Help needed deciding between 2 round H&A LGD

[Echo707]

Hi everyone,

First time posting here. Got engaged last month and then started my diamond search journey. Now I’ve finally narrowed down my ring style and just need to decide between 2 H&A diamonds my local jeweler showed me or I could ask him to show me more if these two don’t seem to be a good fit. I’ve seen both diamonds side by side and I do prefer the D VS1 more than the F VVS2 but just need a second opinion about their specs.

A bit about my dream ring: I like Harry Winston The One in round cut and with 14K yellow gold metal but I’d like to modify the side to be a lil bit more scalloped.

Thank you in advance! Any help is appreciated!

 

[Kim N]

These both look good from the proportions. Do you have a magnified photo/video or ASET image of either?

 

[DejaWiz]

Hello and welcome to PriceScope, Echo707 - congratulations on your engagement!

Echoing what Kim N stated: both look promising on paper!
Do you have pictures or videos of each so that we can help assess the overall cut quality and see if there are any issues, such as undisclosed blue nuance?

 

[Echo707]

Hi @Kim N & @DejaWiz ! Thanks for your replies! Unfortunately I totally forgot to take pictures or videos of the diamonds lol guess I was a bit too excited to see it with my own eyes. The jeweler boss did give me a folded white paper to be used as a background to check the color, I did notice the D is slightly whiter than the F and I didn’t notice any blue or grey tint and both look quite clear. Do you think the white paper test is enough to see if the diamonds have blue nuance? Ugh now I wish I took some videos .

With the help of the jewelry loupe and the H&A magnifying tool, i was able to see more inclusions on F VVS2 than D VS1 for some reason. So I’m more leaning towards D VS1 partially also because im offered the same price lol. Although I’m getting a halo with 14k yellow gold band, I know the yellow gold might make the stone look warmer so I thought might as well go with D color so it can neutralize a bit lol? Am I making any sense or it’s just my own wishful thinking ?

 

[DejaWiz]

Hi @Kim N & @DejaWiz ! Thanks for your replies! Unfortunately I totally forgot to take pictures or videos of the diamonds lol guess I was a bit too excited to see it with my own eyes. The jeweler boss did give me a folded white paper to be used as a background to check the color, I did notice the D is slightly whiter than the F and I didn’t notice any blue or grey tint and both look quite clear. Do you think the white paper test is enough to see if the diamonds have blue nuance? Ugh now I wish I took some videos .

With the help of the jewelry loupe and the H&A magnifying tool, i was able to see more inclusions on F VVS2 than D VS1 for some reason. So I’m more leaning towards D VS1 partially also because im offered the same price lol. Although I’m getting a halo with 14k yellow gold band, I know the yellow gold might make the stone look warmer so I thought might as well go with D color so it can neutralize a bit lol? Am I making any sense or it’s just my own wishful thinking ?

If you didn't notice any slight blue, grayish-blue, or gray hue for the F especially compared right next to a D color, then I'd say the comparison was successful since the D color should/would give you a heck of a baseline for reference.

Which one stood out more to you?

 

[Echo707]

If you didn't notice any slight blue, grayish-blue, or gray hue for the F especially compared right next to a D color, then I'd say the comparison was successful since the D color should/would give you a heck of a baseline for reference.

Which one stood out more to you?

Thanks! I prefer D coz besides the yellow gold band factor I mentioned, I could not see the inclusions at all without the magnifying tool, while I was able to see a small inclusion on the F even without the tool. Also D’s table does look slightly bigger than F’s.

 

[Kim N]

Hi @Kim N & @DejaWiz ! Thanks for your replies! Unfortunately I totally forgot to take pictures or videos of the diamonds lol guess I was a bit too excited to see it with my own eyes. The jeweler boss did give me a folded white paper to be used as a background to check the color, I did notice the D is slightly whiter than the F and I didn’t notice any blue or grey tint and both look quite clear. Do you think the white paper test is enough to see if the diamonds have blue nuance? Ugh now I wish I took some videos .

