Round diamond engagement ring

[Jack123]

62.3 depth is okay.

So are 75 LGF’s. Remember that GIA rounds LGF’s to nearest 5% so 75 or 80 is recommended. The actuals in a 75 will vary from 73-77, whereas the actuals on a 80 will vary from 78-82.

Numerically smaller LGF’s result in fatter arrows and more contrast in the stone which can be appealing to some. Also they provide a little more fire in indirect/soft lighting conditions. Numerically larger LGF’s result in more skinny arrows but provide a better balance in very bright lighting. Many super ideal vendors consider 77-78 a nice balanced range, and nearly all super ideals are 76-79. Keep in mind super ideal stones normally come with AGS reports which report LGF to the nearest 1%. In GIA speak 75 or 80 does the same but could vary a little low or high because of their gross rounding.



Ultimately you have to visually assess and consider all the other proportions as sometimes a shorter or longer LGF can balance out a stone appropriately.

Facets: The Lower Halves

Within robust diamond proportion sets, the lower girdle facets have great influence on the life and character of a diamond, particularly if the diamond has good patterning (optical symmetry or ‘Hearts & Arrows’ diamonds).

www.whiteflash.com

IMO, the much bigger elephant in the room is that 32.5/41.8 combo. It does have an inverse relationship (shallow crown/steep pavilion or vice versa) but the pavilion crosses 41.2 and things go wonky when that happens.

Below is an example I used yesterday for someone shopping a 60-ish table with high pavilion. Light doesn’t strike off the pavilions properly after a certain angle and it causes translucent arrows which make for an unattractive stone that lacks contrast brilliance.



In comparison to a stone within ideal proportions:

Thanks for the detailed response. Are the hearts and arrows visible under 10x loupe magnification please? I am wondering how I will assess this in person when viewing diamonds, as like you say the LGF is rounded.

Does that leave a portion of money to go towards the band/setting aswell then?

 

[DejaWiz]

62.3 depth is okay.

So are 75 LGF’s. Remember that GIA rounds LGF’s to nearest 5% so 75 or 80 is recommended. The actuals in a 75 will vary from 73-77, whereas the actuals on a 80 will vary from 78-82.

Numerically smaller LGF’s result in fatter arrows and more contrast in the stone which can be appealing to some. Also they provide a little more fire in indirect/soft lighting conditions. Numerically larger LGF’s result in more skinny arrows but provide a better balance in very bright lighting. Many super ideal vendors consider 77-78 a nice balanced range, and nearly all super ideals are 76-79. Keep in mind super ideal stones normally come with AGS reports which report LGF to the nearest 1%. In GIA speak 75 or 80 does the same but could vary a little low or high because of their gross rounding.



Ultimately you have to visually assess and consider all the other proportions as sometimes a shorter or longer LGF can balance out a stone appropriately.

Facets: The Lower Halves

Within robust diamond proportion sets, the lower girdle facets have great influence on the life and character of a diamond, particularly if the diamond has good patterning (optical symmetry or ‘Hearts & Arrows’ diamonds).

www.whiteflash.com

IMO, the much bigger elephant in the room is that 32.5/41.8 combo. It does have an inverse relationship (shallow crown/steep pavilion or vice versa) but the pavilion crosses 41.2 and things go wonky when that happens.

Below is an example I used yesterday for someone shopping a 60-ish table with high pavilion. Light doesn’t strike off the pavilions properly after a certain angle and it causes translucent arrows which make for an unattractive stone that lacks contrast brilliance.



In comparison to a stone within ideal proportions:

Good call on the rounding for the LGFs.
I often forget that GIAs tolerance is that much, so I give advice in line with the tighter AGS tolerance. And, out of habit, I'll probably still be doing that years from now.

Really enjoy reading your posts, Sledge!

 

[sledge]

Thanks for the detailed response. Are the hearts and arrows visible under 10x loupe magnification please? I am wondering how I will assess this in person when viewing diamonds, as like you say the LGF is rounded.

There is a special scope called a hearts & arrows viewer that provides images similar to the above. The arrows is taken from the crown (top of diamond), whereas the hearts image is taken of the pavilion (bottom of the diamond).



If you or the jeweler doesn’t have a viewer you can view the arrows and hearts without them but they are much harder to assess. In a previous post I tried to do this to help someone else. While I got most the hearts some of it wasn’t clear enough to finish. If you look closely you can see variation in the alignment of some of the arrows and the hearts were a mess! The hearts image is very revealing to the overall cut quality of a stone.




