shape
carat
color
clarity

Some advice and recommendation please

weic

Rough_Rock
Joined
Nov 17, 2016
Messages
4
Hi Everyone,

First time buyer and is hoping for some advice and recommendations.

Looking for:
1.3 ct with F/G, VS1/VS2, Ideal round. Budget around $12,000 but can stretch a little if necessary.

Have been looking at these three and want to see what you guys think.

http://www.b2cjewels.com/dd-7094635-1.32-carat-Round-diamond-F-color-VS2-Clarity.aspx?sku=7094635

http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3751770.htm

http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3737619.htm

From what I gathered, White Flash seems to have a slightly better reputation in their cutting but the b2c is less expensive and have better spec. Any suggestion will be greatly appreciated!
 

weic

Rough_Rock
Joined
Nov 17, 2016
Messages
4
I want to add some background and include my own observation. My gf's ring size is 5.5 and will likely be a 6-prong or double claw with either a slot or split shank setting.

My own observation on the 3 diamonds.

1. 1.32 ct F VS2 (b2cjewel): Least expensive but lack different angled images. Trying to request some from their customer service. Seems to be best bang for the buck. Link

2. 1.312 ct G VS2 (White Flash): WF seems to be one of the highly recommended retailer that provide excellent cut diamonds. This one has inclusion toward the crown and would seem to be less noticeable but it's pretty obvious in their magnified 360 view. It's more expensive than the first one with slightly worst color and size Link

3. 1.316 ct G VS2] (White Flash): This one has inclusion on the table right in the middle. That said, it seems to be less noticeable on the 360 magnified view than #2. Again, it's a more expensive than #1 with slightly worst color and size. Link


Any risk with #1? Is White Flash's reputation worth paying a little bit more? Performance based on the ASET looks pretty similar and I'd imagine all 3 will be eye clean. It's a pretty large purchase and I really hope one of the experts can chime in and give me some guidance. Thanks.
 

Sagefemme

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Oct 8, 2015
Messages
290
Remember VS2 means if you had all three lined up and were looking carefully, you would not see any of the inclusions in these stones, unless you have bionic parts.......

Wait for some of the experts to weigh in, but the b2cjewel looks likely to be as good as the WF and cheaper by a goodly amount.
 

ac117

Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Apr 28, 2014
Messages
4,060
I would absolutely go for the B2C stone in this instance. The cut is beautiful, it's cheaper and has better color. However, if you think you'd ever want to upgrade in the future, then I would consider either of the WF stones because their upgrade policy is amazing.
 

weic

Rough_Rock
Joined
Nov 17, 2016
Messages
4
Thanks for the comments.

Yeah I kind of feel like I may be over thinking it. As I said, I think diamond #1 is a good choice for the price. But at the same time, based on all the research, I can tell that the hearts and arrows on it isn't as good as the ones from White Flash. So I am a little worry because I want to get something that will have great brilliance and fire. I also understand that hearts and arrow isn't the be all and end all in determining how well a diamond will perform, but their marketing have done a hell of a job in convincing me that I should get the best cut diamond that I can afford. Haha, so I am going around in circles.

Also, I don't think my girlfriend will upgrade to a larger stone in the future as she's quite petite and 1.3 is going to look pretty big on her I think. Anyways, hopefully more people will chime in to give me a better understanding on the importance of Hearts and Arrows. :D
 

flyingpig

Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Nov 7, 2015
Messages
2,975
weic|1479503249|4100357 said:
Thanks for the comments.

Yeah I kind of feel like I may be over thinking it. As I said, I think diamond #1 is a good choice for the price. But at the same time, based on all the research, I can tell that the hearts and arrows on it isn't as good as the ones from White Flash. So I am a little worry because I want to get something that will have great brilliance and fire. I also understand that hearts and arrow isn't the be all and end all in determining how well a diamond will perform, but their marketing have done a hell of a job in convincing me that I should get the best cut diamond that I can afford. Haha, so I am going around in circles.

Also, I don't think my girlfriend will upgrade to a larger stone in the future as she's quite petite and 1.3 is going to look pretty big on her I think. Anyways, hopefully more people will chime in to give me a better understanding on the importance of Hearts and Arrows. :D

There are plenty of people here who go for nothing but the absolute best cut. BG Signature, WF ACA, GOG ASC, CBI, etc....
Also there are plenty of people who are completely happy with an ideal diamond that may or may not be a H&A. This includes myself.

When experienced PSers buy non-branded diamonds, we still do alot of research and get diamonds with VERY SPECIFIC proportions, magnified images, and light performance images. The end result may not be a perfect cut H&A, but still extremely rare and beautiful.

In fact, both WF and GOG have Tier 2 Brand, Expert and Platinum respectively, which are not H&A, but still beautiful and back-up by buy-back and trade-in policy. Good Old Gold have many videos comparing GOG Ascendancy H&A and GOG Platinum. Go to their youtube channel. This should give you some idea.

It is always an interesting topic and decision making. H&A Brand vs Non H&A

I have no knowledge to speak about the cut quality between B2C Perfection and WF ACA.
However, the price difference is partially due to difference in buy-back(no for b2c, yes,but limited, for WF), trade-in policy (20% restocking fee for b2c, no restocking fee for WF)
 

gm89uk

Brilliant_Rock
Premium
Joined
May 26, 2015
Messages
1,491
Interestingly this one isn't a huge amount more ($500) than your selected b2c diamond and is significantly bigger, and within budget. Appears to be very well cut! This may be irrelevant if you are avoiding larger diamonds and wanting to stick to 1.3.

http://www.b2cjewels.com/dd-6412687-1.60-carat-Round-diamond-F-color-VS2-clarity.aspx

For me if I was trying to get the biggest F/VS2 diamond I could get, within a budget, the size difference will be far greater visual difference than the nuisances in hearts and arrows when it is as nice a cut as this.
 

gm89uk

Brilliant_Rock
Premium
Joined
May 26, 2015
Messages
1,491
Just to note that if you do go with a b2c diamond they often offer a discount for pricescope referrals so you may want to enquire and possible get a $100 off or so.
 

weic

Rough_Rock
Joined
Nov 17, 2016
Messages
4
Thanks for the suggestions everyone.

The 1.6 ct diamond while a great value is a little bit big and risky for me. From what I read, the strong blue will likely make the diamond milky especially for a F color. I feel the degree of milkiness is pretty subjective so I don't want to rely on what the retailer say to help me determine if its a good buy.

So it sounds like the 3 I picked originally are all decent choices and it really comes down to my personal preference. I guess I will see if they offer any discounts with Black Friday/Cyber Monday coming up along with being referred by PriceScope and make a final decisions from there. Thanks everyone.
 
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