Thank you all experts!! And one more question!

MrNewb · May 6, 2014

First post, long time lurker

First of all I want to thank all you diamond experts out there on price scope!! Seriously, and I know you all have heard this before, but picking out and purchasing a diamond is one of the most important, tedious and brain intensive things (I had a constant headache

) a guy can do! So I want to thank you for all the shared knowledge and information you all have allowed us to access.

Now for my question and I hope its not a stupid one or one that has been asked a million times. I recently purchased a loose diamond and it is currently being set (should be done within the next few days). The thing is, the GIA cert is from June 2006. It is also a GIA Dossier report.
Oval Brilliant:
0.67ct, D, VS2, 1.56 ratio, very good polish and symmetry. 57% table, 61% depth, M to S. Thick girdle, very small culet and no fluorescence.
Should I be concerned about the June 2006 certification date?

Gypsy · May 6, 2014

You need the crown and pavillion angles. Do you have the lab report number? You can go to GIA and it will pull up a copy of it. Once you have that information run it through the HCA: https://www.pricescope.com/tools/hca

And read this to understand why:

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. And do not consider anything except GIA Ex or AGS 0 or 1 stones. EGL is a bad value and should not even be considered.
So how to we ensure that we have the right angles and cutting to get the light performance we want?
https://www.pricescope.com/wiki/diamonds/diamond-cut
Well one method is to start with a GIA Ex get the angles and table and depth from the certificate (you can just get the lab report number and look up the angles on the GIA website with report check), and then apply the HCA to it. YOU DO NOT USE HCA for AGS0 stones.
https://www.pricescope.com/wiki/diamonds/holloway-cut-advisor
The HCA is a rejection tool. Not a selection tool. It uses 4 data points to make a rudimentary call on how the diamond may perform.
If the diamond passes then you know that you are in the right zone in terms of angles for light performance. 2 and under is a pass. Under 2.5-2.1 is a maybe. 2.6 and over is a no. No score under 2 is better than any other.
Is that enough? Not really.
So what you need 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. Brian Gavin, White Flash, High Performance Diamonds, James Allen, Good Old Gold and Engagement Rings Direct.

The Idealscope is the 'selection tool'. Not the HCA.
So yes, with a GIA stone you need the idealscope images. Or you can buy an idealscope yourself and take it in to the jeweler you are working with to check the stones yourself. Or if you have a good return policy (full refund minimum 7 days) then you can buy the idealscope, buy the stone, and do it at home.

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.

Texas Leaguer · May 6, 2014

MrNewb|1399407802|3667425 said:
First post, long time lurker

First of all I want to thank all you diamond experts out there on price scope!! Seriously, and I know you all have heard this before, but picking out and purchasing a diamond is one of the most important, tedious and brain intensive things (I had a constant headache ) a guy can do! So I want to thank you for all the shared knowledge and information you all have allowed us to access.

Now for my question and I hope its not a stupid one or one that has been asked a million times. I recently purchased a loose diamond and it is currently being set (should be done within the next few days). The thing is, the GIA cert is from June 2006. It is also a GIA Dossier report.
Oval Brilliant:
0.67ct, D, VS2, 1.56 ratio, very good polish and symmetry. 57% table, 61% depth, M to S. Thick girdle, very small culet and no fluorescence.
Should I be concerned about the June 2006 certification date?

It depends on what you mean by 'concerned' when it comes to an older cert. Some people make the assumption that there is something wrong with the stone if it has been around that long without a buyer, or that maybe it was pre-owned. You should discuss any concerns with your vendor. He may have a very logical explanation. In any case it's always a good idea to get a qualified, independent evaluation. If it has been in circulation you want to make sure it is in original condition as of the date of the cert, or perhaps get an updated cert. That may not be an option since it is being set.

Evaluating the light performance on an oval is best done with ASET. You could also look for AGS0 Ovals, but those are still quite rare in the market.