Need Help Choosing Loose Diamond for Engagement Ring!

[rogeshoe57]

I am in need of help deciding between these two diamonds that look like good stones. Which would you choose and why? I am leaning toward the 1.54C. I figure to weight color higher than clarity! Since majority of the time you can see yellow tint color opposed to seeing inclusions to the naked eye with a somewhat clean SI1. I also went with strong flourescene to give it some awesome blue light shows in sunlight to give character. I have seen a faint flourescene and it looks very nice light blue in the sunlight. I am unsure how the strong flourescene will look in the sun, but I can imagine it would look terrific. I am also purchasing from online retailer so I am not able to view these in person, but they do have a good return policy. Any other suggestions or possibly not diamonds that you would choose or suggest?

-GIA Round Brilliant ($10300)- Excellent Cut, 1.54C, G Color, SI1, Strong Blue Flourescene, Excellent Symmetry, Very good Polish, 7.35 x 7.39 x 4.58mm, 62.1%/58%

or
-GIA Round Brilliant ($10800)- Excellent Cut, 1.6C, I Color, VVS2, Strong Blue Flourescene, Very Good Symmetry, Excellent Polish, 7.49 x 7.53 x 4.61 mm, 61.4%/59%

 

[rogeshoe57]

Here is the GIA for the 1.6C

 

[honey22]

Think you can do better. I''m off to see if I can track some some nicer stones.

 

[honey22]

http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/A-Cut-Above-H-A-cut-diamond-540907.htm

http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/A-Cut-Above-H-A-cut-diamond-703282.htm

http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/A-Cut-Above-H-A-cut-diamond-676364.htm

http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/A-Cut-Above-H-A-cut-diamond-636608.htm

How about these ones? Not sure of your budget, but you will be a PS discount if you ask. You will also need to confirm these are eyeclean.

These stones will blow the other ones out of the water IMHO.

Good luck!

 

[rogeshoe57]

I looked thru the 4 diamonds you recommended. I was hoping to get a G color diamond rather than I color. Cost differential of the ones you chose isn't as important for me. I can give our take around 10k to 12k. The last two have feathers which i'm kinda hesitant. What makes the diamonds you recommended better in your opinion? I am only have limited knowledge from a few weeks of research. Blue Nile doesn't have some of the H&A reports like Whiteflash or do they? Thanks.

 

[honey22]

Date: 4/4/2008 3:57:46 AM
Author: rogeshoe57
I looked thru the 4 diamonds you recommended. I was hoping to get a G color diamond rather than I color. Cost differential of the ones you chose isn''t as important for me. I can give our take around 10k to 12k. The last two have feathers which i''m kinda hesitant. What makes the diamonds you recommended better in your opinion? I am only have limited knowledge from a few weeks of research. Blue Nile doesn''t have some of the H&A reports like Whiteflash or do they? Thanks.

I will go back and see what they have in G, and H colour just for good measure. These are top cut stones so they will face up whiter and look much sparklier and better than poorer cut stones. The stones you were posted were ok, but these stones are cut much tighter, they will perform better. I would take the I ACA (if eyeclean) over the G stone you posted. Sorry, not meaning to offend, just to help!

You can use the Cut advisor tool http://www.pricescope.com/cutadviser.asp If you put in the numbers for table, crown angle, pavillion angle, and depth (from the certificate) it will give you an idea of how well the stone will perform. You are aiming for stones that fall into the 0 - 2 range. The stones you posted were higher than that, the recommendation gave Ok if the price is right, meaning they are nice stones but for that kind of money you can do better.

WF is in my opinon, the best site for providing lots of info about the stones. If you are looking at ACAs, you don''t even need the cut advisor, they are all great stones. You can narrow down the search to a few and then email Lesley (they are all wonderful, I worked with Lesley) and they will tell you in their honest opinion which is the best for your budget, preferences etc.

Keep posting questions, I am an Aussie so I am up at the moment. I am pretty sure the US is asleep now (?!) but when they wake up you will have lots more great advice too.

 

[honey22]

This would be awesome but I think a bit out of budget, but you get 5% (I think) PS discount. That''s the only G in the ACA range at the moment. The H I posted before would be really nice too.

We could check out Good Old Gold too, but I am not as fast at navigating around their website as I am with WF.

I have a D VS2 ACA and is an incredible stone. I have not heard a single person that is less than thrilled with their ACA so I think you will be be very happy with a H colour stone. If you are not happy though, they have an excellent return policy and you can always upgrade in the future?!

If you are totally set on a G, you can also give WF a call and let them know exactly what you are after. They get new shipments of ACA every few weeks I believe, and they will contact you when they come in. The stone I purchased never went online as I snapped it up before it even had a chance to be advertised, Lesley knew what I wanted and called me when they knew it was coming in. Also an option.

 

[honey22]

http://www.goodoldgold.com./diamond/4043/

http://www.goodoldgold.com./diamond/4229/

http://www.goodoldgold.com./diamond/4228/

http://www.goodoldgold.com./diamond/3659/

The last one is an I SI1 1.7, looks like in budget.

