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Help with choosing stone - upgrade after upgrade!

jennkim27

jennkim27

Rough_Rock
Premium
Joined
Jan 16, 2007
Messages
57
TRAY_2.578-2.295-2.220.jpg SBS_2.578-2.295-2.220.jpg

It's been years since i've been on PS but happy to see the community thriving as usual. I'm coming back to get the opinions of those much more educated than me :)

I'm approaching my 10 yr anniversary and have finally decided to upgrade my center stone. I originally had a WF ACA 1.3 I VS2, approx 7mm, in a solitaire setting. Few years later, wanted a bigger stone but didn't want to pay the huge premium so i added a halo. The halo was beautiful but like many others...never satisfied! :) I then went back and asked them to take the halo and add it to a band with pave diamonds - https://www.whiteflash.com/engageme...nievere-pave-diamond-engagement-ring-2098.htm.

Now what i'm looking for is to upgrade my center stone to 2+, use the same engagement ring but change the head to a standard solitaire 6 prong head. I don't think i'm color or clarity sensitive but hard to tell - you don't know what you don't know. ;)2 I've just never bothered to really examine the stone up close or look at its profile so i'm looking at both color I and J stones.

Here are the 3 stones i'm looking at - WF was able to pull the inventory and include side by side shots as well as give me their personal thoughts. Coming from a halo to a solitaire, i know even with an upgrade, it may not have a WOW factor so i'm leaning towards the largest J to get the best bang for the buck. Frankly, i think all 3 stones look great but i have to say, as an amateur, those plots on the diamond certifications scare the heck out of me. I think at this point just want reassurance!

Help? :D


These were the WF comments:
Attached are side by side images of these diamonds:
https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/compare.aspx?idnos=3866954,3965447,3568732

The 2.22ct I SI1 A Cut Above diamond is a very beautiful choice, and offers a great value for the money too.
It is eye clean from 10 inches, and I would say that most people would find it completely eye clean. My eyes are trained to see inclusions, so I was able to find a white inclusion from as close as I could focus, after looking at the diamond with magnification.

The 2.578ct J SI1 A Cut Above diamond is also a beautiful SI1. It is eye clean from the top view, but an inclusion may be visible from the side view. - which yo can see if you look closely at the profile pic attached
From the top view, it provides a great jump in size and faces up similar in visual color to the I color diamonds. From the side view, you will see a hint of warmth compared to the I.

The 2.295ct I VS2 A Cut Above diamond is also a fantastic choice.
However, after comparing it in person to the 2.22ct I SI1, I feel if it was my choice between these two, I would lean more towards the 2.22ct as the clarity difference is extremely minimal and there is a significant price difference.

I feel the 2.22ct I SI1 or 2.578ct J SI1 would both be great choices!
 
Since you are mostly worried about the clarity in the 2.57 (and not the color), why dont you go with that one. The size is NICE!
They say it is clean from the top view...is that at 10 inches (or closer?)

If it doesnt work out due to the clarity you can trade it for this one (yes, its $2k more but still less than the 2.29).
https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3686854.htm
 
As long as you are OK with the inclusion from the side (and you need to see it in person) and are OK with the J then my choice for you is also the 2.578. It is noticeably larger than the other 2 and it is an ACA so we know it is beautifully cut.
 
tyty333 said:
Since you are mostly worried about the clarity in the 2.57 (and not the color), why dont you go with that one. The size is NICE!
They say it is clean from the top view...is that at 10 inches (or closer?)

If it doesnt work out due to the clarity you can trade it for this one (yes, its $2k more but still less than the 2.29).
https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3686854.htm
Click to expand...

Thank you! I didn't specifically ask distance but did see on their website that 10 inches was their in-house definition of eye clean. The other stone you recommended was great, not sure why i missed it but I've been refreshing the WF search page multiple times a day...I can't keep track anymore!!
 
I like the 2.578 J as well, I think that it will be a nice size difference compared to your current diamond. It also appears to be a prettt white facing J.
 
missy said:
As long as you are OK with the inclusion from the side (and you need to see it in person) and are OK with the J then my choice for you is also the 2.578. It is noticeably larger than the other 2 and it is an ACA so we know it is beautifully cut.
Click to expand...