With the help of the jewelry loupe and the H&A magnifying tool, i was able to see more inclusions on F VVS2 than D VS1 for some reason. So I’m more leaning towards D VS1 partially also because im offered the same price lol. Although I’m getting a halo with 14k yellow gold band, I know the yellow gold might make the stone look warmer so I thought might as well go with D color so it can neutralize a bit lol? Am I making any sense or it’s just my own wishful thinking ?

For the same price, I would prefer D VS1 over F VVS2, especially since you like the clarity of the D better anyway. I think your reasoning makes sense to go with D color to set in yellow gold. Have you been able to find either stone online using the report numbers? That would help us better assess the cut.

 

[Echo707]

For the same price, I would prefer D VS1 over F VVS2, especially since you like the clarity of the D better anyway. I think your reasoning makes sense to go with D color to set in yellow gold. Have you been able to find either stone online using the report numbers? That would help us better assess the cut.

Thanks Kim, that’s a relief! I tried and found the D on Brilliance but couldn’t load the 360 video and no luck with the F.

D:LG522232691
F: LG530213139

Round 1.92 Carat Lab Grown Diamond, D, VS1, IGI lg522232691

Buy 1.92 Carat Round Lab Grown Diamond, D Color, VS1 Clarity, IGI lg522232691 from Brilliance. A huge selection of ethical, sustainable, lab-created diamonds.

www.brilliance.com

 

[Echo707]

After researching for similar stones on different websites, I am definitely falling more and more in love with this D VS1 stone. Just the HCA is 0.7 (3 EX & 1 Very good). Does this matter?

 

[Kim N]

After researching for similar stones on different websites, I am definitely falling more and more in love with this D VS1 stone. Just the HCA is 0.7 (3 EX & 1 Very good). Does this matter?

Most stones get Very Good for Spread, so that's completely normal. And 0.7 is a great HCA score (anything under 2, or sometimes 2.5, is worth further consideration).

 

[Echo707]

Most stones get Very Good for Spread, so that's completely normal. And 0.7 is a great HCA score (anything under 2, or sometimes 2.5, is worth further consideration).

Awesome! Thank you Kim and DejaWiz for helping me choose! I can't wait to get my ringgg!

 

[Kim N]

Awesome! Thank you Kim and DejaWiz for helping me choose! I can't wait to get my ringgg!

You're welcome! I'm very excited for you--please come back to share photos!

 

[Echo707]

You're welcome! I'm very excited for you--please come back to share photos!

Definitely will!

Sorry Kim but another question has just struck me. For a diamond like mine, is type IIa better than type II? And is hthp better than cvd? Thank you!

 

[Kim N]

Definitely will!

Sorry Kim but another question has just struck me. For a diamond like mine, is type IIa better than type II? And is hthp better than cvd? Thank you!

Most reports will only state Type II without specifying IIa or IIb. IIa means it's devoid of boron and has no blue nuance. Since your report only says Type II, you'd need to check for blue nuance yourself. An easy way to check is to look at it from the side against a white sheet of paper.

There can be good and bad stones for both HPHT and CVD. However, I find it easier to check for issues with HPHT (does it have blue nuance?) than with CVD (does it have striations, brown or grey tint, haziness, or birefringence?). HPHT without blue nuance is the closest thing to a natural diamond.

 

[Echo707]

Most reports will only state Type II without specifying IIa or IIb. IIa means it's devoid of boron and has no blue nuance. Since your report only says Type II, you'd need to check for blue nuance yourself. An easy way to check is to look at it from the side against a white sheet of paper.

There can be good and bad stones for both HPHT and CVD. However, I find it easier to check for issues with HPHT (does it have blue nuance?) than with CVD (does it have striations, brown or grey tint, haziness, or birefringence?). HPHT without blue nuance is the closest thing to a natural diamond.

