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mattph76b

Rough_Rock
Joined
May 2, 2006
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What do you guys think of the following diamond:

Carat: 1.04
Cut: Round Brilliant
Measurements: 6.44 x 6.47 x 4.05
Color: D
Clarity: VS1
Depth: 62.7
Table: 58
Girdle: M
Culet: None
Polish: Ex
Symmetry: Ex
Flourescence: None
GIA Certified.
$9000

Hopefully I'll have the GIA number and the additional information from the GIA report Wednesday morning and will post them as soon as possible, but what are your initial impressions?

Thanks!
Matt
 
Hi, Matt.
A narrative of my reactions as I go down the list:

"Wow, a D."
"Hm, VS1."
"62.7 depth=deep" then I go back to the top and see
6.44x6.47 and then I think
"small for its weight"

and that's all I need to know to make a decision.
 
Julie, what do the numbers all mean? I am ashamed to admit I cannot tell, do not know on my stone either. What should it be to be right?
 
depth=(depth measurement in mm)/(average diameter)

For a ring stone, something between 60-62. The larger the number, the smaller it looks.

The diameter on this stone should be about 6.55
 
Julie, thank you for your input. What is the 3rd number in the measurement?

I thought the depth seemed a little high too, but I''m new at this and wasn''t sure.

As for the VS1, I''m trying to keep the price for the stone around $9k. She definitely wants slightly over 1ct and any 1.0+ VVS2''s or higher have been out of my price range.

So you think $9k is too much to be asking for this particular stone?

Thanks,
Matt
 
If you can give us the crown and pavillion angles that would help. At first glance it's a tad deep, but I'm not going to say it's not a winner. Can you get a sarin report as well?? D comes at a high premium, as does the clarity. Are you set on getting a D only?? If you look at an F it will still be within the colorless range....
 
Kaleigh,

I don''t have the crown and pavillion angles yet. I sent the jeweler an email requesting the GIA number so I can get them off the GIA website. I''ll post the information as soon as I get it. Thank you!

Matt
 
Hmm, seems a teensy bit deep and a teensy bit expensive. We''d like to see an idealscope pic or something to help judge light leakage, partic with that depth. Is this a 2006 GIA cert? I was wondering if it had a cut grade?

Here''s a comparison stone http://www.whiteflash.com/round_ideal_cut/Round-Ideal-Cut-cut-diamond-2173452.htm#

I feel that color and clarity grade choices are very personal, if 1 carat D VS1 is what you are looking for then that''s what you should get. Hey, I''d love a D VS1 anything, so don''t let the size...*cough* fans dissuade you!
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You can also pricescope your diamond at the top of the page to see what similar stones are going for. Get pics and an idealscope image. I''m guessing you haven''t seen the stone??
 
Indie, thanks for your input.

Is an idealscope pic something that a good jeweler should be able to provide?

He originally didn't have anyting in stock matching my needs so he ordered one and it hasn't come in yet. Yes, this is a GIA certified diamond, but I have not seen the report yet, nor do I have the report number, so I don't know if it's 2006 with a cut grade or not. I should know in a few hours.

The diamond in the link you sent looks very nice, especially for the price. We're trying to stick with a local jewelry shop though - we know it's a little more expensive but we like the peace of mind knowing we can go to them easily if we have any problems with it and for (free) maintenance and cleaning.

Thanks!
Matt
 
Out of curiosity, what is your setting budget?
I must admit I'm far more of a setting nut than a size nut, so I would tend to vote for saving a few hundred and upping the the ring budget as opposed to squeezing the last fraction of a mm out of the diamond budget.
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ETA: not every jewelry has an idealscope, but it's worth asking about. Many jewelers will clean and inspect for free anyway under the theory that you're a potential customer now trapped in the showroom for 5 - 10 minutes. But a e-ring purchase is really all about the emotion, so whatever makes you feel more comfortable.
 
www.ideal-scope.com

It's a good investment.

If he cannot provide an idealscope image, that does not make him a bad jeweler. However, it's considered a necessity for buying online.

You're paying by the carat, but what you see is the face-up spread, not the carat weight. I guess...why buy a 1.05 when it looks like less than a carat?
 
