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My final conclusions: Am I ready?

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Babylon1023

Rough_Rock
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May 28, 2002
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Even though it will be SEVERAL months before I buy the ring, I decided it was in my best interest to figure out what I wanted ahead of time. You guys have been a great help in this, and I want to thank you all. What I want to do now is tell you what I've decided, and I would appreciate comments and/or dissentions to what I've decided. If I made the wrong assumption somewhere, let me know so I don't regret it later.

My goal was to find a beautifully cut diamond that sparkled like crazy, had no inclusions whatsoever that was visible to the unaided eye, and was completely white with no traces of yellow that was noticable to the average person. I don't care what it looks like under a loupe or to a gemologist, just as long as it "looks perfect" to my future fiance. Well, here goes.

Size: 1 carat

Color: H - Is it true that the average person can see no yellow in an H graded diamond? An I grade was just too contested for me so I feel an H would be a safe bet for icy whiteness.

Clarity: VS2 - As with the I color grade, SI1 was just too contested on whether or not you can see inclusions without a microscope. I figure she will be staring closely at this thing endlessly, and the last thing I want is for some ugly inclusion to ruin its beauty. I figure a VS2 would be a safe bet for the look of perfection. (Or am I overreacting here because an SI1 size inclusion would be too small to be considered ugly or undesirable?)

Cut: Obviously I want the cut to be perfect, or at least to look perfect. I will definitely keep the total depth percentage between 60 to 63 percent, but the table I'm unsure about. Although most "Ideal cut" definitions say the table must fall between 54 and 57 percent, I've seen many diamonds with great depth and a 58 percent table with a decent discount for falling just outside the "Ideal" parameters. My question is, will I even notice the difference between a 55% and a 58% table? Many have said no, so I'll take my discount unless somebody here disagrees. PS- Don't worry, I will obtain Sarin reports before the final purchase to run it through the HCA, but since I've seen so many GIA certed diamonds I figure a simple table/depth percentage examination will have to do for the preliminary picking and choosing.

Polish/Symmetry: I know this belongs in cut but I wanted to draw attention to this one more time. I'll choose a Very Good/Very Good if I can, but IF I HAVE TO, will there be ANY noticable difference if either the Polish, the Symmetry, or BOTH have just a Good rating? I'll reiterate that microscopic perfection means nothing to me, only what it looks like.

Setting: I'm gonna go for a traditional style thin band 18K gold ring with a platinum six prong setting. Personally, I don't know what all the rave is over platinum.


Well guys, that's what I think I've decided. PLEASE BY ANY MEANS let me know if I've made a wrong assumption here. The last thing I want is to skimp out on something important or dump money into something I'll never notice. Thanks a lot for your help guys, I really look forward to hearing what you think, and please feel free to comment on anything you feel is important. I could use the reassurance.
 

Jess

Rough_Rock
Joined
Dec 20, 2001
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91
Babylon,
You have really done your homework! Personally, I can handle I SI1, but then, I am the girl and a tiny bit of yellow and a tiny inclusion is ok with me. Let us know when you do find "the one"!
:wavey:
Oh yeah, I think the difference between excellent and good in polish and symmetry is microscopic, but wait on an expert to tell you that.
 

Caratz

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Jun 4, 2002
Messages
222
You really have done your homework!

I came to the same conclusion as you did about VS2/SI1.

Regarding table percentage: Yes, you can find a beautifully stunning bright diamond with a 58%-59% table, and you can save some money in the process. Personally I like a diamond with more fire, which translates to a smaller table and steeper crown angles. It's a question of taste, whether you prefer rainbows or white light.

My only comment on color is how it ties in to your choice of ring. Personally I like gold better than platinum, but if you want an icy white look, I think the conventional wisdom is to stay away from yellow gold. It's hard to appreciate a diamond's relative colorlessness when it is set in a ring made of yellow metal.

Let us know what you end up choosing!
 

BEDAZZLED

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Sep 8, 2001
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115
Wow...you are easy to please, Jess.

Most of my friends, myself and my sisters would only look at F, VS stones. After all, we the "girls" have to look at the ring every day. Personally, I did not want to see any yellow or any inclusions. I have friends that chose to get less carat weight just to get these parameters. My sisters and I were fortunate to get large stones, F, VS... the boys looked upon it as an investment.
 

BEDAZZLED

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Sep 8, 2001
Messages
115
Which table size produces rainbows?

Which table size produces white light?

Re: PLAT

I much prefer white gold. PLAT is too heavy and it scratches very easily. It is also expensive. I'd rather use the money for the "rock". My sister already destroyed her PLAT ring and she only has it 3 years.
 

