Talked myself into a bigger carat size. Need help with 2.8-2.9 carat stone check

[Musa15]

To be fair, @shelikessparkles and @DejaWiz kind of talked me into a bigger carat size for a right hand ring project but I’m highly suggestible so maybe that’s still my fault.

I’m considering the following:

Clean Origin 2.9 J VS1 HCA 1.7
Ritani 2.82 J VS1 HCA 1.4

The Ritani stone is slight gray/Brown but not sure if that would translate to real life (it is cheaper than the CO pick). Another interesting thing is that the Ritani has a H&A designation on the report. What does this mean?
Does an HCA score of 1.4 mean the stone may be better than the 1.7?

 

[Kim N]

The Clean Origin stone may have slight leakage under the table. The Ritani stone looks pretty good, though it does look tinted enough that it may appear grey/brown in real life. As you go down the alphabet, the color ranges become broader, so the difference between a "low" J and a "high" J is more noticeable than the difference between a low and high E.

I would take IGI's designation of "Hearts & Arrows" with a grain of salt. Diamonds can have H&A and still have less than ideal light return. You would need to ask for H&A images to evaluate whether they display true H&A.

The HCA is a rejection tool, not a selection tool, so as long as the score is under 2, it's good for further consideration with an Ideal-Scope or ASET image. A lower score is not better than a higher score.

 

[Kim N]

These were some others I found that might be worth a look.

2.75 Carat Round Lab Diamond IGI LG530294210 | Ritani

2.75 Carat Round Lab Diamond ID Cut I Color VS2 Clarity with diamond report number IGI #LG530294210

www.ritani.com

Round Lab Created Diamond

www.cleanorigin.com

Round Lab Created Diamond

www.cleanorigin.com

Round Lab Created Diamond

www.cleanorigin.com

 

[Musa15]

These were some others I found that might be worth a look.

2.75 Carat Round Lab Diamond IGI LG530294210 | Ritani

2.75 Carat Round Lab Diamond ID Cut I Color VS2 Clarity with diamond report number IGI #LG530294210

www.ritani.com

Round Lab Created Diamond

www.cleanorigin.com

Round Lab Created Diamond

www.cleanorigin.com

Round Lab Created Diamond

www.cleanorigin.com

Stones 1,3,4 look beautiful. I can’t tell but they all seem a bit dull/gray in the video and not sure if it will appear that way in real life. The I color you provided in link one is the one I would be leaning towards. All the stones I own are in the above I category and appear super white so not sure how I would feel having a larger stone but it appear gray/brown?

The clean origin ones you sent look so sharp in the faceting! I honestly don’t know how to decide at this point. I’m price conscious so was leaning more towards purchasing through Ritani since they have a coupon and cash back on Rakuten. But clean origin does have a sweet 100 day return policy.

 

[Kim N]

Stones 1,3,4 look beautiful. I can’t tell but they all seem a bit dull/gray in the video and not sure if it will appear that way in real life. The I color you provided in link one is the one I would be leaning towards. All the stones I own are in the above I category and appear super white so not sure how I would feel having a larger stone but it appear gray/brown?

The clean origin ones you sent look so sharp in the faceting! I honestly don’t know how to decide at this point. I’m price conscious so was leaning more towards purchasing through Ritani since they have a coupon and cash back on Rakuten. But clean origin does have a sweet 100 day return policy.

How about one stone from each retailer and decide after you get them?

 

[Musa15]

How about one stone from each retailer and decide after you get them?

hmm now that’s an idea. Which would you choose?

 

[Kim N]

hmm now that’s an idea. Which would you choose?

The I color from Ritani and this one from Clean Origin. Looks very clean and has great proportions.

Round Lab Created Diamond

www.cleanorigin.com

 

[Musa15]

The I color from Ritani and this one from Clean Origin. Looks very clean and has great proportions.

Round Lab Created Diamond

www.cleanorigin.com

@Kim N: Should the HCA go below 1? Not sure how to interpret the difference between the two HCAs.


Clean origin HCA of 1

Ritani HCA 0.8

 

[Kim N]

@Kim N: Should the HCA go below 1? Not sure how to interpret the difference between the two HCAs.


