To those who have visted WhiteFlash...& stone opinions

[diamondseeker2006]

There are a couple of possibilities for me at WF, and I need to decide very soon. I need to know if you could tell the difference in the classic vs. new line and which you personally preferred. I called about 3-4 stones today and was told that the best performing stone of those was the classic.

Also, if anyone has input regarding numbers, I'd appreciate hearing from you, too! My goal is G VS1, around 1.3-1.4 cts., 7.1-7.2 mm diameter (realizing I can't find those exact specs at the moment).

Two new lines:

#1) 1.278 H VS1 (ACA) 7.04 x 7.06 mm, d- 60.7%, t- 55.2%, ca- 34.8, pa- 40.7, HCA: 1.0

#2) 1.26 G VS1 (ACA) 7.0 x 7.03 mm, 60.9%, 54.7%, 34.9, 40.8, HCA: 1.5

Two classics:

#3) 1.31 G VVS2 (ES) 7.13 x 7.15 mm, 60.6%, 55%, 34.7, 40.8, HCA: 1.2 (AGS0 for light performance)
(my confusion with this stone is that the cert says girdle .8-3.4, but the Sarin says .8-1.3/thin to medium)
I am wondering why this stone did not make ACA. It is not much less than the next stone which is ACA.

#4) 1.32 G VVS2 (ACA) 7.08-7.10mm, 61%, 55.7%, 34.4, 40.6 HCA: .6 (older AGS cert with no light performance)

These stones have a $3500 price difference from lowest to highest (!!!), so I need to really understand if there are any significant differences in them...any to eliminate at all. I really didn't want to pay for VVS, but I am not finding many in VS1.

Dimend Scassi also has a couple of nice E VS2's that are the right size, but that is paying for a higher color and lower clarity than I want.

Thanks!

 

[pahoyafan]

I know what your goal is, but I know that can change (when I came here I said that I would only buy D to G color and VVS2 to VS2 clarity; but I ended up with a F color SI2 clarity ACA from Whiteflash). With that being said, there is a 1.508 I color VS1 clarity ACA from WF that looks amazing and a H color SI1 ACA that looks totally eyeclean. If your going to spend 12k on a stone (as I did also), why not get a full 1.5 carat stone. It will not look too big, my girl wears a 1.7 with 4.5 fingers and it doesn''t look gaudy at all. Just my 2 cents.

 

[Dancing Fire]

DS2006
i would go with a classic. i prefer a little leakage on the edge of a diamond for more contrast.

 

[Mara]

diamond seeker, when alj and i were there last year we did a taste test with classic and new lines all together and we were very hard pressed to tell the difference between one stone and the other with our naked eye. they all were blingtastic.

this year when we were there, we did another similar taste test with different stones, along with some other gals and the results were similar...there was no definitive ''oh this stone looks better'' answer...everyone had their own preference on which looked the best and we all chose different stones that appealed to us.

but honestly, the bottom line...when i was looking at those 6 or 7 stones all lined up last year and this year...i remember thinking, how do you choose between any of them, they all sparkle so beautifully and look so amazing. a well-cut stone is a well-cut stone. so honestly i think if you chose between new line or classic you''d be happy with either.

that said, on the 4 that you posted, i personally don''t believe in paying for VVS so i would say i''d choose one of the VS''s...both of them look good (though the numbers are exactly the same on both, is that a typo since one of the HCA scores is different?)...but in terms of splitting hairs, the first stone has the better HCA and VS etc. so i''d go for one of those. i would not pay $3500 difference from one of those stones to another just for a few more hundredths of a mm and a VVS grade. just my two cents!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Thanks so much pahoyafan, DF, and Mara. I really appreciate and will consider all you have said! I need some help with this decision!

Mara, YES, I had the numbers wrong on the first stone and have now corrected them. I really agree with not paying for VVS. I think I will eliminate those. The sad thing is that those other two are smaller than I wanted, and that is a bad feature to sacrifice! I am told that prices are going up (I noticed that the settings have gone up in the last couple of days significantly), and the next shipment will definitely be higher. It may end up that I keep the 1.44 H VS2 that I have at the moment, but my husband said to go for a better stone if I could find one, so it''s hard for me not to try! The 1.3-1.49 range is pretty low right now as far as all the vendors go. So it''s settle for less than I really want now, or wait and pay more.

 

[ladykemma]

i vote for #2 set high.

 

[pebbles]

Out of the 4 you listed, I would elimiate #3 and #4 b/c I would not pay for VVS quality. I took a look and #1 and #2, and both are so close! Their IS''s are very similar so I think they are both going to look similar. I would probably chose the H (stone #1) b/c of the price.

Having had both a new line and almost-classic cuts myself, I prefer the look of the classic. Both are absolutely beautiful and I think it just boils down to personal preference. I thought the classic had more scintillation than the new line, and the new line had bigger flashes of fire. I thought my new line stone had that more steely grey color opposed to the brighter whiter color of the classic -- the classic probably looked brighter because there was more movement of light in the stone, if that makes sense.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I have this feeling that I'd prefer the classic, but both of those VS stones are new line!!! That really makes me hesitate! And those VVS's are just SO much higher! And if I go to VS2, then I may as well keep the beautiful 1.44 H VS2 I have right now. If I wait for the best stone, then I will be paying more. But not knowing how much more makes the decision more difficult.

GOG has a 1.23 and 1.53 G VS1. One too big and one too small!

