Quantity or Quality?

[Ordieth]

Ok, I have 2 diamonds I am looking at right now, and I would like some opinions from more experienced diamond shoppers

So, here they are:

QUANTITY:

Shape: Round
Carat weight: 0.82
Cut: Premium
Color: H
Clarity: SI1
Certificate: GIA

Depth: 60.1%
Table: 56%
Polish: Good
Symmetry: Excellent
Girdle: Thin to medium
Culet: None
Fluorescence: None
Measurements: 6.07*6.10*3.66

Crown Angle: 34.5°
Crown %: 15.00
Pavillion Angle: 40.4°
Pavillion %: 42.50

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamond.asp?b=16&a=12&c=77&cid=131&item=947696



QUALITY?

Shape: Round
Carat weight: 0.78
Cut: Hearts & Arrows Ideal
Color: F
Clarity: VS2
Certificate: GIA

Depth: 60.5%
Table: 56%
Polish: Excellent
Symmetry: Excellent
Girdle: Very thin to medium
Culet: None
Fluorescence: None
Measurements: 5.96*6.00*3.62

Crown Angle: 34.5°
Crown %: 15.00
Pavillion Angle: 40.6°
Pavillion %: 43.00

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamond.asp?b=16&a=12&c=77&cid=131&item=896874

I plan on setting the diamond as a center stone with a Platnum/white gold ring.

While the first one has size and price, I dont know if the color or clairity are that great, however, when looking at the diamond, I can''t find the inclusion yet...

The second diamond is smaller (not by much) but is a Hearts and Arrows, with a better polish and symmetry, but it has a very large inclusion on the edge. I was wondering do you think that the inclusion could be hidden by a prong? (I am not sure how big prongs generally are and how big this inclusion really is...)

Thank you everyone!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Oh, I''m going to have to vote "none of the above". Sorry. I was prepared to vote for the second one until I saw the very thin girdle. You can find better than these.

 

[JulieN]

This one seems to be a compromise http://www.jamesallen.com/diamond.asp?b=16&a=12&c=77&cid=131&item=860667 Ask for an Ideal Scope picture.

The very thin girdle doesn't have to be a problem, neither does the inclusion...

 

[Ordieth]

Date: 11/14/2006 7:22:10 PM
Author: diamondseeker2006
Oh, I''m going to have to vote ''none of the above''. Sorry. I was prepared to vote for the second one until I saw the very thin girdle. You can find better than these.

does a very thin girdle make the diamond more fragile? should I look for thicker girdles?

Do you think this would be worth the increased price over diamond #2?

#3
Shape: Round
Carat weight: 0.81
Cut: Hearts & Arrows Ideal
Color: F
Clarity: VS2
Certificate: AGS

Depth: 60.6%
Table: 56.3%
Polish: Ideal
Symmetry: Ideal
Girdle: Medium to slightly thick
Culet: None
Fluorescence: Neglible
Measurements: 6.02*6.05*3.66

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamond.asp?b=16&a=12&c=77&cid=131&item=895820

 

[belle]

Date: 11/15/2006 9:34:14 AM
Author: Ordieth

does a very thin girdle make the diamond more fragile? should I look for thicker girdles?

not necessarily. girdle measurements are reported by the thinnest and thickest parts of the diamond. a ''very thin'' to ''medium'' girdle could have just a very small spot (that could be placed under a prong) that is very thin while the rest is ''medium''. if this is the case, it poses no concern whatsoever. i would not rule it out. it would be easy to tell if the ''very thin'' part could be troublesome. just ask the vendor to look it over. thicker isn''t going to guarantee better.

 

[niceice]

Date: 11/15/2006 9:48:35 AM
Author: belle

Date: 11/15/2006 9:34:14 AM

Author: Ordieth
does a very thin girdle make the diamond more fragile? should I look for thicker girdles?

a 'very thin' to 'medium' girdle could have just a very small spot (that could be placed under a prong)

Yes, a "very thin" girdle "can" make a a diamond more fragile and prone to damage. However as Belle has indicated it depends on to what extent and where the girdle has been determined to be very thin. You can get a pretty good idea as to the extent of the very thin portions of the girdle by obtaining a Sarin or OGI or Helium computerized proportions analysis of the diamond and looking at the girdle measurements - the 3D model produced by the Sarin machine can be helpful to this regard as well. Whether to place a prong over the very thin section of the girdle is something best left to the jeweler who is setting the diamond because it is not always possible or prudent to do so.

 

[adamasgem]

Date: 11/15/2006 9:48:35 AM
Author: belle

Date: 11/15/2006 9:34:14 AM
Author: Ordieth

does a very thin girdle make the diamond more fragile? should I look for thicker girdles?

not necessarily. girdle measurements are reported by the thinnest and thickest parts of the diamond. a 'very thin' to 'medium' girdle could have just a very small spot (that could be placed under a prong) that is very thin while the rest is 'medium'. if this is the case, it poses no concern whatsoever. i would not rule it out. it would be easy to tell if the 'very thin' part could be troublesome. just ask the vendor to look it over. thicker isn't going to guarantee better.

Belle. RE: The highlighted: While that could "protect" the thin edge, your advice could also be a disaster waiting to happen, as you wide up putting pressure on the weakest part of the stone...

The GIA "nomenclature" has changed ("thin" is thinner, "medium" is thinner and thicker) from what I, and a lot of others, were originally taught. I posted documentation of this on PS awhile back on some thread related to cut grading..

Without seeing a SRN or Helium scan, one can't tell how much to be concerned.. EX thin or knife edge girdles are best used in earrings, as there is less possibilty of edge chipping..