I don't know much and I don't if I ever will

[cubic_zirconia]

The TL;DR:

• https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-4123867.htm
• Would I be overpaying for this diamond?
• Do the diamond measurements produce what PriceScope members generally agree to be an aesthetic looking diamond? (From one forum post I read: "But, many PS member prefer the aesthetic of the steeper crown. Most member also prefer a smaller table too")

============

So I've only recently begun my diamond shopping search, but early on I stumbled across this website that said Whiteflash has the best quality diamonds online:
https://www.creditdonkey.com/buy-engagement-ring.html

Further Google searching about cut on diamonds often has these websites in the results and there is a blurb that usually recommends Whiteflash, Brian Gavin and/or James Allen:

**edited by moderator, affiliate links not allowed**
As an easily influenced buyer, it is easy for me to suddenly be convinced that Whiteflash is the place to go and so that's primarily where I've been searching.

I'm prizing cut above all else, and so maybe I'm buying into the "hype" of super ideal diamonds and willing to pay the premium for them. A friend of mine thinks the diamond I'm about to list is overpriced given the fact that he paid 2K more for a 2ct G/VS1 GIA XXX diamond (he doesn't buy into the hype of super ideal).

With that said, I'll be honest, there's a lot of information overload. Sometimes I don't want to come home from work to "study" about the ideal proportions and to know how angles and percentage variations within those ideal specifications alter the appearance of the diamond. I read comments on this forum that indicate that variations in pavilion/crown angles produce a different appearance to the diamond, perhaps implying that even within the Whiteflash specification for super ideal diamonds, there are desired values even within those strict ranges: https://www.whiteflash.com/a-cut-above-diamonds-specifications-and-qualifications/

Am I overthinking it? Here's the diamond I'm considering:
https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-4123867.htm

In terms of what I'm looking for:

• Size: 1.2-1.3ct
• Cut: Ideal
• Color: E-G
• Clarity: VVS2-VS1

What I like about the diamond I listed is that the inclusions are visible only on the underside of the diamond. But what do I know: I could be overpaying for clarity.

Thanks for any feedback.

 

[lovedogs]

Whiteflash is one of the best vendors in terms of super ideal cuts (along with high performance diamonds and Brian Gavin). Is there a cultural reason for such high clarity? If not, eye clean is theoretically all most people need (which can be found in almost all vs2 and many SI1).

Is upgrade policy a consideration? If yes,stick with Whiteflash and high performance diamonds. If not, Brian Gavin is good as well in terms of cut (but appears to have less consistently excellent customer service).

You won't be overpaying for an "a cut above" from Whiteflash or stones from high performance diamonds. Prices are fair for the quality.

 

[lovedogs]

Ps. A gia XXX is not enough info to know if a stone is ideal cut. Your friend might have gotten lucky with one that happened to fall into ideal proportions, but likely paid less bc he or she doesn't have an ideally cut stone.

 

[TODiamonds]

You've done a ton of research but have you looked at stones in person?

If you're totally new to this, my recommendation is to go to high end stores and jewelers (anything but the crappy mall ones) and look at stones in real life if you haven't already. Only then will you know what YOU like. Forget what people here like, taste is subjective and its easy to go down the fox hole of trying to find the perfect crown/pavilion angle, HCA score, etc. "Overpaying" is another subjective term and the answers you get will depend on who you're asking - if you're here on PS then everyone will tell you you're paying fair value for the super ideals. That's just the culture here and it's what they push. Whether that's true or not is really up to you and what you value.

Go to a Tiffany's, Birks, independent jeweler or whatever you have access to and ask them to see 1.2 vs 1.3 ct stones, deep vs shallow s, 54 vs 59 tables, E vs G vs I colors, etc. The experience you'll get looking at stones in real life with your own eyes is invaluable. Once you've seen enough and feel more comfortable and confident with what you want, then narrow it down and start shopping online.

 

[Dancing Fire]

• I'm prizing cut above all else, and so maybe I'm buying into the "hype" of super ideal diamonds and willing to pay the premium for them. A friend of mine thinks the diamond I'm about to list is overpriced given the fact that he paid 2K more for a 2ct G/VS1 GIA XXX diamond (he doesn't buy into the hype of super ideal).

Because he don't know diddly about diamonds...

