Opinions on this SI1

[autospy]

I've been lurking for a few months now, and ready to make a purchase. Before I start, I wanted to say this forum is one of the best on the Internet...it really is a valuable resource in this sometimes complicated process.

I have the following diamond on hold at a B&M location in the Philadelphia diamond district. The price is very fair and comparable to online/pricescope pricing.

Shape - RB
CW - 1.82
Color - G
Clarity - SI1
GIA Certified - Ex/Ex/Ex
Fluorescence - Faint
Comments: Additional Clouds are not shown
Under the Idealscope - Looks Excellent
HCA Score - Ex/Ex/Ex/Vg

The diamond is eyeclean...but...I don't know...perhaps the lighting in the shop is fooling me, because the inclusion plot looks like a mess. We'll be mounting in a halo setting, so no one will look at it from the side. Is that huge cloud a problem?

Any advice here? Do these inclusions become "less" eye-clean after time? As the diamond gets dirtier? No one will look at this under a loupe or anything, but it'll be terrible if it looks bad after a few years.

 

[D&T]

not enough info, do you have the crown and pavilion angles? lots of diamonds I see at B&M looks terrific in their lighting so don't get fooled by lighting.

 

[antelope1]

Clouds under magnification look like ... clouds. That is, clusters of very tiny pinpoints or needles (depends on whether it's foggy or raining I guess). When the diamond gets dirty...the dust and other particulates stuck to the surface of the diamond will look like ... a cloud. I would think that a cloud (even if you could see it at all) would become less obvious as the diamond got dirty with normal wear.

I see that there's a crystal marked right in the middle of the table, but it looks small (in the plot) and if it's white, you probably won't notice it at all. The clouds are big, but they're off to the side -- same with the larger crystal at 10 o'clock. If that inclusion is black, you'd have a better chance of seeing it, but if it's white, you'd probably only notice it if you tilted the diamond just right and the inclusion caught the light.

I'd personally be more concerned with a feather or one larger inclusion rather than the many small ones (that I think you have, based on the plot). Also, to solve the lighting problem, ask them if you can view it under office lighting in the back or ask if an associate can hold the diamond next to a window for you to look at. The other option is to take it under the counter for indirect lighting.

(Btw, this is a GIA or AGS cert, right?)

 

[yssie]

I see that there's a crystal marked right in the middle of the table, but it looks small (in the plot) and if it's white, you probably won't notice it at all. The clouds are big, but they're off to the side -- same with the larger crystal at 10 o'clock. If that inclusion is black, you'd have a better chance of seeing it, but if it's white, you'd probably only notice it if you tilted the diamond just right and the inclusion caught the light.

Not just colour of crystal, also depends on where a crystal is - if white crystal against black arrow visibility can well be a problem

won't have issues w/ clarity 'worsening' over time w/ this stone

 

[tonkatsu]

can i ask a question, not at all to suggest you shouldn't buy this stone, but just out of genuine interest?

the RB market is one with so much info, and such clear guidelines as to what's a good stone... so why would you buy from a bricks and mortar vendor with a stone you're not sure about, rather than getting a "sure thing" with the help of people here from trusted vendors who will give every bit of information needed?

i'm a newbie, and i'm just genuinely interested -- i don't mean to suggest you shouldn't buy this stone. it just seems to me that if i were in your shoes i'd post your requirements and budget, and let the experts here find the best stone for you. my suspicion -- and i could be wrong -- is that they'd help you find a better stone for the same price, or get you a similar stone for cheaper, and one that you didn't have these worries about.

i will say based on my limited experience that you can't really say anything about eye clean clarity based on the gia report. i know where you're coming from -- we shy away from reports with a lot of red circles and dashes and points. but if all you care about is eye clean, the fact that there's a lot of red on the report doesn't say much. i saw si1 stones in person that had a single, innocuous dot on the report, which turned out to be something that was visible if you looked for it. and i saw si1 stones that appeared much more included on the report than the one you show above where you absolutely could see nothing at all.

good luck.

 

[Paul-Antwerp]

Tonkatsu,

I do not see how and why this particular OP would be better served by a trusted online-vendor?

He or she clearly investigated pricing and obtained a competitive price from the store, and did the minimum of checking the HCA-score. Having viewed the stone in person, the OP is obviously satisfied with the cut-quality, but is afraid that the store's light-environment is preventing him or her to truly assess the clarity-aspects of this stone.

