Deciding between 2 stones is one just taking a better photo

[Crissymel]

Hello everyone,

First time posting. Trying to make a decision about a stone today. My husband and I have seem these two stone a few times. Unfortuently we can not view them next to each other. Here are the general specs:

Stone 1:
3.51 Carats
Cushion Cut
Measure - 8.84 x 8.59 x 5.87
Color - J
SI1
Polish and Symmetry both Excellent

Stone 2 :
4.01
Cushion Cut
Measure - 9.05 x8.80 x6.14
Color - J
SI2
Polish - Very Good
Sym- Good

Heres the question.

Stone one and two knock my socks off in the store and on the street in natural light. Stone 2 I seem to be getting a better price on (more expensive but not by enough to make us walk) and is larger so I thought we had decided to go with that one. When I came home I stared at the pix I had taken with my phone and now I am second guessing myself. Stone one seems to photograph better for some reason. Could be more natural light in the show room. In some cases it even looks larger on my finger which doesn't make any sense since its .50 carats smaller.

My question - Could it be the natural lighting? Could it be the polish and symmetry of stone 2's? Should it matter? I mean if I like them both a lot I will never see the two next to each other right? I can try and upload pictures… but WWYD?

Thank you.

 

[MarionC]

Re: Deciding between 2 stones is one just taking a better ph

I would definitely not go by the photos on your phone. When I photograph my diamonds they look different in every shot.
The lighting could be a different wave-length, so yes, you could be getting a better photo of the "not better" stone. Get the diamond that speaks to you in person, in all lighting situations.

 

[luvdajules]

Re: Deciding between 2 stones is one just taking a better ph

Hi OP, sounds like both stones are local to you, maybe you can view again each stone one last time. Or, perhaps you can buy one stone with a return window (like a week) and bring to the other to view side by side. I would also tend to favor the one that you liked IRL more. What a nice size!! Hope to see more pics...how do you plan to set?

 

[OoohShiny]

Re: Deciding between 2 stones is one just taking a better ph

You should do the 'under the table' test, to see what the white light return is like and whether it sparkles (as I was taught by those a lot wiser than me on here! )

 

[tyty333]

Re: Deciding between 2 stones is one just taking a better ph

I would definitely not go by the pictures but by what you see in person.

Could you post the pictures just for us to see though? Maybe we can tell you why you are seeing a difference.

If the cut on the smaller one is very nice and the cut on the bigger one is just okay then you may not see such a size difference
because the big one is not returning light like it should (and the smaller one is).

 

[Lorelei]

Re: Deciding between 2 stones is one just taking a better ph

Hello everyone,

First time posting. Trying to make a decision about a stone today. My husband and I have seem these two stone a few times. Unfortuently we can not view them next to each other. Here are the general specs:

Stone 1:
3.51 Carats
Cushion Cut
Measure - 8.84 x 8.59 x 5.87
Color - J
SI1
Polish and Symmetry both Excellent

Stone 2 :
4.01
Cushion Cut
Measure - 9.05 x8.80 x6.14
Color - J
SI2
Polish - Very Good
Sym- Good

Heres the question.

Stone one and two knock my socks off in the store and on the street in natural light. Stone 2 I seem to be getting a better price on (more expensive but not by enough to make us walk) and is larger so I thought we had decided to go with that one. When I came home I stared at the pix I had taken with my phone and now I am second guessing myself. Stone one seems to photograph better for some reason. Could be more natural light in the show room. In some cases it even looks larger on my finger which doesn't make any sense since its .50 carats smaller. It could be that the first is better cut than the second and although it isn't as heavy for carat weight, this doesn't always mean a lot in fancy shapes and especially stones of this size where face up size is concerned. I would also be interested to know what the grade making inclusions are for both and especially in such a huge diamond of SI2 clarity, it's best to check to make sure the stone is not only eye clean but that there aren't any potentially negative effects from such inclusions as clouds and twinning wisps. Do either of these diamonds have fluorescence and are they GIA graded?

