Need Help, is it Worth It?

[stoneseeker2007]

Price 5,700 from local Jeweler
1.00 Carot RB
GIA Cert. Sept. 2006.
Color: D
Clarity: SI1 (very good, almost VS2)
Cut- Ex.
Polish - VG
Symmetry - VG
Fl - None
Table 57 (OGI says 57.3)
Depth 62.2
Crown Angle 35
Crown Depth 15
Pav. Angle 41.2
Pav Depth 44 (OGI says 43.5)
Culet none
Girdle: Medium to slightly Thick

 

[Lucky Kid]

Date: 6/9/2007 12:29:29 AM
Author:stoneseeker2007
Price 5,700 from local Jeweler

1.00 Carot RB

GIA Cert. Sept. 2006.

Color: D

Clarity: SI1 (very good, almost VS2)

Cut- Ex.

Polish - VG

Symmetry - VG

Fl - None

Table 57 (OGI says 57.3)

Depth 62.2

Crown Angle 35

Crown Depth 15

Pav. Angle 41.2

Pav Depth 44 (OGI says 43.5)

Culet none

Girdle: Medium to slightly Thick

Just looking at bluenile the price is good depending on the flr. Disclaimer: I am a diamond noob and really no nothing about them...

Roy

 

[Finding_Neverland]

The HCA rates this stone,............. VG/Good/Good/VG 3.6 Worth Buying if the Price is Right.

You''ll see here:

https://www.pricescope.com/sift.aspx

That James Allen has a 1.01 D, SI1, that rates better for less money.

1.01 D SI1 2.7-VG
vg-vg-vg-gd 0 63.2% 55% 35.5° 40.8° med-sl t no ex vg ft 6.35*6.38*4.02 GIA $5330

The price of the diamond you posted seems a bit high for the quality of the make. You could probably get a comparable diamond from one of the PS Vendors for maybe/up to $1K less.

 

[stoneseeker2007]

Thanks for your observations. That James Allen stone looks narrower and deeper which would make me worry. I read that GIA spent much time, looking at stones 70,000 times for brilliance, fire and scint., and are using computer modeling to arrive at the cut determinations today. I'm not sure about whether the holloway cut advisor or GIA cut rating is more accurate. Do you have reason to believe this is a better predictor of brilliance and fire than the GIA cut rating?

A brief description of GIA cut grading system is in the following link:

http://www.gia.edu/gemtradelab/31501/new_gia_cut_grade.cfm

Also, the GIA Facetware Cut Estimator rates that James Allen Stone as VG and not Ex:

http://www.gia.edu/_WebApps/GIALaboratory/Facetware/enhancedonline.cfm

So another issue to debate is whether the GIA facetware cut estimator or the Holloway Cut Advisor is more reliable.

Back to the stone I'm considering strongly, the SI1 clairity on the stone is about as borderline to a VS2 as you can get. With no black inclusions and one tiny needle on the pav. just made this stone cross the border into SI1 land.

 

[JulieN]

Why don''t we just make it a F SI1 Tolk that is ideal by everyone''s definition?

 

[neatfreak]

Date: 6/9/2007 2:45:24 AM
Author: stoneseeker2007
Thanks for your observations. That James Allen stone looks narrower and deeper which would make me worry. I read that GIA spent much time, looking at stones 70,000 times for brilliance, fire and scint., and are using computer modeling to arrive at the cut determinations today. I''m not sure about whether the holloway cut advisor or GIA cut rating is more accurate. Do you have reason to believe this is a better predictor of brilliance and fire than the GIA cut rating?


A brief description of GIA cut grading system is in the following link:


http://www.gia.edu/gemtradelab/31501/new_gia_cut_grade.cfm


Also, the GIA Facetware Cut Estimator rates that James Allen Stone as VG and not Ex:


http://www.gia.edu/_WebApps/GIALaboratory/Facetware/enhancedonline.cfm


So another issue to debate is whether the GIA facetware cut estimator or the Holloway Cut Advisor is more reliable.


Back to the stone I''m considering strongly, the SI1 clairity on the stone is about as borderline to a VS2 as you can get. With no black inclusions and one tiny needle on the pav. just made this stone cross the border into SI1 land.

Stoneseeker, while I can''t specifically determine between the two rating systems myself, GIA is known for being least good at scoring "cut" among the 4c''s so take that as you will. AGS cut ratings seem to be much more precise than GIA. So especially when using GIA, we all trust HCA which helps as a rejection tool. Since there are similar stones that score better for less elsewhere, I wouldn''t buy this one.

 

[stoneseeker2007]

Well, what I did not mention was that I compared it to an E VS2 stone that scored 0.7 on Holloway, and I could not distinguish the light performance of the D SI1 from the E VS2. But I did notice that the D SI1 looked crispier and icier, which I would liked for a platinum setting. Interestingly, other customers I asked thought the D SI1 stone actually gave a better performance. The E VS2 stone was rated a VG cut by GIA, so I don''t know if the darker look for this stone was due to the color or the cut or both.

Not sure if I want to reject this stone yet based on a 3.6 Holloway readout.

 

[Finding_Neverland]

There''s learning the 4C''s and then there''s "mind clean". You can learn how to select a quality cut, but ultimately, you''ve got to be comfortable, mentally, with your purchase decision.

Your vision of the 2 stones'' performances could be real. The E could not be a better cut. Or maybe not cut to perform to your preference. But, your eyes could have told you what you wanted to see just as well. You want the D color, so that stone looked better to you because you knew it was a D color.

It''s your money. You''re free to do with it as you please.

Personally, were this my purchase decision,........... I''d be much more concerned with CUT and much less concerned with getting a specific color. JMHO.

 

[stoneseeker2007]

In honesty, I first really thought that I wanted an E VS2 with all the good numbers. But after comparing the two side by side, the D had an icier and crispier look to it with indistinguishable flashes to my untrained eye. Not sure if this is due to cut, color or both.

The E VS2 has an amazing Holloway readout though, and it is a beauty.

 

[shel]

I was in a similar situation as yours, comparing 1) a GIA excellent cut that scored 2.3 on the HCA with 2) an AGS000 cut that scored 0.6 on the HCA. The GIA stone looked crisper and overall better than the AGS stone, to both me and the independent appraiser. I kept the GIA stone. So if given a choice between diamonds that all score the highest for cut, I would trust your eyes.

 

[stoneseeker2007]

Thank your for sharing your experience shel.

By coincidence, I had this D SI1 appraised by an independent GIA grad appraiser today, and she thought it was a great stone. She was very surpised at the price. She also recommends using blue nile. She commented that the crown angle of 35 is a bit higher than the perfect 34.5 which might result in more rainbows than white flashes, but she thinks that's perfectly fine.

I will compare it again with a few more stones, and if it wins again, I think I might purchase my ice cube with rainbows on top set and set it into platinum.

 

[stoneseeker2007]

Guys/gals, I found on James Allan this diamond that is a close replica of mine in all ways under the GIA report, except the James Allen stone has many more inclusions. James was selling it for 6,570. I think I have a good comparative deal based on this. I just need to double check if it is the right one for me.

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamond.asp?cid=131&item=715745