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IGI Fair Cut? Help Appreciated!

DiamondNovice1

Rough_Rock
Joined
Jun 4, 2012
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9
Hello,

I wonder if you can give me some advice about the purchase of a 1.01 carat round brilliant cut engagement ring. It is a G colour, SI2 but having seen the IGI certificate, my fiance and I were disappointed to learn that the cut is fair.

The jeweller (who we know personally) assures us that it is a good diamond and that he would place more importance on other aspects of the symmetry and depth rather than the overall cut quality but given the research I've done online I'm unsure whether to accept this and would be grateful for some feedback!

We're in the UK and have checked on the Blue Nile website where I can see that we can get a diamond with a similar spec but in a very good or ideal cut for the same money as the fair cut one that this jeweller would like to sell us.

I can post the full details later including symmetry and table percentage etc. if this would be of use.

Thanks for your help!
Diamond Novice
 
DiamondNovice1|1338822918|3208852 said:
I wonder if you can give me some advice about the purchase of a 1.01 carat round brilliant cut engagement ring. It is a G colour, SI2 but having seen the IGI certificate, my fiance and I were disappointed to learn that the cut is fair.

The jeweller (who we know personally) assures us that it is a good diamond and that he would place more importance on other aspects of the symmetry and depth rather than the overall cut quality but given the research I've done online I'm unsure whether to accept this and would be grateful for some feedback!

My advice? Don't buy it, and don't buy anything from someone you know personally. I have bolded the most alarming parts of your post. Stay away from anything that doesn't have a GIA or AGS certificate (or EGL if you are looking at true antiques) and look for excellent or ideal cut. I could see a "very good" cut being considered a good diamond if it's just barely out of ideal parameters, but stay far away from a "fair" cut.

Edited to add: I would also probably shy away from Blue Nile just because there aren't photos, but that's just me. What is your budget? We can help you find something lovely!
 
Thanks very much for your reply Rubybeth - you've confirmed what I'd thought.

Our budget is £6000 max and I really want a round solitaire on a platinum band with a six prong setting.
 
rubybeth|1338824274|3208865 said:
DiamondNovice1|1338822918|3208852 said:
I wonder if you can give me some advice about the purchase of a 1.01 carat round brilliant cut engagement ring. It is a G colour, SI2 but having seen the IGI certificate, my fiance and I were disappointed to learn that the cut is fair.

The jeweller (who we know personally) assures us that it is a good diamond and that he would place more importance on other aspects of the symmetry and depth rather than the overall cut quality but given the research I've done online I'm unsure whether to accept this and would be grateful for some feedback!

My advice? Don't buy it, and don't buy anything from someone you know personally. I have bolded the most alarming parts of your post. Stay away from anything that doesn't have a GIA or AGS certificate (or EGL if you are looking at true antiques) and look for excellent or ideal cut. I could see a "very good" cut being considered a good diamond if it's just barely out of ideal parameters, but stay far away from a "fair" cut.

Edited to add: I would also probably shy away from Blue Nile just because there aren't photos, but that's just me. What is your budget? We can help you find something lovely!

I agree with Ruby's opinions on cut. And go a step further -- do not buy from a jeweler who misleads you that way :nono:

I actually think Blue NIle is a good option in England, easy to order and I think their prices are good. If you get an AG0 or GIA Ex with an HCA score < 2, and stick to VS2 or better clarity, there is little risk of a "dud" showing up.
 
Thanks Dreamer, I'm glad I posted!
 
A well cut diamond will look whiter and brighter than a poorly cut diamond. Yes color and clarity are important but an H color SI1 with an ideal cut grade will perform better than an E VS1 that is cut poorly. The depth of a stone and it's symmetry are important, but if you only consider GIA ex or AGS ideal cut stones, then the depth, polish and symetry will always be fine anyway. I would refuse to purchase from a jeweller who was trying to mislead me. I'm happy that you decided to post as well! :)) Let us know if you would like for us to make some recommendations for you.
 
Thanks Christina, you've all been really helpful.

I'd be very grateful for some suggestions if you have time, ideally I don't want to go below 1 carat as I feel that this size suits my finger :) I've been looking on the Cool Diamonds site as well as Blue Nile but any advice would be greatly appreciated.
 
Hi there!! :wavey:

I am a fellow UK PS'er although we are based in Australia just now for 4 years.

I would echo everything my (more learned than me!! :bigsmile: ) fellow PS'ers have said. Avoid this jeweller like the plague!! He is not being honest with you.

