shape
carat
color
clarity

Thoughts on this beauty?

sparklefinder

Rough_Rock
Joined
Nov 26, 2019
Messages
11
Close to pulling the trigger on the following. Hoping to get some feedback from you guys first : ) Positive, negative, whatever you've got!

Hoping to get super ideal sparkle and fire without the super ideal price tag if that's possible haha

Thanks in advance.

 
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whitewave

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Feb 29, 2012
Messages
12,331
It’s beautiful and blue Nile has an excellent return policy (but bad upgrade policy). Show us the ring when it’s done.
 

diamondseeker2006

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Jan 11, 2006
Messages
58,547
Beautiful stone! Very nice choice!
 

sparklefinder

Rough_Rock
Joined
Nov 26, 2019
Messages
11
Thanks so much for the feedback. I'm happy to hear that i have a good option.

Out of curiosity, do either of you own a diamond from BD, WF, or HPD? It seems that a similar sized diamond with lower clarity, which i would be ok with, would cost around $3000-$4000 more. By your estimation, is that worthwhile?
 

Rose-gold-or-bust

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Aug 7, 2019
Messages
314
I have diamonds from HPD. If you ever think you’ll upgrade, It is worth it for their upgrade policy.
 

sparklefinder

Rough_Rock
Joined
Nov 26, 2019
Messages
11
Thanks for the response, Cheryl. If i don't see myself upgrading, should I just save myself the money?

I just can't seem to wrap my head around how much better a super ideal will perform as compared to a diamond with similar cut parameters.
 

Rose-gold-or-bust

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Aug 7, 2019
Messages
314
Yeah, honestly I have no idea as I’ve never had a super ideal next to a non branded stone with ideal proportions. I would guess that most people would be hard pressed to be able to say which is which if they were side by side, but I’ve never done this so I can’t say.

Back to the upgrade thing though - I’m willing to bet most everyone who upgrades their stones once said it would never happen. I am one of those people! When I got engaged I was horrified that the jeweler suggested it could be upgraded some day. I mean, who does that? Your engagement ring is supposed to be forever right? Well, 10 years later and my style has changed and financial situation has changed. My original ring needed work by then too so I can either have new prongs made for my old ring or I can put it somewhere safe and put a new rock on my finger that better matched my style these days.

Other things to note... HPD let’s you get 80% of your stones cost back if you want to return it any time in the future. It is nice in the event of an emergency where you desperately need money at all costs. I think they also allow you to upgrade your stone and get multiple smaller stones instead of one bigger one. So your single stone can easily be used in an upgrade to go to a three stone ring with smaller stones then you initially had. You don’t necessarily have to go bigger/better color like you would by going elsewhere.
 

whitewave

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Feb 29, 2012
Messages
12,331
Thanks so much for the feedback. I'm happy to hear that i have a good option.

Out of curiosity, do either of you own a diamond from BD, WF, or HPD? It seems that a similar sized diamond with lower clarity, which i would be ok with, would cost around $3000-$4000 more. By your estimation, is that worthwhile?

Why yes, I do lol. I have Blue Nile with tight stats, CBI and BG. Different sizes though.

In my avatar, the sapphire 3 stone is with CBI .56 and .57 F and G SI1 and 2.

I generally have no problem getting a SI stone in CBI as long as Wink verifies its eye clean.

The side stones for my aquamarine ring are BG hearts and arrows, I think 30 pointers, 3 H and 3 I color. I think a mix of VS and SI.

The Blue Nile are .70 each as studs for 1.4 ctw.

@diamondseeker2006 has whiteflash.

This Blue Nile diamond will likely be gorgeous, but I feel certain the CBI will outperform it. Will you notice? Will you think it’s worth the price difference? I can’t answer that.


Edited: 1.7 is obviously a nice size. I’m here to tell you though that DSS (diamond shrinkage syndrome) is real lol. It’s possible you might eventually want 1.8 or 2.10. There is no way to tell.
 

whitewave

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
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Messages
12,331
I upgraded after about 15 years of marriage. I went from .75 round to 1.52 asscher.
 

sledge

Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Apr 23, 2018
Messages
5,791
Proportions are within the ideal ranges typically recommended. Just keep in mind with the way GIA averages & rounds, it's the ACTUAL values that matter.

I'd love to see an ASET or idealscope (IS) image of this stone.

I've seen several GIA XXX stones with that 35/40.8 that end up having leakage in the ASET and/or IS because they aren't tightly cut. That said, I've also seen some that have no issues. It just seems hit or miss with this particular combo. Probably because you are beginning to pair a steep crown with a steeper pavilion and that is harder to do unless you have precision faceting.

If this stone makes your world go round, then order it and also order an ASET scope. When it comes in, check it at home and if there is leakage you can return and swap out.

