the usual checkup

[fstone]

RB 2.01
7.93 x 8.00 x 5
Color I
Clarity Grade I1
Cut Grade VEry Good
Polish Very Good
Symmetry Very Good
Flourescense Faint
certificate GIA

pavilion angle is 40.4 and the crown angle is 35.0

depth 62.8%
Table 55%
Girdle slightly thick, faceted
Culet none

Thoughts? Was told this was eyeclean, attached image.

 

[Lorelei]

Its a bit deep and I would like to see an Idealscope image for the pavilion angle and looking at the image of the diamond, can you request one from the vendor? It would also be best if you could ask the vendor if the diamond looks dark when viewed closely, this effect is called obstruction and can be caused by the viewer's head/ body blocking light to the diamond - this effect can kick in with pavilion angles of less than 40.6 degrees as a guide. It is also facing up a bit small, it is a large diamond - have you checked whether it is eyeclean to your standards? If you don't want to see any inclusions from any angle at close scrutiny then make sure you tell the vendor that.

Is it with an online vendor or store jeweller?

 

[fstone]

Thanks for the quick reply Lorelei, that rhymes

Asked for the idealscope images. It is from an online vendor.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 4/1/2009 1:41:22 PM
Author: fstone
Thanks for the quick reply Lorelei, that rhymes

Asked for the idealscope images. It is from an online vendor.

LOL! So it does!

Thats great that you have asked for the images, post them as soon as you have them, then I will take a look for you. It depends on your priorities, if the price is reasonable and you want a large diamond on a budget then it might be worth considering if eyeclean - and if you are ok with it facing up a bit small for the weight.

 

[fstone]

Also the first two measurements are switched on the vendor website and the GIA certificate

i.e. 7.93 x 8 x 5 on the GIA and 8 x 7.93 x 5 on the website.

Should this make any difference? I would assume it wouldn''t affect your comment about it facing up small.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 4/1/2009 1:43:53 PM
Author: fstone
Also the first two measurements are switched on the vendor website and the GIA certificate

i.e. 7.93 x 8 x 5 on the GIA and 8 x 7.93 x 5 on the website.

Should this make any difference? I would assume it wouldn't affect your comment about it facing up small.

No, the first two measurements will have the same value regardless of which way round they are. A 2ct round should have the diameter of around 8.2mm, a 1.90 will measure around 8mm so as you can see this diamond resembles a 1.90ct approximately for face up size.

 

[fstone]

Lorelei you are bang on, check out the HCA results:

Factor Grade

Light Return Excellent
Fire Excellent
Scintillation Excellent
Spread or diameter for weight Very Good
Total Visual Performance 0.8 - Excellent
within TIC range


The spread or diameter is only very good..

Still the price for this piece is great, probably because its an I1. Looking forward to your assessment of the idealscope images when I get them

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 4/2/2009 10:19:10 AM
Author: fstone
Lorelei you are bang on, check out the HCA results:

Factor Grade

Light Return Excellent
Fire Excellent
Scintillation Excellent
Spread or diameter for weight Very Good
Total Visual Performance 0.8 - Excellent
within TIC range


The spread or diameter is only very good..

Still the price for this piece is great, probably because its an I1. Looking forward to your assessment of the idealscope images when I get them

* BLUSH* I try to please!!

Don''t worry about the VG for spread on the HCA, only the shallower diamonds get ex. And I am looking forward to the IS''s so let me know when you get them!

 

[fstone]

Lorelei here are the comments from the agent:

Please ignore the Idealscope image as it is not a great depiction of how nice this I1 surprisingly is. Although the diamond has very little light leakage, the arrows are not as symmetrical as I would like, and the inclusions appear more defined. The good news however, is that in person this diamond is quite lovely and the inclusions are definitely not well defined. If you look for the inclusions through magnification, they are apparent, but I had my gemologist inspect it and was adamant about how clean it was to the naked eye. She said that if you are looking for a beautiful 2ct diamond at a reasonable price you have found it. This diamond is currently on hold for an additional 24 hours, so let me know if you have any further questions or would like to place an order.

