Some BlueNile questions

[james101]

Hello everyone. First off, I'm so glad I came across this site. The amount of great information in the tutorials and forum is staggering. I bet I've put about 10 hours here so far.

I've decided to go with BlueNile for a variety of reasons and I'm set on that. I was hoping that I might get some opinions on the diamonds in their selection. After a lot of decision work, I'm aiming for an Ideal H VS2 in the 0.90-0.95 ct range. An "I" color is starting to concern me as being too yellow. VS1 would also be fine, but my focus is more on the cut.

1) I would consider moving up to the 1.25 ct range, but it doesn't seem like the additional cost warrants the perceived size difference on the ring. Any thoughts?

2) This site has convinced me that cut trumps all, at least for a woman that isn't focused entirely on carat weight. I think in the long run I want her to have a wonderful sparkle when she looks at her ring. That said, I'm going for an Ideal cut. I'd love to use HCA on the BlueNile diamonds, but it seems that the bulk of them are GIA and lacking the figures I need for HCA. Has anyone that has used BlueNile in the past requested AGSL reports? My guess was that they probably just have the GIA's on hand. If a GIA report is all I can get, I guess I'm stuck with just Table and Depth. If I can't have HCA, what level of faith can I put in their "Ideal" rating?

3) I also see that BlueNile has a Signature Ideal Cut. Can anyone comment on these? I'm wondering if anyone ran any HCA's on them.


Thanks much!

(Edited to fix VS1/VS2)

 

[jaz464]

My opinion: BN does not supply pictures or sarins so I doubt you will get much else than what is listed online. With BN you kind of have to gamble and have it looked at by an appraiser once you buy it. They do have a very good return policy. I just don't like having so little info to go on initially. Also with the clarity, I assume you mean VS1 and VS2. I wouldn't automatically throw out SI1s either. Many are completely eye-clean. As far as jumping up to a 1.25, yes it will be quite a bit more. Personally, I would go up in color and keep the same size range (but I'm kind of a color freak

).

 

[SeaOats]

Welcome to PS

If Blue Nile only has a GIA report for the stone, chances are they probably don''t have an AGS report for it. Ask for a sarin report; that will provide you with the critical angles that are provided on an AGS report.

If you find a well cut diamond, I don''t personally think an "I" will look "too yellow" at all. IMO, it''s great bang for your buck.

But if you or your girlfriend are color sensitive, then stick with a G or so just to be safe.

Also, and this is just MY opinion, I wouldn''t be so picky as to only see VS2 or VS1 stones. If you can''t see with your naked eye the difference between a VS1, VS2, and SI1 and maybe even a good SI2, then why pay more? Like I said though, there is nothing wrong with spending more for the VS2 clarity; to me though, I rather put the extra money towards carat over clarity.

Although I will say, with buying off of BlueNile, it may be safer to pick a VS2 because they are not one of the vendors that I would trust if they said the stone was "eye clean." But you could just take a chance with a SI1 and if the inclusions are visible with the naked eye, return it.

 

[belle]

Date: 11/7/2005 11:58:24 AM
Author:james101
Hello everyone. First off, I''m so glad I came across this site. The amount of great information in the tutorials and forum is staggering. I bet I''ve put about 10 hours here so far.

welcome james101

glad you''ve found the information useful

I''ve decided to go with BlueNile for a variety of reasons and I''m set on that. I was hoping that I might get some opinions on the diamonds in their selection. After a lot of decision work, I''m aiming for an Ideal H VG2 in the 0.90-0.95 ct range. An ''I'' color is starting to concern me as being too yellow. VG1 would also be fine, but my focus is more on the cut.

in a very well cut diamond the ''i'' color will face up very white. in the average cuts and below, you will see yellow.
are you meaning to say vs1 in reference to the clarity?

1) I would consider moving up to the 1.25 ct range, but it doesn''t seem like the additional cost warrants the perceived size difference on the ring. Any thoughts?

i would tend to agree, but just like everything else, it is a personal decision.

2) This site has convinced me that cut trumps all, at least for a woman that isn''t focused entirely on carat weight. I think in the long run I want her to have a wonderful sparkle when she looks at her ring. That said, I''m going for an Ideal cut. I''d love to use HCA on the BlueNile diamonds, but it seems that the bulk of them are GIA and lacking the figures I need for HCA. Has anyone that has used BlueNile in the past requested AGSL reports? My guess was that they probably just have the GIA''s on hand. If a GIA report is all I can get, I guess I''m stuck with just Table and Depth. If I can''t have HCA, what level of faith can I put in their ''Ideal'' rating?

bluenile does not have diamonds in stock. they are shipped to you directly from the supplier, so whatever grading report accompanies the diamond is what you get. the suppliers have a good idea of what report will best ''show'' the diamond...it isn''t about what is on hand. in my opinion, without any information other than at least crown/pavilion angles, you can''t put that much faith in their ''ideal'' rating.

