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Lost Guy Trying To Buy Right Ring

I’m not a fan of the K diamonds as I feel they are too yellow. Is there a reason that the J’s from JA look yellow and the ones from BN doesn’t? Are they using different lighting? The diamonds Lorelei posted from hpdiamond and Whiteflash doesn’t show a 360 view and I’m not comfortable with buying a diamond I can only see from top down. I liked the one Lorelei posted from BN tho.

I’m sorry, I feel like I’m being difficult. Let’s keep the budget below 6k and color I and below. 1.2 carat but if you find a beautiful diamond that’s smaller feel free to share it.
 
Also, I searched for diamonds within the peremeters you gave me but when I entered the diamond into the HCA it put the diamonds outside of 2. Is this correct?
 
Gaff said:
I’m not a fan of the K diamonds as I feel they are too yellow. Is there a reason that the J’s from JA look yellow and the ones from BN doesn’t? Are they using different lighting? The diamonds Lorelei posted from hpdiamond and Whiteflash doesn’t show a 360 view and I’m not comfortable with buying a diamond I can only see from top down. I liked the one Lorelei posted from BN tho.

I’m sorry, I feel like I’m being difficult. Let’s keep the budget below 6k and color I and below. 1.2 carat but if you find a beautiful diamond that’s smaller feel free to share it.
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If you are not comfortable with buying a diamond without seeing a 360 deg view, you should also be wary of buying a diamond without seeing an ASET/IS first. Especially if your girlfriend values cut and sparkle above all else. You can punch numbers all day into HCA, but keep in mind that HCA scores only tell half the story and should only be used to weed out bad apples, in this case, diamonds.

As someone else had pointed out, BN uses really bright lighting for their 360 degree videos. I don’t believe it accurately portrays the color of the diamond 100% of the time. I think you would have a lot more homework to do if you limited your search to just BN. Also, unless it’s an in-house or signature diamond, BN has access to the same diamonds as every other online diamond reseller. Why not choose a retailer that can offer an ASET/IS to give you the entire story of a stone’s performance?
 
Gaff said:
I’m not a fan of the K diamonds as I feel they are too yellow. Is there a reason that the J’s from JA look yellow and the ones from BN doesn’t? Are they using different lighting? The diamonds Lorelei posted from hpdiamond and Whiteflash doesn’t show a 360 view and I’m not comfortable with buying a diamond I can only see from top down. I liked the one Lorelei posted from BN tho.

I’m sorry, I feel like I’m being difficult. Let’s keep the budget below 6k and color I and below. 1.2 carat but if you find a beautiful diamond that’s smaller feel free to share it.
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It's just lighting I think and not an accurate representation of body colour or lack thereof with the two vendor's chosen lighting methods.

I wouldn't dismiss the diamonds from HPD or WF out of hand because they don't show a 360 view, I can tell you they'll be superb but go with what you're comfortable with. I've seen a CBI in real life and it was beyond amazing and I've also seen WF diamonds and they are also fantastic.

But it's down to your comfort level and we'll keep looking. I don't know if you saw this one I posted earlier, a beautiful August Vintage Round. I have one of these in an O colour ( 1.06cts), set in white gold and it still faces up white! The diamond I posted is an I colour, top notch cut and it will be stunningly beautiful, take a look. Jon can tell you if it's eye clean to your specifications if interested.


https://www.augustvintageinc.net/co...ct-i-si2-august-vintage-european-cut-74605493
 
Gaff said:
Also, I searched for diamonds within the peremeters you gave me but when I entered the diamond into the HCA it put the diamonds outside of 2. Is this correct?
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That happens sometimes and in our case here, it's nothing to worry about as we will be helping you sort through any stones with images and detailed analysis of the proportions. GIA round the angles so you'll find any 35/41's are going to score >2 because of the potential for being steep/deep. But with images it's not important as such because the images such as ASET/IS are going to show up any issues and if the overall cut precision is good, a few other factors are there and the angles actually are less steep/ deep than the rounding suggests, you could have a fantastic diamond.

For the budget we have we need to cast the net and think outside the box a bit to get you as close to what you want as possible.
 
You are NOT being difficult. I asked the question so give you options that suit you needs.