I have bought several items from CoolDiamonds and I have to say that I was very happy (pre pricescope) with the items.
In retrospect, I would have went with one of preferred vendors like Good Old Gold, Whiteflash and Brian Gavin Diamonds if I had known what I know now.

Plus CoolDiamonds pulled a pretty low trick when I purchased my diamond tennis bracelet for my 40th birthday. I won't go into it but it left a bad taste in my mouth, so wouldn't recommend them, from a customer service prospective.

I think Blue Nile would be a good bet. You will have to do a bit of searching in their inventory in order to find what your looking for but it would be worth it. Perhaps an email to their customer service centre may help provide a few options.

If you do a search on here you will find various cheat sheets that should provide you with all the numbers you will need to choose a winner!!

Once you have narrowed down your choices, you can always get advice from our resident experts in finding that perfect stone!!

Be careful though, there are lots of lurkers ready to pounce, so where possible, reserve!!!


Good Luck, I will look forward to seeing how your search goes!!

:wavey:
 
Thanks Susimoo! Again very helpful and thank you for the retailer suggestions although I'm not sure of the implications of buying a diamond from the US when I'm in the UK. Are there any other UK based retailers that you would recommend? I know of a few friends who have used Cool Diamonds and been happy with their service but it's always good to hear an independent review!

I think as you say that I need to spend a while searching around and not jump into anything too quickly... the Blue Nile website has given me a fair idea of what we can afford so I think I'll enjoy playing around with my new found knowledge (thanks to this site!) before I decide on the one!
 
Do you mind sharing your budget? What color and clarity minimums do you feel comfortable with? Are you color sensitive? Is an eye clean stone clean enough for you, or do you need mind clean as well?
 
Hi Christina,

Our budget is £6000 GBP.

I'd like a platinum band included in the price and would be happy with a G graded stone with up to Si2 clarity in order to get an excellent or very good cut in our budget. Ideally it would have faint or nil fluorescence.

At the moment I'm considering the ring in the link below which is slightly larger than the 1ct that I'd been looking at previously, I plugged the numbers into the HCA calculator and it gave a score of 0.8 - I'd be interested to see what you think of it.

http://www.bluenile.co.uk/build-your-own-diamond-ring?override=1&pid=LD02588036&offer_id=23184&ring_size=L&forceStep=BASKET_STEP

Thanks!
 
very good advices
 
DiamondNovice1|1338890245|3209504 said:
At the moment I'm considering the ring in the link below which is slightly larger than the 1ct that I'd been looking at previously, I plugged the numbers into the HCA calculator and it gave a score of 0.8 - I'd be interested to see what you think of it.

http://www.bluenile.co.uk/build-your-own-diamond-ring?override=1&pid=LD02588036&offer_id=23184&ring_size=L&forceStep=BASKET_STEP

Thanks!

My hesistation with this is the SI2 grading and the fact that you can't see the inclusions and know if they are okay with you. Some SI2s have inclusions that can be hidden under prongs, or are white and are covered up nicely by the sparkliness of the stone, but others are more visible to the general viewer, so not so great for an engagement ring.

Edited to add: this stone also gets a .8 on the HCA, but it's an H VS2 so I'd be less concerned about visible inclusions, and nothing big is right on the table: http://www.bluenile.co.uk/build-your-own-diamond-ring?forceStep=DIAMONDS_STEP&track=tab#diamonds_forceStep=DIAMONDS_STEP|builder=BYOR|pid=LD02580180
 
Thanks Rubybeth, that's really helpful as I'd thought Si2 was ok to the naked eye. Unfortunately the one you've found is out of our price range once the ring and the VAT are added but it's a good pointer in the right direction!

I think everyone should visit this forum before they buy a diamond!
 
DiamondNovice1|1338901170|3209567 said:
Thanks Rubybeth, that's really helpful as I'd thought Si2 was ok to the naked eye. Unfortunately the one you've found is out of our price range once the ring and the VAT are added but it's a good pointer in the right direction!

I think everyone should visit this forum before they buy a diamond!

I think you'd be better dropping in color to H-I but stick with VS2 or above since you can't see the stones and Blue Nile can't assess them for you as they are a 'drop shipper.' With ideal cut stones, color is less of a factor. I personally wear a very white looking I color square radiant, and wear an F-G melee band next to it and can see no difference. Dropping a bit in color may allow you to get the size you desire within your budget.
 
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