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HELP! Opinions needed on two GIA Canadian diamonds

AR1631

Rough_Rock
Joined
Sep 23, 2016
Messages
15
Hi there,
Diamond newbie here. Need help on which rock to pick. I found the resources on this site really helpful to learn about diamonds beyond the 4c's and GIA report. I am looking for some opinions to help decide between two Canadian diamonds from Brilliant Earth:

DIAMOND 1 (0.64c, F, VVS2, 3ex cut):
Depth 60.5 %
Table 55 %
Crown Angle 32.5°
Crown Height 14.5%
Pavilion Angle 40.8°
Pavilion Depth 43.0%
Girdle: thin to slightly thick 3% faceted
Dimentions 5.61x 5.59 x 3.39
http://www.brilliantearth.com/rings/cyorings/view_diamond/2556073/?sid=1151384

DIAMOND 2 (0.65c, E, VVS2, 3ex cut):
Depth 62.6 %
Table 57%
Crown Angle 35.5°
Pavilion Angle 41°
Girdle: medium to slightly thick 4% faceted
Dimentions 5.53 x 5.52 x 3.46
http://www.brilliantearth.com/rings/cyorings/view_diamond/2563514/?sid=

Diamond 1 scores 0.8 HCA and Diamond 2 scores 4. I am strongly leaning towards diamond 1 as it faces up bigger, same clarity and I'm told the color between F and E isn't a big deal.

I would appreciate any thoughts or advice to help me decide!
 

AR1631

Rough_Rock
Joined
Sep 23, 2016
Messages
15
Anyone able to provide input? I would really appreciate it! :)
 

ac117

Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Apr 28, 2014
Messages
4,060
Both stones are a pass. The GIA excellent cut range is broad and some stones are much better than others.

These are measurements to help you stay in ideal cut territory.
table: 54-58
depth: 60-62.3
crown angle: 34-35.0
pavilion angle: 40.6-40.9 (sometimes 41.0 if the crown angle is close to 34)

We also recommend using the HCA tool as a rejection tool (rule out those with scores >2 but a .8 is not better than a 1.6). Stone #1 shows the limitations of the HCA, though, because it only factors in 4 data points in order to calculate the score but 32.5 is way too low for a crown angle and should be eliminated.

If you post your budget and desired specs, we'd be happy to give you a few recommendations. Any particular reason for such high color and clarity? You can get a bigger stone or not spend as much money if you balance your specs out more. Does the stone have to be Canadian?
 

AR1631

Rough_Rock
Joined
Sep 23, 2016
Messages
15
ac117|1474661666|4080064 said:
Both stones are a pass. The GIA excellent cut range is broad and some stones are much better than others.

These are measurements to help you stay in ideal cut territory.
table: 54-58
depth: 60-62.3
crown angle: 34-35.0
pavilion angle: 40.6-40.9 (sometimes 41.0 if the crown angle is close to 34)

We also recommend using the HCA tool as a rejection tool (rule out those with scores >2 but a .8 is not better than a 1.6). Stone #1 shows the limitations of the HCA, though, because it only factors in 4 data points in order to calculate the score but 32.5 is way too low for a crown angle and should be eliminated.

If you post your budget and desired specs, we'd be happy to give you a few recommendations. Any particular reason for such high color and clarity? You can get a bigger stone or not spend as much money if you balance your specs out more. Does the stone have to be Canadian?

Thanks for all your input that really helps! I picked F because I want to brag to my fiancé that I got a stone in the colourless range! :D It has to be Canadian for ethical and environmental reasons. Since I'm buying online I want to stick with VS1 min as well, also for bragging rights. The diamond will most likely have to be from Brilliant Earth as we got the setting from them and we are upgrading from a 0.39 diamond. My budget is CAD$4500 tops for the stone. I looked at all Canadian diamonds on Brilliant Earth that match this criteria and these two seemed to be the best options. Most of their stones were very similar to diamond 2 - slightly higher depth ( >62.5) and higher crown angle (35.5). Diamond 1 was the only stone that scores less than 2 on the HCA. Rest scored 4 and above.

I like that diamond 1 faces slightly larger...my fiancé would actually prefer a shallower stone that doesn't poke out as much vertically. Given the two stones, would one be a better option over another?

I searched the forums for opinions on 32.5 crown angle. Other than it looking flat from the side view, are there other reasons as to why that's a no-go?
 

AR1631

Rough_Rock
Joined
Sep 23, 2016
Messages
15

flyingpig

Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Nov 7, 2015
Messages
2,975
arjunrattan|1474686601|4080184 said:
istase2000|1474680925|4080164 said:

I did see that one, however, the table of 59% seems too big. Also, the 'internal graining' turned me off. I have put this one on hold and requested images:
http://www.brilliantearth.com/rings/cyorings/view_diamond/2703126/?sid=1151387

Thoughts on this one? It seems pretty much in the ideal range.

I prefer the stone istase2000 linked. 59% is slightly off of the ideal range, but not much. It complents well with the crown and pav angles. The last stone you linked however, while having potential, is a slightly riskier pick in regards to light leakage and contrast patterb. I generally do not like the appearance of the 35/41 combo.

No inclusion should be a concern at VS1 or higher clarity.
 
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