Thoughts on stone that does not have ideal proportions

[Jello88]

I’m super new here and only found this forum after I already purchased my ring. It is GIA triple excellent, but the angles are not what people here would consider ideal the crown angle is steep at 36.5. I feel like it is sparkly, but it’s hard to love it when I feel like I could have gotten something even better. What do you guys think? I know it’s hard to tell from photos, but do you think I made a really bad choice?

 

[Karl_K]

What are the rest of the numbers?

 

[Jello88]

The Pavillion angle is 40.8, the depth is 62.8% and the table is 57%. The HCA score is pretty terrible

 

[JDDN]

Oh gosh, this is so relevant to another thread (please ignore this comment, lol)!

From your picture, the stone looks stunning. Your stone is a tad steep and deep so another stone of equal carat weight that was cut differently would probably have slightly bigger dimensions. But judging from the photo, you have a very nice size diamond! Can I ask a question? If you hadn't discovered PS would you still feel that you could've gotten something 'better'? Because if the answer is "no" then please try and just enjoy your gorgeous sparkly diamond ring. If you really think something is missing or lacking in your stone, then that is another issue. Also ask yourself what would be 'better'? If you swapped it for a stone that had 'ideal' numbers/proportions would you actually think it was more beautiful or would it just give you peace of mind that the proportions were more complimentary?

Some people actually like the look of steep deep diamonds and some even choose them over 'ideal' cut RB's. Your stone has a high crown angle which for some is quite desirable. I actually don't think the numbers on your stone are that bad, so please don't feel horrible. All that matters is that you love your stone!!

 

[ringo865]

It sure looks beautiful (and huge)!!

How did you feel about this stone be before you found pricescope?

There will always be a "better" diamond out there. But unless we have a bottomless wallet, we have to compromise our wants versus needs - and sometimes must rearrange our wants or needs (sometimes many times) in order to mesh with our budget.

That said, are you within a return period? Have you checked what is available for your budget? If you focus on only the best cut stones, to "better" your stone, might mean a smaller, more tinted, or more included stone.

It's a balancing act. What is most important criteria to you (before and after finding pricescope)?

 

[unsettled]

I am certainly not even close to as knowledgeable as the other folks here. But I think your diamond is beautiful. I too have a diamond that I have been happily wearing for 15 years and have always thought it was nice. Since joining PS (thinking about a reset), I have come to realize there will always be bigger and better. My diamond is nicer than 75% of the diamonds I see in real life. I half - heartedly explored the option of an upgrade. But I decided to not worry about what I have never seen. Maybe one day a super ideal stone will be in the cards, but for now, I am going to happily love what I have. And live vicariously through all the good folks on PS. It really is true. Comparison is the thief of joy. If there's nothing you can actually do to get a "better" stone (upgrade, exchange, return, etc), just enjoy what you have! Because there will always be better out there.

 

[nala]

It looks gorgeous! You said you feel like it’s sparkly. So what do you feel is missing? I just went through this myself. Long thread about it. Do you have exchange or trade up options with your jeweler?

 

[Jello88]

Thank you @JDDN and @ringo865 and @unsettled for your kind words. Before I found out about PriceScope, I thought the stone looked really good. However, I also thought that when it came to cut, GIA triple excellent was the best of the best. Therefore, I hadn’t actually compared diamonds based on proportions or HCA scores. If I had known, I probably would have looked at stones that had more “ideal” numbers. Maybe it would have looked the same to me, but I guess in my mind I would have felt like I got the best that I could. I really did think my stone is quite sparkly, but then after discovering PS I started looking at it all the time and noticed that in my office lighting it looks kind of blah...so now I’m wondering if it is because the proportions are not ideal enough. My stone cannot be returned, but I can “upgrade” the stone through the same vendor. Part of me feels like I should consider doing that to get peace of mind. But then again, you are all right in that there will always be something better and if I hadn’t entered my stone into the HCA calculator I would have been happy with it.

