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Should I return this for a BGD or WF?

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banana123

Rough_Rock
Joined
Sep 8, 2021
Messages
5
Hey PS Community!

Hope all of you are doing well. It's great seeing so many people passionate about getting the perfect stone.

I wanted to share with you all a diamond I purchased on JA to get your second opinion. The proportions are quite nice and are in range of "super ideal" according to WF, but I'm not sure if I should pay a little more to select a diamond from a super ideal retailer like WF or BGD.
I was quoted by WF at 2.00ct -2.09ct G VS1 A CUT ABOVE® - for $1k more than what I paid for with slightly lower carat and slightly lower clarity.

I haven't received the diamond in person and only have the AGS cert and link to go by. I also wasn't able to successfully request any additional ASET or IdealScope images from JA. Lmk if anything catches your eyes. Thank you very much for helping me out :)

Diamond Proportions:
Table: 55.2%
Crown Angle: 34.5%
Pavilion Angle: 40.7
Depth: 61.6%
Star Facets: 49%
Lower Girdle Half: 77%
Girdle: Thin - Medium
HCA: 0.9 "Big"



ja-image

cert.jpeg
 
Do you plan to upgrade your stone in the future? If you do, then I would advise getting your stone from WF as they have the best upgrade policy around ($1 more for upgrade along any C dimension - meaning that you could choose to go from G VS1 to H VS2 but bigger carat and they would do it). BGD also cuts beautiful stones but their upgrade criteria is a bit more restrictive - it’s also $1 IIRC you need to upgrade 2 of 3 between carat, colour and clarity. JA is the most restrictive - it requires you to spend double of what you originally paid, so that gets very expensive very quickly.

if you don’t plan to upgrade, personally the stone you’ve picked seems like a good stone, so, unless after you receive it you’re unhappy about something, I would keep it.

I did check WFs inventory but they don’t have anything in the G VS range so it would be custom, as you said, which is a touch more expensive. Personally I think VS1 is totally fine and VVS2 is really only needed if there are cultural considerations / mind clean aspects.

If the $1k isn’t a huge stretch, I think WF would be the “peace of mind” option, especially if upgrades are a possibility. It comes down to how persnickety you are, honestly.
 
AllAboardTheBlingTrain said:
Do you plan to upgrade your stone in the future? If you do, then I would advise getting your stone from WF as they have the best upgrade policy around ($1 more for upgrade along any C dimension - meaning that you could choose to go from G VS1 to H VS2 but bigger carat and they would do it). BGD also cuts beautiful stones but their upgrade criteria is a bit more restrictive - it’s also $1 IIRC you need to upgrade 2 of 3 between carat, colour and clarity. JA is the most restrictive - it requires you to spend double of what you originally paid, so that gets very expensive very quickly.

if you don’t plan to upgrade, personally the stone you’ve picked seems like a good stone, so, unless after you receive it you’re unhappy about something, I would keep it.

I did check WFs inventory but they don’t have anything in the G VS range so it would be custom, as you said, which is a touch more expensive. Personally I think VS1 is totally fine and VVS2 is really only needed if there are cultural considerations / mind clean aspects.

If the $1k isn’t a huge stretch, I think WF would be the “peace of mind” option, especially if upgrades are a possibility. It comes down to how persnickety you are, honestly.
Click to expand...

Agree with the above. That stone from JA looks good. It comes down to if you may want to upgrade down the track then you want a vendor with a good upgrade policy.
 
Diamond_Enthusiast said:
Agree with the above. That stone from JA looks good. It comes down to if you may want to upgrade down the track then you want a vendor with a good upgrade policy.
Click to expand...

162F0911-1362-4DB0-A520-9CF3F532DE19.gif

If there’s even a shred of possibility you might change your tastes and/or upgrade down the road, go w/WF.
 
Are you sentimental and/or do you see yourself wanting to upgrade in the future?

Since the stone you selected has better specs and is cheaper, I would just keep it, unless you think you'll want the option to easily upgrade later on...
 
The others said it first: you picked an absolute winner in that beautifully proportioned AGS Triple Zero, but if ease of upgrade is important, then perhaps strongly consider a well respected super ideal seller such as WF, BGD, or Victor Canera.
 
Gorgeous stone but I would pay the Extra for the upgrade policy. You never know what the future holds!
 
Thank you so much all for taking the time to offer your advice. Appreciate you all!

The diamond above was extremely beautiful and sparkly once it arrived. What a difference optimal proportions make!

Unfortunately, I did make the very very hard decision to take the consensus and return the diamond for the reasons of upgrade policy, reassurance of additional light performance & H&A images, and lower clarity for a larger carat.

I'm not entirely convinced I will be able to tell a difference, but I am content in being able to tell my future wife that she has one of the best cut diamonds.

Thanks again PS community. Lots of love

I decided to go with this diamond.
black.briangavindiamonds.com

2.205 G VS2 Signature Round

Buy diamonds online - AGS graded 2.205 carat G VS2 Round super ideal cut Black By Brian Gavin Diamond. Lifetime Upgrade Policy!
black.briangavindiamonds.com black.briangavindiamonds.com

Image of diamond returned :cry2:0.jpg
 
The ring is beautiful! Please show us the new diamond when it arrives and give us your impressions. It’s always interesting to hear feedback from someone who has evaluated both branded and non branded diamonds in person.
 
If spending the extra $1K was not a financial burden, you did well.
I believe the age old axiom applies to diamonds…..”you get what you pay for”
 
Some observations on the new Black - BGD for those who are curious.

Shines brighter white in indirect light settings
Darker and crisper arrow pattern
Most likely sparkles slightly more. Hard to say with an untrained eye and an un-stringent approach to comparing the two.

If the new BGD wasn't bought during their holiday sale for 10% off, it would've been harder to justify the diamond improvements.

Overall, very happy and satisfied with the new diamond. Definitely a keeper.


New diamond

IMG_3346 2.jpg

Sparkles a ton under an overhead light

IMG_3352.MOV

drive.google.com drive.google.com
 
banana123 said:
Some observations on the new Black - BGD for those who are curious.

Shines brighter white in indirect light settings
Darker and crisper arrow pattern
Most likely sparkles slightly more. Hard to say with an untrained eye and an un-stringent approach to comparing the two.

If the new BGD wasn't bought during their holiday sale for 10% off, it would've been harder to justify the diamond improvements.

Overall, very happy and satisfied with the new diamond. Definitely a keeper.


New diamond

IMG_3346 2.jpg

Sparkles a ton under an overhead light

IMG_3352.MOV

drive.google.com drive.google.com
Click to expand...

So gorgeous! To me those upgraded aspects are well worth the price difference :)
 
Absolutely beautiful! Congratulations on your (upcoming?) engagement.
 
The new stone looks great! Very crisp defined arrows and nice fire!

If you have BGD's H&A viewer included with their Black series, you can still try taking a look at the arrows and facets through it even when the diamond is set in the ring. I find this fun but this might just be the diamond geek in me talking.

Worth the extra $1k to me for the improvements and to future proof upgrades.
 
Stunning! I’m glad you are happy!
 
Prongs look great, too!!!
 
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