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Diamond advice needed please

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WillJohnson

Rough_Rock
Joined
Apr 26, 2012
Messages
13
Hello all,

I am new to the whole diamond buying process and was wondering if anyone could give me some advice on a diamond that I looked at today. There is a very thin feather inclusion that spans about 3/4 of the face but is not very noticeable without magnification, and I can barely see it with a lupe. I am very picky with inclusions and this one didn't really bother me much. Also looking at the face, the size was comparable with the 1.00 Cts they had. I like the fact that it looks almost like a 1.00 Ct but doesn't carry the 1.00 Ct price tag. Would anyone mind taking a look at the specs below and pointing out anything extra that I may want to take into account? I'm sure that there is much more that I need to know before making a purchase. Thanks in advance.

EGL Certified

Price: $4,230 (Talked them down from $4,700)
Weight: 0.93
Shape & Cut: Round Brilliant
Measurements: 6.18 x 6.10 x 3.92 mm

Total Depth: 63.8%
Table Width: 57%
Crown Height: 16%
Pavilion Depth: 44%
Girdle Thickness: Medium, Faceted

Polish: Excellent
Symmetry: Excellent
Culet: None

Clarity Grade: SI2
Graining: Nil

Color grade: E
Flourescence: None
 
This seems to be an on going theme around here lately. Have you read any information on EGL? They are notoriously soft on there grading and can be any where between 2 and 5 or more on their grading. The cut isn't great either. If you want we can make some selections for you.
 
I have read about EGL vs GIA and understand that they are less strict in their grading. I'm glad you pointed out that the cut wasn't great because from what I have read around the forums, that is one of the most important aspects when choosing a diamond. I would really appreciate if you would be so kind as to make some suggestions for me. Also, would you say buying online is the absolute way to go?

My budget is $4,000-$5,500 and I would really like to stay in the eye clean market if possible. I would like to be around a carat but my girlfriend is also a small girl (5'2"), so wouldn't a smaller sized diamond look bigger on her? Let me know if I left anything out and thanks again.
 
Hi, Will! I will have to say that most of us originally came here just like you did, looking for a diamond. I looked extensively locally and could not find stones with the cut quality I wanted at a decent price. I have gone on to buy other diamonds online after the first one. We'll be happy to help you find a quality diamond for your money!

Do you know what her finger size is? That would be the only factor that would make a diamond seem larger or smaller. Is the budget just for the diamond or for diamond and setting?
 
We can definitely find you something. :)) And yes, I think that shopping online is the way to go, if you shop from a PS vendor. They are well trusted and they all have return policies and upgrade policies and excellent customer service. Of course it does have it's drawbacks as well, especially for first time buyer without a lot of experience because you can physically see the stone and evaluate it in person until you have purchased it. But, there are a few tools that you will be using to help you narrow down your selections. First, the HCA, which screens for light performance. Anything that scores below a 2 is good, under two and it's time to move on....at least when shopping online. The next tool is the Idealscope, this is an image that shows if and where there is light leakage. You are absolutely correct that cut is going to be the most important characteristic of your diamond and will either make it super blingy or a dud!

Give me a couple of minutes and I'll pick a couple of stones for you. Do you have a color preference? Or are you ok with a near colorless stone if it helps keep the size up?
 
@Diamondseeker: I don't know her exact finger size...yet. Also, my budget does not have to include the setting itself but I know she would be fine with a nice solitaire. Nothing too fancy.

@Christina: From what I have seen in person I really like G color and better but could settle for an H if it helped with the cost/size.

Thank you all for the help!
 
This is a J, some people find that they are sensitive to color, others have a much harder time telling the difference between one grade an another. However there can be a HUGE difference in price, so it's really nice if you're one of those people who have a more difficult time telling the difference. ;))

http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamonds/diamond-details/0.815-j-vs1-round-diamond-ags-104052884009

and this would be it's sister the H, you'll see the price difference

http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamonds/diamond-details/0.810-h-vs1-round-diamond-ags-104057888054

whiteflash

a cut above
http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-2728081.htm

good old gold

This gets you right at a carat and it looks like the inclusion is prongable

http://goodoldgold.com/diamond/8801/
 
The diamond from good old gold is an I SI2, but you may find that you are ok with a GIA I. If you have been looking at diamonds graded by EGL and they were grade G or H then they were more likely IJK or worse, so if it's important for you to have a full carat then this may be a good option for you especially if the inclusion can be pronged.
 
How do I find out if it is prongable? Also, is that an inclusion in the middle as well?
 
You would just need to give them a call. Jonathon is the owner and he posts here often under 'Rhino". He's a great guy and really knows his stuff. You may like to watch some of the videos he has listed on his site too. He does color comparisons and there are videos about cut and clarity. It's really informative and entertaining. He would likely take video comparisons of this stone for you as well. They are awesome and getting you all the information you need to make an informed decision.

I think it's a reflection on the table, you should ask, but I think the grade making inclusion is the one on the outside. DS will check back in soon too and she can take a look and see what she thinks of the inclusion.


edit: your right there is something on the table. Its really hard to see it on the clarity plot, at least on my screen. However it may still be very difficult to see especially if the inclusion is white. I would give him a call. I'll also look at JA for you and see if I can find something closer to a carat.
 
