Is my diamond good?

[StacyG]

Hi All, im new here!

I wonder is my stone is good. I have a E Si1 round brilliant colorless 1.30. The reason that i ask is because i can see this tiny black little mark on the side and it doesnt rub off. I assume from reading this forum that its some kind of inclusion or something. i have actually grown quite fond of it

would this black thing (inclusion) affect the grading of the diamond? Like, i guess what i mean is - is it a bad thing?

any feedback is much apprieciated!

 

[FB.]

The little black speck will be what has given the stone the SI1 grade. It's probably a crystal of something inside the diamond.

An SI1 inclusion might well be visible from the side, or even from very close inspection face-up. A few tiny inclusions make your stone's unique fingerprint. So long as nobody else can see the inclusions - face-up at a foot or two away - I wouldn't worry.

Inclusions are found in most diamonds. SI1 is a relatively good grade and many on this forum seek out good SI1-SI2 stones.
For a stone above 1ct, E SI1 is very good.

But in addition to the inclusions, you should consider the stone's vital stats. Do you have the crown and pavilion measurements, or a lab report number?

 

[StacyG]

I have the measurements from my COA.

6.86-6.90x4.37mm
Polish and symetry says very good/very good

 

[FB.]

Here''s a picture of the GIA-certified inclusion plot of my most recent acquisition; it has a cluster of SI1 inclusions near the middle. They are dark coloured and therefore sometimes visible face-up, at six inches, with good lighting and a thorough inspection.
But move away to a foot viewing distance and they''re invisible. Give the stone to someone to examine and they will probably not see the inclusions because they don''t know where to look or how to get the light just right to see them.

 

[FB.]

Date: 11/24/2009 12:26:24 PM
Author: StacyG
I have the measurements from my COA.

6.86-6.90x4.37mm
Polish and symetry says very good/very good

VG or Ex polish and symm are what you''re looking for.

The stone looks to be slightly deep - around 63.5% according to those numbers. Normally, ideal stones would be 1-2% less deep, so yours may be carrying a little extra weight for it''s face-up size.

 

[StacyG]

so even with the grade it is not considered a ''good'' stone? we got it at jared''s because they are a bit more reputable than smaller home owned companies. paid almost 8600 including tax and a solitare setting.

 

[FB.]

E colour is exceptionally good.
SI1 clarity is very good.
Above 1ct is exceptionally good.

A depth of 64% is good to very good, but not exceptional because there''s some hidden weight somewhere. An exceptional stone should be no more than about 61.8% depth.
The difference is not necessarily a big concern - but you asked!

Here is a link to the GIA database entry for the stone that I showed above; you will see that it''s depth is 61.5%. The proportions are close to super-ideal; right in the sweet spot for perfect light performance.
Some people would argue that my stone''s girdle (medium- sl thick) would be better as thin-medium, which would give a depth of 60.5-61.0%.
But maybe it wouldn''t have made the 1ct mark with a thin girdle. Besides; girdles are a weak point and I don''t mind them being sl;ghtly thick, even if it''s deadweight.

Detailed GIA report here:
http://www2.gia.edu/reportcheck/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.showReportVerification&reportno=2115300794&weight=1.02

.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 11/24/2009 12:09:38 PM
Author:StacyG
Hi All, im new here!

I wonder is my stone is good. I have a E Si1 round brilliant colorless 1.30. The reason that i ask is because i can see this tiny black little mark on the side and it doesnt rub off. I assume from reading this forum that its some kind of inclusion or something. i have actually grown quite fond of it

would this black thing (inclusion) affect the grading of the diamond? Like, i guess what i mean is - is it a bad thing?

any feedback is much apprieciated!

Yes, it is quite possible this is an inclusion, clarity is graded face up and other views of the diamond are not taken into account so especially in SI grades it is possible you will see something.

Personally I don't mind a tiny ' birthmark' either! No it isn't a bad thing unless it bothers YOU, sounds like it doesn't which is great so enjoy your diamond!

If you want us to critique the cut Stacy ( and thats entirely up to you) then you would need to enter all the proportions of the diamond so we can see how well its cut. But this is of course not obligatory!

