I have made two important (read expensive) diamond purchases in the last several years. In both cases, the manner in which the purchases was made pretty much precluded my use of the HCA..
Here's the problem: The HCA does not allow the purchaser to evaluate stones on the spot. Both purchases were made in the merchant's store or office. The Internet isn't readily available in this environment. Additionally, in each case the merchant offered a limited number of stones (two, possibly three) for inspection. It's a pick one-or-the-other situation. I think this is done to prevent the customer from getting so involved inspecting stones that he becomes confused, then indecisive, and ends up buying nothing at all.
The first stone was bought at a respected local jewelry store with my knowing nothing at all about diamonds.. I was pleased with it, but quickly discovered I had bought an "unbalanced" diamond.
Here are the stats:
1.03 carats
6.56-6.68x3.92 mm
depth percentage 58.7 - 59.8
table percentage 66
girdle thin to medium faceted
culet small
polish very good
sym good
clarity vvs-1
color I
flour. medium blue.
One tutorial described this diamond to be "upside down" --excellent in the less important catagories and good to fair in the more important catagories.
Before purchasing the second stone, I read all the tutorials on the Internet and resolved to do a better job of selecting a stone. I told the broker I wanted a "balanced" stone of about 2 cts, color no worse than I, clarity no worse than VS2, and a decent, but not necessarily ideal cut. A few days later he had two stones for me to look at. The one I picked was:
2.04 carats
8.18-8.13x5.01mm
Total depth 61.4%
Table width 59%
Crown Height 15%
Pavilion Depth 44%
Girdle thin, faceted
Polish VG
Symmetry VG
Culet none
Clarity VS2
Color I
Flour. Very Slight
Comments: "PREMIUM CUT" - The proportions of this diamond are within the tolerance of those of the Premium Cut, thus achieveing a harmonious balance between proportions & the display of brilliance.
The old style GIA cert on the first stone did not have crown or pavillion data in either percent or degrees. The HCA couldn't tell me much about this stone. The second stone had a new EGL cert that did give crown and pavillion percentages and stated in the comments that the stone was regarded to be "premium cut". The HCA rated the first stone "do not buy" because of its 66% table. The second stone rated 4.2 which evidently Holloway considers to be just an "OK" cut and not a premium cut. Well, I -did- tell the broker it didn't necessarily have to be an ideal cut But I was hoping the HCA would grade it better than that. I really like the stone, though, and, besides, my wife doesn't know the HCA from the NBA!
Suppose all certificates had the crown and pavilion angles listed and suppose the HCA program was made available for download into a PDA. I could have evaluated the stones in real-time and decided not to buy or argued for a better price. Nevertheless, I don't think either merchant would have been content to bring out stone after stone while I plugged their statistics into the PDA. I would have been politely escorted to the door.
It looks more and more like GIA is going to have to rate cut just like it does clarity, color, and all the rest. AGA certed stones are not all that common and the EGL's cut evaluation is evidently too generous. Until then, recognizing a well cut stone will continue to depend upon the diamond buyer's experience. This level of experience is something a diamond consumer like myself can never hope to achieve. I have inspected perhaps a half dozen stones in my entire life!
Cheers,
Here's the problem: The HCA does not allow the purchaser to evaluate stones on the spot. Both purchases were made in the merchant's store or office. The Internet isn't readily available in this environment. Additionally, in each case the merchant offered a limited number of stones (two, possibly three) for inspection. It's a pick one-or-the-other situation. I think this is done to prevent the customer from getting so involved inspecting stones that he becomes confused, then indecisive, and ends up buying nothing at all.
The first stone was bought at a respected local jewelry store with my knowing nothing at all about diamonds.. I was pleased with it, but quickly discovered I had bought an "unbalanced" diamond.
Here are the stats:
1.03 carats
6.56-6.68x3.92 mm
depth percentage 58.7 - 59.8
table percentage 66
girdle thin to medium faceted
culet small
polish very good
sym good
clarity vvs-1
color I
flour. medium blue.
One tutorial described this diamond to be "upside down" --excellent in the less important catagories and good to fair in the more important catagories.
Before purchasing the second stone, I read all the tutorials on the Internet and resolved to do a better job of selecting a stone. I told the broker I wanted a "balanced" stone of about 2 cts, color no worse than I, clarity no worse than VS2, and a decent, but not necessarily ideal cut. A few days later he had two stones for me to look at. The one I picked was:
2.04 carats
8.18-8.13x5.01mm
Total depth 61.4%
Table width 59%
Crown Height 15%
Pavilion Depth 44%
Girdle thin, faceted
Polish VG
Symmetry VG
Culet none
Clarity VS2
Color I
Flour. Very Slight
Comments: "PREMIUM CUT" - The proportions of this diamond are within the tolerance of those of the Premium Cut, thus achieveing a harmonious balance between proportions & the display of brilliance.
The old style GIA cert on the first stone did not have crown or pavillion data in either percent or degrees. The HCA couldn't tell me much about this stone. The second stone had a new EGL cert that did give crown and pavillion percentages and stated in the comments that the stone was regarded to be "premium cut". The HCA rated the first stone "do not buy" because of its 66% table. The second stone rated 4.2 which evidently Holloway considers to be just an "OK" cut and not a premium cut. Well, I -did- tell the broker it didn't necessarily have to be an ideal cut But I was hoping the HCA would grade it better than that. I really like the stone, though, and, besides, my wife doesn't know the HCA from the NBA!
Suppose all certificates had the crown and pavilion angles listed and suppose the HCA program was made available for download into a PDA. I could have evaluated the stones in real-time and decided not to buy or argued for a better price. Nevertheless, I don't think either merchant would have been content to bring out stone after stone while I plugged their statistics into the PDA. I would have been politely escorted to the door.
It looks more and more like GIA is going to have to rate cut just like it does clarity, color, and all the rest. AGA certed stones are not all that common and the EGL's cut evaluation is evidently too generous. Until then, recognizing a well cut stone will continue to depend upon the diamond buyer's experience. This level of experience is something a diamond consumer like myself can never hope to achieve. I have inspected perhaps a half dozen stones in my entire life!
Cheers,
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