Help undecided on which stone- which one would you take?

[jillianfl]

Hi I have been a lurker for a long time reading all posts and decided to join hoping that all of the knowledgeable users here could give their opinion to help me decide on a stone! Here are some stats to compare for them: Both are GIA graded stones btw and I would be buying them online based on reports alone.

Stone option#1: it's L colored, Si1 medium blue fluorescence, has 1 feather shown on top side of diagram at exactly 6 o'clock and the red feather line is drawn starting from 1/3 of the way into the bezel facet going down to the edge of the upper girdle facet (says on GIA report that because they are shown in red that they are internal characteristics/ inclusions) and also has 2 small crystals both located in center of stone.

Stone option#2: it's K colored Si1, strong blue fluorescence, also has 2 feathers, both look like parallel lines and they are located in the center/ center left of the table and on the left of the table there shows a crystal. Bottom of stone where pavilion facet meets lower girdle facet there shows to be a small cavity.

Both are same fancy cut shape with excellent polish & very good symmetry, they are same size stone as well... L is listed as ideal cut, K is listed as excellent cut but that is not something the GIA grades so could be somewhat subjective and could be a wash....

Which would the pricescope peeps take?!? Any help would be so so appreciated, I love reading all the pricescope forums! Thanks in advance for the help!

 

[MissGotRocks]

There is no way to attempt to make a decision based on that information alone. What shape are these stones? You are describing color and clarity plots - no one could possibly tell you anything about cut or performance. Do you have copies of certs? You have not seen these stones in person?

 

[jillianfl]

They are cushion cut, I have read on past pricescope forums about other topics not to give TMI though because on rare occasions people have ended up buying the stones that were mentioned, so I didn't wan to put everything out there just incase! They are both GIA, just a question I guess of K vs L and with the descriptions of the actual flaws on the grading reports (both being Si1's), cuts are listed at very good/ excellent, I'm more concerned about which flaws are the "better" ones to get stuck with I guess since most everything is the same or similar except the color and flaws, so which one would you pick based on that. Sorry if that's an impossible question just looking for some opinions if anyone has them despite my vagueness, sorry! Thank you for your post

 

[jillianfl]

I can't see them in person I'll ordering online but hoping to not have to return. I am not expecting perfection with SI1's but just wondering what the better of the two would be, which are the "better" flaws to have. I have seen them in pics, the K color is on a gray background, the L color is against a black background, I can't really see too much difference in color really...

 

[JulieN]

Post the pics.

 

[MissGotRocks]

Can you possibly put these stones on hold so that you can post pictures? There really is no way to tell about the inclusions or color without some sort of visual. Fancy shapes tend to show more color so I would advise you to try to see some cushions with K or L color to try to determine if that level is acceptable to you. It's very difficult to decide on a cushion cut stone without seeing the faceting pattern.

 

[jillianfl]

That is the pic of the L color stone...

I need to get a file of the actual K color stone that I can upload to this, I will ask on Monday (the online image I can't take off for some reason...) But for the K color stone here are pics of it in ASET view and Ideal Scope View. The green lit one is the ASET view "Black areas in an ASET image indicate non-reflected facets in a stone which is referred to as leakage." and the red lit up image is Ideal Scope View "An ideal scope image is a way to measure the light performance of a diamond through a magnified scope with a color reflector." (I'm sure you all already know the info about it but thought I'd post the description about it anyway) Thanks!






I know the color of the L stone may not be your cup of tea, the K stone color is so similar but I am ok with the color (I saw some M's but the M was a little too much for me)... I just don't know if the feathers in either of the 2 stones would be a crack risk or if it's fine, it says on the report that they are internal since they are shown in red so is the strength of the stone likely ok? The cavity seemed super small on the report as well but is the location of it I mentioned above does it seem ok? Any help despite my vague info would be super helpful I am very appreciative thank you

 

[jillianfl]

This is a pic of the K color one... Both are labeled faint brown on their GIA reports, any thoughts on which you like better/ which one you'd pick? Thanks

 

[AprilBaby]

Not an expert on cushions but my eye prefers the first one.

 

[jillianfl]

Thank you for your input!! I think I prefer that one, too! The funny thing is the first one on the black background is an L faint brown and the 2nd one on the gray is a K faint brown, but the K one kind of looks darker to me! Thanks for the vote both are confirmed eye clean... I don't know if the background color of black vs gray is making any difference, like is the gray background making the K one seem not as good as the other one...

 

[CSR]

I know nothing about cushion cut diamonds but a lot about photography - the grey background is definitely not flattering to the latter diamond - something to consider if going by pictures alone...

 

[jillianfl]

Yes, I know :/ I am going by pictures alone, since you know about photography, do you think that the L stone on the black background would look the same as the K one does if it were pictured on the grey background then? They are both GIA stones w/ faint brown tint... I am just confused as to if they are a different "faint brown tint" from eachother or if it is the background throwing it off for me... Do you think it's really even on the black background or superimposed? The grey looks real I can see spots on the grey background, but the K color stone seems pretty yellow to me not like other faint browns I have seen pictured online...

 

[CSR]

The grey is the actual background, I doubt the black is - I would suggest trying to crop out the stone from the background and putting them both side by side w/out a background (or on a white background) but I don't know if the original background from the first stone affected it lighting wise.

Unfortunately trying to judge a diamonds' color / brilliance based on photos online is extremely hard - you just don't know what lighting conditions they are put under.
In fact, most diamond sellers admit that the picture of the stone is so you can see the inclusions more than the actual color .

If you have narrowed it down to those two, why not have both shipped to you and make your decision on which to keep?

 

[JulieN]

Umm they are both terribad.