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D, Excellent Cut 1CT VVS1 - Would like an informed opinion

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TexasPete

Rough_Rock
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Jan 12, 2010
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Hello, first I wanted to to say thanks, I''ve been looking for a diamond for an engagement ring for the past few weeks and browsing this site has has been an amazing source of info and knowledge.

I was hoping someone might be able to give me a bit of advice and let me know if the diamond I''m looking at looks like a good ''un.

First, my criteria - D color, 1CT or tiny bit more, excellent cut, VVS1 clarity, excellent polish, excellent symmetry and no floresence

Why these criteria? Her sister just got engaged and he gave her the GIA cert etc to get it insured....therfore I have to match the specs at minimum as she has taken a look over the cert once or twice too and they will compare. Might seem like a silly reason, but it''s important to me. I''m looking to get the best match of those stats with as close to optimal table, depth, crown and pavillion angles as posible whilst getting the best and lowest price I can.

So far a good match appears to be this one, but I''m very interested in your expert opinions:

http://www.exceldiamonds.com/Loose_Round_Diamond-143/Loose_Round_1.03_Carat_D_Color_VVS1_Clarity_diamond-393508.html

Noticing that many of the online stores share inventory, my next question would be who do you consider, in no particular order three of the better vendors to prurchase both diamond and platinum setting from?

Thanks for any help it really is appreciated
 
Number looks good.

There are several very good vendors in Houston, Texas. WhiteFlash and BrianGavinDiamond. Outside of Texas, GoodOldGold (NY) and HighperformanceDiamond (ID). For larger inventory, JamesAllen (NY) is good too.
 
Sorry, no hawking of own goods on PS.
 
TexasPete, numbers are safe. An IS would confirm. Price, whatever bargainlover says, is reasonable.



Here's the thing. For that budget you could get a 1.4-1.5ct F VS, a 1.5ct G VS, a 1.6-1.7 H VS, a 2ct I... All of which will look WHITE and eyeclean. You really, really shouldn't buy based on the specs her sis's FI chose - even if they do compare, if one mocks the other (or is anything but thrilled for the other, actually) it speaks to her childishness, and if you are feeling the need to keep up with the Jones', a 1.5+ stone that's colourless and eyeclean sure looks a whole lot more impressive to the general public than a 1ct, and since neither she nor sis are going to be pasting their GIA certs onto their shirts with important portions highlighted...




Choose what's best for YOU and your intended, and forget trying to keep up with her sister. People's financial situations are naturally very different, and can change drastically... if you're starting with the Ering, what's next? Your wedding will have to be grander, or at least that grand, no doubt. Outdoing their car, their house, number of kids? You're setting yourself up for a miserable way of life..
 
if it were me and my hypothetical sister and me would compare rings, I would LOVE to say oh, this is my 1.5 ct G or my 2 ct I if they were ideal cut. Oh, la, la, she''ll blow her sister''s 1 ct D straight out of the water (not that its a competition
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Date: 1/12/2010 7:49:49 PM
Author: yssie

Here''s the thing. For that budget you could get a 1.4-1.5ct F VS, a 1.5ct G VS, a 1.6-1.7 H VS, a 2ct I... All of which will look WHITE and eyeclean. You really, really shouldn''t buy based on the specs her sis''s FI chose - even if they do compare, if one mocks the other (or is anything but thrilled for the other, actually) it speaks to her childishness, and if you are feeling the need to keep up with the Jones'', a 1.5+ stone that''s colourless and eyeclean sure looks a whole lot more impressive to the general public than a 1ct, and since neither she nor sis are going to be pasting their GIA certs onto their shirts with important portions highlighted...
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Yep, I''d go for the larger stone in the F/VS2 range! $15,000 is A LOT to spend on a 1-ct!
 
Date: 1/12/2010 11:28:56 PM
Author: MC

Date: 1/12/2010 7:49:49 PM
Author: yssie

Here''s the thing. For that budget you could get a 1.4-1.5ct F VS, a 1.5ct G VS, a 1.6-1.7 H VS, a 2ct I... All of which will look WHITE and eyeclean. You really, really shouldn''t buy based on the specs her sis''s FI chose - even if they do compare, if one mocks the other (or is anything but thrilled for the other, actually) it speaks to her childishness, and if you are feeling the need to keep up with the Jones'', a 1.5+ stone that''s colourless and eyeclean sure looks a whole lot more impressive to the general public than a 1ct, and since neither she nor sis are going to be pasting their GIA certs onto their shirts with important portions highlighted...
Click to expand...
Yep, I''d go for the larger stone in the F/VS2 range! $15,000 is A LOT to spend on a 1-ct!
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I agree! All I was thinking when I read it was that a killer cut and a larger stone is certainly better even if it is *only* a G VS2.
 
