HELP me decide on diamond!

[device04]

Hi,

So I've decided on a Round Solitaire and the design (similar to a HW double prong, simple cathedral). Now just got to find the diamond and a jeweler!

I have been looking around at diamonds, and have found this one but am having a hard time on knowing (with some confidence) if the offered price ($7200) is reasonable. Details are:

Round Brilliant
1.01 CT
Excellent Cut
G Color
SI 1 Clarity - Eye clean
6.43 - 6.47 x 3.95 mm
Excellent Polish
Excellent Symmetry
No Fluorescence
58% Table
61.2% Depth
medium - slightly thick (faceted) 3.5%

Please HELP, and apologies if I'm being too specific or annoying with this request.


Thanks!

 

[slg47]

is this graded by a lab? if so do you have the report number?

 

[farmer gal]

I don't know about that stone by the numbers listed but here is one that is a little bigger

you could have JA look at this stone to see if it is eyeclean and ask for idealscope images

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/G-SI1-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1451987.asp

 

[device04]

Here is the GIA Cert for the rest of the details.

 

[Ravinmad]

I color, VS2 1.02 ct stone.

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/I-VS2-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1451984.asp



This is a G color, SI1 at James allen. $6880

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/G-SI1-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1451997.asp


consider these as price points to compare

 

[device04]

So today was my day to go and check out some stones with two jewelers I have been emailing back and forth.

At the first place, I saw the 1.01 from earlier and then an 0.91 carat (GIA cert below). It is 0.10 ct smaller but better clarity and $1000 less. The 1.01ct, at the right angle (not from straight top view), you can see the inclusion on the GIA report that is on the middle bottom. Both were beautiful and really you can't tell the difference in size. Both were remarkably sparkly (I know, not an official way to describe it), but I suspect it was at least partly to do with the lighting situation (more below).



Then went to a second jeweler who showed me a 1.04 ct and a 0.99 ct (GIA certs below, sorry for quality but don't have scanner). The lighting must have been different as there was not as much sparkle in his office as at the 1st place, but they were both still very nice stones. The 1.04 was the same price as the 1.01 (7k) and the 0.99 ct was $1200 less. The 0.99 ct intrigues me the most for the price and it actually looks bigger than the rest due to the dimensions, however it is only a Very Good cut vs. Excellent for the others (which to me is the most important "C"), however the symmetry being only Good does concern me, but I wonder if it's that big of a deal. Is this actually a good value or truly a lesser quality stone? The 1.04 has the best clarity and is over 1 carat but Polish and Symmetry being "Very Good" is lower than the others though I suspect it's not particularly noticeable to the naked eye.

I'd appreciate if anyone has any further insights into which they would choose given the 4 choices. Both jewelers have been kind enough to hold onto the stones and give me 1-2 days to decide and I think these are all within my price range and are stones I would be happy with, however am having trouble deciding/knowing which is best. I don't think my girlfriend will care at all if the stone is under 1 ct. so that's not my biggest concern but from my perspective, I do want to get the best stone I can (within budget) for her.

Thanks again to everyone for taking the time. It is much appreciated by this nervous and excited buyer!

 

[bagelboy]

Welcome to Pricescope, You can check potential candidates by inputting the numbers found on the lab report into the HCA which is found above under the tools tab. Doing so I found the first diamond (1.01) has a HCA score of 1.4 which is good. The (.99) HCA score is 4.5, !.04 HCA is 4.7, 0.91 HCA is 2.6 . I would only consider buying diamonds that have a HCA score between 0 and 2. I would encourage you to look for a setting at various Pricescope vendors and then find a stone from the same vendor if possible. You may find a better deal online.Happy hunting!

 

[Lula]

Welcome to Pricescope, You can check potential candidates by inputting the numbers found on the lab report into the HCA which is found above under the tools tab. Doing so I found the first diamond (1.01) has a HCA score of 1.4 which is good. The (.99) HCA score is 4.5, !.04 HCA is 4.7, 0.91 HCA is 2.6 . I would only consider buying diamonds that have a HCA score between 0 and 2. I would encourage you to look for a setting at various Pricescope vendors and then find a stone from the same vendor if possible. You may find a better deal online.Happy hunting!

The HCA is a good way to weed out *potential* poor performers, but since the OP can see and compare the diamonds in person, the HCA is less important.

device, it seems that you would prefer buying a diamond locally rather than online, is that correct? If so, then make sure you plug the size, color, carat, clarity, and cut grade specs into the search engine at the top of the page to compare the prices you were quoted with the prices of various online vendors for diamonds of similar quality. If you prefer to buy locally, there is nothing wrong with that, and it appears that you've been shown some decent diamonds. The first two both look like nice stones, but if you can see the inclusion in the SI1, the VS2 from that vendor may be the better option.

The .99 carat from the second vendor will indeed look large for its size because of the way it's cut. Even though the table is larger than the depth, which is not usually a traditional choice around here, if the stone's proportions work together, this diamond could actually be the best choice in terms of size for the money, and it may have a more bright, white look to it, with many smaller flashes of white and colored sparkle. Sometimes these diamonds with low crowns (12% in this case), big tables, and thin girdles are at a higher risk for chipping. Sometimes they show less fire and more white sparkle than diamonds with smaller tables and higher crowns. This diamond's girdle is medium to slightly thick, so that helps reduce the chipping risk. Just something to keep in mind, and maybe discuss with your jeweler in terms of going with 6 prongs vs. 4 prongs for safety.

Again, you have the advantage that you can see the diamonds in person. The diamonds may not sparkle the same at the second store because of the lighting or because of the cut -- it's hard to say. Make sure you look at the diamonds under all sorts of light. You want the diamond to have edge-to-edge sparkle with no dead or dark spots along the edges or near the center.