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francesky

Rough_Rock
Joined
Jul 4, 2018
Messages
5
I would go for the JA one. Any other thoughts on the natural for VVS1 stone?
 
Both have good proportions! I'm not sure I'd (personally) want to pay for VVS1 clarity, it feels a bit like overkill in terms of stuff yo can't see anyway. On the other hand, I feel like D color is also a bit higher than necessary.

IMHO F/G VS2 or VS1 is a nice "sweet spot" for value, but again that's totally my opinion. What are you looking for overall? Would you like to go bigger (if you could)? Or do you need very high color because of color sensitivity?
 
Hi Lovedogs,
I care more about the scintillation/brilliance/fire. In terms of clarity and color, as long as it doesn't have very noticeable imperfections on the surface and doesn't appear to be a yellowish hue i'm not too picky. I might be more sensitive to a yellowish color than to the imperfections.
 
Whats your budget, preferred size, etc?
 
Thanks for all of your advice! I don't want to go over too much the price range of these diamonds and the carat size of around 1.15 - 1.20. I was just wondering in terms of sparkle or shininess if there was a noticeable difference between the two.
 
I'm not sure if there will be a noticeable difference between the two--both have good proportions.

But with your budget, you could go larger, or you could save $$ and get a super-ideal stone with a vendor who has an excellent upgrade policy.

For example, high performance diamonds (HPD) has this one--and others like it.

https://www.hpdiamonds.com/en-us/diamonddetail/HPD9599

Their stones are incredible, and you'd actually get a better stone for less money. Obviously everyone is different, but very few people can see a "tint" to G colored stones. HPD could also set the stone for you.

Another option is white flash (WF), another super-ideal vendor with a great upgrade policy who could set the stone.

https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3788899.htm

This one looks great and gives you more size for less $.

I think given your budget, you could get a better (more ideal) cut stone from a vendor with better policies.
 
francesky said:
Hello Everyone,

I was wondering if someone could help me compare these two diamonds, one from James Allen and one from Blue Nile. Blue Nile offers the GemEx report, while JA doesn't. Can someone help me determine which one has better brilliance, fire, sparkle?

https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-di...olor-vvs1-clarity-true-hearts-cut-sku-4632157

https://www.bluenile.com/diamond-de...DiamondDetails&action=newTab&catalogView=true

Thank you!
Click to expand...

The JA one looks like there are more inclusions that’s what’s on the AGS plot. If you look at the ASET image, you can clearly see a big inclusion on the 1 o’clock position. I would ask about that if you’re thinking of buying that stone.

Also, in the JA stone, you can see more inclusions with the table side down in the hearts image in the 12 and 6 o’clock positions.

I would make sure they’re not inclusions before purchasing the JA one.
 
mathnerd88 said:
One of the hearts is missing the lines...I wouldn’t choose this one. I think this would’ve been disqualified as ACA from WF if they had the stone...
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I don't know why that is, but it is my understanding that HPD cutting criteria are stricter than WF.

You would need to speak to @Wink or @John Pollard to confirm any reasons for 'imperfect hearts', but I highly doubt it has any negative impact in the stone's performance or quality.
 
mathnerd88 said:
The JA one looks like there are more inclusions that’s what’s on the AGS plot. If you look at the ASET image, you can clearly see a big inclusion on the 1 o’clock position. I would ask about that if you’re thinking of buying that stone.

Also, in the JA stone, you can see more inclusions with the table side down in the hearts image in the 12 and 6 o’clock positions.

I would make sure they’re not inclusions before purchasing the JA one.
Click to expand...

What? There is no ASET for the JA stone outside the COMPUTER GENERATED one included on the AGS report that is generated by the 3D scan of the stone (how AGS is able to assess an objective cut grade). Not to mention JA's policy to only provide idealscope images on rounds, only by request (yet's provides ASET's on other shapes :rolleyes: ).

Also, maybe I am blind, but can you point out the inclusions you see at the 12 and 6 o'clock positions? I'm not seeing what you are obviously.

