New to lab grown diamond - advice needed for round brilliant

[DiamondsOnly]

Hello PSers!

I am in the beginning stages and looking for a...

2.23 round brilliant
ex/ex/ex
no fluorescence
girdle medium
Budget is under $7000

but when it comes to dimensions for table, depth, symmetry I am not sure what % are better than others. I have been browsing on Brilliant Earth and found a couple that look good to me, but not sure if the % are good. They do have 360 degree views so if providing those would be helpful, let me know.

For example, how do these spec look?

$6400
shape:Round
cutCut:Super Ideal
colorColor:H
clarityClarity:VVS2
Measurements: 8.38mm x 8.32mm x 5.17mm
tableTable: 58.0%
depthDepth: 62.0%
symmetrySymmetry:Excellent
polishPolish:Excellent
girdleGirdle:Medium
fluorescenceFluorescence:None
IGI

And another example of one I found...

$3400
Shape:Round
cutCut:Ideal
colorColor: J
clarityClarity: VS2
Measurements:8.47mm x 8.44mm x 5.05mm
tableTable:60.0%
depthDepth:59.8%
symmetrySymmetry:Excellent
polishPolish:Excellent
girdleGirdle:Medium
culetCuletointed
fluorescenceFluorescence:None
IGI

Any help/guidance is much appreciated.

 

[tkyasx78]

How color sensitive are you? A J may have enough yellow that you may notice in some lighting situations.

 

[anangel]

This looks like a job for @Rockdiamond !
Email David at Diamonds by Lauren- I had a similar budget last year, and he was able to give me a stunning solitaire in platinum with great specs!

 

[DiamondsOnly]

How color sensitive are you? A J may have enough yellow that you may notice in some lighting situations.

When I was looking at the video I did notice a bit of yellow but not awful. I would like a GHI and since I can’t see any in person I’m hoping others that are more educated can help.
My current engagement and wedding band are G and H I believe. I’d have to double check but would love something not too yellow.

 

[DiamondsOnly]

This looks like a job for @Rockdiamond !
Email David at Diamonds by Lauren- I had a similar budget last year, and he was able to give me a stunning solitaire in platinum with great specs!

Thank you!

Would love to see pictures.

 

[anangel]

Thank you!

Would love to see pictures.

Gladly! 2.14 carat Ideal cut F color VS2 clarity in a platinum setting with claw prongs

 

[Kim N]

Your budget can get you much bigger than a 2.23 if you wish. Are you looking to stay within a specific size range for a reason, or going as big as your budget can get?

2.26 Carat F VS1 Round Brilliant Lab Grown Diamond GCAL Certified 313471368 Affinity Cut - D49724239

www.adiamor.com

2.29 Carat G VS2 Round Brilliant Lab Grown Diamond GCAL Certified 312821402 Affinity Cut - D49725667

www.adiamor.com

 

[DiamondsOnly]

Your budget can get you much bigger than a 2.23 if you wish. Are you looking to stay within a specific size range for a reason, or going as big as your budget can get?

2.26 Carat F VS1 Round Brilliant Lab Grown Diamond GCAL Certified 313471368 Affinity Cut - D49724239

www.adiamor.com

2.29 Carat G VS2 Round Brilliant Lab Grown Diamond GCAL Certified 312821402 Affinity Cut - D49725667

www.adiamor.com

There are some dates that are important to me and found that 2.23 was a good medium. The range I was looking at was 2.12 - 2.28.
If I can find a stone that has great specs I am all ears.
Im happy that there are others that can assist since I’m not sure of what good measurements are like table, depth etc.

 

[DiamondsOnly]

Gladly! 2.14 carat Ideal cut F color VS2 clarity in a platinum setting with claw prongs

Absolutely beautiful! <3
Love it! Thank you for sharing.

 

[Kim N]

There are some dates that are important to me and found that 2.23 was a good medium. The range I was looking at was 2.12 - 2.28.
If I can find a stone that has great specs I am all ears.
Im happy that there are others that can assist since I’m not sure of what good measurements are like table, depth etc.