 

[La Jolla]

Stacy,

Are you and your Significant Other willing to look at F-color stones, or at EGL diamonds? To my eyes, F is closer to E than G is to F, or H is to G.

If so, here are four alternatives you might consider. The first is a GIA 1.31ct E-SI1. The others are EGL F-VS2s and F-VS1s. All four stones score between 0.9 and 1.2 on the Holloway Cut Advisor (HCA), a tool is used here extensively. Those scores are excellent. And they''re priced from $6022 to $7810 wire price.

If you''ve browsed a thread I started yesterday titled "All Things Being Equal, Which Would You Choose?" you''ll see that I got a very high quality EGL-cert stone at an unbelievable price by having the courage to push back against GroupThink and explore EGL stones. I would wager that an EGL VS1 stone will be clearer than a GIA SI1 any day. Just some options to consider.

GIA 15806197
Measurements: 6.94 - 7.00 x 4.35 mm
Carat Weight: 1.31 carat
Color Grade: E
Clarity Grade: SI1
Cut Grade: Very Good
Depth: 62.4%
Table: 56%
Crown Angle: 35.0°
Crown Height: 15.0%
Pavilion Angle: 40.6°
Pavilion Depth: 43.0%
Star length: 55%
Lower Half: 75%
Girdle: Medium to Thick, Faceted (4.5%)
Polish: Good
Symmetry: Very Good
Fluorescence: None
HCA score: 0.9
$7,970 Bank Wire Price $7,810

EGL 7700264026
Cert date: Nov 12, 2009
Measurements: 7.12 x 7.23 x 4.51 mm
Carat Weight: 1.48 carat
Color Grade: F
Clarity Grade: VS2
Cut Grade: Excellent
Depth: 62.9%
Table: 58%
Crown: 16%
Pavilion: 42%
Culet: 0%
Girdle: Slightly thick to thick, faceted
Polish: Excellent
Symmetry: Excellent
Fluorescence: None
HCA score: 1.2
$7,195 Bank Wire Price $7,051

EGL 2927322734
Cert date: July 23, 2009
Measurements: 7.01 x 7.07 x 4.14 mm
Carat Weight: 1.25 carat
Color Grade: F
Clarity Grade: VS1
Cut Grade: Very Good
Depth: 58.8%
Table: 58%
Crown: 13%
Pavilion: 43%
Culet: 0%
Girdle: Slightly thick to thick, faceted
Polish: Very Good
Symmetry: Very Good
Fluorescence: Slight Blue
HCA score: 1.1
$7,260 Bank Wire Price $7,115

EGL 7700155530
Cert date: Sept 29, 2009
Measurements: 6.96 x 6.99 x 4.28mm
Carat Weight: 1.27 carat
Color Grade: F
Clarity Grade: VS1
Cut Grade: Excellent
Depth: 61.4%
Table: 56%
Crown: 15%
Pavilion: 43%
Culet: 0%
Girdle: Medium to slightly thick, faceted
Polish: Excellent
Symmetry: Excellent
Fluorescence: Faint Blue
HCA score: 0.9
$6,145 Bank Wire Price $6,022

 

[FB.]

GIA 15806197
Measurements: 6.94 - 7.00 x 4.35 mm
Carat Weight: 1.31 carat
Color Grade: E
Clarity Grade: SI1
Cut Grade: Very Good
Depth: 62.4%
Table: 56%
Crown Angle: 35.0°
Crown Height: 15.0%
Pavilion Angle: 40.6°
Pavilion Depth: 43.0%
Star length: 55%
Lower Half: 75%
Girdle: Medium to Thick, Faceted (4.5%)
Polish: Good
Symmetry: Very Good
Fluorescence: None
HCA score: 0.9
$7,970 Bank Wire Price $7,810

That stone would not qualify for GIA EX because of the thick girdle and lack of quality polish. If the cutter knew that it would fail to meet GIA EX, he could employ some nasty tricks and know that it would not be penalised from EX to VG cut as a result, since it was already a VG cut on account of the thick girdle and polish. Those tricks can make a noticeable difference to beauty (or lack of).
The fact that the cutter couldn't even be bothered to take the pride and put on a very good polish is also a warning sign of a stone that talks the talk but doesn't walk the walk.