FYI, I don't think the natural will cause you an issue but you can ask to make sure. Typically indented naturals can appear as chips; however, this is shown to be a natural, not indented natural.

https://yourdiamondteacher.com/diamond-4cs/clarity/diamond-inclusion-types-list/

Capture.PNG

As far as comparing these two stones, here are my thoughts:
  • JA - Of the two you listed, I prefer this stone. It's a true H&A stone, plus it has AGS certification. This means, the ideal 0 cut grade assigned was done via 3D model and the proportions reported are more accurate. In other words, I can trust it has a 34.8 crown, or reasonably close. And even if it's not exactly 34.8 (as all reports average the 8 individual readings) the 3D model assures us it has no negative impact on light performance.
  • BN - Proportions look good, but are on the opposite end of the super ideal parameters. On the JA stone we saw a 34.8 crown with 15.1% thick crown and 56.5 table. Here the BN stone has a 34 crown but 15% crown thickness and 56 table. This seems odd to me, and I would think it would be less for the angle. Generally speaking a higher crown with smaller table will produce more fire. I put zero value in the GemEx report, and don't buy into the "Astor Ideal" cut because it's based on the GemEx report. There are stones without that report that can and will perform equally as well. This added with the fact it's GIA certified meaning it uses less complex 2D modeling (as opposed to AGS 3D modeling) and that GIA is known for funky averaging & rounding and I simply don't have the same trust level in the stone as the AGS stone. This can be easily overcome with an ASET, but it's been my experience virtual inventory dealers like BN are not always the most cooperative in providing ASET's -- you will be lucky to get an idealscope image.
Regardless, I think you have a healthy budget for the size and other criteria requirements you have and I would personally look towards a super ideal stone. I think you will get a guaranteed performer, have better trade-in and/or buy-back policies and receive excellent customer service.

Briefly visiting a few various sites, you will have a plethora of options. Before I toss them all your way, can you help narrow down the field a little. You mentioned you'd like to stay around the same size. Is there a reason? Are you trying to fit into an existing setting? I ask because depending how you set your color & clarity parameters we can likely get you a bigger stone for the same money, or the same size for a little less money.

This brings up the next question -- where do you want to be on color & clarity? Are you Asian by chance? Many in Asian culture seek out super high color & clarity. Most Americans will find a G+ and eye clean SI1+ stone to be acceptable. Obviously an eye clean G SI1 stone will yield you a much bigger stone for the same money than a D VS1.

Hope to hear from you soon so we can continue the search on your behalf.
 
mathnerd88 said:
One of the hearts is missing the lines...I wouldn’t choose this one. I think this would’ve been disqualified as ACA from WF if they had the stone...
Click to expand...
What lines? :confused:
 
Dancing Fire said:
What lines? :confused:
Click to expand...

I was confused by this too. I *think* he meant the yellowish spot near the 7 o'clock position. But I dont interpret the same way and I didn't agree with his points on the JA analysis either.

That HP stone you selected will be :silenced:'n gorgeous! 55 table, 34.5 crown and 40.8 pavilion. :lickout: :love:
 
sledge said:
I was confused by this too. I *think* he meant the yellowish spot near the 7 o'clock position. But I dont interpret the same way and I didn't agree with his points on the JA analysis either.

That HP stone you selected will be :silenced:'n gorgeous! 55 table, 34.5 crown and 40.8 pavilion. :lickout: :love:
Click to expand...
IMO, there's nothing wrong with the heart pic.
 
Wow thank you for all of your advice, seems like you spent a lot of effort going through the diamonds already. I would have a carat range of around 1.15 - 1.3, so these stones happened to look beautiful within that range. I am not trying to fit into an existing setting.

In terms of color and clarity, I wouldn't want to go under F color and VS2. I am Asian! didn't know there was such a large difference between populations. Thanks again!:D
 
sledge said:
I was confused by this too. I *think* he meant the yellowish spot near the 7 o'clock position. But I dont interpret the same way and I didn't agree with his points on the JA analysis either.

That HP stone you selected will be :silenced:'n gorgeous! 55 table, 34.5 crown and 40.8 pavilion. :lickout: :love:
Click to expand...

hearts201803061620319895-hearts.jpg


Yes, the 7 o'clock position. The hearts image for 11 o'clock position is also a little off, as well as the hearts image for the 12 o'clock position has thicker lines. As for the JA stone, I must have been looking at a different stone from a different link. Sorry about that!
 
