Seeking Help Choosing a Diamond

[daher]

Hi Everyone,

I am gearing up to purchase an engagement ring -- exciting, but daunting. I have been doing some research on loose diamonds and found this forum, and I was hoping you guys could help me out. I've been working with "Diamond Pros" who have provided me some guidance. I am seeking a diamond around 1.3ct or above, I color, and would prefer SI1 or above. I am planning on purchasing from Blue Nile or James Allen, and I've narrowed my search down to the following, which I understand will be "eye clean":

https://www.bluenile.com/diamond-details/LD10958900

www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/1.33-carat-i-color-si1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-5549708?a_aid=dmnd1357&chan=an

I am trying to decide if I should sacrifice some size for better clarity and a bit lower price. The first one is about at the top of my price range. Does anybody have advice or any red flags for either of the diamonds? As this is a big purchase, I want to make sure I'm covering all my bases! I'm also open to other suggestions as well.

Thanks!!

 

[sledge]

BN 1.45ct
Feather is the setting grade for this stone. FYI, feather is just a fancy word for a crack. Being an SI2 this concerns me. Also a 36 crown and 41 pavilion is not very complimentary. I would pass on this stone personally.

JA 1.33ct
Stone has a little better clarity and the angles are more complimentary with 36 crown and 40.6 pavilion. Still, we would prefer a max 35.5 crown with a 40.6 pavilion and really prefer you be at a 35/40.6 combo. Also, the stone is cut too deep.

In general, we are looking for the following parameters so you can an ideal cut stone:

• 54-57 table
• 60-62.4 depth
• 34-35 crown (maybe 35.5 if paired with 40.6 pavilion)
• 40.6-40.9 pavilion (maybe 41 if paired with 34 crown)
• 75-80 lower girdle facets (LGF)
• HCA score of 1-2 (only applies to GIA graded stones; AGS stones have more advanced cut grade assigned)

I will see if I can find you any better options.

 

[sledge]

A couple of options I found.

BN 1.31ct I SI1 (57 table, 61.2 depth, 34.5/40.6, 75 LGF) - $6,845
https://www.bluenile.com/diamond-details/LD11028579

Seems like a solid stone overall. GIA XXX. It does have medium fluor, which is okay as long as the stone is cut well. It does not appear to have a negative effect, and the positive is it can make an I color stone actually look more white. Also love the fat arrows (75 LGF).



BN 1.30ct H SI1 (56 table, 61.9 depth, 34.5/40.8, 80 LGF) - $7,442
https://www.bluenile.com/diamond-details/LD10657377

Freakin' gorgeous angles. Also, get a color bump to H! Downsides for me is I prefer 75 LGF's for those fat arrows. Nothing wrong with 80 LGF's as it's still within the range we want though. There is a nasty crystal on the table. It appears to be black and hidden by an arrow around the 9 o'clock position. I would want BN to confirm this stone is eye clean. Lastly, it has strong fluor. I'm okay with medium, but maybe others with more experience with strong fluor can weigh in their opinions.

 

[sledge]

If you have any wiggle room in your budget, I'd be all about this super ideal diamond. Great vendor and cream of the crop on the cut & overall quality.

WF ACA 1.334ct I SI1
https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-4005064.htm

 

[daher]

Hi Sledge,

Thanks for the advice. I don't have a ton of wiggle room and set a hard budget for myself to stay under $8K for the diamond.

When looking at the two you sent from Blue Nile, I am a little concerned that the crystals are so visible on the 360 view of the rock. Does that concern you at all?

I have done some additional perusing within your parameters and found the following:

https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-di...h-color-si1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-5481026

https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-di...i-color-vs1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-5595697

Do you have any thoughts on these? Also, I was hoping you could maybe explain the effect of the 36 crown and the depth of the cut on the 1.33ct James Allen on my original post. What are the major differences between those dimensions and the ones that you outlined? Would they have a noticeable effect for a novice like myself? The cost savings is appealing to me if they are close in appearance.

Thanks again!!

 

[sledge]

Please read this re: crown & pavilion angles.

https://www.prosumerdiamonds.com/crown-angle/

Yes, the crystals do concern me on the BN stone. Especially the second one that I posted. If you are interested in either of those stones, I would place a temp hold on them and ask them (or their supplier) to verify if one or both stones are eye clean.

FYI, the term "eye clean" is very subjective, and an industry definition does not exist. Many suppliers use a definition similar to the following:

"No inclusions visible looking at the top of the diamond at 10" away in normal lighting and with 20/20 vision."

Your own sensitivity and vision may alter this up or down. I am more particular and also suffer from "mind clean" issues, so am more stringent on stones that the above. However, given your budget, size requirements, etc. I am not certain you have the luxury to be too picky or you will sacrifice color and/or carat size.

In regards to the JA stones you last listed:

5481026
Gorgeous proportions and great looking cert. Being an SI1 I kept wondering why the cert was so clean to be honest. That is like my dream come true as that cert is very mind clean. UNTIL I then looked in the notes section and saw "clarity grade is based on clouds that are not shown".

This is probably bad, and means the stone is milky/cloudy looking. Before you purchase, this stone needs to be evaluated and confirmed to not have any issues from the clouds that are not shown but set the clarity grade.

5595697
I personally would like to see your pavilion be closer to 40.6 when paired with the 35 crown. On super ideal diamonds, I've seen this combo work but greater measures are taken to ensure accurate cutting. Not to mention the mere way GIA rounds & averages numbers means that pavilion could be creeping up even higher. Also, I don't like the 80 LGF's. You can visibly the see the stone's arrows are skinny. You get contrast from the arrows. Keep in mind with the way GIA rounds the LGF values a reported value of 80 can actually mean 78-82. I think these are closer to 82 in reality by just looking at them.

I know you are trying to stay at $8,000 or below. For a few hundred bucks this is a super ideal I colored stone.

https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-4005064.htm

 

[daher]

Thanks for all the advice. I found one that looks to check all the boxes that I wanted to run by you:

https://www.jamesallen.com/mobile/l...i-color-vs1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-5595697

Also one that comes close with a 36.5 crown, but 75 LGFs and a bit less expensive:

https://www.jamesallen.com/mobile/l...i-color-si1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-5435090

Am I getting warmer?