Thank you @ceg and @tyty333! This is the inclusion they were referencing. To my untrained eye, doesn't look like much. I usually hear that the inclusions are less noticeable to the naked eye versus what's seen in these zoomed pictures. Is there a chance it would seem larger or more noticeable in person - or does that vary person to person?

image002.png
 
Question: The specs of yellowish/brown that is shown on all 3 top down pictures, is that related to the color of the stone or something else?
 
Also, while i'm at it with the never ending questions, do these dark black things on the picture - are they due to the inclusions? I see it with the J SI1 and I VS2 but not with the I SI1 (the one on the very right).

image.png
 
jennkim27 said:
Also, while i'm at it with the never ending questions, do these dark black things on the picture - are they due to the inclusions? I see it with the J SI1 and I VS2 but not with the I SI1 (the one on the very right).

image.png
Click to expand...

that looks like a reflection from the camera (especially since you can see it on another diamond too)

I'd go big with the J!
 
2.295 I VS2 is my choice from three
 
I vote for the 2.295 I VS2 too. It looks brighter in both sets of photos to me.
 
2.295 I VS2 actually look very crisp and bright. another vote.
 
Don't be concerned about the SI1 grading. Speaking for myself, a J round brilliant would not be desirable at all, but I am color sensitive. I have to say I'd choose the I SI1. Same look for less. I'm not overly fussed about clarity if the stone is eye-clean with an ideal cut. I have diamonds in the SI1, VS and VVS categories. If I'm not looking with my loupe, there's absolutely no way to tell which ones are "better" clarity-wise, but the color difference is immediately apparent. And the SI1 draws the most attention by far.
 
Another vote for the big one! :love:

Regarding color: Of course, color sensitivity varies from person to person. But I can tell you this . . . my stone is a J and it's not GIA graded, so that's probably a very loose J (possibly more like a K or L even). Also, mine is a radiant and radiants supposedly don't mask color very well. But to my eye, it faces up VERY white! I have no issues with the color at all. So if my J (maybe lower) radiant faces up that white, I'm SURE the J you're looking at will face up even whiter because:
1. it's a round and they mask color better than radiants do,
2. it's an ideal cut which will also help it to face up whiter,
3. it's definitely a J since it's been graded by AGS (whereas my stone is questionable), and
4. it's probably a pretty high J since AGS tends to grade harder than GIA.

Regarding clarity: Because of the location of that inclusion, I don't think it's going to be an issue. You're correct that these hugely-zoomed-in photos make the inclusions look MUCH more noticeable than they are IRL. If WF says it's eye-clean, I'd trust their judgment. And you can always send it back if the inclusion is visible to you when you see it in person. (But I really don't think it will be.) :))
 
I would go big! 2.57 J!
 
Thank you for everyone's opinions!!! Trying to be an educated consumer and buying stones online is a double edge sword - with all the information, High def pictures, statistics etc - ANALYSIS PARALYSIS! That said, i'm sure to end up with something beautiful and sparkly versus the person down the street going to their local mall.

I pulled the trigger on the J SI1 after an in-depth conversation with WF today. She said the color and the inclusions are not impacting the transparency or performance at all and worst case scenario, ship it right back for an upgrade in color or clarity. The color is considered "high J" and may reflect additional warmth in yellow lighting/room settings. With a finger size of 7, the extra real estate doesn't hurt either!

WISH ME LUCK, i hope i LOVE it! I will post pictures and feedback soon!
 
jennkim27 said:
Thank you for everyone's opinions!!! Trying to be an educated consumer and buying stones online is a double edge sword - with all the information, High def pictures, statistics etc - ANALYSIS PARALYSIS! That said, i'm sure to end up with something beautiful and sparkly versus the person down the street going to their local mall.

I pulled the trigger on the J SI1 after an in-depth conversation with WF today. She said the color and the inclusions are not impacting the transparency or performance at all and worst case scenario, ship it right back for an upgrade in color or clarity. The color is considered "high J" and may reflect additional warmth in yellow lighting/room settings. With a finger size of 7, the extra real estate doesn't hurt either!

