Need Advice on Diamond Purchase...grading report below..help!

[Richard1]

I've never bought a diamond before...wife picked out her own engagement ring...was going to buy the following for diamond stud earnings...what do you think of what I've picked out and the pricing? The grading reports for each diamond are below...was going to have each set in a white gold three prong setting Thank you!







Price: $838 $978



Carat weight: 0.41 0.41



Cut: Ideal Ideal



Color: F F



Clarity: VS2 VS2


Depth %: 61.6% 61.4%



Table %: 56.0% 56.0%



Polish: Excellent Excellent



Symmetry: Very Good Very Good



Girdle: Medium to Slightly Thick Thin to Medium, Faceted



Culet: None None



Fluorescence: None Medium Blue



Measurements: 4.75x 4.80x 2.94 mm 4.76x 4.81x 2.94 mm

 

[valeria101]

The ''Ideal'' cut label should be based on proportions - and those are not present on GIA reports. It is possible that the seller has selected diamonds for brilliance or they may have never seen these diamonds (if they are not in the store''s stock but on a wholesaler''s list) and just named them. It happens... if you do not question this quality, no one will.

The proper certification of cut quality comes with a premium, so if these have not received it and are claimed ''ideal cut'' no wonder the price sounds nice. Only the comparison to certified ''ideals'' may not be fair.

Sure enough, ever bit of information you have sounds good. Online, I would need more to tell cut quality. If these are in a local shop so that they can be inspected in person you could learn to check this to some extent.

My 2c

 

[Richard1]

thank you...i''ll follow up with seller...but how does one know if it''s really ideal?

 

[belle]

if nothing else, they look like a great match!
''ideal'' is only what the seller defines it as. both stones have very nice proportions, but there is no way to determine overall cut quality without more information (such as crown/pavilion angles). based on only the information you have provided, i bet they would make a beautiful pair of earrings.

 

[Richard1]

thanks....these are from bluenile so if she doesnt like, i can return. i am not trying to get a bargain..just trying not to get ripped.

 

[valeria101]

Date: 12/24/2005 1:10:35 PM
Author: Richard1
thank you...i''ll follow up with seller...but how does one know if it''s really ideal?

To each his own... but there is a standard by the AGS lab based on combinations of crown and pavilion angles. GIA will start giving a cut grade early next year too.

Other ''ideals'' are related to various tools of measuring light return an brilliance (ISee2, Brilliance Scope etc.).

Oddly enough, these systems are based on some relatively straightforward model that explains the brightness of a diamond through tracking the reflection of light between the crown and pavilion angles. It is the relation between these two that has to match so that most light meeting the diamond is reflect back to the viewer.

The different systems attempt to ''guess'' what is best and interpret small details in slightly different way. And sell their wisdom at slightly (or not so slightly) different price tags.


It is probably not worth the time trying to understand what each system does, which is better etc. The cut grading by lab reports is the most cost effective, IMO - since no one seller has ownership of the ''brand''. In this, I am mostly thinking of AGS for now, I am less familiar with the definition of other lab''s cut grades and ... if the lab has lesser reputation for the basic color and clarity grades the trade off becomes a pain.

And you can also do your own using a couple of simple tools that can approximate the more sophisticated procedures used by the above following the same methods (i.e. finding the right balance of crown and pavilion angles, and/or viewing areas of light return in a controlled setting that allows to visualize the way light is reflected by diamonds - something allot more simple than it sounds)

The DIY cut grading is presented pretty well on this forum: check the ''Cut Adviser'' under ''Tools'' above and www.ideal-scope.com.

Hope this helps

 

[valeria101]

Date: 12/24/2005 1:40:11 PM
Author: Richard1
thanks....these are from bluenile so if she doesnt like, i can return. i am not trying to get a bargain..just trying not to get ripped.

I was trying to see if any cut graded stuff turns out at similar prices, and it does.... because BN charges a bit more for their stuff in general.

Here''s the things:

basically... same price and grades, more info about cut. The same settings are available everywhere these days. These turned up on the ''Cut Quality Search'' above.

 

[Richard1]

I gave her the printout from BlueNile of the earrings...she is very happy. But, I'm also considering getting her (please dont hate me) very light blue of cultured/manufactured Gemesis diamond earings.

Has anyone on here done so and what did they think?

 

[valeria101]

Date: 12/25/2005 10:39:18 AM
Author: Richard1
I gave her the printout from BlueNile of the earrings...she is very happy. But, I'm also considering getting her (please dont hate me) very light blue of cultured/manufactured Gemesis diamond earrings.

Has anyone on here done so and what did they think?

Good question... I wanted to and quit. The 'high tech' feel of the product seemed glamorous for a short while. But those are not exactly a bargain and the colors are not so striking (grayish blue, basically). If you wanted something blue, sapphire looks nicer by orders of magnitude. If either of you is very passionate about having blue diamonds, well, are they?

My 2c.


In the end, it is not out of the question that I'd ever sample Takara or some other brand of synthetic diamonds, but for now the blues are rather dark and surreal looking. I've asked about lighter color - comparable with natural 'fancy blue' and the answer was that such color is feasible but not done because it is less in demand. Who knows...


For a pair of matched fancy colors... how bad is this? There is more where these come from, and elsewhere. Just trying to figure out what would I think such diamonds were if a colleague might show up with a pair of blues set in simple studs... at work. The first thought would be 'weird looking sapphire', the second 'fakes'. Light pink or yellow would work. Vivid blue... not really - unless there is some elaborate setting involved and definitely not casual Friday either.

 

[Richard1]

Thank you...that is one big surprise to me is that while a blue manufactured diamond is of course much less than a real blue diamond, it is certainly no less expensive than a natural "white" diamond. But, I think they are really cool looking and a nice change for the basic studs, which are a bit of a cliche.

 

[valeria101]

Date: 12/25/2005 11:09:58 AM
Author: Richard1
Thank you...that is one big surprise to me is that while a blue manufactured diamond is of course much less than a real blue diamond, it is certainly no less expensive than a natural 'white' diamond. But, I think they are really cool looking and a nice change for the basic studs, which are a bit of a cliche.

Fancy shape diamonds may be a more straight forward non-cliche version. Thinking of Asschers, emerald cuts, marquises and pears... I can't even remember when I've seen the last pair of marquise cut diamond earrings, and they are so flattering!

Many complain that the non-symmetric shapes turn on the ear. But there are settings with the stud placed on the edge (i.e on the tip of the pear, not the middle of the long diameter) which prevent this nicely.

Just an idea...

 

[Richard1]

By way of update, I elected to order from two .39 round H&A, H, VS2s, set in white gold, from WhiteFlash. I''ll let you know how they look.