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Finally found one... I hope

IMO, you should only consider buying GIA or AGS graded stones.
 
The crown and pavilion angles, depth and table yield an HCA of 3.8. Anything 2.0 or below can be considered for your diamond. You can do better. Stick with AGS and GIA graded for accurate color.
 
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Got it. Darn, will start search over again.
 
Eliminate based on HCA and IGI report. Stick with GIA or AGS.
 
Are you using the pricescope search feature on the main page at pricescope.com?

One you search, select the filters button. You can then search by HCA cut rank score, cut, etc. Click on the advanced button and you can also search by vendor.
 
No I wasn't but I will now! Thank you for that tidbit
 
paris18 said:
How about this one:

Was not aware of the HCA. Certainly not an expert but should I be looking at sites other than JA?

https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-di...i-color-vs1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-5122747
Click to expand...

JA has good prices. There are alot of factors that go into picking a diamond: budget is probably king. You may want to look for AGS0 stones (ideal cut). Whiteflash and Blue Nile also have ideal stones. Also try High Performance Diamonds. It's not all about the hearts and arrows thing, its about all of the proportions and angles falling in line to maximize fire, scintillation and light return. Under the tools section of PS, use the HCA to evaluate potential stones.
 
Here is the link if you want to manually check stones, but using the PS search feature as I mentioned above is much quicker. With the HCA, you weed put stones that score over a 2. Anything below that is worth a further look. The HCA is a rejection tool not a selection tool.

https://www.pricescope.com/tools/hca
 
That one that you asked about scored well with excellent for all but spread (which is typical, from what I've seen). JA will give you idealscope images for up to 3 diamonds. If you really like that one, you might want to put that one on hold and ask them to get an ideal scope image for you. Lurkers often snap up diamonds that are mentioned on these threads.
 
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kindred said:
That one that you asked about scored well with excellent for all but spread. JA will give you idealscope images for up to 3 diamonds. If you really like that one, you might want to put that one on hold and ask them to get an ideal scope image for you. Lurkers often snap up diamonds that are mentioned on these threads.
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What do you think of this diamond? I can't quite figure out why it seems so cheap. Found on the price scope search function

http://diamonddealfinder.com/enquiry.php?id_field=233616
 
Are you listening to what people are posting here? Or are you just posting random diamonds (that seem cheap to you) that have greater than 2 carat with GIA certificates?

First check the HCA score. If it is greater than 2, automatically reject. It looks like the new diamond you posted has HCA score of more than 3. This would be an automatic reject in my book.
 
What are you looking for and what is your budget? Do you want us to help you find one?
 
I agree with @whitewave that we can help you find something if we have more info about your budget, preferred specs, etc.
 
I saw the GD for the HCA score on the search and wasn't aware.

What I'm looking for up to 20k; round; 2+ ; ideal/excellent cut/vs1min or anything eye clean/i-j color.

Help would be appreciated, is there a service I can try? Admittedly may have gotten in a little over my head here.
 
Stick to these parameters:

Table 54-58
Depth no more than 62.2
Crown angle 34 - 35
Pavilion angle 40.6 - 40.9

Diamonds falling into these ranges will be more likely to be well cut.
 
paris18 said:
I saw the GD for the HCA score on the search and wasn't aware.

What I'm looking for up to 20k; round; 2+ ; ideal/excellent cut/vs1min or anything eye clean/i-j color.

Help would be appreciated, is there a service I can try? Admittedly may have gotten in a little over my head here.
Click to expand...

We’re on it! Give us a little while; we love spending other people’s money :mrgreen:
 
I’m going to start with super ideal diamonds from High Performance Diamonds and Whiteflash since they have great upgrade policies...

These tend to show whiter than regular ideal diamonds since their light performance is amazing.

2.08J vs1 $20,218 wire price
https://www.hpdiamonds.com/en-us/diamonddetail/HPD8574

2.19 I SI2 (eyeclean, though I know you may not like the SI2 in this size stone—you may want to inquire about it.) $20,104 wire
https://www.hpdiamonds.com/en-us/diamonddetail/HPD8104

2.07J Vs2 $19,003 wire
https://www.hpdiamonds.com/en-us/diamonddetail/HPD10106

Whiteflash in next post

Edited, I see MGR already linked a WF stone.
 
Thanks for the help everyone! For context I'm buying this for a size 4 ring; think the J will show the color a ton.
 
paris18 said:
Thanks for the help everyone! For context I'm buying this for a size 4 ring; think the J will show the color a ton.
Click to expand...

I don't think J will show a ton of color, especially if you stick with ACA/CBI. But that's just my opinion. Would you consider an I colored stone?
 
paris18 said:
Thanks for the help everyone! For context I'm buying this for a size 4 ring; think the J will show the color a ton.
Click to expand...

The size of the ring will have no bearing on color in the stone. You had said I/J color but if you think the J is too tinted, you might want to start looking at I color.
 
paris18 said:
After much research and looking I've come across the below diamond. Before I pull the trigger, would like to get thoughts on the quality/value of it? Is it worth it/think there is a better diamond out there? Have only been looking on Blue Nile/James Allen.


Thanks for everyone help and narrowing it down this far.

https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-di...i-color-vs1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-4241594
Click to expand...

Reject.