You will need to get others to chime in on these stones. I just just copied and pasted the links, not checked then properly yet.
I am not sure of their cut ratings, etc, as I said, I know WF better, but they are potentials.

I have to go and do some housework, my SO is out there doing the vacuuming, so I better get cracking. I will try and check back later. Try using the HCA on these and see what they come up with?

 

[rogeshoe57]

I actually already purchased this blue nile signature cut stone 1.21C H Color VVS2 for $9500, but wanted to return it and upgrade to a larger carat size with sacrifice of clarity. I was thinking logically, for a women, when they talk to each others ring its all about size bragging rights. Figure throw a nice about of flourescene it would make it more noticeable on a sunny day. I put the diamond into the HCA and it is rated as .7. What are your thoughts? Think I should upgrade or just keep what I have. I really want to give my lady the WOW factor when she is wearing her ring. Her ring size is about a 5 since she is petite girl.

Factor Grade
Light Return Excellent
Fire Excellent
Scintillation Excellent
Spread
or diameter for weight Very Good
Total Visual Performance 0.7 - Excellent
within TIC range

 

[honey22]

Ok, from the numbers the stone looks gorgeous. Normally we would suggest getting an IS image to confirm how it performs. Since you have already bought it, I would say you have two options:

1. keep the stone, have you seen it? If it looks great to your eyes then keep it. With those numbers, even if the IS image is not perfect, it''s still going to be really nice. I would still say this one over the other two larger you posted previously.

2. what is the BlueNile refund policy like? If you can get a full refund and start over, then we can look at other larger stones for you if you really want to get the absolute best cut stone you can.

I don''t want to give you the wrong advice, this is a lot of money! I really would feel better if maybe some others, Ellen, Lorlei, Diamondseeker (just a few off the top of my head, sorry to offend anyone if I have left you off the list) would chime in and give their opinions too. They have been in this game longer so to speak, and they will be able to give some excellent advice.

 

[rogeshoe57]

Honey thank you for all your help thus far. The middle two are out of my budget. The last one 1.7 says it has a cavity which worries me. The 1.55 G SI1 is within budget and seems like a good deal. I have some concerns about the inclusions which include indented natural and feather. From reading about feathers, I worry about them since it is a fracture on the diamond. What do you think?

Light Return Excellent
Fire Excellent
Scintillation Excellent
Spread
or diameter for weight Very Good
Total Visual Performance 1.1 - Excellent
within TIC range

 

[rogeshoe57]

With Blue Nile they do have a full refund policy. That is why I was looking into the other larger diamonds. I never knew about the HCA caculator but will now take it into consideration. Very nice tool.

 

[rogeshoe57]

I looked around some more and found this stone on Blue Nile 1.6 E SI1 rated on HCA as .6! My only concern is where the feather is located which I do not see it on the GIA. How the crystal inclusions are clustered near table. Also how the strong flourescene will make the diamond look, hopefully not cloudy. Let me know your thoughts.

Light Return Excellent
Fire Excellent
Scintillation Excellent
Spread
or diameter for weight Excellent
Total Visual Performance 0.6 - Excellent
within TIC range


http://www.bluenile.com/diamonds_details.asp?__fun_frm=i&track=btntext_viewselect&elem=img&pid=LD01285873&filter_id=0

 

[honey22]

Firstly I better clarify, that a lower score is not necessarily better, you are just looking for a score under 2. From here, you look at IS images to determine the better stone.

From the numbers it looks good, but you will need to check if it''s eyeclean, and see if you can get an IS image. I don''t know how reliable Bluenile is as far as confirming eyeclean.

If you want to make this really easy, I would pick a couple of ACAs and have a chat to Whiteflash to be honest. But if you still want to check out GOG and Bluenile, wait until the states have woken up and then you can get other advice. I feel like you need someone elses opinion before dropping over 10K!!!

Does anyone else have ideas?

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 4/4/2008 5:42:52 AM
Author: rogeshoe57
I looked around some more and found this stone on Blue Nile 1.6 E SI1 rated on HCA as .6! My only concern is where the feather is located which I do not see it on the GIA. How the crystal inclusions are clustered near table. Also how the strong flourescene will make the diamond look, hopefully not cloudy. Let me know your thoughts.

Light Return Excellent
Fire Excellent
Scintillation Excellent
Spread
or diameter for weight Excellent
Total Visual Performance 0.6 - Excellent
within TIC range


http://www.bluenile.com/diamonds_details.asp?__fun_frm=i&track=btntext_viewselect&elem=img&pid=LD01285873&filter_id=0

You are doing a great job Honey!

Roge, this diamond looks to be very promising, you would need someone at BN to carefully evaluate it for you to make sure it matches your comfort level of ''eyecleanliness'' and that the strong blue fluorescence doesn''t have a negative effect on the diamond ( rare.) It would be very useful if we could get an IS image of this diamond, but I don''t think BN offer such services at the moment...

 

[Ellen]

I can''t get that link to take me to the actual diamond , but Lorelei seems to think it''s fine.