WISH ME LUCK, i hope i LOVE it! I will post pictures and feedback soon!
Click to expand...

Yay!!! Show us pics when you get it! :appl:
 
UPDATE: The poor folks at WF must want to strangle me by now!! There were a couple new stones that popped up since last week and I had them pull and compare again...and again. After much debate, finally decided to go with this one (thank you @tyty333):

https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3686854.htm

Still a J but less tint than the other J stone from the side which was a pretty "high J" already according to WF. Also, eye clean from the top and this time from the bottom and sides as well. Slightly smaller at 8.71 (versus 8.7 but I just couldn't get over the "mind clean" part of the stone, especially after I saw the small black inclusion from the pictures.

Just shipped back my old ring tonight! They said it'll take about 2 days for them to verify that the old stone is in good shape, then 7-10 days for production.

Here we go!! =)2=)2=)2
 
jennkim27 said:
UPDATE: The poor folks at WF must want to strangle me by now!! There were a couple new stones that popped up since last week and I had them pull and compare again...and again. After much debate, finally decided to go with this one (thank you @tyty333):

https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3686854.htm

Still a J but less tint than the other J stone from the side which was a pretty "high J" already according to WF. Also, eye clean from the top and this time from the bottom and sides as well. Slightly smaller at 8.71 (versus 8.7 but I just couldn't get over the "mind clean" part of the stone, especially after I saw the small black inclusion from the pictures.

Just shipped back my old ring tonight! They said it'll take about 2 days for them to verify that the old stone is in good shape, then 7-10 days for production.

Here we go!! =)2=)2=)2
Click to expand...

So exciting - it's a gorgeous stone!!! Congrats! I think you made the right decision and can't wait to see it once it's finished!! :appl:
 
jennkim27 said:
UPDATE: The poor folks at WF must want to strangle me by now!! There were a couple new stones that popped up since last week and I had them pull and compare again...and again. After much debate, finally decided to go with this one (thank you @tyty333):

https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3686854.htm

Still a J but less tint than the other J stone from the side which was a pretty "high J" already according to WF. Also, eye clean from the top and this time from the bottom and sides as well. Slightly smaller at 8.71 (versus 8.7 but I just couldn't get over the "mind clean" part of the stone, especially after I saw the small black inclusion from the pictures.

Just shipped back my old ring tonight! They said it'll take about 2 days for them to verify that the old stone is in good shape, then 7-10 days for production.

Here we go!! =)2=)2=)2
Click to expand...

They won't want to strangle you, that's all in a day's work for those guys and that you're happy and confident matters to them.

Looking forward to the pictures, how will you sleep....??:snore::appl::))
 
perfect! I love VS2 ACAs!
 
Old ring returned ::sniff sniff :cry2::: Goodbye my friend, you have treated me well for the last 10 years.

Production time for the new ring was quoted to be 7 - 10 days, they said the estimated ship date is 4/10 or earlier. Next post WILL include pictures, i even painted my nails in anticipation for those hand shots!! :P2:P2
 
Congratulations on your new stone. Enjoyed reading the commentary from WF on the stones. Exactly what you need!
 
:-o:-o:-o:-o Just got an email saying the ring was shipped out TODAY. Still waiting on the official WF photos. They moved lightening fast!!! I'm so excited (and nervous) to see the pictures and the actual ring. They had to do a head replacement on my old setting. Knowing the guys over there, it'll be great but you just never know. Stay tuned...
 
jennkim27 said:
:-o:-o:-o:-o Just got an email saying the ring was shipped out TODAY. Still waiting on the official WF photos. They moved lightening fast!!! I'm so excited (and nervous) to see the pictures and the actual ring. They had to do a head replacement on my old setting. Knowing the guys over there, it'll be great but you just never know. Stay tuned...
Click to expand...
Congratulations! Can't wait to see it.
 
Eek! Good thing you did your nails!! Can't wait for pics. :))
 
I got the WF pics :) I think I read somewhere on the policy that we cannot post vendor pictures with logos?
 
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