S.O.S! Buying a ring soon; have to be sure it''s

[rusticrhythm]

Hi all! I''m a total newbie to this but I''ve spent months going through articles and websites about diamonds. I really dont know anyone who has any real diamond metier either so I''m posting here where all the experts are.

I''ve been looking at a diamond with these specs:

Carat weight: 1.14 Measurement: 6.73 - 6.71 x 4.10
Cut: Excellent Polish: Excellent
Color: G Symmetry: Excellent
Clarity: VS1 Fluorescence: None
Depth%: 61.0% Girdle: Slightly Thick
Table%: 58% Culet: None

Do the numbers seem okay to you? My budget is 7K, give or take a few hundreds. I''d really like to know if I''m missing anything? I''ve asked the vendor for Idealscope and Sarin reports; is it something I have to pay for?

If I DIDN''T have these reports? Do you think it''s okay to buy this anyway sight unseen?

Thanks so much for the time!

 

[stone-cold11]

Looks good so far, but for optical performance, we will need the crown and pavilion angles. They will be numbers on the diamond dimension profile. Crown angle in the 30s range and Pavilion angles in the low 40s range. Can you post them?

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 5/20/2009 11:48:57 PM
Author:rusticrhythm
Hi all! I'm a total newbie to this but I've spent months going through articles and websites about diamonds. I really dont know anyone who has any real diamond metier either so I'm posting here where all the experts are.

I've been looking at a diamond with these specs:

Carat weight: 1.14 Measurement: 6.73 - 6.71 x 4.10
Cut: Excellent Polish: Excellent
Color: G Symmetry: Excellent
Clarity: VS1 Fluorescence: None
Depth%: 61.0% Girdle: Slightly Thick
Table%: 58% Culet: None

Do the numbers seem okay to you? My budget is 7K, give or take a few hundreds. I'd really like to know if I'm missing anything? I've asked the vendor for Idealscope and Sarin reports; is it something I have to pay for?

If I DIDN'T have these reports? Do you think it's okay to buy this anyway sight unseen?

Thanks so much for the time!

Hi there,

It depends - if the crown and pavilion angles check out ( if you could post those please) then if the vendor has a good return policy you could go ahead, but even better if they do have Idealscope or ASET images then that would give a much better idea of how well this diamond is cut.

 

[rusticrhythm]

Thanks stone cold and lorelei! The Crown is 33.5 and Pavillion is 40.8.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 5/21/2009 7:22:43 AM
Author: rusticrhythm
Thanks stone cold and lorelei! The Crown is 33.5 and Pavillion is 40.8.

The angles are within good range, no worries.

 

[stone-cold11]

yap, numbers look good then. I think IS, sarin scan are usually done for free. I could be wrong, but no harm asking your vendor about them and if they charge it.

IS will tell us a bit about the optical appearance and performance. Would like to have it, but this stone looks safe to me to buy if you are short of time or the vendor do not have access to these machines.

 

[rusticrhythm]

Thanks both!

I''m also considering an AGS diamond. here are the specs:

Carat weight: 1.04 Measurement: 6.55 - 6.51 x 4.01
Cut Hearts & Arrows Polish: Ideal
Color: G Symmetry: Ideal
Clarity: VS1 Fluorescence: None
Depth%: 61.4% Girdle: Thin to Medium
Table%: 56% Culet: None

I have no information yet on the crown and pavillion angles. The price between this and the GIA diamond I like are the same, but this is considerably smaller!

What exactly are you paying for when you get an AGS diamond? I noticed that people here in Pricescope favor AGS over GIA. Do you think that this is a better quality diamond?

Thanks for your time!

 

[elle_chris]

Date: 5/22/2009 9:27:02 PM
Author: rusticrhythm
Thanks both!

I''m also considering an AGS diamond. here are the specs:

Carat weight: 1.04 Measurement: 6.55 - 6.51 x 4.01
Cut Hearts & Arrows Polish: Ideal
Color: G Symmetry: Ideal
Clarity: VS1 Fluorescence: None
Depth%: 61.4% Girdle: Thin to Medium
Table%: 56% Culet: None

I have no information yet on the crown and pavillion angles. The price between this and the GIA diamond I like are the same, but this is considerably smaller!

