Help - color/clarity trade-offs

[NovemberBride]

Hi everyone, my fiance recently proposed with an ideal cut 2.00 carat H SI2 RB diamond. We realized once we received the diamond that it had a few visible inclusions, which since finding this forum I have realized is quite common in a 2 carat SI2. Being the perfectionist that I am, the inclusions bother me, and I know will continue to do so. The jeweler has been quite helpful and is willing to let us exchange the diamond for something we are happy with. We do not want to spend much more money, and it looks like our options are to stay at a 2.00 carat and downgrade in color to an I or J and get a VS2 clarity (there''s just something about knowing it''s a 2.00!), or get a 1.7-1.8 G or H VS2. The H faces up quite white to my eyes, so I don''t think I would be bothered by an I. Any advice would be appreciated!

 

[justjulia]

If you get a diamond that is cut well, the color will not be as "noticeable." There are many people on this forum with beautiful I and J (K,L,M for that matter) stones. Nothing wrong with wanting 2 c- heck, you may even decide to get larger down the road. Sounds like you have a compliant jeweler who wants to make you happy. Good luck!

 

[snlee]

NovemberBride, what about an eye clean SI1? Then you can stay in the 2 carat range and maybe G-H range?

 

[Rosierock]

If you really want to stay at 2 cts. I think you absolutely should. I have a 1.73, I, SI2 that I love, I can''t see any inclusions at all and it is very bright and sparkley. It''s such a personal decision, as long as you like looking at it, that''s all that matters.

 

[Demelza]

I feel your pain. I''m in the midst of working out this dilemma myself. I upgraded from a 1.5 G, VS2 stone that was super white and super clean, to my eyes at least, to a 2.35 I, VS2. Both stones are beautiful, but the I color really started bothering me and the VS2 wasn''t totally eyeclean to me either (that was just a fluke, I think). Anyway, for me, I realized after about a year that I really need a whiter stone to feel good about my diamond. BUT that is really such a personal decision. My best advice is to look around as much as possible and get a sense of what a lower color stone really looks like in all lighting conditions. If you''re a perfectionist, you might find that going down in size is a better compromise than going down in color or clarity. It''s a tough call and I can empathize completely as someone who LOVES size. Good luck!

 

[Oleander]

Color is _usually_ only noticeable in a side-by-side comparison, and that''s not going to happen to you very often, if ever. Since you really like the 2 carat size, I would sacrifice color a bit and get great cut and good clarity (at least eye clean), so the stone looks big, clean, and sparkly.

 

[C Smith]

I'd go SI1 and color I. Visible inclusions in my pretty lady's ring are not an option. She wears an SI1~G because she understands the concept of getting the best bang for the buck(lucky me!). Good luck!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I guess I''m the oddball here, but I''d rather have a 1.7 H VS stone any day than a 2ct. I SI. But, that way there are enough diamonds to go around for everyone! (As someone else said, though, make sure your stone is GIA excellent cut or AGS0).

 

[Oleander]

Date: 6/26/2006 4:23:50 PM
Author: diamondseeker2006
I guess I''m the oddball here, but I''d rather have a 1.7 H VS stone any day than a 2ct. I SI. But, that way there are enough diamonds to go around for everyone! (As someone else said, though, make sure your stone is GIA excellent cut or AGS0).

Oh, me, too! I definitely like the idea of fewer inclusions for myself. But the original poster made comments about really liking the 2 carat size, so to stay with that, there have to be some sacrifices.

 

[Mara]

if you have an H and love it then i would think you''d be fine with an I...to stay at 2c. i''d also ask about an eye-clean SI1. they ARE out there, i have had two and i also had one amazingly eye-clean SI2 as well. i have also had a VS and it was such a waste of money for me because i don''t have the best eyes and if inclusions are white, then they are super hard to see regardless.

so i''d go with H SI1 or I SI1 or I VS2 and stay with the size you want if you can. and also keep in mind the better the cut quality, the better it will hide the color and inclusions!!

 

[decodelighted]

Do we know what cert the original stone had yet?? GIA?? AGS?? or *dun dun dun* a unfavored type.

Just curious - because then we''d know how "true" the color she''s responding to NOW is .. and how color sensitive she is.

 

[NovemberBride]

The certification on the diamond is a GIA cert, which I believe is supposed to be one of the better ones. Thanks for all your helpful advice, I am partial towards the idea of the 2 carat, so I think I will ask the jeweler to bring in some I colors with VS2 and SI1 clarity. The inclusions in my ring are white and not at all noticeable unless you are inspecting it up close, it is just my personal preference to have an entirely eye clean stone.