The diamond you actually bought may be alright too, but without more info we just can''t tell. Of course if you want a bigger one, no arguments there.

Honestly though, unless you really want to give BN your business, I recommend buying from somewhere that gives you more info. This is a big purchase, and it should be made as painless as possible. jmo

 

[Lorelei]

Try this El...

http://www.bluenile.com/diamonds_details.asp?__fun_frm=i&track=btntext_viewselect&elem=img&pid=LD01285873&filter_id=0

 

[Ellen]

Date: 4/4/2008 7:44:19 AM
Author: Lorelei
Try this El...

http://www.bluenile.com/diamonds_details.asp?__fun_frm=i&track=btntext_viewselect&elem=img&pid=LD01285873&filter_id=0

Thanks you!

Again, could be fine, but no way of knowing for sure. If you do buy from BN, be sure to have an independant appraisor look it over to make sure you got a good cut!

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 4/4/2008 7:50:00 AM
Author: Ellen

Date: 4/4/2008 7:44:19 AM
Author: Lorelei
Try this El...

http://www.bluenile.com/diamonds_details.asp?__fun_frm=i&track=btntext_viewselect&elem=img&pid=LD01285873&filter_id=0

Thanks you!

Again, could be fine, but no way of knowing for sure. If you do buy from BN, be sure to have an independant appraisor look it over to make sure you got a good cut!

Ditto, plenty of time to get an appraisal in as BN have a 30 day return policy.

 

[rogeshoe57]

Thanks guys for all the help. I am going to have BN do a visual on the 1.6 diamond to see if it is milky or cloudy due to the florescene and also see if the inclusions are visuals to naked eye. Which websites would you guys recommended me taking a look at? Do you guys also have more suggestions of specific diamonds like Honey posted earlier? I''m gonna spend some more time looking at GOG and WF websites today.

 

[rogeshoe57]

What is also the best factor to judging cut that I want to look at. I assumed if the GIA said excellent cut and HCA dimensions were good then what else should I look at in reports?

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 4/4/2008 10:03:19 AM
Author: rogeshoe57
What is also the best factor to judging cut that I want to look at. I assumed if the GIA said excellent cut and HCA dimensions were good then what else should I look at in reports?

GIA Excellents can be broad, so you need to carefully evaluate each diamond, I would suggest adding AGS0 cut grade to your search.

Best and easiest way is to use the Pricescope your Diamond tool above. Enter shape, check H&A and AGS0, carat, colour and clarity, then hit in house search. This will bring up some suitable diamonds for you to look at, but if it says no diamonds found, then you can broaden the colour, clarity and price boxes as this should find some.

 

[rogeshoe57]

With the 1.21 H VVS2 Diamond that I already have it comes with a BN Signature Report. Let me show you guys to see what you think.

 

[rogeshoe57]

Here is the other half of the GCAL report.

 

[rogeshoe57]

Perfect. I will use the pricescope tool to look for some in house stones and see what I can dig up.

 

[rogeshoe57]

I wanted to see if someone can look at this GCAL report and tell me how the stone I have is. Thanks. *Bump*

 

[rogeshoe57]

I just got back from Helzberg Diamonds to have my diamond look under a lens. The hearts and arrows look pretty good on the 1.21 that I have from BN. They had this blacked matted bedding where you place your diamond in table side down on one side and table side up on another. Look thru a lens to check H&A. Is this the best way to test cut?

 

[Ellen]

Date: 4/4/2008 10:13:57 PM
Author: rogeshoe57
I just got back from Helzberg Diamonds to have my diamond look under a lens. The hearts and arrows look pretty good on the 1.21 that I have from BN. They had this blacked matted bedding where you place your diamond in table side down on one side and table side up on another. Look thru a lens to check H&A. Is this the best way to test cut?

I always looked through a special H&A viewer to see them. Seeing those, plus knowing the numbers will tell you how well a stone is cut.

The stone you have right now looks very nice.


You had asked for other suggestions, so here's a few. I like the G honey found, you could talk to Jon about the inclusions.

http://goodoldgold.com/diamond/4043/

http://goodoldgold.com/diamond/2688/

http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/A-Cut-Above-H-A-cut-diamond-636607.htm# Need to ask about eyclean.

 

[cwj]

One other thing to think about, does B/N have a upgrade policy? If u are already thinking of going bigger then when(what does p/s calls it?)DSS sets in your be glad they have a upgrade policy. I''m not sure what the actual Letters are, but it means that after a little while your diamond seems to get smaller! And it doesn''t take all that long to happen!!

cwj

 

[Ellen]

Date: 4/5/2008 8:29:00 AM
Author: cwj
One other thing to think about, does B/N have a upgrade policy? If u are already thinking of going bigger then when(what does p/s calls it?)DSS sets in your be glad they have a upgrade policy. I''m not sure what the actual Letters are, but it means that after a little while your diamond seems to get smaller! And it doesn''t take all that long to happen!!

cwj

lol It''s DSS, Diamond Shrinkage Syndrome.

And that''s a good point.