Please remember! Although every round may exhibit some formation of “hearts & arrows” the devil is truly in the details. A true H&A stone is all about symmetrical precision and minor variances rejects a stone from being a true H&A. This precise alignment of the facets helps maximize light return & brilliance.

A video comparing a true H&A against a normal GIA 3X:

How Hearts and Arrows Diamonds are Graded | Whiteflash

Hearts and arrows diamond grading is key to understanding the level of a quality craftsmanship and light performance. Learn about this here.

www.whiteflash.com

Ultimate Guide to Hearts and Arrows Diamonds | Whiteflash

Dive into our comprehensive guide on Hearts and Arrows Diamonds. Understand the impeccable symmetry, extraordinary brilliance, and where to purchase.

www.whiteflash.com

 

[sledge]

Does that leave a portion of money to go towards the band/setting aswell then?

In that search I had found GIA stones from about $2,500-$3,000. Super ideals were a little higher at $3,500+.

Adding a $1,000 for the setting made it workable with GIA for sure. I was going to tweak a few things to see if I could also toss you a super ideal option or two.

 

[DejaWiz]

I ran a search on WF ACA options, with the following criteria:

Max price: $3000, which translates to £2122, and leaves approx $800-1000 or £566-708 for the setting: in-line with the pre-duties price of around $4000 or £2831 that Sledge posted.
Color: D-H
Clarity: up to SI1, then limited it to VS2




Sorted by highest carat weight first, here are the first eight results for SI1:




Here are the VS2 results, sorted by highest carat weight first:




If you don't want to import from the US (or any other foreign source), then I completely understand - those importation duties can be really harsh!
The benefit of scrounging through the WhiteFlash site for ACA options is that you can notate all the measurements and proportions for individual diamonds, which will aide immensely to find an extremely well cut and proportioned diamond that is local to you.

 

[sledge]

Thanks @DejaWiz.

I haven’t looked at the stone yet but that 0.703 G-SI1 @ ~$3k plus the Valoria setting @dk168 found for $975 gets you right there and allows money for duties, etc.

Being WF and a stone < 1 carat I am not generally over worried about SI1 instead of VS2.

Edited to Add:
My search last night was F+ and VS2+ as that seemed to be what his local guy quoted him. Which is why my pricing was a little higher that I mentioned upstream. Dropping to G-SI1 achieves the same overall goal IMO.

 

[sledge]

GIA 3X D-VS2 @ $2,324 USD

https://diamonddealfinder.com/enquiry.php?id_field=3119381

Lovely proportions -- small 55 table + 34.5/40.8 + 75 LGF's.

Need to ask for pics and/or videos. Love the color. In this size, I expect VS2 clarity to be eye clean, but obviously it needs checked. Assuming the crystal isn't a big black hickey on the table, it's probably fine.

Helping lower the price, this stone has medium blue fluor. This isn't good or bad. But it does require vetting to ensure the fluor doesn't create any milky/hazy transparency issues. A good majority don't unless they have other inclusions that help contribute (clouds, graining, etc). Still, you have to ask. FYI, my wife's stone is an H-VS2 with MBF. If you aren't familiar with fluor, this is worth a read:

Diamond Fluorescence: Everything You Need To Know

How is diamond fluorescence graded? Will I see fluorescence in diamonds? Learn how fluorescence impacts diamond value here.

www.pricescope.com

GIA 3X 0.71 G-VS2 @ $2,813 USD
https://www.b2cjewels.com/dd/18830135/round-diamond-G-color-VS2-Clarity?sku=18830135

Same 34.5/40.8 but this time with a slightly larger 57 table. You can see how this reduces crown height a smidge but still says at 14.5% overall. Also, this one has 80 LGF's.

Again, no pics or videos but B2C can provide a full array of imaging once they bring the stone in for purchase/final review. So you can get ASET, idealscope and H&A images before pulling the trigger (again, keep in mind H&A images don't ensure a true H&A stone).

Lastly, please note this stone looks to have originated as a Blue Nile (BN) Astor Ideal by the inscription noted on the GIA report. Also the report is dated 03.21.2018. Prior to purchase I would request the vendor provide an updated report to ensure the stone is the same as in 2018 when it was originally graded.

Very nice & promising stone overall.

 

[lovedogs]

Definitely "NO" to the latest stone your jeweler is offering. I would take the advice of others above and order from a reputable dealer who can offer ideally cut stones.

