HCA scores help?

[kmontee]

I was hoping y''all would tell me your opinions and experience with how reliable and accurate HCA scores turn out to be.

I have been learning about diamonds as much as I can in the past few weeks because I am buying an engagement ring. Since all of the looking has been sight-unseen, I am trying to narrow the criteria I am using to chose which diamonds I am considering for the center stone. If HCA scores aren''t necessarily accurate, then I would be foolish to rule out a stone without seeing it based solely on an average HCA score, especially if the HCA score is average, but the diamond''s measurements are very close to ideal proportions.

Any help or comments would be greatly appreciated. If it helps to know, I am looking for a 1.2-1.5, eye-clean SI1, G-I that is as pretty and sparkly as I can afford.

Thank you

 

[quaeritur]

The diamonds I've seen with excellent HCA scores have in fact been the best-looking diamonds I've seen. HOWEVER, since I was using the HCA to weed out potential poor performers, I didn't actually look at any stones that scored poorly on the HCA. My sense is that it might be hard to tell a difference between stones that score a 1.4 and a 2.1, but I doubt you'll find something amazing that scores a 6 on the HCA

. Just my limited experience.

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

Use HCA to not waste time looking at stones with worse than 3 and you will never miss an opportunity. But at 3, stones with scores below 2 will probably be better to most people.

Use it to save your time and vendors shipping costs