Could somebody please take a look at this diamond?

[Jewel of the Nile]

I've found this diamond I'm seriously considering buying. Its a SuperbCert:

Cut Round Brilliant
Carat 1.03
Color F
Clarity VS2
Measurements 6.53 x 6.56 x 3.99 mm
Depth Percentage 61 %
Table Percentage 55 %
Crown Angle 34.4
Pavilion Percentage 42.6 %
Pavilion Angle 40.7
Girdle 1.2
Culet 0.6
Polish EXCELLENT
Symmetry VERY GOOD
Fluorescence NONE

Is it a big deal that the symmetry is very good as opposed to excellent? What should one expect to pay for such a diamond? Thanks in advance.

Jewel of the Nile

 

[StevL]

I'm sure it is a lovely diamond.

The one thing that I have to question is I thought to be branded "SuperbCert" it was to have Excellent polish and symmetry. I know Barry has posted this many times on another forum. Maybe this one isn't branded but a fine cut without the name.

 

[StevL]

Barry,

I see you visit this forum, was this a SuperbCert or one of your non-branded?

 

[oldminer]

It sure reads like a very fine stone. The Very good versus Excellent grade issue needs some clarification, however.

 

[barry]

Jewel;

This is a SuperbCert.

There are SuperbCerts that very infrequently will receive
VG on either Polish or Symmetry.
It is not an area for concern, as the
differential between VG-to-EX is microscopically miniscule.
We do state on our web-site that SuperbCert
"consistently" receives EX/EX on Polish/Symmetry
and we do fill the bill in this regard.

BTW, just brought up this SuperbCert from the vault
to take another look,
and I can tell you this is one helluva rollicking
light-show diamond.

You will be very pleased.

Barry
www.superbcert.com

 

[student]

Could a stone have "perfect" hearts and arrows and yet still have only "very good" symmetry? If so, then how? I was under the impression that the hearts and arrows standard of symmetry was more stringent than GIA's. Was this wrong?

I've wondered a bit about why Superbcert advertises that its stones "consistently" get EX/EX, when a few of them don't. Do they think their VG stones are just as good as their EX ones? Whether they do or not, it is odd to tout a standard that one doesn't meet.

Now this could be a rhetorical mistake on SC's part rather than a real problem with their quality control, in which case I wouldn't have any problem with buying a SC: just a suggestion about how to improve their PR strategy.

Can anyone shed any light on the matter?

 

[oldminer]

A version of hearts and arrows appears in many diamonds. While it is a nice feature that helps to describe symmetric stones, you can hearts and arrows in some diamonds that are simply "good" in terms of an overall description of cut. Hearts and arrows is more an accidental occurence that someone discovered and began to use in marketing. It does not make a stone "fine" when it happens to be present, but poorly cut stones geenerally will show little to no H&A effect in a viewer.

 

[barry]

Student;

The answer to your question is: Yes.
The converse is also true, i.e; a diamond may have
EX-symmetry with H&A patterning that is slightly off
kilter. One is not a sine-qua-non for the other.

GIA guidelines for symmetry are for the Table/Culet
to be centered and for the junction/meet points of Crown to
Pavilion to meet. The degree of 'meet' is graded
as fair, good, Very Good, Excellent.
Again, the differential between VG-to EX is miniscule,
noticeable, first, at 20X magnification
and does not necessarily affect H&A patterning,
Brilliancescope results, MegaScope data, or HCA scores.

Barry
www.superbcert.com

 

[StevL]

Well if Jewel of the Nile is still reading this forum then I would suggest he buy a SuperbCert that has Ex/Ex since that seems to be the norm.

Why buy the other if you can have the excellent grades as well unless it was discounted, then it's another story.

Just my 2 cents..............

 

[student]

Thanks for the replies (Jewel of the Nile, sorry if I've hijacked your post, but it looks like we're interested in finding out the same thing here).

If I'm understanding what all of you are saying, then the picture is a bit more complicated than I had thought: the 3-D geometry of a diamond is complex, and different methods of measuring its symmetry can yield different results (i.e. different rankings of diamonds), depending upon how sensitive they are to different aspects of the diamond's geometry.

If this is right, then the cautious strategy for the internet buyer would be to choose a diamond that is hearts and arrows AND GIA EX or AGS 0.

I suppose the question whether this is too cautious a strategy is bound to be hopelessly controversial!