Help choosing a round brilliant please!

[enchantingeyes]

I am trying to find a round brilliant stone, desired specs are as follows

color: E/f
clarity: vvs-vs
cut: ideal
carat weight: 1.50-1.59

Any help would be appreciated, I am on a time crunch (two weeks!)

Thanks in advance!

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 2/27/2009 6:23:52 AM
Author:enchantingeyes
I am trying to find a round brilliant stone, desired specs are as follows

color: E/f
clarity: vvs-vs
cut: ideal
carat weight: 1.50-1.59

Any help would be appreciated, I am on a time crunch (two weeks!)

Thanks in advance!

Welcome!

Budget please, and can you let me know what the budget is for the diamond and the setting separately? Do you prefer higher colour and clarity or would you consider G or H colour ( GIA/ AGS graded)?

 

[Lorelei]

Some selections for you

http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/Whiteflash-ACA-cut-diamond-1466940.htm

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/5404/

http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/Whiteflash-ACA-cut-diamond-1466941.htm

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/5080/

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/F-VVS1-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1195049.asp?b=16&a=12&c=77&cid=131

 

[enchantingeyes]

Hi Lorelei, thanks for the help. I am concentrating on the stone for now... GIA certified would be preferable. I got a quote today for a 1.51 F/VS1 for 13.5K so I guess around that price range. However I would like to buy from a reputable place and this quote was from the Los Angeles jewlery district. Any help is much appreciated, thanks again.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 2/27/2009 6:45:58 AM
Author: enchantingeyes
Hi Lorelei, thanks for the help. I am concentrating on the stone for now... GIA certified would be preferable. I got a quote today for a 1.51 F/VS1 for 13.5K so I guess around that price range. However I would like to buy from a reputable place and this quote was from the Los Angeles jewlery district. Any help is much appreciated, thanks again.

You are most welcome! And no worries, all the online vendors here are well known and have an excellent rep so you can buy with confidence. AGS is also as highly regarded as GIA, if not higher for cut grading so definitely consider such diamonds.

You might have to adjust your specs a bit to get a well cut diamond in that price of that size, some examples -

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/I297007/

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/4882/

Also some SI clarities can be an excellent choice if verified eyeclean to your standards by a trusted vendor. Also there can be a discount for bank wire payment in some cases.

 

[Ellen]

I agree with Lorelei. To get to, and over that 1.5 hump, in the spec range you want, it would cost more. She gave you a couple good suggestions if you wanted to lower other things besides size.

Here's one that's the closest to what you want, but we still had to compromise in the size department. To be honest though, in a setting, no one is going to know this doesn't hit the 1.5 mark.

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/4949/

 

[enchantingeyes]

Here are the options I am contemplating: (Goto GIA website to see specs and tell me which one to choose

GIA # Carat Size Price
-------------------------------------------------------------------
6107513197 1.51 $13,750
17553851 1.51 $14,300
5106202597 1.53 $14,500
2105182449 1.55 $15,000


Thanks for everyone''s help!

 

[YoungPapa]

Date: 2/27/2009 9:57:01 PM
Author: enchantingeyes
Here are the options I am contemplating: (Goto GIA website to see specs and tell me which one to choose

Asking everyone to go to GIA and plug in report numbers and carat weights isn''t going to get you the attention you deserve. If you really want to engage people make it easy for them to participate.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 2/27/2009 11:27:58 PM
Author: James Allen Schultz

Date: 2/27/2009 9:57:01 PM
Author: enchantingeyes
Here are the options I am contemplating: (Goto GIA website to see specs and tell me which one to choose

Asking everyone to go to GIA and plug in report numbers and carat weights isn''t going to get you the attention you deserve. If you really want to engage people make it easy for them to participate.

Ditto Jim.

If you could post the links please enchantingeyes then it would be much easier for us, it takes a lot of time for us to look up each diamond as this place gets busy - thanks!

 

[enchantingeyes]

Sure I can do that...

http://www.gia.edu/reportcheck/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.showReportVerification&reportno=6107513197&weight=1.51

http://www.gia.edu/reportcheck/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.showReportVerification&reportno=17553851&weight=1.51

http://www.gia.edu/reportcheck/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.showReportVerification&reportno=5106202597&weight=1.53

http://www.gia.edu/reportcheck/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.showReportVerification&reportno=2105182449&weight=1.55

 

[JulieN]

no/maybe

no/maybe

maybe

maybe

I don't think they're really top cuts.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 2/28/2009 4:45:16 AM
Author: JulieN
no/maybe

no/maybe

maybe

maybe

I don''t think they''re really top cuts.

Thanks enchantingeyes!

My thoughts are the same as Julie''s, can you get ASET or Idealscope images for any of these, particularly the last 2 diamonds?

 

[enchantingeyes]

So this question is probably because I dont know enough about diamonds, but what is wrong with them? Any specifics in terms of the cut woud help educate me. I can ask about the idealscope, thanks.

 

[JulieN]

1. girdle variation points to it not being a top cut

need pictures for the other 3.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 2/28/2009 5:09:09 AM
Author: JulieN
1. girdle variation points to it not being a top cut

need pictures for the other 3.

Ditto, the IS images are important so we can see how well the proportions of each diamond work together.

 

[RBsearch]

If you haven''t tried this already, you should run those numbers on the GIA certs through the HCA tool: https://www.pricescope.com/cutadviser.asp

My understanding is that you want them to score lower than 2.0. Diamond #2 and #4 score less than 2.0. You also want them to fall within the AGS0 and GIA excellent ranges shown in the diagram. Diamond #2 falls outside those ranges, leaving #4 as the only one that fits both criteria. You still want to see an IS image, and can''t base judgments solely on the HCA tool.