 

[pebbles]

Please remind me -- what color range do you want to stay with? G-H?

 

[diamondseeker2006]

My preference is G VS1 and 1.30-1.45 cts. H&A Ideal cut.

 

[pebbles]

What about this one? It's a 1.463ct G, SI1. Would you be willing to drop on clarity a bit?

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/2089/

ETA: I just reread your post and see you want to stick in the VS range...sorry!

 

[belle]

i think you would be more than happy with the new line. as mara said, there are only slight differences and i think you would be hard pressed to pick the differences between them. the bottom line is, they are all well cut stones that will outperform most everything you will see daily.

best of luck in your decision ds!

 

[pebbles]

I''m sorry I haven''t been following your other threads, but did you see this one? It''s a 1.3ct G, VS2 in Whiteflash''s ES section:

http://www.whiteflash.com/round_ideal_cut/Round-Ideal-Cut-cut-diamond-2318227.htm#

If you are interested I would ask WF why it didn''t make ACA status. It usually is something very minor, like the H&A pattern wasn''t perfect.

And as far as the classic vs new line cuts are concerned, I agree that the differences are not startling, they are subtle. I just noticed them because I had both and because I was looking for the difference. The new line is gorgeous too!

If you are set on this color and clarity range, as you know it may take a while to find your *perfect* stone. IMO, you should have want you want, but if you are in a time crunch, I personally would be OK sacrificing "something", but that''s just me.

And FWIW, even though I said the VVS clarity is overkill, if you like the stone then I would go with it.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Thanks for your help, Belle, Pebbles, and everybody! I know you will all celebrate when I FINALLY choose a diamond!

Well, the WF GVS1 is SOLD!!! So that takes #2 out of the running! (Sorry Lady Kemma!) The H VS1 is not that much more advantageous over the one I have right now (1.44 H VS2), so I am not inclined to order it. It is smaller and costs a little less than this one, and the only real factor it has over my current one is the VS1.

Pebbles, I think I looked at that ES G VS2 stone you are talking about, but someone told me that it had too much variation in the crown or pavilion angles (can''t remember which now). I''ll double check to be sure, though.

 

[belle]

we will celebrate when you have something that you are in love with. that''s what this is all about! the process is half of the fun you know.

i totally understand your sense of urgency and the feeling of impending ''doom'' about price hikes, but don''t settle. i don''t think you will be happy with anything less than g/vs quality. (even though it kills me as the owner of a competely eyeclean g/si stone!)

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Date: 5/17/2006 11:40:52 AM
Author: belle
we will celebrate when you have something that you are in love with. that''s what this is all about! the process is half of the fun you know.

i totally understand your sense of urgency and the feeling of impending ''doom'' about price hikes, but don''t settle. i don''t think you will be happy with anything less than g/vs quality. (even though it kills me as the owner of a competely eyeclean g/si stone!)

What would I do without my PS friends who understand this obsession!!!!!???

I know the VS thing is mental. It''s just that I loved my 1 ct. stone for many years until I finally saw it under a loupe, and I never got over the feeling of disappointment. So I figured if I got VS, then I''d never have that feeling about the new one! I know there are great SI1''s!!! It is just a mind-clean thing for me. No offense intended to anyone who has searched and found great SI''s! I just think the VS is my comfort range, as you said. Thanks, Belle!

 

[Mara]

we actually saw the 1.3 G VS2 while we were in texas (my girlfriend is considering that stone amongst a few others for her e-ring stone but her bf is a heel dragger!) and it's stunning. i think we also saw a few others in the 1.2-1.3 range that were G/H/I VS/SI...i think that there was a 1.27 I SI that i liked too. anyway...the 1.3 was stunning but it was actually looking at these 4 for my friend when i also thought the same thing that i wrote earlier in this post which is 'gosh how do you make a decision'....with visuals it's REALLY hard for me. it's almost easier for me to buy by the numbers with images because the diamonds looked so similar in terms of light return, fire, scint and i looked at them in a bunch of different lighting conditions as well. the thought that i left with and then conveyed to my girlfriend was, honestly choose any of the 4 and you would be ecstatic.

it's interesting because on here many times we tell people that numbers can get you most of the way if not all the way there if it's a virtual stone but if you can see it then that would tell you. this last visit to WF i realized that your own eyes are not even that consistent. we did a few 'diamond taste tests' where we rated the diamonds from 1-6 kind of thing and then we went back and did it again the next day. TOTALLY inconsistent results. diamonds that i thought looked good the day before suddenly were near the end of my next day pick kind of thing. but again it's important to note that all of them were beautiful, i was just TRYING to make a decision between a bunch of cherry stones. it was kind of funny, kind of like oh which is prettier, the aston martin or the ferrari.

so that showed me that when you are choosing between well-cut stones or especially something cut as consistently as WF's stones, that you can't really go wrong....if i was comparing a WF stone to another vendor i think i'd want to do it visually but since my trade-in value and all that is with WF in the future when i am hopefully able to get another stone...maybe i will be lucky enough to have two to compare but if not, then i do trust that if they have one stone in stock, like they did this time with my 2.32 that i know it will be a performer because i haven't been disappointed so far!

hope this helps DS....!!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Thanks, Mara! It does help in that it tells me that it is not worth paying $3500. more for the VVS when they all look about the same! I am happy you were able to help me come to that conclusion!

Dimend Scaasi is checking with their H&A cutter to see what might be available soon. So I am waiting to hear about that before making any decisions.