Date: 5/3/2006 1:18:07 AM
Author: mattph76b
We're trying to stick with a local jewelry shop though - we know it's a little more expensive but we like the peace of mind knowing we can go to them easily if we have any problems with it and for (free) maintenance and cleaning.
Click to expand...

Ah .... are you really sure about their policies? Getting something local does not always equate to ease of getting problems fixed. There have been plenty of people here who bought something from a B&M and had trouble with them fixing a setting issue or sizing problem.
And remember to get the ring insured the second you get it! That's worth more than a jeweler's warranty.

ETA: I agree with JulieN, pay for what you can see.
 
Indie,

My setting budget is about $1.5k. This is the one we''ve picked out. She definitely wanted platinum, and it was my decision to go with the 0.23 total ct channel setting. I thought it looked nicer than a solitaire. There''s a matching band as well.

I''ll ask about the idealscope pictures and post them if he has one.

Thanks!
Matt

channelset-ring.jpg
 
yum, channel set!
8.gif
*sigh* not in our budget.
This is my favorite
533-b.gif


Well, let us know in the morning about the rest of the specs on the GIA cert. If it doesn''t come with crown and pavillion angles/precentages see if you can get the jeweler to measure it somehow for you.
5.gif


good luck!
35.gif
 
Update
I finally got the GIA # 14916753 from the jeweler. It turns out that the diamond he is trying to sell me for $9000 is the exact same one I saw on Pricescope being sold by USCert for $8103. I know because I put all of the diamonds that matched what I wanted in a spreadsheet, and USCert provides the GIA #s. It's still even showing up on Pricescope even. I know he's a business trying to make a profit, but a $900 dollar markup is excessive if you ask me. In addition, I'd have to pay approximately $400 in taxes. So, I'd be paying an extra $1300 for the diamond for him to do a 5 minute internet search that I'd already done myself. What is your opinion on the stone now with the additional information (see a few lines below)? At this point I'm considering finding and buying the diamond myself and having it set elsewhere. I appreciate all of your input on both the stone and how to deal with the jeweler. Thank you very much!
End Update

What do you guys think of the following diamond:

Carat: 1.04
Cut: Round Brilliant
Measurements: 6.44 x 6.47 x 4.05
Color: D
Clarity: VS1
Depth: 62.7
Table: 58
Girdle: M
Culet: None
Polish: Ex
Symmetry: Ex
Flourescence: None
GIA Certified.
$9000

Here is additional information
Crown Angle: 35°
Crown Height: 14.5 %
Pavilion Angle: 41.4°
Pavilion Depth: 44 %
Star length: 55 %
Lower Half: 80 %


Hopefully I'll have the GIA number and the additional information from the GIA report Wednesday morning and will post them as soon as possible, but what are your initial impressions?

Thanks!
Matt
 
CA 35, PA 41.4=a definite no
 
IMHO I would be all over the one linked below and if I could find another vendor to call it in other than Blue Nile to get it cheaper I would....
emteeth.gif


Link D VS2
 
As for the VS1, I'm trying to keep the price for the stone around $9k. She definitely wants slightly over 1ct and any 1.0+ VVS2's or higher have been out of my price range.


Have you considered going down a little in color and clarity? it sounds like she would like a bigger size. It is very difficult to tell the difference between D or E or F. As for clarity, I have a VS1, but if I had to do it over again, I would get a SI1. Many stones are eyeclean meaning you can't see the inclusion unless you have better than 20/20 vision. It depends on the stone though. Some people here even have eyeclean SI2s!

My preference would be a G SI1 if you want a higher color.
Here are some diamonds:
G Vs2

D Vs2

Fluorescence is a good thing in my humble opinion.
 
Julie, thank you. Can you explain why that CA and PA combination is so bad? Is there something on pricescope (or anywhere on the web) that tells you what crown and pavilion angles to look for given the rest of the diamond's specifications?

Yes, I'm beginning to consider E color diamonds, but I think we'd still like to stay at VS1 or higher for clarity.

Thanks!
Matt
 
to find out about 35/41 combo run searches on "ring of death" AND "steep" AND "deep"
-they have a smaller face-up spread than an ideal cut
-leak light

if you want to know if a certain C/P angle combination works, plug it into HCA

F/SI1 is an absolute value for the quality sweet spot
 
I would *seriously* consider a F stone (still colorless) & a VS2 (in a stone this size it will very likely be eyeclean).