 

[arkieb1]

Another person that thinks it might be really helpful to go visit a few shops and just window shop look at GIA certified diamonds for colour if you can. Some people prefer E coloured diamonds, culturally for example many places in Asia prefer the idea of pure white diamonds.

A lot of people are not particularly colour sensitive and notice little colour differences between an E and a G or if they do it doesn't bother them, if it doesn't bother you than that is a good way to either save money or put the gap towards a larger stone.

So what I am saying is it's a good ideal to work out before you purchase a diamond how colour sensitive you are or aren't.......

Clarity - again, generally VS1 and VS2 stones this size are going to be 100% eye clean, as stated you can even get really lucky and find some SI1s that are eye clean. So basically if you can buy a cheaper VS2 stone that is 110% eye clean anything else is going to be overkill you cannot actually see without a decent loupe. So again you can save money or put that towards a larger stone, because size is actually something you will see....

YES you could be overpaying for clarity which you cannot see and colour that might never bother you.

So if you get a triple ex Super Ideal cut from somewhere like Whiteflash, Victor Canera, or Wink at High Performance diamonds and you get a F or a G and a VS2 that will be completely eye clean you could probably go up to around a 1.50 sized stone..... that would be my suggestion, go for perfectly cut a fraction bigger than you think you want now and I think you will be very happy.

A few of the better vendors also have a lifetime buyback upgrade policy that is also something well worth considering when you purchase an Ideal cut diamond.

 

[OoohShiny]

Go to a Tiffany's, Birks, independent jeweler or whatever you have access to and ask them to see 1.2 vs 1.3 ct stones, deep vs shallow s, 54 vs 59 tables, E vs G vs I colors, etc. The experience you'll get looking at stones in real life with your own eyes is invaluable. Once you've seen enough and feel more comfortable and confident with what you want, then narrow it down and start shopping online.

In theory... I agree.

But - finding a sales person who is aware of these things can be difficult! and there is always the issue of taking up staff time when you have no intention to buy, unfortunately.

 

[mwilliamanderson]

Personally it seems like you’ve done your homework and your tired of doing homework. I LOVE the diamond you picked out! As others have said you have some wiggle room with color and clarity so you could do something like these and save a bit of money for the setting.

https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-4159468.htm or

https://www.hpdiamonds.com/en-us/diamonddetail/HPD9794

 

[MrsBlue]

Here's an option:
https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/compare/?idnos=4117822

1.327 G Vs1 Beautiful and budget friendly at a little over 11.8k (wire price).

 

[sledge]

The variance of cut quality that falls with XXX criteria is so broad that I cannot tell you if your friends diamond is well cut or not.

What I can tell you is that G color + VS1 clarity doesn't have the same price hikes as an F color + VVS1 clarity. So if you lower your color and clarity requirements to the same as your friends then your cost will be lower. Or you can push up in size by lowering the cut and clarity.

Also I know that using the diamond search engine here that yields where you can filter by nor color, clarity, carat weight and dollar metrics plus GIA 3x and HCA metrics nothing pops with his criteria and that is excellent on the HCA. If you drop the HCA to just very good or less (reducing cut quality) then a couple of stones pop. Play with it yourself to see what I mean.

https://www.pricescope.com/diamonds/search?vendor=-1&branded=None&inhouse=-1&shape=1&minprice=1&maxprice=19500&mincarat=2&maxcarat=2.71&mindepth=58&maxdepth=63&mintable=53&maxtable=62&mincut=1&maxcut=6&mincolor=1&maxcolor=4&minclarity=2&maxclarity=6&minsymmetry=1&maxsymmetry=8&minpolish=1&maxpolish=8&min_cut_gia=1&max_cut_gia=6&min_cut_ags=1&max_cut_ags=7&minflourescence=1&maxflourescence=6&checkbox_panel1=04,05,03&checkbox_panel2=&sort=&page=1&pageview=24&adv=false&days=100&cert_number=

If I go RareCarat and enter similar search metrics, without HCA requirements a total of ONE diamond pops. And the proportions are bad enough on that diamond that it's not worth considering if you value cut quality.

https://www.yadavjewelry.com/diamond/round-diamond-2.0-carat-g-vs1-yd7691533

The above in consideration I feel confident in saying your friend either got extremely lucky in his search or sacrificed cut quality to obtain size, color and clarity. Or perhaps got lucky and timed the market perfectly when diamonds were cheaper than now.

