shape
carat
color
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Looking to Upgrade - Need Advice/Memory on Details

breanne

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Jun 7, 2016
Messages
508
Hello!

I was active on here 5-ish years ago when I chose my first diamond, now I'm looking to upgrade and can't remember why I chose the specs I did! Ha! I have an idea of some, the others not too much.

I was wondering if anyone would be willing to walk me through some of the details, and what makes them important. I'm looking at upgrading to a 2.5-3 carat, not stuck on the exact carat, more how large they face up. I must get compliments on my ring daily, so I know the ring itself shines well, but I can't for the best of me remember why I chose all these details exactly.

Thank you for your time!

My current ring:

GIA XXX
1.43 round
J - color
SI1 (eye clean)
No Fluorescence
Measurement: 7.17-7.23 x 4.42mm
HCA: 1.2

Depth: 61.4
Table: 58
Crown Angle: 34
Crown Height: 14.5
Pavilion Angle: 40.8
Pavilion Depth: 43
Star Length: 50
Lower Half: 80
Girdle: Med to slightly thick, faceted 4.0
Curlet: None
 

foxinsox

Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Jul 18, 2015
Messages
4,061
Slightly unsure what you're asking here :) your current stone looks like you chose it for a good HCA score and probably a balance of colour and size.
Are you wanting the same proportions and performance or to change any of them apart from obviously carat? A larger stone will likely show more colour just because it's bigger so is your J something you love, you tolerate or would prefer to be whiter?
 

breanne

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Jun 7, 2016
Messages
508
Slightly unsure what you're asking here :) your current stone looks like you chose it for a good HCA score and probably a balance of colour and size.
Are you wanting the same proportions and performance or to change any of them apart from obviously carat? A larger stone will likely show more colour just because it's bigger so is your J something you love, you tolerate or would prefer to be whiter?

Well that's what I'm unsure about - I know I chose these details for a reason, but it doesn't mean anything to be now as it's been a long time. I find the color doesn't show too much at the moment, maybe just from the profile, but it faces up pretty white. I did wonder if going larger would impact that, though. I don't mind it in the slightest !! :D

I do recall choosing specs because I wanted it to sparkle the most, I don't care about inclusions as it doesn't really present to the eye. I seem to remember something about GIA AGS - ideal... but what those details were I also can't recall.

Just trying to piece it all together again! :)

EDIT** I think mine is hearts and arrows? Am I correct? My memory is slowly coming to me...
 
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headlight

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Nov 2, 2003
Messages
3,293
Do you have a report to post and also photos?
The J color will be very apparent in the size you are upgrading to.
 

breanne

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Jun 7, 2016
Messages
508
Do you have a report to post and also photos?
The J color will be very apparent in the size you are upgrading to.

Not at the moment, I wanted to narrow down my parameters more than the basic color/cut/clarity, I thought I'd remember all the reasons behind each detail, but it seems to have left me.

I recall years ago there was a thread that "mapped" out the general guidelines of choosing the proper portions to a diamond within specific size ranges, but I can't seem to find that either.

If/when choosing a diamond of 2.50-3 (likely 2.5 if I'm being frank) what are the details I need to consider? The most important detail to me is how much is sparkles, I will compromise on color/clarity (which I did with my current) to have a beautiful stone that reflects the most light. I have an image from my current ring saved, I believe it was an ASET image? It indicated how much light was lost through the ring... I know there are variables that affect how they turn out, I guess that's the information I'm seeking.

**Edit - added some photos, also for the HCA results of my stone.

:)
 

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Joined
Apr 22, 2020
Messages
2,911
I wonder if cut and sparkle are the most important for you, if you’d be best served going with one of the super ideal vendors like WF? Are you locked in with a specific vendor for your upgrade?
 

breanne

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Jun 7, 2016
Messages
508
I wonder if cut and sparkle are the most important for you, if you’d be best served going with one of the super ideal vendors like WF? Are you locked in with a specific vendor for your upgrade?

I went through a diamond broker, is that what you call them?, when I purchased my last diamond. I liked it because he was able to bring the stones in, show me the stone under several magnifications etc with all the different imaging.

I'm not stuck on anything per se, but I did find that route quite easy! With that said, and the info/photos I provided above, can I make my next diamond "better," or does it perform as well as a stone would?

Any suggestions of adjustments to its portions for a 2.5?
 

Kim N

Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Oct 6, 2005
Messages
6,388
This is personal preference, but I would perhaps go for a stone with a slightly smaller table, higher crown, and lower LGF, for potentially more fire and bolder flashes.
 
Joined
Apr 22, 2020
Messages
2,911
I went through a diamond broker, is that what you call them?, when I purchased my last diamond. I liked it because he was able to bring the stones in, show me the stone under several magnifications etc with all the different imaging.

