In search of the perfect stone...

[mrssalvo]

Date: 8/17/2006 2:13:49 PM
Author: Rod

Date: 8/17/2006 2:08:32 PM

Author: FrogPrincess

Bf won''t tell me the price exactly, but I think it is @$8,000 - which is what we want...

It is a gorgeous stone and is calling to me...

Please don''t take this the wrong way. If you have seen this stone and it speaks to you, that''s fantastic and you should buy it. But, since you have come online to ask our opinions, this stone is not a great deal. It''s priced right at the high end of a stone with its'' proportions. It''s not necessarily a bad deal, but you could get a better cut stone with this much money.


Still it''s not a dog and it''s a stone that could look beautiful and if it makes you happy, I hope it brings much pleasure to you for many many years (of course until Shrinkage sets in and you find yourself coveting a larger higher quality stone)

ditto...

 

[Ellen]

Something else to consider. I have a very well cut 1.40 The diameter is 7.25. Yours should be close to the same. But it''s 7.12. You are losing spread with that depth. I don''t think you want that, do you?

 

[Ellen]

FP, let me ad this. Please don't feel like we're ganging up on you and your diamond, we're not. We truly just want to see you get a fabulous stone. Your title is searching for the perfect stone. We'd like to help you find as close to that as possible. This one just isn't it.

Another thing to consider, when you have a PA like 41.2, you need a really shallow CA to compliment it, like 34 and less. Your diamond scores a 3.8 on the Holloway Cut Adviser, which is a great tool for weeding out the less quality stones. You want to keep it under 2.

While this diamond may be pretty, my guess is, there's prettier ones out there.

Just a thought.

 

[Rod]

Date: 8/17/2006 2:51:04 PM
Author: Ellen
FP, let me ad this. Please don't feel like we're ganging up on you and your diamond, we're not. We truly just want to see you get a fabulous stone. Your title is searching for the perfect stone. We'd like to help you find as close to that as possible. This one just isn't it.

Another thing to consider, when you have a PA like 41.2, you need a really shallow CA to compliment it, like 34 and less. Your diamond scores a 3.8 on the Holloway Cut Adviser, which is a great tool for weeding out the less quality stones. You want to keep it under 2.

While this diamond may be pretty, my guess is, there's prettier ones out there.

Just a thought.

Exactly Ellen. The reason my large tabled rock performs the way it does is my PA is 40.8 and CA is 33. This helps make the proportions work to the stone's advantage, hence the 1.2 HCA score my rock received.

Unfortunately, FrogPrincess an HCA of 3.8 does not indicate you are getting as perfect a stone as you could.

 

[pricescope]

Anybody did a search for similar stones? BlueNile has it for $9,869. Similar stones can be found elsewhere at about $8,500.

 

[Rod]

You''re right. BN can sell the same stone for $9869. And there are comparabale stones in the mid $8K range. This is not a terrible stone. But, FP started the thread with two premises:

1. She wanted the "Perfect Stone"
2. She and FI were told their ''family'' connection would yield tremendous savings

IMHO, neither has been accomplished.

 

[FrogPrincess]

Just FYI - the "Perfect" stone does not necessarily mean it has perfect specs, does it? Isn''t it supposed to be the stone that''s right for you? Everyone on here seems a bit snobby about the diamond grading - this 1.41 stone is within ideal range for everything - why do you need better than that?

The family connection is not really that important to me - I would imagine that they will give us a good deal because of it (and there is a big difference between $9500 and $8000), and they do and want to continue to do business with my bf''s family. However, it isn''t as if we have to buy something from them or else people would be offended, etc.

We took the specs of this stone to several people - one a gemologist friend of mine, another is our jewler - and they both thought it sounded amazing.

I just came on here for some advice... but maybe too much advice/knowledge can be a bad thing...

 

[Ellen]

FP, if you think the stone is amazing, that''s great. Not sure why you came on here though, as it seems you didn''t want our honest opinion....

As for being snobby, no, I don''t think anyone has been. I even went out of my way to help you understand why/what we were saying so your feelings wouldn''t be hurt.

But, not wanting to risk offending you anymore, I''ll say so long. And I really do hope you enjoy your diamond. Congrats!

 

[Rod]

Dear FrogPrincess.........Please accept my apologies if our (my) comments insulted you in any way. Many of us here on PS have spent a lot of time trying to learn as much as we can about the "best" proportions for diamonds and many people ask us for advice. Sometimes, people pick stones that are primo and we congratulate them on picking something so "ideal." Sometimes, we think someone can do better and we recommend they take more time and learn a bit more about the C's of diamonds.

None-the-less. I would be a bad PS'er if I didnt' admit that my pet rock is only GIA VG. And a GIA VG cut is not necessarily a bad thing. At the time I bought it, I was just learning about diamonds. Today, I might have made a different choice, but I love my stone and it means a lot to me.

I'm sure the stone you're looking at is beautiful. Please don't take our effort to help you as snobbery. We are genuinely interested in helping people get the most beautiful rocks their budget will permit.

I hope you get much pleasure from this stone, but more importantly, it cements the beginning of a long and happy marriage.

Sorry if we upset you in any way. But, I must take exception with one comment you made. The stone you are likely purchasing does NOT fall within Ideal ranges on anything. If it scored "ideally" it would be a GIA Excellent, not a VG (again, I'm not anti VG). It scores low on the HCA and if it was Ideal it would score way better.