I thought blue nile searches sometimes include VAT, etc, for folks in the UK? Am I right about this? If yes, we might have an easier time finding OP something beautiful in his budget from there.

 

[sledge]

Here is a link to some WF stones that may work:

WF ACA 0.703 G-SI1 @ $2,958 USD wire

Diamond | 0.703 ct G SI1 A CUT ABOVE® Hearts and Arrows Super Ideal Round Cut Loose Diamond AGS Certified | 4361914

This Whiteflash A CUT ABOVE® super ideal cut hearts and arrows 0.703 carat G color SI1 clarity loose diamond is graded by the American Gem Society (AGS) Laboratories. | 4361914

www.whiteflash.com

True H&A stone. Ideal proportions & all the imaging & videos to confirm it's a performer. WF states it is eye clean. However, it's a drop in clarity down to SI1. This one has quite a few twinning whisps on it, but being from a trusted vendor that actually owns this stone (and is not part of virtual inventory) then WF can physically pull the stone from their vault and further inspect the stone of your behalf. Notice that while the sparkle video really enhances the whisps in those grossly magnified views, look at how transparent they become in the brilliance video. Now imagine at normal viewing distance w/o any magnification.

WF ACA 0.675 F-SI1 @ $2,496 USD wire

Diamond | 0.675 ct F SI1 A CUT ABOVE® Hearts and Arrows Super Ideal Round Cut Loose Diamond AGS Certified | 3811439

This Whiteflash A CUT ABOVE® super ideal cut hearts and arrows 0.675 carat F color SI1 clarity loose diamond is graded by the American Gem Society (AGS) Laboratories. | 3811439

www.whiteflash.com

Probably my pick of the litter. You're dropping a bit in clarity, but I'm not overly worried with an SI1, especially from a trusted vendor like WF that carefully vets their branded stones. What I do like is the bump to F color.

And while the carat weight is a smidge below the 0.70 carats of all the other stone, the overall diameter (spread) is the same at 5.70mm. Win-win in my books.

With this stone and the setting you are $3,345 total using the wire discount. Add 22% for duties & taxes and your total expense is $4,080.90 USD. That puts you at £2,883 which is slightly less than your local jeweler and below budget!

Valoria Petite Pave Diamond Engagement Ring | 6325

Radiate sophistication with the stunning Valoria Petite Pave Diamond Engagement Ring. Find it at Whiteflash and embrace timeless beauty in your love journey. | 6325

www.whiteflash.com

Something I would do if I were you is spend $375 USD extra and upgrade the setting from 14k WG to platinum. You have the budget for it, and I think for the long term you will be much happier.

And you a have a killer lifetime easy-peasy upgrade program, should you or she ever get the scratch for a bigger stone! WF's program is very easy. Simply spend $1 more of the original purchase and trade however you want. No other strings, requirements, etc.

Lifetime Upgrade Guarantee | Whiteflash

A great upgrade policy is a big deal when buying a diamond. Whiteflash has the best benefits in the business including a 100% Lifetime Upgrade Guarantee.

www.whiteflash.com

 

[sledge]

I thought blue nile searches sometimes include VAT, etc, for folks in the UK? Am I right about this? If yes, we might have an easier time finding OP something beautiful in his budget from there.

Yes, as long as you change the ship to country and currency in the upper right corner.

However, let's do the math:

• WF stone = $2,496 wire = £ 1,764 x 1.22 (vat) = £ 2,152
• BN stone = £ 2,055 wire (vat included)

Agree it may be less hassle, but IMO it's a smoke & mirrors thing. Just like the local jeweler. BN or the local guy is paying VAT themselves and then "including" them in the sale price.

With WF, or any other online purchase, you pay a sale price and then add the VAT. What matters is the final out of pocket expense.

In the above example, it's essentially a wash as the WF stone is F-SI1 H&A slightly less carat weight but the BN stone is 3X G-VS2 and nice proportions but not H&A and is also receiving a MBF discount.

Really depends how the OP wants to do business.

FYI, including the way I filtered these stones. Using fairly restrictive criteria (as much as BN allows) to narrow the list. In this case, a whooping 3 results, lol.

