shape
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clarity

Decision time

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canadianice

Rough_Rock
Joined
Feb 4, 2003
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Hi-
New to pricescope as registered user, but I have benefitted from the discussions and advice in my education as a consumer.

Here are two stones I am deciding on:
#1:
0.68ct H&A
F VVS2 (pinpoints)
GIA cert - EX pol/EX sym
5.7 mm dia
56% table; 60.8% depth
34.4 crown angle; 43% pavilion depth; 40.8 pavilion angle;
0.3% culet; 1.4% (medium) girdle; no fluorescence
Brilliance Scope Results:
White light: VH3plus; Coloured light: VH3plus; Scintillation: VH1
$3000 USD/~$4700 CDN


#2:
0.71ct H&A
F VS2 (a few feathers)
GIA cert - VG/EX
5.79 mm dia
55% table; 61.1% depth
34.1 c.angle; 43.1% pav depth; 40.8 pav angle
0.3% culet; 1.1% (thin) girdle; no fluor
0.71ct
White light: VH3; Coloured light: VH3plus; Scint: VH1
$3200 USD/~$5000 CDN

Stones are nearly identical, other than carat weight/clarity.
Anybody think .03ct larger but lower clarity is worth $200USD more (also VG vs. EX on polish)?

Any advice? I will try to post light return images for both stones.

Thanks!
 
Hi Canadianice,

Well, you certainly have selected a couple of very similar stones there! Going by the information you've provided I would say that either one of them would be superb looking and are among the top performers you're likely to find. With this level of excellence (and similarity), most of the decision will probably end up coming down to your own personal feelings about certain aspects of the physical characteristics of the diamond you choose. I'll give you some insight into how my (warped) mind worked while I was looking at them.

If I were to choose between the two stones you have listed here, I would almost certainly choose the first stone you mentioned (.68 F VVS2), mostly for purely psychological reasons that I'll detail for you:

[*]
First, the visual size difference between the two is essentially nonexistent. Less than a tenth of a millimeter difference in diameter will be completely invisible to the human eye, so that factor is irrelevant for this exercise.

Neither stone breaks the arbitrarily desirable 3/4 carat mark, so the weight is likewise irrelevant for our purposes. Having a diamond over 7/10 carat may be desirable to some folks, but for some (unknown) reason my mind doesn't really make a distinction until the .75 mark.

While visually identical without magnification, having a VVS-range stone would give me more of a "warm & fuzzy" feeling than a VS diamond.

Although there's absolutely nothing wrong with a VS-range feather, during my search I found that I looked for stones without feathers, just because they seemed more "perfect" to me. Not a "rational" thought, just more warm & fuzzies.
1.gif


Again in the "not a practical consideration as much as for warm & fuzzies" category, the EX/EX polish/symmetry is nice to see on the report. VG polish will not affect the visual impact of the stone, but doesn't EX just seem better?

Again just for peace of mind, the .68 falls almost perfectly into the AGA class 1A category (best of the best) in virtually every parameter. While this isn't critical at all (and both stones earn very respectable ratings), it's just one more thing nudging in the .68 direction.


So, as is evident, to my way of thinking the choice comes down to almost solely psychological reasons to choose one over the other. From a visual standpoint the differences are so minor as to be almost nonexistent, but the nice little psychological advantages of the .68 stone would probably make that the choice for me. The fact that it's $200 cheaper would just be icing. Of course, all this is based just on how my mind works, which isn't necessarily the best model to go by
naughty.gif
, but maybe it'll help you in some way.

-Tim
 
I agree with Tim, both great acording to HCA
1.gif


But the cut off point for price difference is .69 / .70ct so there is a price point difference.
Expect to pay around 12% more for the VVS2 with VG on a per carat basis.
Therefore I imagine the larger stone is a better buy.
 
Optimized - thanks for your input. My thoughts were similar - the size difference is negligible, and all things being equal, the VVS2 is better (on paper!) than VS2, and if I can get EX/EX instead of VG/EX, then I should go for it just for those "warped warm and fuzzies" (Our minds apparently think alike).

One more thing - I had considered a stone, 0.78ct F VS1 H&A($3700 USD) with a crystal and cloud under the table -- impossible to find under magnification. Do crystals (or other flaws) directly under the table affect brilliance/dispersion more than in the star/kite/upper girdle facets? The GIA cert with the crystal spooked me a bit -- but I would like some expert comments. (The 0.78ct has similar proportions - and EX/EX - to the stones I listed previously, and virtually identical B'Scope results)

Thanks for the advice.

Cut Nut - if a VVS2 EX/EX falls just below the price point cut-off and is cheaper than a VS2 VG/EX just above the price point cut-off, wouldn't that be a better buy in terms of value? Or are you talking quality?
 
You missed the point.
Market value of a 1.00ct is higher than .99ct.
The larger stone is in a different market value.
A .69ct diamond costs much less than .70ct - that is a weight cut off between 1/2ct and 3/4ct price grups.
 
CanadianIce,

Where are you from in Canada? By the way, have you found those stones
locally or on the net?

Trichrome.
 
Cut Nut -
Fair enough. So perhaps the smart consumer could look just below those arbitrary cut-offs for the best buy...

How do you feel about a VS1 crystal/cloud under the table of a 0.78ct stone --would it influence your decision? Are there more or less desirable locations for inclusions?
CI
 
Trichrome -
Downtown Toronto -- those are internet advertised prices.
Where are you?
Cheers,
CI
 
Montreal...

since it was called a VS, the inclusion should and needs to be
small enough so you'll not see it with your unaided eye.
Even with the 10x, it would be a little bit difficult..that's the real VS


so you dont want to buy at BIRKS??? man, i hate those clerks.... they
make me !"%?!*!&?!&*


Trichrome.
 
Birks... yikes... a comparable ring to the one(s) I am considering cost ~$13,000 CDN. Ugh. Tiffany & Co. on Bloor Street in Toronto actually had a better price for an almost identical stone (yet in the Classic Tiffany setting versus Birks 4-prong) -- by $700 CDN. THAT shows you how much Birks is over-priced!
 
I can never understand why people read clarity descriptions?

The clarity is the clarity, until you send it to an appraiser.
No consumer will ever learn enough to know what the terms mean - or to judge the graders call.
 
Hi Canadianice,
I live downtown & minutes walk to all the shops on Bloor between Bay & Avenue Rd. I can tell you, keep walking. haha I did what you are doing now, shopped online & came out ahead (or rather my bf) came ahead by a few thousand. Plus, the U.S dollar is low these days so its a great time to buy.
naughty.gif


Judy
:-)
 
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