Did I make a good choice??? -

[MelanieC]

I went to Robbins Jewelers in Delaware today. Great HUGE store! Each person there has an individual desk with a microscope. Lots of room in each individual space so there was privacy (everyone in the store doesn't know what your spending) I had to take my 6 & 12 year old with me and they had a huge area for kids with toys and movies. Every other store I ever went to only showed me diamonds using a loop. This is what I bought.

AGS Triple 0 Score 11/19/03
RB 1.085 cts
Price $7000.00 Less $50 referral coupon -$6950 (no tax because bought in DE)
Measurements - 6.55-6.59x408mm
Cut Grade AGS Ideal 0
Polish - Ideal
Symmetry - Ideal
Proportions - Ideal
Color- AGS 2.0 (H)
Clarity - AGS 4 (VS2)
Depth-62.2%
Table-56%
Crown % 15.1
Crown Angle-34.8
Pavillion %-43.1
Pavillion Angle-41.0
Girdle - 1.7% to 2.7% Faceted (I believe he said it was medium)
Culet-pointed
flourensce: Negligible

This stone had more fire than any stone I have EVER seen. I saw such huge color ranges without having to TRY! The light return made this baby shine! There are two inclusions on the table. A fairly small cloud (very light colored than most I have seen) and a few pin dots that I could barely see under a microsope.

DH had given me $7500 to spend total for diamond and setting (although he approved $8000 this morning before I left). This stone cost less than the one originally mentioned in this post because I didn't have to pay sales tax. I put most of my money in the diamond so I went simple with the setting. I am actually glad I did. I think it's going to make that baby sit up and be noticed. Nothing to distract it.

I got a 4mm 14K white gold setting that has really cool cutting on the top. Its a heavy setting with a very slight bevel around edges. I got a matching beveled 4mm white gold band.

This store has Isee2 Scanner that takes 180 pictures of your diamond and rates it for Brilliance, Scintillation & Symmetry. Highest scores being 10. It scored a total 9.6. out of 10. He said the highest he has ever seen is 9.8 and has never seen a 10. I couldn't really tell exactly because it was on a bar grid. I guess I should have asked but only went by the total of all 3. It scored almost a perfect 10 on brilliance and only slightly lower on the sintillation & symmetry.

I just checked the HCA advisor and I am a little confused though. The other stone had a better HCA grade (1.8 I think). This stone scored a worse score?? I put in 0 on culet %(Is this correct?)

Selected: 62.2% depth, 56% table, 34.8° crown angle, 41° pavilion angle
The result is for a symmetrical diamond with a medium girdle and very good polish
HCA scores were adjusted Dec. 15, 2001 and Feb. 6, 2003.


Factor Grade
Light Return Excellent
Fire Very Good
Scintillation Very Good
Spread or diameter for weight Very Good
Total Visual Performance 2.1 - Very Good - Worth buying if the price is right
Even though HCA grades cut more effectively than systems like the AGS, it does not yet factor in symmetry and minor facets. Having found a diamond that scores well, you should employ an expert appraiser to examine the stone. If you decide not to, then at least compare the diamond to others and/or view it through an ideal-scope.

A score below 2 (Excellent) means you have eliminated known poor performers (more than 95% of all diamonds). Your own personal preference may be for a diamond with an HCA score of 1.5 more rather than one with a lower score of say 0.5.

Many diamonds with excellent scores may not be traditional 'ideal cuts' but we believe their value will rise once the GIA establishes its cut standard.
This system is being continually fine-tuned and results may change without notice.


What's up with the score. I didn't have angles on the first diamond, but it scored higher. It scored high on the stores machine that rated these things. That took 180 pictures all around the diamond. I also swear I saw arrows when looking at it from the top. Maybe I am crazy. They also did another stone that was more similiar (but still better) than the original stone I mentioned in my post. It came up with a score of 7.6 out of 10. I will take 9.6 any day!!

What do you think?

 

[Dancing Fire]

----------------
On 6/17/2004 8:30:24 PM MelanieC wrote:

Thanks for everyone's replies.

I went to Robbins Jewelers in Delaware today. Great HUGE store! Each person there has an individual desk with a microscope. Lots of room in each individual space so there was privacy (everyone in the store doesn't know what your spending) I had to take my 6 & 12 year old with me and they had a huge area for kids with toys and movies. Every other store I ever went to only showed me diamonds using a loop. This is what I bought.

AGS Triple 0 Score 11/19/04
RB 1.085 cts
Price $7000.00 Less $50 referral coupon -$6950 (no tax because bought in DE)
Measurements - 6.55-6.59x408mm
Cut Grade AGS Ideal 0
Polish - Ideal
Symmetry - Ideal
Proportions - Ideal
Color- AGS 2.0 (H)
Clarity - AGS 4 (VS2)
Depth-62.2%
Table-56%
Crown % 15.1
Crown Angle-34.8
Pavillion %-43.1
Pavillion Angle-41.0
Girdle - 1.7% to 2.7% Faceted (I believe he said it was medium)
Culet-pointed
flourensce: Negligible

This stone had more fire than any stone I have EVER seen. I saw such huge color ranges without having to TRY! The light return made this baby shine! There are two inclusions on the table. A fairly small cloud (very light colored than most I have seen) and a few pin dots that I could barely see under a microsope.

