interesting "experiment" at the jewelry store today

[mjertl]

I went to go look at diamonds at a local jewelry store to get a sense for what "matters" to me in person.
I was looking at a 0.6 ct G hearts on fire, and a 1.06 H (EGL though) ideal cut RB, for comparison sake, trying to figure out if the premium that you pay for "hearts on fire" is actually something that'd be worth it to me. The two stones cost approximately the same, the HOF was a little more expensive. (I forget the clarity grading on the two, but I could not see any inclusions from a few inches away)
Up close, I could tell the 1.06 was a little lower in color when they were side by side, but just barely, and it wasn't anything that would bother me. The sparkle looked essentially the same, so far as I could tell, including in low light. Under the scope I could tell that the 1.06's hearts were cleft somewhat, and the arrows weren't all 100% perfect, but I could not tell with the bare eye.
The thing I thought was interesting, was the jeweler put both in holders, took them across the store, and asked me which caught my eye more from that distance. The 1.06 won. So basically I'm thinking I might be better served by getting a larger ideal cut stone that isn't H and A perfect... (unless my BF gets me a certain setting that I like quite a bit that would need a bit smaller center stone due to bezel/height issues... Then I'd get a blingy wedding band instead of a plain one I think!)
Is getting a Hearts on Fire stone "worth it" to you? The jeweler led me to believe this was the pinnacle of ideal cut diamonds, though I have seen plenty on here that aren't HOF but are super ideal. Is a stone that looks equally sparkly to the naked eye "good enough"? I suppose it depends on the person, but I honestly couldn't tell the difference...

 

[Gypsy]

Well, if I wanted a Hearts on Fire stone... I'd hit ebay. There are a few reputable vendors that sell them at a reduced price. I do love their settings though.

I think they are gorgeous. BUT, I wouldn't give up a 1 carat stone with ideal light return and a bit of wonk in the H&A for for a .6 precision cut stone. In this price range and size range.. size REALLY matters. And so does light return. The rest, IMO is for those who have the luxury of a larger budget.

 

[Gypsy]

BTW... I had a similar decision to make I wanted a cut cornered square like the HoF or Dream. In my price range I could get a .6 in either OR a 1 carat generic asscher. I do not EVER regret going with a larger unbranded stone. Are the other two beautiful. YES. But my diamond is very well cut and has great performance and I love that it's over a carat and just barely shy of 6mm which or a one carat square is good spread.

 

[mjertl]

if I got a smaller HOF, it would be going into a setting that adds 2 mm to the diameter. The 0.6 was 5.5 mm, which would make it ultimately 7.5 mm, so OK finger coverage. Then again, a bigger stone would also be going into a bezel (though likely slightly thinner - there are 2 setting types I'm kinda considering), so would also end up looking larger in diameter.
Honestly, I'm kind of leaning towards an oval anyway (excited to see some on Tuesday!), but I just thought it was interesting that these two stones had essentially equal light performance to the naked eye (I REALLY tried to discern a difference...), and both were beautiful, but the carat weight for the money was hugely different!

 

[CedarRapids]

I'd like to add an "experiment" that I have been doing weekly for the past month+.

I bought a loose stone via an online vendor back in August. My experiment during the my return period has been to go to search engines (JA, BGD, BN, WF, the PS search tool, you name it), weekly or so. Instead of searching for carat, clarity, color, tablle, depth, GIA/AGS, etc., I search on price. I put in a price range of 0 to $X with X being how much I spent in August. Granted, prices have been changing Ibut I did this same 'experiment' everytime I thought I knew what stone I wanted when I was intensely shopping). Nevertheless, my search results have been very informative. I get to see what else I could buy with my money (as I said, I'm stil in my return period).

This experiment has (so far) resulted in me continuing to appreciate what I purchased, although I did almost pull the trigger on returning and buying another stone once.

I tell this story because it sort of helped me decide what I (subjectively) thought my money was "worth" in diamond specs.

So, to answer your question, I think HOF is cool. But I also think that there a lot of other comparisons to be made with the EGL stone you describe. At the end of day, fix your price and see what your money can get. If you can then line up those options, base your decision on what you like. Just like you did.