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Should I buy this diamond................

Jaxxx

Rough_Rock
Joined
Jul 10, 2012
Messages
12
1.10 ct round j i1; vg/ex/vg ; HCA of 1.3... $3300....
 
I imagine if you're looking at I1 stones that inclusions are not of major concern to you, but I would still think that it would depend heavily on the inclusion plot on the Certificate. I'm assuming it's GIA cert since you listed VG/EX/VG?

I haven't spent much time looking at I1's but I'm sure there is such thing as a "good I1" and a "bad I1"?


If it were me, and I was on that budget, I'd consider a diamond just under the 1ct mark which will put you under the "price point" and allow you to increase cut, color, or clarity.

If the 1ct mark is a must-have for you, then I'd look for an I1 with the most discreet inclusions you can find.
 
Report?

Specs?

from the limited info you're giving us, most of us will tell you NO because we know nothing of the stone. :read:
 
Is it GIA? We'd need the report number at the least. That said, I wouldn't buy an I clarity stone for a ring.
 
If this is an engagement ring I would go down on the carat to get better clarity and cut.

For example this one:
0.94 J SI2 Ex/Ex/Ex HCA: 1.3 $3,487 after pricescope discount http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/J-SI2-Excellent-Cut-Round-Diamond-1490952.asp

With a diamond this color you'd want to make sure you get an excellent cut so it hides the color better. Also I think the likelihood of an I1 clarity being eye clean is slim, not to mention structrual integrity issues such feathers, natruals. Eye clean SI2 stones in this size are easier to find. I have seen SI2 stones up to 2 ct that face up eye clean. I1 eye clean stones are much harder to find.
 
Sorry for the short description, I'm on my phone. It is a GIA certification, and yes minor inclusion is ok with my girl but this one to my knowledge looks pretty clean for a i1 and has a very good cut. JA has the stone # 1494808... she wanted something with a able of atleast 6.5mm
 
It has an indented natrual on the girdle, which needs to be checked out by an appraiser for potential structrual integrity issues.
Also that cloud near the center does not seem eye clean to me. What is your definition of eye clean? Did you check with JA?
 
Is the indentionn the girdle a deal breaker for this stone?? If it is I'll Order something else. As far as eye clean , we've looked i1s at lays jewelry with IGI certification and the inclusions didn't bother her, I figured this GIA would be a bit cleaner and with the decent HCA grade , would hide most if the inclusions
 
Is this stone better? 1479825
 
I am not sure if this one is better. This one also has a natural on the girdle (any GREEN marketing on the inclusion plot indicates an external inclusion/blemish to the stone; red marketings are internal inclusions). What type of setting are you putting this in?
Experts please chime in but usually stones with naturals on the girdle are trying to meet a certain carat weight. For stones that are well cut, this rough will be cut to a lesser carat (possibly under 1 carat). Leaving the natrual on the girdle allows this stone to exceed 1 carat (hence a higher price per carat) but potentially compromises the structural integrity of the stone. If you knock the stone on something accidently(diamonds are HARD but brittle), it's likely that a big chunk will just come off.
Of course these are all assumptions based on the grading. If you HAVE to purchase this stone, it should be set in a bezel setting so the stone will be protected. A 4-prong will definitely be a no-no.
I would go up on the clarity not just for eye clean purposes but structural integrity purposes. You don't want your stone to chip. If she wants finger coverage I would reommend a smaller stone with a halo to get that bling factor.

I'm not against I1 stones but I think they make better pendants/earrings than engagement rings. You move your hands so much and you wear your ring everyday. You really don't want to buy something that's not structrually sound.
 
I just did a quick search too and the only one coming up close to your budget is the one that OCgirl posted. The size difference between the one that she posted and the one that you posted is going to be about 3 sheets of copy paper, so not a huge visual difference. You would also have to have the recommended stone evaluated for any durability issues. I think that the one that you posted will likely be a bright stone, but I think that I would opt for a cleaner diamond with a minimal size decrease, or if she was ok with the color of an IGI J, she will probably be fine with a K color and in that case I may drop down to a K and up to an SI2.

James Allen will evaluate three stones for you and provide images. Why not ask that the .94 be evaluated side by side with your selection and see what the gemologist has to say? I can take a look at some K's too if you think that would be an acceptable range for her.
 
If she truly isn't color sensitive and doesn't mind body color, this is an 1.3 L SI1. Its listed as a faint brown which many think makes lower colors appear whiter. And it's they type of cut that I really love, with a nice high crown and should throw off a ton of colored light. :love: I wouldn't be comfortable with an L color in a modern RB, I think they are gorgeous in antique cuts but in MRB I prefer near colorless, but that's me. If I was looking for a the largest well cut eye clean stone I could get for my budget, then this one might do it for me. IGI tends to grade color softer than GIA or AGS so again, if she was OK with an IGI or EGL J then she may be absolutely fine with this. I'll keep looking but I haven't had a lot of luck. Another option might be to contact IDJ and ask Yuketiel to do a search for you, he's been very helpful for others that were looking for something specific with a tight budget.