Yep, I am back! Had to get dinner out of the way!

I am not sure about the inclusions in that SI2. Someone at Good Old Gold would have to take a look at it for you. I sort of prefer to stick with SI1 or better for an engagement ring when possible.

This is another possibility:

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/9202/

The problem is, your budget is making the .80-.90+ range the most likely if you want to stay at SI1 or better, but there aren't that many stones in the .85-.95 range. WhiteFlash has a lot around .80 but not much closer to .90. Then when you get to .90+, you end up at close to $6000.

I am still looking... (oh, good..slg checked JA!)
 
Thank you all for the quick replies and suggestions! I really didn't expect all this help and am very thankful. So I am beginning to realize that with my budget, there is going to have to be some give and take if I am to go with a well cut diamond. I know that there is a lot of personal opinion that goes into these things but besides the cut, what would you say the most important factor is beyond that point? Clarity, color?
 
your right, it will depend on who your asking, me...I'd rather have clarity over color as long as I could stay near colorless. I actually just purchased a J today. Budget was a factor for me as well, as it is most of us, and I really wanted a large (for me) eye clean stone. I'm also one of the fortunate ones that isn't very sensitive to body color especially in a brilliant. A well cut stone will have a large impact on body color too. A well cut I will look as good or better than a poorly cut H. However, some people like I mentioned are very color sensitive and an I will appear to have too much tint for them. Me, I'll always take a well cut I with no visible inclusions over an E with a big carbon spot. :knockout:
 
I forgot to mention that Slg picked some very nice larger stones for you! I noticed the same at Whiteflash as DS, same for BGD, there seemed to be plenty in within your budget at .8 but then it jumped to a ct and they fell just outside. However the stones that Slg posted will look as large as a 1ct will and be a great value because you don't get hit with the big price increase at the 1ct mark.
 
Yeah, we all have different comfort ranges. For myself, I look for G-H VS. But when I am recommending diamonds for someone here, I generally only go down to I SI1. I sort of avoid J and SI2 just because you never know if the recipient is color or clarity sensitive. It is totally fine for those who have seen that range and prefer it in order to get a larger size stone.
 
Christina...|1335520717|3182064 said:
Here's another from Good Old Gold and the inclusion looks better, the color is a J
http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/9288/

and this one looks really great!
http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/9122/
Click to expand...

That second stone is the one I meant to post above. I just realized my link went to an AVC! I was looking for someone else at the same time and posted the wrong link here because the stock numbers were similar! I do think it would be great to get to the .9 size!
 
WillJohnson|1335579894|3182640 said:
Hey everyone, thanks for the suggestions you all have given me so far. What do you think of this one? I used the pricescope search and the HCA tool. It scored a 0.6 on the HCA. Is this a good place to buy from?

http://www.eternitydiamonds.com/diamond_detail.php?id=658703&ref=pricescope
Click to expand...

That is a virtual stone from a diamond supplier list, so that company doesn't really have the stone in their own stock. I would not buy a stone with very good symmetry unless I had an idealscope image and hopefully a magnified image of the stone. Almost any vendor can call it in for you and do that because I don't believe Eternity will. You'll pay a little more, but there's no way I'd buy anything other than maybe an AGS Ideal cut without seeing pictures of the stone. I'd choose one of the NY vendors to call it in such as Good Old Gold or ID Jewelry. I think some of the stones already posted are safer bets than this one, but it can't hurt to look at it. I'd just recommend trying to stick with excellent cut and symmetry whereas it doesn't matter as much if polish is very good.
 
Hey all,

I think I like the one posted from GOG (0.90, I, VS2 posted earlier) but I have a few questions if you all don't mind answering them for me. The AGS certificate show numbers that are a bit off from those shown on the Megascope certificate on the web site. When I enter them into the HCA tool they come up with slightly different results, one that I really like and the other that I;m not sure about. Why are they different and which one should I consider? Also is that table too small?

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/9122/

AGS cert:

Table: 54%
Depth: 61.9%
Crown Angle: 35.4%
Pavilion Angle: 40.6%

HCA: 1.3
Light Return: Ex
Fire: Ex
Scintillation: Ex
Spread: VG

Megascope:

Table: 53.2%
Depth: 62%
Crown Angle: 35.5%
Pavilion Angle: 40.8%

HCA: 2.7Light Return: VG
Fire: VG
Scintillation: VG
Spread: VG
 
You don't need the HCA with AGS0 stones. HCA is a rough REJECTION TOOL. Not a selection tool and is based ONLY on a few stats. The AGS 0 grade is based on ALL of the stones angles and on an examination of that actual stones performance. So in EVERY SINGLE CASE, even if the HCA says 5, on an AGS 0 stone the AGS 0 grade trumps the HCA. Idealscope images also trump the HCA. Same reason.

Beautiful stone. If it is eyeclean, buy it, it's AMAZING. I prefer 'near hearts and arrows' with AGS0 ratings because they are a much better value and just gorgeous to boot. And this is a prime example. And no the table is not too small.
 
I agree with Gypsy, you do not need the HCA on AGS0 stones because they have already been evaluated for light performance. I do not think the table is too small. It actually is hard to tell a 54% table from a 57% table anyway just with a glance. I think a .90 stone is a great value since it is just under a carat.
 
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