Need Help In Buying A Diamond!

[msbennie]

Hi all...been a lurker for a while and need your help to assist my fiance (DF) and I in selecting a diamond for my engagement ring. DF originally purchased my first engagement ring from Helzberg. At that time, neither he or I were educated about diamonds. To make a long story short, we discovered that he purchased a bad diamond. It had the following specs:
Shape: Round Brilliant
Weight: 1.13 carats
Clarity: I-1
Color: G-H
Pol/Sym: Good/Good
Meas: 6.62 x 6.58 x 4.12mm
Cost: $4999.00
I don''t have any other information on this diamond, e.g. girdle, cutlet, fluorescence, etc. Anyway, we have since returned the diamond and received a full refund of our money and are now in a serious diamond purchasing mode....wedding is December, 2004.
We''re looking for the following specs:
Size: 1.15 - 1.25
Shape: Round Brilliant
Color: G, H, I...but mostly H
Clarity: VS2-SI1
Depth: 59%-63%
Table: 53% - 62%
Girdle: Thin to Thick
Cutlet: None-Medium
Polish: Excellent to Very Good
Symmetry: Excellent to Very Good
Florescence: None to Faint
QUESTION: Do you think it would make a big difference if we went for the SI1 instead of VS2...keeping in mind that we want to stay within range of the other specs mentioned?
Thanks so much and we would truly appreciate your assistance...especially from Wink!

 

[Giangi]

Hi Bennie and welcome!

To answer your first question, some SI 1's are wonderful (take Mara's diamond, for example), others are not so clean. In order to source a good one, I'd advise you to ask for magnified pictures and visual eye-balling of the stones you are considering.




Just for curiosity, here are some stones matching your requirements -- they are ACA Superideals H&A. Stones in the quality you are considering seem to be in the $5.5-8K




http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/A-Cut-Above-H-A-cut-diamond-586207.htm --> 1.11 H/SI 1




http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/A-Cut-Above-H-A-cut-diamond-685915.htm --> 1.21 H/SI 1




http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/A-Cut-Above-H-A-cut-diamond-665656.htm --> 1.25 H/SI 2




http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/A-Cut-Above-H-A-cut-diamond-714344.htm --> 1.14 I/VS 2




http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/A-Cut-Above-H-A-cut-diamond-608467.htm --> 1.11 H/VS 2




http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/A-Cut-Above-H-A-cut-diamond-586204.htm --> 1.11 G/SI 1




http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/A-Cut-Above-H-A-cut-diamond-703949.htm --> 1.14 G/SI 1


---


This is a very nice 1.18 G/SI 1 from NiceIce inventory --> http://www.niceice.com/certcopies/gia13353355/index.htm

 

[Lynn B]

I definitely second what Giangi said about the "eye-clean" factor. There can be vast differences among SI stones. But there are BEAUTIES (and great buys!) out there to be found. A reputable dealer (like all of our PS ones!

) are your best resource if you are buying online. After the purchase, you can always have it sent to an independent appraiser for validation.

Remember that crown and pavilion angles are crucial. You didn't list any of those in your "range of desired specs" (wish list!

).

My last advice is to keep looking at stones... all kinds of stones... then you will be in a much better position to understand and appreciate how a well-cut stone should/will perform.

And don't forget to enjoy! This should be FUN!

Lynn

 

[msbennie]

Sorry I didn't include this in my original message:

Crown Height: 13.1 - 16.2%
Pavilion Angle: 40.5 - 41.7 Degrees
Pavilion Depth: 42.2 - 44.8%
Cut Grade: 0-2

I didn't mentioned this initially, because most of the reports that I've seen at the internet stores do not mention these. By the way, I noticed that Whiteflash was mentioned many times and I like this store but it is located in Texas and I would have to pay sales tax...looking for a company based outside of Texas.....

Thanks again for all of your comments and suggestions...look forward to more...we need all of the help we can get!

 

[Lynn B]

----------------
I didn't mentioned this initially, because most of the reports that I've seen at the internet stores do not mention these.

Actually, Bennie, most of the internet stores do indeed mention these crucial angles. Sometimes you may have to click on a link within the page to see a sarin or megascope report, etc., but 9 times out of 10, that info is there!

That's one of the benefits of shopping online. (Versus a lot of B&M's that can't/don't provide this info.)

Lynn

 

[msbennie]

Ok all...I found this laser inscribed AGS diamond..tell me what you think!!!!

Shape BR
Color Grade I
Clarity Grade SI1
Weight 1.208
Measurments 6.91 - 6.92 x 4.22 mm
Proportions
Depth 61.1%
Table 56%
Girdle 1.2-1.7
Culet PT
Crown Angle 35.000
Pavilion Angle 40.900
Finish
Polish IDEAL
Symmetry IDEAL
Fluorescence N
Cash price per stone $5,556.80

 

[Lynn B]

Hi Bennie,

I ran it through the HCA and it scored "EX/VG/VG/VG, 1.8 Excellent, within TIC range." At first glance, I thought the crown angle might be just a TAD steep... but it sure scored great on the HCA. So I'll the experts chime in here for you on that for far better advice and input!

I tried to run it through the DIY cut grader at gemappraisers.com but I didn't have anough #'s. You probably do, though, so you could check that out. You want a score there as close to 1A as possible!

I like the size, and it's nice and ROUND, that's for sure! Great parameters. Do you have any photos, etc., to post?

Lynn

PS I LOVE laser inscribed stones... I just think that is soooo cool!

And I'm just geeky enough to admit that I have my stone's AGS cert number and inscription memorized!!!

 

[msbennie]

Hi Lynn, I ran the diamond through the cut grading report and it graded out at a 1B primarily because of the pavilion depth which was 43.3...the max for ideal is 43.2. However, I have two other diamonds that I ran through and they graded at 1A...but they're both "j" in color. With the ring size that I want as well as our budget, I will probably have to resort to a "J" color which I'm told is the last of the near colorless. However, if I have a "great" cut, it may not make too much of a difference! Also, looks like I'm going to have to go with an SI1...if I want to keep my desired size which is 1.20.....Thanks so much for your mentioning of the "cut grading report"....never heard of it. I just love Pricescope, this site has helped me immensely in my search for the perfect diamond...of course within our price range!

 

[motcs]

Lynn, you mentioned in your last comment that the diamond was "nice and ROUND". I'm just curious, how can you tell based on the specifications if a diamond is round -- meaning "perfectly" round? I'm a newbie to this site, and have only yesterday started my diamond hunt, so I apologize if this is a stupid question.

Thanks,
Terry

 

[Lynn B]

Bennie,

One wonderful thing about well cut stones is how "white" they tend to face up. I think you will be very pleasantly surprised with a "J" color. Ditto with the SI1, especially if the vendor tells you it is eye-clean, and you (and the independent appraiser) confirm that. I think you will definitely find that "perfect-for-you" stone!

Lynn

PS And Terry, to answer your question... (and NO question is ever "stupid"!)

this stone's measurements are 6.91 - 6.92 x 4.22 mm. The 4.22 mm is the total depth of the stone. The 6.91 is the diameter (at the girdle) one way (say "east-to-west") while the 6.92 would be the diameter (at the girdle) the other way ("north to south"). There is only a .01 mm variance which indicates that the stone is VERY round. Some RBs can have quite a large difference, which of course is less desirable.

(This is, of course, as I understand it... and believe me I am no expert! So if anyone else knows differently, please speak up, and then I will go crawl under a rock somewhere!!!

)