shape
carat
color
clarity

I'm down to 2 choices - please help

JohnnyHobs

Rough_Rock
Joined
Jun 8, 2016
Messages
11
Hi everyone!

After reading tons of things on the site and doing countless hours of research... I have narrowed it down to 2 diamonds which are below...I was hoping to get some input on these:

http://www.gia.edu/cs/Satellite?rep...ename=GIA/Dispatcher&c=Page&cid=1355954554547
Price on this, all in with setting included was 28,000

or

http://www.gia.edu/cs/Satellite?rep...ename=GIA/Dispatcher&c=Page&cid=1355954554547
Price on this 1 with setting included was 20,100.

Any input would be great...will be going this weekend to purchase if there is some good feedback.

Thanks for any input!
 

tyty333

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Dec 17, 2008
Messages
27,198
You wouldnt happen to have asets/idealscope images of these would you? Any pictures at all? Post if you've got them. :wavey:
 

JohnnyHobs

Rough_Rock
Joined
Jun 8, 2016
Messages
11
Ahhhh I wish I did... It was at my local jeweler so I don't really have anything. I just took down the GIA numbers. Unfortunately I know that limits the kind of input you guys can give me
 

fair75

Rough_Rock
Joined
May 28, 2015
Messages
87
Without ideal scope or ASET scope images, it would be very hard for people on this forum to tell you which one is the best. However, if I were you, I would eliminate the 2.19 ct F SI1 immediately. It is not even graded triple excellent. This is a problem because a significant number of GIA triple excellent diamonds are either borderline or shouldn't have been given the top grade. If some GIA triple ex stones aren't even considered the best, a very good grade is not going to cut it. If you are spending a lot of money on a 2 ct + diamond, you should demand the best. Let's take a look lat some numbers here. It has depth 62.5, which is already too deep. Also generally speaking, the star length 60% is really not something you would want if you are picking ideal-cut diamonds that have ideal proportions. I would suggest picking a diamond with star length between 45% and 55%. Moreover, the girdle thickness of 4.5% means that the spread of the diamond is reduced. This diamond will most likely look smaller than ideal-cut diamonds that are in the same or similar carat weight. To make the matter worse, strong blue florescence in general would make colorless diamonds(D/E/F) look cloudy/hazy unless independent professional gemologists or in-house gemologists from reputable vendors can determine that it won't be a problem.

The 2.47 ct H VS1 diamond has better numbers than the other one, but you will need ideal scope/ASET scope images to verify its light performance. Many people in the trade/industry experts tend to agree on the fact that a diamond with crown angle 35 and pavilion angle 41 can be beautiful, but only when it is cut well. Since GIA numbers are averaged and rounded, that combo CA and PA combo could have light leakage issues. Moreover, is this H diamond considered a lower H (which means that it might be a borderline H) or a mid/strong H? The girdle thickness of 4% might not be a big problem for some people, but at this carat weight, I think you can take some time to look for a diamond that has thin-medium girdle thickness (usually this means 3% to 3.5%).

You will find that it is very hard to find a 2 carat + diamond that will have all the numbers in the ideal ranges. The main reason is that most cutters/dealers are looking to maximize profits (retain as much weight as possible from the rough diamond) and push the envelope of triple excellent (GIA) or triple 000 (AGS) grades. In other words, what is good for most cutters is not good for consumers, especially the ones who want ideally cut stones. But if you aren't in a hurry, spend some time to look for ideal-cut diamonds that will have the best sparkles, fire and brilliance given your budget. Depending on your budget, you may have to decide which areas of 4Cs you can sacrifice to get the diamond you want. But in any case, DO NOT compromise on cut. And I wouldn't recommend buying an expensive diamond without ideal scope/ASET scope images. You might want to check out some reputable vendors that many people on PriceScope use, such as James Allen, ID Jewelry, Brian Gavin, Whiteflash, etc. Do not limit yourself to only local jewelry stores.
 

JohnnyHobs

Rough_Rock
Joined
Jun 8, 2016
Messages
11
Thank you so much for the detailed response. I kept hearing that cut is king and I was worried about the fact that it wasn't triple excellent. I put these to start into the HCA and that showed decent numbers going off the dimensions. There is still a ton to learn so my head is spinning haha.

Thanks again!
 

fair75

Rough_Rock
Joined
May 28, 2015
Messages
87
JohnnyHobs|1469830122|4060680 said:
Thank you so much for the detailed response. I kept hearing that cut is king and I was worried about the fact that it wasn't triple excellent. I put these to start into the HCA and that showed decent numbers going off the dimensions. There is still a ton to learn so my head is spinning haha.

Thanks again!


It is overwhelming for people who don't know much about diamonds to pick out the good ones. But many people on here are willing to help. What is your budget? What's the carat weight, color, and clarity you are considering? These questions are important to answer because everyone is different. For example, do you need colorless diamonds because the person who will get the diamond is color sensitive?

I will share the criteria that I use to select what I think would be the best kinds of diamonds I want. Other people on PS have slightly different parameters.


Table: 54% to 57% (many will consider 53% to 58%, even 59%)

Depth: 60% to 61.9% (many are ok with 60% to 62.2% or 62.3%)

Excellent Symmetry

Excellent Polish

GIA/AGS

Crown angle: 34 to 35 degrees (many are fine with 33.5 to 35.5, provided that ideal scope/ASET scope images show no significant light performance issues)

Pavilion angle: 40.6 to 40.8 degrees (many are fine with 40.6 to 41, provided that ideal scope/ASET scope images show no significant light performance issues)

Lower girdle length: 75% to 80% (75 to 77% would have bold fire while 80% is optimized for pin-fire)

Star length: 45% to 55%

Girdle thickness: Thin-Medium (generally this means 3% to 3.5%)
 

diamondseeker2006

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Jan 11, 2006
Messages
58,547
I'd consider the H, but I would have to have an ASET image to check light return and leakage. If your jeweler won't do it, will he give you about a 2 week return period so that you can send it to an appraiser who can check that?
 
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