I only got the idealscope from the top. Let me know if you think I should press on the side idealscope or any other info you think I need.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 4/2/2009 1:47:55 PM
Author: fstone





Lorelei here are the comments from the agent:

Please ignore the Idealscope image as it is not a great depiction of how nice this I1 surprisingly is. Although the diamond has very little light leakage, the arrows are not as symmetrical as I would like, and the inclusions appear more defined. The good news however, is that in person this diamond is quite lovely and the inclusions are definitely not well defined. If you look for the inclusions through magnification, they are apparent, but I had my gemologist inspect it and was adamant about how clean it was to the naked eye. She said that if you are looking for a beautiful 2ct diamond at a reasonable price you have found it. This diamond is currently on hold for an additional 24 hours, so let me know if you have any further questions or would like to place an order.

I only got the idealscope from the top. Let me know if you think I should press on the side idealscope or any other info you think I need.

Thanks! The IS image shows the ' paddles' if you look at the arrow tips, this can be sometimes seen with the shallower pavilioned diamonds. However it doesn't show leakage issues. Yes you might be able to find a better cut diamond but I agree with the above - that if you are looking for a 2ct on a budget, it is clean to the naked eye and you don't mind that the diamond doesn't look quite 2 carats face up as it has some extra depth, then it is worth considering. If it is with the vendor I think it is then Idealscope is all they offer, so what I would do now is to have a look around and see what else is out there, think about if you would rather go smaller with a top cut and higher clarity, or if you are happy to order this one and see what you think. Just check that the return policy applies in case you do see any inclusions or are unhappy for any reason. If it checks out that it is eyeclean once you inspect it in person, then thats great especially at that size!

One thing, if you do get it, check it out in as many different lights as you can as sometimes inclusions which aren't visible in some lights pop out in others.

 

[fstone]

Thanks for the advice Lorelei! The price on this fellow is $7k. Do you feel the stone is worth that? Similar stones that are SI2 and may have a bit better cut seem to be a minimum $2k more and come from a less full service vendor. I was hoping to get something with more flouresance but I do appreciate the price point.

 

[fstone]

Also I''m in Canada so that makes trying before buying a bit more difficult...

 

[strmrdr]

IS is what I would expect for that combo.

It needs to be checked at close range for obstruction issues.
40.4 is a little shallow for a 35 crown.
It can make the arrow shafts stay dark to much of the time giving the stone a dark look.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 4/2/2009 4:47:20 PM
Author: fstone
Thanks for the advice Lorelei! The price on this fellow is $7k. Do you feel the stone is worth that? Similar stones that are SI2 and may have a bit better cut seem to be a minimum $2k more and come from a less full service vendor. I was hoping to get something with more flouresance but I do appreciate the price point.

The price is low but if it is eyeclean then to me yes it is worth it for a big diamond for a reasonable price, also if you don't mind that it will look a little smaller than some other 2 caraters. The only way to tell is to look at the diamond now yourself, is it very difficult to send things back to the States from Canada if needed?

Bottom line, the diamond isn't perfect but you know that. Yes you can do better for cut, but you understand that for the price and if you want a large diamond for that then trade offs may have to be made. Yes it is shallow angled but you know that too, obstruction due to the shallow angle ( looking dark at close scrutiny due to the shadow of your head) might kick in but again this might not be a problem for you even if so, it isn't that often that a ring is viewed in this way when worn on the hand! The vendor's gemologist who has an excellent rep if it is the one I think it is has said this diamond is good for the price, so now it is a case of deciding whether to go for it or look for one which is better cut, clarity etc as I mentioned before. Not everyone is looking for a super perfectly cut diamond as they have other priorities, so it depends on what you want. With these types of diamonds there can be an element of the unknown but you have covered the bases as best you can, and if you do order the diamond and get it appraised within the return period then that might give you some reassurance.

