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Thoughts on a small size upgrade

shoechick

shoechick

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Oct 5, 2009
Messages
174
Hello,

I’ve been a long-time lurker on PS but never really posted much before. Many times I just come here and look at pictures on the show me the bling thread. When I’m having a bad day, that always perks me up!!

I want to upgrade the diamond in my e-ring. It is 1.01 G, VS1 RB 6.41x6.42x3.81mm. The cut, polish and symmetry are all very good. And yes, I now understand thanks to reading up on PS that very good doesn’t actually mean it. Wish I had found PS in 2003!!!

The diamond is currently set in a halo band. My jeweler advised that I could go up to 1.5 carats and keep the same band.

My plan is to keep the current wedding set for 3-5 more years. By then I’ll probably be ready to change the style and that would be a good time to do a more significant size upgrade. So I want to work with a vendor with a good upgrade policy.

My budget is preferably in the $10-$11k range. Might be able to push it to $12k. And if I upgrade, I want to get a super ideal. I’m considering WF’s ACA line. I poked around BGD site but their upgrade policy is a little more restrictive. Any other vendors I should consider?

I’m worried though with my budget, I will be looking at something in the 1.20-1.25 range. That’s only going to be about .4 to .5 mm size increase. Will I even visually notice a size difference? I’m sure I’ll notice a sparkle difference since I would be upgrading the quality of the cut. However, I wouldn’t want to spend the money and not feel there is any size difference (at least initially, I realize there is mind shrinkage over time :-) ). Is there a minimum amount of mm increase needed to see a visual difference? Obviously, I realize not to expect a big difference.

Has anyone else done a smallish size upgrade so you could get a higher quality stone? Did you feel it was worth it?

And being that I’m new to the world of super ideals, hubby and I are willing to consider traveling to the vendor to see various options in person. Especially as before I got the current stone, I had previously tried to go with a slightly smaller stone of about .8 carats VVS2 I color.

I wanted the best quality for our budget back then and thought that was the smarter buy. But when I got the ring back from the jeweler, I immediately noticed the warmth in the stone compared to the small stones on the band. I tried to live with it and only lasted a day. I tearfully told my hubby I picked the wrong stone. Fortunately, he was very understanding and agreed it wasn’t worth the savings if I wasn’t happy. So we increased the budget so I could get something higher on the color range and that’s how I ended up with the 1.01 I have now.

I thought I knew enough about diamonds and that we got a nice stone at a fair price. And I always thought if I wanted a brilliant diamond with a lot of sparkle and fire that I needed to go up to a colorless, flawless diamond. Boy, what I didn’t know back then!!

However that whole incident with not liking the color of the first stone left such an impression on me, I am a little nervous about considering a lower color. That’s why we are wondering if we should travel to see several stones in person.

Any guidance or tips to keep in mind would be greatly appreciated.

Sorry for the long post!!!
 
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I think an ACA H is a very safe place. Who graded the I VVS2 you had before? All color ranges represent a band, so you can get a low I and a high I. I currently have a very nicely placed I and it's very white. I previously had a lower placed I - and definitely wanted to upgrade it. For me, the breaking point is side tint. In a super ideal diamond, all you'll see from above is light return. So it's the side view which makes it or breaks it in my book. And you'll find both in an I. But in an H....especially an ACA H - well, that's a very safe place to be.

Re size differences - I can spot a .1mm size difference. Sometimes lower. Most people can spot a .2mm size difference. BLIND FREDDY can spot a .4 - .5mm size difference! So rest assured - this is gonna look bigger!

But even so - I'd still be looking for most bang for your buck. I'd also be considering SI1 clarity graded stones. Most SI1's are eye clean. WF SI1's are pretty much always eye clean (it's part of their selection criteria). An eye clean SI1 is identical to an eye clean VVS1 in my book; both have inclusions - and you can't see them in either of them. And there are some fantastically clean SI1s! So don't count those out.

Re your budget - I did exactly what almost everyone does when they're buying a diamond; I took your budget, then added $1k to it. If you're even considering flying around to look at stones, paying air fares, paying for hotels - why not buy a sure thing from the get-go, and throw that travel money at the stone?

Given all of that....I came up with these - in my order of preference:

1) https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3983288.htm

and second option:

2) https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3947713.htm

and if it is indeed white enough:

3) https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-1466947.htm

You will DEFINITELY see the size increase on any of these stones! They represent a 44 - 54% increase in ctw.

Good luck!
 
Snowdrop and mrs b, thank you both for chiming in.

I feel good knowing that even if I only go up a quarter or third carat in size, I'll see a difference.

