Looking for Stone...Please Help.

[bugsynj]

Hi All,

I am looking for a diamond and have spent the last 3 weeks reading tirelessly to try and fully understand all of the nuances of purchasing a diamond and really make sure I know what I want and what to look for. So that said, I have put together the specs of what I want and am planning on going into the diamond district in NYC on Monday to see what I can land. Now here''s where I need advice: I have spent lots of time searching all of the online diamond db''s and think I can do so much better in person for what I am looking for. Here''s the specs. what do you think I should spend for the rock with these characteristics.

Cert: GIA
Size: 2 CT
Color I
Cut Good >
Clarity SI 1 >
Polish Good >
Symmetry Good >
Depth % 59%-62.5%
Table % 53%-59%
Girdle: Thin to Slightly Thick
Flouresecence: None to faint


Any help is much appreciated. Also if you want to recommend some places I''m open to suggestions.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 1/15/2010 12:28:53 PM
Author:bugsynj
Hi All,

I am looking for a diamond and have spent the last 3 weeks reading tirelessly to try and fully understand all of the nuances of purchasing a diamond and really make sure I know what I want and what to look for. So that said, I have put together the specs of what I want and am planning on going into the diamond district in NYC on Monday to see what I can land. Now here's where I need advice: I have spent lots of time searching all of the online diamond db's and think I can do so much better in person for what I am looking for. Here's the specs. what do you think I should spend for the rock with these characteristics.

Cert: GIA
Size: 2 CT
Color I
Cut Good >
Clarity SI 1 >
Polish Good >
Symmetry Good >
Depth % 59%-62.5%
Table % 53%-59%
Girdle: Thin to Slightly Thick
Flouresecence: None to faint


Any help is much appreciated. Also if you want to recommend some places I'm open to suggestions.

Hi Bugsy and welcome to Pricescope!

As to pricing. this can vary considerably due to various reasons. Typically online diamonds are cheaper than those from brick and mortar establishments. You can get a feel for pricing using the Pricescope your Diamond tool above, bear in mind these prices are for online inventory.

Also I wouldn't go by cut labels or grades such as Good, these are no guarantee of a well cut diamond.

I would also be extremely careful with the diamond district, it is a bit of a minefield for the rookie buyer. However there are some excellent vendors in the area, plus there is www.goodoldgold.com in Long Island if you have the time to go there, you would need to make an appointment though as with the following vendors I will list.

The vendors below are all in the diamond district.

www.exceldiamonds.com

www.idjewelryonline.com

www.jamesallen.com

www.engagementringsdirect.com

As it sounds as if you have been reading the Advanced Tutorial you will be aware of the importance of cut quality to give you a beautiful diamond. You don't necessarily have to have a top cut hearts and arrows diamond to have a pretty stone, but a diamond with good proven proportions is essential. Below is the cheat sheet some of us use as a guide in order to find a well cut round diamond.

depth - 60 - 62% - although my personal preference is to allow up to 62.4%
table - 54- 57%
crown angle - 34- 35 degrees
pavilion angle - 40.6- 41 degrees
girdle - avoid extremes, look for thin to slightly thick, thin to medium etc
polish and symmetry - very good and above

note - with crown and pavilion angles at the shallower ends ( CA 34- PA 40.6) and steeper ( CA 35- PA 41) check to make sure these angles complement in that particular diamond - eyeballs, Idealscope, trusted vendor input - check as appropriate!

As the above implies, configurations depend on each other. A little give here can still work with a little take there.

From expert John Pollard.

With that said, here's a "Cliff's Notes" for staying near Tolkowsky/ideal angles with GIA reports (their numbers are rounded): A crown angle of 34.0, 34.5 or 35.0 is usually safe with a 40.8 pavilion angle. If pavilion angle = 40.6 lean toward a 34.5-35.0 crown. If pavilion angle = 41 lean toward a 34.0-34.5 crown.

GIA "EX" in cut is great at its heart, but it ranges a bit wider than some people prefer, particularly in deep combinations (pavilion > 41 with crown > 35).

You could also ask the vendors to show you AGS0 cut grade and GIA Excellent, although beware of what we call the steep deep angled stones which can show light leakage in the latter cut grade. You can run the proportions of any diamond through;

The Holloway Cut Advisor - look for diamonds which score below 2 initially and for a ring stone if you want to narrow down more, diamonds which score between 1 and 2.

Concerning clarity, SI grades can be an excellent choice, just be careful to ensure an SI clarity diamond is eyeclean to your standards, ask if you can check it out in various lighting conditions and not just bright jewellery store lighting as this can be deceptive. Inclusions can pop out more in some lights than others. Also with SI clarities be careful if clouds are mentioned and drawn on the clarity plot of the report, in some cases they can impact performance. If it mentions the clarity grade is based on clouds then that too could be cause for concern, but if it just mentions ' clouds are not shown' in the comments section then this isn't normally a problem - it is grade making clouds which sometimes can be an issue with SI grades.

Lastly, a note on fluorescence. Unless you prefer to keep it to a minimum, you could consider medium or even strong blue, this can sometimes have a beneficial effect in helping a lower colour diamond to face up a little whiter for the colour grade in some lighting conditions. Very rarely strong or very strong blue can make a stone look cloudy but this is very unusual. You can read more on fluorescence here.

If you have any more questions, don't hesitate to ask

 

[Bella_mezzo]

Good luck! I'd avoid the diamond district and try the PS vendors first. You can call the ones that are PS vendors and also in the diamond district ahead of time which might make things easier if you go in person (you can pre-screen on the phone

I second that Good Old Gold on Long Island could be a great place to start...

Here are a few great diamonds from the online vendors to give you some context...

http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/Whiteflash-ACA-cut-diamond-2133622.htm

AGS-10408302 Brian Gavin H&A 2.048 J VS2 54.7 61.3 8.19 8.22 5.03 $16,116.00 (this is J color not I)