Top 1% diamond cut--is it standardized?

[lamenramen]

Hello,

I'm looking for a round diamond that sparkles like no other, is brilliant, and has unbelievable fire.
That's all that the gf cares about other than the diamond being eye-clean even from a close distance. She will never take a loupe
and look for imperfections.

My investigation has led me to conclude that I want something that is cut ridiculously well--even above ideal.


First, is an ideal cut the same grade as an excellent cut?
Second, are the cut grades that are above "ideal" standardized?
Third, cut grades above "ideal" seem to be proprietary brands....blue nile signature, james allen true hearts, hearts on fire, hearts and arrows, brian gavin signature, or something or the other. Are these top 1% diamonds visibly more brilliant/fiery/sparkly than just an "ideal" cut?
Fourth--is the hearts and arrows pattern what make a diamond the most sparkly it can be, or could a non-hearts and arrows pattern be just as sparkly (all other factors remaining constant)? The hearts and arrows pattern does not look all that natural to me, but if it is the most sparkly, then maybe I could consider that. I'm just a bit confused if I need this pattern or not in order to obtain the most brilliant diamond.

I also just thought of another question: if super ideal represents the top 1%, then what does ideal/excellent represent? top 5 %, or more like top 25%?

Thank you!

 

[rubybeth]

First, is an ideal cut the same grade as an excellent cut?
Second, are the cut grades that are above "ideal" standardized?
Third, cut grades above "ideal" seem to be proprietary brands....blue nile signature, james allen true hearts, hearts on fire, hearts and arrows, brian gavin signature, or something or the other. Are these top 1% diamonds visibly more brilliant/fiery/sparkly than just an "ideal" cut?
Fourth--is the hearts and arrows pattern what make a diamond the most sparkly it can be, or could a non-hearts and arrows pattern be just as sparkly (all other factors remaining constant)? quote]

1. Not exactly. GIA and AGS grade things using different terms.
2. I have never heard of a cut 'above' ideal. Ideal is ideal, meaning it is the best.
3. Signature, True Hearts, HoF, H&A are just names for stones that have met criteria for those companies. You have to decide if those are important to you. For example, you can find diamonds on Whiteflash and James Allen that don't fit their 'top' categories but are still essentially ideal cut, but miss out being branded that way because of something like 'good' polish, which you can't see anyway. I think WF calls them Premium Select and Expert Selection, and there can be some great deals.
4. You will get varying opinons on this. Some people think that Hearts and Arrows are required for a diamond to be 'best' cut, and others say diamonds sparkle like crazy that don't have ideal cut. I personally don't care for the look of modern round brilliant Hearts & Arrows diamonds, but Good Old Gold's August Vintage Rounds and actual antique Old European Cuts are really appealing to my eye and they can be considered 'ideal' cuts, too.

Any of the vendors you mention could offer you great stones, you might want to decide on a diamond vendor based on which setting you want, since that cuts down on being a middle man between vendors. For example, if you love a setting from Whiteflash, get the diamond there, too, as they assume the responsibility/risk in setting the diamond. All vendors have lovely setting options.

 

[Christina...]

If you are buying online I would make sure to run any stone you are considering through the HCA. Stones that score below a 2 will have potential for superior light performance. Your next step will be to get Idealscope images and ASET, these will give you more information on the stone performance, and will show if the stone has any leakage.

AGS already grades their AGS0 ideal stones for light performance and you can see it listed on the report so these are a safe bet if you want a bright beautiful stone. GIA includes more stones in their excellent cut grade and need further exploration.

