Questions about Plot/Clarity of SI2 Stones

[beebrisk]

Oops! I originally posted this in the research forum, which may not be the right place...

Hoping someone can shed some light on this:

I am in the market for a diamond (yay!) but have a few budgetary constraints that seem to lead me mostly to SI2 stones. I have picked out a few that I might want to have called in but I am concerned about the plots on the GIA certs.

I could easily afford a VS2 or SI1 stone if I was willing to go down to an I or J color, but it's important to me that the stone be at least a G since I'm very color-sensitive. All the other stats on these stones check out very well (Excellent) for cut, symmetry, polish, etc..

While I completely understand that nothing beats a visual evaluation I wonder if it's even worth it to look at these simply based on the plots. Is it possible that these could be eye-clean (or close to eye-clean) based on what's illustrated here or should I keep looking??

I'd be grateful for any and all advice. THANKS!

 

[Lula]

Welcome to PS. I have a couple questions for you that might make it easier for us to help you:

How good is your eyesight? Do you wear glasses? Are you good at picking out details in things up close?

How large (carat weight) are these stones you're considering?

What type of setting are you planning to put the stone in (open sides; bezel, etc.)

Have you seen SI2 clarity diamonds in person?

And where are these stones from? A vendor who will be able to view them in person before sending them to you; a local jeweler; an online vendor who is a drop shipper, like Blue Nile?

I've owned both an SI2 and an I1 (both eyeclean to me), both 1 carat stones. So it is possible to find stones that are nice-looking in these clarity grades, but the range of inclusions in these grades is large, and you really have to see the stone in person under a variety of lights to know for sure if the clarity will bother you. That means you have to be willing to order a stone and possibly send it back if you're not happy with it -- unless these are from a vendor who can view the stones in person and give you their opinion and send you photos, videos, etc. Without some idea of what these stones look like in real life, it's really guessing to compare them just based on their clarity plots.

 

[Rockdiamond]

HI beebrisk,
congratulations!
Lula brings up some great points- a person's eyesight means a lot.
Also a great point about buying form a vendor that can evaluate the stones for you in person.
To answer the part about plots- they mean virtually nothing.
That is to say, I've seen plots that looked horrible, yet the SI2 was eye clean- and other cases where the plot looked pretty clean, but the imperfection was easy to spot.
It's a 2d representation of something that must be seen in person.
It is possible to match up the plot when you're holding the diamond- but trying to figure out what the diamond will look like from the plot by itself is useless.....

 

[denverappraiser]

The plotting diagram serves the same purpose as a map. That is to say, it helps to figure out what is where and sort of what it is. It tells you next to nothing about what it looks like and the shade of ink or the weight of the line tells you nothing at all. They're still pretty useful for the intended purpose but that purpose simply can't be extended to what you're trying to do. The way to get where you're trying to go is to buy from a dealer who actually has the stone(s) in hand and can talk to you about them or, alternatively, order them in and look them over yourself and/or with an appraiser.

 

[MarkBroumand]

Also a great point about buying form a vendor that can evaluate the stones for you in person.

If you cannot see these in person, David brought up a crucial point.

The best way to learn if these are eye-clean is to ask the vendor to verify for you.

 

[beebrisk]

Thanks so much to everyone who responded! I really appreciate the trade folks' take on this issue!

I will be working with a well-respected PS vendor, so I'm confident he'll steer me in the right direction but I didn't want to ask to see stones that would be obvious dogs. To the untrained eye (me!) looking at some of those plots is kind of scary when they're all marked up with those crazy lines and circles

Interesting that the plot illustrations are virtually meaningless. I always thought they were a fair and rather accurate indication of the visual clarity and beauty of a stone. As always, PS, and it's great members are a wealth of knowledge!

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