Small Diamond Considerations

[Hielito]

Hi. First time poster.

I just bought a pair of stones for earrings for my daughter, total CTW of 0.41.

We wanted to give her a timeless sense of the beauty and rarity of a diamond, so we went with smaller stones of higher grade. We figured it was our way to introduce her to diamonds without spending an arm and a leg. They were D color, IF and with HCA scores below 1.5. They were not "cheap" but were they much bigger, the prices would have become prohibitive, especially given she is but one of three ladies in my life (two daughters and my wife).

I guess I wanted to hear some feedback on the buying of small stones <0.5 carats, since (a) I think that we are unlikely to afford larger if we wish to stay with D/E and IF/FL and (b) we are not large people, so the smaller diamonds suits them well in terms of proportion

Are the market prices in the 0.2 to .5 ct range for D/E, IF/FL stable? increasing? trending downward?

Is there a size that is considered too small? or where it really makes little sense to buy colorless flawless diamonds?

I appreciate all comments, including those that are critical.

Hielito

 

[stone-cold11]

IF/colorless is actually least appreciated in earring as the observer will usually be too far away to notice any difference between that and a I/J SI stone, assuming both are well cut.

 

[Andelain]

I disagree with stone cold in part. While the high color and clarity may not be appreciated by observers it can be appreciated by the wearer. I think just knowing you're wearing exceptional stones has it's own value. I'm color-sensitive myself and my go-to studs are 'F''s. I also have a pair of 'G's that I don't love near as much because I can tell the difference. Besides, how many people can say they own one D-IF, let alone two? I would be drooling over those little stones, I prefer my earring stones small anyway.

 

[yssie]

Hi. First time poster.

I just bought a pair of stones for earrings for my daughter, total CTW of 0.41.

We wanted to give her a timeless sense of the beauty and rarity of a diamond, so we went with smaller stones of higher grade. We figured it was our way to introduce her to diamonds without spending an arm and a leg. They were D color, IF and with HCA scores below 1.5. They were not "cheap" but were they much bigger, the prices would have become prohibitive, especially given she is but one of three ladies in my life (two daughters and my wife).

I guess I wanted to hear some feedback on the buying of small stones <0.5 carats, since (a) I think that we are unlikely to afford larger if we wish to stay with D/E and IF/FL and (b) we are not large people, so the smaller diamonds suits them well in terms of proportion

Are the market prices in the 0.2 to .5 ct range for D/E, IF/FL stable? increasing? trending downward?

Is there a size that is considered too small? or where it really makes little sense to buy colorless flawless diamonds?

I appreciate all comments, including those that are critical.

Hielito

Not really sure what the questions are - if you're looking for 'bang for your buck' colourless high-clarity stones are the opposite of where you want to be in this size range, but it seems that the idea of having rare diamonds is important to you so 'value for money' so to speak is that much less a consideration.. but yes, D/E IF diamonds in these sizes are purely for mind-cleanliness, you get no extra value in appearance or performance/performance type. No point in buying a FL diamond, period, unless you plan to stick it in a box and never ever handle it - FL requires external clarity to be flawless also, which is just never going to remain so in setting and wearing.

The market prices frankly make no difference to you post-purchase unless you're buying second-hand to begin with - it's like buying a new car, you irrevocably lose thousands the moment you drive it out of the lot (or put it on her finger). Diamonds (that a large percentage of consumers can afford) are in general a poor investment.

And of course no size is too small, and I'm very sure she'll adore them and wear them for many years to come!

 

[marcy]

I am sure they are lovely and she will cherish them.

 

[antelope1]

Good diamonds are rare, period. For a given carat weight, a D / IF is extremely rare, and more rare than a lower color / clarity combination. But it's harder to find bigger diamonds of good quality. The larger the diamond, the harder it is to find, which is why there is a tradeoff between ctw and color/clarity -- and I like to think of price as the proxy for the "rarity" of the color / clarity / ctw combination.

Consider, a ~0.25 ct D IF goes for about $900 from BN (which seems to be one of the only places to carry them in-house). In contrast, you can get a 0.5 ct G VS2 (or G SI1, or H VS2) for about the same price. To me, this kind of says that a 0.25 ct D IF is about as "rare" as a 0.5ct G VS2.

Also to consider: She could wear 1 tcw studs for the rest of her life -- they would look really large on a 5 year old, but would be size appropriate probably from 13 to adulthood. 0.2 ct is ... very small on an adult. Our heads get bigger! Our ears get bigger! It is unfortunate, but true. I could see a 0.2 ct becoming a nose stud on a teenager, or a sidestone on an ER at some point.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Hi,
How old is your daughter?

 

[slg47]

Is there a size that is considered too small? or where it really makes little sense to buy colorless flawless diamonds?

I think Tiffany's sells some 0.05 ct diamond earrings? So as far as too small...that's a matter of personal preference. As far as a size where it makes little sense to buy colorless flawless diamonds-that is also personal preference. Some people like owning colorless flawless diamonds. The visual difference at that size will be pretty small, and I would prefer I/J SI earrings (but that's just me). These sound like a lovely gift that your daughter can cherish for a long time!

