Lab created diamonds

[ThatKoreanGuy]

can anyone give me a quick overview of the ratings and classes and qualities that make a diamond awesome? I wanna learn what refraction rates and saturation and the difference between lab created diamonds and nature created diamonds are. if anyone could give me a quick overview for this rockin'' rookie that''d be great. thanks.

 

[pqcollectibles]

CUT CUT CUT is Number 1 to make any diamond awesome. The better the make, the better the performance,... the WOW factor. The difference between a dead fish/frozen spit and a rock that grabs your eye.

Cut criteria vary for the different types. Read the Tutorial and other educational materials. Check out www.gemappraisers.com and the GOG websites for more info and educational pics as well. Find some diamonds you are interested in and post for opinions.

 

[ThatKoreanGuy]

I'm more confused now. =P

 

[derekinla]

Ahn Young Hah Say Yo,

Hmmmmmmmm here is a mini crash course from an amateur diamond hunter:

The most important determinant of visual performance (light return, scintillation, brilliance) is = CUT. You should therefore put most of your effort and $$ into getting the best cut possible. What constitutes “Ideal” proportions for a round brilliant diamond is very controversial but for the purposes of keeping it SIMPLE, the AGS parameters of ideal cut is probably a good place to start. AGS is a grading company that issues certifications for diamonds. Together with GIA, they are generally regarded as the top 2 for diamond certification. The BIG difference between AGS and GIA is that AGS gives all of the necessary proportions to determine cut whereas GIA only gives table size and depth percentage. AGS assigns a cut score of 0 to 10 with 0 being “ideal” and 10 the worst. You’ll often come across “AGS000” which commonly refers to a 0 score for cut, 0 score for symmetry, and 0 score for polish. (GIA also assigns a grade to polish and symmetry with “Excellent” being the top score for these two parameters.) The AGS parameters aren’t perfect so it is also possible to get an AGS000 with less than stellar performance which is why I recommend you also use the Holloway Cut Advisor (HCA) as an additional tool in your diamond hunt:

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

If you are interested in a stone with say a GIA cert, be sure to ask the vendor to get the complete measurements and angles (so you can plug the info into the HCA). This info can be obtained by running the stone on a special machine (Sarin, Megascope) that automatically spits out the proportions of a stone. That way, you can see if the proportions are desirable. There are some people who argue that numbers only tell part of the story and that your eyes are ultimately the best judge. There are vendors that carry fancy machines like the Brilliant Scope and Isee2’s that quantify visual performance (light return, brilliance, etc…) and such info may also be very useful in determining cut. Since not every vendor has access to such equipment, and since these machines also have their own set of limitations, I still feel numbers are a good way to start, especially when you first start out comparing many different stones over the internet. (FYI, the ideal stone the I ended up purchasing did not have any fancy brilliant scope reports, Isee2 reports etc…..). If there is one piece of advice I want you to remember, it is to take everything with a grain of salt. In case you haven’t figured it out, there are a lot of agendas/politics at play and it is important to be both skeptical and open minded at the same time. Friendly advice can often be laced with subtle plugs so you need to be on guard!

After you’re comfortable with the idea of “ideal proportions” another important parameter you’ll hear about is “hearts and arrows”. “Hearts and arrows” refers to a particular pattern observed when looking at a diamond with a great degree of symmetry through the table (8 arrows) and pavilion (hearts) with a special viewer. These “super ideals” have a high degree of internal symmetry and often have a greater degree of light return and overall visual appeal. Many hearts and arrows cut are “branded” and command a higher price (Hearts on fire, Eightsar etc…….). I purchased an AGS000 which was an “unbranded” hearts and arrows so I got a great deal without having to pay for a “brand name”. Keep in mind that there are many amazingly beautiful diamonds with less than perfect hearts and arrows.

After cut, the next most important determinant of visual performance is color. My recommendation is that, for the best bang for the buck, stick with say an F or G color grade. Once mounted an F or G performs like an icy white D! Only a trained gemologist with color grading stone could tell a G from a D. Some would even argue that an H or I are even better values, as once mounted, these stones often face up very white. Some people are more color sensitive than others so you need to look at many different loose stones. Fluorescence can also make H or I stones look whiter.

The least important determinant of visual performance is clarity. To maximize your spending power / carat size, I would go for an eye clean SI1 or VS clarity stone as these stones appear to be flawless once mounted. Why pay for something that you can’t see? Most, but not all SI1’s are eye clean so you need to confirm with your own eyes.

Finally, be sure to look at as many loose stones as possible and get comfortable with using a loupe. You can only learn so much from reading and you will eventually need to put the information to use!

 

[Caratz]

You have to balance cost, cut, color, clarity and carat weight.

Color: You need to see and compare different colors with your own eyes to see the difference between a D and an H (if you can tell a difference), and how much it is worth to you.

Clarity: The vast majority of the time, you cannot see an inclusion in a VS2 diamond. There are a few exceptions to this rule -- most commonly with step cut diamonds (like an asscher or square emerald) in which it is sometimes possible to see VS2 includions with the naked eye. The great majority of the time, you cannot see an SI1 inclusion in a round brilliant cut diamond without a loupe. For this reason, a lot of people think there is little point in buying a clarity grade anywhere between IF and VS2 (or SI1), because you are paying for something you cannot see. Either get the flawless, or go as low as you can while still getting something that is visibly flawless to the naked eye.

Cut: Lots of people here will tell you this is most important. To an extent I agree with them. You need to make sure that the cut angles work together to maximize light return (use the HCA on this site), but I don't think it is as clear cut (no pun intended) whether it is worth it to pay the extra premium for a diamond with perfect symmetry (or a brand name) on top of that.

Good luck in your search.

 

[ThatKoreanGuy]

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On 10/19/2003 4:19:36 AM ThatKoreanGuy wrote:





I wanna learn what refraction rates and saturation and the difference between lab created diamonds and nature created diamonds are and how to tell the difference if any. also, what causes the discoloration of diamonds (IE I've learned that nitrogen turns a diamond more yellow or orange in color, etc) and what causes flouresence.

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wow. great info. I understand all of what I just read. I'm just a very curious person so I'd love to have this information. I've also been able to memorize the basic ratings for diamond specifications (IE cut, clarity, color, etc). the above quote just has some more info I'd like to understand I added some info in the quote too. btw, if anyone has admin controls over this forum, maybe someone should sticky all this info at the top so people don't keep asking the same question over and over again