Quality check - Am I on the right track?

[Solace64]

Greetings,

Ive been doing some research the last few days and I am trying to purchase the highest quality diamond I can, within a $3000 dollar limit.

Here is a list I came up with on James Allen: http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/?CaratFrom=0.59&CaratTo=0.99&Cut=TrueHearts&PriceFrom=400&PriceTo=3080&Sort=Price%20asc,%20DefaultOrder&showAdvanced=show&Polish=EX,ID&Symmetry=EX,ID&Lab=GIA,AGS&Flour=&DepthFrom=59.0&DepthTo=61.8&TableFrom=53.0&TableTo=58.0

Am I on the right track here? Is there a suitable diamond on that list? Which would you guys choose?

Of course I am trying to get the best bang for my buck, I want to go as big as I can within my limit without sacrificing on quality any advise is appreciated.

 

[Solace64]

How about this particular diamond? Those spots I can see in the picture, are they visible to the naked eye?

http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.61-carat-i-color-vs1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-281670

Thanks guys.

 

[Solace64]

Or this one?

http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.63-carat-i-color-vs1-clarity-ideal-cut-sku-287533

Sorry for the multiple posts as I find the diamonds.

Thanks again!

 

[TC1987]

In that size of diamond, VS1 or VS2 should be eye-clean from the top (face up.) Clarity is graded face up, and you have to ask the vendor is the diamond still eyeclean at a tilt or viewed from the side.

Cut is first priority.

Color is an individual preference. The I range is where many people start to notice tint in a mounted diamond. You might want to stick with H or higher. (Color is graded face-down. And H can look disturbingly tinted unmounted and face-down. Don't worry about it.)

Clarity is another personal preference. Since you have a tight budget, consider this: Some people need VS clarity, but I'm one that decided, over time, that I don't. If the recipient can tolerate a spec or two that are discrete but will be visible under some conditions, clarity can go down to SI2. My argument on pitching the high-clarity standard is, after a while, you quit studying your diamond 24/7 and then the eye-clean issue isn't so important in a RB, but cut/size/color are. That's my $.02. I have a superideal Si2 diamond of nice heft, and it literally would have cost me 2x the money to get the same except VS2. I don't need high clarity; the diamond never stays immaculate when it's in a ring anyhow. But not all people feel that way. Some may be offended by "lower clarity." I have owned / worn everything from VVS1 down to I1, and that is how I arrived at my conclusion that clarity doesn't matter as much as other things.


I'm not sure how much research you've done. Here are some tips if you don't want to make a federal project out of it.
Read niceice.com, Diamond education, The Fast Track. Quote from that:

Total depth between 59 – 61.8%
Table diameter between 53 – 58%
Crown angle between 34.3 – 34.8 degrees
Pavilion angle between 40.6 – 40.9 degrees
Girdle thickness between thin and slightly thick
Culet: AGS pointed or GIA none - See more at: http://niceice.com/diamond-buying-secrets/15-seconds-diamond-buying-success/#sthash.yfGYurS8.dpuf

We have the HCA cut adviser, here, under Tools. Look for score 2 or under, just as a rejection tool. There are shallower stones that lok better as pendants, there are GIA "Excellent" steep/deep stones that are poor performers + may face up smaller than average for their weight.

Gypsy on here has a summary that she has posted many times. Look that up.
Pricescope Cheat Sheet thread has some general ideas of what you get with certain table %s and crown angles. Many on here like smaller tables 54-56% or so, and about 15% crown height. Narrower arrows (slivery) cone from 80% lgf, and I like fatter ones so I personally pick more like 76% or 77% lgf.
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/preferred-specs-cheat-sheet-for-rounds.88548/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/preferred-specs-cheat-sheet-for-rounds.88548/[/URL]

 

[Solace64]

Thank you for the advice.

Here's another diamond I found, a James Allen True Hearts. Looks like it scores a 0.9 on the HCA. Does this seem like a good buy ?

http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.60-carat-i-color-vs1-clarity-ideal-cut-sku-287530

Thanks again!

 

[Solace64]

Here's another here with better color

http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.60-carat-f-color-si1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-364329

 

[TC1987]

It's AGS 000 cut grade and that's a good indicator of cut. We usually say you can skip the HCA evaluation on an AGS 000 nowadays because AGS 000 has stricter standards than GIA 3Excellent. Looking at only AGS 000 is another shortcut, but those stones are not usually discounted.

I like the proportions on that last one. You get good fire from small table and a decent crown height like that. I haven't been watching prices, so I can't comment how good of a deal. JA's True Hearts, Good Old Gold Signature, Brian Gavin Sig, Whiteflash ACA, anything Crafted by Infinity should all be good diamonds, appearance-wise. They all have been reviewed for precise symmetry.

Review the vendor's return / tradeup / buyback policies, too, to make sure they meet your needs.

ID Jewelry and B2C Jewels on here have also helped people with tight budget find some nice diamonds. Sometimes you can drop to VG on polish or something and it cuts the cost but not the performance seen by the eye. You might contact them, too.

I'm going to have to get off here now and get some work done. Someone else will be along, though.