HELP with my HCA score!!

[80sgirl07]

Hello all!

I am new here and thought I could use some help ! I just bought a loose diamond for a great price.

IT SCORED A TERRIBLE 6.7 FAIR on the holloway cut advisor !

It was a .69 round brilliant
5.74x5.61x3.47
Total depth of 61.1
Table of 63
Crown height of 11.8%
Pavilion depth of 45.8%

Clarity is GIA and EGL USA grade VS2 no visible inclusions what so ever!
GIA graded as H color
Polish and symmetry good

My jeweler says it's a nice diamond and she is a GIA appraiser . She also said the fire and scintillation is good and not to pay attention to HCA at all.

When I plug in the measurements on GIA facetware , it comes out as GOOD cut but when I change the pavilion angle down .2 points it comes up as very good on GIA.

HCA just says 6.7 and fair!

Problem is I didn'T know a thing about HCA prior to purchasing this diamond and in some lighting my diamond looks too grey and doesn't sparkle as much in certain lights. In most lighting though, it is very sparkly and I see some rainbow fire.

I don't mind my stone being a GIA GOOD but I would like some opinions about my proportions from a jeweler or a diamond expert on here.

Is it really that bad?! Is HCA right about my diamond ONLY Being fair, or should I trust GIA?
I just never read anything online of a person with a score lower than 5.5!

Any advice would be much help!

Thanks!!!

 

[Andelain]

 

[HappyNewLife]

that's pretty bad. I'd return it if I could. Your jeweler is a salesman, not a diamond expert.

 

[maccers]

HCA is only for assessing cut; it has nothing to do with clarity or colour. HCA is an elimination tool - meaning, a stone with a score of 2.0 or higher should not be considered.

Do you have a GIA certificate? Or was your stone graded by a GIA graduate at your jewelry store? What is the cut grade?

I'll let others explain the specifics of how HCA works.

 

[drk14]

My jeweler says it's a nice diamond and she is a GIA appraiser . She also said the fire and scintillation is good and not to pay attention to HCA at all.

red flag...

 

[80sgirl07]

Well,

The my friend who is a GIA gemologist also agreed it was a VS2 and H color and looked like a good cut to her. My jeweler said so as well and I didn't purchase the stone from them anyway.

It looks good to me so I have NO CLUE why the terrible grade. Lol. It's only sparkles less and darker in some lighting.

Thanks everyone!! Hopefully I'll get more input. I'd HATE to take back the stone since I like the clarity and color.

 

[80sgirl07]

It was GIA graded stone not by her . I have the GIA cert. it says VS2, H color and Good cut.

 

[HappyNewLife]

"good" cut per GIA standards isn't enough. Very good and Excellent are sometimes not good enough either, unless you've looked at an idealscope image.

 

[FireMonkey]

Hi, 80sgirl! Post your GIA cert number; the experts here will chime in and let you know exactly which dimension(s) is/are causing your stone to score so low on the HCA. Also, it's worth noting that an H/VS2 in the size you desire is not at all hard to come by. You don't have to settle for a lower-performing stone in order to have the color/clarity you want. Good luck!

 

[80sgirl07]

It looks beautiful to me and unfortunately I can't return it now! I will post the G.I.Acertificate number when I'm home thank you for your help!!

 

[drk14]

My jeweler says it's a nice diamond and she is a GIA appraiser . She also said the fire and scintillation is good and not to pay attention to HCA at all.

red flag...

Ok, from your response, I'm not sure if the person who said not to pay attention to HCA was your gemologist friend or not, but if it was, I want to apologize take back my what I wrote above. If it was your friend, it is very possible that she was picking up on the fact that you seemed to like your diamond, and just wanted to reassure you not to worry about the poor HCA score.

That's a nice thing for a friend to do, and to an extent, she would be right... if you do like the diamond, then that matters more than others' opinions. You're the one who will be wearing it, after all.

You did ask for opinions from diamond experts, and you will get that, I'm sure. It's not fool-proof, but to a certain extent, you can judge how "expert" the PS members are by how many posts they have (hint: I am not an expert...). Also, posts from anybody who actualy works in the diamond trade will be marked with a "Trade" badge.

Good luck!

 

[80sgirl07]

Thanks Drk14!

It was looked at by my friend who is a GIA grad and was looked at by my jeweler who does GIA appraisals as well. I went to a few sources after I saw the terrible HCA report. They all said it is a pretty stone with VS2 color and H in color just like my GIA report but the cut was just good on GIA.

