lot of discussions on PS in the last few years but have been too shy to post anything so it took some courage to do so, and I am so grateful for your kind response.

After thinking a lot, reading a lot, and trying to compare the online images of 2) and 3) with 1 at the store, I ended up purchasing 1) - the one I fell in love with and fortunately with your endorsement

I will attach a picture though my i-phone does not seem to capture the crazy bold fire this diamond creates.

My final question - I was actually concerned about choosing 1) that has 1.5 HCA score as opposed to something like 3) that has 0.9 HCA score and even 2) with 0.7 HCA score. In your opinion, do you think 0.9 is better than 1.5 (getting close to 2) in general? This time, as I had a fortune to look at 1) in person closely and examine the beauty of it, it did help my decision making but if I were choosing all these 3 diamonds online I might have oped for 3) or 2) base on their HCA scores. As I loved the table size of 54 and crown 35 (a bit on the steep side) of 1) I decided not to care about HCA 1.5 in the end but I did wonder whether finding a stone that is close to HCA 1.0 will be a safe decision.

Thank you so much for any comment and I hope to post more questions in the future

You're very welcome and glad that #1 took your heart!
No need to worry about the HCA scores: what's most critical to keep in mind that the HCA is a mass rejection tool, not an individual selection tool. Any diamond that scored <=2.0 should technically perform beautifully, based on the data inputted. However, the data that the HCA (and other cut estimation tools/sites) are going off of numbers listed on the grading report which are averaged and rounded. There is no possibile way that it can detect or account for things such as problems with symmetry precision, optical performance issues, light leakages, etc.

 

[Runningmama]

Hi! this is the first time I am posting a question. I enjoy reading discussions on price scope and am learning a lot (and also getting confused about things such as HCA below 1 and above 1!)

I am grateful for any comments and suggestions from you all

Recently I saw a diamond at a store that was so beautiful and captured my attraction immediately. Then I searched for similar stones on James Allen to compare with (price, HCA score, etc).

1) 2.07 lab Diamond I saw at a store
Depth % 62.1
Table % 54
Crown Angle 35.0
Pavilion Angle 40.8
HCA 1.5

2) 2.07 lab Diamond online
Depth % 61.1
Table % 56
Crown Angle 33.0
Pavilion Angle 41.0
HCA 0.7

3) 2.08 lab Diamond online
Depth % 60.7
Table % 57
Crown Angle 34.0
Pavilion Angle 40.8
HCA 0.9

They are all triple excellent diamonds and vvs 1.

Based on these information, which one would you recommend? I personally like small tables but then I don’t know much about diamonds and I am not sure whether lower HCA is better (0.7 vs 1.5).…

My other diamonds (just two) both have the table size of 55 and I seem to prefer small tables so I am inclined towards 1), but regarding the proportions and the HCA scores do you think other two might be possibly better ones? It’s hard to compare online images with 1) I had a chance to see at a store.

Thank you so much for sharing any comment with me!

The tiny table of #1 will result in a gloriously sparkly diamond!

 

[Chan Chan]

You're very welcome and glad that #1 took your heart!
No need to worry about the HCA scores: what's most critical to keep in mind that the HCA is a mass rejection tool, not an individual selection tool. Any diamond that scored <=2.0 should technically perform beautifully, based on the data inputted. However, the data that the HCA (and other cut estimation tools/sites) are going off of numbers listed on the grading report which are averaged and rounded. There is no possibile way that it can detect or account for things such as problems with symmetry precision, optical performance issues, light leakages, etc.

Thank you so much for your kind reply so immediately, DejaWiz!!

I woke up late on Sunday morning and enjoyed reading your message with a cup of coffee I read that HCA is a rejection tool and yet, sone websites such as “beyond 4c” (I think…) stated that they only select diamonds that are lower than HCA score 1.4 (or 1.5) so that kind of information got me worried about buying a HCA 1.5 diamond. So your message really really helped me as a novice diamond lover!

 

[Chan Chan]

The tiny table of #1 will result in a gloriously sparkly diamond!

Dear Runningmama, thank you so much for your comment and that is so reassuring! The store I purchased this diamond had a few other diamonds to compare with but 1) was so distinctly noticeable with it’s crazy sparkly fire and scintillation (the second best one I checked had a bit wider table size but only slightly larger - 56.5 - something I noticed after checking their LG reports). Of course that might be due to other factors but my current knowledge is limited to the combos of a small table and high crown angle within a certain range