Help me pick my diamond!! I am getting stressed out!

moononion · Jul 24, 2014

I think I have finally settled on a setting, a Martin Flyer shared prong! Now comes the hard part, finding the diamond!

I would like a 1.75 carat center, if possible, but would be willing to go down to a 1.5 if the cut is perfect. I would like to stay at or below 15k.

There are so many diamond choices I'm getting stressed out! I've found these two so far, I would love thoughts or any other suggestions.
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/1.60-carat-h-color-vs2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-311244
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/1.63-carat-h-color-vs1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-321787

Isn't diamond shopping supposed to be fun?!? This is stressful!!

Thanks everyone!!!

Gypsy · Jul 24, 2014

No diamond shopping is not fun. Diamond wearing is fun. Diamond buying is research heavy.

If you want to shop at Blue Nile, that's your choice. Stick to the Signature LIne and run the stones through the HCA. And read the below (so you understand what the HCA is).

The entire purpose of faceting a diamond is to reflect light.
How well or how poorly a diamond does this determines how beautiful it is.
How well a diamond performs is determined by the angles and cutting. This is why we say cut is king.
No other factor: not color, not clarity has as much of an impact on the appearance of a diamond as its cut. An ideal H will out white a poorly cut F. And GIA Ex is not enough. And you must stick to GIA and AGS only. EGL is a bad option: [URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/egl-certification-are-any-of-them-ok.142863/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/egl-certification-are-any-of-them-ok.142863/[/URL]
So how to we ensure that we have the right angles and cutting to get the light performance we want?
https://www.pricescope.com/wiki/diamonds/diamond-cut
Well one method is to start with a GIA Ex, and then apply the HCA to it. YOU DO NOT USE HCA for AGS0 stones.
https://www.pricescope.com/wiki/diamonds/holloway-cut-advisor
The HCA is a rejection tool. Not a selection tool. It uses 4 data points to make a rudimentary call on how the diamond may perform.
If the diamond passes then you know that you are in the right zone in terms of angles for light performance. Under 2 is a pass. Under 2.5-2.1 is a maybe. 2.6 and over is a no. No score 2 and under is better than any other.
Is that enough? Not really.
So what you need is a way to check actual light performance of your actual stone.
That's what an idealscope image does. https://www.pricescope.com/wiki/diamonds/firescope-idealscope
It shows you how and wear your diamond is reflecting light, how well it is going at it, and where you are losing light return. That is why you won't see us recommending Blue Nile, as they do not provide idealscope images for their diamonds. BGD, James Allen, GOG, HPD, ERD and WF do.

The Idealscope is the 'selection tool'. Not the HCA.
So yes, with a GIA stone you need the idealscope images. Or you can buy an idealscope yourself and take it in to the jeweler you are working with to check the stones yourself. Or if you have a good return policy (full refund minimum 7 days) then you can buy the idealscope, buy the stone, and do it at home.

Now if you want to skip all that... stick to AGS0 stones and then all you have to do is pick color and clarity and you know you have a great performing diamond. Because AGS has already done the checking for you. That's why they trade at a premium.