Date: 1/13/2010 5:01:23 AM
Author: Stone-cold11
Or for the same price point, a 1.74c G VS2. 14.7k after PS discount.
http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/G-VS2-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1260899.asp

Or pushing further, 2.07c H SI1 for 16.2k after PS discount. Check for eye-clean with JA.
http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/H-SI1-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1176940.asp

Request for idealscope image if you are interested.
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I''m with the rest of the gang...drop color and clarity and go for a nice size. That 1.74 G/VS2 that stone found is
gorgeous.
 
Agree with everyone on getting the "value" - and keep in mind that Tiffany goes as low as an I on their e-rings, and lower in clarity as well! If it''s good enough for Tiffany...
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Guys, thanks for all the responses. I probably should have stated that she has told me she doesn''t want a large stone and actually prefers a smaller one like her sis, so that in part is driving the desire to keep at or around 1CT. I''m actually not in the frame of mind of trying to out shine the other sis, just trying to stay close to 1CT and maximize the other factors as best as possible, figuring I may as well meet the specs I''ve already seen. Still I appreciate the comments that a larger stone is preferable to some though my main question was does the diamond listed appear to be a reasonably good example.

My thought process is probably different to most on here as it''s a just a shiny piece of rock to me - I''d rather be spending the money on a car (Probably the worst thing i could say on a forum like this
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just trying to be honest ), but it''s something that I gotta do, so I''m just going by the numbers, whereas a lot of folks seem to be saying go bigger and focus less on the numbers.

Once again thanks for the input
 
not focus less on numbers. Get the Idealscope image.
 
Date: 1/13/2010 10:49:53 AM
Author: TexasPete
Guys, thanks for all the responses. I probably should have stated that she has told me she doesn''t want a large stone
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Just another thought: If you''re going to spend that much, you can always go down to the F VS2 color/clarity and get her a 1 ct, and have enough of the $15K left over to get her a pair of stud earrings!
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Hi TX Pete,

Okay, if you want the 1 ct (which I still think is big
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) I would nto spend $14K on it personally. You could get an F color that is excellently cut (I''d stick with Whiteflash ACA, Brian Gavin H&A, or Good Old Gold Signature) and get something in the F VS2 range. It will look the same and cost about half as much...

If the D VVS1 is really important to you then get the ideal scope image from JA for that stone and post it here. You''ll get a lot of great feedback.

The cut of the stone is what makes it look good, color and clarity are secondary traits for how good it looks. GIA "ideal cut" can mean a lot of things so you have to run the numbers and look at the images...
 
Date: 1/13/2010 4:30:49 AM
Author: swingirl
Here is one that comes pretty close. 1.05ct D VVS2

But if it were me I would prefer a bigger stone because bottom line everyday I would be wearing the ring -- not the certificate.

1.20ct E VS1

1.22ct F VVS1

1.31ct D VS1
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TexasPete, congratulations on your impending engagement. It totally makes sense if she prefers a a smaller ring, though I think it doesn''t hurt to push it slightly--so 1.0 to 1.25. It won''t be obnoxiously larger than her sister''s, and gives you a slight flexibility.

The Excel diamond one you posted looks promising, but more info would be great. As a group, we actually tend to place cut above all--so the numbers are ultra important to us--with the other "Cs" falling after. The ones Swingirl posted already have tons of info that pretty much ensure you''ll be getting an ideal cut diamond, hence why she went there.

I like the 1.05, which will be quite the sparkler, and the one that gives us enough info to be totally safe and is closest to your parameters.

If you can do down in clarity, aside from the other ones Swingirl posted, there are also a few Brian Gavin''s that might work at a correspondingly lower price point.

AGS-1040363310004 Brian Gavin H&A 1.058 D VS1 57.2 61.0 6.56 6.60 4.01 $11,112.00
AGS-1040363310002 Brian Gavin H&A 1.023 D VS1 57.0 61.6 6.45 6.47 3.98 $10,794.00
AGS-1040381680033 Brian Gavin H&A 1.018 D VS1 56.8 61.2 6.46 6.49 3.96 $10,688.00
http://www.brianthecutter.com/brian-gavin-signature-ha/available-diamond-inventory/
 
Date: 1/13/2010 10:49:53 AM
Author: TexasPete
Guys, thanks for all the responses. I probably should have stated that she has told me she doesn''t want a large stone and actually prefers a smaller one like her sis, so that in part is driving the desire to keep at or around 1CT. I''m actually not in the frame of mind of trying to out shine the other sis, just trying to stay close to 1CT and maximize the other factors as best as possible, figuring I may as well meet the specs I''ve already seen. Still I appreciate the comments that a larger stone is preferable to some though my main question was does the diamond listed appear to be a reasonably good example.

