Newbie seeking advice

[70cents]

Came across this forum when googling information on diamonds and would like opinions on diamond we are considering purchasing. Any input would be very much appreciated.

RB 1.76
SI1 / J

Dim 8.01-8.03 x 4.66mm

Depth 58.1%
Table width 61%
crown angle 31.5 crown height 12.0%
Pav Angle 41.0 pav depth 43.5%

Girdle Very thin to medium, faceted

Polish Very Good
Symmetry Very Good to excellent

First diamond/don''t want to disappoint!
Thanks in advance,
70cents

 

[focalmatic]

Crown angle looks a little too shallow to me - 33.7 to 35.8 is more favorable

 

[Demelza]

Welcome to PS!!!

Have you seen this stone in person? Have you compared it against other stones? If so, how does it compare?

Just looking at the numbers, I would agree that the crown angle seems to be on the shallow side. I might also be concerned about the very thin girdle. Depending on how much of the girdle qualifies as very thin, it could become a durability issue (i.e. prone to chipping on the very thin areas). Also, the depth is a bit shallow and the table on the larger side. That would suggest that this stone might be more brilliant (white light return) than firey (colored light return). It scores well on the HCA as a Brilliant Ideal Cut (BIC).

I would think this would be a stone one would have to see in person and compare against other well cut stones. Good luck!!!

 

[Mara]

What Dem says is spot on it seems like for this stone...

A BIC can be a really beautiful stone but your eyes have to prefer it. Did you see the stone in person and love it?

I had a BIC and it just was not my cup of tea...I ended up eventually getting something a bit more ''typically'' ideal and have been sold on that ever since. But visually, what appeals to one person may not appeal to another. It''s hard to find a BIC that scores well on the HCA, so this may be a really lovely stone...

If your eye adores it, make sure to view it in various lighting conditions, the BIC''s are tricky in that they can look good in some but not all...and I found I was disappointed in certain conditions where I felt the diamond should perform better. My BIC was not as well cut though so it may have been that as well.

Whatever you decide, good luck and just be sure that your eye is in love with the stone in more than just the jewelry store lighting!!

 

[valeria101]

Date: 1/1/2006 11:56:26 PM
Author: Demelza


It scores well on the HCA as a Brilliant Ideal Cut (BIC).

True enough - hadn't seen Demelza's note and checked anyway (See what is all about HERE).

Most often AGS0 or H&A cut rounds are discussed in depth on this forum, so yours is relatively unusual on this 'island'. Which definitely doesn't make it worse off in any way.

It always makes sense to have some choice (e.g. between different 'winning' combinations of proportions etc.), but off the bat, I couldn't find any detraction in the stats you have posted.

If you ended up with a brilliant stone outside the tight (maybe too tight?) brackets of 'ideal' proportions that come at a premium... good for you.

If you already know you prefer this after seeing what the options are - all for the better.

My 2c



PS. About the BIC and fire vs. brilliance part.... Maybe, but maybe not. This is often said - that smaller table & high crown = more fire (and the reverse), but it may be just because the prism effect of the crown facets is the more straightforward bit of the fire story. Also, 'fire' is not as well taken into account by the usual cut quality metrics since it is a more complex thing to measure and account for relative to light return.

Nevertheless, the HCA scores try to take fire into account and there is some impressive (although not as popular) research on the matter. So what makes a diamond fiery is not simply guess work.

I wanted to bring this up hoping to open some discussion. I am not an expert... and I don't know allot more than it is written here.

Aside the HCA, there is another similar web-based tool that allows to model fire - somewhat. It isn't as straightforward though (Link to interactive Fire and Scintillation model (OctoNus))

Here's what I am talking about: - the HCA says 'Brilliant Ideal Cut' and 'Excellent Fire'.

 

[rosy]

The diamond measures 8 mm so it will face up really large, will look like a 2 carat stone from the top. Just take a look at it & see if you like it. Personally I would go for a stone that''s more in line with the Hearts & Arrows type specs & forgo the extra mm size.