NEED HELP BETWEEN TWO STONES! Clarity vs Value question...

[ErikaD]

Hi All!

I'm new to the forum but always read the posts here. Thankfully I'm now in the position of talking with my boyfriend about buying a ring. I've spent a lot of time searching and found two diamonds from Blue Nile that MAY be potentials. At first I was looking at 2+ carats but then was told that many SI2s of that size normally are not eye clean.

I've now changed my parameters a bit in order to have a somewhat eye clean diamond. I spoke with a Blue Nile associate s few days ago and she let me know that the diamond below (1.84) is an eye clean SI1. I had her forward me a picture of it with 10X magnification and was surprised to see a black crystal almost dead in the middle of the table of the diamond. It's a GREAT value st $14,700 and if it's eye clean I'll tell my BF about it. But...the picture made me nervous despite it being eye clean. Could I get some professional opinions here? I will try to post the pic but below is the link and the specs.

The other one is a VS2 and is eye clean as well. It's $2500 more and has not much in the center of the table and some twinning wisps on the edges. I've heard that this is a better inclusion to have.

PLEASE HELP ME DECIDE WHAT IS BETTER TO CHOOSE? Are both good? I just don't know. I'd hate for my BF to spend $2500 more for no reason....

FIRST ONE (SI1..black crystal)

http://www.bluenile.com/round-diamond-1-carat-ideal-cut-h-color-si1-clarity_LD03480228

Stock number: LD03480228
Price: $14,721
Price per carat: $8,001
Carat weight: 1.84
Cut: Ideal
Color: H
Clarity: SI1
Depth %: 59.6%
Table %: 61%
Polish: Excellent
Symmetry: Excellent
Girdle: Medium to Slightly Thick
Culet: None
Fluorescence: Faint
Measurements: 8.00 x 7.94 x 4.75 mm

SECOND ONE (VS2 Twinning Wisps)

http://www.bluenile.com/round-diamond-1-carat-ideal-cut-h-color-vs2-clarity_LD03487585


Stock number: LD03487585
Price: $17,044
Price per carat: $9,066
Carat weight: 1.88
Cut: Ideal
Color: H
Clarity: VS2
Depth %: 62.3%
Table %: 55%
Polish: Excellent
Symmetry: Very Good
Girdle: Thin to Medium
Culet: None
Fluorescence: Medium
Measurements: 7.92 x 7.90 x 4.93 mm

Thank You!!!

 

[tyty333]

Re: NEED HELP BETWEEN TWO STONES! Clarity vs Value question.

Where is the picture?

 

[ErikaD]

Re: NEED HELP BETWEEN TWO STONES! Clarity vs Value question.

Having trouble posting picture bc I'm on my iPad. No computer available for a few days. But picture someone took a thin paintbrush a drew a small black somewhat thick wisp on the table. Not long. Short and center diamond.

 

[Christina...]

Re: NEED HELP BETWEEN TWO STONES! Clarity vs Value question.

I would eliminate the first stone based on it's cut proportions alone. The inclusion would be secondary to me. The second stone is a better option in my opinion.

 

[ErikaD]

Re: NEED HELP BETWEEN TWO STONES! Clarity vs Value question.

Explain what you mean about cut proportions. I thought this was an "ideal cut" by GIA?

 

[teobdl]

Re: NEED HELP BETWEEN TWO STONES! Clarity vs Value question.

The table of the first stone is huuuuge (61%). Keep the table under 58%. That table plus the shallower depth (<60%) strongly indicates that the crown and pavillion angles won't be able match up together well to give desired light performance.

 

[Christina...]

Re: NEED HELP BETWEEN TWO STONES! Clarity vs Value question.

Sorry, your right, I should have explained further in my initial post. GIA has a rather large proportion base that can be considered EX under their cut standards. Many people feel that the range is too broad and includes some proportions that are less than ideal. AGS, for instance has a much tighter criteria than GIA does. we recommend that when selecting a diamond from large virtual lists that you run the proportions thru the HCA. https://www.pricescope.com/tools/hca This tool was designed to help people create a short list of stones that are worthy of further investigation. If a stone you are interested in score below a 2, then it's predicted to have optimal light performance. We suggest disregarding stones that score over 2 in most instances. HCA is ONLY a rejection tool, not a selection tool. It should not be used to make a final selection. Once you have found a stone that scores under 2, we would then recommend getting an ideal scope image of the stone. Ideal scope images are a reflector technology that allows us to see if the stone has any leakage under or around the table of the stone. BN doesn't offer these, which is the problem in the case...your first choice score a 2.4 (I believe) and you can not get any additional information to confirm it's performance.

Your first stone choice is what is considered a 60/60 type cut. It has a large table and shallow crown with a steep pavilion angle. When you view your stone from the side it will appear flatter than other more traditional ideal cuts. Some people find them appealing because they do tend to be bright stones and face up larger than other stones of the same ct weight. However there can be a downside in that they don't have the same balance of white and colored light that a more traditional TIC type stone does and IMO are less attractive when viewed from the side.

Here is a short article on 60/60 type cuts
https://www.pricescope.com/wiki/diamonds/60-60-proportioned-diamond


ETA: your second stone on the other hand is a more traditional ideal cut, with a smaller table, higher crown angle and a shallower pavilion. The angles all work well together and should produce a nice balance of both white and colored light, perhaps leaning more toward colored light return.

teobdl touched on the inverse relationship of crown and pavilion angles...if your interested you can read more here...

http://www.diamond-cut.com.au/03_inverse_relationship.htm

 

[ErikaD]

Re: NEED HELP BETWEEN TWO STONES! Clarity vs Value question.

That was a great detailed response. Thank you so much. It really helps in making my decision bc I'm really more concerned about ideal cuts as I would like the best in cut. I did the HCA for vs2 and it scored a 1.3. Excellent in the first 3 categories And very good in the last. It seems like a much better stone now that i see this.

Any opinions on fluorescence? At this point I'm beginning to find that it's not a problem for me...the more I research it.

 

[Christina...]

Re: NEED HELP BETWEEN TWO STONES! Clarity vs Value question.

I don't have any issue with stones with fluorescence, in fact many people here prefer and actively seek it out. You may find this article about fluor. from a popular trades journal interesting.

oops, forgot to include the original link..

http://www.jckonline.com/1998/09/01/will-gia-s-study-finally-settle-fluorescence-question-don-t-count-on-it


ETA a couple more links, if you're interested...

http://4csblog.gia.edu/2012/understanding-diamond-fluorescencehttp://www.jckonline.com/1998/09/01/

https://www.pricescope.com/journal/blue_fluorescence_diamonds