seeking expert advice: I or J? (n00b here)

[etale]

So I''ve been reading many of the excellent resources here at PS for a couple of weeks now, hoping to
garner enough understanding to make a decision between two stones I''m looking at on BN.com I was hoping that some experts might
help out with opinions/ advice as to which stone I should go with. Since I''m a fan of blue floro, both have it:

Stone A):
(AGSL)

Carat: 1.05
Cut: Ideal
Clarity: VVS2
Color: I
Symmetry: Ideal
Polish: Ideal

Table: 53.5 %
Depth: 61.8
Crown angle: 34.5
Pavilion angle: 40.8
Girdle: Thin to Medium
Culet: Pointed
Flouro: Very Strong Blue

Stone B):
(AGSL)

Carat: 1.16
Cut: Ideal
Clarity: IF
Color: J
Symmetry: Ideal
Polish: Ideal

Table: 56.1 %
Depth: 60.6
Crown angle: 33.9
Pavilion angle: 40.9
Girdle: Thin to Medium
Culet: Pointed
Flouro: Strong Blue

My inclination is to go with stone B, but I am hesitant because it''s a J color and some cust. service reps have steered me more towards
the I color. BTW, stone B is about $230 more than Stone A.
Any thoughts or opinions as to which stone will be more beautiful, esp. as regards the color issue, would be much appreciated!

Thanks!

 

[kcoursolle]

The specs on both stones look nice, with the second being a slightly larger diamond that migth be a visually noticeable difference. The price difference is small. Personally, I''d go for the second stone since it''s bigger and J with blue flour will be very pretty. It would be nice to have ideal scope images of the stones to make sure. Also, BN doesn''t have an upgrade policy, is this important to you? Also, you might want to ask BN just to make sure the strong flour isn''t impairing performance. It''s probably not, but I''d make sure.

Is there a particular reason you prefer very high clarity? Because if you wanted to drop down in clarity to the VS range you wouldn''t have to many any compromises on color, you could go bigger, or you could just save some money. However, some prefer the high clarity stones for religious or cultural reasons, and this is fine if that''s the case with you.

 

[etale]

Thanks so much for your thoughts, kcoursolle.
What is this "upgrade policy" that you mention?
I asked BN to do a visual on both stones, and they are both clean (i.e. blue flouro isn''t adding any hazy/ oily/ milky appearance).
I guess that there''s no real reason that I''m looking at such high clarity... maybe I should investigate VS...

Although I can''t get an ideal scope image on either one, the 1.05 CT stone (stone A) has AGSL... H&A inscribed on the girdle.
My main concern was the J versus I issue, but perhaps this isn''t a big deal at all....

Thanks again!

 

[whatmeworry]

I''d go with the I. It''s easier for me to tell the difference between I/J than IF/VVS2 (Not even sure if I could do that). Just my preference, but if you like theJ, why not?

 

[kcoursolle]

Date: 5/10/2007 2:13:56 PM
Author: etale

Thanks so much for your thoughts, kcoursolle.
What is this ''upgrade policy'' that you mention?
I asked BN to do a visual on both stones, and they are both clean (i.e. blue flouro isn''t adding any hazy/ oily/ milky appearance).
I guess that there''s no real reason that I''m looking at such high clarity... maybe I should investigate VS...

Although I can''t get an ideal scope image on either one, the 1.05 CT stone (stone A) has AGSL... H&A inscribed on the girdle.
My main concern was the J versus I issue, but perhaps this isn''t a big deal at all....

Thanks again!

An upgrade policy is when you can trade in your old diamond from the vendor you bought it from to go towards a new diamond. Whiteflash.com, goodoldgold.com, and jamesallen.com (in-house stones only) all have a 100% upgrade policy. This means you can trade in your old diamond you purchased from them for 100% of the value that you purchased it for.

In my opinion, this is worth a little bit more in money since you never know what you might want years from now...

Also, definitely check out VS stones and even SI stones! Many SI stones are eye clean and basically have the *same* visual appearance to an IF stone to the naked eye. If you still want something that is hard to see under a microscope, then VS1 would be good...but really I think VS2/SI1 range is a healthy combo between clean and value for the money.