I'm not stuck on anything per se, but I did find that route quite easy! With that said, and the info/photos I provided above, can I make my next diamond "better," or does it perform as well as a stone would?

Any suggestions of adjustments to its portions for a 2.5?

I’m not an expert, but you can refer to Garry’s table here: https://www.pricescope.com/communit...stablish-some-guidelines.259514/#post-4811011 to get an idea. I think you’re best off looking at the “Tolkowsky” or “Fiery Balanced” categories, I don’t think either extreme are good necessarily. Smaller tables usually correspond to more fire as well. I would aim for a depth <62.3% so that you’re not losing spread unnecessarily. My sweet spot for a more “ideal” cut is 61.x (since 60ish depth can be considered too shallow, but I think 62.something is already a bit deep).

Definitely going to stress that I’m the antithesis of what most of PS recommends (I prefer 60-60s and ‘buying by eye’ / maximising carat weight and spread without “perfect” cut) so take my suggestions with a pinch of salt.
 

tyty333

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Dec 17, 2008
Messages
27,198
The numbers that usually provide good results (yes, some numbers outside of these ranges will work but you need images to makes sure)

table 54-58%
depth 6-0-62.3%
crown 34-35 degrees
pavilion 40.6-41 degrees

34 pairs better with 41 and vice versa (35 with 40.6)

Run the stone's numbers through the HCA tool.

You can use the Pricescope search tool. Look for stones that score EX on the HCA score. Click on the score for more details.

Try to get an Idealscope or Aset image of the stone to check on leakage. Get H&A images if they claim it's an H&A.

Or

Go with a Super IDeal stone...pre-vetted and dont have to worry about the numbers.
 

breanne

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Jun 7, 2016
Messages
508
The numbers that usually provide good results (yes, some numbers outside of these ranges will work but you need images to makes sure)

table 54-58%
depth 6-0-62.3%
crown 34-35 degrees
pavilion 40.6-41 degrees

34 pairs better with 41 and vice versa (35 with 40.6)

Run the stone's numbers through the HCA tool.

You can use the Pricescope search tool. Look for stones that score EX on the HCA score. Click on the score for more details.

Try to get an Idealscope or Aset image of the stone to check on leakage. Get H&A images if they claim it's an H&A.

Or

Go with a Super IDeal stone...pre-vetted and dont have to worry about the numbers.

Thank you for all your responses, I must have gotten information from you years back because I have very similar information saved. This information is where my current diamond falls within, and I get compliments literally DAILY.

I'm happy to hear these parameters are the same as the diamond gets larger, I will just have to decide whether I still enjoy the J color on a larger stone. To me at least at my size, it does not look warm at all, I'd really have to be looking at the profile to see that, and even then, I'm REALLY being picky at that point! :)
 

lavalle218

Rough_Rock
Joined
Dec 19, 2020
Messages
97
Here is a video from Whiteflash that they sent me for my upgrade. The stone on the left was my current stone and the middle/right were the upgrade options. At least in this video, I couldn’t see the color differences and thought the J was beautiful so hopefully I’ll be happy with it! I also prioritize sparkle and found Whiteflash’s ACA diamonds to be the absolute best.


 

breanne

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Jun 7, 2016
Messages
508
Here is a video from Whiteflash that they sent me for my upgrade. The stone on the left was my current stone and the middle/right were the upgrade options. At least in this video, I couldn’t see the color differences and thought the J was beautiful so hopefully I’ll be happy with it! I also prioritize sparkle and found Whiteflash’s ACA diamonds to be the absolute best.



Thank you so much! I love my J and it’s so bright, sometimes I even wonder, could I go to a K? Lol.

I feel when they’re cut well, the colour is masked, I think you’ll love the J. I wish I could figure out how to upload a video from my phone to show you mine in normal lighting.
 

lavalle218

Rough_Rock
Joined
Dec 19, 2020
Messages
97
Thank you so much! I love my J and it’s so bright, sometimes I even wonder, could I go to a K? Lol.

I feel when they’re cut well, the colour is masked, I think you’ll love the J. I wish I could figure out how to upload a video from my phone to show you mine in normal lighting.

Would love to see a video!
 

breanne

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Jun 7, 2016
Messages
508
Would love to see a video!

