Is .8 noticeable different from .74: worth extra money?

[kat08]

http://www.bluenile.com/canadian-diamonds?track=head#diamonds_pid=LD02087116

http://www.bluenile.com/canadian-diamonds?track=head#diamonds_pid=LD02381538

http://www.bluenile.com/canadian-diamonds?track=head#diamonds_pid=LD02451500

http://www.bluenile.com/canadian-diamonds?track=head#diamonds_pid=LD02431865

These are all canadian and within your budget and score excellent on the HCA , they are worth a closer look.


EDIT: I thought that all of these stones should be eyeclean, however there wasn't a clarity plot on the report, so if you pursue any of these make sure to ask that they are eyeclean. It's also likely that these same stones are also listed in BE inventory at more inflated price. Have you checked to see if you can purchase at setting without a diamond from BE. If not I'd be happy to help you find someone that will use only recycled materials for your setting.

I'll take a look at these, too. And if I could get a setting elsewhere in recycled gold, that would be wonderful.

I just got the GIA report for the BE .91 diamond, and the HCA tool won't evaluate it! The tool says the girdle must be dangerously thin, but the GIA report says the girdle is medium and faceted. Here are the specs again:

Shape: Round
Carat Weight: 0.91
Cut: Super Ideal
Color: J
Clarity: SI1
Report: GIA (preview upon request)
Measurements: 6.19 x 6.17 x 3.87 mm
Polish: Excellent
Symmetry: Excellent
Depth: 62.6%
Table: 56.0%
Girdle: Medium
Culet: None
Fluorescence: None

The crown angle is: 36
The pavilion angle is: 40.8

And the diagram of it:

 

[ChrisES]

http://www.bluenile.com/canadian-diamonds?track=head#diamonds_pid=LD02087116

http://www.bluenile.com/canadian-diamonds?track=head#diamonds_pid=LD02381538

http://www.bluenile.com/canadian-diamonds?track=head#diamonds_pid=LD02451500

http://www.bluenile.com/canadian-diamonds?track=head#diamonds_pid=LD02431865

These are all canadian and within your budget and score excellent on the HCA , they are worth a closer look.


EDIT: I thought that all of these stones should be eyeclean, however there wasn't a clarity plot on the report, so if you pursue any of these make sure to ask that they are eyeclean. It's also likely that these same stones are also listed in BE inventory at more inflated price. Have you checked to see if you can purchase at setting without a diamond from BE. If not I'd be happy to help you find someone that will use only recycled materials for your setting.

I'll take a look at these, too. And if I could get a setting elsewhere in recycled gold, that would be wonderful.

I just got the GIA report for the BE .91 diamond, and the HCA tool won't evaluate it! The tool says the girdle must be dangerously thin, but the GIA report says the girdle is medium and faceted. Here are the specs again:

Shape: Round
Carat Weight: 0.91
Cut: Super Ideal
Color: J
Clarity: SI1
Report: GIA (preview upon request)
Measurements: 6.19 x 6.17 x 3.87 mm
Polish: Excellent
Symmetry: Excellent
Depth: 62.6%
Table: 56.0%
Girdle: Medium
Culet: None
Fluorescence: None

The crown angle is: 36
The pavilion angle is: 40.8

Typo?

HCA tells me

Factor Grade
Light Return Very Good
Fire Very Good
Scintillation Good
Spread
or diameter for weight Very Good
Total Visual Performance 3.6 - Very Good - Worth buying if the price is right

 

[kat08]

http://www.bluenile.com/canadian-diamonds?track=head#diamonds_pid=LD02087116

http://www.bluenile.com/canadian-diamonds?track=head#diamonds_pid=LD02381538

http://www.bluenile.com/canadian-diamonds?track=head#diamonds_pid=LD02451500

http://www.bluenile.com/canadian-diamonds?track=head#diamonds_pid=LD02431865

These are all canadian and within your budget and score excellent on the HCA , they are worth a closer look.


EDIT: I thought that all of these stones should be eyeclean, however there wasn't a clarity plot on the report, so if you pursue any of these make sure to ask that they are eyeclean. It's also likely that these same stones are also listed in BE inventory at more inflated price. Have you checked to see if you can purchase at setting without a diamond from BE. If not I'd be happy to help you find someone that will use only recycled materials for your setting.

