Hi,
I bought my fiancee a 1.008 ct, AGS000, E color, VS2 clarity diamond with HCA 0.8! I initiall had it set in a simple 6 prong platinum head, so she could choose the setting she liked later.
I wanted something over 1 ct (just because), and was initially looking around G color in a H&A (Eightstar was too much), with no visible inclusions under 10x (VS clarity, or a good SI1).
After two months research on the web and much looking I finally bought from a B&M and went for a better color over the branded H&A cut. I did buy an Ideal-Scope which worked brillantly, I could actually tell what was a good diamond! As an example, there was a H&A diamond that looked very white through the IS, and then the HCA gave it a score of 3.8, so I knew it wasn't what I wanted.
The diamond I finally chose was very pink under the IS, and had the Arrows pattern, but I don't think it had the perfect Hearts (but you can't see them anyway once set).
It was the AGS000 rating, then HCA score and color that sold me, backed up by the
Ideal Scope. The budget was stretched, but I am really pleased with the diamond, and she loves it! At the end of the day most people will only notice the sparkle from the cut, and maybe the color. The rest of the statistics are probably more for the person buying the diamond!
Choosing is diamond is a somewhat stressful situation, especially with multiple jewelers competing, so be prepared!
All I want now is a home steam cleaner!
