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Have I picked the right one?

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hsawaknow

Rough_Rock
Joined
Nov 9, 2007
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I''ve been reading all of the helpful posts and have learned more than I thought I could about diamonds. Thanks for providing this forum!

So, I thought I picked the right diamond out but the more I read the more I''m getting concerned.

What do you guys think?

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamond.asp?find=1&cid=130&item=1087942
 
If you put the numbers in on the HCA cut advisor (under Tools), you''ll see that this stone gets a 2.3, very good. It would be in the GIA excellent range but not in the AGS0 range. You can get stones in the 1-2.0 range that get an excellent rating on the HCA. This stone may look fine, but as far as the numbers go, you can do a little better.
 
I''ll be honest, I''m not loving it.....

Don''t like the pic, angle combo, and it''s a bit deep, among other things. I think you can do better.
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Thanks for the quick feedback. It looks like I didn''t dig deep enough. I found this one...

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/F-VS2-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1107032.asp

that comes up 1.8 on the cut advisor. I''m I in the better range here? How far up the scale can I expect to go based on my color, clarity, and price?

I placed the order on Tuesday night...I''m hoping I can make a switch based on your terrific feedback.
 
That one looks much better! If you want to be sure, you could ask for an Idealsdcope picture. But so far everything looks ok.
 
Well, someone stole that one out from under me but...I think I found some better ones. I don''t want to say to much since I might end up doing the work for someone again...

HCA 0.7, E, VS2, GIA

It has a crystal and two clouds on the table. Is this a big deal? I''m thinking it should sparkle like crazy and no one is going to notice.

Also, medium flourescence. From reading, it doesn''t seem to be a problem. Any thoughts?

The other comments are "pinpoints and surface graining not shown".

My thought is that it''s pretty darn white, relatively clean, and has really good cut analysis. Any one care to back me up?
 
Okay, to be more clear

Carat weight: 1.08
Cut: Ideal
Color: E
Clarity: VS2
Certificate: GIA

Depth: 59.7%
Table: 57.0%
Polish: Very Good
Symmetry: Very Good
Girdle: Very thin to thin, faceted
Culet: None
Fluorescence: Medium
Measurements: 6.65*6.71*3.99
 
Not digging this stone. How much of the girdle is very thin? Also would want more data with a ca of 36 and a pa of 40. ?IS
 
You need to call to ask how much of the girdle is very thin - this could place it at higher risk for chipping. You also need them to take IS pics for you.
Were you specifically looking for a FIC?
 
Thanks for the help. I wasn''t specifically looking for FIC, no. Just looking for an improved HCA. Total newbie/engineer by the numbers reaction. If 1.7 is good .7 must be better.

Basically, I was looking for some validation that I ordered the right diamond last week. The info I got on my choice as you can see from the thread was that I could do better. I''m in reactive mode now and sadly working this whole thing in reverse. Problem number two is that I''m up against a deadline for a trip we are taking when I''m looking to "pop" the question.

So...I''ll probably just keep what I have in the works unless I find a "better" rock this morning to avoid getting the ring after we leave.
 
Actually <2 is just to weed out, 0.7 is not ''better'' than 1.7 - most people actually prefer between 1-2 in person. There are some outliers though that end up being quite beautiful.


Okay, let''s get to work - what are your criteria? Does it have to be a VS? Does it have to be an E? How high on the budget? I assume you are definitely looking for one carat mark?

Is an F okay? It is still in the colorless classification, although you may be able to go lower if you are not super color sensitive. Also would it be okay if it were an eye clean SI stone? I would bet there are some nice SI1s out there if you don''t need the VS for the ''mind clean'' thing!
 
Okay, I am assuming that you want to purchase from JA since your $ is already there and you are in a crunch...

Call to see if this one is eyeclean - if falls smack dab in the middle of AGS0 and GIA ex. Make sure to communicate just how eyeclean you want (for example for me I have a large SI1 stone and it is totally eyeclean from every angle - top, bottom, side, etc. It would actually save you $ - 1.0 E SI1 - don''t let the magnified pics scare you until you talk to them about eye clean.

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/E-SI1-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-866263.asp?b=16&a=12&c=77&cid=131
 
F, 1 carat, could be swayed but slightly freaked out by SI (enjoy mind cleanliness), $7.5k
 
Date: 11/12/2007 12:49:15 PM
Author: hsawaknow
F, 1 carat, could be swayed but slightly freaked out by SI (enjoy mind cleanliness), $7.5k
Whoops, sorry missed this. Hang on and let me modify my search!
 
I do understand the mind clean thing - If it does make you feel any better about SI stones, My SI1 I actually cannot see anything with my loupe (I went crazy with the loupe when I got it) - not all SIs are created equal (Richard Sherwood actually said mine is close to a VS2) - I have one grade setting inclusion that is a twinning wisp near the side of the table that is so darn linear that it gets lost in the lines of the stone. I have to use my UV black light to look for fluoro whenever it has gone somewhere so that I can identify at least it is a diamond!

I don't know if you can stretch your budget another $250 (I don't usually advocate spending beyond one's budget, but in case you have wiggle room!).. This stone looks VERY nice on IS images.

http://www.whiteflash.com/round_ideal_cut/Round-Ideal-Cut-cut-diamond-54982.htm#


ETA $7758 is the price
 
I would still check about eye cleanliness on the SI 1 Expert selection I listed above - the inclusions look like crystals and needles and looks relatively clean on 40x magnification (remember grading is done under 10x - click on the enlarge button below the diamond to see the 40x pic - the IS is super nice too

$5642 1.09 F si1
http://www.whiteflash.com/round_ideal_cut/Round-Ideal-Cut-cut-diamond-175739.htm#

the IS is really nice on the budget stretcher one too...
$7758 1.06 E Vs1
http://www.whiteflash.com/round_ideal_cut/Round-Ideal-Cut-cut-diamond-54982.htm#
 
No, I totally missed that one somehow! I think that''s the one. I may still order one of the others from whiteflash so that I can compare. I''m going to make the switch on the james allen one though as the price isn''t very different and appears to be a better cut than what I''ve got.
 
I think that is about all I see right now. That JA one I just listed has definite potential - it meets your criteria for color, clarity, and price, and the angles and table/depth are smack dab in AGS 0 (and GIA Ex) territory. I found it on the JA website, so the price listed does not include the PS or bank wire discount. If you don''t want the hassle of returning the diamond and completely changing vendors, consider the JA one I just posted. Otherwise the WF ones look great based on IS pics. Whatever you decide, good luck!
Lisa
 
Date: 11/12/2007 1:36:12 PM
Author: hsawaknow
No, I totally missed that one somehow! I think that''s the one. I may still order one of the others from whiteflash so that I can compare. I''m going to make the switch on the james allen one though as the price isn''t very different and appears to be a better cut than what I''ve got.
I have a feeling it is too!
 
Lisa, you "rock"! I was able to make move to this other diamond at James Allen and not affect the ship date because the dimensions were so close. Numbers and ratings all look good and my mind is clean! I feel much lighter. Thanks so much!

Geoff
 
Yay!!!
36.gif
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That makes me feel good too!
 
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