Views on Blue Nile Signature Series

[tantan]

Does anyone have a good review on their signature series? Are those good H&A quality? Their prices looks competitive? Are the prices good?

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 5/9/2009 8:39:03 AM
Author:tantan
Does anyone have a good review on their signature series? Are those good H&A quality? Their prices looks competitive? Are the prices good?

To the best of my knowledge I don''t think these are h&a or sold as such, nor do BN provide hearts and arrows images which are needed to evaluate any so called h&a diamond. Some of these do appear to be well cut, however whether they show any degree of h&a is debatable.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I prefer looking at Good Old Gold and WhiteFlash because the stones have been evaluated more and they also have a lifetime trade-in policy which BN does not.

 

[tantan]

Date: 5/9/2009 8:54:27 AM
Author: Lorelei

Date: 5/9/2009 8:39:03 AM

To the best of my knowledge I don''t think these are h&a or sold as such, nor do BN provide hearts and arrows images which are needed to evaluate any so called h&a diamond. Some of these do appear to be well cut, however whether they show any degree of h&a is debatable.

Yes, BN do not provide the image, but supposedly BN is selling the point that it is symmetrically cut according to good H&A on their site. That''s gives me the impression that it should shows good H&A, but juding from the response here, it seems like it''s not really the case...

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 5/9/2009 9:14:43 AM
Author: tantan

Date: 5/9/2009 8:54:27 AM
Author: Lorelei

Date: 5/9/2009 8:39:03 AM

To the best of my knowledge I don't think these are h&a or sold as such, nor do BN provide hearts and arrows images which are needed to evaluate any so called h&a diamond. Some of these do appear to be well cut, however whether they show any degree of h&a is debatable.

Yes, BN do not provide the image, but supposedly BN is selling the point that it is symmetrically cut according to good H&A on their site. That's gives me the impression that it should shows good H&A, but juding from the response here, it seems like it's not really the case...

H&A diamonds can only be judged by images, and hearts images are essential so until I see images which prove a diamond is cut to h&a standards then I reserve judgement. I will post a link which explains more on how h&a are graded by conoisseurs and experts of this cutting style.

http://journal.pricescope.com/Articles/65/1/Hearts-and-Arrows-Diamonds-and-The-Basics-of-Diamond-Cutting.aspx

Also even if a diamond does show distinct hearts and arrows, this doesn't mean that the diamond is considered to be a " true" h&a.

 

[tantan]

Actually does having a H&A really helps to improve the beauty of the stone? If I have a nice AGS0 stone with good HCA, but without H&A as compared to the same with H&A, will that look very different?

 

[Moh 10]

While BN signature is a reputable brand IMHO you can do better with a good PS vendor which will offer more info about the diamond, better service and policies, and the same or a better price than BN.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 5/9/2009 9:44:36 AM
Author: tantan
Actually does having a H&A really helps to improve the beauty of the stone? If I have a nice AGS0 stone with good HCA, but without H&A as compared to the same with H&A, will that look very different?

Not necessarily. The proportions are the bricks and mortar of light return - and therefore beauty and sparkle. So you could have an AGS0 for example with great proportions which is stunningly beautiful, but it does not show h&a. Alternatively you can have a diamond with a strong h&a pattern, but if the proportions aren't good to go with it, the diamond won't have much life. Or you can have the best of both worlds by considering some of the branded h&a cuts such as Infinity which are sold from -

www.highperformancediamonds.com

The new Brian Gavin h&a - www.briangavindiamonds.com

Jon from www.goodoldgold.com also sells great h&a or Whiteflash A Cut Above.

These vendors also supply all the images and info you could wish for to prove the cut precision of their h&a diamonds.

 

[SYC]

Tantan -- I have a BN signature ideal diamond, and it is beautiful. However, I would echo others that there are better vendors out there in terms of the infomration they supply, so you will be better able to judge whether a diamond is a "true" H&A.

I don''t believe Bn signature ideal diamonds are necessarily very consistent in cut. I remember running some through the HCA advisor, and the results ran the gamut. As compared to other ideal cut diamonds from certain vendors, which are cut to very specific proportions.

We went with BN because they had exactly what I wanted in terms of color, cut, and clarity. I figured we could take the risk of getting it w/o Idealscope, ASET, etc., and it turned out very well.

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/pictures.94610/

If you would like to get the very best in terms of cut, and are concerned about H&A, you may want to check out Brian Gavin diamonds and Infinity diamonds.

 

[tantan]

Very useful information from all of you. I am still trying to understand all the different technicalities of searching for a nice stone and this forum is very useful. Thanks to all of you.

 

[Conflagration]

I bought the SO a BN signature diamond after learning a little about cut and cut angle. She LOVES it as it appears on fire upon her hand each and every moment in almost any light. It is indeed a very beautiful diamond! I wouldn''t change my fantastic buying experience for anything. You can find specs and pics if you look at some of my previous posts.

Good luck

 

[Moh 10]

When deciding on a vendor and a diamond think of it as a target that has several circles, each one getting smaller as they get closer to the bullseye.
The bullseye is the perfect diamond from the perfect vendor.

Sure, not everyone will agree on what the "best" is.
Some may say it is Eightstar, while others may not like that cutting style of round.

This order is controversial but . . .
The largest circle may be the chain jeweler in a mall with their high prices, poor goods and bad service.
Then next smaller circle may be a good independent jewelry store.
Next may be Costo.
Next Bluenile signature.
To me the smallest circles in the center will be PS vendors, listed in an order that will be very controversial.

Then it even depends on the cut.
For instance, GOG has a reputation for finding killer asschers.

 

[prettycat]

On BN''s website it says "Blue Nile Signature diamonds reveal the Hearts and Arrows pattern". Here is the link:
http://www.bluenile.com/signature-ideal-round-diamonds

I have never bought a loose diamond from BN though.

 

[beach]

I could be wrong but I do not think BN sends you the actual hearts and arrows image of your diamond when it is purchased.... GCAL is not sufficient to prove their claim.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 5/9/2009 9:01:24 PM
Author: beach
I could be wrong but I do not think BN sends you the actual hearts and arrows image of your diamond when it is purchased.... GCAL is not sufficient to prove their claim.

Ditto

 

[strmrdr]

roll of the dice if you feel lucky order a BN if you want a verified top performer with the data to back up then shop elsewhere....