What exactly are you paying for when you get an AGS diamond? I noticed that people here in Pricescope favor AGS over GIA. Do you think that this is a better quality diamond?

Thanks for your time!

Like the others have said, really need the crown and pavilion info.

As far as AGS being better, they''re better at grading cut.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 5/22/2009 9:33:45 PM
Author: elle_chris

Date: 5/22/2009 9:27:02 PM
Author: rusticrhythm
Thanks both!

I''m also considering an AGS diamond. here are the specs:

Carat weight: 1.04 Measurement: 6.55 - 6.51 x 4.01
Cut Hearts & Arrows Polish: Ideal
Color: G Symmetry: Ideal
Clarity: VS1 Fluorescence: None
Depth%: 61.4% Girdle: Thin to Medium
Table%: 56% Culet: None

I have no information yet on the crown and pavillion angles. The price between this and the GIA diamond I like are the same, but this is considerably smaller!

What exactly are you paying for when you get an AGS diamond? I noticed that people here in Pricescope favor AGS over GIA. Do you think that this is a better quality diamond?

Thanks for your time!

Like the others have said, really need the crown and pavilion info.

As far as AGS being better, they''re better at grading cut.

Ditto Elle, this one also looks very promising but the angles are needed.

 

[stone-cold11]

Date: 5/22/2009 9:27:02 PM
Author: rusticrhythm
I have no information yet on the crown and pavillion angles. The price between this and the GIA diamond I like are the same, but this is considerably smaller!

What exactly are you paying for when you get an AGS diamond? I noticed that people here in Pricescope favor AGS over GIA. Do you think that this is a better quality diamond?

Thanks for your time!

I think you are not paying a lot more for the AGS report. More like you are paying for the Hearts&Arrows (H&A) branding. That is a cutting that has ideal optical symmetry resulting in hearts and arrows images if viewed with a special scope from the pavilion and table respectively. A H&A does not automatically equate to better optical performance. For that we will need the angles and preferably IS/ASET images.

For me, I would like to see the H&A images to confirm for myself the optical symm before paying for the extra premium. A good tutorial for what to look for in these images can be found here.http://www.highperformancediamonds.com/index.php?page=education-precision

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 5/22/2009 9:27:02 PM
Author: rusticrhythm
Thanks both!

I'm also considering an AGS diamond. here are the specs:

Carat weight: 1.04 Measurement: 6.55 - 6.51 x 4.01
Cut Hearts & Arrows Polish: Ideal
Color: G Symmetry: Ideal
Clarity: VS1 Fluorescence: None
Depth%: 61.4% Girdle: Thin to Medium
Table%: 56% Culet: None

I have no information yet on the crown and pavillion angles. The price between this and the GIA diamond I like are the same, but this is considerably smaller!

What exactly are you paying for when you get an AGS diamond? I noticed that people here in Pricescope favor AGS over GIA. Do you think that this is a better quality diamond?

Thanks for your time!

Is this actually a branded h&a diamond such as an Infinity, Hearts on Fire, A Cut Above etc or just said to be h&a?

AGS cut grading is thought to be strict compared to GIA, also some prefer the ' pedigree' of the AGS0 cut grade.

 

[rusticrhythm]

Thanks for the replies all and thanks for the link, stone cold!

@Lorelei: I read the listing more and it appears that it''s really not a "brand name" diamond. It''s just a diamond with an Ideal Cut and Ideal Polish and Symmetry, which the vendor took to be hearts and arrows.

If that''s the case, maybe it''s no different from the GIA Triple X that I liked to begin with?

Unfortunately, the vendor still isn''t getting back to me regarding the pavillion and crown angles.

I''d also like to know how small a 1.08 carat stone is? I have fat fingers! I tried on a 1.13 diamond on a B&M store just to see how it looks like and it was diminutive enough as it is. I dont know how I''ll fare with a smaller stone.