I'm definitely looking at SI1's. Completely agree that it just has to be eye clean. My very first diamond was an SI1 and it was eye clean.

The video in the link Snowdrop forwarded is totally making me relax a little about the color. Wowsa, that one is beautiful!! And that would really enable me to maximize size for my budget.

So here is a question that may be too nitpicky but here it goes....
Should I look for a diamond with a crown angel on the higher end and table size on the smaller end to make sure I get a stone with a lot of fire? I ask because that is something I don't get much of from my current diamond. Or would that sacrifice light return?
 
shoechick said:
I’m worried though with my budget, I will be looking at something in the 1.20-1.25 range. That’s only going to be about .4 to .5 mm size increase. Will I even visually notice a size difference?
Click to expand...
That is a good size increase, and yes you can see the difference. I can usually see the difference if the larger stone is .20mm wider in diameter.
 
shoechick said:
So here is a question that may be too nitpicky but here it goes....
Should I look for a diamond with a crown angel on the higher end and table size on the smaller end to make sure I get a stone with a lot of fire? I ask because that is something I don't get much of from my current diamond. Or would that sacrifice light return?
Click to expand...
I'd prefer a crown height of over 15.4% + a smaller table 54-55.7%. That just me.;))
 
Dancing Fire said:
That is a good size increase, and yes you can see the difference. I can usually see the difference if the larger stone is .20mm wider in diameter.
Click to expand...

I agree, most people can start to see differences in size of around .2mm, so .4 would definitely be noticeable. Plus, you'll be upgrading he cut too, which is perhaps the most important thing. I think that going from a GIA Very Good cut to a well-cut diamond alone would be noticeable for you regardless of a size increase. :)
 
As for options, I would highly recommend considering this one:

https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3950139.htm

No, it is not a "SuperIdeal" but it is a VERY well-cut diamond judging by the IdealScope and ASET images provided by WhiteFlash. It is a G (which you know you are comfortable with). It looks very eye clean from the video (the cloud under the table is not visible). And it is a 1.4 carat!!! So you'll be getting quite a large size increase of around .7mm over your current diamond. This would DEFINITELY be visible.

Best of all, it is within your budget. :), and you'll be locked into WhiteFlash's excellent upgrade policy since it is part of their premium select line.

But if you're set on it being a SuperIdeal, then this might be a good option:
https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3970286.htm

Slightly smaller at 1.23 carat, but it also looks eye-clean, as all of the crystals are transparent (no nasty black inclusions). Would be worth looking into as well. :)
 
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Just my 2 cents, but since this sounds like an intermediate upgrade I would seriously consider dropping your clarity to "eye clean" meaning most SI1's and some SI2's. This will help you get a bigger size and color that you want without spending money on an item that most people can't see. Now granted, the term "eye clean" is very subjective to each individual. WF has defined this as no inclusions are visible from 10" away from the diamond looking at the top down. If your eyes are more sensitive, then you need to adjust that. Whatever you set as YOUR eye clean, make sure that you convey that point to all vendors and when looking at all diamonds so you get an apples to apples comparison.

In regards to upgrade policies, as you know WF is very generous. So is HP Diamonds with their Crafted by Infinity (CBI) line. Essentially, they are the same. Spend $1 more and get full credit for the old diamond. FYI, the CBI line is a super ideal H&A line comparable (and some even favor more than) the ACA line.

And depending on what you find at the time, I still think BGD is a consideration. Especially if you end up with an SI1 or SI2 eye clean stone. You know later you will go bigger. My guess is you may bump up 1 grade in clarity as well (as bigger stones can sometimes more easily show lesser clarity) depending on the exact situation. Granted with BGD, you have to spend $1 more and have upgrade 2 of these: color, clarity or carat. It seems you may do this anyhow, but obviously it will be more restrictive than the other two. I do wonder if Brian lets you bump 2 colors and that counts the same as 1 color and 1 clarity upgrade?

All this said, here are some additional options for you to consider. I primarily focused on size and color, and the stones being eye clean. I included H color because in a super ideal, the stone is so well cut you can almost move down 1 color grade and still be happy. So if G is your cut off then an H may work.

https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3955174.htm
https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3955173.htm
https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3983288.htm

If you will consider BGD, this is a beautiful option as well, and very close in dimensions to the heavier 1.4+ carats above, despite being a lower carat weight. With exception to the upgrade policy concerns I think it's a great bang for the buck for your budget.

https://www.briangavindiamonds.com/...ls/1.368-h-vs2-round-diamond-ags-104099919003
 
Ooh, exciting! I’ll follow the link! :appl:
 
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