Sparkling Diamond - Which C?

[brightdiamond]

Hello. I am in the market for an engagement ring. I'm looking at blue nile for stones and was wondering which C's are the most important to have a sparkling diamond? I keep reading the cut is the most important, so I was only looking at Ideal and up cuts. From there, I don't care too much on what the specs are (we won't remember it's a VVS2 G color 5-10 years from now anyway). I just want to get a diamond that just naturally sparkles in the light.

Would something like this be good, or should I be looking to go higher or lower in any of the C's?

Carat: 1.5
Cut: Ideal
Color: F
Clarity: VVS1

Thank you!

 

[ChristineRose]

Color: It's unlikely that you will see any color difference in a D/E/F under normal viewing conditions (in a setting, at some distance, surrounded by colored objects). Diamonds are graded face down under controlled lights against special white cards.

A well cut diamond will return more light which makes it look whiter in the face up position. Most people start seeing tint around the H-I range. It's easier to see the tint from the side.

Clarity: It's rare to have notable inclusions in a VVS2. Frequently SI1 also look pretty good under normal conditions. It can be very subjective--for example, if you know where the inclusions are, they may bother you, or if your mother-in-law insists on scrutinizing the heck out of a stone, you may feel differently.

People who are looking to save money but still have a white and clean diamond typically move into the H-I and SI1 range. Some go as low as J-K--these would be considered "warm" but if very well cut the sparkle factor will make them look brighter than a poorly cut D/E/F. Finding a perfect I SI1 may require seeing a stone in person, returning stones, working with dealers, etc. People who don't want the hassle often just buy in your proposed spec range.

The easiest way to get a superb cut is to buy a branded stone from one the sellers that specializes in high end cuts. Again, you are trading hassle for extra costs. If you want to save money, you can start using the various cut analysis tools discussed on the site to sort through the various shades of "excellent."

 

[CRYSTAL24K]

All ideal cut stones are not equal. I would plug the diamond's specs into the HCA Tool to get a better idea of your diamond's characteristics.

Most people don't need an F color diamond unless you are super color sensitive. My diamond is an H and is ideal cut and looks colorless to me. My previous diamond was an I that was not ideal cut and I did notice the color. I was not bothered by the tint, but I did notice the color. I may upgrade to a G color in the future, mostly because it has always been a dream of mine to own a G color diamond, but if the upgrade never happens that is just fine. I love my diamond

I also think that you can get away with VS instead of VVS. Many people on this forum have SI and even I clarity diamonds that are beautiful and eye clean. It is a personal preference. For me the sweet spot is VS for clarity when it comes to an e-ring center stone.

As far as not remembering the specs of your diamond 10 years from now, only time will tell, but chances are that if you are posting on this forum that you will remember all of the details.

All the best.

 

[CRYSTAL24K]

I realized that I didn't answer your question- Cut is really what will affect the sparkle factor of your diamond. You can also request Sarin and Asset reports that some of the experts on this forum can help you analyze.

 

[brightdiamond]

Thank you, CRYSTAL24K and ChristineRose,

Would inclusions in a VS or VSS stone affect the brilliance (sparkle) of it? Or do the inclusions strictly affect the beauty of the stone (just visual markings)?

 

[brightdiamond]

Last question, hopefully. How much does the fluorescence affect the brilliance of the stone? I am seeing stones with the 4C's and budget that I'm looking for but they have Strong Fluorescence. Will this be noticeable at all?

 

[ChristineRose]

Inclusions have nothing to do with sparkle unless they are really, really bad.

Fluorescence also has nothing to do with what is usually thought of as sparkle, but strong fluorescence can change the appearance of a stone in sunlight and of course under black lights.

Strong fluorescence does decrease the cost of a stone but it usually doesn't affect the appearance at all, even in sunlight. Some people actually seek out the fluorescent stones that do have a strong visible change because they think the color change is cool. It's just one of those things where if you order from a low-service/low-cost site you may end up not liking the stone once you get it. A high end supplier should be able to tell you right away how the fluorescence looks.

 

[CRYSTAL24K]

I agree with what ChristineRose has stated.