DH had given me $7500 to spend total for diamond and setting (although he approved $8000 this morning before I left). This stone cost less than the one originally mentioned in this post because I didn't have to pay sales tax. I put most of my money in the diamond so I went simple with the setting. I am actually glad I did. I think it's going to make that baby sit up and be noticed. Nothing to distract it.

I got a 4mm 14K white gold setting that has really cool cutting on the top. Its a heavy setting with a very slight bevel around edges. I got a matching beveled 4mm white gold band.

This store has Isee2 Scanner that takes 180 pictures of your diamond and rates it for Brilliance, Scintillation & Symmetry. Highest scores being 10. It scored a total 9.6. out of 10. He said the highest he has ever seen is 9.8 and has never seen a 10. I couldn't really tell exactly because it was on a bar grid. I guess I should have asked but only went by the total of all 3. It scored almost a perfect 10 on brilliance and only slightly lower on the sintillation & symmetry.

I just checked the HCA advisor and I am a little confused though. The other stone had a better HCA grade (1.8 I think). This stone scored a worse score?? I put in 0 on culet %(Is this correct?)

Selected: 62.2% depth, 56% table, 34.8° crown angle, 41° pavilion angle
The result is for a symmetrical diamond with a medium girdle and very good polish
HCA scores were adjusted Dec. 15, 2001 and Feb. 6, 2003.


Factor Grade
Light Return Excellent
Fire Very Good
Scintillation Very Good
Spread or diameter for weight Very Good
Total Visual Performance 2.1 - Very Good - Worth buying if the price is right
Even though HCA grades cut more effectively than systems like the AGS, it does not yet factor in symmetry and minor facets. Having found a diamond that scores well, you should employ an expert appraiser to examine the stone. If you decide not to, then at least compare the diamond to others and/or view it through an ideal-scope.

A score below 2 (Excellent) means you have eliminated known poor performers (more than 95% of all diamonds). Your own personal preference may be for a diamond with an HCA score of 1.5 more rather than one with a lower score of say 0.5.

Many diamonds with excellent scores may not be traditional 'ideal cuts' but we believe their value will rise once the GIA establishes its cut standard.
This system is being continually fine-tuned and results may change without notice.


What's up with the score. I didn't have angles on the first diamond, but it scored higher. It scored high on the stores machine that rated these things. That took 180 pictures all around the diamond. I also swear I saw arrows when looking at it from the top. Maybe I am crazy. They also did another stone that was more similiar (but still better) than the original stone I mentioned in my post. It came up with a score of 7.6 out of 10. I will take 9.6 any day!!

What do you think? ----------------

MelanieC

H vs2 an ex combo,ex value

The reason for the HCA score is the pavil of 41' that's when they start to get hit with a higher score.

Is it a H&A stone?

sounds like a nice stone and price seems fair for a b&m store

 

[Lynn B]

You might want to double check the date on the cert... it isn't November '04 yet?!!!

Lynn

 

[squirerad]

Just by looking at a few web sites, there are better deals in terms of the 5C's, such as this and this and this one and many others.

Of course, you've established a jeweler that you feel is good, credible and will provide certain services that internet shopping won't do or is impractical to do such as free annual inspections, cleaning, repairs, etc. They also seem to have charged a fair price and down the road may cost you less if they provide all those services I mentioned.

squire

 

[MelanieC]

Sorry, it's 11/19/03. Its a habit now to put 2004!

I went back and put in crown & Pavillion % instead of angles and I got a score of 1.2. That at least makes me feel better since the other stone had 1.7 using %.

 

[Lynn B]

Plus you SAW the stone and it sparkled like crazy. THAT is worth more than any "score" anywhere!

Lynn

 

[Magnum]

----------------
On 6/17/2004 9:26:12 PM Lynn B wrote:

Plus you SAW the stone and it sparkled like crazy. THAT is worth more than any 'score' anywhere!

Lynn----------------

Couldn't agree more. Seeing the stone in different lighting and comparing it to other "ideal" cut stones with your own eyes is definitely one of the most important tests. Your the one that's going to have to look at it, so if it's pleasing to your eyes, that's the most important test.

As far as the HCA score, angles are more accurate than percentages, since the angle of the facets is what reflects the light back to your eye, so normally using angles gives a more accurate result. Saying that, there are a lot of factors the HCA admittedly does not take into account, so while it's a useful initial sorting tool to help narrow down your selection, it doesn't have enough information to tell you if a specific diamond is going to be beautiful or not. besides the fact that it doesn't take into account minor facets, angles variances, symmetry, etc., it's also only as accurate as the information it gets. The angles that you entered come froma sarin machine that has it's own margin of error, and it's not uncommon for the measurements to be slightly different when measured again, even on the same machine. So it's possible the average crown angle could in reality be 40.9 degrees, vice 41.0 degrees, which would give it a much better score, since the HCA does penalize stones with angles of 41.0 or greater combined with larger crown angles. Saying all that, the HCA score really isn't a good indicator of whether or not you got a good stone. If you really want peace of mind about your purchase, a trusted independent appraiser is the way to go. Beyond that, it sounds like you got a really nice stone that is beautiful in your eyes, and did get an escellent ISEE2 score, which is a lot better at measuring diamond beauty than the HCA, if you're looking for some quantifiable test.