rubyprincess said:
Portree said:
And my current Infinity, an I color, I1 clarity, with strong blue fluorescence:
This is by far my favorite diamond of the three because of the fluoro. And, yup, it's an I1 clarity, and I'd buy another I1 from Infinity in a heartbeat. Paul Slegers is a master artisan when it comes to diamond cutting.
Portree: I'm actually looking at an I1 and would like to know a bit more about yours. I haven't seen it in real life only video so it's a tough call. Was it prongable or did it just not bother you from face up?
Hi, rubyprincess,
As you can see from my history with Infinity stones, I went from a VS2, to an SI2, and then to my I1, as I grew more comfortable with the Infinity brand. I also worked with Wink (and had some e-mail contact with Todd about another I1) and both Wink and Todd were very good about explaining the characteristics of the clarity plot and how the inclusions affected the face-up appearance of the stone. I also met Paul Slegers in person a year ago, in Chicago, and he explained to me how Infinity orients the rough to minimize the inclusions' impact on the appearance and performance of the brand. Without the information from Wink, Todd, and Paul, I do not think I would have ever been comfortable dropping so low in clarity.
That said, each SI2 and, even more so, each I1 stone, is unique. The primary inclusions in my current stone (the I color, I1 clarity) are many small, clear crystals, scattered over the face of the diamond. I've got to go to work now, and I'll be away from my computer, but I'll see if I can locate the link to the plot of my stone. When Wink saw the AGS report for my stone, he was doubtful that it would be eye clean, but when he had the stone shipped in to make a video for me, he said he was amazed that the stone was so clean face-up. I can't see anything with my naked eye, but I can see the crystals clearly with my 10X loupe, now that I know how to orient the stone with the plot. But if I can't see it with my eyes, I don't care if the inclusions are there. I don't know what
CBI vendor you're working with, but if they can make you a video of the stone, that may be helpful to you.
Something to consider: My I1 is a one carat stone. A larger stone with the type of crystals my diamond has may or may not be eye clean. What size diamond are you looking at from
CBI? Also, what are the primary inclusions in the stone you are considering?
Another thing, my diamond is set in an elaborate halo, so there's no way I can see the side of the stone. In fact, I've never seen it unmounted. I suspect that I'd see the crystals from the side of the stone if I had it mounted in a different setting. That might bother me, but I can't say for sure.
I did consider upgrading to a 1.28 I color, I1 stone earlier this year. Todd made a video of the stone for me and gave me his impressions of the inclusions. It, too, had clear crystal inclusions, but the primary inclusion was much larger than my stone's smaller scattered inclusions. Todd said he could see the primary crystal inclusion at about arm's length, but when he showed it to some people in the office next door who didn't know the type or location of the inclusion, they couldn't locate it. In the end, I decided against that stone, because I didn't want to change out my setting, and somebody else bought it. They got quite the deal! Infinity diamonds have a very crisp, tight, appearance to them. They are very "3-D" looking, not flat in appearance. I believe the "crispness" of the cut really hides a lot of boo-boos -- again, that's why the lower clarity grade in my stone does not bother me.
But you need to be comfortable with the idea of an I1 clarity diamond, because ideal cut I1's are not very common, and many people just can't get over the industry stigma toward I1 diamonds. Me, I love the lower price points that I1 stones offer, and I used the money I saved by not buying a 1 carat G VS2 stone to spend a week in Switzerland -- no, I'm not kidding. The differences in price between a 1 carat G and an I color, and a VS2 and an I1 clarity, was several thousand dollars. And the
CBI cut quality (which is what makes the diamond beautiful) is the same for both stones. I believe in paying for cut quality and going as low as you can tolerate in color and clarity. But that's just me; others on PS have different standards. Ultimately it's about your own comfort level with all the C's.
Good luck to you with your decision! And if there's any way possible you can see the
CBI in person, you really should. They have a distinct "look" to them that is hard to describe in words, videos, or photos. And they are lively stones in all lighting conditions.
eta: Just saw that you do have a video of the stone. If you feel comfortable doing so, you can post the link to the video and ask for comments on it. I'd like to see it. How do you plan on setting the stone?