CUT

[002845248]

Hi,
I am pretty new to this whole diamond buying experience, so I was wondering if I could use some of your expertise in helping me choose a somewhat affordable diamond ring for my girlfriend. I want to keep quality, color and clarity a priority rather than carat. I would rather spend more for a better diamond rather than get a bigger, lesser qaulity diamond. I am trying to keep my budget under $1000, for what I am hoping for a F,G color and SI1 diamond around .25-.45 carat (if possible?) Out of all the stores I''ve been to (Robbins Bros, Ben Bridges, Whitehall,etc), they mostly carry I1 grade clarity and G-H color. And they vary according to their own different standards. One company''s I1 may look clearer than another company''s SI2. I do not understand the depth % and table % if anyone can educate me on those.
I do not really trust online since you cannot see the diamond in person, plus those stores allow trad up value in the future. Anyone can help me please?

Thanks,

 

[aljdewey]

Well, if you don't trust online, I'm not sure my advice would be of much help to you. I can't recommend stores in your area that would carry what you're looking for.




I'd suggest you go to G or H color (will face up plenty white in a well-cut stone), and go SI1 to SI2 clarity. In stones of this size range, the inclusions are very unlikely to be visible.




If you reconsider on the online venue.....I'd comment that you can still see the diamond before buying it even if you source it online. Most of the reputable vendors will allow you to have the diamond sent to an accredited appraiser in your local area so that you can go lay your OWN eyes on the diamond before putting out any money. To me, that's as good as shopping in a regular store.




Here's an example of what you can online:




.433 ct., G, SI1 for $955


http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/A-Cut-Above-H-A-cut-diamond-499823.htm




The plot looks incredibly clean, and those pictures of the diamond? WOW.




As an aside, I hope that your user name isn't your social security number.....and if it is, you really should change that pronto. Identity theft is too prevalent these days to take such a huge risk putting sensitive information out there.




Good luck - let us know if we can help.

 

[002845248]

whta does all the % man like table and depth....keep the suggestions coming guys!

thanks

 

[valeria101]

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On 3/29/2004 12:09:49 PM 002845248 wrote:

what does all the % like table and depth mean!

----------------

Here's the story. And there's more to it in the "tutorial' right on top of this page. Hope it helps

These describe cut, and cut quality, just like weight, color and clarity makes the price. "Harts and Arrows" diamonds are among the finest cut ones... and then there are the others: some darn close some much worse.

The fastest way to get the hang of this without an evening of reading is the little video tutorial right HERE. I found it wery clear and useful... and there is plenty of more detail if you so wish.

 

[valeria101]

Suggestions...

).43 cts, G-SI1, $800 (the arrows, at least, look nice and so does the price)

0.41cts, F, VS2, $960 (no harts and arrows, but a fine cut nevertheless - as the seller acknowledges and the price reads).

 

[002845248]

thank you guys., I will check it out, anyone have experience buying from these online sources? Reliablity, prices, etc?

thank you

 

[Nicrez]

You will notice that people who post here are all either customers of these vendors or have dealt with them. I have worked with the majority of these vendors, and I believe them all to be very good at having some quality stones for less. The customer service levels for each are something you need to determine by contacting them personally.

But all in all, if you put in a request on the home page for your stone (with your details required), you will get responses from the vendors that sell here on Price Scope and I don't think you can really go wrong with most of them! Also, being nice to their Price Scope customers is to their advantage because so many people here read, and they can either make more clients or lose some...

Either way, good luck and we'll try to help you find a good stone for your price!

 

[002845248]

On the first one that Valerie101 suggest, the Depth: 62.3% and table is 56%, what exactly is that mean? I checked the link and it says that table should be close to 53%. So what does it mean if its great than 53% or lesser than 53%. Would one prefer larger or smaller than the 53%?

What does the depth 62.3% mean? what is ideal?
Sorry guys, very new to me.....

 

[valeria101]

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On 3/29/2004 1:11:18 PM 002845248 wrote:



What does the depth 62.3% mean? what is ideal?


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Ideal diamonds are cut for the best possible ligt return. It is the combination of all those % (and actually more cut parameters left untold on lab reports) that insure top optical properties. There is no 'official' definition of "ideal" cut. Each seller and lab that rates cut quality has some defintion of what the ideal cut parameters are.

The versions of "AGS Ideal", "Tolkowsky Ideal" and "Halloway Ideal" are explained in the tutorial here. There is a small intersection between all these. Not sure that precise point makes diamond the best they can be though, since it is hard to make a case for this - at least in my view.

So... with no 'official' ideal, you may want to see what is most important to you out of all these considerations, and how cut quality id priced.

Is this all worth it? Some sellers already have selections of top cuts with some premium on them, and a serious reputation for having thought through all this theory...

Hope this makes sense

 

[Nicrez]

That is SUCH a loaded question that even cutters don't know what "IDEAL' is... the uniqueness of these stones is what makes the debate over ideal so much greater!!!

Many people like to narrow down the good and bad stones, and as such use the HCA (Halloway Cut Advisor). THIS IS JUST A TOOL TO SORT OUT THE UGLIES...if the stone dimensions when entered get closer to 2 then, it tends to be a well cut stone...Above 5 is hardly advised as lovely, but can still be right for a purchaser if price and appearance appeals to them. Again, it's YOUR diamond!