 

[Jello88]

@nala thank you! I will read through your thread. I guess I don’t feel like anything in particular is missing, it’s more that I feel like I could have potentially gotten something even more sparkly and am wondering if I made a poor choice. I do have an option to trade up with my jeweler, but I also just got the ring recently and feel like my fiancé will not be very happy if I bring this up...

 

[Karl_K]

My personal opinion is that the hca is overly harsh on these combinations and GIA grossly rounds the numbers.

In office lighting what your looking for is brightness and contrast that moves across the stone.
There will be occasional sparkles and fire as it catches the light just so but it will not be sparkly and fiery like in other lighting.
All diamonds change personality and looks based on lighting.

 

[Jello88]

Thanks @Karl_K ! That’s super helpful to know.
And I’m going to look for brightness and contrast at the office tomorrow to see if it’s there in the stone.

 

[Lisa Loves Shiny]

I talked myself out of loving the diamond in my avatar after being on PS for awhile. It is "ideal" cut but scores a 2.2 on the HCA. After taking a break from PS I loved the diamond again. If you really want a premium cut (nothing wrong with that) then perhaps you can talk to your fiance and take advantage of the upgrade your jeweler offers.

 

[MaisOuiMadame]

Great advice from everyone above.

I talked about this with a friend IRL yesterday. She thought she liked her diamond less after a while and esp. In office lighting. It turned out that she doesn't clean her diamond as often as PSers would recommend. This makes a huge difference. Diamonds attract grease and dull fast. So a good soak in hot water with a dash of clear dish soap and brush with a soft toothbrush every day make a huge difference in sparkle. Do not forget to rinse and dry well.

 

[OoohShiny]

I have nothing to add to the wise words of those already posted, but I would say that it looks lovely in the photo

Keep it clean, check it out in all different lighting environments to understand its 'personality' in different lights (the high crown should give lots of coloured fire!) and see how you feel

 

[absolutme77]

I also have nothing to add but it looks like a beautiful diamond. If you were happy with it before PS and the HCA and those were the only factors that influencing you questioning the diamond, that’s all the matters. You were happy and it’s a beautiful (and large) diamond and I’m sure IRL it’s just as wonderful.

 

[nala]

I have nothing to add to the wise words of those already posted, but I would say that it looks lovely in the photo

Keep it clean, check it out in all different lighting environments to understand its 'personality' in different lights (the high crown should give lots of coloured fire!) and see how you feel

This. Also, some lighting will always make your diamond look lifeless. Lol. But in the best lighting you should be able to see rainbows to the point where you are reflecting them in the air and your diamond facets seem to take on different colors. Also, look for light reflection to the point that it hits you in the face. Last night at dinner, a woman sitting at a table a few feet diagonal from me, think Home Depot lighting, approached me to tell me that my ring kept blinding her!!! She said it keeps throwing rays of light at my face so I needed to see for myself what it looked like!

 

[Karl_K]

This. Also, some lighting will always make your diamond look lifeless. Lol. But in the best lighting you should be able to see rainbows to the point where you are reflecting them in the air and your diamond facets seem to take on different colors. Also, look for light reflection to the point that it hits you in the face. Last night at dinner, a woman sitting at a table a few feet diagonal from me, think Home Depot lighting, approached me to tell me that my ring kept blinding her!!! She said it keeps throwing rays of light at my face so I needed to see for myself what it looked like!

In that type of lighting the diamond can often look even better to those around them than to the person wearing it even though they are getting an awesome light show.
The light has more distance to fan out over the greater distance separating more into different colors.

 

[nala]

In that type of lighting the diamond can often look even better to those around them than to the person wearing it even though they are getting an awesome light show.
The light has more distance to fan out over the greater distance separating more into different colors.

Than have your hubby stand a few feet from you so he can tell you about the light show.

 

[JDDN]

Jello - You are not alone in thinking that GIA triple EX is the best of the best. And to add to some peace of mind, you actually did quite well! GIA 3X is a very broad range for cut and your diamond's numbers are not nearly as 'bad' as what the 3X category can include . Why don't you live with your ring for a while and get to know your diamond and see how you feel? As you can see from this thread a lot of people have been left wondering if their diamond is less than and that's a bummer. I love what Unsettled wrote: "Comparison is the thief of joy." From your photo, it is so beautiful!