My question - Could it be the natural lighting? Possibly or variances in cut quality and type of faceting of each cushion, we are only speculating without images as there could be so many reasons. Could it be the polish and symmetry of stone 2's? Unlikely, it is said good and above for polish and symmetry is not discernible to the naked untrained eye. Should it matter? I mean if I like them both a lot I will never see the two next to each other right? I can try and upload pictures… but WWYD? In your situation, I would go and see both stones again, I think it's very difficult to make a decision for a purchase of this magnitude from one visit personally. You will be surprised how many more differences you can pick up on a second visit, I think things would be much clearer. Cushions are chameleons and come in all different types, it's important to match your desires as closely as possible and in stones of this weight, there aren't a huge amount to choose from unless one has an unlimited budget and even then, choices are finite.

Are you absolutely sure these are the type of cushions you want, for example, if you like chunky faceted cushions do these fit the bill or do you prefer more modern cushions? Have you had a look to see what types of cushion are available? Also, are you ok with seeing warmth in some lightings? If as above I asked if these are GIA graded, even GIA graded J colour in these sizes might show some warmth on occasion, make sure you are fine with that. Also, make absolutely sure these diamonds are in fact eye clean to your standards by inspecting each away from store lighting if that's possible, inclusions can jump out in some lights more than others.

If you could get more info as mentioned above, we can go from there. If neither cushion proves suitable, have you considered buying online or would you prefer to stick to a store?[/b] Also please do go ahead and post the photos you have, we can get some helpful information from them I am sure.

Thank you.

 

[Diamond_Hawk]

Re: Deciding between 2 stones is one just taking a better ph

You should do the 'under the table' test, to see what the white light return is like and whether it sparkles (as I was taught by those a lot wiser than me on here! )

Here is the recent thread which explores a number of these 'at home' techniques...also entertains as it informs

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/diamond-evaluation-techniques-at-home.202395/

 

[Crissymel]

Re: Deciding between 2 stones is one just taking a better ph

Thank you everyone. Let me see if I can answer some of the good questions here.

Yes they are both GIA. I am ok with some warmth but to be fair after weeks of looking neither of these have shown much if any. I HAVE seen both diamonds multiple times. In fact so many that I am driving myself nuts.

I have also taken both outside and in multiple lighting areas. Separately they both are stunning. Its the pix that make me second guess myself. Also it seems as though I am paying extra for hitting the 4 ct mark but the measurements seem to show that face up these would be SOOOO close. There is some carat weight difference in depth which clearly can't be seen face up.

I do like the shape. After many many days of shopping I have decided that I like the ratio of close to 1.03. Not the more standard 1.10 + .

The pix are attached. The one that is NOT being held by tweezers is the 3.51 and the other is the 4ct.

Thank you for all the responses!

 

[Lorelei]

Re: Deciding between 2 stones is one just taking a better ph

You should do the 'under the table' test, to see what the white light return is like and whether it sparkles (as I was taught by those a lot wiser than me on here! )

Here is the recent thread which explores a number of these 'at home' techniques...also entertains as it informs

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/diamond-evaluation-techniques-at-home.202395/

 

[pyramid]

Re: Deciding between 2 stones is one just taking a better ph

We are seeing glare on the table of the 3.50 so can't really see the cut. The 4 carat photo is not good either.

I am not sure but does the table look very big on the 3.50 carat, (the diamond set in the ring)???

I realise though that stones this size are not plentiful and sometimes something has to give to retain weight. A perfect cut of 3.5 ct may be much more expensive. Sometimes a smaller perfect cut may look better though.

Can the jewellers photograph the stones for you with the table facing and another with a size profile view.

Since the purchase is big it may be worthwhile buying the idealscope handheld viewer or asset scope viewer from Garry Holloway's site so that you can get reflector images to see where the light return is coming from.

 

[pyramid]

Re: Deciding between 2 stones is one just taking a better ph

Just remembered, seem to think Garry Holloway wrote on here that the Asset should only be used for rounds.