Final Decision Time - Can you help?

[rsl111]

Thanks for everyone''s help in narrowing down my options and for answering questions!

I am down to the final decision between two stones.

Which would you buy?

Option 1

EGL USA
1.66 CT
Round Brilliant
7.58 - 7.47 x 4.64 mm
Depth 61.7%
Table 59%
Crown 14.8%
Pavilion 42.0%
Girdle Thin to sl. thick faceted
polish Good
Symmetry Good
SI2
Color: D
Fluorescence: None
$8,400

Option 2

EGL USA
1.50 CT
Round Brilliant
EGL Ideal Plus
Color: F
Clarity SI2
Measurements 7.36 x 7.32 x 4.58 mm
Depth 62.4%
Table 55%
Crown 15.9%
Pavilion 43.5%
Crown Angle 35.1°
Pavilion Angle 41.1°
Girdle THIN TO MEDIUM FACETED
Polish VERY GOOD
Symmetry VERY GOOD
Fluorescence MEDIUM BLUE
Hearts and Arrows
$8,200

They both look very clean to me. There is an additional 2% discount for a check on either

 

[rsl111]

Hi All,

I know there are lots of posts and similar questions, but I need to decide tomorrow so any thoughts would be appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[Elegant]

Have you seen them in person? Are they eye clean? Which one are you leaning towards and why...if you don't mind me asking!

Also, one is D and the other is F. Is your gf color sensitive?

These questions are coming from a complete newbie to the whole diamond experience...so...I know next to nothing about the table and symmetry and all of that technical stuff

.

Just going by the VERY LITTLE I know...I think #2 seems interesting...are you going for size?

There is also a very good discussion going on in this thread.

 

[rsl111]

Thanks Elegant. I am leaning towards the 1st one since to the eye they looked the same to me in turns of their sparkle and color and with the prices being about the same the larger one appeals to me. Also, in the Holloway Cut Adviser, the 1st stone seemed to rate better though I am no expert on exactly how to interpret the results other than lower is better.

My GF is not color sensitive and originally I was looking at G - I, but the jeweler came back with these today that fell into the higher range.

 

[Kaleigh]

I''d take it to an independant appraiser. EGL is loose on their grading. Is it EGL USA? If so that''s the best EGL lab. But the good polish and good symmetry, could translate to fair if GIA or AGS had graded the stone. Same goes for color and clarity. You''ve seen them. Just a heads up. Best of luck!!!

 

[rsl111]

thanks, they are both EGL USA. Any obvious red flags on either stone?

 

[jstarfireb]

On both stones, the clarity is actually a red flag for me because an EGL SI2 could easily be a GIA I1. Are you comfortable buying a stone that might in fact be I1, whether it''s eye-clean or not? Either way, have a trusted person with great vision as well as yourself look it over and make sure it''s eye-clean.

 

[rsl111]

Thanks for the advice. It's unfortunate the process of purchasing the right diamond is so complicated. It should be fun, but has instead been stressful.

It looks clean to me, but I will see if someone else can look at it with me. If it is eye clean to both of us what else should I be careful of? I did use a loupe too, but again it's tough for the novice.

Thanks again.

 

[Elegant]

Date: 7/28/2008 11:18:04 PM
Author: rsl111
Thanks for the advice. It''s unfortunate the process of purchasing the right diamond is so complicated. It should be fun, but has instead been stressful.

It looks clean to me, but I will see if someone else can look at it with me. If it is eye clean to both of us what else should I be careful of? I did use a loupe too, but again it''s tough for the novice.

Thanks again.

From what I can kind of understand from the members who posted here, EGL is very loose on their grading of diamonds, so:

EGL says: good _____ and ______, SI2, and ______ color
GIA or AGS says: fair _____ and ______, I1, and ______ color

So...I think what others are saying is that you might benefit from getting a 2nd opinion (another appraisal). So, EGL basically "scores" diamonds higher than what they might actually be, so just beware because you could get another diamond of better quality for the same price.

 

[Lorelei]

I would pass on the second one, it doesn''t look as if it has the best cut combo looking at the proportions. The first seems to be a nice make of stone, not cut to superideal standards, but still could be a good looking diamond. EGL USA are said to be the most accurate of the EGL labs so that is an advantage, but you could certainly get an independant appraiser to check the diamond out and make the sale final on it doing so.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 7/28/2008 10:12:05 PM
Author: rsl111
Thanks Elegant. I am leaning towards the 1st one since to the eye they looked the same to me in turns of their sparkle and color and with the prices being about the same the larger one appeals to me. Also, in the Holloway Cut Adviser, the 1st stone seemed to rate better though I am no expert on exactly how to interpret the results other than lower is better.

My GF is not color sensitive and originally I was looking at G - I, but the jeweler came back with these today that fell into the higher range.

Actually this isn''t the case, a lower HCA score doesn''t mean one diamond is better than one with a higher score. The HCA is an elimination tool, not used for selection. The aim is to generally score 2 or below as being worth further evaluation, then this is done with Idealscope images, vendor input etc.

 

[dbsdiamonds]

RSL,

An EGL SI2 is definitely GIA I1 at best. I can show you a 2ct D IF round EGL cert that I guarantee GIA would call no better than G color VVS2 on it''s best day. I also can show you a 4ct H SI2 GIA radiant that EGL graded G SI1. Same stone, two certs.

Here is the accurate rule of thumb to apply...

What is the best price of the EGL graded diamond, then look up a GIA certified diamond of that same budgeting. If a 1.60ct GIA certified F I1 is $6900 then the absolute best best you can expect an EGL D SI2 to grade out on GIA standards is F I1. If the supplier thought the diamond would grade out better than F I1 at GIA then trust me, they would have SENT the diamond to GIA. A 1.60ct F SI2 is a $9500 type pricepoint. Do you think a supplier is going to leave $3000 on the table? LOL no chance.

So, a little more...a GIA certified F I1 is actually a $6k pricepoint. ANOTHER $1000 less. This is where the hammering takes place on EGL pricepoints, because the diamond "sounds" better.

Now this doesn''t make a particular diamond bad, you just gotta understand the game of EGL vs. accurate grading and why suppliers use EGL. If the diamond is sparkly, white enough and eyeclean enough then good to go AT THE RIGHT PRICE. Quite honestly in your shoes if I were spending $8k I''d get a 2ct colorless clarity enhanced diamond. It''s still I clarity but you''ll get a bigger bang for the buck that can definitely be superbly eyeclean and look like you dropped $25k at Tiffany.

On another note I wouldn''t pay more than $6900 for that D SI2 that you notated over $8k with some "2%" check discount.

These are the facts, however I can help!

Marty
www.dbsdiamonds.com

 

[rsl111]

thanks all! I appreciate your help. Do you think for the inexperienced buyer I should just go with GIA certified for peace of mind?