Hi all,
I’m completely new to this forum and would love your advice. My partner and I are choosing a stone together. We have decided on the diamond type (a round solitaire).
We are keen to get to the carat mark (or as close as possible), however would prefer not to splurge completely on the 1 carat and maybe save a little ( from the .9 to .99 mark) if we can find one. However if we do find a great stone, we are happy to do so. We have been given 3 quotations and I wondered if you might be able to help me assess the quality of the stone (I want something most fire and brilliance) as well as the best value for money of the stones.
The .85 is not really negotiable, whereas there may be a little leeway for the .96 and 1.01 stones.
Stone 1: The 1.01 carat stone: Price quoted: £6,750gbp
Measurement: 6.61 – 6.64 x 3.77 mm
Color Grade D
Clarity Grade SI1
Cut Grade Very Good
Depth 56.9 %
Table 63 %
Crown Angle 30.0°
Crown Height 10.5%
Pavilion Angle 40.8°
Pavilion Depth 43.0%
Star Length 50%
Lower Half 75%
Girdle Slightly Thick to Thick, Faceted, 3.5%
Culet None
Polish Very Good
Symmetry Very Good
clarity characteristics Crystal, Pinpoint, Extra Facet
The flaws in the diamond are on the side (one on the far right side edge, and the other on left, not quite in the middle). Please see pic attached.

————————
Stone 2: The .96 I was initially quite keen on, the cut is excellent, however the clarity worried me a little bit as there are a number of flaws scattered around the middle. Quoted price: £6,300 gbp
Measurements 6.36 – 6.39 x 3.87 mm
Carat Weight 0.96 carat
Color Grade E
Clarity Grade SI1
Cut Grade Excellent
Depth 60.7 %
Table 59 %
Crown Angle 34.5°
Crown Height 14.5%
Pavilion Angle 40.6°
Pavilion Depth 43.0%
Star Length 50%
Lower Half 80%
Girdle Thin to Medium, Faceted, 3.5%
Culet None
Polish Very Good
Symmetry Excellent
clarity characteristics Crystal, Cloud, Needle, Indented Natural

The flaws that worry me mainly spread around the centre. Will this affect the diamond massively? I am worried the cloud in the .96 may cause problems as it seems to be the main clarity issue, even though cut is good.
Stone 3: The .85. I feel like this one is on the smaller size as compared to what I really want. The price quoted:£ 4,500gbp
Measurements 6.10 – 6.11 x 3.77 mm
Carat Weight 0.85 carat
Color Grade E
Clarity Grade SI1
Cut Grade Excellent
Depth 61.8 %
Table 57 %
Crown Angle 34.0°
Crown Height 14.5%
Pavilion Angle 41.4°
Pavilion Depth 44.0%
Star Length 50%
Lower Half 80%
Girdle Thin to Medium, Faceted, 3.0%
Culet None
Polish Very Good
Symmetry Excellent
Fluorescence None
clarity characteristics Cloud, Feather
Not sure where these flaws are, as no pic!
So all in all, would love your thoughts on which stone might look the best in terms of fire and brilliance (quality). Which stone is the best value for money, and if I had to go for one of the bigger stones (.96 and 1.01) which should I ideally go for? Is there a tangible difference between the .5 and .96?
Thanks so much.
I’m completely new to this forum and would love your advice. My partner and I are choosing a stone together. We have decided on the diamond type (a round solitaire).
We are keen to get to the carat mark (or as close as possible), however would prefer not to splurge completely on the 1 carat and maybe save a little ( from the .9 to .99 mark) if we can find one. However if we do find a great stone, we are happy to do so. We have been given 3 quotations and I wondered if you might be able to help me assess the quality of the stone (I want something most fire and brilliance) as well as the best value for money of the stones.
The .85 is not really negotiable, whereas there may be a little leeway for the .96 and 1.01 stones.
Stone 1: The 1.01 carat stone: Price quoted: £6,750gbp
Measurement: 6.61 – 6.64 x 3.77 mm
Color Grade D
Clarity Grade SI1
Cut Grade Very Good
Depth 56.9 %
Table 63 %
Crown Angle 30.0°
Crown Height 10.5%
Pavilion Angle 40.8°
Pavilion Depth 43.0%
Star Length 50%
Lower Half 75%
Girdle Slightly Thick to Thick, Faceted, 3.5%
Culet None
Polish Very Good
Symmetry Very Good
clarity characteristics Crystal, Pinpoint, Extra Facet
The flaws in the diamond are on the side (one on the far right side edge, and the other on left, not quite in the middle). Please see pic attached.

————————
Stone 2: The .96 I was initially quite keen on, the cut is excellent, however the clarity worried me a little bit as there are a number of flaws scattered around the middle. Quoted price: £6,300 gbp
Measurements 6.36 – 6.39 x 3.87 mm
Carat Weight 0.96 carat
Color Grade E
Clarity Grade SI1
Cut Grade Excellent
Depth 60.7 %
Table 59 %
Crown Angle 34.5°
Crown Height 14.5%
Pavilion Angle 40.6°
Pavilion Depth 43.0%
Star Length 50%
Lower Half 80%
Girdle Thin to Medium, Faceted, 3.5%
Culet None
Polish Very Good
Symmetry Excellent
clarity characteristics Crystal, Cloud, Needle, Indented Natural

The flaws that worry me mainly spread around the centre. Will this affect the diamond massively? I am worried the cloud in the .96 may cause problems as it seems to be the main clarity issue, even though cut is good.
Stone 3: The .85. I feel like this one is on the smaller size as compared to what I really want. The price quoted:£ 4,500gbp
Measurements 6.10 – 6.11 x 3.77 mm
Carat Weight 0.85 carat
Color Grade E
Clarity Grade SI1
Cut Grade Excellent
Depth 61.8 %
Table 57 %
Crown Angle 34.0°
Crown Height 14.5%
Pavilion Angle 41.4°
Pavilion Depth 44.0%
Star Length 50%
Lower Half 80%
Girdle Thin to Medium, Faceted, 3.0%
Culet None
Polish Very Good
Symmetry Excellent
Fluorescence None
clarity characteristics Cloud, Feather
Not sure where these flaws are, as no pic!
So all in all, would love your thoughts on which stone might look the best in terms of fire and brilliance (quality). Which stone is the best value for money, and if I had to go for one of the bigger stones (.96 and 1.01) which should I ideally go for? Is there a tangible difference between the .5 and .96?
Thanks so much.
