help me compare 2 stones!

[jane_e]

My fiance and I have seen these two stones in person (not side by side though, at 2 different stores in very different lighting conditions...).

I have a clear preference for the 1st one, and he really didn't see any difference in the way they sparkled but preferred the slightly larger size of the 2nd one. I thought there was a weird dullness to the 2nd one (can't put my finger on it since it did sparkle but something in the table just looked "empty", does that make any sense?), and I also felt like I could see a lacking the symmetry of the second stone.

Here are the numbers and links to the GIA reports:

Stone 1: http://www2.gia.edu/reportcheck/ind...tVerification&reportno=2117226839&weight=0.71
.71 carat- G VS1
GIA Ex Cut, Ex Polish, Ex Symmetry, No Flourscence
5.71x5.74x3.53mm
Table 58%
Depth 61.7%
Crown Angle 35.5
Pavilion Angle 40.8
Girdle Thin to Slightly Thick Faceted 3.5%
Comes back a 2.7 on HCA, Very Good's on all factors (even though it's not under a 2.0, it looked gorgeous in person including them letting us take it outside in natural daylight-- should I be concerned about a 2.7?)

Stone 2:http://www2.gia.edu/reportcheck/ind...tVerification&reportno=1122103931&weight=0.80
.80 carat- F SI1
GIA Ex Cut, VG Polish, VG Symmetry
5.93x5.97x3.69mm
Table 57%
Depth 62.1%
Crown Angle 33.5
Pavilion Angle 41.4
Girle Medium to Slightly Thick Faceted 4%
4.0 on HCA, Good on 1st three factors, Very Good on spread

So I think this is a clear decision but is there something I may be missing? Or should we just wait and try to see AGS stones with better HCA's? Also to throw it into the mix, the 1st stone is priced at $3200 and the 2nd is $3600. Do those sound fair?

 

[E B]

So I think this is a clear decision but is there something I may be missing? Or should we just wait and try to see AGS stones with better HCA's? Also to throw it into the mix, the 1st stone is priced at $3200 and the 2nd is $3600. Do those sound fair?

Is it important to you/fiance to buy in person?

 

[stone-cold11]

Prefer #1 too, from the numbers. Numbers could work with the rounding of numbers by GIA, especially with stereo vision.

Use the https://www.pricescope.com/diamond-search-results/ and enter your specs to see what online are selling for. Usually B&M carries some premium over online drop-shippers. 10-15% is the norm I think.

 

[jane_e]

he really doesn't want to go the online route because it just worries him I guess. I have been trying to tell him that it would be fine and we'd be able to get something higher quality for less money that way, but to no avail.

it does look to me like these are right in line with the 10-15% B&M markup, which isn't bad and will ease his mind.

Just still want to end up with a quality stone at the end of it!

 

[slg47]

any chance you can go to a store that carries AGS0s (Jared maybe) so you can compare? If you prefer the 2.7 stone then great but it doesn't hurt to see some superideals before purchasing, so you have seen a wider variety

 

[Dreamer_D]

any chance you can go to a store that carries AGS0s (Jared maybe) so you can compare? If you prefer the 2.7 stone then great but it doesn't hurt to see some superideals before purchasing, so you have seen a wider variety

This is a good idea for educational purposes.

Stone two may be higher carat weight but the actual size difference is .2mm, which is probably not noticable even if you hold them side by side. I would prefer number 1 from the numbers. And you liked it better too.

 

[jane_e]

we have an AGS triple zero being ordered in for us to see (no idea yet on the price or the specifics) but its a .76 F SI1

So my next question is, are SI1's always eye clean or just most of the time eye clean? And, does an AGS ideal guarantee under 2.0 on the HCA or can you have an AGS ideal come back higher as well?

 

[Dreamer_D]

we have an AGS triple zero being ordered in for us to see (no idea yet on the price or the specifics) but its a .76 F SI1

So my next question is, are SI1's always eye clean or just most of the time eye clean? And, does an AGS ideal guarantee under 2.0 on the HCA or can you have an AGS ideal come back higher as well?

Not all SI1 stones are eye clean, I can't say the exact percentage because it depends on your eye sight, but my thought is at best 50/50... AGS0 does not guarantee under 2.0 BUT the HCA is a rejection tool not a selection tool and I would hesitate to reject an AGS0 even if it rated higher than 2.0. The AGS0 cut grade is much much tighter than the GIA Ex cut grade. If you see the stone in person and can compare to others stones, then AGS0 could trump the HCA even in the rare situation where the stone is not under 2.0.

 

[yssie]

we have an AGS triple zero being ordered in for us to see (no idea yet on the price or the specifics) but its a .76 F SI1

So my next question is, are SI1's always eye clean or just most of the time eye clean? And, does an AGS ideal guarantee under 2.0 on the HCA or can you have an AGS ideal come back higher as well?

AGS (stones w/ the plat report) are given a cut grade based on both dimensions and simulation of light return w/ 3D ray tracing, so even stones w/ "cherry numbers" might not get the coveted AGS0 grade if the cutter perhaps did some creative manoeuvring to get the average on target, say...

I would thoroughly investigate any AGS0 regardless of HCA - HCA is a very useful tool for blunt rejection when there are hundreds of stones w/ minimal info to choose from, but w/ more info a more specialized selection can be made

 

[jane_e]

figured i'd give you an update on what we decided...

we are going with the AGS0 stone. We saw it, loved it. It's a 1.7 on the HCA and we looked at it through the H&A viewer and its got an awesome pattern. Sorry I don't have idealscope images or anything like that, but I think if I tried to get all that info, my fiance would have just about decided he didn't want to marry me. He thinks I have been spoiled by reading PriceScope

I just wish it was a "mind clean" stone but I guess I have to just not think about the *possibility* of randomly seeing something in the SI1. I don't have very good vision, but neither me nor my fiance saw anything. I saw some little stuff under the microscope but not to the naked eye. sigh...

Now I can't wait to get it on my finger! This is the setting it will be going into http://www.maevona.com/ring/18/Ensay , and I'll be sure to post a new thread with pictures once it comes in.