3) I also see that BlueNile has a Signature Ideal Cut. Can anyone comment on these? I''m wondering if anyone ran any HCA''s on them.

do any of them have crown/pavilion angles so you could run the hca?

 

[icekid]

is there any specific reason that you''re so set on bluenile? as jazmine said, they won''t provide the information that you need to make the most informed decision.

also, I do think that moving from .9 ct to 1.25 will be a pretty large visual difference. if it''s worth the price increase is up to you (and what your gf wants, of course). if you want to go bigger, definitely consider going to SI1.

only you can determine if I color is "too yellow" for you, by looking at different colors in person.

good luck!

 

[james101]

Wow, great replies and fast too! Thanks guys. I''ll try to sum up all my replies.

I did mean VS1/VS2. Pardon my fast typing (VG1/VG2 - oops!). I was indeed thinking that going with less than VG2 might be sketchy from BlueNile from an eyeclean perspective, so a SI1 worries me a bit. I don''t think she''d notice a VG2 flaw, but a SI1 might be something to bother her. I''ll keep in in mind as I compare in case it''s a valuable tradeoff to move to SI1.

Thanks for clarifying about BN''s "stock" - I was aware of how that worked but I wasn''t clear in my post. Great point about how a supplier might select a GIA over an AGSL so their diamond looks better to market.

I was originally leaning toward H/I, but recently the "I" started to worry me. Given many of your comments I might go back to H/I in my search. I guess my concern is that it will look yellow by itself. I''m not too worried about her holding it up to other diamonds and noticing. It probably helps to mention that she prefers a white gold setting. I''m glad to hear that a better cut diamond can make an "I" look a little better.

I haven''t looked too deeply into their Signature Ideal cuts, but I saw a few last night and was looking for starter opinions on them. I think some of them had AGSL reports, so I''ll try to run a few HCAs on some. I''ll try to ask for some Sarin reports from BN, but the overall opinion I got from you guys is that they probably can''t/won''t oblige me.

As far as why I''m going with BN, I need the ring in the near future and I''m friends with an affiliate that would kick back his cut, so it lets me spend a decent bit more.

Speaking of perceived sizes, can anyone point me to a decent image link with a variety of sizes (0.9, 1, 1.25, 1.5, etc) for round diamonds set in a traditional setting? I''m aware that size doesn''t exactly equal weight due to angles and such, but it would be great to have a link. Yes, I know I can go to a jewelry store, but I''m such an online guy.

BlueNile has a comparison page when you click on a diamond''s Images link, but it seems like those are kinda zoomed up and a white background gives me no frame of reference.

Comments welcome!

 

[jaz464]

This doesn't show diamonds in settings but it's very useful. As long as you print it correctly, the sizes are accurate.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/subst/stores/jewelry/create-a-ring/actual-diamond-size.html/103-7353576-0312638

 

[belle]

hey james welcome back!

it sounds like you are on the right track.
i would be curious as to whether or not your friend can do significantly better with pricing compared to some of the pricescope vendors that DO offer extra services such as sarin reports and idealscope images? have you tried doing a cut quality search here to get an idea of pricing?

without going through the whole e-ring eyecandy folder (which has tons of pictures) for some good ideas, you could look at this recent thread showing all 1-2ct stones. or...you could plot out some common mm dimensions on paper to get an idea of size (this method works quite well!

)

 

[kenny]

Bluenile told me that all of their Signature series ARE in stock.
They own those stones.

Also every round stone in the Signature series has an AGS report along with the GCAL.
No Sig series round stones went to GIA. (Fancy shapes, yes.)
So you can get all the numbers from the AGS report and plug them into HCA.

Some of them score very close to 1.0.
I have seen some Signature Series scoring over 2.0 on HCA.

You are smart to consider stones just under a carat.
You save a ton and they look very similar, especially if you don't compare side by side.

I like the price break for the 0.80 to 0.89 stones and I think you will find more stones in that range than the 0.90 to 0.99 range.
The cutters have a BIG financial incentive to try to cut those to be over 1.0 carat.

