Round brilliant comparison

[meens]

Hi Everyone,

Any advice on which of these two diamonds are better as far as cut and quality?
They are both from USA Cert Diamonds. Has anyone dealt with them in the past?


http://search.virtcert.com/cgi/u/1012/v.cgi?stock=8669353&_s=1012&_p=sdf348gd743&_c=&_fs=1&prestock=&_ln=ps

http://search.virtcert.com/cgi/u/1012/v.cgi?stock=9011667&_s=1012&_p=sdf348gd743&_c=&_fs=1&prestock=&_ln=ps

 

[oldminer]

These are both EGL graded diamonds. You might ask USA Certed for EGL's sister company "360 Degree" report on each one. These special reports have the Light Behavior graded by ImaGem technology. It could be that the data has been gathered, but not made part of the report. Maybe it could be supplied. They might need to go back to EGL for this work. I'm not sure about how this is being done right now. It might be worth asking. I'd love to know what they tell you.

I compared the limited set of attributes provided and they are quite similar overall. One has a larger table, but not too large. One has a bit of fluorescence, but not too much. They probably both will look very lovely.

The larger question looms, "Can you live with the idea that the color and/or clarity provided may not be equal to a GIA grading result?" This fact probably has made the price appealing yet we can't predict the accuracy of the color and clarity grading which is crucial to "value".

 

[meens]

Date: 1/6/2009 4:21:42 PM
Author: oldminer
These are both EGL graded diamonds. You might ask USA Certed for EGL''s sister company ''360 Degree'' report on each one. These special reports have the Light Behavior graded by ImaGem technology. It could be that the data has been gathered, but not made part of the report. Maybe it could be supplied. They might need to go back to EGL for this work. I''m not sure about how this is being done right now. It might be worth asking. I''d love to know what they tell you.


I compared the limited set of attributes provided and they are quite similar overall. One has a larger table, but not too large. One has a bit of fluorescence, but not too much. They probably both will look very lovely.


The larger question looms, ''Can you live with the idea that the color and/or clarity provided may not be equal to a GIA grading result?'' This fact probably has made the price appealing yet we can''t predict the accuracy of the color and clarity grading which is crucial to ''value''.

I didn''t think about that. I think I would rather have a certification that is more accurate. Thanks for the tips. I will look for GIA certified diamonds from now on.

--

I''m learning so much from this site

 

[AmberGretchen]

meens - many on this site even prefer AGS grading to GIA - it gives more details about cut quality, which is all-important in how a diamond performs visually

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 1/6/2009 8:26:34 PM
Author: AmberGretchen
meens - many on this site even prefer AGS grading to GIA - it gives more details about cut quality, which is all-important in how a diamond performs visually

Ditto, also if you give us a bit more info about what you are looking for and price, we can find some GIA and AGS examples for you.

 

[Ellen]

Date: 1/6/2009 8:26:34 PM
Author: AmberGretchen
meens - many on this site even prefer AGS grading to GIA - it gives more details about cut quality, which is all-important in how a diamond performs visually

Yes, some do.

But if you are buying from one of the vendors on here that gives good info such as Sarin reports, Idealscope pics, etc., there are many very fine GIA stones to be had. Don''t limit yourself too much.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 1/7/2009 7:34:03 AM
Author: Ellen

Date: 1/6/2009 8:26:34 PM
Author: AmberGretchen
meens - many on this site even prefer AGS grading to GIA - it gives more details about cut quality, which is all-important in how a diamond performs visually

Yes, some do.

But if you are buying from one of the vendors on here that gives good info such as Sarin reports, Idealscope pics, etc., there are many very fine GIA stones to be had. Don''t limit yourself too much.

Ditto yes indeed!

 

[oldminer]

An alternative to GIA and AGS is EGL, but you have to learn how to handle the situation to control it. Set a budget and find the GIA and AGS diamonds which fit it, then go searching for EGL graded ones of a better color-clarity combination which have the same price range as the GIA and AGS graded stones. The likely outcome will be that you will get a diamond of the GIA-AGS grade for the price only graded a bit more liberally from EGL. HOWEVER, our cut study, which can be found in Pricescope, indicated that the "bargains" to be found were EGL graded diamonds which were somewhat discounted in price, but actually graded spot on to GIA-AGS equivalent grades. It isn''t a common event, but we found this to be the area where a special value might be hidden.

When I speak of EGL, I only refer to the five labs belonging to EGL-USA/North America reports.

Diamonds don''t change due to the lab which graded them. The asking price can change because of market factors and general perceptions about each individual lab. Labs work hard to create niche marketing. AGSL has the "000" and tends to get into the top premium department, GIA has a more liberal "EX" system but defends their turf with a much higher number of diamonds available and their own visual evidence that their broader top grade represents a wide rage of what is "best" or "most beautiful".
EGL uses H&A, parametric and direct assessment technology to define their best cut scenario. I don''t believe many people, even experts on this forum, actually have a good knowledge of how EGL makes their cut quality assessments. EGL has not marketed themselves as well as GIA or AGSL in this specific regard, but any day that could change. EGL is very capable of making their case when the time is right.

Beauty in diamonds is very much a personal thing. All the labs lead you in the right direction, but there is still variety in the end choice. Not every diamond looks identical, even at the top cut grade. However, no diamond with a top cut grade is ugly or problematic in appearance. Consumers can basically trust the cut grading off all three major labs found in the Pricescope search. Learning to use the entire diamond grading system as it currently exists is a challenge, but not overwhelming. Partial explanations from people who post short warnings tend to scare consumers more than necessary. It is a complex situation that can be handled much better than just being afraid and using avoidance as the sole defense. I suggest one learns the system and makes use of the knowledge.