 

[enchantingeyes]

How is it possible that GIA grades the stone "EXCELLENT" cut (triple XXX with polish and symmetry) and when I run it through the HCA tool it gives it a 4.9? Here is the stone I am looking at, please help!

http://www.gia.edu/reportcheck/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.showReportVerification&reportno=15847002&weight=1.59

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 3/5/2009 12:36:52 AM
Author: enchantingeyes
How is it possible that GIA grades the stone ''EXCELLENT'' cut (triple XXX with polish and symmetry) and when I run it through the HCA tool it gives it a 4.9? Here is the stone I am looking at, please help!

http://www.gia.edu/reportcheck/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.showReportVerification&reportno=15847002&weight=1.59

Because GIA''s Excellent cut grade can allow less desirable configurations such as the steep deep angled diamonds like the one posted to get the Excellent cut grade. We see this a lot. Personally I would pass on this diamond, very likely it will leak light and not sparkle as well as it could.

 

[John P]

To show what Lorelei is talking about, here is a computer projection showing how the general measurements of the diamond you linked are predicted when seen in ASET - a viewer showing where a diamond is drawing its light from and where that light is going.

How to read this image:

Red = Brightness (desirable) Green = Less Bright (should be minimized in rounds) Blue = Contrast (some balanced contrast helps exaggerate brightness) White = Light Leakage (undesirable, it means light is escaping from the bottom of the diamond instead of properly returning to your eye).

The actual diamond won't be as optically symmetrical as this 3D projection, so this is for purposes of illustration. What's important is the physical science of how much light return versus leakage is seen with this configuration.

 

[John P]

By comparison, here is a near-Tolkowsky configuration that GIA, AGS, AGA and HCA all predict to earn their top grade.

Notice how much Red (brightness) there is, with balance Blue (contrast), minimal Green (less bright) and nearly no White (leakage).

 

[Lorelei]

Great images and explanation, thanks Sir!!

 

[John P]

And, in the interest of world peace, a 60/60 configuration, also predicted for the top grade by GIA, AGS and HCA.

Here too, note the abundance of brightness, balanced contrast and absence of light leakage.

 

[John P]

Date: 3/5/2009 8:35:29 AM
Author: Lorelei
Great images and explanation, thanks Sir!!

My pleasure Lorelei.

 

[Ellen]

Date: 3/5/2009 8:36:42 AM
Author: John Pollard
And, in the interest of world peace, a 60/60 configuration, also predicted for the top grade by GIA, AGS and HCA.

Here too, note the abundance of brightness, balanced contrast and absence of light leakage.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 3/5/2009 9:10:52 AM
Author: Ellen

Date: 3/5/2009 8:36:42 AM
Author: John Pollard
And, in the interest of world peace, a 60/60 configuration, also predicted for the top grade by GIA, AGS and HCA.

Here too, note the abundance of brightness, balanced contrast and absence of light leakage.

 

[canuk-gal]

Date: 3/5/2009 9:17:13 AM
Author: Lorelei

Date: 3/5/2009 9:10:52 AM
Author: Ellen

Date: 3/5/2009 8:36:42 AM
Author: John Pollard
And, in the interest of world peace, a 60/60 configuration, also predicted for the top grade by GIA, AGS and HCA.

Here too, note the abundance of brightness, balanced contrast and absence of light leakage.

whirled peas is a good thing

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 3/5/2009 9:20:31 AM
Author: canuk-gal

Date: 3/5/2009 9:17:13 AM
Author: Lorelei

Date: 3/5/2009 9:10:52 AM
Author: Ellen

Date: 3/5/2009 8:36:42 AM
Author: John Pollard
And, in the interest of world peace, a 60/60 configuration, also predicted for the top grade by GIA, AGS and HCA.

Here too, note the abundance of brightness, balanced contrast and absence of light leakage.

whirled peas is a good thing

 

[canuk-gal]

Date: 3/5/2009 9:21:57 AM
Author: Lorelei

Date: 3/5/2009 9:20:31 AM
Author: canuk-gal

Date: 3/5/2009 9:17:13 AM
Author: Lorelei

Date: 3/5/2009 9:10:52 AM
Author: Ellen

Date: 3/5/2009 8:36:42 AM
Author: John Pollard
And, in the interest of world peace, a 60/60 configuration, also predicted for the top grade by GIA, AGS and HCA.

Here too, note the abundance of brightness, balanced contrast and absence of light leakage.

whirled peas is a good thing

hey!

that''s Ellen''s job!

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 3/5/2009 9:28:53 AM
Author: canuk-gal

Date: 3/5/2009 9:21:57 AM
Author: Lorelei

Date: 3/5/2009 9:20:31 AM
Author: canuk-gal

Date: 3/5/2009 9:17:13 AM
Author: Lorelei

Date: 3/5/2009 9:10:52 AM
Author: Ellen

Date: 3/5/2009 8:36:42 AM
Author: John Pollard
And, in the interest of world peace, a 60/60 configuration, also predicted for the top grade by GIA, AGS and HCA.

Here too, note the abundance of brightness, balanced contrast and absence of light leakage.

whirled peas is a good thing

hey!

that''s Ellen''s job!

 

[Ellen]

Date: 3/5/2009 9:28:53 AM
Author: canuk-gal

Date: 3/5/2009 9:21:57 AM
Author: Lorelei

Date: 3/5/2009 9:20:31 AM
Author: canuk-gal



whirled peas is a good thing

hey!

that's Ellen's job!

You're right, it is. But I was just going to thank her for looking out for me!

Thankies Lore!!