 

[sledge]

Not sure the current status of all the previous Crafted by Infinity (CBI) dealers after that debacle with Paul, but originally Fortrez, DiamondHouse and Durham Rose were all UK CBI dealers that would have offered a more local approach to a super ideal stone.

https://www.fortrez.com/about/jewels/
https://www.diamondhousejewellery.com
https://durhamrose.com/beautiful-crafted-by-infinity-diamond-engagement-ring

However, based on pricing I see on the US dealer (CBI/Wolf, aka HPD) I am not certain their stones will meet budget.

https://wolfcbi.com
https://hpdiamonds.com

But in the past I do know the UK counterparts offered pricing with VAT included as well. Assuming the UK dealers still have some CBI inventory, it may be worth a visit to check out the difference with your eyes between a super ideal and GIA 3X stone.

 

[lovedogs]

Yes, as long as you change the ship to country and currency in the upper right corner.

However, let's do the math:

• WF stone = $2,496 wire = £ 1,764 x 1.22 (vat) = £ 2,152
• BN stone = £ 2,055 wire (vat included)

Agree it may be less hassle, but IMO it's a smoke & mirrors thing. Just like the local jeweler. BN or the local guy is paying VAT themselves and then "including" them in the sale price.

With WF, or any other online purchase, you pay a sale price and then add the VAT. What matters is the final out of pocket expense.

In the above example, it's essentially a wash as the WF stone is F-SI1 H&A slightly less carat weight but the BN stone is 3X G-VS2 and nice proportions but not H&A and is also receiving a MBF discount.

Really depends how the OP wants to do business.

FYI, including the way I filtered these stones. Using fairly restrictive criteria (as much as BN allows) to narrow the list. In this case, a whooping 3 results, lol.

I would personally go with WF 100%, but in case the OP is more comfortable I wanted to give the alternative.

 

[sledge]

I would personally go with WF 100%, but in case the OP is more comfortable I wanted to give the alternative.

I'm with you.

Hope my comments didn't come across as anything but supportive. I had meant to address how the VAT ordeal was being played earlier and unfortunately failed to do so until I used my response to your post to make that point. I can see how that might have been taken the wrong way so I hope we are cool.

Ultimately I want OP to get the biggest & best cut diamond his money can buy him.

 

[lovedogs]

I'm with you.

Hope my comments didn't come across as anything but supportive. I had meant to address how the VAT ordeal was being played earlier and unfortunately failed to do so until I used my response to your post to make that point. I can see how that might have been taken the wrong way so I hope we are cool.

Ultimately I want OP to get the biggest & best cut diamond his money can buy him.

oooh no, I didn't take it wrong at all---just wanted to clarify that I agree w you that WF would be the "safer" choice in terms of cut.

 

[Jack123]

Thanks all, this made for some good reading this morning. I think its looking like ill have to drop to around 0.7ct to achieve the ideal cut stone. As for ordering from out of the UK, this is something I am quite hesitant about as I would prefer to see the diamond in person prior to purchase. This is why I have tried going through a local dealer, however, if I have to order from USA to get the best deal I will.

I looked at WF and Blue Nile last night and found WF way more detailed, making it easier for me to assess the diamonds. Does anyone know of any UK based retailers offering ideal stones I could take a look at to draw a price comparison please?

The local jeweller advised me that he orders alot of stones from India? I am sure any VAT paid will end up being added to the purchase some way or another.

 

[DejaWiz]

I know that 77Diamonds are based in London.

Round Cut Loose Diamonds

Round cut diamonds at incredible prices. Buy loose certified brilliant diamond from 77 Diamonds. Search round brilliant diamonds by weight, colour and cut.

www.77diamonds.com

I do not know much about them. From briefly perusing their website, they seem to be in-line with other retailers, offering a lifetime warranty and a 30 day return policy.

Might not hurt to do a bit of delving and investigating to see what they have in-store, virtually available, and if they can help you target a diamond with super ideal cut proportions and characteristics along with a GIA or AGS cert...avoid EGL, HRD, or IGI for mined diamonds.

They also offer lab grown diamonds which can be advantageous to maximize your purchasing power within your budget, but be advised that, should you go that route, make sure you find the perfect diamond to make it a "one and done" purchase, since a lab grown diamond will have next to zero retained value and resale/trade-in desirability. My wife and I recently bought a 1.69 carat E SI1 lab diamond for about the same price as a mined diamond that would weigh in between 0.66-0.9 carat. We knew that this would be our forever diamond, so we 100% accept the fact that once we bought it, there's no turning back because there would be no future resale value.

There is an entire subforum specifically for lab grown diamonds here at PriceScope, if you would like to learn more about them.

