Help - What is HCA telling me? Need to decide

[pipeline]

So I plugged the numbers for 4 stones into the HCA calculator. Can you say information overload? Am I at the point where I''ve picked out great stones, and it is a matter of price? Not sure at this point if the H stone is the best buy or the #3 stones with EX all the way across?


#1 EX, EX, EX, VG, 0.6 - Exc $5852, 1.015 G Si1
#2 EX, VG, VG, VG, 1.7 - Exc $5299, 1.015 H Si1
#3 EX, EX, EX, EX, 0.9 - Exc $5355, 1.01 G Si1
#4 EX, VG, VG, VG, 1.8 - Exc $5400, 1.06 G Si1

Thanks for all you help in advanced.

 

[Paul-Antwerp]

You have selected 4 nice cuts.

The main question now is how each SI1 looks.

Live long,

Paul

 

[pipeline]

Ahh I see. So I guess this is where due dillegence and trust comes in. So perhaps I can have them sent to a third party appraiser and then make a choice. So I'll pay shipping charges, but at least I get to see the stones and make a choice. That would be the only difficult part dealing online. But at least I can narrow down the to a few choice cuts where as the jewelry shops I've gone to can only show me what they have in stock and rarely with OGI / AGS certs. Most certs are GIA with no other docs and EGL (at least for the stores I've been to.

pl

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

You seem to have narrowed down - but you need to narrow down more.
If any of the stones are owned by the same vendor - ask for them to look at them and advise you. Sending 4 to appraisers is a lot of extra cost and shipping if they were from 4 different sources.

 

[valeria101]

Yeah... descending all four from the cyberspace is not going to be easy. besides, this is just the point where HCA did it's job (all have good scores, ,and the HCA is just giving it's "go ahead" to anything with score above 2...).

There is more to it though.

I would probably venture to say that those above HCA=1 may be slightly different beasts, since a difference in scores beyond 1 starts telling more than "you know, all these numbers are averaged out" - at lest for such precisely cut stones as the H&A are.

Also, the last score is given for spread; but you see the diameter on the cert and can judge wether those size differences mean anything really.

And yes, it would be the 'eye clean' quality that should ultimately tell these apart.

Are these H&A? What do the inclusions charts look like for stone#1 and Stone#3? Quite a few Qs still going on...

 

[hoorray]

Things I would look at next via cyberspace:

diameter -- is one visably larger than the others?
Pictures: idealscope and inclusion pictures from the vendors
types of inclusions: type, location, color, visability
girdles -- look to avoid the extremes
price -- if everything else looks equal, why pay more?

Now that you have 4 stones promising to be screamers, peel the onion to the next level of detail.

good luck!

 

[pipeline]

So #1 and #2 are from the same vendor. The two vendors are normal contributors of this forum! So there is an abundance of photographs and docs available.

#1 (1.01 g si1) is the most expensive and approx $550 more than #2. 0.6 HCA. 6.53-55 x 3.93
#2 (1.015 h si1) is $50 more than #3. 1.7 HCA. H & A inscribed. 6.53 - 54 x 3.98
#3 (1.01 g si1) is the least expensive 0.9 HCA. 6.53 - 56 x 3.93


#1 and #3 show H&A characteristics. #2 has H&A inscribed on girdle. All stones have virtually the same dimensions. I have seen the plot charts and magnafied pictures. All have unique inclusions, but they are all "eye clean" stones so the inclusions aren't really a factor that can be used to narrow down the choice. As a matter of fact, I kind like the inclusions as I think it adds to the personality plus you get the "nice stones, but can you believe there are inclusions!" wow factor to boot!

So the $5.5K question is - Is there a big difference between G and H color when you are looking at stones of this caliber? Maybe #3 is the best deal? I just can't imagine why #3 would be $600 less than than #1 being that I think I'm comparing "apples-to-apples". So it turns out #1 and #3 are from different vendors. Thanks all.

pline

 

[pipeline]

----------------
On 5/10/2004 2:57:12 AM pipeline wrote:



#1 (1.01 g si1) is the most expensive and approx $550 more than #2. 0.6 HCA. 6.53-55 x 3.93
#2 (1.015 h si1) is $50 more than #3. 1.7 HCA. H & A inscribed. 6.53 - 54 x 3.98
#3 (1.01 g si1) is the least expensive 0.9 HCA. 6.53 - 56 x 3.93

----------------

*CORRECTION*

#2 stone is $50 LESS expensive than #3. But still a price difference of $400 between stones #1 and #3.

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

Put on a blindfold and choose one and send it to an appraiser.
Do not waste any more dealer time or they wil all put their prices up for the next customer.
You have done your research, you have beautiful stones and you know if they sell you a bad rock that they will be blasted out of existence.
Send to an appraiser, or take there word for it

 

[valeria101]

I don't think diamonds are priced that closely: small and not-so-small differences in price are not significant for quality...

As said, you can definitely keep peeling the onion, but in the case of these obviously winning trio, I'd stop right here. If you wanted three stones to match, these would do the trich: color included.

Is there anything neither of these three has and you wish they did ?

 

[pipeline]

Diamond shopping is over! When the time came for me to put a deposit down on a diamond, I did a complete 180 degree about face and chose a completely different diamond without first giving you guys a chance to give it the infamous pricescope forum once-over and blessing.

I think it will work though. It's a bit more than what I originally wanted to spend. Gosh, I hate when I do that. What ya'll think of the numbers? I expect delivery memorial day weekend or a few weeks after that. Can't wait.

1.08 ct
G, SI1
Polish: Ex
Sym: Ex
Proporations: Ideal

6.7 mm x 4.04 mm
depth 60.4%
table 56.1
crown 34.9
pav 40.8
culet .4
girdle avg 1.2



pipeline

 

[valeria101]

All five pieces you listed 'sound' good

It's just hard for me to imagine what the winner had over the others (except for price, since you say so).

 

[Magnum]

Numbers look good to me. The crown/pavilion angles are the same as my diamond, and I'm extremely happy with how it performs. I know that there are other factors that affect light return, but if my diamond is any indication, you should be very happy.

Congrats on your purchase, and pictures are always appreciated when you get it.