Hi everyone,
Long time lurker, first time poster here. I've spent a few months reading up tons of information regarding diamonds, the 4 C's, hearts and arrows, and various other parameters. I feel like I am far more educated than I ever thought I would be but I have not found adequate clarification on one point: The effect that Cut has on the other C's.
The gist that I get is that an absolutely ideal cut can cause a round diamond to, when set, appear larger and a few clarity grades higher than it really is; I've also read that a great cut can make inclusions harder to detect in some cases. Is this generally true or simply vendor hype?
This uncertainty is causing me grief because generally I'd prefer to buy quality vs. quantity. I'd prefer to have smaller F-G-H VS1 instead of a larger I-J SI1 for example. Now suppose I buy a Whiteflash ACA diamond, or an Infinity Diamond from HP Diamonds. From what I read these are among the best cut diamonds to choose from. Would these cuts really cause the stone to face-up more colorlessly and appear a little larger? I'm wondering if I lower my color/clarity standards and raise my cut standards to the maximum, if this would be a smart move; for it would allow me to look for a larger carat size for the same money. I might be bothered a little knowing that the AGS report would maybe say J and SI1 on it, but if the diamond itself truly looks better than the grade suggests due to the cut, I would be happy. For what its worth, the setting will be either white gold 18k or platinum .950; possibly with side diamonds channel-set or pave. My budget is flexible; I've looked at diamonds anywhere from 3k to 8k. I guess once I know better what qualities I want for my 4 C's, I'll tighten that range accordingly.
Any thoughts? Thanks in advance!
Long time lurker, first time poster here. I've spent a few months reading up tons of information regarding diamonds, the 4 C's, hearts and arrows, and various other parameters. I feel like I am far more educated than I ever thought I would be but I have not found adequate clarification on one point: The effect that Cut has on the other C's.
The gist that I get is that an absolutely ideal cut can cause a round diamond to, when set, appear larger and a few clarity grades higher than it really is; I've also read that a great cut can make inclusions harder to detect in some cases. Is this generally true or simply vendor hype?
This uncertainty is causing me grief because generally I'd prefer to buy quality vs. quantity. I'd prefer to have smaller F-G-H VS1 instead of a larger I-J SI1 for example. Now suppose I buy a Whiteflash ACA diamond, or an Infinity Diamond from HP Diamonds. From what I read these are among the best cut diamonds to choose from. Would these cuts really cause the stone to face-up more colorlessly and appear a little larger? I'm wondering if I lower my color/clarity standards and raise my cut standards to the maximum, if this would be a smart move; for it would allow me to look for a larger carat size for the same money. I might be bothered a little knowing that the AGS report would maybe say J and SI1 on it, but if the diamond itself truly looks better than the grade suggests due to the cut, I would be happy. For what its worth, the setting will be either white gold 18k or platinum .950; possibly with side diamonds channel-set or pave. My budget is flexible; I've looked at diamonds anywhere from 3k to 8k. I guess once I know better what qualities I want for my 4 C's, I'll tighten that range accordingly.
Any thoughts? Thanks in advance!