I'm getting lost! Is this a decent diamond?

[Lynn1961]

Hi, I have been reading this forum for the past month and have learned so much, however, I am still lost on selecting. I want a 1 ct round. Of course I want it all, size, sparkle and color. I don't like diamonds that have any cloudiness to them. So in my search of PS vendors I found this diamond as a starting place. My original thought was to stay at 4200 for the stone but I can see that will be hard. Can anyone give me their opinion on this diamond? And/OR should I change my search criteria? Thanks so much in advance for any help offered. Linn

http://www.uniondiamond.com/Round-Brilliant-Shape-IDEAL-Cut-AGS-Certified-102-Carat-I-Color-SI1-Clarity_AE0540373#

 

[WinkHPD]

You will need to let us know what your criteria are for us to give you a good answer to your questions and budget. You will find wonderful helpful people here, so please share the info and the criteria so that we can provide better answsers.

Wink

 

[TC1987]

http://www.agslab.com/pdf_sync_reports/104046474029-PLDQR.PDF is the report. There is a feather, but without an inclusion lpot you can't tell the location or guess whether or not it's going to be a durability issue.

http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/1.02-carat-i-color-si1-clarity-ideal-cut-sku-72866 is a comp from James Allen, and there is a large dark crystal in there, which I would have guesstimated as SI2 at best. But this one is priced higher than Union's, so that makes me wonder how non-eyeclean the Union stone is or how much impact that feather could have.

I swear the grade creep in the grading just keeps getting worse. Today's SI2s look like I-1 to me, and I have seen some really bad lately that look like Si2 or I-1.

 

[Lynn1961]

Hi,

Thanks for the replies. I will give a little more information. I would like a one carat round, I color or better, I think SI1, but is SI2 much different? From all my little knowledge I am thinking that I should go with ideal to excellent cut. But, again is that accurate? Is there such a thing as a decent " good " cut?

I looked at some at big box to get ideas of carat size and one thing that concerned me was that some carats look like much less. So I would say I would like it to look its size. It will be set In a wider set maybe 3mm yellow gold ring. I had a goal of keeping stone cost to 4500 but I do have some Flexibility.

Another question, certified stones are so much more, would I ever be safe buying an uncertified ? Also I hear people mention pricescope discount, is there a special discount at the listed vendors?

TC thank you for the initial start in searching for me, I need all the help I can get. Lol

Thanks, Linn

 

[tyty333]

The numbers look decent on the one you posted. Can you ask them if its eye-clean?
Can you get a picture of the stone? Ask for an ideal scope image so we can check on leakage.

 

[WinkHPD]

Hi,

Thanks for the replies. I will give a little more information. I would like a one carat round, I color or better, I think SI1, but is SI2 much different? From all my little knowledge I am thinking that I should go with ideal to excellent cut. But, again is that accurate? Is there such a thing as a decent " good " cut?

I looked at some at big box to get ideas of carat size and one thing that concerned me was that some carats look like much less. So I would say I would like it to look its size. It will be set In a wider set maybe 3mm yellow gold ring. I had a goal of keeping stone cost to 4500 but I do have some Flexibility.

Another question, certified stones are so much more, would I ever be safe buying an uncertified ? Also I hear people mention pricescope discount, is there a special discount at the listed vendors?

TC thank you for the initial start in searching for me, I need all the help I can get. Lol

Thanks, Linn

The reason certed stones are so much more is that if they have been done by a top tier lab such as AGS or GIA there is a VERY god chance that they will actually be what you are told you are buying. With some of the second and third tier labs there is a significant decrease in price as you will be getting a stone that is one to three color and clarity grades lower than what you are being told that the stone is.

With an unpapered stone from a private you are getting a pig in a poke, and if you are getting it from a store your chances are better that it is closer to what you are paying for, but you are just having to take the word of the vendor. Some of us are very good and sell a lot of stones without ever showing the paper but I have found that if I want to buy an F-VS1 the only way I am going to actually get it is to buy a papered diamond as I seem to grade tighter than the diamond wholesalers and got tired of wasting postage returning stones that were not as advertised.

So, unless you are qualified to grade the stones properly, no you are not going to be safe or ever actually going to get a deal on an unpapered diamond. The people here will help you find some great stones, although you may have to wait for some of them to get back from 4th of July trips on Monday.

Wink

P.S. You might look for stones in the SI2 range that are either AGS Ideal or GIA Excellent cut grades. Then talk with your vendor about them as many of them will be eye clean and still within your budget. It is also not unheard of to get great looking I1 diamonds that are AGS0 cut as some of them can be eye clean yet still be a legitimate I1 clarity grade depending on the nature of the inclusions. In my opinion, far and away the MOST important factor of a diamonds beauty is the cutting.