Hopefully my last post -- Help me chose between these 2 stones

[colgin]

I found a dealer in NY who I like and have narrowed my search to two stones. The specs are below:

2.33c
I
SI1
Depth = 61.2%
Table = 56%
Girdle - Med.
Culet - None
Polish - VG
Symmetry - Exc.
Fluor. - None
Price = $15,853

2.54c
I
SI1
D = 57.9%
T = 60%
Polish - Exc.
Sym. - VG
Cu. - None
FLuor. - None
Girdle - Med.
Price - $17,583

I think that the 2.33c stone is a little nicer. The stone seemed to have just a little bit more fire than the larger stone when they were compared together. Both the dealer and I preferred this one. My girlfriend seems to be more interested in size so I am thinking about getting the larger stone, which I also thought looked quite nice. When I was in the shop a woman who looked at both said she preferred the larger one. Any thoughts? Thanks in advance.

 

[Shay37]

Colgin, I am not an expert, however, the difference between the two is the table sizes. From what I have learned, a smaller table yields more fire. A larger table yields more brilliance. Now decide which your girlfriend prefers.

I know, I know, I am not much help. However, this is one of those personal preference questions. I personally prefer a stone with a pretty equal mix of both. Find out which of the two she liked, and buy it. Good luck.

P.S. The second stone seems to be cut a little shallower. This is why it looks bigger. If you saw the stones, and the only difference that you both noticed was the lack of fire in the bigger one, but you both liked the two stones, then buy her preference.

Shay

 

[Rank Amateur]

Do they have lab certs? One grade off is a lot of $$ in a stone this size.

I would be curious to see the rest of the numbers on the 2.54 ct.

 

[colgin]

I forgot to mention that both diamonds have GIA certificates.

 

[69gm]

of course you know that we need the crown and pavilion angles to determine if either of these stones are good or not.

that being said, if it comes down to these two, pick whichever one your fiancee wants. after all, she is the one that has to wear it and, ultimately, has to be happy with it.

i don't know if you did yet, but don't tell her which stone is which, mix them up, THEN ask her which one she likes. see if she still picks the bigger one or the one with more fire. just wasn't sure if she was merely picking the bigger one just because on paper it says it's bigger. the one that definitely catches her eye is the one to get.

 

[whitediamonds]

i'm a girl , yes larger is better BUT i love sparkle-y diamonds.

2.33 to 2.54, not sure if that size is THAT much bigger
can u trade up if she doesn't like it?

 

[chialea]

----------------
On 6/3/2004 6:31:26 PM 69gm wrote:


i don't know if you did yet, but don't tell her which stone is which, mix them up, THEN ask her which one she likes. see if she still picks the bigger one or the one with more fire. just wasn't sure if she was merely picking the bigger one just because on paper it says it's bigger. the one that definitely catches her eye is the one to get.----------------

I'm guessing that this is supposed to be a surprise, if he's asking other random women who are shopping at the same time...

how much bigger is the 2.54 in terms of mm?

 

[SFDavey]

I would think that with the stone so large in the first place (that thing is gonna be HUGE on her finger!!!) that it would be a matter of preference for the sparkle vs. the deep colors. I would imagine that she would prefer a stone that's got a STRONG brilliance factor so it will grab someone's eye from afar so she can show them exactly how big it looks on her hand.

I'd go with the more shiny-sparkly one. With it that big, it's gonna look huge on her finger no matter what.

 

[hoorray]

SFDavey has a good point. These are both large stones, so the size difference is a very small percentage. Unless she wants to hit that number (2.5) for reasons other than looks, I would also go with the brighter of the two. I love lots of fire. The price difference is substantial. Even tho that may not be your first priority, it's not bad to save a couple of thou.

As an idea, see if you can have someone be your hand model, and look at them one by one -- not together. My guess is you may not notice the size difference without them being side by side, but one may look better to your eye.

If the 2.5 mark itself is important to her, than I would go with that one.

 

[colgin]

I just wanted to thank everyone again for all of their help. I made my final decision this morning. Rather I should say that my girlfriend did. I went back to the jeweler to tak eone last look with the intention of getting the larger stone because I knew that was what she wanted. However, I really liked the smaller one more. In addition to being more brilliant, it looked flawless to the naked eye even though it was an SI1. On the larger diamond, which is also an SI1, you could see a slight inclusion if you held the stone just right and were really looking for it. On a hand, of course, it looks fine. Now I was indecisive. So I called my girlfriend who works a few blocks away to have her take a look. She loved the larger stone so that is what I went with. Neither the cut nor inclusion issues bothered her and I must say it looked great on her. I will post photos when the final ring is ready and I have proposed. Thanks again.

 

[hoorray]

Congratulations! At the end of the day, you got her the one she wanted, and that's more important than splitting hairs on mm's, or fire levels. Well done.

 

[researcher]

Glad to hear you got her involved! I don't think you could have gone wrong either way, but knowing that you got exactly what she wants makes it so much easier for you to be happy with your decision--congrats!!!

 

[69gm]

glad you got the one she wanted. get used to doing everything HER way!

just kidding all you ladies on PS! put the chairs down and step away from the computer!

 

[Shay37]

Why, 69gm, I wouldn't dream of throwing a chair at you. I was just thinking that you sound like a highly intelligent man.

Do you give classes? My DH would like to sign up. (Shay says with tongue firmly in cheek) LOL

Colgin, congrats on your purchase. It's always a good idea to bring the person who will be wearing the rock in on the discussion. (hint hint, fellas) I for one think that whole total suprise thing is overrated when it comes to something I will have to wear every day for the rest of my life. I like some input anyway. Now have her choose 2 or 3 settings that she loves. You can make the final decision on which one. Then you surprise her with the one you chose (knowing she'll love it) and the when and where. Good luck.

Shay

 

[just-ice]

<

Shay----------------[/quote]

I am not an expert, however, the difference between the two is the table sizes. From what I have learned, a smaller table yields more fire. A larger table yields more brilliance.
----Rough explaination between fire and brilliance please? I had read a post talking of looking at the ladies rings across a table and seeing such a difference,of course I can't find it now. Thanks!

 

[Shay37]

Just-Ice, fire is colored light return. When you see a diamond that is spouting rainbows, that's fire. Brilliance is white light return. When you see a diamond that is flashing like a headlight, that's brilliance. Different lighting conditions help each (I think?). Table size does influence how much of which one you will see. I think that it is a personal preference, but I like a good mix of both.

Shay

 

[just-ice]

"fire is colored light return. When you see a diamond that is spouting rainbows, that's fire. Brilliance is white light return. When you see a diamond that is flashing like a headlight, that's brilliance. Different lighting conditions help each (I think?). Table size does influence how much of which one you will see. I think that it is a personal preference, but I like a good mix of both."

Shay

Thanks for the info, Shay, Ok,I understand how the table and light reflections work, can you give what you would consider good specs to get the combination of fire and brilliance? Let's say at 0.75 ct and will depth have much play on it?