 

[Siamese Kitty]

Hi,
How old is your daughter?

Gosh, I thought the same thing! I lost a pair of Sweet Sixteen studs passed down from my stepmother from Tiffany's because I simply didn't think of things like, "take them out when you go to the beach". I have often wished that my stepmom would have waited a little longer to give them to me-I would treat them right now! I also wish my mom would have known more about jewelry insurance back in the day. Anyway, I digress...

What an incredibly sweet and thoughtful gift from her father. .41 cttw is a very wearable size, especially if she is young and these are her first studs. And the fact you bought her the very best does mean something in my opinion, as it is not always about maximizing size. After all, if you are truly wearing diamonds for yourself and not just to impress others, you buy what you like. That might mean a smaller D IF, a large K I1, or anything else in between.

I love colorless stones, and am willing to compromise on size to get them. I have even been known to downgrade size to move up in color. For those of us who value high colors, it is often quite obvious if a stone is not. Whether that makes a difference to you or not, I don't know. I personally think D colored stones actually glow in lower lighting apart from their light performance. I own stones D-H, but the colorless ones are my favorite. This is not to say near-colorless can't be gorgeous. I've been chasing my brother down for years to see my SIL's GIA cert. Her non-H & As J is phenomenal, and I wish I knew the specs so that I could search for something similar for my next stone. He is also an example of someone who could have afforded more, but picked what he thought was the prettiest. It was between an almost a carat F (I think) and her 1.02 J. He preferred the J.

As for IF, it is definitely neat. And, like the others said, very rare when paired with D. I'm happy in the VS-SI1 range, but I think these earrings are the size where you can say, why not?

Not sure if any of this helps, just rambling...

ETA, nevermind, splitting hairs

 

[Hielito]

Hi everyone, thanks so much for your responses. I have been on the road the past two weeks and was looking forward to responding.

The stone are gorgeous. I could immediately see why man has been obsessed with these little creations of fire!

I have a poor connection and did not write down the names before this response.

On clarity and earrings: thanks for the POV. That is interesting. I got the stones first thinking earrings, then pendant, and then eternity ring, though the latter for my wife. That the brilliance might not fully play out as earrings is something to consider.

On knowing the difference yourself: Thanks for the comments. This was sort what I was thinking. There is something about wearing something exceptionally rare that adds to the spring in the step. While I would rather my daughters think of me in the little things I do, I figure it won;t hurt if they think of me when I am long gone when putting on these earrings. Funny thing too is that I cannot seem to pull the trigger on E/FL combo for the "E." LOL! It is that "knowing yourself" that kicks in.

On value/bang for buck. I think with any purchase in the market, one would like to think that the value of the item will hold or appreciate even is slightly with time. But financial ROI is not primary in buying these diamonds for the girls. Thanks for the analogy of the used car. That makes sense. Were I to do the same for my wife in a five-stone setting, it will be pretty cool to think I will have paid less for 1.0 CTW of D-IF than her engagement ring (which I think was 0.43 or 0,38 CT of H/VS-1 or something like that (I cannot recall).

On adoring/cherish: I hope so. I adore the girls so, so it would be neat to see their eyes light up when the time comes to give them.

Rarity & PRice combos: that makes a lot of sense. Thanks.

Size: We are small people. The diamonds look like they will be ok for their entire 10-20 year old period. I think 0.5 CT per ear would work well for my wife.

Age: girls are 10 and 12.

On treating them with care: I hope they will!

Glowing: It will be cool to see if this applies to these. Certainly they look amazing in terms of being without color!

Thanks so much. Getting them and looking at them through the idealscope really was educational. They were not pricey. How much of a markup did I pay? I have no idea. But I am pleased.

Take care,
Hielito

 

[Hielito]

I thought it would be fun to post this follow up. My eldest turned 16. We finally got the earrings set: two RB D-IF-EX diamonds with 0.9<=HCA<=1.5 went into 14K white gold, 4 prong screwback settings. I know the screwbacks are not loved. However, it would be tragic if either earring was lost. I guess when she is old enough, she can decide whether to get them reset. Until then, we will limit their wearing as she matures.

In any event, she loved them. The funny thing was that for years I had viewed the stones under partial artificial light. They had seemed far more white than brilliant or full of fire. But in the sun, they were ridiculously beautiful. What a difference!

The size ended up being perfect, a relief since TCW was only 0.41.

Her sister will get hers in three more years.

Great things can come in small packages! A final point, they appraised nicely, 2x cost.

Now, my wife wants a pair! LOL!

H.

 

[texaskj]

No, no, that's not too small for us big girls. I love my .25s. I can put them in on Saturday morning and leave them in all weekend with no worries, just a good cleaning on Monday. Your wife and other daughter need a pair!

 

[Hielito]

Daughter #2 has hers already set. But we will wait until she turns 16 and has a few more years of maturity under her belt! They are almost exactly the same.

My wife joked (or was it a joke?), "Heck, I don;t even have such nice jewelry!" Immediately, the discussion went to rings. LOL. I am sure it will all work out.