Holloway Cut Advisor

[goodgal]

I have a 60% table 59.5% depth Crown angle 31.5 Pavillion angle 41.6 gives me a 3.8 score Now if I fudge and make the angles 31 and 41 I get a 1.5...Is it worth getting the angles cut to that in order to get the better score?

 

[denverappraiser]

Why do you want a lower score?

 

[goodgal]

Why do you want a lower score?

A 1.5 is better than a 3.8 isn't it?

 

[kenny]

Yes, but cutting may be risky.
If it explodes on the cutting wheel you have nothing, since you assume all risk.

 

[denverappraiser]

Why do you want a lower score?

A 1.5 is better than a 3.8 isn't it?

Better for what? That's why I ask the question. They sell marginally better for certain dealers but I suspect yours isn’t for sale and you aren’t one of those dealers anyway so this probably doesn’t apply. Some people like the look better but again, you chose this stone so I’m going to presume you like the look already. 3.8 HCA is NOT a defect in and of itself. Recutting comes with significant costs, significant risks ,and the end result is a smaller stone. People do it for a variety of reasons but if it’s just to change a statistic on a scale I wouldn’t even consider it.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I had a 1 ct. stone that I had recut and it ended up .80...a beautiful .80. I was happier with it being smaller and well cut. But if you like your diamond as it is now, I wouldn't bother with the recut.

 

[Rockdiamond]

Why do you want a lower score?

A 1.5 is better than a 3.8 isn't it?

No- HCA scores indicate the type of cut preferred by it's creator- not which diamond is cut better

 

[kenny]

The HCA is not just some number that appeals to geeks and mathematicians.
In spite of the well understood limitations of the HCA, a better HCA score represents light being returned back to the eye instead of leaking out the sides and bottom.

The number means something.
Other numbers that mean something are your age, your bank account balance and how much tax you had to pay.
Numbers are not just numbers.

Personally I'd not venture into all the risks and weight loss of a recut in this instance, but let's not poo poo the HCA.
It is legitimate.

Sure which HCA scores look good or bad IS opinion and personal preference.
Some may prefer a leaky, dark, or fisheyed diamond.
People vary.

 

[crbl999]

Have you already purchased this stone? If so, what is the return policy?

 

[CedarRapids]

Was the stone graded by a lab? if so, which lab and what was the grading? If you were to get the stone recut, I would not do it based on the HCA score alone. The number of parameters that are fed into a the HCA tool are too few for such a decision. Instead, I would rely on your own eyes, an expert's opinion, the grading report of a reliable lab (AGS or GIA), a cost-effectiveness consultant (e.g., you and/or a partner), and the sum of all of these.

 

[Karl_K]

buying a diamond at full retain for a re-cut is always a bad idea.

 

[goodgal]

Was the stone graded by a lab? if so, which lab and what was the grading? If you were to get the stone recut, I would not do it based on the HCA score alone. The number of parameters that are fed into a the HCA tool are too few for such a decision. Instead, I would rely on your own eyes, an expert's opinion, the grading report of a reliable lab (AGS or GIA), a cost-effectiveness consultant (e.g., you and/or a partner), and the sum of all of these.

GIA rated triple excellent

 

[Rockdiamond]

The HCA is not just some number that appeals to geeks and mathematicians.
In spite of the well understood limitations of the HCA, a better HCA score represents light being returned back to the eye instead of leaking out the sides and bottom.

The number means something.
Other numbers that mean something are your age, your bank account balance and how much tax you had to pay.
Numbers are not just numbers.

Personally I'd not venture into all the risks and weight loss of a recut in this instance, but let's not poo poo the HCA.
It is legitimate.

Sure which HCA scores look good or bad IS opinion and personal preference.
Some may prefer a leaky, dark, or fisheyed diamond.
People vary.

See, that's a HUGE part of the problem. The limitations of HCA are not well understood.
Give people a linear scale, and they hand their hat on it.
The limitations of HCA are putting consumers in a confused position- and it seems like on a daily basis.

A high HCA score on a GIA diamond does NOT mean it will have detrimental "leakage", look dark, or be a fisheye.

In fact, you may very well prefer a diamond that scores higher.
There's a balance between spread, brilliance, brightness contrast- and the other aspects that make up a well cut diamond.
Within GIA's EX cut grade there are a variety of different combinations of these factors.
Some people will be able to notice subtle differences- others may not.
Of those that do, not all will prefer stones scoring better ( lower) on the HCA.

Goodgal- is it possible for you to see the stone in person?

 

[goodgal]

Finally got the appraisal back after waiting for an appt. I feel confident in this person's abilities:

Graduate gemologist (GIA)
Member:Natl Assoc of jewelry appraisers
Member:American Society of jewelry historians
Member: Scottish Gemmological Assoc
Member:Jeweler's Vigilance committee
Trigems.com

He was so booked up I just received my appraisal. I was very concerned due to the angles however he said the angles with the particulars produced a beautiful brilliant stone with lots of scintillation. Less colorful dispersion but lots of white light. I have better pics to add later. I know lying on a white background isn't great. He did give it a retail appraisal considerably higher than what was paid and that was with gold having recently dropped to 1531.00 per troy ounce. A few weeks ago it was around 2000/troy oz.

 

[heather2012]

Your ring is beautiful--I think it's funny that you posted this because I just did the same thing with the HCA for my diamond. It rated a 3.6 on the scale with the actual numbers, also triple ex by GIA standards...

I changed the Pavilion Angle from 41.2--> 41 and it went from 3.6 TO 2.3! I dunno, seems kind of odd that .2 degrees could make such a drastic difference, I believe the HCA scale has some basis, but it is still being tweaked...I definitely wouldn't risk a recut.

 

[slg47]

Your ring is beautiful--I think it's funny that you posted this because I just did the same thing with the HCA for my diamond. It rated a 3.6 on the scale with the actual numbers, also triple ex by GIA standards...

I changed the Pavilion Angle from 41.2--> 41 and it went from 3.6 TO 2.3! I dunno, seems kind of odd that .2 degrees could make such a drastic difference, I believe the HCA scale has some basis, but it is still being tweaked...I definitely wouldn't risk a recut.

actually since the ranges are v. small 0.2 can make a large difference. but the HCA only takes 4 #s into account. the HCA is not meant to select stones, only to reject.

 

[TristanC]

From what I gather, the HCA is like your sober friend when you have donned beer goggles at a singles bar.

He'll tell you NOT to go after that chick (who actually was an unshaven man).

BUT he isn't definitively correct about who is the hottest on the dance floor. You have the right to disagree with his tastes, but so long as you steer away from the ones that he violently insists are hideous, you'll be OK the morning after.

 

[heather2012]

AHAHAHAHA, GREAT ANALOGY!!