I posted the measurements earlier from my GIA report since I have it memorized by now..lol

I don't know what to do since I can't return it...

 

[marymm]

It looks beautiful to me and unfortunately I can't return it now! I will post the G.I.Acertificate number when I'm home thank you for your help!!

If you can't return it and it is beautiful in your eyes, then accept it for what it is and don't keep second-guessing yourself since nothing can be done.

 

[msop04]

It looks beautiful to me and unfortunately I can't return it now! I will post the G.I.Acertificate number when I'm home thank you for your help!!

If you can't return it and it is beautiful in your eyes, then accept it for what it is and don't keep second-guessing yourself since nothing can be done.

+1

OP, what made you run the HCA? Was there something "off" about the stone? Like marymm said, if you love it, then don't worry about it -- wear it in good health!

 

[80sgirl07]

I looked up score cause my friend told me about it cause sometimes it looks dark and doesn't sparkle much in certain lighting.
Thanks and that makes me feel better about it!

 

[msop04]

FWIW, my centerstone scored a 2.7 on the HCA and is very similar (in cut) to a 60/60 stone. Based on numbers alone without seeing it in person, it would be shunned by most PS members (including myself), but sparkles like crazy, and I happen to love it -- which is what matters.

There are threads on PS where members of the trade have discussed examining AMAZING diamonds that scored much lower than 2... so please don't get discouraged if you think it's a great stone, especially if you feel you got it at a great price.

 

[drk14]

If you haven't already, you should post your pictures in the SMTB forum, I'm sure your diamond will get plenty of love and appreciation there! :
https://www.pricescope.com/community/forums/show-me-the-bling-rings-earrings-jewelry.8/

Also, as far as I understand, the HCA score is based on certain assumptions about the extent to which the average person prefers brightness, fire, contrast or other qualities of a diamond, so if you had a personalized HCA formula for your own preferences, your diamond would likely score higher.

 

[msop04]

I looked up score cause my friend told me about it cause sometimes it looks dark and doesn't sparkle much in certain lighting. Thanks and that makes me feel better about it!

Are you okay with this, or does it bother you?

 

[80sgirl07]

It bothers me a bit cause I didn't know it was so poorly cut. I haven't seen many diamonds to compare from

 

[msop04]

It bothers me a bit cause I didn't know it was so poorly cut. I haven't seen many diamonds to compare from

Would you still think it was poorly cut if you didn't know anything about the HCA? If you could return it or exchange it, that would be a different story, but that's not the case. You say you love it, so I don't see any need in worrying about it at this point. Just enjoy it... if it continues to bother you, then consider upgrading.

 

[80sgirl07]

Thanks for the advice!

It actually looks too dark and dull sometimes so I'm going to sell it ! I got an offer range from white pines!

I found a new stone that's VS2, .70 carats ,I and scores a 0.6 on HCA! It's an ideal cut and excellent polish and symmetry!

Thanks for the info, you ladies are right!!

 

[Dancing Fire]

Thanks for the advice!

It actually looks too dark and dull sometimes so I'm going to sell it ! I got an offer range from white pines!

I found a new stone that's VS2, .70 carats ,I and scores a 0.6 on HCA! It's an ideal cut and excellent polish and symmetry!

Thanks for the info, you ladies are right!!

GIA graded stone?

 

[80sgirl07]

Yes, it's GIA graded !

 

[Dancing Fire]

Yes, it's GIA graded !

Can you post the GIA report #?

 

[80sgirl07]

Yes,

It's :5176740364. GIA of course


I didn't buy it yet but probably will in the morning. I love the specs and even the J color. I just LOVE the warm slight yellow tone , plus I have yellow gold setting

 

[JulieN]

Check with your eyes to make sure you like the new stone.

 

[80sgirl07]

I will Julie !

Once I get it and if I don't like it , is will just return it ASAP. Lol SOOOO excited! I was wondering why my diamond was so pretty sometimes but then looked so dull at different lighting!

 

[80sgirl07]

I will Julie !

Once I get it and if I don't like it , is will just return it ASAP. Lol SOOOO excited! I was wondering why my diamond was so pretty sometimes but then looked so dull at different lighting!

 

[msop04]

I will Julie !

Once I get it and if I don't like it , is will just return it ASAP. Lol SOOOO excited! I was wondering why my diamond was so pretty sometimes but then looked so dull at different lighting!

Great! Hope you like it!

 

[80sgirl07]

Thanks! Msop4!

I guess I'm just too picky with diamonds! I KNEW something was off with it! Lol