 

[sledge]

I might add I think there can be small variances within ideal cut parameters a person may prefer. Those variances are generally small and may not be meaningful to every person.

One of the major advantages to buying a super ideal is the "easy button" approach. Literally, all the ACA stones that WF offer, or the CBI stones that HPD offer will be absolutely stunning. All will come with excellent customer service, the best upgrade programs, a full array of performance and symmetry images that provides reassurance you are buying a top notch stone.

The ease and warm fuzzies you get is part of the value they offer, and IMO is highly overlooked as it's a quality that people can't firmly assign monetary value upon.

If you're a car guy, you can go buy a Challenger. Your friend paid $20k and got a 6 cylinder. Cool. I might pay $80k and get a Demon, with supercharged Hemi and can run the quarter in less than 10 seconds. Freaking way cool!

Who got the better value? We definitely know who paid less, but is value just about the lowest dollar? Theoretically, both get you from point A to point B and to the casual observer looks the same.

 

[TODiamonds]

In theory... I agree.

But - finding a sales person who is aware of these things can be difficult! and there is always the issue of taking up staff time when you have no intention to buy, unfortunately.

I hear what your'e saying, but I personally have zero sympathy for the luxury retailers given the exorbitant prices they charge versus the quality you actually receive. They are sales people... it is their job to sell you. And who knows, maybe you go in there without an intention to buy and you end getting sold (hopefully that won't happen to OP!) - in any event it's an opportunity for the store and I'm sure they're happy to take it as opposed to having no foot traffic.

What I think is insane is dropping tens of thousands on a stone if you've never seen some in real life... it's not much different than buying a car or house off spec instead of going for a test drive or viewing. Anyway we're going off on a tangent here.

OP - I really hope you take the time to look at some stones in real life (if you haven't already).

 

[OoohShiny]

I hear what your'e saying, but I personally have zero sympathy for the luxury retailers given the exorbitant prices they charge versus the quality you actually receive. They are sales people... it is their job to sell you. And who knows, maybe you go in there without an intention to buy and you end getting sold (hopefully that won't happen to OP!) - in any event it's an opportunity for the store and I'm sure they're happy to take it as opposed to having no foot traffic.

What I think is insane is dropping tens of thousands on a stone if you've never seen some in real life... it's not much different than buying a car or house off spec instead of going for a test drive or viewing. Anyway we're going off on a tangent here.

OP - I really hope you take the time to look at some stones in real life (if you haven't already).

You make excellent points

Like shoes, a car, a house, a mattress... we spend a lot of money after only a very limited 'trial period'!

The benefit of shopping online with the PS-recommended vendors is, of course, that usually you have 30 days to assess a stone in the comfort of your home (and compare it to local stones if you want to) so the level of risk is reduced Many (most?) local shops seem to have either zero or very restrictive returns/upgrades policies, so I would argue that buying online is a better way to buy!

 

[sledge]

What I think is insane is dropping tens of thousands on a stone if you've never seen some in real life... it's not much different than buying a car or house off spec instead of going for a test drive or viewing. Anyway we're going off on a tangent here.

OP - I really hope you take the time to look at some stones in real life (if you haven't already).

Damn -- I'm officially insane, lol.

Ordered specialty vehicles before because none were available to test drive, locally or otherwise. Also, designed my own house and built it without a viewing. Granted, some of the elements I'd walk through other homes and see a feature I'd like then measure the area and try to manipulate & fit back into the CAD design.

Although I'm razzing you, I do agree for the most part.

 

[TODiamonds]

Damn -- I'm officially insane, lol.

Ordered specialty vehicles before because none were available to test drive, locally or otherwise. Also, designed my own house and built it without a viewing. Granted, some of the elements I'd walk through other homes and see a feature I'd like then measure the area and try to manipulate & fit back into the CAD design.

Although I'm razzing you, I do agree for the most part.

