New guy...tell me i''m doing the smart thing

[808]

Hey everybody, new guy here. i am deciding between 2 round brilliant loose diamonds, and i think i''m leaning alot towards one already, but just need that final push.

This is the scenario, i am looking at two diamonds...

1) 1.59 carat, H, SI1. Ideal cut, very good polish and symmetry. $8100.
2) 1.31 carat, G, VS2. Same cut, etc as above. The GIA grading noted "Hearts & Arrows". $7800.

I originally wanted something at least 1.5 carat, but gave my jeweler some ranges to work with. (1.25-1.5 carat, G-H, SI1 or up, ideal cut, blah blah), and she gave me a list. Out of that list i told her to bring in the two above. I was pretty much set on the 1.59 as it had the size i wanted, and the H SI1 was good with me as i wanted the size increase. I told her bring in the 1.31 so i could compare a G/VS2 against a H/SI1. After viewing both in person today, the color/clarity was pretty much a non-issue, as i could not tell a difference with the naked eye. But in terms of how it sparkled and stuff, the 1.31 blew the 1.59 away. So now i don''t know what to do. Obviously by my post i''m leaning towards the smaller one, but the price is so identical that i''m wondering if it''s worth it to get the 1.59 as i''ve really wanted a bigger one (partly because i can afford it and want to do it right with something good the first time around, and partly because i want her to have bigger than her friends.) Just got home and haven''t had time to research "Hearts & Arrows", i''ve only heard of "Hearts on Fire". I will get around to it, but the GF is watching tv in the same room even as i''m posting this haha.

Basically, my jeweler has these diamonds for 5 days before she has to send at least 1 back to NY, and she''s going on a trip on monday, so tomorrow (Sunday) is when i have to let her know which to send back. I made copies of the %''s and whatever else is shown on the grading, and if anybody wants to see it i''ll post it up later when the GF isn''t right next to me. If it makes any difference, the 1.31 is a new cut, made on September 17, 2008. The other one was some time in 2007.

Does it sound like i''m leaning the right way here? I appreciate any input you may have! Thanks!

 

[110203]

I think you know what you want..! Go for it!

 

[JulieN]

maybe she can find you a bigger H SI1 for the same price, that sparkles more than the 1.59

 

[neatfreak]

My bet is that the second stone is much better cut than the first, which is why it blew the first one away. Hearts and Arrows is the generic term for what Hearts on Fire diamonds are. They are essentially the same thing, but without the pricetag.

I'd go for the sparklier one personally. Carat weight doesn't mean a lot of it doesn't sparkle like it should!

 

[808]

it''s not like the 1.59 didn''t sparkle. i''m sure if i saw it by itself then it''d look awesome. but next to that other one, that 1.31 had some sparkle to it. Can the cuts be different when they are both listed as "ideal"?

Are the Hearts on Fire or Hearts & Arrows diamonds worth it? Even if the H&A is a generic HoF, does that cut or whatever they do to it affect the way a diamond is that much more than a regular ideal cut diamond?

 

[neatfreak]

Date: 10/19/2008 12:39:27 AM
Author: 808
it''s not like the 1.59 didn''t sparkle. i''m sure if i saw it by itself then it''d look awesome. but next to that other one, that 1.31 had some sparkle to it. Can the cuts be different when they are both listed as ''ideal''?


Are the Hearts on Fire or Hearts & Arrows diamonds worth it? Even if the H&A is a generic HoF, does that cut or whatever they do to it affect the way a diamond is that much more than a regular ideal cut diamond?

So here''s the thing, if that first diamond wasn''t an AGS rated diamond (who does use the term ideal) WHO is labelling it as an ideal cut? You didn''t say GIA certified, does that mean it isn''t certified at all? Is the jeweler calling it ideal or an independent grading agency? There are a lot of factors to consider with cut, and a well cut diamond will sparkle a lot better/more than a crappily cut stone.

H&A diamonds are worth the premium IMO (but not HoF, they have crazy markups!), they really do have an allure all their own.

 

[808]

Oh sorry, there was a GIA paper for the 1.59 diamond too. I just noticed that under the comments section of the 1.31 is where it said "8 heart and 8 arrows", that''s why i mentioned GIA on that one. Upon further research on this kind of diamond, it seems like if a diamond has a ideal cut it kind of naturally has the shapes of a heart and an arrow. But only perfect shaped ones are technically called Hearts & Arrows.

i wish i could just ask her to pick one of the two, but i don''t want her to know.

 

[urseberry]

I think most people on this board would pick the H&A for themselves, but in your case, you need to try to guess your girlfriend''s preference. Has she stated a strong preference for 1.5 carats or above? If so, she may be disappointed by the smaller one.

In answer to your question, there absolutely can be a difference in cut quality and light performance between diamonds classified as ideal cut. GIA''s highest cut grade is called excellent, rather than ideal, and my guess is that is what your jeweler has for you. It sounds like you saw for yourself the difference in performance between two diamonds that both received the highest cut rating by the GIA.

Since you have time, would it be possible to ask your jeweler to try to find a 1.5 carat H SI1 H&A diamond?