Thoughts on this Diamond ?

[Jibby]

Hi everyone,

First time posting here, however I have been reading a lot of this site and have learned a lot!

I am hoping I could get some feedback on a diamond that I am looking at. I''ve looked at several (many!) stones with my jeweler and I believe this will be the one I will go with based upon my budget.

It would be very valuable to receive some feedback from the folks on here to help me make my decision though!

GIA Report # 11386654

Round Brilliant
Measurements - 6.39 - 6.45 x 3.88 mm
1.00 carat

Clarity - SI 1
Color - F

Depth - 60.4%
Table - 63%
Girdle - Thick to Very Thick
Culet - None

Polish - Very Good
Symmetry - Good

Thank you in advance for your time and assistance!

 

[ImpatientOne]

The table on that diamond is HUGE and the symmetry is only "Good". I would definitely pass.

 

[Jibby]

Thanks for the feedback on that one.

I am also considering this diamond too, although it''s a bit more as far as cost...

GIA Report # 14631599

Round Brilliant
Measurements - 6.45 - 6.47 x 4.04 mm
1.06 carat

Clarity - SI 1
Color - F

Depth - 62.5%
Table - 59%
Girdle - Medium to Thick, Faceted
Culet - None

Polish - Good
Symmetry - Very Good

Thank you again for your feedback!

 

[dockman3]

Hi there, and welcome to Pricescope!

I noticed that you are buying a 1.00ct diamond. Did you just want to hit that magic mark? If so, may I suggest going slightly under that mark and getting a much better cut diamond, maybe around 0.9ct? Cut is the most important aspect of the diamond that will determine its performance. From the limited stats you've provided, it looks like your diamond will not be a top performer because the table is very large. Tables for well cut diamonds are generally in the 54-57% range.

You've picked a great color and clarity. SI1 can be a great deal and if you like the completely colorless, then F is a wonderful choice. You can probably drop down to G or even H and get that better cut. However, in order to determine how well cut your diamond is, we need more info, specifically

crown angle
pavilion angle

Those two numbers are crucial to determining how well your diamond will perform. You can use the Cut adviser here under the tools section to check out your diamond. Any score under 2 is good and that diamond is worth considering. It doesn't matter what the score under 2 is, just that its under 2.

Consider asking your jeweler for AGS000 (AGS triple zero) stones or GIA Ex-Ex-Ex (GIA triple x) stones. These are going to be very well cut and you should see a difference between those and the one that you picked out. You might not be able to hit that magic 1.0ct mark with F SI1, but it might be possible with H SI2. You'll just have to see. If you haven't compared an F next to an H, I suggest you try that and see if you can tell the color difference.

Good luck with your search and feel free to bring any other diamonds back here for us to look at!

ETA: That second diamond looks more promising, but we still need crown and pavilion angles to give you a bit more insight!

 

[Lorelei]

Hi Jibby and welcome!

I would pass on the first diamond, the second might be what we call a nice make of diamond - decently cut but not to exacting superideal standards, but it depends on what you want - however you could probably improve on that one too. If you could get the crown and pavilion angles as DM asks, then that would be helpful for the second diamond. If you could ask your jeweller to show you some AGS0 and GIA Excellent cut grade, that could make finding a lovely diamond easier. But in any case, get all the proportions of each diamond you are interested in, then report back and we can go from there. Have you considered buying online, or do you prefer to stick with a jeweller? Also do you really love either of the diamonds you have looked at?

 

[Jibby]

Thank you dockman3, that is a lot of great information.

Admittedly I am looking to stay at that 1.00 carat mark. On the GIA report that I was provided, there was not any information regarding crown or pavilion angles. How would I obtain that information, is it something my jeweler can provide, or would I have to try and research that elsewhere?

Thanks!

 

[dockman3]

All of the info is in a diagram that looks like this:

If your report doesn't have that picture, then it is a really old report and you won't be able to get that info very easily.

ETA: Thanks Lorelei for posting this in the other thread!

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 8/11/2008 1:43:09 PM
Author: Jibby
Thank you dockman3, that is a lot of great information.

Admittedly I am looking to stay at that 1.00 carat mark. On the GIA report that I was provided, there was not any information regarding crown or pavilion angles. How would I obtain that information, is it something my jeweler can provide, or would I have to try and research that elsewhere?

Thanks!