Clean origin HCA of 1

Ritani HCA 0.8

It's okay for the HCA to go below 1. The Ritani stone has a reasonable 14.5% crown height, so the shallower crown angle should still be okay. The Clean Origin stone does have more typical proportions, but that doesn't mean the Ritani stone won't be beautiful.

 

[DejaWiz]

Kim is right. When the HCA was updated last, it can calculate a score of <1 for exceptionally well proportioned diamonds.
There are some Whiteflash diamonds on the PS search engine that come in below 1 and will be amongst the finest cut and highest performing diamonds on the planet:

Round 1.0860 carat diamond listed by Whiteflash

www.pricescope.com

Round 1.0600 carat diamond listed by Whiteflash

www.pricescope.com

Round 1.0430 carat diamond listed by Whiteflash

www.pricescope.com

Round 1.0280 carat diamond listed by Whiteflash

www.pricescope.com

Round 0.9560 carat diamond listed by Whiteflash

www.pricescope.com

...in summary, you have nothing to worry about if the proportions and angles all check out.

 

[Musa15]

Kim is right. When the HCA was updated last, it can calculate a score of <1 for exceptionally well proportioned diamonds.
There are some Whiteflash diamonds on the PS search engine that come in below 1 and will be amongst the finest cut and highest performing diamonds on the planet:

Round 1.0860 carat diamond listed by Whiteflash

www.pricescope.com

Round 1.0600 carat diamond listed by Whiteflash

www.pricescope.com

Round 1.0430 carat diamond listed by Whiteflash

www.pricescope.com

Round 1.0280 carat diamond listed by Whiteflash

www.pricescope.com

Round 0.9560 carat diamond listed by Whiteflash

www.pricescope.com

...in summary, you have nothing to worry about if the proportions and angles all check out.

Omg those are stunners. Thanks for letting me know, from what I’ve read on the tool 1-2 HCA score is preferred and below 1 is better for earrings. Glad to know this stone <1 may be as beautiful as the ones you’ve posted @DejaWiz.

@Kim N, I purchase that Ritani stone and right now I’m struggling through my top clean origin stones in cart since there is a big difference in price. Care to weigh in on these in my basket? Is the 2.81 J still your favorite?

2.64 G VS2 HCA 1.9 $3,025
2.55 H VS1 HCA 1.4 $2,840
2.81 J VS1 HCA 1 $3,445

 

[Kim N]

Omg those are stunners. Thanks for letting me know, from what I’ve read on the tool 1-2 HCA score is preferred and below 1 is better for earrings. Glad to know this stone <1 may be as beautiful as the ones you’ve posted @DejaWiz.

@Kim N, I purchase that Ritani stone and right now I’m struggling through my top clean origin stones in cart since there is a big difference in price. Care to weigh in on these in my basket? Is the 2.81 J still your favorite?

2.64 G VS2 HCA 1.9 $3,025
2.55 H VS1 HCA 1.4 $2,840
2.81 J VS1 HCA 1 $3,445

The G gets my vote. It's significantly cheaper than the J, 3 color grades whiter (it will likely appear as white as your current stones), and only 0.2mm smaller--right at the cusp of being visibly smaller, so you may not even notice the difference in size unless they were right next to each other.

 

[Musa15]

The G gets my vote. It's significantly cheaper than the J, 3 color grades whiter (it will likely appear as white as your current stones), and only 0.2mm smaller--right at the cusp of being visibly smaller, so you may not even notice the difference in size unless they were right next to each other.

I’m favoring that one too as well as the 2.81 (because size) lol. Out of the two which one has better proportions? I purchased the Ritani stone and it was also about 2.8ct so the 2.81 from CO would be more of a comparison. However the G is so much cheaper. I’m thinking 2.64carat May not be much bigger than my 2ct to really keep me satisfied for a long time (heh) and keep DSS at bay. Perhaps I buy both? Hmm

 

[Kim N]

I’m favoring that one too as well as the 2.81 (because size) lol. Out of the two which one has better proportions? I purchased the Ritani stone and it was also about 2.8ct so the 2.81 from CO would be more of a comparison. However the G is so much cheaper. I’m thinking 2.64carat May not be much bigger than my 2ct to really keep me satisfied for a long time (heh) and keep DSS at bay. Perhaps I buy both? Hmm

Yes, get both! That way you'll never wonder about the J. The G is so much cheaper and whiter that it's still my favorite. I really think the size difference will not be starkly noticeable between the G and the J. The other thing which has been mentioned on the forum is that the eyes often perceive a whiter stone as brighter, and a brighter stone can appear larger. The J has possibly "safer" proportions.