I'll take a look at these, too. And if I could get a setting elsewhere in recycled gold, that would be wonderful.

I just got the GIA report for the BE .91 diamond, and the HCA tool won't evaluate it! The tool says the girdle must be dangerously thin, but the GIA report says the girdle is medium and faceted. Here are the specs again:

Shape: Round
Carat Weight: 0.91
Cut: Super Ideal
Color: J
Clarity: SI1
Report: GIA (preview upon request)
Measurements: 6.19 x 6.17 x 3.87 mm
Polish: Excellent
Symmetry: Excellent
Depth: 62.6%
Table: 56.0%
Girdle: Medium
Culet: None
Fluorescence: None

The crown angle is: 36
The pavilion angle is: 40.8

Typo?

HCA tells me

Factor Grade
Light Return Very Good
Fire Very Good
Scintillation Good
Spread
or diameter for weight Very Good
Total Visual Performance 3.6 - Very Good - Worth buying if the price is right

Okay; yes, I must have mistyped something in the HCA tool then!

 

[kat08]

I've found a .8 diamond that has the following scores:

59% depth, 60% table, 32.5° crown angle, 41° pavilion angle

It ranks as a 1.3 with the HCA tool ("excellent" score).

Do you the HCA score is more important for a bezel-set diamond (since it won't be getting light from below)?

 

[distracts]

Brilliant Earth's prices are way too high. They are marking up trying to sell their "recycled" gold. In all actuality, correct me if I'm wrong, but most rings made of gold is used from metals that were previously melted down...I think it's pretty much all recycled. And, if you want a conflict-free diamond, you can find those pretty much anywhere.That's just my opinion.

Agree. I wouldn't really bother with going with a vendor who uses specifically recycled gold - MOST vendors primarily use recycled gold, even if they don't make a point of it. Old gold goes back to refineries and is refined into new gold all the time. I can't locate it right now but I read a statistic that said about 85% of "new" gold is actually recycled gold. (I don't know how accurate that is, but based on my experiences, I would believe it. There's a lot of old jewelry and things being scrapped, and a lot of jeweler's waste metal being returned, and not much new quantities being mined in the scheme of things.) To me, paying a price premium wouldn't be worth it simply for the marketing, when you're basically getting "recycled" gold and "certified conflict-free" diamonds anywhere you go. To go with Brilliant Earth, you're not paying to support a company that uses recycled gold and conflict-free diamonds, you're paying to support a company that marks up its products because it makes a big deal out of that it uses recycled gold and conflict-free diamonds.

I should also point out that they don't claim to use 100% recycled copper, so some percentage of your gold ring may be recently mined anyway. If that's important to you, it's probably something you should think about/ask them about.

 

[kat08]

Thanks for your response, and I appreciate you taking the time to give your thoughts on it. Overall, I hope we can avoid an ethical discussion in this thread. I'm really just looking for advice on evaluating diamonds (I've weighed out my thoughts on where to buy and feel comfortable with my decision for my own reasons).

Any thoughts on the diamond I've found? It has a slightly better color than the original diamonds I was looking at (it's an I instead of a J) and is an SI1 instead of SI2. I don't know if it matters as much in a yellow gold setting, but I'm figuring it's probably still better for the center stone to be closer in color to the halo diamonds?

Here are the basic specs again:

59% depth, 60% table, 32.5° crown angle, 41° pavilion angle

It ranks as a 1.3 with the HCA tool ("excellent" score).

I know it has a larger table, but I think I'd be okay with that. Mostly I want to make sure I find a diamond with excellent light return, especially since it will be bezel set. Thoughts?

ETA: The diamond also received an "Excellent" cut grade from GIA (for the polish and symmetry it's EX/VG). I was thinking that this diamond's odds of sparkliness are better because it's passing two tests: both GIA and the HCA tool...

 

[Laila619]

I've found a .8 diamond that has the following scores:

59% depth, 60% table, 32.5° crown angle, 41° pavilion angle

It ranks as a 1.3 with the HCA tool ("excellent" score).

Do you the HCA score is more important for a bezel-set diamond (since it won't be getting light from below)?

That is a shallow crown. With that cut, the diamond will have more bright white light but you won't see as much fire/colored light. It's a 60/60 stone, and not everyone likes those. Best to decide in person when you see it. If buying from paper, it's not as 'safe' as buying a diamond with a traditional ideal cut.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

There are price per carat jumps at major milestones like 0.50 0.75 1.00.

