Hello! Need advice on an Oval

[Psychobroker]

Hi everyone, I''m new, and this is my first post

My smallish budget is ~$3,000 for the stone & bridal set, with the propsal needing to happen by 10/30 (eek!). She LOVES ovals, but doesn''t want anything larger than .75 cts, so I figure I''ll get the best color/clarity/cut I can afford while keeping it around .70cts.

Here''s the front-runner:

EGL certified
Certificate 76885209D
Weight 0.70 ct.
Shape OVAL BRILLIANT
Color F
Clarity VS2
Measurements 6.49 x 4.96 x 3.36 mm
Depth 67.7 < -- seems a tad deep, no?
Table 55.6
Crown 16.3
Pavilion 46.0
Girdle THIN TO SL. THICK FACETED
Polish VERY GOOD
Symmetry GOOD TO VERY GOOD
Fluorescence NONE
Culet NONE
Cut Grade (blank)

UGS Appraisal Value $5640.00

My price: $2,000

I found a similar stone on Whiteflash:



Report: GIA
Shape: Oval
Carat: 0.71
Color: F
Clarity: VS2
Depth: 67.2
Table: 56
Girdle: M-TK F
Polish: Good
Symmetry: Good
Culet: None
Fluorescence: No
Measurements: 7.05-4.61X3.10
Length/Width: 1.53

Price: $2,611.00


Another one I had been considering is .65 ct, G, SI1 for $1,800. This stone is not certified yet, but the jeweler is GIA certified and will include a cert. She says the clarity is between SI1 and VS2. I''m leaning towards the first one though, but want to make sure the depth isn''t too deep. I did view it under 10x and had a hard time finding the inclusion, the main one of which was black speck on the edge of the girdle and very hard to see.

Here''s the set:

18k WG
.56 tcw

Robbins Bros has the set listed for $1,495, but I''ve got two places that can do it for $900-$950.

I know these aren''t the largest stones or fanciest sets, but this is what she likes...dainty, yet elegant. Plus, she''d like to be able to wear just the band, so cathedrals are a no-no. Personally, I love the look too . What do you think of the first stone....is it a good deal?

Thanks for your feedback

 

[jkchan]

Just submitted the stats for both stones into gemappraisers.com diy cut grading but the GIA stone doesn't supply the crown height. If the two stones had the same 16.3% crown height, the GIA certed stone rates 2A vs 3A for the EGL stone. The GIA stone's length to width ratio may be a little more desirable at 1.51 vs the 1.30 ratio for the EGL stone, but it depends on your gf's taste. I personally like a "fatter" oval around 1.4 - 1.3 will be more rounded. The 1.51 ratio is just about perfect.
Also, some people trust a GIA certed stone over an EGL stone in color, particularly. If the If the EGL stone was certed in LA vs Israel, it will probably stand up to color grade. If in Israel, the grading is allegedly less strict and may actually be a lower color grade than F.

Hope this info helps a little - you might also want to try the PS scope at the top of the site to make sure that the quoted prices are comparable to similar stones.

Good luck

 

[Psychobroker]

Thank you Jean The EGL stone was indeed graded in L.A., July 22, 2004.

 

[belle]

if you want accurate color and clarity grading, go with the stone that is graded by gia.

 

[jkchan]

I''m sorry - I gave the wrong website. It''s: gemappraisers.com.
Once you are at the site, look at the left side of the screen. There is a menu - 5th item down is "old diy cut grading". This is where you can plug in the stats of your stone and get a rating on it. Also look at "old aga cut grading" for definitions of the various grades.

Good luck!

 

[Psychobroker]

Thanks everyone

So, does this mean the EGL stone isn't very good?

EDIT:

Here's the DIY report:

Shape: Oval
Table % 56.0% Grade: 1A
Crown Height % 16.3% Grade: 2A
Girdle Thickness Thin to Slightly thick Grade: 1A
Total Depth % 67.70% Grade: 3A
Polish Excellent / Very Good Grade: 1A * Not a primary determining factor.
Symmetry Good Grade: 1A * Not a primary determining factor.

Final Grade: 3A

So, a depth difference of .24 mm pushes this stone from a 1B to a 3A..

 

[diamondsbylauren]

Hi Psycho- There''s a few things which are important to note here.
1) Comparing a diamond graded F/VS2 by EGl with one graded F/VS2 by GIA is like comparing apples and oranges. That is to say- the Whiteflash is very likely a better value even though it costs more
2) As far as buying "GIA certified" diamonds from a " GIA certified Jeweler" is .....welll impossible. There''s no such things. GIA does not certify either stones, nor jewelry stores. If this jeweler is indicated thier "cert" is anything like a GIA report- RUN!!!

 

[Slykat12]

There is a lovely GIA .60 D here on ps with all 1a parameters and surprisingly vg symmetry and polish from several venders for around 2006 . I know the D is overkill but you have to take what they have and consider your budget. Clarity is vs2.

No sales tax if you buy outta state ya know.