The WF does have a 360. See arrow below.
upload_2018-4-20_6-52-31.png

For the HPD, you can just email them and request it. They are still working on a website update and have not loaded videos yet. They are very helpful. YOu might also inquire if they have a eyeclean SI2 in an I or above that is in the works (they often know what inventory is coming).

HCA>2. Remember, we are filtering from all the GIA 3x, to those within the parameters posted, to those with an HCA 2, to evaluating and IS/ASET to narrow the thousands to a few worth pursing. Don't despair, it can just take time to find the right one! We are here to help.

https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-di...g-color-si2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-4218080 {This is large and very pretty. But, there are a lot of clouds; contact JA and see if the gemologist can review this for impact from the clouds. If they feel it is unlikely to be an issue, it may be worth request and IS - they only allow 3/email so hand tight to see what else we find; Put on hold while you are deciding)

https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-di...i-color-vs2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-4527321 {need and IS, but quite pretty. Clarity is very good}
 
That's right GF, WF do have a 360, I rarely use it but great stuff pointing it out!
 
Not to get off topic but what diamonds do chain store jewelers (Kay, Zales, etc) usually offer? When I first started looking I browsed their websites and remember seeing i2’s and I-K colors. Is this their common stock? Are all the diamonds they sell that low quality? The reason I ask is if they primarily sell that low quality of diamonds I may be able to drop down a notch in the amount of cut I buy. My gf always remarks how pretty and “how much they sparkle” when we walk through the mall. I’m confident that if I was to buy her a mall diamond she’d love how it sparkles. So instead of buying an ACA diamond I may be able to buy an excellent cut diamond. Not to sound cheap but it’s looking like I might not be able to get the size I’m wanting with my budget. I’m ok with not getting the sparkliest diamond but I do want one that will still catch peoples eyes.

Am I making sense? I guess I’m just trying to say I’m ok with not getting a top of the line cut diamond but I still want it to be a quality cut.
 
Mall diamonds look good because of the lighting. Take them outside or under normal office light and that sparkle will die. If she wants sparkle, that's fire. So, we need to focus on that. WF and HPD and other superideals have it in spades. For other vendors, that translates to eliminate 60/60 stones and look for tables under 37.5 and crowns on the higher end of the ideal end...Nothing 33. We'll keep looking. Good info.
 
Gaff said:
Not to get off topic but what diamonds do chain store jewelers (Kay, Zales, etc) usually offer? When I first started looking I browsed their websites and remember seeing i2’s and I-K colors. Is this their common stock? Are all the diamonds they sell that low quality? The reason I ask is if they primarily sell that low quality of diamonds I may be able to drop down a notch in the amount of cut I buy. My gf always remarks how pretty and “how much they sparkle” when we walk through the mall. I’m confident that if I was to buy her a mall diamond she’d love how it sparkles. So instead of buying an ACA diamond I may be able to buy an excellent cut diamond. Not to sound cheap but it’s looking like I might not be able to get the size I’m wanting with my budget. I’m ok with not getting the sparkliest diamond but I do want one that will still catch peoples eyes.

Am I making sense? I guess I’m just trying to say I’m ok with not getting a top of the line cut diamond but I still want it to be a quality cut.
Click to expand...

As my Fairy says, lighting lighting lighting. These stores are artfully lit so that even frozen mucus will twinkle and put on a performance. This is usual.

Thing is, you want a stone that's going to be lively AWAY from the mall stores and unless you want to spend time weeding out from GIA's that you can find, you'd probably be better buying from a cut oriented vendor to achieve this.

Nothing wrong with not wanting a top of the line cut or the best quality, as long as the proportions are good, you'll still have a blazing rock - and we can help you!
 
What’s a 60/60 stone?

After coming here I realize there’s sparkle then there’s SPARKLE lol.
 
Gaff said:
What’s a 60/60 stone?

After coming here I realize there’s sparkle then there’s SPARKLE lol.
Click to expand...

A 60 60 stone is basically a description for a diamond with a 60% table and a 60% depth. Back in the day, this term was used a lot within the industry and it was believed these proportions made a great looking stone but as we know, it's more complicated than that. However, there are some gorgeous 60 60's out there if the rest of the proportions are good and many love them because of their brilliance, a slightly different flavour if you will.
 