Thanks for your expertise Kim, really great information to help me understand. I managed to ask the jeweler to send me a video of the diamond and he assured me it has absolutely no BGM (brown,green or milky) nor does it have a blue overtone. The picture is a bit blurry but video is alright and I think it looks good. What do u think?

 

[Kim N]

Thanks for your expertise Kim, really great information to help me understand. I managed to ask the jeweler to send me a video of the diamond and he assured me it has absolutely no BGM (brown,green or milky) nor does it have a blue overtone. The picture is a bit blurry but video is alright and I think it looks good. What do u think?

It looks totally colorless to me as well. I think this one's a winner.

 

[Echo707]

It looks totally colorless to me as well. I think this one's a winner.

That’s reassuring! Thanks again for your patience Kim!

 

[Echo707]

Hey @Kim N @DejaWiz ! Need your expertise here, much appreciated! My jeweler just made me a prototype ring so I’m taking a final look of my stone before making the final ring. Is it because of the dark background or is this stone looking a bit grey? Sorry for my shaky hand.

 

[DejaWiz]

Hey @Kim N @DejaWiz ! Need your expertise here, much appreciated! My jeweler just made me a prototype ring so I’m taking a final look of my stone before making the final ring. Is it because of the dark background or is this stone looking a bit grey? Sorry for my shaky hand.

Definitely appears to be environmental...the yellow reflection tells a lot.

 

[Echo707]

Definitely appears to be environmental...the yellow reflection tells a lot.

Oh right, I just realized the yellow is from my phone case lol. Thank you!

I guess I’ll just have to wait until the final ring is sitting on my finger to determine.

 

[Kim N]

Hey @Kim N @DejaWiz ! Need your expertise here, much appreciated! My jeweler just made me a prototype ring so I’m taking a final look of my stone before making the final ring. Is it because of the dark background or is this stone looking a bit grey? Sorry for my shaky hand.

The stone looks completely normal to me!

 

[DejaWiz]

Oh right, I just realized the yellow is from my phone case lol. Thank you!

I guess I’ll just have to wait until the final ring is sitting on my finger to determine.

Here something that you can try:

Place the diamond in an environment that has only white/light objects (walls, ceiling, etc) and no brightly or darkly colored objects present that could cause reflection (furniture, wall art, decorations, etc).

Cut a white piece of paper that would fit the back of your phone and make a hole/notch for the camera lens...you can use scotch/transparent tape to hold the paper in place (loop a piece of tape back onto itself to make your own double sided tape, if desired).

Wear light/white clothing.

Take pictures and videos again.

 

[Echo707]

Thank you both! Literally learning something new every time i ask a question. Happy holidays!

 

[Echo707]

@Kim N @DejaWiz After 3 months of wait, it’s finally here! It’s an absolute sparkly fire ball! Thank you again for helping me choose! It was cloudy all day today so I just played with it indoor under different lights and can I say I’m so impressed about its performance. Coz before I was worried about if the center stone would look grey or dark when there’s no enough light.

The setting from the side is not exactly what I have in mind but at least looking from the top I’m absolutely in love D color is sooo shiny and crisp even with yellow gold band.

Now I can finally say I totally understand the hype about LGD

 

[DejaWiz]

That looks so amazing!

 

[Kim N]

@Kim N @DejaWiz After 3 months of wait, it’s finally here! It’s an absolute sparkly fire ball! Thank you again for helping me choose! It was cloudy all day today so I just played with it indoor under different lights and can I say I’m so impressed about its performance. Coz before I was worried about if the center stone would look grey or dark when there’s no enough light.

The setting from the side is not exactly what I have in mind but at least looking from the top I’m absolutely in love D color is sooo shiny and crisp even with yellow gold band.

Now I can finally say I totally understand the hype about LGD

Oh, it's gorgeous! I love it in yellow gold. Great videos, and you captured the arrows really well too--so crisp! Wear it in the best of health!