 

[luckylux]

Just a comment about BN -they don''t have a trade up policy. I bought my stone from Blue Nile about 4 years ago- 0.92 ct GVS2. I thought I would never want or need a larger diamond. Well, was I wrong

. BN recommended I set my first diamond in a pendant and simply buy a bigger stone. Well, I don''t want to spend another $10K , and set my current stone in a necklace I likely won''t wear for a while ( I have small kids- they too grab at the sparklies). However, if it''s a matter of spending another a few thousand, I''d be more likely to upgrade. Just a thought

 

[Daniel B]

As others have already said, from .9 to 1.25 is a BIG difference. I just happened to be in a store a couple of days ago and have commented on the visual size difference between 1 and 1.25 (and .9 is even smaller) But one other thing to remember-- You are not going to be walking around with a .9 and a 1.25 on your finger- so dont get that hung up on the difference because there will be nothing to compare it to when your wearing it. .90 is close enough it can pass for 1 carat. Usually, the size differences can be noticed in the .20-.25 range. Hope this helps, and also you may want to think about a nice I stone but check it out first, you may not take well to it. But to go up in carat size is always the best idea IMHO.

 

[james101]

You guys are so helpful, thanks for the great comments! Okay, I've done more searching and HCA scores when available. I also asked BN to run a few Sarin reports for me.

Some new questions:

1) How concerned are you with a "Thin to slightly thick" girdle rating? Is this normally a visable flaw in a ~1ct round diamond in a setting? How much should I expect it to tarnish a HCA score in the 0-2 range? I'll do a final percentage check for warping once I decide on one or two final candidates.

2) Speaking of HCA, I'm using it a strong decision-maker. I know 0-2 is ideal. What's your take on a 2-3 range score on HCA?

3) I'm also tossing out diamonds with a Fluorescense of > Medium. Medium or lower should be acceptable for a ~1ct round H/I, right? Also, one of my diamonds lists Fluor. as "Inert" - that's down near the negligable area, right?

 

[hhv]

Hey,

I don''t have really much to add about the technical side of the diamonds but I got my 2 carat from BlueNile and it was a signature cut, H color and SI. The diamond is gorgeous and so sparkly. That is my two cents.

 

[pebbles]

I am certainly no expert, but according to the PS tutorial at the top of the page, the best girdle thicknesses are Thin, Medium or Slightly Thick. Since there is almost always some variation in thickness around the entire edge of the stone, I think thin to slightly thick is just fine -- nothing to worry about.

An HCA score of 2 - 4 is considered "very good". I don''t believe that the HCA can discern if two diamonds are better compared to each other (i.e. one scores a 2.1, the other a 3; it doesn''t necessarily mean the one that scored the 2.1 is better) if I understand how this tool is supposed to be used. It''s there to throw out the "dogs".

According to the AGS website (www.agslab.com/press1.html), as of January 1, 2003 the terms "inert" and "faint" fluorescence decriptors were replaced by the term "negligible". The definition of the word negligible is "not significant or important enough to be worth considering"....does that answer your question?

 

[belle]

Date: 11/8/2005 11:19:03 AM
Author: james101

1) How concerned are you with a ''Thin to slightly thick'' girdle rating? Is this normally a visable flaw in a ~1ct round diamond in a setting? How much should I expect it to tarnish a HCA score in the 0-2 range? I''ll do a final percentage check for warping once I decide on one or two final candidates.

i wouldn''t be concerned about the variation in the girdle. the ''thin'' could be one small spot on the girdle and the same goes for the thick. the way stones are graded, the thinnest and thickest measurements are reported. this does not mean it is a flawed or warped diamond.

2) Speaking of HCA, I''m using it a strong decision-maker. I know 0-2 is ideal. What''s your take on a 2-3 range score on HCA?

hca is used to weed out known poor performers, it wasn''t designed to be a decision maker so keep that in mind when comparing scores. i don''t believe that all stones above 2.0 should be discounted for the same reasons that i say that you can''t use it to make a decision for scores under 2. there are just too many other variables.

3) I''m also tossing out diamonds with a Fluorescense of > Medium. Medium or lower should be acceptable for a ~1ct round H/I, right? Also, one of my diamonds lists Fluor. as ''Inert'' - that''s down near the negligable area, right?

i would not be so quick to toss out diamonds with fluorescense, unless you have seen several diamonds in which it occurs and you know you don''t like it. depending on the color of the stone it will be more or less obvious, but it''s usually not offensive.
anything less than med. blue cannot be detected in normal viewing conditions.

 

[Layne]

Although now that I know alot more about diamonds I probably wouldn''t use BN when we were in college DH decided to use them and I love my diamond and ring, get compliments all the time on the diamond, which is their Ideal cut.