Sadly it won’t allow a video, but hopefully this photo suffices. It’s from my old phone so not the best quality, but that is pretty white to me. 987FFB4D-6CB4-4A4F-8C49-31C86D6D4B32.jpeg
 

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lavalle218

Rough_Rock
Joined
Dec 19, 2020
Messages
97
Sadly it won’t allow a video, but hopefully this photo suffices. It’s from my old phone so not the best quality, but that is pretty white to me. 987FFB4D-6CB4-4A4F-8C49-31C86D6D4B32.jpeg

If that is warmth people talk about, I will love it! Definitely worth the slight tint for me to upgrade size
 

breanne

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Jun 7, 2016
Messages
508
If that is warmth people talk about, I will love it! Definitely worth the slight tint for me to upgrade size

And to be honest, that wall is exacerbating the "warmth," on my hand it doesn't appear like that at all. I wish I could figure out how to send this small clip. :/

Anyway, the amount of compliments I get on it, it's likely due to cut and precision. I think the average person has "less colored" stones, but are more poorly cut, yours will stand out beautifully for this reason!
 

lavalle218

Rough_Rock
Joined
Dec 19, 2020
Messages
97
And to be honest, that wall is exacerbating the "warmth," on my hand it doesn't appear like that at all. I wish I could figure out how to send this small clip. :/

Anyway, the amount of compliments I get on it, it's likely due to cut and precision. I think the average person has "less colored" stones, but are more poorly cut, yours will stand out beautifully for this reason!

So excited!!!!!
 

lavalle218

Rough_Rock
Joined
Dec 19, 2020
Messages
97
FD62755B-C357-4F83-94E5-FC03C6C10EA5.jpeg Took that with my iPhone 12, maybe that’s better.

It’s such a minor tint, that would not be noticeable to me at all. Thank you for sharing. Now have you picked options for your upgrade?!
 

breanne

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Jun 7, 2016
Messages
508
It’s such a minor tint, that would not be noticeable to me at all. Thank you for sharing. Now have you picked options for your upgrade?!

I'm on quite the fence, I want to know just how far I can push my color sensitivity. I want to look at a K-L, I feel I may be able to handle a K, not sure about the L, I've never seen either in real life. Fortunately, I worked with a diamond broker (I don't know if that's their true title) and he essentially pays to bring the stones in, shows them all in person side by side etc.

This opens a lot of options, I currently have an SI1 that's entirely eye clean, I wonder how far I can push my sensitivity to a "visible" inclusion at an S12 ...

As you can see, many variables to play with, but I'm definitely looking at a 2.50-3 carat within all the optimal parameters. I'm Canadian so it does impact me a little more having to convert the USD to CAD, so I really want to find that happy threshold of details I can live with without forking over a small fortune.

Here’s the conversion of 20k for reference :/
 

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lavalle218

Rough_Rock
Joined
Dec 19, 2020
Messages
97
I'm on quite the fence, I want to know just how far I can push my color sensitivity. I want to look at a K-L, I feel I may be able to handle a K, not sure about the L, I've never seen either in real life. Fortunately, I worked with a diamond broker (I don't know if that's their true title) and he essentially pays to bring the stones in, shows them all in person side by side etc.

This opens a lot of options, I currently have an SI1 that's entirely eye clean, I wonder how far I can push my sensitivity to a "visible" inclusion at an S12 ...

As you can see, many variables to play with, but I'm definitely looking at a 2.50-3 carat within all the optimal parameters. I'm Canadian so it does impact me a little more having to convert the USD to CAD, so I really want to find that happy threshold of details I can live with without forking over a small fortune.

Here’s the conversion of 20k for reference :/

Budget is always the challenging part and figuring out trade offs! That’s why I was so grateful for the advice on this forum. Wish I had my ring so I could explain if I was happy with my choices or not but have to wait another few weeks - if I am not happy with the color I will fly to Houston to see the stones in person because, I agree, that’s the easiest way to figure out your comfort level with each parameter.
 

breanne

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Jun 7, 2016
Messages
508
I'm on quite the fence, I want to know just how far I can push my color sensitivity. I want to look at a K-L, I feel I may be able to handle a K, not sure about the L, I've never seen either in real life. Fortunately, I worked with a diamond broker (I don't know if that's their true title) and he essentially pays to bring the stones in, shows them all in person side by side etc.

This opens a lot of options, I currently have an SI1 that's entirely eye clean, I wonder how far I can push my sensitivity to a "visible" inclusion at an S12 ...

As you can see, many variables to play with, but I'm definitely looking at a 2.50-3 carat within all the optimal parameters. I'm Canadian so it does impact me a little more having to convert the USD to CAD, so I really want to find that happy threshold of details I can live with without forking over a small fortune.

Budget is always the challenging part and figuring out trade offs! That’s why I was so grateful for the advice on this forum. Wish I had my ring so I could explain if I was happy with my choices or not but have to wait another few weeks - if I am not happy with the color I will fly to Houston to see the stones in person because, I agree, that’s the easiest way to figure out your comfort level with each parameter.

I'm in the category of not being overly color sensitive/picky, it's not that I couldn't see it upon CLOSE inspection, but I don't look at it that way. I see a beautifully cut stone that sparkles and shines the way I want it to.

I feel like if we were to never know about color grades, the majority of us would never see the difference when owning a majority of these stones. Yes for sure there are exceptions, which is perfectly ok, but I don't believe going for a J from an I will change your mind on its beauty!
 
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