Ok, let me just lay it out there. Those of you who have read any of my previous posts know that I will soon be in the market for a diamond for my future fiance. I''ve still got awhile, but I thought I would get started early trying to learn what I could so that I would''nt get ripped off and that my girl could proudly show off to her friends (get compliments, etc....yes this is important to me, call me materialistic if you want and it might sound kinda childish but I''d rather her friends be jealous than to walk away thinking I''m a cheapskate, sue me
). So anyway, I found this site and started my learning adventure...I''ve pretty much learned something new almost every day. First it was the 4 c''s, then came symmetry and polish, then came table and depth, then crown and pavilion angles and just when I thought I knew what to look for proportion wise, I learned that even the slightest difference in proportions will affect the fire, brilliance, etc. (I just learned about how increasing the lgl and star length with change the amount of "fire" in the diamond. I read a 4 page thread that involved Jonathon from GOG, John Pollard(Quixote at the time), Wink, Strmrdr and some skeptics circa 2004 that discussed this topic and whether or not GEMEX was a gimmick...actually kinda curious if any of their opinions have changed since that thread.)
Basically, I feel like my head''s gonna explode! I tried venturing out to look at some diamonds in person a couple of weeks again, and that led to my first post about the HoF vendor who basically told me to throw all of my newly acquired knowledge out the window and to go with them (they wanted 8300 for a .85 E VS2 and basically told me that I''d have to settle for an "inferior" diamond for my price range of 5500-6000). So, I''ve kinda made it my goal to prove this guy wrong...but I am starting to wonder if I''m going too far with this. I started reading a different thread about light performance that dealt with everything from the light rays used to the placement of the lense of the testing machine, to god knows what...I couldn''t follow the conversation (it was between Gary, Serg, and someone else, I really haven''t been around long enough to know who all of these guys are!
)
I guess if I can sum up what I''ve gathered from all of this is that in many cases, it comes down to personal preference in regards to light performance, and that while there are ranges to shoot for as far as table %, depth, CA, PA, lgl, star length, etc. some things will look better to different people...am I right on this? I originally thought that by going off these numbers, looking at the ASET, Idealscope, HCA, and Hearts images I would be able to find what I was looking for and it all seemed so simple...but the more I''ve learned the more questions I''ve got.
I was a little perplexed by the thread about the diamonds going dark in the mall store lighting because this didn''t seem right to me...I figured if I had a colorless or highly near colorless stone that was ideally cut, symmetrical, etc it would light up anywhere, anytime and put other stones to shame...but aparently this isn''t the case? So now I kinda feel like I''m back at square one...I know that my girl would like a stone that is near a carat and looks nice...she doesn''t know anything about diamonds and she really has only seen diamonds like the Leo that is offered in the mall jewelry store that I would normally shop at. I think she like the Leo with all of its little flashes, so that is what I think I''m gonna look for...this would require a slightly longer lgl and star length, wouldn''t it?
Sorry this is so long, I just felt like I had to get it all out there and I didn''t want to make a bunch of new threads on topics that have already been covered ad nauseum, I realize this forum has been around a long time and there are new members asking more questions every day.
Basically, I feel like my head''s gonna explode! I tried venturing out to look at some diamonds in person a couple of weeks again, and that led to my first post about the HoF vendor who basically told me to throw all of my newly acquired knowledge out the window and to go with them (they wanted 8300 for a .85 E VS2 and basically told me that I''d have to settle for an "inferior" diamond for my price range of 5500-6000). So, I''ve kinda made it my goal to prove this guy wrong...but I am starting to wonder if I''m going too far with this. I started reading a different thread about light performance that dealt with everything from the light rays used to the placement of the lense of the testing machine, to god knows what...I couldn''t follow the conversation (it was between Gary, Serg, and someone else, I really haven''t been around long enough to know who all of these guys are!
I guess if I can sum up what I''ve gathered from all of this is that in many cases, it comes down to personal preference in regards to light performance, and that while there are ranges to shoot for as far as table %, depth, CA, PA, lgl, star length, etc. some things will look better to different people...am I right on this? I originally thought that by going off these numbers, looking at the ASET, Idealscope, HCA, and Hearts images I would be able to find what I was looking for and it all seemed so simple...but the more I''ve learned the more questions I''ve got.
I was a little perplexed by the thread about the diamonds going dark in the mall store lighting because this didn''t seem right to me...I figured if I had a colorless or highly near colorless stone that was ideally cut, symmetrical, etc it would light up anywhere, anytime and put other stones to shame...but aparently this isn''t the case? So now I kinda feel like I''m back at square one...I know that my girl would like a stone that is near a carat and looks nice...she doesn''t know anything about diamonds and she really has only seen diamonds like the Leo that is offered in the mall jewelry store that I would normally shop at. I think she like the Leo with all of its little flashes, so that is what I think I''m gonna look for...this would require a slightly longer lgl and star length, wouldn''t it?
Sorry this is so long, I just felt like I had to get it all out there and I didn''t want to make a bunch of new threads on topics that have already been covered ad nauseum, I realize this forum has been around a long time and there are new members asking more questions every day.