As for the table size, I believe the prefered look around here is the 55% to 58%. Tables over 60% give you a "bigger" looking diamond, but the proportions may not allow the stone to sparkle AS MUCH as the smaller table stones...http://diamonds.pricescope.com/tablesize.asp

As for the depth, the most ideal is 58.7-62.3%, but this is considering the table is also within the range given...as seen here in the AGA cut charts:

http://diamonds.pricescope.com/round.asp

 

[002845248]

yah. i just wish I could "see" these stones before buying them. At least with the local stores, they have the policy of upgrading in the future for a better diamond, but htne agian, they do charge more right off the bat.

 

[valeria101]

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On 3/29/2004 1:25:50 PM 002845248 wrote:

yah. i just wish I could 'see' these stones before buying them. At least with the local stores, they have the policy of upgrading in the future for a better diamond, but htne agian, they do charge more right off the bat.----------------

Oh... Internet sellers have upgrades too, and some also have B&M stores... SO there is not exactly a clear cut between the two businesses. Prices are better online - since this is still a rather 'new' way of selling.

You can find some branded H&A on the ground (HOF, Eight Star, for example). It is the premium of the brand that most tells these apart from the H&A listed around here. Some upscale stores woudl select their diamonds for brilliance without actually marketing a certain "ideal cut" brand. Tiffany comes to mind... Not hard to see some of their stones versus the usual low quality 'mall' stuff, I supose.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Hey,

I purchased my diamond at Ben Bridge, got an amazing "ideal" cut, near h&A, gorgeous stone and after all these years, I still love it. And, you know what? For the size I got, .42, AND what I know now about internet deals/prices, I'd never use this stone to trade up for another stone at BB.

The trade up deal sounds all fine and dandy in theory, but in reality, for the price and size you're looking at (less than 1/2 carat), and most importantly the sentimental value, it's much more imaginable that when upgrade time comes, the diamond you're currently working on getting will be put into a pendant rather than used as a trade up. Possibly I'm wrong and pressuming too much, but I thought I'd at least give you my point of view since I've been there and bought offline.

AT LEAST consider what everyone is telling you about buying online because you'll get a MUCH better diamond for your money. As I said, I did end up with a great diamond, but we paid an arm and a leg for it

!

Michelle

 

[002845248]

from your experiences guys, where should I start looking online? Which places have the best reputation for price and quality?

thank you guys for all your help!

 

[aljdewey]

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On 3/29/2004 1:25:50 PM 002845248 wrote:





yah. i just wish I could 'see' these stones before buying them. At least with the local stores, they have the policy of upgrading in the future for a better diamond, but htne agian, they do charge more right off the bat.
----------------

Let me repeat it a second time....it looks like you missed this comment the first time:

You CAN see an online diamond in person BEFORE you buy it. When you figure out what your "first pick" is, have that vendor send it to an appraiser in your town. You can GO to that appraiser's office and see the diamond.....if you like it, tell the vendor you want it. If you don't like it, ship it back.

You asked if we've bought from these folks. I did buy from Whiteflash, and I was so pleased with the results that I'm in the process of considering another purchase from them.

Also, Whiteflash and others ALSO have a trade-up policy....and in fact, it's a BETTER policy than most of the B&M stores. Years ago I bought a pair of diamond earrings from Zales, and if I want to trade those up, I have to spend at LEAST 50% more. With Whiteflash, as long as I spend even $1 more, it's an upgrade and I get full-purchase price on my trade-in.

It sounds like a future trade-up is in your plans, so compare very carefully the trade-in policies to make sure they fit your future requirements. I, too, saw the diamond that Valerie listed, but I know that DCD's trade-up policy requires at spending at least 50% more, and that's why I didn't list it. However, if you plan to spend at least 50% more anyway, then it shouldn't be a problem.

 

[002845248]

what about diamonds.com or bluenile.com?

 

[valeria101]

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On 3/29/2004 1:55:32 PM 002845248 wrote:

what about diamonds.com or bluenile.com?----------------

Big store =""> bigger prices =""> less info on stones.

Of course, a diamond is a diamond, if their stones happen to be better and better priced than those cited on this thread (to begin with, I supose) why not... No idea on diamonds.com. Bluenile - fine most know about it and a couple of stories about BN purchases are also to be found on Pricescope's older threads.

 

[lil]

Hello - I'm completely new to this and feel a bit of an idiot, but I need some advice. I'm about to buy a brilliant cut diamond from Diamonds USA online for my engagement ring. I'm looking at 3 stones and can't decide whether colour or cut is more important. I know questions like this have cropped up before, but could someone interested just have a look at this comparison?

Stone 1 EGL2 cert 0.85 ct H VS1 ideal cut (depth 62.4%, table diam 57.8%, crown ht 14.9%, pav depth 43.4%)

Stone 2 EGL cert 0.80 ct E VS2 very good cut(depth 60.5%, table daim 62.5%, crown ht 13.3%, pav depth 43.5%)

Stone 3 GIA3 cert F VS1 0.81 very good cut (depth 62.8%, table daim 59%, crown ht 14.2%, pav depth 43.1%).

Which do you think is "better" - will a H colour and ideal cut still look as brilliant white as an E/F to the un-tutored eye? Are GIA certs better than EGL's? The latter don't seem to mention flourescence. Any opinions on Diamonds USA?

Sorry about all the questions! Thanks v much!