I guess there are exceptions for those of us who can build our own houses

 

[bludiva]

Op, I agree you should find out if you can discern the difference between super ideal and other well cut stones with your own eyes if possible. It matters a lot to some people and not so much to others. From there you can figure out if you'd like to buy from a super ideal vendor (price premium, bit stones are guaranteed to have top notch cut) or search for your own well cut stone (you can save money but it's more effort) Whatever you choose, enjoy the search

 

[Kaycee2018]

@cubic_zirconia , FYI, you are on a forum where the majority of members are pro "super ideal". But the only way to really tell if the premium for a super ideal is worth it to you is to compare one IRL with a well cut GIA ExExEx (meaning one with specs that lie within or very, very close to those recommended here, since as others have noted GIA ExExEx covers a very broad range). I am one that can't tell or appreciate the performance difference between a well cut GIA ExExEx (meaning one with super ideal or near super ideal specs) vs. a branded super ideal diamond (nor do I put much value into the superior upgrade policies offered by most branded super ideal vendors), so the premium isn't worth it to me. But that doesn't mean it wouldn't be worth it to you, as it is 100% worth it to many others and they wouldn't consider anything less. GL!

 

[cubic_zirconia]

Many thanks for the feedback, lots of good stuff that I should try and take to heart. Just to reply back to some of the questions/points:

• I have very limited real-life experience of looking at diamonds. I can acknowledge the benefit of going to places and looking at diamonds with all kinds of characteristics to see if I can tell the difference between this and that. Where I struggle with this (and this is on me) is that I loathe the in-store shopping experience when dealing with salespeople.
• I've done maybe "enough" research to know a little bit but still struggle to be able to explain and articulate why my preferences are what they are. I told a jeweler that I was looking for AGS-certificate diamonds and when asked why I fumbled with my words like an idiot. I'm not yet able to confidently walk into a store and explain exactly why I want what I want and I feel like I need to do "more research" to get there.
• The reason I'm aiming higher on the scale in terms of color and clarity could really just be my preference. Although a VS2 might be as eye clean as a VVS1, I might be willing to pay the premium just because I'm so nit-picky I want to see less red marks on the certificate. I'm still undecided on this due to the price differences between the various levels of clarity. Common sense could still possibly prevail over this decision. Clarity, I've read, is the least important of the C's behind Color and Cut.
• Upgrade policy is not a consideration
• I could be one of those "easy button" approach guys. If there's an option that enables a certain ease and confidence that is instilled when you know you're buying from a reputable dealer that has a reputation for being one of those that offers "the best" then sometimes I am willing to pay for more because of that.

Again, I appreciate everyone's responses. I'm also a little bit of in a time crunch too in terms of when I need a ring and so online shopping does offer some ease so that's why I've spent most of time in that realm.

 

[Wewechew]

Many thanks for the feedback, lots of good stuff that I should try and take to heart. Just to reply back to some of the questions/points:

• I have very limited real-life experience of looking at diamonds. I can acknowledge the benefit of going to places and looking at diamonds with all kinds of characteristics to see if I can tell the difference between this and that. Where I struggle with this (and this is on me) is that I loathe the in-store shopping experience when dealing with salespeople.
• I've done maybe "enough" research to know a little bit but still struggle to be able to explain and articulate why my preferences are what they are. I told a jeweler that I was looking for AGS-certificate diamonds and when asked why I fumbled with my words like an idiot. I'm not yet able to confidently walk into a store and explain exactly why I want what I want and I feel like I need to do "more research" to get there.
• The reason I'm aiming higher on the scale in terms of color and clarity could really just be my preference. Although a VS2 might be as eye clean as a VVS1, I might be willing to pay the premium just because I'm so nit-picky I want to see less red marks on the certificate. I'm still undecided on this due to the price differences between the various levels of clarity. Common sense could still possibly prevail over this decision. Clarity, I've read, is the least important of the C's behind Color and Cut.
• Upgrade policy is not a consideration
• I could be one of those "easy button" approach guys. If there's an option that enables a certain ease and confidence that is instilled when you know you're buying from a reputable dealer that has a reputation for being one of those that offers "the best" then sometimes I am willing to pay for more because of that.

Again, I appreciate everyone's responses. I'm also a little bit of in a time crunch too in terms of when I need a ring and so online shopping does offer some ease so that's why I've spent most of time in that realm.

Based on all of that, I would go with WF.

You cannot go wrong with a WF in house stone, and it sounds like at this point having a stone that is "mind clean" is important to you. Plus if you give WF the date you need the finished ring by, they will move heaven and earth to accommodate you (as long as it's logistically feasible).

