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Helping a friend choose a diamond - GIA Excellent, avera HCA

blueberrydot

blueberrydot

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Oct 21, 2009
Messages
187
Hello! My friend is in the process of choosing a ring for his future fiancee and he is looking at this particular diamond on Blue Nile:

http://www.bluenile.com/diamond-search?pt=setform&track=NavDiaSeaRD#certViewer_cert_pid=LD03910634|cert_num=1

The cut grade is Excellent, but when I plugged in the numbers to the HCA, it turned up a score of 5.5. I'm hoping to get some advice for him on whether or not this might be worth buying. Here are the numbers if you don't want to click on the link:

Depth 62.8
Table 58
Crown 36
Pavilion 41.2
No Culet

Thanks so much in advance! :)
 
Re: Helping a friend choose a diamond - GIA Excellent, avera

The cut grade may be excellent, but GIA is very broad...would not be my cup of tea. It is a bit deep with so so specs. I don't know what your friends priority is in a diamond, but if it is cut, I would pass on this one.
 
Re: Helping a friend choose a diamond - GIA Excellent, avera

Sorry the link just went to the web sight now a specific stone. The crown angle is too big it should be 34 and it is too deep stay under 62....
 
Re: Helping a friend choose a diamond - GIA Excellent, avera

Not sure what your friend's budget is, but here's one better option for a 1.4 G VS2 on Blue Nile:

http://www.bluenile.com/diamond-search?pt=setform&track=NavDiaSeaRD#certViewer_cert_pid=LD03955957|cert_num=1

.9 HCA

Unless you can find an AGS stone on Blue Nile with a light performance/ASET image, it's a little tougher to judge by just the GIA cert numbers. At least this one is a much safer bet in terms of performance and numbers, but it is over $2k more.

I'd search around some other sites, if they're not dead-set on Blue Nile. There's better out there on White Flash, James Allen, Good Old Gold and other sites PSers tend to favor.

I'm sure the veterans/experts around here will chime in with some recommendations.
 
Re: Helping a friend choose a diamond - GIA Excellent, avera

blueberrydot|1388711957|3585191 said:
Hello! My friend is in the process of choosing a ring for his future fiancee and he is looking at this particular diamond on Blue Nile:

http://www.bluenile.com/diamond-search?pt=setform&track=NavDiaSeaRD#certViewer_cert_pid=LD03910634|cert_num=1

The cut grade is Excellent, but when I plugged in the numbers to the HCA, it turned up a score of 5.5. I'm hoping to get some advice for him on whether or not this might be worth buying. Here are the numbers if you don't want to click on the link:

Depth 62.8
Table 58
Crown 36
Pavilion 41.2
No Culet

Thanks so much in advance! :)
Click to expand...

When approximately 40% of the diamonds cut by the big cutters are rated Excellent by GIA it seems obvious to me that the Excellent category at GIA means little. Some of the diamonds will be hot, many NOT!

There is a reason that cut nuts like AGS, but even then, you must see the diamond to know for sure if it looks as good as the paper!

Wink
 
Re: Helping a friend choose a diamond - GIA Excellent, avera

What is his budget? What are his requirements regarding color and eye-cleanliness?

I wouldn't recommend anything less than AGS 0 Ideal cuts or GIA excellents that have an idealscope image to assess light performance, which BN does not provide. AGS 0 stones don't need an idealscope run - they're already proven to have ideal light performance.

Whatever he does, do not let him compromise on cut quality - an ideal cut stone will face up larger and whiter than a non-ideal cut stone of the same carat weight. And CUT is what makes the stone sparkle - not color or clarity (in 99.9% of cases). Unfortunately, GIA's excellent category is quite broad, and there are some stones in there that don't perform as well as others, which is why the HCA is a good weed-out tool, then once you find one under 2 you should request an IS image on it from a trusted vendor that can do so.

Here are a few from various vendors - there are more, and if you can give us an idea of budget (and does the budget include the setting?) we can help narrow it down some.

http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3034512.htm

http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/d...1.504-i-vs2-round-diamond-ags-bl-104068959058

http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/d...ls/1.313-i-si1-round-diamond-ags-104068964017

http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-dia...arat-j-color-vs1-clarity-ideal-cut-sku-178804

http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-dia...arat-h-color-vs2-clarity-ideal-cut-sku-272364
 
Re: Helping a friend choose a diamond - GIA Excellent, avera

Thanks for all the help! And thanks ecf8503 and krisjon, I've forwarded your picks onto him, hopefully there will be a stone that will work out! His budget is around $12k, and I believe he doesn't want to go lower than G in color and VS2 in clarity, and he's looking to stay under 1.5 in carat weight (preferably in the 1.3 - 1.4 range).

Here are a few more he found on Blue Nile - any opinions on these?

http://www.bluenile.com/round-diamond-1-carat-ideal-cut-g-color-vvs2-clarity_LD03901869?tempcurr=USD&click_id=870908969
Depth 62.4
Table 56
Crown 35.5
Pavilion 41
No Culet

http://www.bluenile.com/round-diamond-1-carat-ideal-cut-g-color-vs1-clarity_LD03965169?tempcurr=USD&click_id=141431295
Depth 61.4
Table 56
Crown 34.5
Pavilion 40.8
No Culet

Thanks again everyone! He really appreciates all your help! :)
 
Re: Helping a friend choose a diamond - GIA Excellent, avera

If you're strictly looking on Blue Nile, I like this one better.
It's a 1.25, AGS 000 Ideal, H, VS2 for $10,339:

http://www.bluenile.com/round-diamond-1-carat-ideal-cut-h-color-vs2-clarity_LD02543801?click_id=260054239

Scores 0.6 HCA (EX, EX, EX, EX)

I wouldn't be concerned about the H color. I just bought a similar AGS 000, H, VS1 on Blue Nile and it's very, very white. With the AGS Ideal cut, you'd never tell the difference from a G. A great cut helps!

AGS Ideals are a little hard to find on Blue Nile. 99% is GIA, but the AGS report gives you a lot more info and confidence if you're making a purchase site unseen.

I'd let an expert on here chime in on the feather inclusion near the girdle, though. It might or might not be an issue.
 
Re: Helping a friend choose a diamond - GIA Excellent, avera

Wow, I had no idea that Blue Nile has AGS graded stones in their inventory! I've forwarded it to my friend but I think he was hoping to stay on the larger side of his spectrum of carat weight specifications. Is there a way to filter the diamonds on Blue Nile to show only the AGS graded stones?
 
Re: Helping a friend choose a diamond - GIA Excellent, avera

That last one you posted from BN with the 34.5/40.8 combo has good numbers. That one
Would be worth looking at.
 
Re: Helping a friend choose a diamond - GIA Excellent, avera

AGS rated stones are few and far between on Blue Nile. You have to scan the lab reports.

Here's a 1.33 H VS1 that is AGS 0 and Blue Nile Signature ideal for $11770:

http://www.bluenile.com/round-diamond-1-carat-signature-ideal-cut-h-color-vs1-clarity_LD02692514?click_id=833957869

1.5 HCA


Or this 1.40 H VS2 AGS 0 for $10971:

http://www.bluenile.com/round-diamond-1-carat-ideal-cut-h-color-vs2-clarity_LD02436911?click_id=760689695

3.4 HCA, though. It's deep, probably why the price is low.


The only AGS G color I can find is 1.37 and over budget at $14311.
Again, I think your friend would be fine with a H color, especially with an ideal cut.

That's all I can find for AGS stones in the range you're looking. There aren't a lot of them.
 
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