Comparing two seemingly identical diamonds

[bendlikeawillow]

Just when I think I've gotten this all figured out,.....

I am comparing two diamonds. Both are SI1, I, excellent cut, and 1.04 or 1.05 round brilliants. One is from Blue Nile, and is located here: http://www.bluenile.com/diamond-search?track=bbt#diamonds_pid=LD02256644.. It is priced at $7927.00. The second is located here: https://www.diamondonnet.com/product/index.php?action=sdetails&pId=114.. It is priced at $2416.05. The only difference I see is that the cheaper diamond has polish/symmetry of "very good" and the more expensive diamond has a polish/symmetry of "excellent."

What am I missing? Why is the price difference so huge? Is this REALLY what happens when you "cut out the middle man?" Please give me a "flat forehead" moment here, ladies

 

[JaymeC]

The second diamond that you posted is graded by EGL, the first by GIA. This can indicate that you are not comparing apples to apples. EGL is a 'softer grading lab" which can mean that the grade for cut, color or clarity can ofter be 1-2 grades lower if the same stone was graded by GIA or AGS. Usually if the deal seem too good to be true, it is. Do you think that this seller is just selling at lower price (1/3 the price) out of the goodness of his heart? If it was worth more, he'd be selling it for more. I really think that you get what you pay for.

 

[JulieN]

They are very, very different, not seemingly identical at all. A move down in color or clarity (J, SI2) or both would have a significant impact on price.

 

[emeraldmurphy]

The second diamond that you posted is graded by EGL, the first by GIA. This can indicate that you are not comparing apples to apples. EGL is a 'softer grading lab" which can mean that the grade for cut, color or clarity can ofter be 1-2 grades lower if the same stone was graded by GIA or AGS. Usually if the deal seem too good to be true, it is. Do you think that this seller is just selling at lower price (1/3 the price) out of the goodness of his heart? If it was worth more, he'd be selling it for more. I really think that you get what you pay for.

Another starting point for Cut is to estimate using HCA
https://www.pricescope.com/tools/hca

The 2nd stone gives Total Visual Performance 5.4 - Good - Only if price is your main criterion
The 1st stone gives Total Visual Performance 2.3 - Very Good - Worth buying if the price is right
"A score below 2 (Excellent) means you have eliminated known poor performers (more than 95% of all diamonds). Your own personal preference may be for a diamond with an HCA score of 1.5 more rather than one with a lower score of say 0.5."

Generally on PriceScope you are looking for <2.0 for Ideal cut and performance, I would consider the 1st stone to be definitely above average, the 2nd stone to be average or poor cut from visual performance (far from true ideal that EGL says)

If the first stone is within budget, this would look to be a better alternative
http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-2696776.htm
Total Visual Performance 1.8 - Excellent within TIC range and the performance is confirmed by WhiteFlash, while the others can't give you any indication of actual light performance

 

[bendlikeawillow]

Okay, so GIA is the gold standard. Got it.

I've never seen that HCA tool before. Awesome! Thank you so much! I'm actually looking for a VS2 G around the .90 mark, but I've been playing with the different letters an numbers

THIS is why a forum like Pricescope is so important. Too me it looks like apples to apples lol.

 

[Christina...]

Okay, so GIA is the gold standard. Got it.

I've never seen that HCA tool before. Awesome! Thank you so much! I'm actually looking for a VS2 G around the .90 mark, but I've been playing with the different letters an numbers

THIS is why a forum like Pricescope is so important. Too me it looks like apples to apples lol.

Not just GIA but also AGS, both labs grade accurately and can be trusted, so don't feel that GIA is the only lab that you can trust. Good Luck!

 

[slg47]

if you look at the measurements of the EGL stone, it is smaller than the BN stone because of the cut. It measures 6.3 mm while the BN measures 6.5 mm. the website says that the EGL is 'excellent' cut but the depth is 66.5% which is way too high for a round brilliant diamond.