My thought process is probably different to most on here as it''s a just a shiny piece of rock to me - I''d rather be spending the money on a car (Probably the worst thing i could say on a forum like this
1.gif
just trying to be honest ), but it''s something that I gotta do, so I''m just going by the numbers, whereas a lot of folks seem to be saying go bigger and focus less on the numbers.

Once again thanks for the input
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From the numbers it looks like a nice stone but we''d need to see some images. Request an ASET image and post it here.
 
I guess it pains me too to see 14k spent on a 1ct diamond. But if you want to go in that direction, get an IS and it will tell you more about the cut quality of your chosen stone.
 
If I were you, I would check how white she likes her diamond to be before switching to G color or lower for size (especially if she told you specifically that she is not into a large size). I have no comments to make about competition between sisters, but if there IS one (friendly or otherwise) and color is the criteria, you could make a girl very unhappy by putting her in a position where for the rest of her life, her sister could say, "But I got a D color and you didn''t." In this case, the two of them are VERY likely to put their diamonds side by side and while a G can be very white, most people can easily see the difference between D and G colors side by side. You MIGHT get away with an F color, but to be safest, if these girls care about color, stick with D or E.

Remember that you want to make HER happy.
Best to you.
 
I like the stones that Hest posted. It keeps the colour the same and brings down the clarity enough that there''s no difference between the two sister''s rings side by side for visible inclusions but saves you around $5,000.
 
Date: 1/12/2010 7:49:49 PM
Author: yssie
Choose what''s best for YOU and your intended, and forget trying to keep up with her sister. People''s financial situations are naturally very different, and can change drastically... if you''re starting with the Ering, what''s next? Your wedding will have to be grander, or at least that grand, no doubt. Outdoing their car, their house, number of kids? You''re setting yourself up for a miserable way of life..
Click to expand...

I couldn''t agree more.


That said, I''d go with one of those BGD''s. They''re practically guaranteed to be beautiful, will save you some $$, and you can milk the "Brian Gavin" name for all it''s worth. I also agree with most people being able to see the difference between two color grades, so unfortunately you''ll have to stick with D or E, unless Brian says he has a really, really good F around. Don''t worry about clarity so much... above VS2 it has absolutely no visual impact on the diamond. On the other hand, cut has a *direct* impact on appearance, and a BGD cut has a 95+% chance of looking substantially better than sis''s diamond. Like you said, they will compare, so you have to have something in your favor...

(also... +1 for car $$
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)
 
Thanks once again, you''ve all given me food for thought and I''ve started to broaden my search to take in some of your suggestions. I do however have a question. I understand the value of an idealscope image, but I''m unsure about ASET and Sarins. I was told that Sarin reports are a thing of the past, but not sure if that''s just the place I''m talking to trying to bluff me, or is it actually true?

Thanks
 
For RBs ASETs are nice to have but an IS tells you what you need to know - ASETs are invaluable with fancy shapes though.


Scans will tell you the variation in any given set of facets - you can see lovely arrows on the IS and still have not-so-decent hearts, and the scans will give you some indication of just why. If you recognize that there will be a certain amount of error in any machine reading, they certainly have good info - definitely not a thing of the past
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For RB, ASET isn''t quite necessary, but it does help you get a more detailed picture of light performance. Sarin scan gives more detailed numbers so the geeks pro''s around here can give you a much more informed opinion of a given rock... if they''ve been outdated by anything, it''d be a Helium scan, but they''re still very useful...
 
Quick question, from a different diamond, what do you make of these two shots. Not sure how to look at these pics

TexasPete12.JPG
 
to my mostly untrained eye... little bit of leakage at the base of the arrows, and some more at base of arrowheads. not quite the best IS out there, but decent...
 
The first (red) is just an image of the arrows, it's not an IS. Looks good.


Do you have a hearts pic too?




ETA: the second looks an awful lot like one of GOGs 'here are the inclusions' pics..
 
yap, not an IS image, just an image from a H&A scope, good arrows symm.
 
Date: 1/18/2010 8:46:28 PM
Author: yssie
The first (red) is just an image of the arrows, it''s not an IS. Looks good.


Do you have a hearts pic too?




ETA: the second looks an awful lot like one of GOGs ''here are the inclusions'' pics..
Click to expand...
Yes, I think they are.
 
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