 

[Kim N]

Musa15, did your diamonds arrive yet?

 

[Musa15]

Musa15, did your diamonds arrive yet?

One just did! I will upload pics soon! I also bought an ASET scope so need to figure out how to use it

 

[Musa15]

One just did! I will upload pics soon! I also bought an ASET scope so need to figure out how to use it

I think I have a winner but wanted to ask the pros what do you think? 1,2, or 3?

 

[Musa15]

I think I have a winner but wanted to ask the pros what do you think? 1,2, or 3?

@Garry H (Cut Nut) I didn’t use the white background on YouTube since I didn’t have another phone to take pics with. Are these done correctly though?

 

[Musa15]

@Garry H (Cut Nut) I didn’t use the white background on YouTube since I didn’t have another phone to take pics with. Are these done correctly though?

 

[Kim N]

Awesome that you got an ASET scope to do these images yourself!

Is the winner 3? I would like to see 1 and 2 more centered with the camera if that's possible.

In the first set of photos, for 2 and 3, it looks like the diamond is too far into the scope. There's almost no green showing where I would expect to see green.

 

[Musa15]

Awesome that you got an ASET scope to do these images yourself!

Is the winner 3? I would like to see 1 and 2 more centered with the camera if that's possible.

In the first set of photos, for 2 and 3, it looks like the diamond is too far into the scope. There's almost no green showing where I would expect to see green.

Weird, how would I bring it up closer?

 

[Musa15]

Weird, how would I bring it up closer?

Diamond 1 G 2.64 (corresponds to picture 1 above)


Diamond 3 J 2.81 (corresponds to ASET image 3 above) I’ve eliminated diamond 2.



So both diamonds are beautiful in different ways. The G is bright white compared to the J. The G has crisper black arrows in natural daylight.

The J is exactly the size I would want for my next stone. It is more of a fireball at night maybe to do with the lower HCA score? But it looks dull and dingy color wise when compared to the G.




I’m unsure of which stone to pick. I’ve taken them to 2 jewelers and they all prefer the color of the G. But they haven’t evaluated the stones in 17378384 different lighting settings like I have and seen the Js fire. Haha

 

[lovedogs]

Assuming the lighting/photography are the same for both ASETs, I would choose the J hands down bc the cut is more precise.

 

[Musa15]

Assuming the lighting/photography are the same for both ASETs, I would choose the J hands down bc the cut is more precise.

I am leaning that way too. The J is more firey in different lighting conditions BUT look at the color difference of the stones in the blue box it is very noticeably darker.

 

[oliverave]

I am leaning that way too. The J is more firey in different lighting conditions BUT look at the color difference of the stones in the blue box it is very noticeably darker.

My thought on that is-how often will the J be next to a whiter color diamond? I mean, yes, next to a whiter diamond the color difference is obvious but if it looks white enough for you on it's own, I'd go by that. The cut on it is gorgeous.

 

[Kim N]

If the J is the size you want to be at and is more fiery more often, I'd go with the J. Another option is to wait and see if another well-priced, better cut G pops up.

 

[Musa15]

If the J is the size you want to be at and is more fiery more often, I'd go with the J. Another option is to wait and see if another well-priced, better cut G pops up.

I agree with you both! The slight issue is that weirdly enough the G is more brilliant? Not sure if that’s the right word but the G reflects back more white bright flashes in different lighting. So it’s almost like they both have their pros and cons!

 

[DejaWiz]

I agree with you both! The slight issue is that weirdly enough the G is more brilliant? Not sure if that’s the right word but the G reflects back more white bright flashes in different lighting. So it’s almost like they both have their pros and cons!

Flip a coin - best two out of three?

 

[Kim N]

Musa15, were you able to make a decision?

 

[Musa15]

Musa15, were you able to make a decision?

I just got back from Puerto Rico so was hoping to make a decision today and I’m still undecided! Haha I am *almost* wanting to return both and try my luck with another order. However, clean origin is kind of funky with returns. They consider a return and purchase of something else an “exchange” and only 1 exchange is allowed per household, so I don’t think I would be able to purchase another 2 stones to compare. I’m in a pickle!