 

[fstone]

Hi Lorelei, yes the size is important, I am a bit dissapointed that the stone faces up smaller as I would obviously prefer the opposite and take a bit of a hit in depth If I had to. That being said I think this diamond is huge for me already so I think I would be happy with the size.

The cut is worrying to me, although the fact it scored excellent in holloway and all you feel it would be reasonable gives me some reassurance. The idealscope is a bit unsettling too.

You''re right I would likely get it appraised first. I''m assuming if I wanted to send it to someone like Dave Atlas unset he would be able to look it over and than send it back to be set. Or would I want to send it to him set, and than he could send it to me? Coincidently the setting I want is with the same online company which works out well

As far as Canada goes, the issue is customs, I''m not sure what the policy is but I would hate to have to pay duties, only to return it and try and get the duties back from the Canadian govt (like pulling teeth out of an alligator)

One last question, and than I''ll leave you alone Lorelei. In your estimation is this an extremely hard combination to find, I would prefer to buy the ring closer to when I would like to propose (in another month or two) so that its within the 30 day period in case we need any changes made. In other words do you feel I would have a lot of difficulty finding a similar type of stone at the price point (~7k)

Thanks for all your help everyone and especially Lorelei!

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 4/3/2009 11:19:01 AM
Author: fstone
Hi Lorelei, yes the size is important, I am a bit dissapointed that the stone faces up smaller as I would obviously prefer the opposite and take a bit of a hit in depth If I had to. That being said I think this diamond is huge for me already so I think I would be happy with the size. If it bothers you then maybe you could see what else is out there, as we know some compromise can sometimes be needed to get a big rock on a budget so it depends on your comfort level.

The cut is worrying to me, although the fact it scored excellent in holloway and all you feel it would be reasonable gives me some reassurance. The idealscope is a bit unsettling too. As you know it isn't cut to top top standards, the IS is typical of a shallow pavilioned diamond, but it is still a very fine make and is likely to be a good performer - again it comes down to price - finding a top cut which is eyeclean for a modest price isn't going to be easy, but this diamond has good proportions and as the gemologist has given it the thumbs up ( if it is who I think she has a great rep and knows what to look for) then you can take some reassurance from that.

You're right I would likely get it appraised first. I'm assuming if I wanted to send it to someone like Dave Atlas unset he would be able to look it over and than send it back to be set. Or would I want to send it to him set, and than he could send it to me? Coincidently the setting I want is with the same online company which works out well Dave could have a look at it unset then if it checked out he could maybe return it to the vendor for setting, then onto you. I think having Dave check it out would be invaluable and if the diamond does check out, give you some confidence that it is a good choice. Drop him an email and he will tell you the best way to proceed if you want him to evaluate it for you.

As far as Canada goes, the issue is customs, I'm not sure what the policy is but I would hate to have to pay duties, only to return it and try and get the duties back from the Canadian govt (like pulling teeth out of an alligator) Yuck. Maybe contact your local customs office or check out their website, that might give you some info on the return procedure if needed.

One last question, and than I'll leave you alone Lorelei. In your estimation is this an extremely hard combination to find, I would prefer to buy the ring closer to when I would like to propose (in another month or two) so that its within the 30 day period in case we need any changes made. In other words do you feel I would have a lot of difficulty finding a similar type of stone at the price point (~7k) Well, the thing is if you want a certain size on a budget then as you know it can be challenging! Also it is a case with a big diamond of finding one which is not only eyeclean ( tricky in large sizes and in some SI and many I1 clarities), of good colour and well cut. This one ticks many of the boxes it would seem, so it is in my opinion definitely worth letting an expert like Dave check it out, then if it didn't work out at least you know for sure, if it does then great! Maybe with the return policy you could explain the situation and see if the vendor can accomodate you? But really if you have someone like Dave look at it, I think it would be incredibly helpful.



Thanks for all your help everyone and especially Lorelei!

LOL!! You don't need to leave me alone, I am here to help!!