Final decision! 2 ACA, 1 GIA

[Belic]

Hello my lovely PS community!

I’m finally going to make a decision! I’m leaning towards one of the stones but would like your opinion. Background info, one of these is a non ACA, one is reserved by another consumer and one is a available ACA.

Which one looks most white to you?


They are all pretty much the same price.

The non ACA has better colour and clarity on the paper. The video of the stone looks awesome even though i guess it won’t have as much sparkle as the ACA. Hearts looks messy.

Before i spoil you with the rest of idealscope/aset I would love your opinion of the first pics!

 

[EvaEvans]

The middle one.

 

[ringo865]

Yes spoil us with the ASETs. The color looks similar btw the three to me (on my phone). How exciting!!

 

[chamois]

All three look to be a similiar colour, the middle one looks to be a wee bit whiter, not by much tho!

 

[Kaycee2018]

The one on the right looks whitest to me, followed closely by the one in the middle. One on the left seems most tinted to me.

 

[Tekate]

middle one.

 

[lovedogs]

Middle looks most white to me if I had to choose. But essentially all look like the same color to my eyes.

 

[SimoneDi]

Left looks the whitest to me, but you need to pick the one that your eyes prefer.

 

[blueMA]

middle

 

[kmoro]

I think the one on the right is the whitest ... but like others they look pretty similar on the iPhone ... have to leave myself an excuse, lol

 

[Dmndsr4evr11]

Looking at the stones upside down, the left looks whitest to me, middle then right but they all look very, very similar and very close in color.

 

[Belic]

Congratz, @blueMA @lovedogs @Tekate @chamois @EvaEvans , you should apply for a job as a GIA color grader!

The two ACA is K color, 1st one K Si1, 3rd one K VS2(reservered)
The middle one is a non-ACA is a J that WF says faces up whiter than a J.

Here is some details, from what my newbie eye can see,
- 9 o clock arrow is not 100% symmetrical
- Hearts looks messy at the tips



So what it goes down to,

Non-ACA that I think looks awesome, it has slightly better color. Whats most interesting is that WF says whiter then common J, face up. It's also really clean and no inclusions to worry about.

ACA, I mean, we can barely tell the difference on the upsidedown view. It's a K and it's guaranteed to sparkle. There is some inclusions that might have me worried, but it should be eye-clean.

What do you guys think? Currently my hearts beat towards the non ACA. Do not take WF upgrade policys in to consideration, I will not be able to use them even though they are awesome etc

 

[EvaEvans]

It's a beautiful diamond, it doesn't matter that is non ACA!
Also, J is still considered "white" diamond, while K starts the tinted group of diamonds, so J color is better trade color than K.

 

[sledge]

Have you reserved the stones in question? Please do and then share links so we can see the videos and proportions of each.

Hearts looks messy at tips because they aren't quite as perfect as an ACA but still very good. On the ACA you will see a more distinct maroon V. The thicker that V is tells us about the lower girdle facets.

The cert for the GIA stone will report the LGF as 75 on this stone. In reality, that 75 value can represent values 73-77. The numerically lower the LGF the fatter the arrows, and also the smaller that V gets at the top of the arrows. Seeing how the tips are messy as you said I'm guessing the actual values range on the lower side, 73-75. The ones with a "normal" V is probably 76-77.

These are just guesses. WF can provide you a detailed Sarin report which will show all the values and not just averages, upon request. Just most buyers can't sufficiently analyze that data.

What did WF say about this premium select (PS) stone? When I was shopping I looked at an Expert Select (ES) prior to finalizing a decision and the rep said the ES was more lively than some of the ACA stones I compared against.

One thing is nice, with PS and ES stones you get a price discount and all the same perks (upgrade program, images, transparency, etc) as buying an ACA.

As such, if your heart likes the GIA, it would be a risk free move.

 

[Belic]

@sledge The GIA stone is something i found and asked WF to pull. Since I wanted to put my money at WF because of there excellent customer service

The other WF ACA is not on hold so I won't link it, but since it's a ACA it is what it is(awesome) You are correct about the 75 LGF even though I don't understand how it reflects in real life

Alright then, so I think that the video of the GIA stone looks awesome and there doesn't seem to be any concerns here as well? I guess I'm emailing that I will keep it then

 

[blueMA]

@sledge The GIA stone is something i found and asked WF to pull. Since I wanted to put my money at WF because of there excellent customer service

The other WF ACA is not on hold so I won't link it, but since it's a ACA it is what it is(awesome) You are correct about the 75 LGF even though I don't understand how it reflects in real life

Alright then, so I think that the video of the GIA stone looks awesome and there doesn't seem to be any concerns here as well? I guess I'm emailing that I will keep it then

Yes I'd pull the trigger. You found a really good stone at good price.
It's a GIA J, so that may be a reason why it's facing up whiter than AGSL J's.
Post the stone proportions, but you'll see lots of chunky fires/flash from this stone with the 75 lgh.

