now down to 2

[civictypesi]

the diamond we wanted is gone

so we've had to start from scratch in the search - instead of going for the larger 1.5ish ct diamonds, we've decided to go down in size but go up in quality and a thinner band to make it look big.

Here are our 2 final diamonds to choose from:
#1 1.117 H SI1 ACA $6631
http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/Whiteflash-ACA-cut-diamond-1982316.htm#

#2 1.163 I VS2 ACA $6547
http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/Whiteflash-ACA-cut-diamond-1982314.htm

My questions:
1 - will the H diamond look much whiter than the I? I want the diamond to be super white & look big (I am "downgrading" from a 1.5 ct to a better quality diamond)
2 - i can't tell any inclusions on the 40x of the SI1 diamond - can you? does anyone else see that black head in the center of the 1.163 diamond?
3 - will the 1.117 diamond look smaller than the 1.163?

Here is the setting: http://www.whiteflash.com/Engagement-Rings/Styles/Diamond-Settings/-Petite-Open-Cathedral--Engagement-Ring_1211.htm# (yes, I've also given up on finding the exact setting I want because frankly we're tired of looking and just want to finalize everything

; the only CUSTOMIZATION I will ask for is that whiteflash makes this 6 prongs instead of 4)

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 4/25/2009 1:54:04 PM
Author:civictypesi
the diamond we wanted is gone

so we''ve had to start from scratch in the search - instead of going for the larger 1.5ish ct diamonds, we''ve decided to go down in size but go up in quality and a thinner band to make it look big.

Here are our 2 final diamonds to choose from:
#1 1.117 H SI1 ACA $6631
http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/Whiteflash-ACA-cut-diamond-1982316.htm#

#2 1.163 I VS2 ACA $6547
http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/Whiteflash-ACA-cut-diamond-1982314.htm

My questions:
1 - will the H diamond look much whiter than the I? I want the diamond to be super white & look big (I am ''downgrading'' from a 1.5 ct to a better quality diamond) There won''t be much if any difference between H and I colour but if you want to be safe go with the H. An I colour is said to be the grade where the lay person might begin to notice a very slight warmth from the side.
2 - i can''t tell any inclusions on the 40x of the SI1 diamond - can you? does anyone else see that black head in the center of the 1.163 diamond? The only way to know if the diamond is eyeclean to your standards is to check with WF, a magnified photo is not a reliable way to tell.
3 - will the 1.117 diamond look smaller than the 1.163? No.

Here is the setting: http://www.whiteflash.com/Engagement-Rings/Styles/Diamond-Settings/-Petite-Open-Cathedral--Engagement-Ring_1211.htm# (yes, I''ve also given up on finding the exact setting I want because frankly we''re tired of looking and just want to finalize everything

; the only CUSTOMIZATION I will ask for is that whiteflash makes this 6 prongs instead of 4)

 

[stone-cold11]

Both look good. Ditto the above.

Good luck this time round.

 

[civictypesi]

is it worth paying a little bit extra for the "H" color but sacrifice the clarity? i''m stuck between the two. how to decide????

 

[stone-cold11]

If the SI1 is eye-clean, then I might go up a color grade.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Date: 4/25/2009 9:47:04 PM
Author: Stone-cold11
If the SI1 is eye-clean, then I might go up a color grade.

Ditto. If you want a white diamond, I''d stick with H if the SI1 is really eye-clean.

 

[hearts-arrows_girl]

Date: 4/25/2009 1:54:04 PM
Author:civictypesi
the diamond we wanted is gone

so we''ve had to start from scratch in the search - instead of going for the larger 1.5ish ct diamonds, we''ve decided to go down in size but go up in quality and a thinner band to make it look big.

Here are our 2 final diamonds to choose from:
#1 1.117 H SI1 ACA $6631
http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/Whiteflash-ACA-cut-diamond-1982316.htm#

#2 1.163 I VS2 ACA $6547
http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/Whiteflash-ACA-cut-diamond-1982314.htm

My questions:
1 - will the H diamond look much whiter than the I? I want the diamond to be super white & look big (I am ''downgrading'' from a 1.5 ct to a better quality diamond)
2 - i can''t tell any inclusions on the 40x of the SI1 diamond - can you? does anyone else see that black head in the center of the 1.163 diamond?
3 - will the 1.117 diamond look smaller than the 1.163?

Here is the setting: http://www.whiteflash.com/Engagement-Rings/Styles/Diamond-Settings/-Petite-Open-Cathedral--Engagement-Ring_1211.htm# (yes, I''ve also given up on finding the exact setting I want because frankly we''re tired of looking and just want to finalize everything

; the only CUSTOMIZATION I will ask for is that whiteflash makes this 6 prongs instead of 4)

Your setting is beautiful! I agree, the thinner band will make the center stone pop! I would stick with H, it is very white, G is super white to me, I is plenty white for most, but I wouldn''t say "Super White". I could see that spot you mentioned in the 1.16. Is that a carbon spot? I would sure really think hard about going to a smaller stone when you mentioned size mattering during your post. Couldn''t you get a really nice 1.35 or so in the Whiteflash ES section? Just make sure it is an Excellent or Ideal Cut. Especially since you originally wanted a 1.5 size. I love your decision to go 6 prong. It gives a rounder look I think. Oh well, good luck on your search. Just try on your picks for a few days, then decide from there! That''s what 30-day return policies are good for!

 

[civictypesi]

heart-arrow-girl, i agree, 6 prongs = the best. also 4 in chinese = bad luck (it is pronounced the same as death...). you know, you read my mine. i wanted to look for a 1.3ish in the G-H range and maybe S1 or S2 but whiteflash is such a pain in the ass b/c most non-ACAs do not show the crown/pavillions online (you have to email them individually) and i don''t have the patience to wait for them when I can just go to bluenile and use the HCA rejection test to find out right away whether or not to eliminate a particular diamond from my pick

i''lll try bluenile i guess. thanks

 

[civictypesi]

how about this one:
http://www.bluenile.com/round-diamond-1-carat-ideal-cut-e-color-si1-clarity_LD01139476?__fun_frm=i&filter_id=0
1.25 ct E SI1 Excellent gut (excellent rating on scintilation/light-return/fire/total performance - very good "spread")

too bad blue nile doesn''t have any images of this diamond for me to judge how eyeclean, if at alll, this diamond is, given its SI1 grading.

I bet the "E" color is soooo deliciously white and then add on the excellent scintilation/light-return/fire/total visual performance on HCA cut adviser tool - this is a very nice sized diamond (esp. w/ the petite band).

What do you think?? my only concern is that now that this diamond is going to be super duper white, the inclusions will be easier to see, no?

 

[Lorelei]

I would keep looking Civic, the above diamond is what we call a steep deep angled diamond and will very likely leak light, pass on this one.

 

[civictypesi]

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/F-SI2-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1182558.asp

how about htis one? it''s falsely advertised as ideal or GIA excellent when in reality the report says the cut grade is very good. passes the HCA cut adviser test (excellent on all marks and very good on spread), the JA rep said The feather at the girlde is visible to the eye, but it can be hidden by a prong. The rest of the inclusions are too small to be seen in the face-up position and are easily masked by this diamonds brilliance and fire.

what do you think? still need to add in discount from pricescope & bank wire