 

[Psychobroker]

Date: 10/14/2005 1:16:20 PM
Author: diamondsbylauren
Hi Psycho- There's a few things which are important to note here.
1) Comparing a diamond graded F/VS2 by EGl with one graded F/VS2 by GIA is like comparing apples and oranges. That is to say- the Whiteflash is very likely a better value even though it costs more
2) As far as buying 'GIA certified' diamonds from a ' GIA certified Jeweler' is .....welll impossible. There's no such things. GIA does not certify either stones, nor jewelry stores. If this jeweler is indicated thier 'cert' is anything like a GIA report- RUN!!!

Thanks David. I might have misconstrued the jeweler's claims. I meant to say that she says she's a GIA Graduate Gemologist, so she can grade it. This is with regard to the first stone - .65, G color, SI1 clarity. I'm not sure of the measurements, but I'll be finding out tomorrow.

 

[Slykat12]

Psycho-get a real Gia graded stone. That is a stone graded by the independant lab GIA. A stone should not be graded by someone who is selling it to you as they have a sale at stake.

Did you take a gander at the one I proposed or are you not buying online? Buying online will stretch your budget and the choices are pretty vast. WF is offerin the stone I mentioned as well as other venders.

 

[pearcrazy]

I sounds like you have a reasonable budget. I always like to start my search over at DirtCheap''s site because they group their diamonds by cut quality. This one sounds like a winner. http://www.dirtcheapdiamonds.com/diamond_detail.cfm?did=4558986

 

[Psychobroker]

Update:

Hi everyone! Thanks for all your help so far. Based on the tools and input you've given me, I've been able to find the following EGL stone from Whiteflash:

Price: $2,601.00
Report: GIA
Shape: Oval
Carat: 0.70
Color: G
Clarity: VS2
Depth: 61.6
Table: 56
Girdle: M-STK F
Polish: Good
Symmetry: Good
Culet: None
Fluorescence: No
Measurements: 7.03-4.95X3.05
Length/Width: 1.42

Assuming a crown height of 16.3% (Daniel @ WF is verifying this for me, hopefully it falls between 15-16%), the cut grades at a 1B on the DIY tool

. If between 15-16%, it'll grade at 1A(!). Even though it's a bit over my budget, I think this will be worth it in the long run. They've offered to have me ship the set to them if they can't make one or beat the price I've got on it, while still offering their fringe benefits.

How does this one look?

 

[Psychobroker]

Date: 10/18/2005 3:14:22 PM
Author: Psychobroker
Update:

Hi everyone! Thanks for all your help so far. Based on the tools and input you''ve given me, I''ve been able to find the following EGL stone from Whiteflash:

Price: $2,601.00
Report: GIA
Shape: Oval
Carat: 0.70
Color: G
Clarity: VS2
Depth: 61.6
Table: 56
Girdle: M-STK F
Polish: Good
Symmetry: Good
Culet: None
Fluorescence: No
Measurements: 7.03-4.95X3.05
Length/Width: 1.42

Assuming a crown height of 16.3% (Daniel @ WF is verifying this for me, hopefully it falls between 15-16%), the cut grades at a 1B on the DIY tool

. If between 15-16%, it''ll grade at 1A(!). Even though it''s a bit over my budget, I think this will be worth it in the long run. They''ve offered to have me ship the set to them if they can''t make one or beat the price I''ve got on it, while still offering their fringe benefits.

How does this one look?

I know this isn''t the biggest rock like some others around here, but I''d really appreciate your input...it''s been so helpful thus far. Thanks

 

[Psychobroker]

Ok, this is my last bump on this topic. I''m sorry to bug, but I really need insight and approval from you PS'' experts. I see topic after topic replied to, but mine keeps falling to page two

 

[lovelylulu]

I wish that i could give you more insightful advice --

I think on paper it looks like a quality diamond! i just looked at the advanced tutorial and the parameters for ovals.

I love the idea of an oval, too -- i''m only wary after hearing about the "dreaded" bowtie effect. can anyone tell you about that?

 

[belle]

an oval scoring 1a or 1b would be a great find. i hope this is the one!
btw..i think that is a perfect size!

 

[Psychobroker]

I just received the sarin report from Daniel (the MAN!) at Whiteflash, and the crown angle is 15% making it a 1A across the board! I'm so happy

. Here's a pic of the stone

:

I think it's absolutely, dropdead gorgeous!

(Well, not like my GF anyway

Thanks again to all of you for your help and input. Otherwise, I might have gone for a much lesser stone for a marginal savings (few hundred $)...when "savings" has nothing to do with something that will last forever.

I'll keep everyone posted on WF's progress. Apparently, Leon was impressed

 

[Psychobroker]

And under the idealscope..

 

[Psychobroker]

And the sarin:

 

[phoenixgirl]

You might want to ask about the culet being off center. I''ve never seen that before and don''t know if it would affect the stone''s appearance. Other than that, everything looks good.

 

[diamondsbylauren]

Judging by the photos, it''s a lovely diamond- many fancy shaped diamonds have culets that are slightly off center- this stone looks like the make ( cut) is great. The shape is very nice too.

 

[Shay37]

Gosh, Psycho, we weren''t snubbing you. It''s just very hard to give advice on fancies without the info you provided in your last few posts. I''m sorry you felt we didn''t care. It looks like a beautiful stone, and WF will do a fab job with it. Good luck. Glad you decided cut was king.

shay