Got it! What do you think of these?

2.23 Carat G VS2 Round Brilliant Lab Grown Diamond GCAL Certified 313420732 Affinity Cut - D49726436

www.adiamor.com

2.24 Carat G VS2 Round Brilliant Lab Grown Diamond GCAL Certified 312560890 Affinity Cut - D49725805

www.adiamor.com

2.24 Carat G VS1 Round Brilliant Lab Grown Diamond GCAL 8X Certified 313420737 Affinity Cut - D49723994

www.adiamor.com

2.27 Carat F VS2 Round Brilliant Lab Grown Diamond GCAL Certified 312821389 Affinity Cut - D49724738

2.27 carat, Round, F Color, VS2 clarity, GCAL Certified Diamond, Affinity Cut Lab Grown Diamond, D49724738

www.adiamor.com

2.27 Carat F VS2 Round Brilliant Lab Grown Diamond GCAL Certified 313471370 Affinity Cut - D49725762

www.adiamor.com

2.26 Carat F VS1 Round Brilliant Lab Grown Diamond GCAL Certified 313471368 Affinity Cut - D49724239

www.adiamor.com

I would look at ones with close to these parameters.

depth 60-62.4%
table 54-58%
crown angle 34-35 degrees (can go up to 35.5 or 36 if paired with 40.6 pavilion)
pavilion angle 40.6-40.9 degrees

Generally, a shallower crown angle will pair better with a steeper pavilion angle and vice versa.

 

[DejaWiz]

Here are some nice looking HPHT in 2.23 flavor to check out:

2.23 Carat F VVS2 Round Brilliant Lab Grown Diamond IGI Certified 522254901 Affinity Cut - D50163566

2.23 carat, Round, F Color, VVS2 clarity, IGI Certified Diamond, Affinity Cut Lab Grown Diamond, D50163566

www.adiamor.com

2.23 Carat E VS1 Round Brilliant Lab Grown Diamond IGI Certified 526278636 Affinity Cut - D50551722

2.23 carat, Round, E Color, VS1 clarity, IGI Certified Diamond, Affinity Cut Lab Grown Diamond, D50551722

www.adiamor.com

 

[DiamondsOnly]

Here are some nice looking HPHT in 2.23 flavor to check out:

2.23 Carat F VVS2 Round Brilliant Lab Grown Diamond IGI Certified 522254901 Affinity Cut - D50163566

2.23 carat, Round, F Color, VVS2 clarity, IGI Certified Diamond, Affinity Cut Lab Grown Diamond, D50163566

www.adiamor.com

2.23 Carat E VS1 Round Brilliant Lab Grown Diamond IGI Certified 526278636 Affinity Cut - D50551722

2.23 carat, Round, E Color, VS1 clarity, IGI Certified Diamond, Affinity Cut Lab Grown Diamond, D50551722

www.adiamor.com

Sorry for the late reply as our weekend was busy. Finally beautiful weather.
Thank you! I will check these out.

 

[DiamondsOnly]

Got it! What do you think of these?

2.23 Carat G VS2 Round Brilliant Lab Grown Diamond GCAL Certified 313420732 Affinity Cut - D49726436

www.adiamor.com

2.24 Carat G VS2 Round Brilliant Lab Grown Diamond GCAL Certified 312560890 Affinity Cut - D49725805

www.adiamor.com

2.24 Carat G VS1 Round Brilliant Lab Grown Diamond GCAL 8X Certified 313420737 Affinity Cut - D49723994

www.adiamor.com

2.27 Carat F VS2 Round Brilliant Lab Grown Diamond GCAL Certified 312821389 Affinity Cut - D49724738

2.27 carat, Round, F Color, VS2 clarity, GCAL Certified Diamond, Affinity Cut Lab Grown Diamond, D49724738

www.adiamor.com

2.27 Carat F VS2 Round Brilliant Lab Grown Diamond GCAL Certified 313471370 Affinity Cut - D49725762

www.adiamor.com

2.26 Carat F VS1 Round Brilliant Lab Grown Diamond GCAL Certified 313471368 Affinity Cut - D49724239

www.adiamor.com

I would look at ones with close to these parameters.

