Help me choose!

[kiwifuz]

Okay we''re trying to narrow down choices of Good Old Gold diamonds, if you could please give me your opinion of which one you''d choose of these three?

#1: .71 I VS1
#2: .70 I VS1
#3: .70 I VVS2

We''re looking at spending $3000 on the diamond itself at the most. Any thoughts? Thanks!!

 

[limey]

Best bet with GOG is to call them and have them be your eyes for you. A VS2 from them is going to be more than satisfactory so perhaps you can save some money, or jump up to an H or in size a few points.

Good luck
Andrew

 

[limey]

Ask if this SI2 is eye-clean, i know the inclusion looks big on the screen but to the naked eye you probably will never see it!

http://www.goodoldgold.com/0_70ct_g_si1_h%26a.htm

Also, call and ask what else they have that is not posted in the .7-.8, H, eye-clean

 

[kiwifuz]

For a few hundred extra I dont see a point in going up 2 more colors and down in clarity. It didn't score better on cut adviser either....

Does he normally have more in stock than what is on his site? Anyone know? I know my boyfriend is planning on trying to contact him sometime today, it'll be interesting to see if he has more available.

 

[Nicrez]

Alright, I put each through the HCA and they are ALL Excellent! Go GOG!!!!

Here's my breakdown, as petty as it is:

#1...has a slightly larger diameter than #2 or #3.
Also, it's girdle is more even than #3.
Plus I like the smallness of the culet compared to both other stones.
I like the BrillianceScope ratings of #1, which matched #3, but #1 is SLIGHTLY better in white light. It's a STELLAR performer!

#1 rated a 1.1 on the HCA with every thing excellent (whitelight, Fire, Scintillation) and spread was Very Good.

#2 rated a 1.0 on the HCa with the same break down as above

#3 rated a 1.2 on the HCA with Excellent White light, fire, except Scinitllation and sprad were both Very Good. (this is NO DOG, though!)

Also, I didn't like #3, for the fact that you would pay a bit more needlessly for clarity of VVS2 you don't need.

GO FOR #1 with #2 as a very solid choice!!!

 

[Mara]

"For a few hundred extra I dont see a point in going up 2 more colors and down in clarity."




Why not? Color is what people see, while an eye-clean stone will appear the same to the naked eye as a VVS would. That said, I would never buy an I VVS if there were other options, a huge waste of your money on that VVS clarity with an I color IMO. Then again I wouldn't even choose a VS over an SI if I could find one that's eye-clean, which is not that hard. I'd choose higher color and SI clarity hands down, day after day over an I VS or I VVS or anything like that.




So I really can't vote on this poll as I wouldn't get any of these choices, but would look for something more middle ground with better color and lower clarity...such as G SI or H SI. The color difference *may* be visible while if you get eye-clean, the clarity drop will not.




Good luck!

 

[Stephan]

I find these 3 diamonds very nice.
Can't choose.
Go and have a look at a lot of diamonds before to know what you need (color and clarity).
My friend finds H color (in a ring!) slight yellow.
I can't see that.
A lot of SI are eye clean.
You can't see anything in diffuse light.
But it could be bad for the scintillation, in other conditions.
You might see some black spots in the color flashes.
My combination would be I-VVS2 or VS1 much more than F-VS2 or SI1.
I don't think that buying VVS is wasting money.

 

[pqcollectibles]

----------------
On 4/21/2004 12:12:03 PM kiwifuz wrote:

For a few hundred extra I dont see a point in going up 2 more colors and down in clarity. It didn't score better on cut adviser either....

Does he normally have more in stock than what is on his site? Anyone know? I know my boyfriend is planning on trying to contact him sometime today, it'll be interesting to see if he has more available.----------------

To your first comment,...... Buying a diamond is full of concessions. You give in one area to get in another. Some people are more color sensitive. They will give on clarity more easily than color. Others are bothered by inclusions. They will give on color to have a cleaner diamond. I have a super Ideal 1.25 carat J set in platinum. It's beautiful!! Rhino wears a K color diamond. I and J colors offer great value. Sometimes, lower color diamonds come with higher clarity. If the color fits your budget and gets you the size you want, higher clarity is just a bonus IMHO. You do what's right for you. If you've seen well cut I color diamonds and I works for you, go for it.

You might check with GOG to see what else they have available in you budget range. When I checked the GOG site last nite, Rhino had posted a note that more stones were available than listed. Rhino may have several more options for you to consider. Also, GOG may know of other diamonds available that they physically don't have on hand.

 

[kiwifuz]

I personally can't see color in an I, neither of us can. But I've been known to stare until i see the inclusions and then i see them.... bugs me....

The reason I chose 3 is because that's all you can see during an appointment with GOG. Those were my three best choices. Perhaps we're "rushing" but there isn't anything physically in his possesion that is a lower clarity that I'd really want to choose over the other to save money.

I could wait forever thinking I'll find that "perfect" diamond. I've actually always had the SI1 that's eye clean in mind to save a few $. Right now I'm not seeing any...

Thanks for the thoughts everyone!

 

[Nicrez]

Kiwi, coming from a color snob, a well cut I will most likely NOT be too yellow for the average eye. Some people will say it is, and some people just know color by the grade and not the look...

Today I saw a well cut J and putting that near a decently F was SOOOOOOOO slight it was silly. It faced up like a G at least.

I liked your choices, as they seemed to compromise in color, and clarity at VS level is an excellent deal. Nothing wrong with VVS, BUT I just think that when buying a stone with a budget, most people would prefer color and spread over clarity.

You prove that you are sensitive with clarity, so a VS may just be what you get. Either way an eye clean SI1 CAN be a good investment, but nothing wrong with an I. Also a G, H or I (some J's) when well cut will be white enough that no one will EVER say it's yellow, unless they drop a D next to it. Don't worry!

Whatever your schedule, look around, ask GOG for more, if they have it, but from what you posted i still say #1 is my favorite slightly...They are ALL lovely!

 

[aljdewey]

I didn't vote because like Mara, I wouldn't pay for a VS1 or VVS stone.....in fact, I'd only go as high as VS2 if there were NO SI choices.




Having said that, I think that #1 is the best of the three. I'm concerned on #3 that the girdle thickness on the GIA report doesn't match on the Sarin.....how can the girdle be med-sl thick on the grading report and turn up THIN on the Sarin?

 

[wallace]

I voted because, despite what I would personally choose, you asked me to pick if I were you. I seem able to project this objectivity. I would one, two, three in that order, repectively. I find NicRez's exegesis encomapasses all my comments and explains my choice, if I were you.

If you want to know what I would do if I were me, confronted with the same choice, I will tell you. However, it seems to suffice to simply answer your question and not mine.

 

[valeria101]

These three already made the very narrow cut to get into the GOG inventory !

Not much would remain to optimize

So... I just lined up the three Bscope animations, took a good look and found the #1 stone lighting up the whole area of the stone like the others do not. What this means? No idea - probably not much or really nothing (given that those images are not perfect renderings of reality anyway). But with all ground already covered what can one do ??? To find the reationale behind a choice I would need yet another way to describe these stones online and Jonathan already uses most!

The only number still subject to 'optimization' about GOG's diamonds is the price - these are supposed to be the pick of the crop, just good for whoever wants the ultimate optical perfection in a RBC and accepts the current definition of it to boot.