If your gf wants a truly eye clean stone even at short distances I would stick with a VS1. Eye visible inclusions can sometimes be seen in SI1 or even VS2's. You should ask if the stone is eye clean when you have a gemologist evaluate it, and explain to them exactly what your definition of eye clean is. Typically it means that the stone has no noticeable inclusions at normal viewing distances., meaning 6-12 inches to half an arms length from your eyes. People have different definitions of what eye clean means to them, even trades people vary in their views, so if she doesn't want to see any inclusions at a distance of say 3 inches, then be sure to say this.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Hearts and arrows (when this is a true designation) is the top of the ideal cuts. Only some of the stones within GIA Excellent will qualify as H&A. You would have difficulty discerning any difference with your eyes between an ideal cut that has perfect hearts and arrows and one that does not, though. The most perfect cut is a mental thing, mostly, because there are ideal cuts that will perform the same visually. But there is something to be said for knowing you got the very best, too!

You do need to understand that no diamond is showing fire all the time. All diamonds perform differently in different lighting. Some people are actually disappointed when they receive an ideal cut diamond because they did not understand this.

 

[lapelirroja]

If you really want IDEAL ideal stones, I would stick to AGS 000 stones only...

in no order...

Whiteflash ACA
Brian Gavin Signature H&A
Crafted by Infinity Superideal
GOG Signature H&A

BlueNile and JA are a bit too lax and you might not get one thats up to par with the rest listed above. If you choose from the above its almost idiot-proof to get a fabulous stone.

I LOVE my WF ACA and get a ridiculous amount of comments on it!

 

[maiell1]

Also, take your time and look, look, look. Use HCA and research angles, cuts etc. I spent about 4 weeks searching and running numbers etc. It took time but I believe I ended up with a top quality virtual stone that will compete against ACA and other marketed ideal stones.

I was new as well and posted for advice. You can check my last main post and see the stats and pixs of the stone I purchased for a great price; so far opinions are it was a great find.

Also, I very much recommend WF their prices are top notch. When you run through PS you can see others charge more for the same same stone WF is always the best price and great service. I should have my ring in about two weeks.

 

[lamenramen]

Could someone confirm for me what the above poster said is true...that is, not all hearts and arrows stones are of the same quality, and if I want to get a truly brilliant/fire/scintillating stone I need to go with the list that person mentioned?

I was hoping that James Allen's true hearts would be as nice as the Good old gold, Whiteflash, and Brian Gavin Diamonds top of the line.

Thank you!

 

[slg47]

Could someone confirm for me what the above poster said is true...that is, not all hearts and arrows stones are of the same quality, and if I want to get a truly brilliant/fire/scintillating stone I need to go with the list that person mentioned?

I was hoping that James Allen's true hearts would be as nice as the Good old gold, Whiteflash, and Brian Gavin Diamonds top of the line.

Thank you!

Not all H&A are 'defined' in the same way-some vendors have stricter standards than others. I would not go with BN because they do not provide hearts images.

 

[lamenramen]

Would the signature lines from Brian Gavin, Whiteflash a cut above, good old gold's signature....be visibly better than a standard ideal cut, or is it more in the realm of debate? Am I mainly buying peace of mind? In the end, is it worth the premium?

 

[slg47]

Would the signature lines from Brian Gavin, Whiteflash a cut above, good old gold's signature....be visibly better than a standard ideal cut, or is it more in the realm of debate? Am I mainly buying peace of mind? In the end, is it worth the premium?

debated. you may see a difference, you may not.

as far as worth the premium-up to you. keep in mind that many of these branded stones have better buyback/trade-in/upgrade policies if that is important to you.

 

[lapelirroja]

In regards to my list above, you can find good stones at other vendors not mentioned, but you will have to do more legwork.

You could choose any stone from the aforementioned vendor list and it would be beautiful, also evidenced by the detailed images they provide on their site. Like I said, idiot-proof.

Just look at a few of the James Allen "True Hearts" stones and see that the heart pattern is not symmetrical at all. Some of them are fabulous, but would have to weed through a few not-so-desirable ones to find.

I guess first you have to determine if a super-ideal is worth it to you. Maybe take a look at a few GOG videos. I think there are quite a few that show super ideal stones vs GIA Ex/Ex/Ex and other cuts.