depth 60-62.4%
table 54-58%
crown angle 34-35 degrees (can go up to 35.5 or 36 if paired with 40.6 pavilion)
pavilion angle 40.6-40.9 degrees

Generally, a shallower crown angle will pair better with a steeper pavilion angle and vice versa.

The very last one looks nice. On a couple of them, the 360 won't work.
Is HPHT better than the other or personal preference?

 

[DiamondsOnly]

Here are some nice looking HPHT in 2.23 flavor to check out:

2.23 Carat F VVS2 Round Brilliant Lab Grown Diamond IGI Certified 522254901 Affinity Cut - D50163566

2.23 carat, Round, F Color, VVS2 clarity, IGI Certified Diamond, Affinity Cut Lab Grown Diamond, D50163566

www.adiamor.com

2.23 Carat E VS1 Round Brilliant Lab Grown Diamond IGI Certified 526278636 Affinity Cut - D50551722

2.23 carat, Round, E Color, VS1 clarity, IGI Certified Diamond, Affinity Cut Lab Grown Diamond, D50551722

www.adiamor.com

Both are beautiful!
I’m now thinking of changing my budget to $5000. I think finding a stone is still achievable without sacrificing. Correct?

Reason for changing budget is I’d like a pair of earrings. It’s my 10 year anniversary so why not get what I want.

 

[Kim N]

The very last one looks nice. On a couple of them, the 360 won't work.
Is HPHT better than the other or personal preference?

Good stones can be found with either HPHT or CVD. My favorite is the third one of these.

2.24 Carat G VS2 Round Brilliant Lab Grown Diamond GCAL Certified 312560890 Affinity Cut - D49725805

www.adiamor.com

Gem Certification & Assurance Lab

www.gcalusa.com

2.23 Carat G VS2 Round Brilliant Lab Grown Diamond GCAL Certified 313420732 Affinity Cut - D49726436

www.adiamor.com

Gem Certification & Assurance Lab

www.gcalusa.com

2.27 Carat F VS2 Round Brilliant Lab Grown Diamond GCAL Certified 313471370 Affinity Cut - D49725762

www.adiamor.com

Gem Certification & Assurance Lab

www.gcalusa.com

And for earrings:

0.81 Carat D VS2 Round Brilliant Lab Grown Diamond GCAL Certified 313140429 Affinity Cut - D49097579

0.81 carat, Round, D Color, VS2 clarity, GCAL Certified Diamond, Affinity Cut Lab Grown Diamond, D49097579

www.adiamor.com

Gem Certification & Assurance Lab

www.gcalusa.com

0.81 Carat D VS2 Round Brilliant Lab Grown Diamond GCAL Certified 320610182 Affinity Cut - D49974171

0.81 carat, Round, D Color, VS2 clarity, GCAL Certified Diamond, Affinity Cut Lab Grown Diamond, D49974171

www.adiamor.com

Gem Certification & Assurance Lab

www.gcalusa.com

 

[DiamondsOnly]

Thank you! Sorry for the delayed response. I will check these out.

 

[DiamondsOnly]

Was sent these specs on a lab diamond...

What are your thoughts on this lab diamond?

 

[Kim N]

Was sent these specs on a lab diamond...

What are your thoughts on this lab diamond?

You can enter the proportions into the HCA. We usually like to see Excellent for Light Return, Fire, and Scintillation, and Very Good for Spread. This stone could be good, but an Ideal-Scope or ASET image would tell us more.