Jess

Rough_Rock
Joined
Dec 20, 2001
Messages
91
Well, the thing is, I know that there is a tight budget involved and I want yellow gold anyway. I am much more concerned with how the rock sparkles and shows the rainbow than I am with having a totally flawless stone. I have looked at SI1's and not seen a thing. If it can be hidden with a prong, then I don't care. you know, I would really take a ring pop if that was what he could afford:love:
 

Caratz

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Jun 4, 2002
Messages
222
Bedazzled, according to the tutorials on this site, cuts with smaller table sizes and steeper crown angles produce more fire/rainbows. There is no real boundary between "fire cuts" and "brilliance cuts" to my knowledge, but I think that if you like rainbows, you should look for a table under 56 and a crown angle greater than or equal to 35 degrees.

Oldminer, did I get it right???
 

Babylon1023

Rough_Rock
Joined
May 28, 2002
Messages
54
Here's a question, which diamond would be the better choice, assuming depth percentages are all nominal (60.1-62.8%) with a VS2 clarity:


1.00-1.05 carat I color w/Ideal (54-56%) table (cheapest of the three)
.90-.95 carat H color w/Ideal (54-56%) table
1.00-1.05 carat H color w/Very Good (58-59%) table


That's the kind of choice I'm faced with now. Which cut would be the least noticable: size, color, or table size? I want a firey white diamond, but I do have a budget to maintain. Can I cut any of these aspects without noticing the difference, or will a cut in any of those categories have a noticably bad impact? Which factor would fall into the "I'll never notice the difference" category? Also, some of the cheaper diamods only have a Good/Good rating on the Polish/Symmetery, but you guys DID say that means nothing outside of a loupe, RIGHT?
 

Jess

Rough_Rock
Joined
Dec 20, 2001
Messages
91
I think it has been proven that I am not as picky as others here but I would go for the 1st one. I color doesnt bother me and if the price difference is substantial, I don't think going up one color grade will be important. Have you seen any I color diamonds set in platinum (that is what you wanted, right?). Did it bother you? My 2 cents!
 

Caratz

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Jun 4, 2002
Messages
222
Babylon, what do you mean when you say you want a "fiery white" diamond? I assume that you mean a lot of light, a lot of sparkle. But what do you want the light to look like? Do you want to see mostly white light? Or would you rather see white, blue, purple, green and red all at once?
 

Babylon1023

Rough_Rock
Joined
May 28, 2002
Messages
54
I definitely want fire and sparkle. I love the rainbow effect well cut diamonds produce, and I think it's the primary thing that sets them apart from lifeless mall jeweler stock. By white I primarily meant a white (clear) diamond with no traces of yellow that's noticable to the average person. I don't need a D color grade as I'm not a purist, but I want it to look like perfection and not yellow tinted mall junk. What I think I'll do now is stay out of the 1.00 carat+ range and stick with the .92-.99 carat sizes to get the lower tables and colorlessness I want. I'm looking at tables between 54 and 56 pecent for the rainbow effect, as it seems to be a good compromise between fire and brilliance. Sound like a good idea?
 

Caratz

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Jun 4, 2002
Messages
222
I feel the same way as you do!

Just make sure that the crown angle is steep. The fire comes from the combination of the smaller table and the steeper angle. Do you know the crown angles for those stone?
 

Babylon1023

Rough_Rock
Joined
May 28, 2002
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54
Not really (most are GIA certed), although I can get a Sarin report for any diamond I was seriously intereseted in, but since that won't be for about a year I'm not going to torture them for reports on diamonds that will be sold by the time I can afford them. However, they few AGS graded ones they had checked out well on the HCA, so I'm not terribly worried about that for now. However, I think I'm happy with what is now my final conclusion on the matter, as follows:

Size: 1 carat general (.92-1.06 for the most part)
Color: H (It's white & clear to the average joe/jane, G price jump seems pointless)
Clarity: VS2 (however if there is a good SI1 I can have them look it over)
Cut: Ideal, 60-62.8% depth, 54-56% table, good HCA score
Polish/Symmetry: Good/Good
Setting: 18K Yellow Gold thin band w/ Platinum 6 prong setting

Are there ANY disagreements here? Speak now or forever... wait a sec, that comes AFTER the ring. My bad :rolleyes:
 

dolemite

Rough_Rock
Joined
Jun 11, 2002
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5
pending your budget, i would look into an F, a lot of jewelers will tell you that you can only tell the difference between an F and H when they are side by side. I know my woman and I can gaurantee her ring will be "side by side" w/her girlfriends one day, so the jeweler is right in that you can only see the color diff. when there side by side, but take what I just said above w/ a grain of salt. my .02..if your budget can't swing it, all your specs are on target. :))
 

Babylon1023

Rough_Rock
Joined
May 28, 2002
Messages
54
Thanks for the advice, but trust me none of her friends would have anything better than what she's getting :) As long as it looks white and yellow free to her, that's what counts.
 

larry

Rough_Rock
Joined
Mar 7, 2002
Messages
85
With all of the research you have done I don't think you can go wrong.

:))
 
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