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Help picking a ACA diamond for a solitaire ring

G

gapo

Rough_Rock
Joined
Mar 8, 2018
Messages
5
Hi,

I'm looking to propose to my long time girlfriend soon.

I wanted to get a solitaire with a single stone that is brilliant and scintillating.

I read through the resources and several threads.

I thought WF ACA were attractive due to the possibility of a trade up later and a peace of mind.

Now to the actual stone, I have a budget of 3k.

I thought of getting an ACA with the best cut, color of F-H, VS1-VS2, preferably HCA of 0.8-1.8 and the biggest size based on my budget.
I saw a lot of stones in ACA which were I and SI1.
While being mind clean is not important to me, would these display a equal amount of brilliance and scintillation ?
Should I look at stones which are I and SI1 also ?

Also, what is fire ? I see several stones being described as having a brilliance and fire but are I/SI1 ?

Some of the stones I am currently looking at are :
0.715C , VS2, H, HCA:1.2
https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3767834.htm

Am I on the right path ?
I would also be very happy if you can suggest some stones for me.


Thanks a lot for your help
 
you don't need to worry about HCA scores if you are looking at ACA stones, they have already been vetted as top performing diamonds.

Fire is the human perception of dispersion (coloured light coming from a diamond).

SI1 if eyeclean and properly vetted, will disperse and be just as brilliant as IF. If you want to maximise carat, I,Si1 is a great place to be

I personally got an eyeclean SI2 (from the top) and it was great spread for the $. If I could do it again I would. I would also not be able to go below an H, everyone is different.
 
Thanks gm89uk !

So, an ACA H/SI1 should be nice. I will keep searching and update my picks here.
 
The good news is that with a smaller stone, lower color and clarity grades should be harder to “see” the color or inclusions

If it were me, and it involved an ACA, I would get an I or J color and SI1 to maximize size for the budget. The I vs J would depend on the setting (metal choice and ability to see the stone in the side profile)
 
As yours is a solitaire and single stone, an I colour wouldn't be very perceptible as you would have no reference, I wouldn't rule them out!
 
This is my choice. The closest H SI1 isn't enough larger to justify the drop in clarity.

https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3936426.htm

Or if you don't think she is color sensitive at all, you can go to I SI1 and get a slightly larger stone:

https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3964545.htm

That's the lowest I'd go, but I personally prefer the first stone. My ACA diamond stud earrings are H VS2, in fact. You can have WF look at the two stones and describe the color difference for you and take a picture of size and color.
 
Hi Diamondseeker,
I am not an expert on diamonds and trying to decide between a AVR and H&A upgrade. I remember seeing a post years back when you were advising on depth. Here are the specs of the AVR, the depth is greater than what you recommended. What are your thoughts on this diamond? TIA!!
 

Attachments

I have an "I" colored ACA and I see ZERO hint of warmth. And it's pretty big, so if it were tinted I should be able to see it. I try to see warmth, but I just can't! All I see is colorful flashes and sparkle.

So, I'd probably get the BIGGEST I/VS2 (or eye-clean SI1) I could afford if I were you :)
 
I would consider talking to a whiteflash rep about the expert selection options as well. In the .7-.9 carrot range the difference between some of the ACA and expert selection options may not be visible. I can’t say for sure but I would ask them. I found one at the end of 2017 that was cut to ACA standards but had medium flourescence so it was an expert selection. It was an excellent value. You still get the same trade in policy so you could potentially get a slightly larger diamond based on their inventory.
 
Thanks everyone.

I am asking WF based on @diamondseeker2006 advice on if there is a color difference between H and I.

I will post the comparison photos once I get them.
 
Hi! While your eye may not be able to see warmth/yellow in a single stone, you may want to consider down the road the engagement ring setting or if she might want a diamond wedding band or eternity ring. Lower color stones may look fine alone, but side by side to smaller melee stones which could be F or G, your H will look yellow.

I have often seen a lot of brides that like to add side diamonds or diamond wedding bands to bling up their "wedding set". Before you buy the H, you should put it side by side with an eternity band and see if it bothers you. I would not go lower than a H but it's all preference. As for clarity, I think your choice of VS2 is perfect. Buying diamonds is an emotional purchase, and for me, mentally, I can't go below a VS2 for an engagement ring. TO me, SI clarity is fine for earrings, but not a ring that will shine on a finger. I know... people will say "no one will know", but I will know, and buying a diamond is all for me, no one else. So think about how she will feel as well if you get a SI clarity. Just a thought.

