Help with chosing 0,4-0,5ct stone

[Mikke]

Hi,

I´m planning to make a custom solitaire 6-prong ring for my girlfriend. Currently I am looking for a really nice stone. I want it to have a lot of fire and be very "sparkly". The size that would look good on her is around 0,4-0,5ct. My idea is to make the ring in yellow gold so I want a really white stone (D-E) to create as much contrast as possible. I have read a lot of good things about whiteflash and their ACA and have been communicating a bit with them. I have found what I think is a good stone but I dont know if its clear enough. Looking at the pictures its easy to see spots(?) although its eye-clean so maybe it should not be a concern.
So this is one choice:
http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-2231116.htm

Another choice with higher clarity but smaller is:
http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-2355077.htm

Let me know what you think of these options or If I should consider another stone,
Many thanks,
Mike

 

[slg47]

VS2 should definitely not be a concern-VVS2 is overkill and you are just paying for rarity, not something you will be able to see. you could get more size going to an eye-clean SI1 but it seems that you prefer the mind-cleanliness of VS2 and above.

did you see this one?

http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-2347495.htm

ETA it seems like you are looking for a 0.4-0.5 ct...so then I think the one you chose looks good. I would definitely go with the VS2 though and not the VVS2

 

[pancake]

Hi Mike,

I am not a RB expert so I won't chime in with suggestions on stones, but I just wanted to say - I recently bought two 0.45ct RBs for my mother-in-law (to use as sidestones in a sapphire ring) and from my experience I think you will find that in this size, you do not need to go into the colourless range to get stones that look blindingly white. I bought I VS2 stones for my MIL, and when I finally saw them last week I was almost shocked by how blindingly white they were - this is probably because my own engagement stone is an emerald cut and when looking at those, I noticed colour at H and below. Not with the RB - I held my own ring (E colour) next to the I, and there was definitely not the difference I was expecting, and had I seen the I stones alone I wouldn't have ever thought that they were that low in colour!

 

[slg47]

I think Andelain has a D color in YG...I would be curious to hear her thoughts on higher colors in yellow gold

 

[Mikke]

Thanks for the advice. Yes I have had a look at that one too. I noticed it had a difference in light performance. I have no idea how much of this I would actually notice in reality though. Its a tempting option but it might look a little big on her. In one way I want to buy as big as possible but when we have been testing rings, the 0,4-0,5ct looks very proportional.

So then I shouldn't worry about those dark/white spots you can see on the zoomed image of the 0,5ct?

 

[slg47]

I am not sure what you mean by a difference in light performance? I wouldn't worry about inclusions with VS2. What size diamond does your GF prefer?

 

[swingirl]

VS2 should definitely not be a concern-VVS2 is overkill and you are just paying for rarity, not something you will be able to see. you could get more size going to an eye-clean SI1 but it seems that you prefer the mind-cleanliness of VS2 and above.

did you see this one?

http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-2347495.htm

ETA it seems like you are looking for a 0.4-0.5 ct...so then I think the one you chose looks good. I would definitely go with the VS2 though and not the VVS2

This one would be my choice. You will not see much of a difference in a D, E or F and those will all look super white in the shape and size you are considering. The size will not look much different (between a 0.4 and 0.6ct) either but most women like to be over the .05ct mark so they can honestly say, "over a half carat". It's just a gal thing.

The white spots on the photos are just little reflections. The stones that Whiteflash sells as ACA's are all very nicely cut. Nothing to worry about other than your choice of color and clarity, which is a personal preference.

 

[stone-cold11]

Thanks for the advice. Yes I have had a look at that one too. I noticed it had a difference in light performance. I have no idea how much of this I would actually notice in reality though. Its a tempting option but it might look a little big on her. In one way I want to buy as big as possible but when we have been testing rings, the 0,4-0,5ct looks very proportional.

So then I shouldn't worry about those dark/white spots you can see on the zoomed image of the 0,5ct?

Try scaling the image down to so that the diameter of the stone now is around 5mm across on your screen and see if you notice the spots?

 

[Mikke]

The more I look at the 0,6 the more temping it gets....maybe I should change topic to 0,5-0,6 instead ?
As it feels now its seems like the 0,1ct extra is a nice bonus with a very small trade-off(E).

 

[tyty333]

The .6 would also be my choice. Remember, DSS (diamond shrinkage syndrome) sets in after a while!

 

[mommy2nk]

The .6 would also be my choice. Remember, DSS (diamond shrinkage syndrome) sets in after a while!

Haha! I agree about the DSS..
I have a 5 stone ring with H, colored stones although one of them is a G and I can not tell the difference. They are so white and sparkle like crazy. What I have been told and what I can now agree with is well cut stones face up so much whiter and larger then your average stone. I am not an expert but I would not be concerned about going lower in color and also in the clarity if it is an ACA diamond. Plus the bonus is a bit larger look.. Have fun on your search!

 

[Mikke]

Hi,

I found another E 0,615 Vs2 on whiteflash....should I go for that one or the other 0,6?

 

[JulieN]

The idea of what looks proportional is really just a matter of getting used to it. This isn't like finding the perfect skinny jeans.

Go with the .6

 

[swingirl]

Hi,

I found another E 0,615 Vs2 on whiteflash....should I go for that one or the other 0,6?

Is it an ACA? If so, it's cut very close to the specs of the other stones and is probably equally as nice.