please help me decide! need eye-clean SI1 engagment ring asap!

[EyecleanHS1]

dear forum,

my fiance recently proposed and got me a gorgeous ring from bluenile. It's a round, H,SI1, 1.55 carat, $11007,(57%,60.7%,35,40. and really sparkles. scored 1.5 on the Hollaway Cut Adviser. anyway, after hours of staring at it adoringly, I noticed a tiny inclusion (indented natural) which was visible to my unaided eyes. its seems to be on the pavillion, visible from the side-bottom view through the prongs and requires the stone to be in front of a bright light source.

the specs and link to the certificate are here -> Our Current Diamond

as my exposure to actual diamonds is extremely limited (this is the first one i've seen up close!), i've read that there are true eyeclean hs1s from all/any angles, and with bluenile's return policy....we're wondering whether we might have been better off with a different stone.

as we're not sure how an inclusion actually shows to the eye. we are somewhat inclined to stay away from indented naturals as we spotted one with our own eyes, however, we're not sure how the needles, clouds, crystals, etc will show to an unaided eye. the differences in grading reports from agsl and gia, along with some poor scans are simply making the task more challenging.....

essentially, we're looking for a stone that is truly eye-clean from all angles. below are the ones we are evaluating now. Diamond 2 and 4 are the ones that currently look good in our unexperienced opinions.... at any rate, any information/advice you can offer would be incredibly appreciated!!

1.55, H, SI1, $11000, HCA Score -2.5, (58%, 62%, 35, 41)
Diamond 1

1.56, H, SI1, $11680, HCA Score - 1.1, (57%, 60.8%, 33.8, 40.9)
Diamond 2

1.57, H, SI1, $11751, HCA Score - 1.8, (57.9%, 60.8%, 34.4, 41)
Diamond 3

1.62, H, SI1, $11734, HCA Score - 1.4, (57%, 61.7%, 35.5, 40.6)
Diamond 4

Thank you!!!

 

[Dreamer_D]

There are totally eye-clean SI1s and even SI2s, but the only way to know that is to have someone lay their eyes on the stone. One of the issues with BN is that I don''t think that thay actually have the stones on their website IN HOUSE, which means that someone has not actually laid their eyes on the stone and hence cannot attest to its eye-cleanliness.

Is there an option at BN for them to call the stones in house and look at them so they can tell you if they are eye clean? If not, you may want to go up to a VS range to increase the likelihood that it is eye clean... but even then there is no guarantee. Still another option would be to return the diamond and get one from somewhere that has stones inhouse so you can know for certain...like GOG, WF, JA or others I don''t know of.

 

[EyecleanHS1]

hi dreamer,

thank you for your response. i think you''re right, BN doesn''t keep them in house... what they have in their own vault may be the ones they''ve branded with their BN signature-ideal stamp. i''ll look more into those retailers that can lend me their eyes. if you have any thoughts on the diamonds referenced, i''d certainly appreciate it. thanks!

 

[Fly Girl]

Eyeclean definitions vary, but generally it means from the top view only. Since you can only see your indented natural from the bottom side, with a bright light in the background, you do have an eyeclean diamond.

Frankly, I''d consider it a birthmark that only you know how to find, and go ahead and enjoy your beautiful diamond.

 

[Lorelei]

2 3 and 4 look like possible choices, ask the rep at BN to make sure these diamonds are eyeclean to your standards to include the side views as well as the top. Then you can go from there. It is a pity that this diamond hasn't met your expectations, but if this stone isn't mind clean for you, then perhaps it would be best to change it. SI clarities are not created equal, some may pass close up scrutiny and others may not, so you will need to make your expectations clear to the BN rep, maybe a higher clarity might be a better fit. Unfortunately you can't go by the plotting diagram of the grading report, as you can't properly evaluate a diamond for ' eyecleanliness' in this way, the only way to tell is with an experienced vendor description with the diamond in hand, that is one of the reasons why it can be so helpful to use a vendor with in house diamonds, so you will need to check if this is indeed the case that the diamonds you are interested in are in house.

 

[mercoledi]

It''s a little tough to tell if a stone is eye-clean over the internet

. Yours looks like a good candidate. Since it''s a virtual stone at BN, perhaps you can have a local B&M or other internet retailer (JA maybe?) call it in and look at it for you. If you''re lucky they''ll price match with BN as well.

 

[MonkeyPie]

If you have to jump through hoops and go through contortions to see the flaw, I think you are doing just fine without needing a new stone.

But if you have 11k sitting around with nowhere to go (such as bills), then feel free.

 

[JulieN]

If you are bothered by an indented natural on the pavilion which is only visible through the side and by putting it in front of a bright light, I would go VS1+.

 

[dockman3]

Date: 7/1/2008 2:21:24 PM
Author: JulieN
If you are bothered by an indented natural on the pavilion which is only visible through the side and by putting it in front of a bright light, I would go VS1+.

Ditto.

 

[diamondMary]

I agree with dreamer_dachsie call blue nile and have them call in the stones and see which one is the best. I like to use this example when it comes to SI stones. 2 guys walk into a room, one with a huge zit on his nose, the other with the same zit behind his ear. Well the one on the nose is more obvious. The same applies to inclusions. The best thing to do is to call them and have them call the vendor, that usually saves you lots of headaches.

Mary Kasdagelis
Diamond Specialist @ your service
Diamond.com
888-diamond (342-6663)

 

[kcoursolle]

Your best bet to finding a well-cut eye clean SI stone is to buy somewhere else besides bn. You need a place with more information about the stone such as images and an actual person who can look it over for you. Jamesallen.com has similar prices to BN and also has in house stones and pictures, they might be a good place for your to buy from. GOG and WF are great too, but a little bit more pricey than JA.

ETA: alternatively, you could buy from BN but increase your clarity to the VS2 or VS1 which are fairly likely to be eye clean.

 

[EyecleanHS1]

Thanks , dreamer_dachsie, Fly Girl, Lorelei, mercoledi, MonkeyPie, JulieN, dockman3, diamondMary, and kcoursolle!!. your input is greatly appreciated.

Based on your responses, I contacted Blue Nile and put in a request to have someone look at the stones while keeping my visual requirements in mind. They will call back within 24 to 48 hours with the results. Hoping to hear something good!!