Thanks for all the help!

 

[stone-cold11]

Depends on the cut of the stone. Any idea what the cut of the stone was that you tried on your hand? A badly cut stone might face up smaller or less lively making it look smaller.

This chart is for ideal cut stone. Hope that helps.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 5/23/2009 8:17:24 AM
Author: rusticrhythm
Thanks for the replies all and thanks for the link, stone cold!

@Lorelei: I read the listing more and it appears that it's really not a 'brand name' diamond. It's just a diamond with an Ideal Cut and Ideal Polish and Symmetry, which the vendor took to be hearts and arrows.

If that's the case, maybe it's no different from the GIA Triple X that I liked to begin with?

Unfortunately, the vendor still isn't getting back to me regarding the pavillion and crown angles.

I'd also like to know how small a 1.08 carat stone is? I have fat fingers! I tried on a 1.13 diamond on a B&M store just to see how it looks like and it was diminutive enough as it is. I dont know how I'll fare with a smaller stone.

Thanks for all the help!

Ok, some diamonds can show a strong arrow pattern and hearts but not be cut to the precision standards preferred by experts and enthusiasts of this cutting style. If you want a ' true' h&a then look at the branded stones as above, if you want a well cut diamond which may or may not show an arrow pattern then this one might fit the bill.

A 1.08 might not be much smaller than the 1.13 than you tried on, this of course depends on the cut and the spread ( diameter) of the diamonds in question but assuming both were/ are well cut then you probably wouldn't notice much visible difference when set and worn on the hand.

 

[rusticrhythm]

Thanks stone cold and lorelei! Thanks for the chart, it''s a great help. I decided I''ll stick in the 1.1 carat range.

I didnt get the reports/information yet about the AGS diamonds I''ve been looking at i was able to request for an image of the GIA stone that I really liked (1.14 G VS1). I''ve attached the file to this message, I hope it shows up!



Any thoughts? Do you think that this is good enough? I personally feel that this is it but I''d really like it if I have the opinions of experts!

Thanks!

 

[stone-cold11]

Looks good.

 

[Lorelei]

Its a lovely looking diamond!

 

[rusticrhythm]

Hello again!

The diamond is on hold because I wanted to see the IS image first. I figured I waited long enough anyway; what''s a couple more days?

I''m also getting a wee bit concerned about the 58% table because I''ve gone through a lot of posts that mention that 58% is out of range. Should I be worried or am I just being paranoid?

I''ve attached the IS image. I noticed that other Idealscope images with excellent cuts have white thingamajigs on the outer edges. Should I be concerned? The whites aren''t even.

Am I imagining this.

Thanks for the help and patience!

 

[rusticrhythm]

Here''s a link to the diamond, btw.

Did I miss anything?

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamond.asp?find=1&cid=130&item=1130417

 

[stone-cold11]

Looks like some tilting of the diamond when the IS is taken that''s all. You can see that some arrows are longer than others in the IS but all are the same length in the magnified image.

 

[rusticrhythm]

Thanks stonecold! The IS image shows it to be fiery, right? because it''s pink/red and all?

Just double checking!

 

[Dreamer_D]

Unless I am mistaken, a smaller table will result in a slightly more firey diamond compared to a larger table, but that is a matter of preference.

I am not sure how married you are to the particular clarity/color combo you chose, but if you want a larger diamond you could probably drop to a VS2/SI1 and perhaps to H color and get more carat weight. You wouldn''t be able to see the difference in color between a G and an H, and as long as the diamond is eye clean, you also wouldn''t be able to see the drop in clarity. Just a thought since you expressed concern about size!

 

[Dreamer_D]

Date: 6/3/2009 9:16:54 PM
Author: rusticrhythm
Thanks stonecold! The IS image shows it to be fiery, right? because it's pink/red and all?

Just double checking!

