IGI Hearts and arrows

[autosave]

Hi,
What do you think of this stone?

carat weight: 0.43 carat
colour grade: f
clarity grade: vs1
cut grade: excellent
polish: excellent
symetry: very good
measurement: 4.79-4.82x3mm
table: 57%
crown height-angle: 15%-35degrees
pavillion depth: 43%-40.7degrees
girdle thickness: sligtly thick (faceted)
culet: pointed
Total Depth: 62.4%
Flourescence: very slight

Comments: Hearts and arrows "ideal cut round brilliant"

IGI report no. f5c96350

Is the IGI hearts and arrows any good.

Thanks in advance!

 

[autosave]

Oh and it is IGI Antwerp

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 8/1/2009 3:18:16 PM
Author:autosave
Hi,
What do you think of this stone?

carat weight: 0.43 carat
colour grade: f
clarity grade: vs1
cut grade: excellent
polish: excellent
symetry: very good
measurement: 4.79-4.82x3mm
table: 57%
crown height-angle: 15%-35degrees
pavillion depth: 43%-40.7degrees
girdle thickness: sligtly thick (faceted)
culet: pointed
Total Depth: 62.4%
Flourescence: very slight

Comments: Hearts and arrows ''ideal cut round brilliant''

IGI report no. f5c96350

Is the IGI hearts and arrows any good.

Thanks in advance!

It appears to be a well cut diamond, but whether it is actually h&a we would need images of both hearts and arrows to judge the overall cut precision. Is the diamond being sold online?

Also IGI are said to grade leniently in some cases compared to GIA or AGS, this page explains further.

http://diamonds.pricescope.com/grading.asp

 

[autosave]

Yes it is online.
I don't have any pictures, would they hold these if I asked??
I was looking for an AGS 0 ideal cut but these seem to be difficult to find in the UK. I thought the hearts and arrows route may be easier.
I am being quoted just under £1000 ($1670) for this diamond, is that reasonable?

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 8/1/2009 3:57:37 PM
Author: autosave
Yes it is online.
I don't have any pictures, would they hold these if I asked??
I was looking for an AGS 0 ideal cut but these seem to be difficult to find in the UK. I thought the hearts and arrows route may be easier.
I am being quoted just under £1000 for this diamond, is that reasonable?

Contact Dr Indira Marchant at www.bestdiamonds.co.uk if you want a h&a she sells Infinity which are also AGS0. She is a super lady and posts here.

The seller you mention with the original diamond might have images if you ask them, worth a try. The price looks a bit high especially for an IGI report, I assume this is a brick and mortar seller, prices are usually higher than online but this is more than I would pay for it.

 

[autosave]

Nope in the UK.
Have to get it in the right setting, so I am not buying it seperately.
Is there any other way of rating the cut based on the information I have?

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 8/1/2009 4:26:06 PM
Author: autosave
Nope in the UK.
Have to get it in the right setting, so I am not buying it seperately.
Is there any other way of rating the cut based on the information I have?

I must have edited my post since you posted last, definitely try Dr Indira Marchant above, she is in London. The proportions of the diamond look good, the concern is although it is purported to be h&a that we don't have images to prove it. Although a diamond might show h&a it might not meet the standards as decreed by experts of this cutting style. Read more here.

http://journal.pricescope.com/Articles/65/1/Hearts-and-Arrows-Diamonds-and-The-Basics-of-Diamond-Cutting.aspx

 

[autosave]

I tried Indra but she wasn''t able to help me as my budget is a bit small.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 8/1/2009 4:34:52 PM
Author: autosave
I tried Indra but she wasn't able to help me as my budget is a bit small.

Thats a shame. Have you thought about buying online from the States? The taxes are 15% VAT and 2.5% import duty I believe, but you could still get a superbly cut stone for your budget.

http://www.whiteflash.com/round_ideal_cut/Round-Ideal-Cut-cut-diamond-2145438.htm as an example?

This one is an AGS0 branded h&a, $1333 if you pay with a bank wire

http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/Whiteflash-ACA-cut-diamond-2145448.htm

And there are others out there which might suit you. Also do you prefer to stick to F VS? Thats fine if so, just that you could lower both colour and clarity a bit if you wished without visual sacrifice if the cut is good, just a suggestion.

 

[autosave]

It seems like the IGI Hearts and arrows statement is added as an after thought rather than a defined standard. Why is this not a standard?? Surely thats the whole point of taking it to a gem lab.

Thanks for your help.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 8/1/2009 4:46:44 PM
Author: autosave
It seems like the IGI Hearts and arrows statement is added as an after thought rather than a defined standard. Why is this not a standard?? Surely thats the whole point of taking it to a gem lab.

Thanks for your help.

Basically the cutter/supplier can have h&a or anything they want inscribed on a diamond, they might feel that in their eyes this diamond shows what they consider to be excellent h&a, however if you have a look at the article I posted you will soon see that because a diamond might show h&a, it isn't necessarily up to the strict standards needed to be a true example of this cutting style - hence images are essential. Gem labs usually grade colour and clarity with some info on the physical dimensions of a diamond, some labs offer cut grades, some are stricter than others. Like I said it appears this is a well cut diamond from the info given but as to whether it is h&a as we know them here, then images are needed to determine this.

 

[autosave]

Not sure about buying from abroad.
Seems like it would be really difficult if I found something wrong with it or she didn''t like it.

 

[MissMandie]

Blue Nile is a UK based diamond website (although they ship their diamonds in from US). They are great to deal with and simple if you''ve got a problem as they are based in the UK.

 

[Lorelei]

Actually its not difficult should you decide to return the diamond buying from the UK but as Mandie says BN could be an option, the diamonds do come from the US but they are probably returnable to a UK address if you decide to do so.

 

[autosave]

I have tried blue nile they don''t have the setting I want.

 

[John P]

The basic proportions of the diamond are in the range where you often see AGS0 light performance, but there is simply no way to know cut consistency and actual light return without more.

The veracity of the IGI H&A report depends on the format, and the strictness of color/clarity/finish depends on the issuing lab. These differ worldwide. For example the IGI Hong Kong lab is widely considered on par with GIA and includes actual H&A images on their "H&A" reports. Other locations don't necessarily do this and a comment-only about H&A carries no weight whatsoever. I also wonder about the VG symmetry: While lab-graded sym is separate from "H&A" optical symmetry you often see EX sym in H&A diamonds, as a by-product of precise care in cutting.

In terms of strictness IGI Antwerp is considered softer than GIA, though not so soft as IGI in the US where their mounted jewelry and jewelry appraisal-reports (which are not loose diamond reports) have given them a dubious reputation.

If H&A images were included on the report it would be helpful to see cut consistency. They would not show light return but having both the general numbers + some actual images would give you more to go on... Either way, if this is being sold as a "H&A" diamond you should insist on having H&A images. Even at this size.