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Please help me decide between these two diamonds!

FYI, the true hearts diamond shows as sold on the JA site.

That said, I'd ask for an idealscope (IS) image on the first one that is "excellent cut". To me, it appears the true heart IS image has some minor leakage at the 10-12 o'clock positions but still appears very good.

FYI....
http://www.heartsandarrows.com/hearts-arrows-diamond-ideal-cut-dna.aspx
 
sledge said:
FYI, the true hearts diamond shows as sold on the JA site.

That said, I'd ask for an idealscope (IS) image on the first one that is "excellent cut". To me, it appears the true heart IS image has some minor leakage at the 10-12 o'clock positions but still appears very good.

FYI....
http://www.heartsandarrows.com/hearts-arrows-diamond-ideal-cut-dna.aspx
Click to expand...

Thanks very much. The H&A was sold on James Allen but is now available secondhand. Unfortunately James Allen is unwilling to provide an idealscope image for the 1.7.
 
Why @CamranWilson will JA not provide an IS? Have you reached your 3 maximum limit? I think it's only fair to see the IS, good or bad, as it's critical info in deciding -- especially when buying online. Kind of feels slimy them not providing it. If you've reached your max 3, it's a different story.

What's your budget and criteria? Have you looked at Whiteflash or Brian Gavin yet?
 
sledge said:
Why @CamranWilson will JA not provide an IS? Have you reached your 3 maximum limit? I think it's only fair to see the IS, good or bad, as it's critical info in deciding -- especially when buying online. Kind of feels slimy them not providing it. If you've reached your max 3, it's a different story.

What's your budget and criteria? Have you looked at Whiteflash or Brian Gavin yet?
Click to expand...

Brian Gavin and Whiteflash are a bit outside of my budget for what I'm looking for. I'm trying to get at least a 1.7 for around 11k. I did contact JA again, and they are willing to provide an idealscope after all.

To provide a bit more info, I've been able to get the price for both of these to about 10.5k. My hang up is that while I like the H&A, the dimensions of the 1.7 do appear a bit better to me from the standpoint of brilliance and fire, which HCA seems to confirm.
 
Be sure to post the IS when you get it @CamranWilson. It will tell us a lot more. Also you can ask JA to place that stone on hold while you are trying to decide, if they haven't already done so.

Generally speaking, a H&A super ideal should have more fire & brilliance because it's a better cut. That said, our own eyes may perceive things differently. Also, I will add that when looking at WF I was on the fence between what they call a premium select and some ACA (A Cut Above, aka "H&A"). I had the gemologist there review the 3 or 4 stones I was reviewing. It was her professional opinion the premium select had the most beauty and was an exceptionally well cut stone that somehow didn't make the H&A grade. In the end, she recommended I go with that stone over their ACA's which she said herself was very odd for her to do. Obviously you don't need a H&A stone to obtain an excellent cut, but they do seem to go together many times.

Is size and cut your most important criteria? What color range?

I only ask because it was my experience that while I found some nice stones at JA, I seemed to find nicer ones at WF and BGD. WF is usually close in price if they have similar inventory. I've noticed BGD can be more expensive but in my case it turned out to also be a cost savings as that is whom I ended up buying from.

One last thought....remember the HCA is more of a pass/fail type test. Meaning anything that is 2 or less is generally recommended, but a 1.1 is not necessarily better than a 1.9. Also, the HCA is non-applicable to H&A stones as they are super ideals.
 
sledge said:
Be sure to post the IS when you get it @CamranWilson. It will tell us a lot more. Also you can ask JA to place that stone on hold while you are trying to decide, if they haven't already done so.

Generally speaking, a H&A super ideal should have more fire & brilliance because it's a better cut. That said, our own eyes may perceive things differently. Also, I will add that when looking at WF I was on the fence between what they call a premium select and some ACA (A Cut Above, aka "H&A"). I had the gemologist there review the 3 or 4 stones I was reviewing. It was her professional opinion the premium select had the most beauty and was an exceptionally well cut stone that somehow didn't make the H&A grade. In the end, she recommended I go with that stone over their ACA's which she said herself was very odd for her to do. Obviously you don't need a H&A stone to obtain an excellent cut, but they do seem to go together many times.

Is size and cut your most important criteria? What color range?

I only ask because it was my experience that while I found some nice stones at JA, I seemed to find nicer ones at WF and BGD. WF is usually close in price if they have similar inventory. I've noticed BGD can be more expensive but in my case it turned out to also be a cost savings as that is whom I ended up buying from.

One last thought....remember the HCA is more of a pass/fail type test. Meaning anything that is 2 or less is generally recommended, but a 1.1 is not necessarily better than a 1.9. Also, the HCA is non-applicable to H&A stones as they are super ideals.
Click to expand...

Thanks very much. This is helpful. The diamond is in a yellow gold setting, and she says she doesn't care about a little warmth, so I'm thinking I for color. I want to stay around 1.7 with the best cut I can find for the price.
 
I'm not a fan of YG and don't know much about it, but maybe some of our veterans can chime in on this -- my thoughts are a YG setting will make the diamond appear warmer than it actually is. Maybe if WG prongs are used then it wouldn't matter.

You mentioned an existing setting -- is this an upgrade? If so, what size is her current stone?
 
sledge said:
I'm not a fan of YG and don't know much about it, but maybe some of our veterans can chime in on this -- my thoughts are a YG setting will make the diamond appear warmer than it actually is. Maybe if WG prongs are used then it wouldn't matter.

You mentioned an existing setting -- is this an upgrade? If so, what size is her current stone?
Click to expand...

upload_2018-5-9_11-11-22.png

This is the JA 1.7 Idealscope.
 
The IS looks very good indeed, should be a lovely diamond.

Sledge is right, opinions vary on yellow gold, the most usual way is to have the band made in yellow gold then the prongs in white gold as it's thought this makes the stone look whiter rather than the whole thing being YG.
 
So, a couple of things. The 1.77 is a GORGEOUS stone. The smaller table is my personal preference and i prefer the fatter arrows on this stone vs the 1.7. The 1.7 does have great angles, yes and the IS looks really nice but i wouldn't say "the dimenstions are better in terms of brilliance and fire". As @sledge pointed out, the HCA is a pass/fail. A score of .9 is not better than say a score of 1.9.

you said the 1.77 is available secondhand.. On the Yellow Gold part... i wouldn't worry about it unless your girl doesnt like yellow gold. An "I" colored stone most likely isn't going have enough tint that it's going to look yellow. I like yellow gold myself. And if she doesn't like YG you can always reset it. HOwever, you need to find out if your GF has an aversion to secondhand jewelry or e-rings. Some ladies absolutely do not want a secondhand ring, worrying about bad juju. and lastly, i'd want it appraised just to make sure it hasn't been chipped.
 
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