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mathnerd88 said:
hearts201803061620319895-hearts.jpg


Yes, the 7 o'clock position. As for the JA stone, I must have been looking at a different stone from a different link. Sorry about that!
Click to expand...
FYI, nothing is wrong with the heart at 7:00. :))
 
Dancing Fire said:
FYI, nothing is wrong with the heart at 7:00. :))
Click to expand...

What would cause the line to disappear there then? Artifact on the scope?

Also, the heart and arrow in the 11 o'clock is a little misaligned and thinner than the 12 o'clock. But that's just me. It probably doesn't matter in performance anyways.
 
mathnerd88 said:
What would cause the line to disappear there then? Artifact on the scope?

Also, the heart and arrow in the 11 o'clock is a little misaligned and thinner than the 12 o'clock. But that's just me. It probably doesn't matter in performance anyways.
Click to expand...
Most likely is the pic. You can pretty much tell if the hearts are off by looking at the IS photo.
 
francesky said:
Wow thank you for all of your advice, seems like you spent a lot of effort going through the diamonds already. I would have a carat range of around 1.15 - 1.3, so these stones happened to look beautiful within that range. I am not trying to fit into an existing setting.

In terms of color and clarity, I wouldn't want to go under F color and VS2. I am Asian! didn't know there was such a large difference between populations. Thanks again!:D
Click to expand...

I totally understand. My fiancé is asian too. Do you know how color sensitive the recipient is and what setting you plan on putting the diamond in? If they're really color sensitive, then I would recommend sticking to D or E color, especially if you're putting the diamond in a solitaire setting where the stone is visible from the side. I personally can start to see color from the side at F. D and E look the same to me: Icy white.

Here's an E/VVS2 from Whiteflash. I really like the cut of this stone and the video looks amazing! VVS2 clarity is overkill (I think VS2 is the sweet spot) but it's not priced much above the stones at the VS level, and I'm sure the VVS clarity will help impress the in-laws haha :mrgreen::
https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3963074.htm
 
So I'm trying to make a final decision between Blue Nile and the James Allen Diamonds as they have better financing options than Whiteflash. Which diamond do you all think will perform better in terms of overall brilliance, fire, and just shininess? Or if there are any other diamonds on these two websites you can recommend that will perform better for the same value?

https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-di...olor-vvs1-clarity-true-hearts-cut-sku-4632157

https://www.bluenile.com/diamond-de...DiamondDetails&action=newTab&catalogView=true

Thanks!
 
What kind of finance options does JA and BN have that isn't available at WF? I thought all used Affinity pretty much.

FYI I bought my girl a super ideal from Brian Gavin Diamonds (BGD) and had received an email the other day about 0% interest financing with them and Affinity. I trashed it as I had no interest right now but maybe that's worth checking out.

To answer your question, I like the JA stone better. It's a true H&A so it is guaranteed to have great symmetry. It also has AGS certification proving the proportions are really ideal. Also a higher crown angle will typically throw more fire whereas a lower crown may have a little more white.

I do like the 75 LGF of the BN stone but with the way GIA rounds they really could be 73-77. This is a preference thing but smaller LGF equals fatter arrows and it does better in dark environments and has bigger flashes. Higher LGF has skinnier arrows, does better in bright lighting and has smaller more dispersed flashes. Looking at the video they appear very similar to me so I think the BN stone is probably closer to 76-77 in reality, which is in their range to be reported as 75.

Also, the BN stone is odd in it has 15% girdle thickness on a 34 crown. I'd expect to see a 14.x% value here, but maybe this too has to do with funky GIA grading.

My final thoughts are I'd be more interested in the JA stone than BN stone as it's got AGS ideal cut status and true H&A with proportions i.peraonally like better. My only concern is it appears to me there might be some brown undertone to the stone.

But honestly for your budget I'd be buying a super ideal from WF, BGD or HPD as I believe that is where you will find the most sparkle.
 
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