FYI, I did notice you have VVS1 clarity. Is there a reason? You could probably drop the clarity and either get better color and/or a little more size. Just food for thought.
 

sparklefinder

Rough_Rock
Joined
Nov 26, 2019
Messages
11
Yeah, honestly I have no idea as I’ve never had a super ideal next to a non branded stone with ideal proportions. I would guess that most people would be hard pressed to be able to say which is which if they were side by side, but I’ve never done this so I can’t say.

Back to the upgrade thing though - I’m willing to bet most everyone who upgrades their stones once said it would never happen. I am one of those people! When I got engaged I was horrified that the jeweler suggested it could be upgraded some day. I mean, who does that? Your engagement ring is supposed to be forever right? Well, 10 years later and my style has changed and financial situation has changed. My original ring needed work by then too so I can either have new prongs made for my old ring or I can put it somewhere safe and put a new rock on my finger that better matched my style these days.

Other things to note... HPD let’s you get 80% of your stones cost back if you want to return it any time in the future. It is nice in the event of an emergency where you desperately need money at all costs. I think they also allow you to upgrade your stone and get multiple smaller stones instead of one bigger one. So your single stone can easily be used in an upgrade to go to a three stone ring with smaller stones then you initially had. You don’t necessarily have to go bigger/better color like you would by going elsewhere.

Thanks for pointing out all the benefits and sharing your experience. Lots of things to consider for sure.
 

sparklefinder

Rough_Rock
Joined
Nov 26, 2019
Messages
11
Why yes, I do lol. I have Blue Nile with tight stats, CBI and BG. Different sizes though.

In my avatar, the sapphire 3 stone is with CBI .56 and .57 F and G SI1 and 2.

I generally have no problem getting a SI stone in CBI as long as Wink verifies its eye clean.

The side stones for my aquamarine ring are BG hearts and arrows, I think 30 pointers, 3 H and 3 I color. I think a mix of VS and SI.

The Blue Nile are .70 each as studs for 1.4 ctw.

@diamondseeker2006 has whiteflash.

This Blue Nile diamond will likely be gorgeous, but I feel certain the CBI will outperform it. Will you notice? Will you think it’s worth the price difference? I can’t answer that.


Edited: 1.7 is obviously a nice size. I’m here to tell you though that DSS (diamond shrinkage syndrome) is real lol. It’s possible you might eventually want 1.8 or 2.10. There is no way to tell.

DSS...that's funny. Didn't realize that was a thing haha I don't mind going down to SI1 clarity, but if i want to keep the budget similar i think i'll also need to go down in color as well. I'll have to think about it.
 

sparklefinder

Rough_Rock
Joined
Nov 26, 2019
Messages
11
Proportions are within the ideal ranges typically recommended. Just keep in mind with the way GIA averages & rounds, it's the ACTUAL values that matter.

I'd love to see an ASET or idealscope (IS) image of this stone.

I've seen several GIA XXX stones with that 35/40.8 that end up having leakage in the ASET and/or IS because they aren't tightly cut. That said, I've also seen some that have no issues. It just seems hit or miss with this particular combo. Probably because you are beginning to pair a steep crown with a steeper pavilion and that is harder to do unless you have precision faceting.

If this stone makes your world go round, then order it and also order an ASET scope. When it comes in, check it at home and if there is leakage you can return and swap out.

FYI, I did notice you have VVS1 clarity. Is there a reason? You could probably drop the clarity and either get better color and/or a little more size. Just food for thought.

Thanks for the feedback on the numbers. Very helpful. I do want to go with as close to super ideal as possible and if there's a possibility this one won't do the trick, then maybe i'll hold off.

I don't have a problem going down in clarity, but i was just looking for diamonds with the right cut proportions and this one fit the bill. Price is reasonable too for a VVS1, so i didn't mind the high clarity grade.
 

diamondseeker2006

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Jan 11, 2006
Messages
58,547
I do have diamonds from Whiteflash, and I have had some that were not superideal. I guess I can say that I was certain I would upgrade because my WF diamonds were for stud earrings. Plus, I did want the best performing stones for my ears so they'd show up well. I can sort of compare this to wine or beer. I am not a wine connoisseur and am perfectly happy with a $5 bottle of wine on the relatively rare occasions that I drink it. There are others, like some of my extended family who are beer snobs, who wouldn't even consider drinking beer one can buy at a grocery or convenience store. They only drink certain IPAs. (Seriously, they brought their own beer to my daughter's wedding and would go out to the car to refill their glasses. :roll:)

So, as in beer or wine and diamonds, some develop a taste for the finest kinds and others are completely happy with good non-specialty kinds. There's no right or wrong answer.
 
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