ER stones shortlisted - need expert forum advice PLEASE

[RS6_UK]

Hi All!

I am new to this forum and and stumbled on this excellent website by chance a few days ago.

I came here pretty much uneducated beyond the 4Cs but since then I have read a lot of information on selecting a diamond via this website which I never knew needed to be factored into the buying choice beyond the 4Cs!

Anyway with all this new found knowledge in my head my search for the perfect diamond has become much wider and has caused my initial budget to balloon by double in search of the perfect cut and strict criteria (CA/PA angles, table/depth percentages, etc.)!

I am looking to buy an ER and having read many posts on this forum, have a good idea what I am looking for and am prioritizing cut then carat above all else. The stone would be set in a 6-claw/prong solitaire pave setting which I would also look to buy with the stone if possible.

Through this site, I have come across WF and GOG. I have found a selection of stones and would really appreciate people's advice on the best one taking into account best value for money and aesthetics considering brilliance/sparkle, fire and scintillation. The stone needs to eye-clean with no inclusions and not below G/H colour and Si1 (ideally VS1/VS2). My budget is around $15-20K but obviously it would be good to get value for money. Carat-wise, I am looking at anything between 1.5 to 1.8 carat.

So far, I have short listed the following stones and would really appreciate some input please:

From GOG (Ascendancy range):

http://www.goodoldgold.com/ecommerce/1-66ct-f-si1-superior-round-hearts-and-arrows-diamond.html

http://www.goodoldgold.com/ecommerce/1-63ct-g-si1-superior-round-ideal-cut-diamond.html


From WF (A Cut Above range):

http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/compare.aspx?idnos=3408397,3565129,3508589,3488749,3496144

On the WF and GOG stones, I have run the HCA tool (all stones score below 1.5) but would appreciate some assistance in analysing the ASET and IdealScope images to determine the best cut as I am still unsure how to approach this.

I hope this isn't asking too much of the forum community and if anyone has any other suggestions or trusted vendors which would yield a better stone and value-for-money, please kindly let me know. As a side note, I am based in the UK and would be unable to physically examine the stone if using the above vendors.

Many thanks for any input and advice and looking forward in anticipation to hearing your views.

Cheers.
R

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Welcome! You have selected some beautiful stones! Just for future reference, you don't ever need to use the HCA on WF ACA or GOG Ascendancy or any other AGS Ideal cut stone, because they have gone beyond screening to have been graded ideal on light return. All of them are top cut and will have excellent ASET images as well.

That said, I will have to tell you that all my diamonds have come from Good Old Gold and Whiteflash, so I have high confidence in every stone you posted and love both vendors. At first, I wasn't even sure I could help you narrow them down, but after looking at them, I can narrow down based on my personal preferences for specs. My personal preference for color is G-H and VS for clarity. So from there I eliminate the SI clarity stones, leaving all the VS2 stones. Of the VS2 stones, I would want one of the largest, so I'd definitely eliminate the 1.5 E color stone. If the budget allows, I go for one of the 1.79-1.81 G VS2 stones. Oddly, the 1.806 stone costs more than the 1.812, so I'd eliminate the 1.806.

If you follow me, that leaves the WF 1.792 and the 1.812. I like the 1.812 the best, but only if that works since it is more over budget. My second choice is the 1.79. (The 1.71 is not that much less in price than the 1.79, but it is visually smaller, so I wouldn't choose that one.)

I will say that I personally love the 1.80 size range. It is a significant size but being below 2 cts, you avoid that price jump!

Best of luck to you!

 

[RS6_UK]

Hi diamondseeker2006

Many thanks for your prompt and detailed response, much appreciated! My apologies for the delayed response.

Good to know you have had a great experience with WF and GOG, as have most it seems from my observations of using this forum for the last few days.

Thanks for the heads-up on the HCA tool. I guess I knew this but was merely using this tool to further narrow down the choices to those with the lowest HCA scores. I guess the tool probably isn't meant to be used in that fashion but I felt better seeing lower numbers among the comparisons I made

Your observations and excellent advice on the stone selection has really helped with the decision making process, many thanks. I was initially worried about the H colour grade (was looking more for F & G grades) but after further research it seems H would still look colourless given the excellent ACA cut but at the same time saving a lot of money and thus allowing to upgrade to a bigger carat - I hope I am correct in deducing that. VS2 is also the lowest clarity I am willing to go for.

In summary, I follow your logic and would agree with you - your two choices I am considering. The price jump after 2ct is significant but there isn't much available in the 1.90 - 1.99 range so this is a good compromise @ 1.8XX.

I wonder whether you think the price range of these stones are in line with the market and your expectations? I may look for a similar cut, carat and specification with the other trusted vendors (JA, GOG, etc.) and see what comes back to give a better idea of current market value.

Many thanks for your input once again really very much appreciated.

Cheers,
R

 

[RS6_UK]

Hi All,

I have come across a good comparator on JA to the WF diamond I was considering above.

This is the JA stone I have found (1.804ct, H, VS2, True Hearts Ideal):

http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/1.80-carat-h-color-vs2-clarity-ideal-cut-sku-584255

This is the WF stone (1.818ct, H, VS2, ACA):

http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3508617.htm


The WF stone has price premium of roughly $2,750+ (I'm not sure if JA's listed price is wire transfer or not).

Comparing both stones, could someone please advise whether the WF stone is worth this significant premium?

Many thanks for any input.

Cheers,
R

 

[RS6_UK]

Last comparison!

In summary collating my above posts, I would really appreciate some expert advice in ranking/picking one of these three stones, balancing value for money with cut & spec:

http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3508578.htm

Or

http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3508617.htm

Or

http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/1.80-carat-h-color-vs2-clarity-ideal-cut-sku-584255


Thank you.
R