We were just trying to help you. I'm afraid if all you wanted was a pat on the back that you chose the best you could have, that's just not how we try to help people around these parts.

Again, our absolute best to you!!!!

 

[pricescope]

this is not a bad stone based on information provided and the price is quite good.

Just for fun, try to compare it with close to Tolkowsky proportioned stone (34.5° crown and 40.7° pavilion) with ideal/excellent symmetry (e.g. "Heart and Arrows" finishing). Perhaps your supplier can get you one for comparison.

See if you see any difference in different lightening. If not (which is not unlikely) you found the keeper. Enjoy it.

 

[Gypsy]

Date: 8/17/2006 3:48:58 PM
Author: Rod

We were just trying to help you. I''m afraid if all you wanted was a pat on the back that you chose the best you could have, that''s just not how we try to help people around these parts.

That sums it up best I think.

 

[Kaleigh]

Date: 8/17/2006 3:36:55 PM
Author: FrogPrincess
Just FYI - the ''Perfect'' stone does not necessarily mean it has perfect specs, does it? Isn''t it supposed to be the stone that''s right for you? Everyone on here seems a bit snobby about the diamond grading - this 1.41 stone is within ideal range for everything - why do you need better than that?

The family connection is not really that important to me - I would imagine that they will give us a good deal because of it (and there is a big difference between $9500 and $8000), and they do and want to continue to do business with my bf''s family. However, it isn''t as if we have to buy something from them or else people would be offended, etc.

We took the specs of this stone to several people - one a gemologist friend of mine, another is our jewler - and they both thought it sounded amazing.

I just came on here for some advice... but maybe too much advice/knowledge can be a bad thing...

Frogprincess,
You came here looking for advice. I feel you got very good advice. You love this stone and it speaks to you, so that''s all great. We are consumers helping consumers. That''s what PS is all about. But if you ask a question you have to be prepared for the honest answers. Plus I don''t think there is such a thing as the perfect stone. But sounds like you found the perfect stone for you. Please come back and post some pics for us.

 

[ephemery1]

Frogprincess, it sounds like you are in a great relationship and excited about your engagement, and that's definitely the most important thing! But please keep in mind that many people on this forum have been studying and researching diamonds for YEARS, and spend time here to help people like you find the absolute best quality diamond possible for your budget. That's not snobby, just passionate and educated.

There are MANY people out there in the world with a "good" or "very good" stone who are thrilled with their ring and would never dream of anything else. But there are also plenty of people who come to this forum anxious to upgrade, after learning more about diamonds or seeing a true "ideal" cut and falling in love. The diamond you posted above is a nice stone, not a bad price, and you liked it... so maybe that is enough to make the decision for you! But we just want you to be aware that there are even better options out there, for a similar price... and it's possible you haven't actually seen an ideal cut diamond to know what you're missing!

IMHO, when spending $8k on a stone, it makes sense to at LEAST be acquainted with all of your options before making a final decision.

Good luck to you!

 

[Mara]

i probably wouldn't be interested in that 1.4 H VS with those specs but it surely isn't a dog....you just have to understand that there is a ton of knowledge out there and there are some really spectacular stones as well...some of us on here own some of the best cut stones in the world. i don't mean that in a braggy way at all, just more as an explanation for PS'ers being so anal the way we can be.

the way i look at it is if i can spend the same amount of $$ on a VG or an ID...of course i'm going to choose the ID if it is going to return more light and just in general be a more beautiful diamond. people's ideas of VG or ID can vary. i have really strict specs that i like to purchase stones from. some have a wider range of what is acceptable or appropriate.

in any case, i would not get anything until you have done a little more research...don't rush into anything with that $8k. also if you are in NYC, i also recommend visiting GOG and also SuperbCert who is in the diamond district i believe. both of those vendors are going to sell exceptionally cut stones. you may have to drop the VS2 down to an SI1 or something to get that primo cut but i have purchased a handful of diamonds so far, my first one was not as well-cut and the difference CAN BE seen by the naked eye if the cut is not top notch. i would spend that $8k on a top notch cut and know that a great cut can mask a bit of color or any white inclusions because of the light it returns to your eyes.

my two cents. if you do get that 1.4c stone you'd probably like it just fine and it would be pretty, but what if there was something else out there that was even prettier for the same price and maybe one clarity grade less or something. anyway just food for thought. just make sure you know all the options and the comparisons. oh but the $8k for that 1.4 is actually a pretty good price. so if you can't find anything else through comparisons, i would imagine that would not be a horrible stone to take home.

good luck!

 

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Date: 8/17/2006 4:02:34 PM
Author: Pricescope
this is not a bad stone based on information provided and the price is quite good.

FP: The vast majority of diamond junkies who frequent this forum fiends on the subject of perfect cuts, and devote enormous amounts of energy reading, writing, and learning about it. I don''t think anyone''s being snobbish about it, it''s just "their thing" and they want to share their passion.

There are a few of us however, desperately trying to hang on to the "romance" of the stone. I, in fact, don''t particularly love perfect modern round brilliants and prefer funky sometimes lopsided antique cuts! So to each his own...

So....don''t take offense at the nice people who are really just trying to help. I say if the stone ''sings to you''...that''s no small thing....you should enjoy the music and go for it!!!

Good luck!
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