 

[headlight]

My questions/comments:
1. When did your friend purchase that diamond?
2. What is the size your beloved is "expecting/hoping for"?
3. I would eliminate VVS from your search because you are paying for something you most definitely will not see.
4. Given the fact that you are totally burned out, going with a super ideal (ACA) from WF will ensure you are getting the best of the best. ADDITIONALLY, you are getting an amazing upgrade policy in the event your betrothed wants to upgrade down the road and you will not have lost a bit of your investment (purchase price)... oh, I stand corrected... I think you lose all of ONE DOLLAR! It's the biggest no-brainer to do this.
5. As to your friend's diamond... this is such a complicated issue, as you've come to learn, that it is very difficult to compare 2 diamonds, especially given we don't know anything about that other diamond. We have no idea if that diamond has a cavity or a lot of fluorescence or a large table + shallow pavilion, etc., etc. OR, it can be fabulous on all fronts in which case I say when was it purchased and good for them.
6. Of curiosity, where did your friend purchase their diamond?

 

[headlight]

BASED on what you just posted, you should go with the diamond you picked. You said upgrade wasn't a concern, but you will have that as a bonus option down the road irregardless. You've picked a GORGEOUS stone. I, too, love that it is so pure. Go for it and congrats!

 

[the_mother_thing]

You’ve gotten a lot of great advice already so I won’t repeat that ... except to say: if you want to see/know if a super-ideal diamond is ‘worth it’, order one in accordance with your specs & budget, then compare it to your friend’s deal-of-a-diamond. He may have gotten ‘lucky’, but my guess is you will see the difference in performance due to superior cut immediately when you compare the two (just do it nicely/tactfully).

 

[mwilliamanderson]

Well I do think you found the easy button..super ideal cut, high color, high clarity diamond over 1 ct. You’ve checked all the boxes from my perspective!

 

[arkieb1]

If you are picky a decent VS1 isn't going to have heaps of inclusions on the certificate and you will NEVER see anything in a stone this size.... so it's worth the drop in clarity to either save money or go up a little in size (which again I reiterate everyone can see).

Go with a store that has a good return policy like the ones already mentioned get a Super Ideal that fits your budget and if you don't love it send it back again. If you have a credit card you can put two on even better get a D or an E and a F or G and compare them and send back/return the one you don't want.

 

[KKJohnson]

These two have caught my eye but they are larger then you are looking, still within a reasonable size
https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-4150884.htm

Don’t let the clarity scare you, it is extremely clean and cleaner then some VS2s
https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-4123879.htm

 

[cubic_zirconia]

My questions/comments:
1. When did your friend purchase that diamond?
2. What is the size your beloved is "expecting/hoping for"?
3. I would eliminate VVS from your search because you are paying for something you most definitely will not see.
6. Of curiosity, where did your friend purchase their diamond?

1. He purchased it more than a year ago.
2. 1ct minimum, but not as large as 2ct.
3. I've expanded my search filters to include up to VS2 and increased the max size from 1.4ct to 1.7ct, as well as the color from F to G.
6. Diamond district in LA. I don't know which store though.

So I know now that my friend wasn't aware of this notion of super ideal cuts and he still believes diamonds with GIA reports are the best, so for me to pay only ~2K less for a 1.4ct non-GIA diamond compared to his 2ct diamond which included the setting seems like I'm overpaying. That's where he's coming from and it's no personal knock on him.

 

[cubic_zirconia]

These two have caught my eye but they are larger then you are looking, still within a reasonable size
https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-4150884.htm

Don’t let the clarity scare you, it is extremely clean and cleaner then some VS2s
https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-4123879.htm

I can admit that my inexperience with looking at diamonds in real life shows up here. Without having looked at diamonds from a "normal" viewing distance across various clarity ranges, a higher number of inclusions or even fewer but larger inclusions as they appear in the grading reports can scare me away

But thanks for posting these larger sizes as I'm beginning to expand my filter search to include larger diamonds and lower clarity.

 

[TODiamonds]

So I know now that my friend wasn't aware of this notion of super ideal cuts and he still believes diamonds with GIA reports are the best, so for me to pay only ~2K less for a 1.4ct non-GIA diamond compared to his 2ct diamond which included the setting seems like I'm overpaying. That's where he's coming from and it's no personal knock on him.