The red doesn't represrnt fire per se, the red means lots of light return, which is good! But even within ideal cut proportions different combinations of angles will result in different types of light return: some will excel at brightness, some at scintillation, some at fire. Some will have a nice balance of all three! The HCA puts this in the Tolokowski Ideal Range, which is a gooood thing, meaning it probably has a good balance between the different types of light return, but it won't necessarily excel at fire. Maybe people more expert than I can chime in.

Or maybe you just wanted to know that it will be bright and sparkly? The answer is yes! LOL!

 

[rusticrhythm]

Or maybe you just wanted to know that it will be bright and sparkly? The answer is yes! LOL!

Yeeesssss! That''s all I wanted to know!

Regarding the carat size, yes, I''d really like a bigger one but I felt that buying VS1 with a G color would be "ideal" for me since I''m buying online. I thought it was "safer."

Looking at pics here though I noticed that people were really dropping the color and clarity for bigger stones and H&A cuts which really made me reconsider. I''m on some sort of time-crunch though and whenever I feel that I see a diamond that would fit the specs and the budget, it fails on the HCA so I scratch it off the list and start over.

 

[Dreamer_D]

Date: 6/3/2009 9:43:36 PM
Author: rusticrhythm
Or maybe you just wanted to know that it will be bright and sparkly? The answer is yes! LOL!

Yeeesssss! That's all I wanted to know!

Regarding the carat size, yes, I'd really like a bigger one but I felt that buying VS1 with a G color would be 'ideal' for me since I'm buying online. I thought it was 'safer.'

Looking at pics here though I noticed that people were really dropping the color and clarity for bigger stones and H&A cuts which really made me reconsider. I'm on some sort of time-crunch though and whenever I feel that I see a diamond that would fit the specs and the budget, it fails on the HCA so I scratch it off the list and start over.

Those specs are safer when you are dealing with a vendor who is not a known commodity, but with PS recommended vendors you can call and talk to them and they can look at the diamond and tell you if it is eye clean! In many cases, SI1 is eye clean. But even so, you can go VS2 and really be fairly certain it is eye clean as well. What is your budget? You know, people here can help you find a diamond in about an hour! LOL! ETA Start another thread saying: Please help me find a diamond. Tell us your preferred color and clarity range and budget and you will have a stone by tomorrow

ETA regardign color, the major labs ar standard, so if you go to a jewemer in your area and ask to see GIA or AGS graded ideal stones in different colors you can learn your own personal tolerance. To get the size diamond I wanted, my tolerance was a K

But many people comfortable go to J!

 

[rusticrhythm]

Thanks dreamer! I just started one. I hope I get hits on it!

 

[Dreamer_D]

This forum is a little slower at certain times of the day/night, so if you don''t get any hits tonight try bumping it tomorrow! I''ll check the thread tomorrow for sure, but for now I have to go to bed! Gotta get up to feed my son in a few hours

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 6/3/2009 8:47:58 PM
Author: rusticrhythm
Hello again!

The diamond is on hold because I wanted to see the IS image first. I figured I waited long enough anyway; what's a couple more days?

I'm also getting a wee bit concerned about the 58% table because I've gone through a lot of posts that mention that 58% is out of range. Should I be worried or am I just being paranoid?

I've attached the IS image. I noticed that other Idealscope images with excellent cuts have white thingamajigs on the outer edges. Should I be concerned? The whites aren't even.

Am I imagining this.

Thanks for the help and patience!

Nothing to worry about, the diamond is obviously tilted in the image which is very common. 58% is just outside the range some prefer - I cut off at 57% when advising usually unless a great diamond comes along with a 58% table like this one - you really won't notice any visual difference - I know I can't. So unless you prefer to lower the table size, I wouldn't be worried about this one, it looks good!!!

 

[rusticrhythm]

Thanks dreamer and Lorelei!

@ Lorelei - Thanks for clearing that up for me! This diamond is definitely a contender.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 6/4/2009 10:25:06 AM
Author: rusticrhythm
Thanks dreamer and Lorelei!

@ Lorelei - Thanks for clearing that up for me! This diamond is definitely a contender.

Most welcome! Tilted images are common and the table size won''t be an issue.