Holloway Cut Advisor | HCA Tool

The HCA Tool uses data from a round brilliant diamond to produce a score that can help you make an estimate regarding the cut quality. Use it here.

www.pricescope.com

 

[DiamondsOnly]

Thank you. I tried to enter the info in and it’s asking for a key code but looks like you already did it.
The price is $3600.

 

[DiamondsOnly]

You can enter the proportions into the HCA. We usually like to see Excellent for Light Return, Fire, and Scintillation, and Very Good for Spread. This stone could be good, but an Ideal-Scope or ASET image would tell us more.

Holloway Cut Advisor | HCA Tool

The HCA Tool uses data from a round brilliant diamond to produce a score that can help you make an estimate regarding the cut quality. Use it here.

www.pricescope.com

What are the top 3 vendors you or recommend for lab diamonds?

 

[Kim N]

Thank you. I tried to enter the info in and it’s asking for a key code but looks like you already did it.
The price is $3600.

That's a very good price. Might be worth checking it out further.

What are the top 3 vendors you or recommend for lab diamonds?

Adiamor, James Allen, and B2C Jewels.

 

[DiamondsOnly]

That's a very good price. Might be worth checking it out further.



Adiamor, James Allen, and B2C Jewels.

Would I have to contact the vendor for the ASET and/or ideal scope? The vendor is Ritani. Any thoughts on them? I’ve never heard of them until I started this so any feedback is welcome.

 

[Kim N]

Would I have to contact the vendor for the ASET and/or ideal scope? The vendor is Ritani. Any thoughts on them? I’ve never heard of them until I started this so any feedback is welcome.

Yes, just call or chat with them to get the Ideal-Scope image. They've had happy customers on this forum.

 

[DiamondsOnly]

Today I tried on a few different carat sizes. I'm glad I had time and wasn't rushed. Here is a 2.0 carat on my hand...

I really wanted to try on a 2.28 or something close in a round, but all they had was a 2.40 which I tried on. The "try on" setting was very high and was hard for me to like it.

Not sure if anyone knows, but is there a certain time when new inventory comes out online to vendors? From what I am searching for, I am not finding a 2.17/2.19 or 2.28 carat and preferred cert. GCAL 8x.

 

[Kim N]

Today I tried on a few different carat sizes. I'm glad I had time and wasn't rushed. Here is a 2.0 carat on my hand...

I really wanted to try on a 2.28 or something close in a round, but all they had was a 2.40 which I tried on. The "try on" setting was very high and was hard for me to like it.

Not sure if anyone knows, but is there a certain time when new inventory comes out online to vendors? From what I am searching for, I am not finding a 2.17/2.19 or 2.28 carat and preferred cert. GCAL 8x.

2.40 will not be that different from 2.28. That size looks terrific on you, even if the setting wasn't ideal.

Does it need to be exactly 2.17, 2.19, or 2.28? Or just in that range? I don't know when new inventory typically comes out, but I think inventory is pretty good right now. It's more around Christmas and Valentine's Day that it gets low.

 

[DiamondsOnly]

2.40 will not be that different from 2.28. That size looks terrific on you, even if the setting wasn't ideal.

Does it need to be exactly 2.17, 2.19, or 2.28? Or just in that range? I don't know when new inventory typically comes out, but I think inventory is pretty good right now. It's more around Christmas and Valentine's Day that it gets low.

I’m bummed I didn’t take a picture of the 2.40 on my hand, but good to know it wouldn’t be much different.

No it doesn’t have to be exact (it’s proving to limit my search). They are important dates to me and I had it in my head that it’s what I would look for in my search, but all I can find is one stone which is a smidge over 2 carats and is 8x cert.

I think I would prefer a 8x cert and if I can find a stone up to 2.30 carats for the right price ($4000-5500) I’m all ears.

I will go back and take a look at the ones suggested and if you come across any others let me know.


Current set.

I really appreciate the help.

 

[Kim N]

I’m bummed I didn’t take a picture of the 2.40 on my hand, but good to know it wouldn’t be much different.