 
Nice selections Gaff! I'm partial to the first James Allen diamond myself, it looks great, lovely numbers and the med blue fluorescence is a nice addition I think.
 
So I’d be safe going with any of the diamonds I listed?
 
Here's the list I'd keep in the running with the notes below in my order of my preference.

1) This is on par in size and price of you JA #1, but superideal. Nuff said. 6.73 mm
https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3956072.htm

2) https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-di...j-color-vs1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-4796586 NEWLY ADDED. This is a lovely diamond with VS1 clarity. It got dinged for a polish detail "Patch of color that is not shown" which is a very very rare note. I have stared at that video for a long time and cannot detect this. This puts this under a caution needs review, but with this size and clarity its would be well worth doing some legwork on this. Nothing on a VS1 is all that visible even with good eyes and magnification. I would put this on hold ASAP if you are interested. While #2 is larger, I would choose this one over #2 for the stunning clarity if that little color can be resolved. {6.80 mm) Oh...and its the biggest in spread.=)2:dance:

3) https://www.jamesallen.com/mobile/l...j-color-vs2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-4589849
We like this one best, but for the same price you can get a super-ideal from WF. To me, that makes this only worthwhile if you you prefer JA. Put on hold and request an IS. (6.73 mm).

4) https://www.jamesallen.com/mobile/l...j-color-vs2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-4628114
I like the higher crown angle here. Good angle. It has both clouds as a clarity setting character and "additional clouds". This needs to be screened by JA gemologist. Request an IS. {6.85 mm) If this is cleared of impact from the clouds, this is my favorite one. (6.85 mm)

5) https://www.jamesallen.com/mobile/l...j-color-si1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-4370078
Excellent angles. But, same caution as the 1.22 above. A lot of clouds need review. In an SI1 this would prevent me from buying unless JA gemologist can review in hand. It otherwise has great angles. This is very well balanced in cut and if the clouds are cleared are solid enough numbers to buy without an IS for me. Whle its bigger than the above, I just don't know if that is worth the clarity. {7.01 mm)

6) https://www.bluenile.com/diamond-details/LD09613760
It has both clouds as a clarity setting character and "additional clouds". The angles are great. So, like the clouds above, it would depend on getting it screened. I put this one below 3 & 5 as it has a dark crystal on the girdle that will only be partially covered by a prong.

ELIMINATE
1.2, https://www.bluenile.com/diamond-details/LD09516823
1.20, Not eye clean enough for me, and you have other options. i'd eliminate.

https://www.bluenile.com/diamond-details/LD09805042
Not eye clean enough for me, and you have other options. i'd eliminate.

https://www.bluenile.com/diamond-details/LD09388949
Excellent angles, though at the edge of acceptable deepness. Strong blue flour needs to be screened for impact on stone. Not my favorite as there is a lot of little stuff in the stone. It thing the others are better options. I'd eliminate. (6.65 mm)

https://www.bluenile.com/diamond-details/LD10191791
For face-up size, this is your best bet. Its a 60/60 style diamond, so that means it will be very brilliant with white light return, but reduced fire. That reduced fire is also not helped by the 33 CA. You have better options.

https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-di...j-color-si1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-3355753
The size on this is larger than both the 1.2s you posted. But, it does have a dark inclusion on the table. That won't work for many. (6.98 mm)
 
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Ok guys, I first want to say what a huge help you all have been for me through this process. I’m sure I would have ended up with a dull diamond if I hadn’t came here for help. Having said that I think I’m down to two final diamonds.

1) https://www.bluenile.com/diamond-de...AMONDS&track=viewDiamondDetails&action=newTab

2) https://www.jamesallen.com/mobile/l...color-si2-clarity-true-hearts-cut-sku-2876562

There were a couple on Whiteflash I liked as well but by the time I order the ring and bought a setting locally it’d push me over my budget. My gf isn’t too fond if any of the settings on WF. And after further discussion she decided she’d rather go down in size to keep “sparkle” than to go bigger, but .9 is as small as she wants. Max budget is 6k.

Which of these 2 diamonds are better? And as always if you can find better options please share.
 
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