It's scoring a bad HCA because of the bad 35.3 crown /41.1 pavilion angle combo. Prefer a smaller table, but 58 is acceptable. Also don't like the IGI cert as it's not credible. Stick with GIA or AGS.


paris18 said:
How about this one:

Was not aware of the HCA. Certainly not an expert but should I be looking at sites other than JA?

https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-di...i-color-vs1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-5122747
Click to expand...

Reject.

Good job finding a GIA certified stone. Table is 59. Depth is 60.3. This is nearing what we call a 60/60 diamond where table & depth both equal 60%. Nothing wrong with a 60/60 stone, but it is very much a PREFERENCE that you need to make sure you like. They tend to show more white light vs rainbow fire. Most people prefer the latter.

I am NOT rejecting due to the 60/60 style, I was just making you aware there is a difference. The rejection is because the 33/40.8 angle combo doesn't work and the reason it will score poorly on the HCA.


paris18 said:
What do you think of this diamond? I can't quite figure out why it seems so cheap. Found on the price scope search function

http://diamonddealfinder.com/enquiry.php?id_field=233616
Click to expand...

Reject again.

On a positive note I do like the 56 table. However, the stone is cut too deep @ 62.8%. Also the angle combo of 36.5/40.8 is horrible.


paris18 said:
Thanks for the help everyone! For context I'm buying this for a size 4 ring; think the J will show the color a ton.
Click to expand...

Have you visited a local jewelry store to see how a 2ct+ stone looks on your finger? It will be rather massive with that size 4 finger. Some people may not be comfortable with that; however, others will love it.

More importantly, have you looked at different colors of stones in-person? Knowing your sensitivity to color is a pretty big deal as most people prefer "white" stones. I'm not implying J is bad by any stretch but those with a higher sensitivity to color may find a J colored stone inadequate. Others have no issues as they either aren't as color sensitive, like warmer colors or simply don't care as they would prefer to maximize size and budget.

Wherever you fall with color is okay, but you need to be aware what you are getting into. Also, as you begin to go up in color, the grading becomes more subjective. So you may find a "low J" meaning it's near an I color, or possibly a "high J" meaning it's closer to a K color.

So if you stay with a J, it's a good idea to see if someone can put their eyes on the stone and report to you the true color of that stone.

FYI, more info here:
https://www.whiteflash.com/about-di...laboratory-color-grading-of-diamonds-1249.htm

diamond-color-side.jpg
 
I do think it's important to note that no one will be looking at the stone upside down. For many people (not all, of course), D-H looks "white", and I-J is "almost colorless". Especially in super ideals (e.g. ACA and CBI). But this is a personal preference thing.

The OPs original post said I-J was fine, so I'm trying to understand if that's based on seeing stones in person vs. an estimate. If it's an estimate, I'd say that G/H is almost always safely "colorless", but again it depends on the wearer.
 
Some more for your consideration

2.321ct I SI1, 8.51x8.53mm, $20,635 wire (better color & bigger, still eye clean)
https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-4018656.htm

2.118ct H SI1, 8.18x8.21mm, $20,327 wire (much better color, talk with WF about cert - says eye clean but I don't personally love the cert)
https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3634195.htm

1.925ct I VS2, 8.01x8.04mm, $17,807 wire (better color & save a few bucks by staying just below that magic 2ct weight)
https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-4018644.htm
 
lovedogs said:
I do think it's important to note that no one will be looking at the stone upside down. For many people (not all, of course), D-H looks "white", and I-J is "almost colorless". Especially in super ideals (e.g. ACA and CBI). But this is a personal preference thing.

The OPs original post said I-J was fine, so I'm trying to understand if that's based on seeing stones in person vs. an estimate. If it's an estimate, I'd say that G/H is almost always safely "colorless", but again it depends on the wearer.
Click to expand...

The reason I posted the picture I did is because color grading is performed by looking through the body of the stone. While many settings do a good job of covering up the body of the diamond, not all settings do this.

My girl's setting is a perfect example where the pavilion is exposed. Her stone is an H color, and while I can see a little tint it's nothing horrible (to me) and when I purchased I was under the assumption she wouldn't have any idea. Long story short, I was dead wrong. One night she told me she saw "yellow" in her diamond. Not exactly the words you want to hear. Needless to say, I am now much more cognizant of other people's color sensitivity.

Face up view:
DKJPV_0629_WR-1.jpg

Side view:
DKJPV_0629_WR-8.jpg

I do think it's prudent that when we talk about tint in diamonds that we are talking very minor differences until you start to get deep into the lower colors (IMO). Here is another picture that shows a face up view of different diamond colors.

ideal-cut-diamond-color-direct.jpg


super-ideal-cut-diamond-color-f.jpg


super-ideal-cut-diamond-color-h.jpg


super-ideal-cut-diamond-color-j.jpg



Some more excellent articles on color:
https://www.whiteflash.com/about-diamonds/diamond-education/the-4-cs-color.htm
https://www.whiteflash.com/about-diamonds/diamond-education/f-color-diamond-1400.htm
https://www.whiteflash.com/about-diamonds/diamond-education/h-color-diamonds-1393.htm
https://www.whiteflash.com/about-diamonds/diamond-education/j-color-diamond-whiteflashcom-1396.htm
 
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