Hi Everyone,
I've been searching for a diamond for an engagement ring for the past month. It's incredible how much I have learned from these forums and the wealth of information from Rhino on GOG. I think I have come down to the final two diamonds and would love some input as to which is better.
First, some background. I'm looking for a round brilliant with the very best cut. It must be an AGS ideal or GIA ex with Ex symmetry and VG/EX polish. It must also have an HCA <2.0. Clarity should be SI1 or better, but definitely eye-clean. My concept of eye clean is also rather strict. I have excellent, near-sighted vision and I don't want to be able to see any inclusions from 6 inches, face-up OR from the sides. This will probably require a VS2 or better clarity stone, unless I find a really great looking SI1. Color should be H or better. The exception would be if it was I with medium or faint blue fluorescence. In fact, I actually prefer a little fluoro on my stone as I think it is a cool effect (so I guess ideal stone for me would be G-H color, faint-med blue fluoro). Size should be .9+, but I'd really like a diamond around 6.5mm length/width. Budget is $6.5k for the diamond. It will be placed in a white gold solitaire setting with a 6 prong mounting which I will have a local jeweler do for me.
I ended up finding a great JA True H&A that is 1.08ct for a good price. http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/1.08-carat-i-color-vs1-clarity-sku-240652 The other option is a WF ES 0.9ct. http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-2763623.htm# My big question is if it is really worth getting the smaller WF diamond for the better cut. I know the cut will be better in the WF and I even asked why this particular ES diamond did not get ACA qualification. The answer was, "The reason it is not an ACA is because it has an extra facet which we do not allow in the ACA diamonds. Visually it looks the same as one of our ACA diamonds and I seriously doubt if you can find the extra facet with a 10x loupe. It is super super small." Sounds like a tremendous diamond and I'm sure it is almost the best cut one can get. However, the proportions and idealscope of the JA diamond are also terrific. It is also much bigger and even has faint fluorescence which I like in a diamond. What it comes down to is if the difference in cut will be appreciable without magnification. Do you guys think that at the level of superior cut that both of these diamonds have, you would still be able to see a performance difference with the naked eye between them? If they are both going to be jamming with the naked eye, then should I just get the JA since it is larger and has fluoro? Here are the full details of each diamond:
I've been searching for a diamond for an engagement ring for the past month. It's incredible how much I have learned from these forums and the wealth of information from Rhino on GOG. I think I have come down to the final two diamonds and would love some input as to which is better.
First, some background. I'm looking for a round brilliant with the very best cut. It must be an AGS ideal or GIA ex with Ex symmetry and VG/EX polish. It must also have an HCA <2.0. Clarity should be SI1 or better, but definitely eye-clean. My concept of eye clean is also rather strict. I have excellent, near-sighted vision and I don't want to be able to see any inclusions from 6 inches, face-up OR from the sides. This will probably require a VS2 or better clarity stone, unless I find a really great looking SI1. Color should be H or better. The exception would be if it was I with medium or faint blue fluorescence. In fact, I actually prefer a little fluoro on my stone as I think it is a cool effect (so I guess ideal stone for me would be G-H color, faint-med blue fluoro). Size should be .9+, but I'd really like a diamond around 6.5mm length/width. Budget is $6.5k for the diamond. It will be placed in a white gold solitaire setting with a 6 prong mounting which I will have a local jeweler do for me.
I ended up finding a great JA True H&A that is 1.08ct for a good price. http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/1.08-carat-i-color-vs1-clarity-sku-240652 The other option is a WF ES 0.9ct. http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-2763623.htm# My big question is if it is really worth getting the smaller WF diamond for the better cut. I know the cut will be better in the WF and I even asked why this particular ES diamond did not get ACA qualification. The answer was, "The reason it is not an ACA is because it has an extra facet which we do not allow in the ACA diamonds. Visually it looks the same as one of our ACA diamonds and I seriously doubt if you can find the extra facet with a 10x loupe. It is super super small." Sounds like a tremendous diamond and I'm sure it is almost the best cut one can get. However, the proportions and idealscope of the JA diamond are also terrific. It is also much bigger and even has faint fluorescence which I like in a diamond. What it comes down to is if the difference in cut will be appreciable without magnification. Do you guys think that at the level of superior cut that both of these diamonds have, you would still be able to see a performance difference with the naked eye between them? If they are both going to be jamming with the naked eye, then should I just get the JA since it is larger and has fluoro? Here are the full details of each diamond:
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