I have a Brian Gavin Medium Blue Fluorescent Diamond and I love it! If I do decide to upgrade I will definitely get another stone with fluorescence. I would have no problem getting a Strong Blue Fluorescent Diamond, but I will be getting mine from BGD who specializes in selecting fluorescent diamonds that have no ill attributes.

Here is a thread with pics of some BF diamonds https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/show-us-your-fluorescent-ring-under-the-sun.212660/.

If you do a search for Fluor or Fluorescent you will find several threads on this.

Here is one thread that has several links in it- https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/fluorescence-pros-and-cons.211191/

 

[Gypsy]

Round diamond 101:

The entire purpose of faceting a diamond is to reflect light.
How well or how poorly a diamond does this determines how beautiful it is.
How well a diamond performs is determined by the angles and cutting. This is why we say cut is king.
No other factor: not color, not clarity has as much of an impact on the appearance of a diamond as its cut. An ideal H will out white a poorly cut F. And GIA Ex is not enough.
So how to we ensure that we have the right angles and cutting to get the light performance we want? Well, we have tools to help you with that. But that is not enough.
What you need after that is a way to check actual light performance of your actual stone.
That's what an idealscope image does. https://www.pricescope.com/wiki/diamonds/firescope-idealscope
It shows you how and wear your diamond is reflecting light, how well it is going at it, and where you are losing light return. That is why you won't see us recommending Blue Nile, as they do not provide idealscope images for their diamonds. All our best vendors do though.

Now if you want to skip all that... stick to AGS0 stones and then all you have to do is pick color and clarity and you know you have a great performing diamond. Because AGS has already done the checking for you. That's why they trade at a premium. With AGS0 stones you don't strictly need an idealscope image. But getting one is nice to confirm performance and that is why almost all our best vendors provide them for you. Not all AGS0's are created the same though, so if you want to make sure it's the very best cut, post it and we'll evaluate it for you.

ON COLOR:

It is important to remember is that color is graded FACE DOWN. Where there is NO light return. Not face up where there is light return and refraction. You wear diamonds set. FACE UP.

Within one color grade, even the labs can't agree on the color grades of stones and something could be a "high" H or a "low" E. So... no. Not really. Within 2 color grades it is hard. Not impossible. But very hard. And it gets harder once set. If you are talking ideal rounds, or any stone with ideal light return and no sharp corners it gets harder still because the ideal light return masks body color.

Generally we say to be conservative stay above H in a round. But MANY people have happily bought white I or even J diamonds when trying to eek out a little more size.

This is how I think of it.

Ever gotten one of those HUGE paint fan decks? Where there are literally 100s of colors of whites? And when they are RIGHT next to each other you can TOTALLY tell that one is bluer/colder and one is a bit warmer and which one is one is TOTALLY warmer. One there's one that's slightly greener. One that's slightly pinker? But really. They are all white?

Then you pick one after agonizing over this white or that white and when it's on the walls and people are like: Oh. You painted again. And it's STILL white. Great.

And you're all... BUT it's BLUE white. Or it's a WARM white now. It used to be ____ white. It's TOTALLY different.

It's like that. You are talking about shades of white. D is colder... J is warmer. But it's all white.

YES. If you have an accurately graded F and an H THAT HAVE THE SAME PERFORMANCE you are going to be able to tell them apart when you compare them. Just like you would be able to tell if you painted your walls a warm white, but painted the crown molding a cold/straight white. But both are STILL white.


I want you notice all the qualifiers thought. I'm talking about stones with the SAME performance. An ideal H will out white an F that has compromised light performance from a poor cut.

NOTHING impacts the appearance of a diamond as much as cut. CUT is king.

You want the shinest whitest and brightest diamond out there: Cut is King. No other factor, not color or clarity or anything else impacts how white bright an shiny a stone is.

ON CLARITY:
http://www.goodoldgold.com/4Cs/Clarity/SI/ and http://www.goodoldgold.com/4Cs/Clarity/VS/ Generally we say that eyeclean SI1 and VS2 are as high as you need to go with round brilliants.


Okay?