Diamond advice

[wns198]

Hi there

I've got a choice between two princess cut diamonds for an engagement ring (unfortunately I'm not able to view them as I'm buying them online). Their vital statistics are as follows:

0.92 Carat, VVS1, F colour, very good polish, 1.01 L/W ratio (5.50 x 5.53x3.75mm) Depth 70.5% Table 71.0%
0.85 Carat, VVS2, F colour, excellent polish, 1.00 L/W ratio (5.15 x 5.17x3.87mm) Depth 72.8% Table 70.0%

The larger diamond is about £600 more expensive - with your experience would the two be noticeably different in size/sparkle, or are you genuinely getting that much more 'bang for your buck'?

Any help would be really appreciated!!

Thank you.

 

[stone-cold11]

Not enough information to judge.

Which lab graded these stones? Only AGS grades the cut performance of princess, without which I would at least perfer to see an ASET image of the stone before deciding.

 

[slg47]

I would look for an online vendor who provides images and ASET images, or else shop for AGS0 princesses.

 

[wns198]

Hi there

They are GIA certified - I assumed that would be the best lab to go with? Do you think AGS would be a better bet?

Really sorry - bit of a novice at this!

 

[stone-cold11]

AGS, unless the vendor can supply ASET image.

 

[farmer gal]

What is your budget for the diamond? I also think you could go down in clarity vvs is over kill you could go lower in clarity with it still being eyeclean and probably afford a larger stone

 

[wns198]

Hello

My budget's around £3,500 - if I can get away with a lower clarity then that's great news. Assuming a VS2 is clean enough for a princess cut then I can get a lot more for my money (I can even reach a carat)! Would it effect the sparkle factor though?

Thank you again!

 

[Dreamer_D]

Clarity is completely independent of sparkle, unless you are talking about some rare situations with SI2 level inclusions. You can *easily* go with a VS2 and be safe knowing you will not see inclusions.

You could also likely go with a G color or even H and be very happy, especially in the under 1ct range.

GIA is a very good lab but they do not grade cut quality, and with princess cuts yo ucannot judge based on the table and depth alone. AGS provides a cut quality grade, so looking for a AGS0 graded princess, rated ideal for cut, is the best way to get a really sparkly stone.

Are you comfortable buying online from a vendor in the US? If so, can you provide you budget in US dollars and desired color/clarity and size and we can suggest some options for you.

 

[slg47]

some options from blue nile UK
http://www.bluenile.co.uk/diamond-search?pt=setform#diamonds_pid=LD01931828
http://www.bluenile.co.uk/diamond-search?pt=setform#diamonds_pid=LD01574390
http://www.bluenile.co.uk/diamond-search?pt=setform#diamonds_pid=LD01574356