what cut of stone

[myraandrews]

I would like to buy a nice stone about 1 carat in size. I would like it to be internally flawless (IF) and colour D. Colour and clarity makes sense because IF is better than VV1 and colour D is better than E. I understand this.

What type of cut? I have heard of hearts and arrows, super ideal cuts, the eight star cut? NO clue!! Meaningless to me. Is this some marketing gimmick? Which is the best type?

Myra

 

[bone doc]

as you will probably realize from this forum, cut is the most important factor to consider in choosing a stone. it seems complicated but the tutorials on pricescope.com and goodoldgold.com help to demystify this nebulous area. in my opinion, IF if less important than a well cut stone.

bd

 

[dimonbob]

Hi Myra, welcome to the forum,

It looks like you are trying to get the best of the best.
The only problem is getting the best color, cut and clarity all in one 1ct diamond. Not easy!

If you go back to the pricescope home page and find "Search for Cut Quality", click and dial in 1.00-1.15ct, D-E color, IF-VVS2, GIA & AGS certs, you will come up with four very nice cut diamonds. None will be D IF but they will all be very good cuts, very very white and very very clean.

Of course some of our diamonds are there but you asked for the best of the best cut.

 

[Colored Gemstone Nut]

I would like to buy a nice stone about 1 carat in size. I would like it to be internally flawless (IF) and colour D. Colour and clarity makes sense because IF is better than VV1 and colour D is better than E. I understand this.

Hi Myra-My responses will be in bold. First with the color. D&E are indistinguishable from each other unless you are a highly trained professional. Both colors are rare D of course being rarer than E. IF quality. There are D (if) quality 1 ct stones out there. In a Hearts & Arrows cut stone the cut quality is the best out there. Look to be ready to shell out any where from 17-20 grand for a 1 carat. H&A cut stone. If money is not an issue for you and you intend to get the best of the best this is what you will be looking at paying.
If you are looking at saving yourself some money and realistically not being able to tell the difference unless you are under a 10 power scope go with vs-1, vs-2 quality. There are also some really fine examples of si-1 quality stones which are termed eye clean. If you can get your hands on a si-1 clarity stone with faint white inclusions you will not be able to tell the difference with your eyes, especially in an ideal cut diamond because of the light being returned from the ideal proportions it has been cut to.


What type of cut? I have heard of hearts and arrows, super ideal cuts, the eight star cut? NO clue!! Meaningless to me. Is this some marketing gimmick? Which is the best type?

Hearts and Arrows cut diamonds are branded stones which fit into a certain category which fits certain criteria of being branded. For example the thickness and shape and preciseness of the pattern and arrows it displays and internal cut symmetry. The firescope, idealscope/Lightscope display to the viewer the pattern and preciseness at which the stone has been cut. Also the amount of leakage the stone has and the darker the contrast being the black vs. the red colors displayed under the devise the more pop a stone will generate. There are many more factors that play into this, but this is just one example. I've attached an image so you can see what I am referring to. You should get many more responses on this thread, but my advise to you is go with a little lower clarity grade if your willing. You can save yourself thousands of dollars in the process for a cut quality which will shock the bejeezus out of ya'. Remember that clarity is graded under a scope. Inclusions can start to become visible around the si-1 and below range, but not all si-1's. So why pay for something you can't see?

Hope this helps a little-I wish I had some more time to elaborate...

-Josh RIoux
Sitka, Alaska