http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamonds/diamond-details/1.300-l-si1-round-diamond-gia-35392083
 
This may not be at all what you are looking for but it's a great price, a finished piece. It's a size 7.75, so it helps it your gf is very close to that, sizing beads may be an option. But it's an oval not a RB, but it's 1ct I SI2, and it's already set for a really pretty halo! Talk about finger coverage! :love: Ovals tend to look bigger for the same ct weight to so when you add a halo... and the under 4k asking price.... :lickout: It might be worth showing to her and see what she thinks...
http://www.diamondsbylauren.com/index.php/jewelry/oval-diamond-ring-100ct-micro-halo-ring-bargain-for-sze-775-finger-r880

edit: They CAN size the ring, so it doesn't matter if she is a 7.75.
 
Ok if I was to search for a diamond what should I look for in cushions, most si2 shows inclusions in or near the girdle, should avoid that? What inclusions should I stay away from?

Thank you for all your help, I really like the first diamond I mentioned but the whole intention talk is worrying me. I'll spend $4k total with a simple 4 prong Tiffany style setting
 
If the $4k budget is firm then something's gotta give if you want a decent size diamond.
1) Color - Drop to K or L if you're comfortable. Some people are more color tolerant than others.
2) Clarity - Drop to SI2. I really don't think I1 is the way to go. For a ring you'll wear everyday, you won't want to worry about chipping it.
3) Cut - Best cut possible. For a diamond this color, you want the cut to be excellent so it'll so face up white.
4) Carat - Seems like you want it to be in the 1 carat range.
5) Fluorescence - Find something with strong blue if you can. It'll help the diamond face up whiter.
6) Setting - I understand the love for a solitaire setting. But a halo is a much cheaper option to achieve the face-up diameter. I think I'd rather have a whiter/cleaner stone in a halo than a stone that's a little bigger but with visible inclusions and yellow tint.

So I think there are two options:
1) Drop the color to K or L.
2) Put a .90 to a halo. My mom has a 0.8 ct stone in a halo. It looks bigger than my 1.2 ct.
For example this setting, http://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/pave/-18k-White-Gold-Pave-Set-Diamond-Engagement-Ring-17155w14.html
Plus the previous stone I linked, the total comes out to $4k, maybe a bit under if you count in PS discount. The setting also "hides" a portion of the pavillion, which will be helpful since diamonds in J or K color will show more tint from the side.
I think $4k for a near 1 carat halo ring (not to mention excellent cut GIA graded diamond) is really really good.
I'm sure it's gonna look blingy and like a million bucks.
 
Exactly what does it mean patches of color on a somewhat white color diamond. I have never seen that before. Maybe uneven color? :o
 
Jaxxx|1342498787|3235239 said:
Ok I think I found a good one.

http://www.bluenile.com/diamond-search?saction=PAGE&startIndex=0#diamonds_pid=LD02682009

Hac of 0.7

What do you guys/girls think?

This stone also has an external inclusion. It has a cavity on the girdle. A cavity is basically a hole/gap.

"A cavity is a gap in the surface of the diamond, it will show as a visible penetration of the surface... Under higher magnification a cavity will often look like somebody took a bite out of the stone, kind of like a bite out of a cookie.

An indented natural is part of the original skin of the diamond crystal which indents into the surface of the stone, which was left on the stone by the cutter, usually to retain carat weight, these will often feel like tiny chips if you run your fingernail along the edge of the stone."

More on cavities and indented naturals.
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/what-is-the-difference-between-a-cavity-and-an-indented-natural.137313/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/what-is-the-difference-between-a-cavity-and-an-indented-natural.137313/[/URL]

There are reasons why certain stones are discounted more so than others. External blemishes like cavities and naturals especially near the girdle are things that people who know diamonds will generally avoid. I would suggest you study some of the basics before picking the stones or post your criteria in a new post so people can help you find stones meeting your criteria.
 
I would be nervous about all those inclusions. Unless your girl has poor eye sight it will annoy her for ever. Go into a local jeweler and you will see what I mean. I checked out some at a shop and they were in the I range and at the 1 carat size it just looked like it had something on it I couldn't wipe off and it was painful to look at; my now fiance agreed. Slightly smaller and eye clean is the way to go. You don't want to feel like you always need to clean the stone because inclusions make it look dirty.
 
Getting the first diamond inspected by a gemologist . Spoke with with a gemologist at GIA lab and she confirmed that natural indentation won't necessarily affect the diamonds integrity. As long as its inspected.
 
Jaxxx|1342575235|3235815 said:
Getting the first diamond inspected by a gemologist . Spoke with with a gemologist at GIA lab and she confirmed that natural indentation won't necessarily affect the diamonds integrity. As long as its inspected.

I'm not sure what you mean, the gemologist said that it won't necessarily affect the integrity as long as it's inspected?
 
She said, it doesn't affect the diamonds integrity no worst than most internal inclusions would. She said to always get it inspected but it's just part of the diamonds original material that they chose not to buff out. A chip or cavity is different .
 
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