shape
carat
color
clarity

Help please! 2.05 Carat E Color Excellent Cut - BUT I1!

Status
Not open for further replies. Please create a new topic or request for this thread to be opened.

charizard

Rough_Rock
Joined
Mar 8, 2012
Messages
3
Hey there!

New to the forum :) long-time stalker though!

I came across this diamond:

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/E-I1-Ideal-Cut-Oval-Diamond-1382292.asp

Shape: Oval
Carat weight: 2.05
Cut: Excellent
Color: E
Clarity: I1
Certificate: GIA
Depth: 63.9%
Table: 57.0%
Polish: Good
Symmetry: Good
Girdle: Very thin to very thick
Culet: Small
Fluorescence: Strong
Measurements: 9.60*7.11*4.54
Ratio: 1.35

It ticks all the boxes BUT it's an I1 clarity! Now I don't really mind having an I1 as long as it's eye clean, not cloudy and hopefully a lot of fire! What do you guys reckon? Go or no go? It's for an engagement ring.

I know it's probably a no-no to buy off James Allen sight-unseen but could you pretty please help a brother out? :wink2:
 
That's a pretty good sized carbon spot on the edge of the table. I'd ask if it's eye clean but I'm betting that it's not.

liz
 
Yeah, that carbon spot would make this stone a "no" for me. But maybe in person it's different? I'd definitely see what JA has to say about it, and depending upon what they say you could have it shipped to you, and if you don't like it, return it. But I tend to think that the carbon spot it going to very obvious given the I1 grade and the pricing. You just have to decide if it's worth it to you to even have it shipped to look at in person.
 
onedrop|1331246592|3144365 said:
Yeah, that carbon spot would make this stone a "no" for me. But maybe in person it's different? I'd definitely see what JA has to say about it, and depending upon what they say you could have it shipped to you, and if you don't like it, return it. But I tend to think that the carbon spot it going to very obvious given the I1 grade and the pricing. You just have to decide if it's worth it to you to even have it shipped to look at in person.

I'm with the previous posters about the side and location of that carbon spot. Though if you can inspect it in person for a day or two it might be worth it.

Are you near NYC? I belive they are located there.
 
A look at the plot on the grading report shows a lot of inclusions, not just the one really obvious carbon spot. The plot looks like the spots on a Dalmatian.

I can understand why you are tempted for the size and price. I ran a PS search for ovals from 1.9 to 2.5, as low as J color and SI2 clarity and the lowest price was about $11K. I got a 2.06 ct. oval, J SI2 but eye clean, 9.7 x 7.5 x 4.48, for a little under $8700 just after Thanksgiving, and BN had a similar oval for a little less than that for awhile, but it's been about three months since I've seen anything that size for less than $11K.

brilliance.com has some lower-cost ovals, but anything graded by GIA is over $10K and the lower costs ones of those are very shallow (about 50%) or very deep (77%).

ETA: when I set the depth to between 58 and 63% (which is outside my preferred 60-62%), the lowest priced one is almost $12K. Yikes!

liz
 
wow you guys are fantastic! unfortunatley i am nowhere near nyc - i am in australia!!! i've been talking to one of the sales reps and she said that it's a beautfiul diamond but she's not completely confident that it will be eye-clean, however it is not cloudy and it has a lot of brilliance. aaaaaarghhhh!!!!

what do you think is more important - colour or clarity? i've been leaning more towards colour and cut which is why this diamond seems ideal...i'm just wondering how many people will be able to tell it's an inclusion. i showed my partner 6 diamonds (including this one) and asked him to tell me which was the most included and he picked one that was VVS2! but you guys are experts so...i don't know!
 
Welcome to PS, by the way!! The color and clarity issue really comes down to what you want. I wouldn't necessarily be concerned about what others think or see in my diamond, because I am the one that has to look at it and enjoy it everyday. With this stone or any other non-eye clean stone, is it going to bother you to look at your diamond really closely and see the carbon spot(s)? Color is a personal preference. Some like very white, others like warmth. Again, you have to determine what you can live with.

ETA: Cut is the most important factor.
 
thanks for that, onedrop!

do you guys reckon there's a setting that would "distract" from the imperfections? i suppose that one carbon spot is so close to the centre it would be a bit difficult to hide but do you think a halo or something like that would "help"?
 
I think you can prong part of it. But I think the rest is still gonna be visible.

I'd rather have an 1.7 H SI1.
 
If you're willing to go with a halo, get a smaller, higher quality diamond and you'll still get the same finger coverage.

liz
 
Problems besides the clarity: very thin girdle, only good for polish and symmetry. Too many negatives for me to consider it. And an I1 in 2 ct. size will rarely be eyeclean. I'd MUCH rather have a smaller, higher quality stone (and that is what I chose!).
 
Gypsy,

oval not equal to pear <grinning, ducking, and running>

(from someone who loves ovals but would be a lot less happy with a pear or marquise...)

liz
 
charizard|1331245509|3144348 said:
... Now I don't really mind having an I1 as long as it's eye clean, not cloudy and hopefully a lot of fire!

Hard to find an I1 like that!

If you want to go there, look for an SI2 or I1 that has an inclusion that can be partially or totally covered by a prong. An "honest" Si2/I1 as Garry says. That is safest!
 
chel,

Wow! That's a great find. The entire ring costs less than the original oval and it's pretty spectacular looking.

liz
 
Status
Not open for further replies. Please create a new topic or request for this thread to be opened.
GET 3 FREE HCA RESULTS JOIN THE FORUM. ASK FOR HELP
Top