The GIA reports you were shown could have been pre cut grade if no crown and pavilion angles noted, so unless your jeweler can run a Sarin report which gives detailed measurements of the diamond, you won't be able to get that info unfortunately. Other than that, if you love either of these two diamonds, then you will need to choose with your eyes, if so, then ask if you can check the diamond out away from the store lights to make sure you like the look of it in the more usual lighting conditions the diamond will be worn in.

Most welcome DM!

 

[Jibby]

Lorelei and Dockman, thank you!

The report for the second stone is from September 2005, so I don''t think it''s that old. It doesn''t carry that diagram with all the measurements though, but I have seen other reports on other stones with it.

I will ask to see if a Sarin report is available on the second stone as I did like that one a great deal. It did have a lot more fire and sparkle than that first one, and I thought it was quite nice. I kind of disregarded it because it was pushing the limits of my price range, but perhaps I can negotiate a bit further.

As for buying online, I think I would be hesitant about that. I know many people seem to have had great experiences with that, but I would prefer buying something in person.

Thank you again!

 

[dockman3]

Sept 2005 is before they started with the cut rating, which was in 2006, so in diamond report terms, it is old. A Sarin would be a great thing to get if you can.

Don''t worry about buying online or in person. I bought in person and am very glad that I did. Just be aware that you can probably get a better price online, but that you can also use online prices to negotiate with your jeweler. Just be careful and let us know if you come across any other diamonds you want us to take a look at.

 

[Jibby]

Okay, well, my jeweller could not provide me any Sarin reports for either of the diamonds noted above.

For the second diamond I mentioned, the ring includes two round pink sapphire side stones (1.00 carat total weight), a 14K white gold band, and the 1.06 carat F/SI 1 diamond noted above.

The price I am being quoted is $7,400 out the door for everything.

Can anyone provide feedback regarding the price I am being quoted for the ring.

Thank you all for your time and the guidance!

 

[dockman3]

I guessed you wouldn't be able to get Sarin, but that's ok.

As for the price, it seems a little high to me, but really not too bad. I guess I just don't know much about pink sapphires to know how to price them. I'm only going off of my limited experience. I bought a 1.23ct total weight diamond ring with a 0.82ct D SI2 center stone, excellent cut in 19kt yellow gold for a little under that price. However, mine was a designer setting and I know I paid a premium for that setting with those E-F VS side stones and that ridiculous 19kt yellow gold. (Why 19 and not 18, I still have no idea).

Anyway, the point was that it probably isn't too bad of a deal. I'm assuming here that the price difference between our center stones plus 1ct of pink sapphires is equivalent to 0.4ct of E-F VS Ex cut diamonds. I'm also assuming that there isn't a huge price difference between 14kt and 18kt gold. I really don't know if those are valid assumptions or not.

I would tell him that you'll take it for $6500 out the door, he'll come back and say $7k and then you've got it for 7k. And as long as you are in love with that center diamond and you've seen it in person and not in just the jewelry counter lighting, then that's all that matters and you don't need the crown and pavilion angles. Just ask if you can put a deposit down and take it home and look at it in the lighting it will usually be in to see if it still sparkles for you. If not that, just make sure they have a good return policy if you don't like the look of it in your home. I actually returned mine and got a different center stone once I brought it home because it wasn't as good as I had hoped it would be.

Bottom line, if you love it and can afford it, go with it, as I think its a decent deal and you aren't really getting ripped off (assuming my assumptions are valid!). Just double check the return policy and maybe get it in writing and you're all set!

 

[Jibby]

Thanks for the insight dockman, yes, time to break out the negotiating skills!

Oh, I was able to find more information on the second diamond, I went on the GIA website and looked up the report and it had all of the additional information with it. Not sure why my jeweller couldn''t have done that, but anyway... Here is all of the inforamtion:

GIA Report # 14631599

Round Brilliant
Measurements - 6.45 - 6.47 x 4.04 mm
1.06 carat

Clarity - SI 1
Color - F

Depth - 62.5%
Table - 59%
Crown Angle - 35 degrees
Pavilion Angle 41 degrees
Cut Grade - Very Good
Girdle - Medium to Thick, Faceted
Culet - None

Polish - Good
Symmetry - Very Good

I put all of this into the Cut-Advisor and it came back as a 2.9 - Very Good. Does this additional information help to determine if this would be a good stone to go with? Again, this is the one that I was quoted $7,400 for the entire ring (band, sapphires and diamond). Thoughts please?

Thank you all for your help! I greatly appreciate everyone who has responded!