Wanting to make a decision

[ilovediamonds2]

I have been watching and asking for help for a couple of weeks now and have turned away from the EGL stone that I saw because of their reputation and the depth of the stone.

My question is I have found a IGL cert ideal/excellent across the board on cut, polish and symmetry that I need some advice about. It is 1.56 F/SI2 that is clean to the eye. The diameter is 7.4 which I understand is correct for the carat weight. The table is 55 and the depth is 61. Crown and pavillion angles were within ideal cut proportion. No cutlet and no flour.

I had my heart set on a 1.75 G/SI1 or SI2 with diameter at the norm of 7.8. I had never considered the F color but it is beautiful. It isn''t H&A and I am not an expert but it seems as though you can see the arrows - not sure about the hearts.

Would there be a significant price difference if I increase carat weight and drop the color to G? Will I notice a big color difference between the F and the G? The F just popped!!

How reliable is the IGL cert?

Thanks for all the help!

 

[belle]

igl? hmmm... do you mean igi? i''m not recollecting an ''igl'' right now (that doesn''t mean it doesn''t exist! could just be a brain drain moment) but most of these small scale labs aren''t as strict as ags or gia. how do you know crown and pavilion angles were within ''ideal cut proportion''?

you won''t notice any difference in color from ''f'' to ''g'' in a properly graded stone.

 

[Bluehammer]

I just returned from an appraiser today and reviewed ideal cut H and G stones. I did not notice a difference at this color range, but I am still getting shipped an F to compare to one of the H color stones. For me I just want to "know" if I see a difference.

I recommend putting the two stones together to see if you can notice a difference (F to G). If you cannot then go with the better value (size/price). If you do see a difference then ask to see each seperately without any other stones. If you can still pick the F out (without being told) then the decision is size vs color.

Many on this board are willing to go down in color to get better size. G is still very good. You have to decide if bigger is better. I have found this board is helpful in pointing you to the ice cream store, but you still have to pick the flavor.

I highly recommend taking the stones out in full sun. I have found that ideal cut stones shine the light differently, even with similar measurements. The full sun test worked for me and gave me the resolve for a final decision. Just my thoughts.

 

[jules916]

Hi,
I just wanted to voice my thoughts and experience on this. I ahve been looking for about a month and just today decided on a stone. Basically I went from having to have a GIA cert stone in a GH or I to getting an EGL I S12. 2.01. I chose between a 1.8 H s12, a 1.8 Gs12, and a 2.01 s12. It came down to the 2.01 and the Gia 1.80. For the life of me I could not tell the difference between the stones except b.c of size one was 1 mm larger.I was shocked and I liked the I stone better I thought it was clearer. By the way, I had intended to buy the 1.8 H as it was a 1.5 gran better deal but didnt. I was all wrapped up in the gradinngs GIA, H, G etc but when it came down to it, I took the stone I liked the look of best. Also, I could clearly pick the color diff in many places I went but between these two stones, I liekd the I better so it just depends on the stones...
Good luck,
Julie

 

[ilovediamonds2]

Thanks Julie,

I too have been searching for awhile. I have a 1.04 now and want to upgrade with a noticeable size difference. Who did you end up buying from? I have been searching for a 1.75 but am having trouble getting one from my local vendor. Are you happier with your decision to go bigger? My husband said last night that he wants me to get what I want since I am upgrading. I just don''t want to settle in this upgrade and regret not getting what I reeeaaallllyyyy want this time. Can you tell me the price difference between the 1.8 and the 2.01?

 

[diamondseeker2006]

You can get an idea of prices by doing the price search on this site. There is a huge jump in price at 2.0 carats. You are better off staying just under 2.0 carats, but there are not a lot of stones in that size range and the good ones get snapped up quickly. I was originally looking for just under 1.5 and my local jeweler couldn''t find me one either. I had to really wait to find any on here. However, I ended up going with a stone that was 1.63! So I am glad I waited!

Good Old Gold happens to have a 1.96 H stone right now. It looks a tiny bit off on cut or else the picture is off, but you could call and ask Tim or Jon about it if you were interested. G-H are generally very desirable because they are at the top of the near-colorless range yet you get a nice price break from the D-F range.

Back to your original question, those colors are very likely to be incorrect from a lab like IGI. I wouldn''t trust the cert for a minute. You''d have to get an independent appraisal to know what you were getting.