Congratulations and good luck!
 
Thanks everyone for your replies.
I had in particular not considered a diamond wedding band.

Here's the comaprisions I got for a I VS2 stone and a H VS2 stone.

While this is not a F or G as @Miki Moto said - this is what I asked them to compare with.

From the images, it looks like I can see the difference.

TRAY_0.734-0.715.jpg

SBS_0.734-0.715.jpg
 
Hi, yes, I can see the difference too. So whatever you buy, to me, color is the most critical as all future diamonds you get next to that ring will need to "match" otherwise, your center stone will look yellow next to it side by side and you/your spouse will be disappointed.

I honestly would not go below H. Also, instead of comparing a H to an I, may I suggest you compare the H to a G? For me, my perfect color is a G. I have a Tiffany H engagement ring and Hearts on Fire F diamond stud earrings. You can see faint yellow in my Tiffany H and the Hearts on Fire F is colorless. I looked at a G also, and it is still colorless, but when you get to H, that's when I see yellow

Given the choice, I would choose a G. If I had to all it all over again, I would buy everything G to match. Everyone sees color differently, so I would definitely suggest you compare the H against a G to gather all your data points and make a decision.

Just my two cents to help you in your thoughts and decision making. I think it's great you are doing all this! Good luck to you!
 
I personally like the H. With WF's generous upgrade policy, you can always get bigger and better in the future.
 
I would never call H color “yellow”. H is plenty white and OP is setting the diamond in a solitaire, not a halo or pave. Also, small meleè is always going to face up whiter than a center diamond because the performance is different (pin pore/sparkle vs broader fire/scintillation).

OP, please don’t get hung up on the future band, a band will look fine next to an H or a an I color. I actually really like this joke suggested by DS: https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3964545.htm
The size difference will be noticeable
 
This H/SI1 has a really clean inclusion plot for an SI1 and is a bit bigger than the VS2 you're looking at:
https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3964559.htm

When WhiteFlash says a diamond is eye clean, I would trust them, so you don't need to worry about getting an SI1 from WF. :)

I also wouldn't drop to an I color personally, but everyone is different regarding their color preferences. You really need to go and see diamonds in person before purchasing to know what is "too warm" for you.
 
Color preferences do vary but I certainly wouldn't call an H yellow. Your main stone will always sparkle differently than melee but that's just the nature of smaller vs. larger facets. Color is also more concentrated in larger diamonds so even if you got H color melee, they could look whiter than an H color main stone.

That being said, I prefer the H VS2 over the I, which seems to be on the lower side of I color but not accurate to gauge from a picture with so many variables. I do, however, love the H SI1 @TreeScientist found because I don't like paying more for something I can't see (but there are others on here who would prefer the mind clean of VS2).
 
H VS2 is a sweet combo...:clap:
 
Here are the diamonds in my final short list:

0.625C G VS2
https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3917006.htm

0.714 ct H VS2 A CUT ABOVE® Hearts and Arrows Diamond
https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3968188.htm

0.734 ct I VS2 A CUT ABOVE® Hearts and Arrows Diamond
https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3963064.htm

0.642 ct F VS2 A CUT ABOVE® Hearts and Arrows Diamond [ CURRENT PICK ]
https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3954407.htm

The F VS2 cropped up out of nowhere and is my current pick. I know it's almost a carat lower when compared to the to I VS2. But I feel like with the comparisions I at least want to be at a H.

The setting will hopefully be a Mike Morell Slim Petite Torchierre. Hence, the reason for shrinking my stone budget a little more.

I've asked my rep at WF for a final comparison. In particular, I'm worried about the small feather in the F VS2.

I would be grateful if you find any better stones / your opinion.

Thanks a ton once again for all your opinions.
 
The H VS2 all the way. I would not go down to a .60 range stone.
 
I'd go H/VS2 also. I have an "I" ACA, but that's because I wanted size over color. If you're deciding between an H and an I in the same carat range, I'd go with H.
 
H VS is a very nice combo, plus the top notch H&A cut, you can't miss.
 
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