No it doesn’t have to be exact (it’s proving to limit my search). They are important dates to me and I had it in my head that it’s what I would look for in my search, but all I can find is one stone which is a smidge over 2 carats and is 8x cert.

I think I would prefer a 8x cert and if I can find a stone up to 2.30 carats for the right price ($4000-5500) I’m all ears.

I will go back and take a look at the ones suggested and if you come across any others let me know.


Current set.

I really appreciate the help.

Your current set is beautiful. The curved band is such a perfect match.

This one is HPHT and GCAL 8x under $5500. A lot of the others I've seen were CVD, but I remember you preferred HPHT.

2.27 Carat F VS2 Round Brilliant Lab Grown Diamond GCAL Certified 313471370 Affinity Cut - D49725762

www.adiamor.com

 

[ariel144]

Try www.gemsny.com. They have some of the same stones I've found on Distinctive Gem for a lot less:
I searched for "Ideal Plus"

I ran out searches on the HCA tool. And you have to pay for them after you have used up your free searches. 15 searches for $6-7 via PayPal.

$3700 for 2.63c G VS1

GemsNY Reviews - The Best Jeweler Online

www.gemsny.com

With your budget you can get a lot larger stone. DSS sets in pretty quick here on PS.

 

[DiamondsOnly]

Your current set is beautiful. The curved band is such a perfect match.

This one is HPHT and GCAL 8x under $5500. A lot of the others I've seen were CVD, but I remember you preferred HPHT.

2.27 Carat F VS2 Round Brilliant Lab Grown Diamond GCAL Certified 313471370 Affinity Cut - D49725762

www.adiamor.com

Thank you! I had my band custom made to fit my engagement ring.

I am open to HPHT or CVD.

Tomorrow I’ll take a look at those suggested and save the contenders.

I should also look for setting ideas. I’m excited for that as I’ve seen some beautiful ones.

 

[MMtwo]

Would I have to contact the vendor for the ASET and/or ideal scope? The vendor is Ritani. Any thoughts on them? I’ve never heard of them until I started this so any feedback is welcome.

Hi there,
Here is my own experience with Ritani. You asked specifically for feedback, so here you go.

I am at 4 e-rings through Ritani and two upgrades (I may have a problem, but that's for another thread). They set my old cut. My thoughts are this: their prices are phenomenal, and I have found the same diamond at other vendors at an significant markup. I have an account with them, and upgrade policies are in effect, so I tend to stick with them.

Being content with Ritani depends on what you want and need though. There will be no hand holding and fawning over a customer. Ritani has been great, but they are a vendor that serves trade and consumers and my impression is they are working higher turns for their bottom line. This may be inaccurate, but my impression based on their "transparency" mark-up model and my comparisons across platforms for the same stone elsewhere. I find their settings are very well built. A gemologist that appraised my first Ritani ring, my real/first e-ring, (also a custom jeweler) remarked it was very robust.

While customer service has been good at Ritani, the concierge service level achieved at other vendors is not (IMHO) available. Think of a New York deli at lunch time. You have to be your own expert to a larger degree. Keeping your eye on the HCA scores, or using the AGS charts, it will be reasonable to ferret out great stones. You can most definitely ask one of their gemologists to check your favorites. You may have to occasionally reach out and be a little more proactive. However,I am convinced I find hot bargains over there . I have no idea if I am right. I have not asked for ASETS. I am happy with my stones.

I have noticed they have improved their customer service in the past few months. There appears to be an automated customer update email system in place that informed me my diamond was available, ring was being made, probable ship date, and also an offer to see the ring. This was new and welcome.

Anyhow, the Ritani stable (bands not Ritani). I have been very pleased. Two earth mined, two labs. Excuse my fat fingers As you can tell, I am a solitaire girl.

I have also used Jon at Distinctive Gems and he found the best set of earrings and was truly top notch in his assistance.

I would also go to @Rockdiamond in a heartbeat for a lab. I would check with him, he also has great handmade settings.