Please help me choose from two diamonds

[csadd141]

I thought my seemingly endless research on diamonds would leave me feeling comfortable on a purchase, but I'm still not sure I will ever understand these beautiful stones. I'm buying a ring for my GF and have narrowed it down to two diamonds. Here are the specs:

Diamond 1: AGS certified, 1.74 carats, I-SI1, cut grade very good 2 (polish 1, symmetry 1, light performance 2), dimensions 7.69-7.73X4.77. Table 60.6%, depth 61.8%, crown angle 36, pavilion angle 41.8, $11,000.

Diamond 2: GIA certified, 1.63 carats, H-VS2, cut grade very good, dimensions 7.82-7.86X4.45, table 66%, depth 56.7%, crown angle 32.5, pavilion angle 41, $10,100.

I love both diamonds, but feel diamond 2 is slightly whiter. Other than that, my amateur eyes can't notice a difference, especially since I haven't been able to compare them side by side. I do know that the table on diamond 2 is very large, and that is the only reason I am actually considering going for the more expensive diamond. Any suggestions would be appreciated. I know the cuts aren't perfect, but they are both beautiful and I know my girlfriend would be ok with cut compromise to be able to provide a more substantial diamond. Thanks!

 

[Gypsy]

Neither.

Both are frankly crappy performers.

First one is a 60/60 with a terrible pavilion angle. http://www.pricescope.com/wiki/diamonds/60-60-proportioned-diamond
And the second one leaves me breathless the numbers are so bad. 66 TABLE???? 56 DEPTH??? I thought maybe you reversed the table and the depth. And at first I hoped you did cause otherwise that is one flat pancake of a dead stone otherwise. But even if you DID reverse them that means the thing is a deep iceberg and is going to be the diamond on the far right in the chart below. AND if you DIDN'T reverse them, then it's the 'very shallow' stone right next to that. Either way-- run, don't walk, away.




Neither is worth buying in any way shape or form. If you are buying an AGS stone the performance BETTER be 0 or MAYBE 1. A 2???? No way.

As for the GIA. GIA Ex cut already contains a ton of duds. Let alone that one you are being shown.

And frankly any jeweler that is suggesting either of those to you with a straight face is looking out for HIS interests not yours.


You are not compromising "a little" with either of those stones. They will both be dead and lifeless. You need to focus on quality. You can get a nice quality J color diamond with SI1 one that has ideal light performance and you know what??? It will be WHITER than either of those dogs. Why? Because it will reflect light.

 

[Gypsy]

Here's what you need to know.

The entire purpose of faceting a diamond is to reflect light.
How well or how poorly a diamond does this determines how beautiful it is.
How well a diamond performs is determined by the angles and cutting. This is why we say cut is king.
No other factor: not color, not clarity has as much of an impact on the appearance of a diamond as its cut. An ideal H will out white a poorly cut F. And GIA Ex is not enough. And you must stick to GIA and AGS only. EGL is a bad option: [URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/egl-certification-are-any-of-them-ok.142863/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/egl-certification-are-any-of-them-ok.142863/[/URL]
So how to we ensure that we have the right angles and cutting to get the light performance we want?
https://www.pricescope.com/wiki/diamonds/diamond-cut
Well one method is to start with a GIA Ex, and then apply the HCA to it. YOU DO NOT USE HCA for AGS0 stones.
https://www.pricescope.com/wiki/diamonds/holloway-cut-advisor
The HCA is a rejection tool. Not a selection tool. It uses 4 data points to make a rudimentary call on how the diamond may perform.
If the diamond passes then you know that you are in the right zone in terms of angles for light performance. Under 2 is a pass. Under 2.5-2.1 is a maybe. 2.6 and over is a no. No score 2 and under is better than any other. Also try to stick to stones with crown angles between 34-36 and depth under 62.4.
Is that enough? Not really.
So what you need is a way to check actual light performance of your actual stone.
That's what an idealscope image does. https://www.pricescope.com/wiki/diamonds/firescope-idealscope
It shows you how and wear your diamond is reflecting light, how well it is going at it, and where you are losing light return. That is why you won't see us recommending Blue Nile, as they do not provide idealscope images for their diamonds. BGD, James Allen, GOG, HPD, ERD and WF do.

The Idealscope is the 'selection tool'. Not the HCA.
So yes, with a GIA stone you need the idealscope images. Or you can buy an idealscope yourself and take it in to the jeweler you are working with to check the stones yourself. Or if you have a good return policy (full refund minimum 7 days) then you can buy the idealscope, buy the stone, and do it at home.


Now if you want to skip all that... stick to AGS0 stones and then all you have to do is pick color and clarity and you know you have a great performing diamond. Because AGS has already done the checking for you. That's why they trade at a premium.

 

[Gypsy]

Here is what you should be buying:
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/1.61-carat-h-color-si1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-367350

At 7.5mm it is only slight smaller (DIMENSIONS not carat weight matter) than that pancake you are considering. The numbers on this put it in a fantastic range for performance and JA can provide you with an idealscope. And it's only 10,000.

Alternately there is this beauty: http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/1.62-carat-i-color-si1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-216506 At 800 more than the last one it is an I color and that inclusion has a good chance of being eyeclean.

And finally: http://www.b2cjewels.com/dd-6348589-1.64-carat-Round-diamond-J-color-VS1-Clarity.aspx?sku=6348589&utm_source=pricescope.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=pricescope.com UNDER BUDGET gorgeous stone. And B2C can usually provide an idealscope.


If you want diamond that is large, impressive and has LIFE to it. Pick one of these.

If you want a lifeless rock get the ones you were looking at.

Also, even though you saw those stones and you thought they were nice-- you weren't comparing them next to TRULY nice stones, and what do you know about what a good diamond is supposed to look like? I guarantee you if those rocks looked good to you... "nothing" is the answer to that question.
Plus you were looking at them under jewelers lights.
Here's the thing about jewelers lights: you don't wear a diamond under jewelers lights. You wear a diamond outdoors, in the dim (relative to jewelers lights) lighting of you house. Those rocks are going to suck under normal lighting conditions. And neither of them is anything you should be spending over 10k to buy.