Also.....no one would mind if you started a SMTB thread and posted more photos and the specs on your diamond and ring . Seriously. We LOVE photos, .

 

[OoohShiny]

Than have your hubby stand a few feet from you so he can tell you about the light show.

Or buy him a huge asscher or octavia so you can enjoy similar yourself

(hint hint, ladies )

 

[Jello88]

Thank you all for the wonderful advice! It’s good to know that I can’t expect the ring to sparkle under all types of lighting. I took @Karl_K advice and looked for the brightness and contrast in my office lighting today. I feel like the stone looks pretty dark here and I don’t really see any brightness , although I do see the flashes of sparkle/fire when it catches some light. I do not clean the ring everyday and will start doing so to see if that helps the brightness under office lighting. Do you all think this looks normal? Also this is the first diamond I’ve ever owned, so I don’t have much to compare against, which is why all your opinions are especially helpful!

 

[HappyNewLife]

I think your diamond looks beautiful!

I have a Whiteflash "A Cut Above", aka a superideal cut diamond. I just spent a week at a conference where my diamond looked like utter crap due to the lighting. Test your diamond in other lighting scenarios - do you love it outside of the office? Under a shady tree maybe? Actually, where I'm sitting right now, my diamond is dead!

 

[Jello88]

I just walked outside to snap a photo of how the stone looks in sunlight. I like the way it sparkles outside. I think it is very “fiery” because the sparkle is often flashes of rainbow. I used to think there was only one type of sparkle, which was “brilliance” and had never heard of the term “fiery” until now! So much to learn...really wish I had found PS sooner!

 

[ac117]

I just walked outside to snap a photo of how the stone looks in sunlight. I like the way it sparkles outside. I think it is very “fiery” because the sparkle is often flashes of rainbow. I used to think there was only one type of sparkle, which was “brilliance” and had never heard of the term “fiery” until now! So much to learn...really wish I had found PS sooner!

It still looks like a beautiful stone! Numbers aren't everything! More importantly, what are the stats on this beauty?!

 

[AprilBaby]

It’s a very pretty diamond.if you really want mind perfection how much would an upgrade be?

 

[HappyNewLife]

I just walked outside to snap a photo of how the stone looks in sunlight. I like the way it sparkles outside. I think it is very “fiery” because the sparkle is often flashes of rainbow. I used to think there was only one type of sparkle, which was “brilliance” and had never heard of the term “fiery” until now! So much to learn...really wish I had found PS sooner!

honestly, it looks amazing to me. Really clear and fiery. And the setting is delicate - love those claw prongs.

 

[WeeOui]

Your diamond is absolutely beautiful!

 

[LLJsmom]

I’m gonna be the dissenter. Not saying you can’t love your stone. But Its hard to un-know what you have discovered. I think it ultimately depends on who you are. Are you the type that is happy and content with what you have and can see the big picture. You liked it before. Just because you know more now you like it less? Your stone hasn’t changed. I get that thinking. Unfortunately for me, that just isn’t who I am. I realize that just because I haven’t personally seen it, it doesn’t mean it’s not out there. Yeah there are some super amazing cut super ideal diamonds and I would love to have one. I will own that. If you are curious and want to see what else is out there, do it. And Don’t feel badly about it. You’re the one living with your thoughts and feelings every day.

 

[Jello88]

It would cost too much for me to upgrade to an actual “super ideal” cut, but I can probably still find something that is GIA triple X with better angles and proportions. I am considering doing that right now. Question though...I believe the two main issues with my current stone is the steeper crown angle of 36.5 and the depth of 62.8%. The Pavillion angle is okay at 40.8. If I found a GIA triple X that has a crown angle closer to 34.5 and depth in the 61-62% range, everything else held constant, do you think an average person like myself will actually be able to tell a difference in light performance with the naked eye?

Also, the other specs on my current stone is 2.7ct, H color, VS2.

 

[nala]

It sound like you are going down that road. lol. Did you read my thread?