 

[Belic]

Yes I'd pull the trigger. You found a really good stone at good price.
It's a GIA J, so that may be a reason why it's facing up whiter than AGSL J's.
Post the stone proportions, but you'll see lots of chunky fires/flash from this stone with the 75 lgh.

Here we go


Emailed WF and said that I will take it

 

[blueMA]

Here we go

This stone will be a sparkler. I knew the table would be on the higher side, 58's are still bright AND sparkly. You already know this stone is not an H&A with lg variations from the IS but you wouldn't notice that through its real life performance.
Please come back with additional photos.

 

[Belic]

@blueMA Will do!
I'm glad i made it back to my original requirements(a year ago) of J/VS2

 

[sledge]

@sledge The GIA stone is something i found and asked WF to pull. Since I wanted to put my money at WF because of there excellent customer service

The other WF ACA is not on hold so I won't link it, but since it's a ACA it is what it is(awesome) You are correct about the 75 LGF even though I don't understand how it reflects in real life

Alright then, so I think that the video of the GIA stone looks awesome and there doesn't seem to be any concerns here as well? I guess I'm emailing that I will keep it then

Gotcha. This is different than I envisioned. Sounds like you are buying a stone through them via virtual inventory, which is a little different. Most folks buying via WF are using one of their 3 primary brands:

• A Cut Above (ACA) = true H&A super ideal stone you already know about
• Premium Select (PS)= near ACA miss with AGS certification
• Expert Select (ES) = near ACA miss with GIA certification

ACA Info:
https://www.whiteflash.com/a-cut-above-diamonds/
https://www.whiteflash.com/a-cut-above-diamonds-specifications-and-qualifications/

PS Info:
https://www.whiteflash.com/premium-select-diamonds/

ES Info:
https://www.whiteflash.com/expert-selection-diamonds/

The ACA, PS & ES stones have the same trade program, buy back benefits, etc.

Their virtual inventory stones work a little different. As the name implies, they don't stock them in-house; however, they are willing to procure them and then take all images, videos, etc like the other stones so you will know ahead of time what kind of stone you are getting. You have an opportunity to review the stone and return it within a short time period if you aren't happy.

Cool thing is you get all the great customer service; however, virtual inventory stones aren't eligible for their well-known upgrade program. Many consider this a big perk, so please be sure to verify with your WF rep the details. If that's important, it may be worthwhile to consider one of the ACA's since the color is so similar and you are equally as happy with their performance.

Virtual Selection Info:
https://www.whiteflash.com/about-diamonds/whiteflash-policies/other-diamonds.htm
https://www.whiteflash.com/confidence/lifetime-trade-up-guarantee/

 

[sledge]

This stone will be a sparkler. I knew the table would be on the higher side, 58's are still bright AND sparkly. You already know this stone is not an H&A with lg variations from the IS but you wouldn't notice that through its real life performance.
Please come back with additional photos.

I might add that I think the 75 LGF's (possibly < 75 given the hearts image) should compliment nicely with the 58 table. LGF will deliver the bold flashes while the larger table should bring in a little more white light return.

You may want to ask WF if there is any obstruction issues. Sometimes when you get those steep crowns it can happen. Normally on a smaller table though, so the 58 table may help in that regards.

Overall, seems like a good pick. Please reference my other post. Only concern I have is making sure everyone is one the same page regarding the upgrade policy.

 

[blueMA]

Only concern I have is making sure everyone is one the same page regarding the upgrade policy.

He's aware. Post 12 last sentence.

 

[Belic]

@sledge I'm sure that my GF won't upgrade, she see the ring as a symbol I'm also buying from overseas so upgrading will be a hassle either way. If I'm being wrong here I have no problem to swallow it in a couple of years, maybe I will use the stone for something else then

 

[sledge]

He's aware. Post 12 last sentence.

@sledge I'm sure that my GF won't upgrade, she see the ring as a symbol I'm also buying from overseas so upgrading will be a hassle either way. If I'm being wrong here I have no problem to swallow it in a couple of years, maybe I will use the stone for something else then

Good stuff. Sorry I missed your statement in post #12. I read your post this morning shortly after waking up and waiting for the shower to heat up.

Looks like you have picked a beautiful stone. Once the stone is reserved/secured, I'd love to see the video.

Good luck.

 

[blueMA]

@sledge I'm sure that my GF won't upgrade, she see the ring as a symbol I'm also buying from overseas so upgrading will be a hassle either way. If I'm being wrong here I have no problem to swallow it in a couple of years, maybe I will use the stone for something else then

Yes, while I see the upgrade option a great perk, you'll be in a better position financially years down the road if you ever consider an upgrade, and I'm sure you can re-purpose the stone for a pendant or an earring down the road. Sounds like your GF is a sentimental one so she won't want to part with the original e-ring stone. I just hope that you're very comfortable with the J color, but it looks like you've been shooting for it all along. Congrats in finding a great stone, especially at big% off the super-ideals.