He's not necessarily wrong. It really depends on what you value. I don't know anything about your friend's rock (and I think we're really wasting time trying to learn more about it because quite frankly it's a moot point). It boils down to this - do you want a smaller rock with superideal proportions that will sparkle more, or do you want a bigger rock with excellent proportions that will sparkle less?

You have to remember on PS, 90% of the folks here will tell you to get the superideal - that's because they are diamond enthusiasts. They are not representative of the general population. I can tell you out in the real world, most people who have no specialized knowledge of diamonds will take the bigger rock in a heartbeat (assuming the cut is still reasonably excellent but not super-ideal).

Having said all that, you've done your homework and it sounds like you're tired of shopping and have no inclination to do more legwork so the easiest thing is to pay more (or "overpay" as you put it) at WF and just move on with your life knowing that you have a high quality stone that will look gorgeous.

 

[cubic_zirconia]

...to know how angles and percentage variations within those ideal specifications alter the appearance of the diamond. I read comments on this forum that indicate that variations in pavilion/crown angles produce a different appearance to the diamond

I came across this video from JannPaul Diamonds that provides some insight into my comment from my original post:

It helped give me a visual to the comments I've read that sound like:

Steep crown and deep pavilion sections add unnecessary carat weight to a diamond. This takes the form of carat weight which is hidden in the depth of the diamond. This means that you are paying a premium for diamond carat weight that is not visible as outside diameter

Also kind of related, since I know so little, this link seemed to provide a decent starting point for understanding how measurements affect the diamond performance:
https://niceice.com/calculating-diamond-proportions/

You'll discover that a table facet which is too large tends to create an imbalance of scintillation. To demonstrate this just imagine the flat flash affect that overpowers light reflecting from a fish pond. Another problem with large table facets is that they reduce the dispersion of white light into color sparkle/fire.
...
In the event that the crown angle is shallower than 30° the diamond may look flat and lack luster. At the same time, there may also be a noticeable loss of fire. Interestingly enough, the stone may still appear to be quite brilliant. Which means that it may exhibit a lot of brilliance (white sparkle) but very little fire (colored sparkle).
...
Consequently, a crown angle steeper than 35.3° tends to create more dispersion. On the other hand, it tends to do so at the expense of brilliance.
...
A diamonds’ brilliance is largely determined by the pavilion angle.
...
a pavilion depth of 43.5% is "the critical tipping point" where light begins not to strike fully off the pavilion facets. Which means that a pavilion depth of 43.5% is not likely to produce a higher volume of light return.
...
It is important to note that other pavilion angles might also be acceptable. A shallower pavilion angle such as 40.4 – 40.5 degrees may go well with a steeper crown angle. At the same time, a steeper pavilion angle of 41.2 degrees might go well with a shallower crown angle.

 

[sledge]

So I know now that my friend wasn't aware of this notion of super ideal cuts and he still believes diamonds with GIA reports are the best, so for me to pay only ~2K less for a 1.4ct non-GIA diamond compared to his 2ct diamond which included the setting seems like I'm overpaying. That's where he's coming from and it's no personal knock on him.

Simply having a GIA certificate means squat. Even in GIA you have variation in grades -- excellent, very good, etc. The holy grail of GIA is the triple X which means GIA certifies the stone to have excellent cut grade, excellent polish and excellent symmetry.

The problem is the RANGE that GIA considers "excellent" is very broad and in fact many of the stones with triple X certification are far from excellent.

Let's consider the stone I pointed to earlier that meets the size, budget, color, clarity and GIA 3X requirements your buddy finds to be superior.

https://www.yadavjewelry.com/diamond/round-diamond-2.0-carat-g-vs1-yd7691533





Now let's quickly review the stone you are considering purchasing from WF with the AGS cert that your friend considers inferior, but in reality is actually superior to GIA because it focuses on cut quality, does a 3D scan on the diamond when it's sent to the lab, generates and prints an ASET image on the cert, etc. I will agree that GIA is more well known than AGS, but both are respectable and trustworthy labs.

Remember this....some of the GIA triple X stones may meet AGS000 requirements, but all AGS000 stones will meet GIA triple X accreditation.

Unfortunately, your friend has put more value into size and the stone has a GIA cert, where you are actually trying to find the stone with the best cut. You have two different priorities.

https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-4123867.htm