First Post - Test Diamond!

[Dogbizkits]

Good Morning All

I've been lurking the forums for a good 6 months now in preparation for buying an ER in April. Long story short me and my partner live in the UK and are coming over to the US for a holiday in May, where I'm going to take delivery of the ring.

The predicament I'm in is I'll only really have one shot at getting the right stone while in the US (where it's much cheaper, even with import tax), and to be honest I would rather get it right first time! I've therefore been doing my research (I like to research any new purchase anyway!) through forum posts and feel semi-confident in what I'm after.

Size: 0.8-1ct
Clarity: Eye clean, I've been looking at SI1 but would go down to SI2 if it was considerably better and the inclusion could be hidden under a clasp for example.
Color: G-H (I did originally go down to I but after looking at G stones I can really tell the difference and would prefer less yellow) The stone will be set in white gold.
Budget (all-in): $3,800-4,000

I've only really looked at JA for diamonds, mainly due to the high res photo/video available in order to immediately discount stones with undesirable inclusions, however if you guys think that is a mistake then please educate me!

Anyway, the reason for this post is to test my picking ability prior to the main event, in that regard I've made a dummy pick and just want to hear your thoughts:

http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-dia...-g-color-si1-clarity-very-good-cut-sku-836334

I think it faces up slightly small due to the depth but looks very clean, I'm after a very well cut stone that's bright so keenly looking at HCA scores, cut and symmetry, will be requesting IS images before I pull the trigger for real!

I'm not going to be making a purchase for months yet so please don't feel the need to hunt around for diamonds for me, I'm just after an honest appraisal of my search technique and choices so far (both of the diamond and search parameters)

Look forward to any thoughts and thank you in advance for any time you spend on this!

 

[gm89uk]

Hi Dogbizkits,

Your search technique methodically is right. But you need to prioritise which of the 4Cs you want.

Your budget for the diamond will depend on how much you need to spend on the setting. I understand the upper limit is $4k with the setting included? Is this 14ct/18ct white gold? Simple solitaire or something more fancy?

Very good cut GIA diamonds aren't actually very good. While the stone you picked does look very nice and probably will have good light return, it is not the best value for money and faces up the size of an ideal cut ~0.72

Why spend money on diamond you can't see because it's a deep cut stone? You are better off spending it on an ideal cut diamond that will face up larger. A lot of very good cuts will also have poor light return diminishing the diamond of its beauty. Of the most important C, in my opinion, Cut is the most important and should not be compromised on.

When you have had a look at H coloured stones, were they GIA graded?

Have a read of this article:
https://www.pricescope.com/wiki/diamonds/diamond-cut


The general proportions to look for are:
Crown Angle: 34-35 degrees
Pavilion Angle: 40.6-41 deg
Depth: 60-62.3
Table: 54-58
culet - 0

Also there probably isn't much point searching for one now if you're aiming to shop with jamesallen as they will not hold a stone for you till May. The other alternative is if you have trustworthy family or friends there that could hold it for you. Even then it would be better to have it delivered within the 30 day exchange period so you can examine it and return if not to your satisfaction.

You may want to ask the other vendors how long they would be willing to hold it for you but 5 months is quite some time!

http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.80-carat-g-color-si1-clarity-sku-436414
There are cheaper options but this is guaranteed to have ideal light performance being an AGS certified 0. I couldn't quite find a bargain within your price range that is seemingly eye clean with ideal proportions. You just have to keep looking!

 

[tyty333]

You can also use this tool to see how your diamond might perform. It is an elimination tool. Eliminate stones that score over 2.
Stones that score under 2 - request and idealscope image for further review.

https://www.pricescope.com/tools/hca

You can also take a short cut and just look at stones that are AGS000 graded. I would also request an idealscope on these just to
double check.