If you want to have a means to potentially upgrade in the future at some point, then stick with a mined diamond, and don't let anyone or any retailer try to sway you by telling you otherwise.

 

[sledge]

Thanks all, this made for some good reading this morning. I think its looking like ill have to drop to around 0.7ct to achieve the ideal cut stone. As for ordering from out of the UK, this is something I am quite hesitant about as I would prefer to see the diamond in person prior to purchase. This is why I have tried going through a local dealer, however, if I have to order from USA to get the best deal I will.

I looked at WF and Blue Nile last night and found WF way more detailed, making it easier for me to assess the diamonds. Does anyone know of any UK based retailers offering ideal stones I could take a look at to draw a price comparison please?

The local jeweller advised me that he orders alot of stones from India? I am sure any VAT paid will end up being added to the purchase some way or another.

Look at my post #41, I gave you some UK based dealers that does/did push the Crafted by Infinity (CBI) super ideal stones.

My only issue is CBI stones tend to be a few bucks more than WF ACA’s which concerns me from a budget perspective. Still they are gorgeous stones and it would be worthwhile to go see one in person, even if you don’t buy. That would give you a basis on what to expect from an ACA as they would perform similar.

I get the desire for a local jeweler. Seeing with our eyes is the best test. The problem is most people have very little experience looking at and analyzing diamonds so it can provide a false sense of security. Literally, we don’t know what we don’t know.

Sure, any of us can walk in and pick the best looking diamond to our eyes of the SELECT group in front of us. However, what if all the diamonds ranged from levels 1-5. So you pick a 5 and life is great. Then a week later you bump into a friend and their diamond seems to be twice as good as yours, indicating he got a level 10 diamond. You chose the best out of what you knew existed but it was the unknown level 10 that will make you feel shorted with the level 5 purchase.

Now throw in the fact that jewelers spend a ton on lighting so ALL their diamonds look like 10’s in the store. Or they show you diamonds on white, black or grey backgrounds to help enhance attributes or mask flaws. Always remember, they are there to SELL you a stone so their opinions and decision steering is naturally biased to some degree.

Obviously there are great jewelers too. Just be sure to go in with eyes wide open so you make the best choice possible. Education helps put the odds in your favor. Buying a handheld ASET scope and learning how to read the “images” would be very beneficial in shopping locally.

 

[Wink]

Should I request that I view through a loupe?

Jack, you are getting some excellent advice here. I want to add a few comments.

Always, ALWAYS view the diamond with your eyes. If it does not make your eyes happy, it needs no further second of your time. When you have vetted the diamonds with your eyes, then you can move on with a loupe and other tools, like the ASET and Ideal Scope. For anything other than a loupe, you will most probably need to own these yourself, as extremely few jewelers have one.

I advise, if you are at a jeweler who has one available for their clients, ask to see the diamond through a microscope. Much easier for a beginner to use, which is why so many will offer you a loupe but not properly teach you how to use it. Today, many of us have microscopes that we can show you the diamond on screen with, so that you can see the diamond even better and point to things that you wish to ask questions about.

I'll try and do this. So far all jeweller's I've visited have been reluctant to actually hand the ring over for me to hold and view closely myself. I can imagine they would get funny if I asked to view in daylight? Is this standard practice?

That is a sad comment, but with some of the switch experts running around now, I can understand why some are uncomfortable doing so. If they will not hand you the diamond or ring to you, ask them to hold it still while you create a shadow over the diamond with your hand. It is not quite as informative as lowering it into the shadow of the display case, but it will demonstrate quickly if the diamond is returning a high percentage of light, or only dancing in the show lights of the store.

Wink

 

[DejaWiz]

@Wink gives some great advice about creating a shadow/shade over the diamond in their intense spotlights.

You can take a clipboard with you (with a list of other purchase possibilities...see attached document) and use it to create some shade.

 

[Jack123]

Hi all,

Managed to take a trip to another jewellery shop today equipped with all the knowledge I’ve gained from this thread.

I managed to view a few diamonds using a loupe and I noticed one straight away appeared cloudy/milky. I also noticed this jeweller was reluctant to give me GIA numbers and discuss proportions. Instead they referred to the triple excellent and advised me not to be ‘blinded by the science’.

Nevertheless, the prices coming back were over budget and the stone offered was below par. I almost feel with the knowledge I have learnt from you all I am not their ideal client. Whilst I was standing their viewing diamonds a couple came in, pointed at the sparkliest ring and purchased it without questioning anything about what they were buying.

