K Color stone - Please help me pick

[valerier]

Hi Folks:

I''m a first time poster after having followed the forum for several months. Thank goodness for you guys! I finally have my beautiful 18k yellow gold Van Craeynest scroll e-ring (it''s fitted with a temporary CZ) and am searching for my diamond. My experience with B&M stores ("here''s the stone you want, it''s already in a setting so you can see how pretty it is") have convinced me that online is the way to go. But this is daunting...

Believe it or not, the prettiest stone that I''ve seen so far was an SI1, N/O color, ideal cut diamond - but the pricing was thousands more than what I see in the p/s forums. I would like an ideal cut, 7.5mm stone to fit my mounting. I like fire, brilliance, the warm color and my budget is $6,000. I''d appreciate anyone''s expert opinion on the following:

Stone 1: 1.60ct, K/VS1, 7.53.x7.56x4.60, Ex Sym/VG-G Pol, 61.2% depth, 57.0% table, 15% Crown Ht., 43% depth, FB, Thin Fac Girdle, $5,037

Stone 2: 1.60ct, K/VS1, 7.44x7.53x4.60, Ex Sym/VG Pol, 61.6% depth, 56.0% table, 15% Crown Ht., 43% depth, No Fuor, Medium Fac Girdle, $5,037

1. Which stone is better? They''re both the same price!
2. Is a thin faceted girdle something to worry about?
3. Will the FB fluorescence make stone 1 appear whiter?
4. Both stones have EGL European certs. Any concerns about this?
5. I think that I prefer stone 1, but am not sure what the implications of a G-VG polish are. Can anyone help?
6. Am I missing anything? Are there better options out there? I would have considered a J color because I''m so far under budget (lucky me!), but I couldn''t find anything out there that seemed as nice.

Thanks so much for helping a newbie!

Take care - Val

 

[Maisie]

Hi and welcome to Pricescope

Have you read the tutorials at the top of the page? I think it might help you in your search if you spend some time reading up before you make any decisions.

This will help you to filter out any undesirable stones too:

http://www.pricescope.com/cutadviser.asp

and you can read more about it here:

http://diamonds.pricescope.com/ideal.asp

I used this to run your numbers that you posted and from that they both seemed ok but the second one appeals to me more because it has a medium girdle. Fluoresence (spelling!) can be a good thing - especially in a lower color diamond.

The price is a bit low to me - I searched for similar diamonds but in J color and they were a lot more expensive. Where did you see these ones?

I don't know much about EGL certs but I am sure someone with more knowledge will chime in.

Maisie

 

[Maisie]

If you look on this thread:

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/j-color-stones-in-platinum.24731/

The first diamond posted is a ''K'' - its absolutely white - I love it! If you buy a really well cut stone you can have one which looks amazing!

Its really worth spending some time reading up - I promise you it will be worth it

 

[valerier]

Hi Maisie:

Those stones are available through Abazias. They seemed to have the best prices and feedback on the p/s forums was good. Do you have any personal experience with them?

 

[hikerchick]

http://www.whiteflash.com/diamonds/Diamond_Details.aspx?idno=49232

This one is a bit over budget (a few hundred $) but looks possibly promising. You''d need more info and can probably call WF and ask if they think it is worth bringing in.

 

[valerier]

Hmmm. That''s interesting. I''m not following the logic, though. The cut doesn''t seem significantly better and I''m not sure what justifies paying $1,200 more for a lower colored stone! (Or even that I could tell the difference between a K and an L). Can you educate me?

Thanks!

 

[hikerchick]

Actually, I apologize . . . I skimmed over your first paragraph and looked for a diamond to fit your specs. I didn''t notice the 2 diamonds you posted. My only reservation with those 2 is that they are EGL graded. If I had to choose one of those, I would choose the first one . . . and you are correct, no reason to pay more for a lower color. Soory for my quick reading and response.

 

[valerier]

No problem. I''m learning a lot through this forum. Just curious... Why do you have a preference for stone 1?

Also, let me know if you agree with this thinking... I''m not so concerned with the EGL cert''s on these stones for a couple of reasons. 1) Let''s say, worst case, that the color is off by 2 grades - well, that''s okay because I like the warm color and I stll think the price is great. 2) Let''s also say that the clarity is off by a grade - that''s okay, too, because I would still have a VS2 and I was willing to accept an eye-clear SI1. The EGL certification wouldn''t be wrong about the physical specification (i.e. ideal cut), do you think?

My big challenge is how to pick between the 2. I''m interested to hear from the experts, but ultimately, I think that I may pay to have both shipped to me and then just keep the one that I want.

 

[canuk-gal]

HI Val:

Welcome.

As you are interested in K colored diamonds, and have seen an N color that you also enjoyed; may I recommend the following? This stone is Cut by Infinity, display Heart and Arrows and hold an AGS cert (0 designation). Seems within your budget. Sorry, I couldn't find the link to the cert--but Wink could easily forward you the details, should the stone still be in his posession.

http://www.winkjones.com/xcart/customer/product.php?productid=16420&cat=271&page=1

cheers--Sharon

 

[hikerchick]

I am no expert . . . I am just learning myself but I would pick one since I LOVE blue fluorescence and because it is closer to perfectly round than diamond #2. Those are my reasons for choosing #1 . . . however, #2 has a medium girdle which would make me feel safer than the thin girdle on #1 . . . your idea of getting both and shipping one back is probably a good one. Go for it and let us know what you think.

 

[hikerchick]

I think she is looking for a 1.6 carat diamond and that diamond from Wink is 1.26 carats, so alittle too small.