Help with Oval Diamonds

[chuckmcw]

Okay, so I'm having some difficulty figuring out how to truly compare oval shaped diamonds. It appears I can't use the HCA cut advisor, nor Ideal Scope, so I guess there is more guesswork in going with a fancy shape. Below is what I've found and I would like some thoughts on how it would look, or what to watch out for. My girlfriend loves the oval shape and has tried on rings in the 2-3 ct range, so I'm looking for something along those lines.

2.02 ct, I color, SI1, Super ideal cut with an EGL International certificate. I have the report and it looks like it should be "eye clean". Dimensions are as follows: 10.76 long, 7.05 wide and 4.03 deep. Table is 62%, depth is 54.7%, crown height is 13%, pavillion height is 40%, and girdle is medium. Price is $6,400 w/o setting.

I'm not crazy about the EGL International certificate - and yes, I know the grading risks associated with EGL - but the company also has a 30 day return policy for any reason. Any thoughts?

 

[diamondseeker2006]

No, you may as well ditch that one. You need to stick with GIA only. That diamond could easily be J-K-L color and SI2 clarity. You cannot tell anything about eyeclean from a piece of paper, nor can you choose a fancy cut of any kind by the lab report.

I suggest contacting Good Old Gold and tell them your budget and let them call in a few stones for you. I definitely wouldn't go lower than GIA I color for an oval because it is going to show some color in places if you go lower in color. They will check the light performance of the stones and make you a video of the stones. I know of no better way to buy a diamond by distance!

 

[LibbyLA]

Very shallow, table is large. Then there's the EGL International cert. I wouldn't consider it.

(FWIW, I have a 2.06 J SI2 GIA-certed oval 9.70 x 7.50 x 4.48mm, depth 59.7%, table 61% that was about $8500 about a year ago. I haven't seen anything similar and close to the price since.)

liz

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Doing a quick search, I think a 2 ct. GIA I SI1 will cost you around double that amount. So you need to adjust your budget or your size expectations.

Maybe Liz can say if her stone is white face-up. I think you will find a range within J color that is less or more tinted.

Example of what you can get at $10k, and it is not really good:

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/J-SI1-Good-Cut-Oval-Diamond-1534032.asp

Nice 2 ct. I VS2 for $14k:

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/9869/

 

[LibbyLA]

DS,

In some light, my diamond has a bit of a very pale champagne tint. Most of the time, it faces up pretty white. I think it's like the color in any diamond. People have to look at different colors and decide what appeals to them. The average person would not think that my diamond is tinted.

I lucked out with my diamond. The first listed inclusion is an indented natural on one end, right where the prong of my 6-prong setting goes. There's a tiny crystal nearly dead center. I can see it in some light (generally very low light), but it shows up as a glitter pinpoint a little higher than all the other glittery sparkles. For me, that's "eye clean." It's not a black or white inclusion. I'm one of those who thinks of it as a birthmark that makes it easy to identify this as my diamond.

For a lot of people, J SI2 wouldn't be "mind clean" enough, but I'm fortunate that I'm not one of them . I was able to get a pretty impressive-looking diamond (for my social circle) for a pretty reasonable price.

liz