I am swaying now towards the online WF option, but need to understand all the potential VAT and customs charges. Also, I guess you only view it once it’s arrived and by that point it could be too late should the stone disappoint?

 

[DejaWiz]

You should be OK:

Whiteflash Money Back Guarantee

Whiteflash provides a complete satisfaction Money Back Guarantee as part of a comprehensive set of benefits and assurances.

www.whiteflash.com

 

[Wink]

I almost feel with the knowledge I have learnt from you all I am not their ideal client.

You are not. You know the product better than their starting sales associates and you are not going to pay full retail prices.

You now have better avenues open to you and do not need to ever again be taken advantage of by stores that make it so obvious that they do not want to deal with you.

I wish you good luck in your search.

Wink

 

[sledge]

I also noticed this jeweller was reluctant to give me GIA numbers and discuss proportions. Instead they referred to the triple excellent and advised me not to be ‘blinded by the science’.

This makes me want to throw up just a bit.

Most likely because he doesn't really know what the proportions mean, let alone how to interpret them into a meaningful analysis to describe what you are or aren't seeing with your eyeballs.

Pass on the dumb sales guy and double down on the science!

Not only can we build a boat bridge, a glass bottom air walk that cantilevers above the grand canyon or an underground tunnel that allows us to drive through the middle of the ocean with science, but we can more accurately and reliably pick an amazing diamond with it too!

 

[WDWDiamond]

Instead they referred to the triple excellent and advised me not to be ‘blinded by the science’.

Is this the second jewelry that has said this to you? That really burns my bacon. There is a reason some diamonds look better than others. It’s the science.

 

[lovedogs]

"Don't be blinded by the science" has got to be one of the stupidest things someone could say.

 

[Jack123]

Yes this is the second jeweler who has said this. Its interesting they also tried to push the lab grown diamonds a number of times, but I flatly refused and said I was looking for a mined diamond only.

So far I have been viewing rings/stones at the Jeweller Quarter in Birmingham UK, where there are a plethora of shops to chose from. I sort of pick one at random and see what they have to offer. Maybe there are a select few that are more appreciative of proportions and ideal stones? Ill do some digging!

I found this stone on WF last night:

Loose Diamonds for Sale: Discover Our Exceptional Range

Discover your perfect gem from our extensive collection of loose diamonds on sale. Buy loose diamonds that align seamlessly with your style and budget.

www.whiteflash.com

GIA: 1303127488

Comes in budget with the setting suggested earlier in the chat.

 

[sledge]

I found this stone on WF last night:

Loose Diamonds for Sale: Discover Our Exceptional Range

Discover your perfect gem from our extensive collection of loose diamonds on sale. Buy loose diamonds that align seamlessly with your style and budget.

www.whiteflash.com

GIA: 1303127488

Comes in budget with the setting suggested earlier in the chat.

Stay strong. If they are going to dismiss what you value, then they aren’t your guy. You can’t change them or the world but you do get to choose who to support with your dollars, or in this case pounds. Make it a worthwhile entity.

In regards to the stone you found, please realize that WF has 4 primary diamond lines:

1. A Cut Above (ACA)
2. Expert Select (ES)
3. Premium Select (PS)
4. Virtual inventory

The one we primarily rave about is the ACA line which is a true H&A stone with their best cut quality. The ES is a “near miss” with AGS report. The PS line can be either a near miss or the actual same precision level cut of an ACA, but will have a GIA report instead of an AGS report.

All 3 of those lines are kept in-house and available exclusively from WF. They all come complete with fully advanced imaging, SARIN reports (upon request) and is eligible for their popular & generous lifetime upgrade policy. Collectively as a unit these are some of the best cut stones in the world.

Virtual inventory is different. By the mere term the inventory is not kept in-house and could possibly be available from a different vendor. While you may find a very well cut stone, they are less likely to be of the same cut caliber of the other in-house stones. One advantage to buying a virtual stone from WF instead of a different vendor is they can help guide you and once the stone is called in then they can perform advanced imaging to confirm light performance & symmetry. Unfortunately virtual inventory is not part of their lifetime upgrade program and typically not a true H&A stone like they are known for providing. However, it does sometimes offer a more economical solution.

All that blabbering out of the way, the proportions on the virtual stone you found does look very promising. However, if I am being honest I would likely push for an ACA, ES or PS quality stone if I were buying internationally and looking for guaranteed performance.