This is why 0.49 ct 0.74 ct and 0.99 ct are smart weights to look for.

Is it .70 or .75 or does it vary?

Yes, there absolutely is a price jump at .70. My last studs were .65 each for that reason. One .75 stone is almost as much as a pair of .65!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Light is only reflected through the top of a well cut stone. That is one reason you absolutely want a well cut stone, period, but especially in a halo or bezel. Otherwise you may have leakage and dead spots.

 

[Christina...]

Thanks for your response, and I appreciate you taking the time to give your thoughts on it. Overall, I hope we can avoid an ethical discussion in this thread. I'm really just looking for advice on evaluating diamonds (I've weighed out my thoughts on where to buy and feel comfortable with my decision for my own reasons).

Any thoughts on the diamond I've found? It has a slightly better color than the original diamonds I was looking at (it's an I instead of a J) and is an SI1 instead of SI2. I don't know if it matters as much in a yellow gold setting, but I'm figuring it's probably still better for the center stone to be closer in color to the halo diamonds?

Here are the basic specs again:

59% depth, 60% table, 32.5° crown angle, 41° pavilion angle

It ranks as a 1.3 with the HCA tool ("excellent" score).

I know it has a larger table, but I think I'd be okay with that. Mostly I want to make sure I find a diamond with excellent light return, especially since it will be bezel set. Thoughts?

ETA: The diamond also received an "Excellent" cut grade from GIA (for the polish and symmetry it's EX/VG). I was thinking that this diamond's odds of sparkliness are better because it's passing two tests: both GIA and the HCA tool...

Hey Kat! I absolutely respect your decision to shop for a Canadian diamond, and I think that most people here do. I think that where some of the frustration is coming from is the fact that there is little that we can do to help you in terms of selecting a stone from BE inventory. The fact that you have to request the reports for each of their stones, means that we would have to try to pick a diamond based on 2 measurements, table and depth. The crown and pavillion angle as well as the star facet and lower girdle facet measurements are really needed for us to help you pick a really beautiful stone. I don't think it's impossible for you to find one, just be prepared to do a lot more sifting and waiting for reports and maybe some frustration from the vendors for the frequency of the requests, before you find a really great one. To make it a bit easier you can look for stones that have a table of 55-58 and a depth of 60-60.2. These are a bit narrow and there are beautiful diamonds outside of these measurements but these are preferred. Then when you request the reports you want a crown angle of 34-35.5 and a pavillion angle of 40.6-41 again these are narrow but safe as DS mentioned. Buying online means that you cant use your eyes and buying from BE means that you you will have no additional information to help you beyond this unless you purchase the stone and send it back if you don't love it.

I also wanted to mention that a lot of people are confused on how to use the HCA correctly. Often times you can find a stone that scores very well, but because of the angles it would only be recommended for use in earrings or a pendant, so the score of the HCA as well as where it places in the graph are both important. Shallow stones are more likely to have obstructions issues, meaning that the stone can go very dark because of the shadow cast by your head or body, they look better when viewed at a distance and why they are recommended for earrings and pendants where shadow isn't an issue. Deep diamonds are more likely to have light leakage causing your diamond not be as bright or flashy as it could be and they hide weight making your diamond appear smaller than shallower cuts.

Anyway, I thought it might be helpful to understand why some of the stones that are receiving excellent scores are not being recommended by PSers. I know it can be frustrating and this is suppose to be a joyful occasion, but trust me, we all get frustrated when trying to find the right diamond, and from experience, usually when I want to throw my hands up and say 'forget it' they right one suddenly shows up, so hang in there, this is a ring that you are going to wear for a very very long time so it's worth all the time and effort.

Have you decided not to pursue anything with the Canadian diamonds from Blue Nile?

edit for typos

 

[kat08]

I appreciate all the specific advice, Christina! That's very helpful. I've been looking at diamonds on Blue Nile, and a few others at BE (I just wish they had more of a selection of Canadian diamonds at Blue Nile). I'll admit it's a little stressful not being able to see the diamonds in person, and I do wish BE listed more information about their diamonds up front. I'm trying to keep an open mind about all my options for buying. I'd really like to find a diamond that I'll love!