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Four Cs: Which to sacrifice?

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carywilliam7

Rough_Rock
Joined
Oct 26, 2002
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I'm starting to look at round, loose diamonds for a solitare engagement ring. My price range is up to $6,000 (for the diamond). Could I get opinions on balancing the 4 Cs in that price range knowing that I do not want to go below a 1 carat, H color diamond?

Thank you!!
 
I have just checked Pricescope and I was able to find many 1ct+ rounds, even in F & G color, within your budget. So, if you're pretty much set on shape, cost, color, and carat, keep searching, you'll find the right cut! :wavey:
 
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On 10/27/2002 10:28:59 AM

I'm starting to look at round, loose diamonds for a solitare engagement ring. My price range is up to $6,000 (for the diamond). Could I get opinions on balancing the 4 Cs in that price range knowing that I do not want to go below a 1 carat, H color diamond?

Thank you!!
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A well cut H stone in a 1c should be plenty good quality. You don't mention what clarity you were searching for. Remember, the better clarity grades are graded using a 10x. You don't walk around w/ the stone magnified; so, IMHO it would be foolish to aim for IF. In a 1 c stone you should be good to go at VS1 or 2.

Personally, I would even consider SI1 grade and go a tad higher in carat weight.

Above all, while I'm not a cut nut, a well cut stone is the most pleasing aspect about a diamond....and can make or break the visual. The color of a well cut stone will usually face up "whiter" than a poor cut stone.

Also, don't be afraid of Bl. Fluor - especially in an H color. The fluor could help the stone "appear" whiter.

Good Luck.
 
Hello!!

I just went through the diamond buying process, so I'll lend my .02 worth :) Here are the diamond criteria in the order that I placed them...

1. Cut : This will be a large factor in the appearance of your diamond. Decide if you like the randomness of a non-symmetrical rock or the evenness of a symmetrical ideal. Personally, I love the look of ideals...many others out here would suggests placing this at the top of your criteria list. Check out ideals in local stores...you'll see why they command a greater price. (My opinion - go AGS Ideal...or grade of close clarity that *visually* looks as nice or better than an AGS Ideal)

2. Color: The lowest that you'll go with this might be determined by what metal you'll set the rock in. I'd think about no lower than G for white gold or platinum, and H or I for Yellow Gold (some people say that well cut H's look fine in WG...I honestly don't know how they look). If you prefer an icier look to your rock, or your fiance has paler skin, you might want to consider an F.

(By the way, stick with AGS or GIA...most appraisers and gemmologists will tell you that these grading labs are the most consistent and stringent in their grading)

3. Clarity: I would be looking for a VS2, but be keeping my eyes open for an eye clean SI1. You'll probably be able to save a chunk of $$ if you can find the eyeclean SI1, and it should be quite possible to find one around a 1ct...if you increase the size to 1.5ct+, then I'd probably stick to VS2. MAKE SURE...eyeclean & NO dark inclusions.

4. Carat: Size will probably be determined by your fiance's wishes and where you live (people who live in metropolitan areas tend to get larger rocks). If your wife-to-be wants a large rock, then go large w/o breaking the bank. If she's super modest, or doesn't care, don't go overboard...a 1ct rock is more than enough in my opinion, so put a little extra $$ into the above 3 criteria. BUT, if she's of the persuasion that bigger is better, then by all means, go bigger!

Hope that helps! Have fun!!!:praise:
 
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On 10/27/2002 5:21:25 PM

Hello!!


2. Color: The lowest that you'll go with this might be determined by what metal you'll set the rock in. I'd think about no lower than G for white gold or platinum, and H or I for Yellow Gold (some people say that well cut H's look fine in WG...I honestly don't know how they look). If you prefer an icier look to your rock, or your fiance has paler skin, you might want to consider an F.

