HCA calculator importance

[dan76n]

Hi all,
Now that I have learnt about the HCA calculator and from what I inderstand I should be looking at keeping the result under 2, I was just wondering should I pay too much attention to the results the HCA gives on choosing between diamonds that get under the 2 ie one gets a 1.5 and one gets a .9, should that be a deciding factor in the decision or do i disregard the results once i know all my diamonds im picking between are under the magic number 2?

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 10/23/2009 4:27:51 AM
Author:dan76n
Hi all,
Now that I have learnt about the HCA calculator and from what I inderstand I should be looking at keeping the result under 2, I was just wondering should I pay too much attention to the results the HCA gives on choosing between diamonds that get under the 2 ie one gets a 1.5 and one gets a .9, should that be a deciding factor in the decision or do i disregard the results once i know all my diamonds im picking between are under the magic number 2?

Basically under 2 means " pass pending further evaluation" which is then done with images. Just be aware some stones which score below one might be shallower combos prone to obstruction ( darkening of the stone due to head obstruction), so for a ring stone a sweet spot score is between 1 and 2, then get the images such as Idealscope or ASET. You might also find some contenders which score between 2 and 3 in some cases which are worth shortlisting, such candidates need to have top symmetry usually along with this score, and again images are needed.

The HCA is not used for selection but rejection, final selection should be done with images and vendor/ appraiser input where applicable. You cannot choose with any certainty using the HCA score as the tool cannot see the diamond and there are so many factors it can't predict. Find out which score below 2 as above then get the images, thats the way to proceed.