Did I pay too much?

[Rockdiamond]

Ellen- I never meant to include you in the 60/60 bashers either- you expressed it perfectly in your first post.

I have indeed spent an inordinate amount of time with some really gorgeous near tolk diamonds. What''s not love?
I''ve sold some AGS 0''s that blew me away. Not all that tough to sell. Again what''s not to love?
Like you, my point was never that a near tolk was undesirable in any way.
Just that it was - to someone with an eye for diamonds- different than a well cut 60/60.
I love how you put it- one has more brilliance, one has more fire.

That''s why I think davismi2 might be just fine, and if he does decide to keep the diamond, IMO it''s not going to be a terrible decision, all things considered.

 

[Ellen]

Date: 3/9/2009 7:08:19 PM
Author: Rockdiamond
Ellen- I never meant to include you in the 60/60 bashers either- you expressed it perfectly in your first post.

I have indeed spent an inordinate amount of time with some really gorgeous near tolk diamonds. What''s not love?
I''ve sold some AGS 0''s that blew me away. Not all that tough to sell. Again what''s not to love?
Like you, my point was never that a near tolk was undesirable in any way.
Just that it was - to someone with an eye for diamonds- different than a well cut 60/60.
I love how you put it- one has more brilliance, one has more fire.

That''s why I think davismi2 might be just fine, and if he does decide to keep the diamond, IMO it''s not going to be a terrible decision, all things considered.

And I didn''t take it that way either.

As to what each stone has to give, with both being beautiful, I totally buy that! As I''ve said before, here''s where the recommendations for near Tolk come in. Most people coming here for advice/to purchase have little to no experience with diamonds. Most have not seen an extremely well cut, well balanced "anything". (I was 46 before I saw one

) So we go with stones that have a good balance of both brilliance and fire. Why gyp them in the fire department? That''s half the fun.

There will be plenty of time for them to explore, learn about other cuts, and decide if they like some other cut better, or all of them! I''d love to own several.

But again, it''s safer to recommend something we know will not be lacking in any area. And I personally feel better about that.

 

[purrfectpear]

Total Visual Performance 4.3 - Good - Only if price is your main criterion


That really says it all. FlyGirl has a 60/60. She''s not knocking them. She''s saying that there are much, much better performing 60/60 diamonds than one that only achieved a 4.3 on the HCA. The OP himself says it''s not so hot out of the store lighting. As for his friends, they most likely fall into the "anything sparkly is good" camp. The majority of consumers do. Otherwise Jareds, Zales, Gordons, et. all wouldn''t be able to sell diamonds.

It''s not as though this diamond was an underpriced bargain worth overlooking mediocre performance. It''s priced at the high end. For that money, OP should get the best cut possible (even if it''s another 60/60 that scores better)

 

[Fly Girl]

Date: 3/9/2009 7:58:04 PM
Author: purrfectpear
Total Visual Performance 4.3 - Good - Only if price is your main criterion


That really says it all. FlyGirl has a 60/60. She''s not knocking them. She''s saying that there are much, much better performing 60/60 diamonds than one that only achieved a 4.3 on the HCA. The OP himself says it''s not so hot out of the store lighting. As for his friends, they most likely fall into the ''anything sparkly is good'' camp. The majority of consumers do. Otherwise Jareds, Zales, Gordons, et. all wouldn''t be able to sell diamonds.

It''s not as though this diamond was an underpriced bargain worth overlooking mediocre performance. It''s priced at the high end. For that money, OP should get the best cut possible (even if it''s another 60/60 that scores better)

Thank you, PP. I agree completely.

Given all the information available here, I think it is easier to find a high performing ideal cut for what the OP paid, than a high performing 60/60 cut. I don''t think he was necessarily trying for a 60/60 in the first place.

 

[davismi2]

Hey Rocky,

Hahaha, wow...had no idea that was your nickname, don''t even remember writing that...weird.
Anyways, sorry...didn''t mean to start a debate, can tell you all are very passionate about diamonds/jewlery...which is a good thing, it''s good to be passionate about things.
So, I''m going to call Longs to see if I can stop in tonight to see what else they have.
Looking at the stone face-up it looks totally bright/white, but once you look at it from the side, at a profile, you can see a small, slight tinge of yellow...
Also, if looking at it say from a side angle, through the top...you can see a slight tinge of yellow in the right light. It''s by no means blatant, but I''m anal...and I can see it.
Do you think I''d notice much difference between a a G or H and the I that I have?
Also, the fact that the cut isn''t the best according to what I''ve read makes me want to look at what else they may have. If I have to go a little smaller to get a better cut/color then I will.

What are some good ref. #''s to go buy in terms of proportions to make sure I''m getting something "good", (I know, subjective)? something like no less than X and no more than Y etc...

Thank you very much for your help, -Dave

 

[Rockdiamond]

Hey Dave- actually the ful nickname is "Rocky Schwartzberger", but that''s an entirely different story.

I''m confident others will chime in with numbers for you- my approach is to look at the actual stone and not let the numbers rule.

It sounds like you''re among the group that is color sensitive so it might be that you need to stay above I color

 

[Ellen]

Date: 3/10/2009 5:01:52 PM
Author: davismi2
Hey Rocky,

Hahaha, wow...had no idea that was your nickname, don't even remember writing that...weird.
Anyways, sorry...didn't mean to start a debate, can tell you all are very passionate about diamonds/jewlery...which is a good thing, it's good to be passionate about things.
So, I'm going to call Longs to see if I can stop in tonight to see what else they have.
Looking at the stone face-up it looks totally bright/white, but once you look at it from the side, at a profile, you can see a small, slight tinge of yellow...
Also, if looking at it say from a side angle, through the top...you can see a slight tinge of yellow in the right light. It's by no means blatant, but I'm anal...and I can see it.
Do you think I'd notice much difference between a a G or H and the I that I have?
Also, the fact that the cut isn't the best according to what I've read makes me want to look at what else they may have. If I have to go a little smaller to get a better cut/color then I will.

What are some good ref. #'s to go buy in terms of proportions to make sure I'm getting something 'good', (I know, subjective)? something like no less than X and no more than Y etc...

Thank you very much for your help, -Dave

With GIA stones, here's a cheet sheet to use, as they round these numbers. From John Pollard:

"With that said, here's a "Cliff's Notes" for staying near Tolkowsky/ideal angles with GIA reports (their numbers are rounded): A crown angle of 34.0, 34.5 or 35.0 is usually safe with a 40.8 pavilion angle. If pavilion angle = 40.6 lean toward a 34.5-35.0 crown. If pavilion angle = 41 lean toward a 34.0-34.5 crown.

GIA "EX" in cut is great at its heart, but it ranges a bit wider than some people prefer, particularly in deep combinations (pavilion > 41 with crown > 35)."



Table 54-57ish

Depth 60-62.2

Girdle: Thin, Med. Slightly thick, or a combination thereof are all fine

Cut grade EX

Symmetry EX

Polish EX

Culet None, Pointed, Small are all fine


Or, if they have AGS0's, those would be good.

 

[davismi2]

Thanks a lot for the help...

 

[Ellen]

You''re very welcome. Good luck, and if you have any other questions, feel free to ask!