(By the way, stick with AGS or GIA...most appraisers and gemmologists will tell you that these grading labs are the most consistent and stringent in their grading)

3. Clarity: I would be looking for a VS2, but be keeping my eyes open for an eye clean SI1. You'll probably be able to save a chunk of $$ if you can find the eyeclean SI1, and it should be quite possible to find one around a 1ct...if you increase the size to 1.5ct+, then I'd probably stick to VS2. MAKE SURE...eyeclean & NO dark inclusions.

!:praise:
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Biscuit, sage advice...for the most part...but my experience is shocking even to me.

I have my I 3c set in platinum. The "face up" color of a stone relys on quite a bit more than color grading. A well cut stone w/ blue fluor could face up every bit as white as an F....I know ....I (nor others) can tell much difference between my F stone & my I stone....crazy - yes...but true.

And, carat weight play a great part of color determination. A well cut g/h will look everybit as white in a 1c or less stone.

Good luck.
 
Carat weight, color, and cut are always what you see first when viewing a diamond.

In my opinion, that makes them the most important of the four C's (provided that the clarity is not way out-of-whack).

Rich, GG
Sarasota Gemological Laboratory
 
fire & ice!

Thanks for the reply! It's good to hear that your rock looks beautiful in platinum...I've searched for people's opinions on this and most are hard to pin down. I've heard it rumored that I's are fine in platinum...I definitely was able to notice color in an I in comparision to a higher color grade, but never had a chance to see them set in WG or platinum. I think you've mentioned that your rock has some flourescence...I'm wondering if that helps? Thanks for the post!:praise:
 
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On 10/27/2002 7:52:06 PM

fire & ice!

Thanks for the reply! It's good to hear that your rock looks beautiful in platinum...I've searched for people's opinions on this and most are hard to pin down. I've heard it rumored that I's are fine in platinum...I definitely was able to notice color in an I in comparision to a higher color grade, but never had a chance to see them set in WG or platinum. I think you've mentioned that your rock has some flourescence...I'm wondering if that helps? Thanks for the post!:praise:
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I have no doubt the blue fluor helps. My stone is fairly large and shows very white. However, I did look at an "I" 3 c that did not have fluor and I definitely saw some body color.......so at the end of the day, it really depends on the stone.

I have seen a 1c "j" that looks plenty good in Platinum.
 
I just bought a 1.096 ct G SI1 Hearts & Arrows stone from WhiteFlash for just a couple hundred $$ than what you budgeted, which shows that you can get a great cut and a decent size at a reasonable price. I had the G stone on a platinum solitaire setting and I honestly can't see any color. G SI1 were my bottom limits for color and clarity and since I was able to find a stone that exactly matched those values I was able to get a larger stone than I had budgeted for without sacrificing cut (I insisted on H&A).
 
Thanks to everyone for their response, the search continues, with some valuable information to go with!
cw:))
 
PeterChristopher - did you have the opportunity to actually compare H&As to other diamonds? I'm leaning towards the internet (finally) and H&A sounds great, but I haven't actually seen one in person.

Thanks
 
I didn't see as many diamonds under an IdealScope in person as I should have, but then again I didn't have unlimited time to work with. I did see a few at one jeweler who was trying to sell me an overpriced 8-star, and I also viewed a lot of IdealScope photos at goodoldgold.com for comparison. Incidentally, I actually saw a H&A diamond under a FireScope that had very poor light return, so be careful.

It is possible to find a non-H&A diamond with great light return if you are willing to do the legwork. The problem is that the best deals are online and viewing opportunities are very limited when purchasing diamonds in this manner, which is why I think so highly of Good Old Gold.

In my opinion it is not worth it to buy an H&A for the symmetry alone since you can't see the Hearts once it's set. Brilliance and fire are much more important, so if it looks good under the IdealScope and the price is right, go for it, H&A or not.
 
I wanted to clarify the fact that I believe that a stone with a high degree of symmetry is MORE likely to have great optical qualities although this is not always the case.
 
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