Please help me choose diamond, last day!!

[hoost]

Hello PS community,

I have been searching and asking many questions on these forums for months know and appreciate all the help I have gotten. In a previous post I outlined the specs I received from a B&M store and all have said that there are much better/cheaper alternatives on the internet. Now the diamond I was looking at was a 60/60 split with 1.20, H SI1 Excellent cut. Now cut being the most important factor in my decision, I was not extremely happy with the AGA score of CLass 1B and HCA of 2.6. The price for the diamond was discounted so I was told to 7100 however I am wondering if I can find a cheaper/ better alternative. I would even go up to 7100 however a bit lower would be great too. Here are two diamond I found but not entirely sure. Any other diamond suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Should I go with better colour, or clarity and lose ctw etc.

Stone 1 (Not sure why H&A look this way since the AGS cert doesnt portray this or maybe I am not reading it properly)

http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/Whiteflash-ACA-cut-diamond-2145428.htm#

Stone 2

http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/Whiteflash-ACA-cut-diamond-2219629.htm#

I need to have the stone shipped by Thurs/Fri o this week since I am going to have it set on Sat.

Any other company would be great too, JA, BN

Thank you so much for all you help everyone

 

[stone-cold11]

This? Ask if eye-clean and request an idealscope image from JA if interested.

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/H-SI1-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1249165.asp

 

[stone-cold11]

The hearts image is probably just a mistake in the image taking, not that sharp. The black spots are just inclusions, nothing to worry about.

 

[hoost]

Stonecold:

Thank you for the recommedation, that diamond is rated 1A on AGA grader excellent price too. What are your thoughts on the ACA diamonds from whiteflash? I mean they are way more expensive then the one you posted (non JA H&A) They still have H&A specifications though I am confused why JA wouldn''t put that on there list

 

[stone-cold11]

Probably it is not cut specifically for JA from what I understand, probably own by another vendor, JA's True Hearts are cut for them specifically, just like WF's ACA. With that JA stone, you will not be able to request a hearts image, so you will not know if it is a true H&A unless you have your own H&A scope since you are buying the stone loose.

Nothing wrong with the ACA, both look good to me, depends on if you want a branded H&A and the respective company's upgrade/buy-back policy.

EDT:
One thing to note, H&A is a measure of optical symmetry not light return performance, it seems to me you are mixing the 2 up.

 

[FB.]

A stone with optimal angles and excellent H&A symmetry is likely to slightly outperform a non-&A stone, since optimal angles and perfect symmetry ensure maximum light performance. A less-symmetrical stone may have the right angles, but they are averages and the angles will usually be more varied than a H&A stone, so that a slight performance loss might be apparent.

But if the angles aren't ideal, then H&A won't make the stone better because the light will still end up going in the wrong direction.


Regarding AGA's cut charts;

There are several types of "ideal" diamond proportions. Not all ideal proportions will look the same and some people prefer certain crown/pavilion combo's.

Personally, I like stones with larger crowns and more fire. Such stones fall into AGA grade 2B (but that does not mean that all AGA 2B will be fiery).
My OH prefers stones with flatter crowns and more brightness. Such stones fall into AGA grade 1B (but as above; it doesn't imply that all AGA 1B will be brighter).
Most people would appear to prefer a balance between the two. Such stones fall into AGA grade 1A.

 

[hoost]

What do you think of this diamond?

 

[hoost]

IDEALSCOPE

 

[hoost]

Sarin

 

[hoost]

ASET, EYE CLEAN from all distances and angles

 

[stone-cold11]

looks good. Hearts image?

 

[yssie]

Lovely!!

 

[hoost]

How much do you think is too much for this diamond

1.20 H, SI1

 

[hoost]

Is the ACA really worth it? I read through some old forums and they said that if a diamond doesn''t meet all 16 points it does not qualify for ACA. Are there any good values in the ES section?

 

[swingirl]

This is quite a lovely stone. Whether an ACA is worth it is up to you but I think it is. Sometimes you can find a very nice ES but the nice one''s aren''t that much less than the ACAs. You could go lower in color if you need to keep to a budget but the ACAs are very nice and sparkly and just gorgeous.

 

[hoost]

I was ensured the diamond is completely eye-clean from all angles even up to 6 inches. I am not sure how you wouldn''t be able to see the problems in the center of the diamond (Cloud and Crystal) and feather on the bottom. Also, what quantifies an SI if its completely eyeclean.

 

[stone-cold11]

clarity is graded using 10x loupe and under diffused back lighting, from what I understand, which makes it easier to find inclusions. Normal viewing conditions, lighting is mainly from the top and you do not have 10x vision.

Anyway, you still have the 30days test drive period to see if you notice the inclusion.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 11/22/2009 9:29:14 PM
Author: hoost
I was ensured the diamond is completely eye-clean from all angles even up to 6 inches. I am not sure how you wouldn''t be able to see the problems in the center of the diamond (Cloud and Crystal) and feather on the bottom. Also, what quantifies an SI if its completely eyeclean.

The diamond looks great, as to what makes it an SI depends, things like type, size, location, visibility and more all are taken into account when deciding the clarity grade.

 

[Laila619]

The SI1 clarity is probably based on clouds. Check on the cert...