Need help with choosing a stone

[Iamme]

Hello - I've been looking for a high quality diamond and am looking for some help from the experts on PS. Looking for just over a carat and very high quality diamond... was thinking of choosing between the following two but only have the GIA certs.... no Ideal Scope, H/A, etc.. any recommendations on if it's okay to buy diamond without seeing these images? Also, any suggestions on which is a better diamond? Both seemed to score high on HCA but I used the numbers provided by GIA which I know are averages.

Diamond 1:
Round Brilliant
6.63 - 6.68 x 4.01mm
1.06 carat F IF
GIA Excellent for Cut Grade, Polish, Symmetry
No Fluorescence
Table: 57%
Depth: 60.3%
Crown Angle: 33
Pavilion Angle: 41
Crown Height: 14%
Pavilion Height: 43.5%
Thin - Medium (faceted) 3.0%

Diamond 2:
Round Brilliant
6.53 - 6.56 x 4.01mm
1.04 carat F IF
GIA Excellent for Cut Grade, Polish, Symmetry
No Fluorescence
Table: 55%
Depth: 61%
Crown Angle: 33
Pavilion Angle: 40.8
Crown Height: 14.5%
Pavilion Height: 43%
Medium - Slightly Thick (faceted) 3.5%

ANY help at all would be REALLY Appreciated.. I really know very little about diamonds but am looking for a great one for my gal.
Thanks in advance!

 

[krisjon]

Both are .7 HCA, but #1 is closer to the edge of AGS Ideal spec for cut. Should be a bright, nice performing stone, but you still need to see it with your eyes.

Any reason you're locked on IF for clarity? I understand wanting high quality, but you'd be very safe at VS1 and it would allow you to go up in size or color. IF is a premium that's really not worth paying for as it has zero effect on the beauty/light performance. And even IF still has inclusions - it just requires higher magnification beyond 10X to see them.

Where are you shopping and what's your budget? Are you open to additional options?

 

[Iamme]

Right - HCA shows 0.7. I based the selection of these two stones on HCA and price.... Even if i see the stone in person, I probably won't know what to look for though? What other questions should I be asking and what else should I be looking for if I can see the stone in person?

I'm not actually locked into IF and am well aware that it doesn't have any effect on beauty of the stone. I don't need a larger stone, ~1carat is perfect, I was just going for the highest quality I could and getting an E or D colored stone really added to the cost.

I've been shopping at a lot of the online websites such Adiamor, Blue Nile, etc. I've noticed that online is still be far the best in regards to price. I'm open to other options and budget is flexible...

Thanks again for any help.

 

[krisjon]

Heading out, so we'll catch up more later.

Here's something worth looking at/considering in the meantime, though:

http://www.highperformancediamonds.com/index.php?page=view-id-diamond-infinity-new&id=947

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I wouldn't buy a diamond with no pictures or idealscope images.

Here is a nice one that is ideal cut and has all the images:

http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-2672988.htm ($11,769 with pricescope/wire discounts)

This is a great one at a good price (top of the line, super ideal cut):

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/11416/

 

[Iamme]

Hmm... all three of those diamonds actually cost about the same as the two I posted. The two I posted are about $11,500.. and seem to have higher clarity/color according to the reports and score well on the HCA.

The only thing is that they don't have images and aren't laser inscribed - are those two really big warning signs?

 

[Gypsy]

The entire purpose of faceting a diamond is to reflect light.
How well or how poorly a diamond does this determines how beautiful it is.
How well a diamond performs is determined by the angles and cutting. This is why we say cut is king.
No other factor: not color, not clarity has as much of an impact on the appearance of a diamond as its cut.
So how to we ensure that we have the right angles and cutting to get the light performance we want?
Well one method is to start with a GIA Ex, and then apply the HCA to it.
The HCA is a rejection tool. Not a selection tool. It uses 4 data points to make a rudimentary call on how the diamond may perform.
If the diamond passes then you know that you are in the right zone in terms of angles for light performance.
Is that enough? Not really.
So what you need is a way to check actual light performance of your actual stone.
That's what an idealscope image does. https://www.pricescope.com/wiki/diamonds/firescope-idealscope
It shows you how and wear your diamond is reflecting light, how well it is going at it, and where you are losing light return.

The Idealscope is the 'selection tool'. Not the HCA.
So yes, with a GIA stone you need the idealscope images. Or you can buy an idealscope yourself and take it in to the jeweler you are working with to check the stones yourself. Or if you have a good return policy (full refund minimum 7 days) then you can buy the idealscope, buy the stone, and do it at home.


Now if you want to skip all that... stick to AGS0 stones and then all you have to do is pick color and clarity and you know you have a great performing diamond. Because AGS has already done the checking for you. That's why they trade at a premium.

 

[Iamme]

That makes a lot of sense - so basically any GIA diamond would need an Idealscope to determine how the cut is... I was planning on taking the diamond to an appraiser after I received it to make sure I received the right diamond and for insurance purposes. Would they be able to provide an Idealscope image?

Also - any thoughts about Laser Inscription?

Thanks so much - this has been very helpful so far!