I see no reason to question the OP's research-qualities nor to tout that the 'PS-experts' can find a better quality/deal.

As for the actual question of the OP, it is plausible that such a complex inclusion-plot is actually eye-clean. Check the stone in various light-environments, including low-light-environments, but there is no reason to not trust your eyes.

Live long,

 

[autospy]

not enough info, do you have the crown and pavilion angles? lots of diamonds I see at B&M looks terrific in their lighting so don't get fooled by lighting.

D&T...my apologies. Crown 34.5, Pav 40.8. Culet 0%.

 

[autospy]

Not just colour of crystal, also depends on where a crystal is - if white crystal against black arrow visibility can well be a problem

won't have issues w/ clarity 'worsening' over time w/ this stone

Yes GIA Cert...Triple EX rating.

The crystal in the middle is definitely white...I have seen diamonds with black crystals.

 

[autospy]

As for the actual question of the OP, it is plausible that such a complex inclusion-plot is actually eye-clean. Check the stone in various light-environments, including low-light-environments, but there is no reason to not trust your eyes.

Live long,

Paul. Thanks for the reassurance. This is my primary concern...the inclusion plot seems to imply this diamond would not be eye-clean...I just want to be sure that it is plausible.

Thanks!

 

[Paul-Antwerp]

In my experience, a very busy inclusion-plot is often more likely to be eye-clean. That is counter-intuitive, but the totality of a lot of very small inclusions can lead to an SI-grade, while each individual inclusion is actually smaller. I hope that this makes sense.

Live long,

 

[D&T]

Well, then, I think if it looks good to you eye clean in person, If you like it, then get it. Sometimes we focus too much on these technicality of the plot when in fact you have the diamond right in front of you and for us who have not viewed the diamond in person only the OP knows if its eyeclean to his standard or not. I have had an SI2 stone with a mess of a plot as well (all colorless, white), but eye clean. Sounds like a beauty!

 

[Karl_K]

view it in as many lighting conditions as you can before purchase
Make sure there is a 100% money back return policy

 

[antelope1]

In my experience, a very busy inclusion-plot is often more likely to be eye-clean. That is counter-intuitive, but the totality of a lot of very small inclusions can lead to an SI-grade, while each individual inclusion is actually smaller. I hope that this makes sense.

Live long,

I had an appraiser tell me the same thing about a J SI1 I was looking at. We handled it from all angles and found it to be eye clean, but when he put it under the microscope (50x power in his case), he said it looked like a nebula! That would have been a big cloud right in the table. Because that particular cloud was suspended in the pavilion, we could not see it (in that particular case).

Not all SI1s are eye clean, but take another look with your B&M store and double check. Triple check until you are happy -- they probably want to make a sale and will accommodate you (as far as their insurance will allow). If they won't let you take it toward a window or into an office, I would ask for a desk lamp so you can drown out their jewelry-store lighting.

 

[lovemybling]

I would also take the stone outside of the store and look at it in natural light. You know that you have probably looked at lots of stone and "known" they weren't right, if this one feel like the one and it is eye clean to you I say go for it. My stone's plot looked like yours but IRL is totally eye clean. It sparkles like mad and made my heart flutter. So I knew it needed to go home with me .

It is a BIG purchase so I know you just might need some support in going for it. Your girl is going to be THRILLED. If after looking at it in ALL different types of light you love it. Take a breath and go for it. Can't wait to see pictures

 

[autospy]

wow thanks for all the advice. I will definitely triple check it...and find out about a return policy.

and yes I will post pictures if purchase it!!

 

[starryeyed]

Any advice here? Do these inclusions become "less" eye-clean after time? As the diamond gets dirtier? No one will look at this under a loupe or anything, but it'll be terrible if it looks bad after a few years.

Hi autospy.

Sounds like you are getting close to buying a stone - congrats! I'm not an expert, but inclusions do not become less eye-clean over time as a diamond collects dirt. Inclusions generally don't change, and it's pretty easy to keep a diamond clean.

Sometimes a woman has a piece of frozen spit on her finger and says, "Oh my diamond is so dirty. I haven't cleaned it in years." Half the time, these "diamonds" are CZ's that have become cloudy over time. The other half the time, the diamond was lousy to begin with. All a girl has to do is wear a real diamond while washing some dishes and it is clean sparkly new all over again! (Although her manicure is shot to hell.)

So WOW! A 1.82 carat in a halo! One lucky gal!