confused...rookie

[Diamond Angel]

ok...i have a guy who may pop the q sometime in the next while (???) so i want to find out more about good diamonds and especially good deals...there is a lot to this! i read some of the tutorials but what i would like to know is what is the difference in price between a well cut diamond, a brilliancescope diamond, a hearts &arrows diamond and an eight-star diamond?

i also am not an idiot but realize i sound like one

 

[quaeritur]

Well, there's not an easy formula to answer your question -there are just too many variables. Price depends on size, color, clarity, in addition to the quality of the cut. And cut quality affects price more than many people realize too.

Spend a little more time here, and much of what seems terribly complex and confusing will become more clear

. Also check out the tutorials at www.niceice.com and www.goodoldgold.com.

As for what you call a brilliancescope diamond, I don't think there's technically such a thing. A brilliancescope is a machine that is designed to measure light return of a diamond, and ranks the return for white light, colored light and scintillation. Any diamond can be placed into a b'scope and measured. Opinions vary on the accuracy of this machine, but it's one of many tools available to help you pick out the best diamond possible.

A hearts and arrows diamond is nothing more than a diamond cut in such a way as to exhibit a certain pattern from the alignment of the facets. Top H&A diamonds are among the most beautiful, but having an H&A cut does not guarantee a great stone. Other factors that you read about in the tutorial (how angles relate to each other, for example) can have more impact on how the stone looks. Some vendors have taken the H&A an extra step and narrowed down the parameters (they're pickier) about what a "true" H&A is, and have a signature series or a branded cut to reflect that, which often costs more. How much more, as with most things, depends on which brand. One is not necessarily better than the other, and much of it really boils down to personal preference for one look over another. EightStar and Hearts on Fire are examples of branded cuts in rounds, but there are others for other shapes like the Royal Asscher, Jubilee, Queen of Hearts, Leo, Lucida, etc. etc.

I hope that helps clarify things at least a little for ya

.

 

[Diamond Angel]

wow...thanks for the long reply. after looking around i am realizing there's a lot to learn. i will look at those sites and yes i do plan on spending time on this. it is a big investment! thank you again.