Narrowed down my diamond choices to 2, help me pick! Mainly concerned with cut

[shawers]

I've spent the last few days tirelessly researching diamonds for my girlfriend's engagement ring. I’ve narrowed down my choices to 2 options here. I am mainly concerned about the cut and the visual performance, and as I am ordering online, I won't be able to see it in person until I receive it. Ideally, I want to get it right on my first try and avoid the hassle of having to return.

#1:
https://www.bluenile.com/diamond-details/LD10449009

GIA: 6291023459
61.10% depth, 56.00% table, 34.00° crown angle, 40.60° pavilion angle
0.6 HCA
Additional video (for some reason this is a really bad quality video):
https://diamanti.s3.amazonaws.com/video/Vision360.html?d=181035-272

#2:
https://www.adiamor.com/Diamonds/1.51-ct-H-IF-Affinity-Cut-Round-Diamond/D41734727

GIA: 6295131685
62% depth, 55% table, 34.5° crown angle, 40.6° pavilion angle
0.8 HCA

#1 is actually about $2000 cheaper than #2 after price match.
I want to go with #1, but my main concern is that the HCA value is too low, and the angles are too shallow. After researching about shallow angles and possible obstruction, this seems on the low end and I'm a bit scared to pull the trigger on this one.
#2 looks really good to me, I like the color (seems clearer than other H's I've looked at), and I feel good about those angles, but it is the more expensive option.

In terms of visual performance, which one do you guys reckon will do better?

 

[Dancing Fire]

Just going by the specs I'll take #2.

 

[Rpb]

I agree, # 2 would be my choice too

 

[rockysalamander]

Do you want to share your budget ro see if we have any others to suggest?

 

[TreeScientist]

I also agree with #2 being the better choice of the two. There looks to be some obstruction issues with the 1st diamond judging by the dark areas around the outer arrow tips. #2 appears OK from the photo and video in this regard, but it's really hard to determine obstruction issues without seeing the diamond in person up close.

Is there any reason you're going with IF clarity? If there's no cultural reasons for it, then I think the money could be better spent by going up in color and dropping the clarity to the VS/SI level, or going with an overall cheaper stone that is H/VS.

Here's three suggestions that wouldn't suffer from any obstruction issues if you're OK with dropping slightly below 1.5 carats:
https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3950139.htm
https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3983288.htm (pretty close to 1.5 carats from a size perspective )
https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3997093.htm

 

[rockysalamander]

#2 of those you posted.

I also like this one a bit more with a slightly higher crown angle than your #2. Might be a better price.
https://www.bluenile.com/diamond-de...AMONDS&track=viewDiamondDetails&action=newTab

This would gain you quite a bit of size and may also be a bit less.
https://www.bluenile.com/diamond-de...AMONDS&track=viewDiamondDetails&action=newTab

 

[shawers]

Thanks for your suggestions guys, I’ll take a look at work. My budget is around 8-12k.

As for the clarity, I am hoping to go with at least a VVS2. Main reason I was going for IF is for peace of mind, I’m hoping to have then diamond ready so I can propose on a certain date (already got the ring being made), don’t want to receive a diamond with any deal-breaker inclusions (I know there shouldn’t be any for VS or above, but I just want that peace of mind that I’m getting a clean diamond) and have to go through the whole returning and searching process again. Going for IF also helped me filter down my results significantly and limit the diamonds for me to look at, when I was looking it seemed like going down to VVS1 and even VVS2 to some extent didn’t really affect the price too much anyways, so I just thought why not just look at the best clarity and pick from those.

I am already pretty happy with the color (going to be set in yellow gold, so H should be more than enough) and the size (1.4-1.6 is good for me), so my main concern would be the clarity and the performance of the cut. Saving some money is always good though.

 

[TreeScientist]

Ah, well now that you said it will be set in yellow gold, then I totally agree that H is sufficient. In fact, I really like the I/VS1 posted by @rockysalamander.
https://www.bluenile.com/diamond-de...AMONDS&track=viewDiamondDetails&action=newTab

Better cut than your original two choices, cheaper than the second option, and it is completely eye-clean. Trust me, if you can see something in that VS1, then I really want to steal your eyes. I need to do most of my work under a microscope, which can be rather annoying after 8-9 hours at the bench. If I could see things at 20X resolution (which is what it would take to see an inclusion in that diamond) then I would never need to hunch over a microscope again!

But I guess it depends on if you wanted to save $1k over option #2 that you posted. I personally like both, so it's totally up to you.

 

[shawers]

Ah, well now that you said it will be set in yellow gold, then I totally agree that H is sufficient. In fact, I really like the I/VS1 posted by @rockysalamander.

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

OK cool, thanks! I will consider this one and see if I can get a better price. I’ve found that typically with some searching I can find BN’s diamonds on other sites and get a price match, and end up saving like 20%. At the price as is, I think I’d still go with #2 for the upgrade in color and clarity, but more likely than not I can find a better price for BN to price match.

Question though, this one has a ring around the center from the picture as well (like #1). Is that also obstruction?

 

[rockysalamander]

Hmmm...my worry for you would be that BN does not own any stones, so any opiions they offer will be based on the reports videos. While "I" might be good, "I" is a broader band than the higher colors (the color bands get wider as you go down the range). With your budget and goals, do have a good look at WF. If it turns out your girl is color sensitive, you'd have the option to swap with little additional funds over at WF. At BN, you'd have to spend double.

WF can actually pull stones for you and compare them. With your description above, this seems very good.
www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3961913.htm

I'd ask to compare to this one.
https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-1466947.htm

Since the ring is made already, make sure you buy a stone within the spread of the ring that it is made to accommodate.

Totally agree with @TreeScientist. IF is certainly a sure thing, but most would be hard-pressed to see anything in a VS1 and ever most VS2. One of my OEC diamonds is an SI1 and even under 10x, its hard to find the inclusion.