The cut of the stone is the most important factor in the stone''s "beauty". In a well cut stone a gemologist may have a problem discerning a D from an F face up & especially once set.
 
Date: 5/5/2006 12:51:29 PM
Author: fire&ice
I would *seriously* consider a F stone (still colorless) & a VS2 (in a stone this size it will very likely be eyeclean).


The cut of the stone is the most important factor in the stone''s ''beauty''. In a well cut stone a gemologist may have a problem discerning a D from an F face up & especially once set.
Click to expand...

Yes, I agree that you should at least consider VS2 stones. What''s the harm, VS2 stones have no eye-visible inclusions. It''s even difficult for a jeweler to point them out with a loupe! I just got a VS2 stone yesterday and I can''t see a thing in it! Neither can my BF and trust me, he''s been trying
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The best part besides no visible inclusions is that it takes your price down
36.gif
 
Here are some VERY well cut diamonds.

Dirtcheapdiamonds.com - 1.10c F VS2 AGS - $7890.00

Whiteflash.com: 1.11 E VS2 $8631.00
1.19 E VS2 $9025 - significantly larger than your 9k stone.
 
Thanks to your valuable input, I decided to decline the diamond in my previous post and have now narrowed down my choices to the two below. What would be your preference between the following two Round Brilliants? Thanks for your help!!!

-Matt

Carats: 1.07
Color: D
Clarity: VS1
Depth: 59.9%
Table: 55%
Pol: EX
Sym: EX
Crown Angle: 33.8
Pav Angle: 40.9
Culet: 0.2%
6.69-6.71x4.01mm
HCA Score: 0.9
Price: $9580

Carats: 1.14
Color: D
Clarity: VS1
Depth: 61.5%
Table: 56%
Pol: EX
Sym: EX
Crown Angle: 34.5
Pav Angle: 40.8
Culet: None
6.71-6.76x4.14 mm
HCA Score 1.3
Price: $9795
 
Also, has anybody purchased from Diamonds on Web? If so, what was your experience? I''m considering purchasing the attached engagement ring and band from them.

http://www.diamondsonweb.com/shopping/setdetail.pl?cat=12;c_gid=1&setid=17&metal=YG18K
 

Attachments

I''d go for #2. It has a really nice HCA score and perfect angles. #1 has an ever-so-slightly shallow crown angle. However, there are many proponents here for the slightly-shallow crown angle (someone please jump in here -- shallow crowns can lead to greater scintillation? Or is it more brightness?) so it''s really a matter of personal preference.
 
Down on CA, up on PA is brightness
Up on CA, down on PA is fire

I think 34.5, 40.8 is a PS favorite. ETA: or at least, that seems to be WF's target for ACAs.

Are you getting this stone from a B&M? Why are you buying the setting online? If you look closely, you will see that the contour of the e-ring will not match up exactly with the circular curve of the w-band.
 
Julie,

Thanks for your input. After the fiasco last week, I think my girlfriend now realizes that most of the jewelers are just buying their stuff online anyways and marking it up, so why not do it ourselves and save a few hundred dollars if we can? The 1.14 is from an online dealer, the 1.07 is from a B&M. I think the B&M is giving me a decent/fair price on the 1.07 after I declined the last one and told him why. I'm going to check the 1.14 at an independent appraiser's office next Tuesday. Hopefully I'll get to see the 1.07 this Saturday. Either way, my girlfriend really likes the setting above. So, if I buy the online diamond, I'll just pay a jeweler in our area to set it. Probably a different one than I've been dealing with since he might consider it a slap in the face if I don't buy anything from him and then ask him to set things I bought elsewhere. If I go with the B&M 1.07, I'd be able to ask the same jeweler to set it for us, which would be a little more convenient. I'm also planning on getting the diamond evaluated before and after setting. Either way, I don't think I can go wrong with one of these two.

Wow, good eye on the contours! I didn't notice that. I did notice that they appear to have the wrong wedding band in that picture. It's supposed to be 10 round brilliants, but in that picture it looks like it's the 11 round brilliant band they have on their website. I'll email them and ask for a better picture. Thank you!!!
 
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