What do you guys think of this one?

[Melanie611]

AGS cert: 15 March 2004

1.40ct VS2 F
Measurements: 7.28 x 7.32 x 4.39
Table: 56%
Depth: 60.1%
Culet: 34.7'', 15.3%
Pavilion: 40.6'', 42.6%
Girdle: 0.7% - 1.0%
Polish/Symmetry: Ideal
Fluorescence: Negligible

HCA: 0.6

Blue Nile price: $11,148

Any input would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Stephan]

Nice spread!

 

[Magnum]

It looks from the numbers like it could be a very beautiful diamond, at a reasonable price (Yes, it probably is possible to find a diamond with the same specs for a little cheaper, but that's a rare size/color/clarity/cut combination, so to hold out for something cheaper might take a while). I like VS2 cause it takes a lot of the guesswork out of whether it's eye-clean, even though you pay a little extra for that comfort factor. Both stones I have bought are VS2. F is definitely going to be extremely white, again taking a lot of the guesswork out of whether it faces up white enough for your tastes. And 1.4 is a great size. In my opinion it's a large stone, and you avoid the per carat mark-up at the 1.5 carat mark. As far as the cut goes it has the potential to give excellent light return, depending somewhat of course, on the variance of the numbers and the minor facets, but some might argue we're splitting hairs here. An idealscope picture would be nice to confirm the light return of the diamond, and might provide some insight into the optical symmetry. If it's being sold as a H&A stone it would be nice to see pictures from a H&A viewer to confirm the precision of the H&A, but in my opinion H&A is not an essential. I've bought one stone that is a H&A and one that while shows some arrows, is not a true H&A, and they're both very beautiful.

 

[Melanie611]

Thank you both for your comments. I really appreciate all the advice. Do you think the 60.1% depth is too shallow? Or the girdle too thin? I've been searching everywhere including all the vendor sites here, but just couldn't find anything that really caught my eye and was still in my price range. It's not listed as H&A on the Blue Nile site, though. Will an H&A be that much better than a regular ideal cut?

 

[Magnum]

A 60.1 depth is definitely not too shallow and the girdle is definitely not too thin (It would probably be listed as a Thin girdle on a gia report, and anywhere from thin to slightly thick is ideal) I'll write a little more on my opinion (admittedly non-expert) on H&A in a minute. If you do a pricescope searh on "H&A" or "Hearts and Arrows" you'll find lots and lots of thread debating your question. Also, the pricescope tutorial and the Goodoldgold.com tutorial are really good reads.

 

[Magnum]

The two tutorial's I mentioned are written by people I consider to be experts on the subject, so I definitely suggest you read those, specifically the sections on H&A if you're interested in that. I've purchased two stones in the last couple of months, both ideal cut, one with the H&A pattern. In my opinion they are both amazing looking diamonds. I bought the non-H&A one first, and couldn't be happier with it. When I started learning about H&A, the symmetry of the optical properties really intrigued me. I was a physics major in college, so there's something about near perfect symmetry that I enjoy. Call me a nerd if you like. Between the two stones, despite slightly different angles, they both have excellent brilliance, fire and scintillation. The funny thing is that the non-H&A stone actually has pretty well-defined arrows, too. And while I'm sure they are not as precise as in a H&A stone, they still account for amazing flashes of light. I think you'll find that while the hearts are more difficult to create, the arrows are more mportant and are often found in a lot of ideal cut stones, which is good because you can't see the hearts once a stone's set anyway. The biggest difference I see, is when you look at the two diamonds in diffuse light, the contrast of the H&A diamond is a little more symmetrical than the other which is a little more random, but both are beautiful in their own way. So, if you think that high level of symmetry is something you'd enjoy, a H&A stone is sommething to look into. However if Brilliance, Fire, and Scintillation are your main concern, and a little more randomness isn't a bad thing, then it's probably not necessary to restrict your search to H&A. I hope that helps a little. Good luck in your search.

 

[Melanie611]

Hi Magnum - Thank you so much. Your answers have been a great help. I actually read through both of those tutorials before I started shopping, but was still unsure about whether to get this one or wait for an H&A. Plus it's always nice to get a second opinion

. Especially from someone who has direct experience with both a H&A and a non-H&A ideal cut. And I have noticed that Blue Nile is a bit more expensive than the other stores listed on pricescope, but just couldn't find anything on the other sites. I guess you right...the 1.3-1.45ct range is hard to find. But thank you again for all your advice...

 

[Magnum]

How about this one?
www.niceice.com/privatereserve/../certcopies/GIA13160685/index.htm
It's a 1.38 F SI1 from Niceice for only $8170. They are highly respected here and carry wonderful stones. In their description of this stone, they say it's 100 percent eye-clean, so I'd feel comfortable dropping down to the SI1 vs VS2 as long as the stone is still eye-clean, which I have every confidence that it is. I'll try to post a link, but if it doesn't work, you should be able to cut and paste the link above. If you decide to look into it, I here Robin and Todd are very nice to work with.
Niceice 1.38 F SI1 $8170

 

[maristidou]

Robin and Todd are indeed great to work with ...however I snatched that 1.38 F SI1 a week ago /idealbb/images/smilies/rodent.gif.


https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/our-stone-is-here.14381/




To understand how quickly it went... they barely had it in their hands when I called about it and it was off to my appraiser the next morning.




How about this one from Blue Nile : 1.37 GIA Ideal F SI1 D: 61.5% T: 56% Crown Angle:35.1 Pavilion Angle:40.9 Sym:Ex Pol:Ex Culet: 0.8 Fluo:none 7.11x7.16x4.39
It sells for $8780 ($8648 Wire Transfer) and gets a 2.1 Score




or I just found this (It must be new I did not see it last week)




Good luck! Whatever you deside you have to move fast with colorless stones in the ~1.4ct range.




Melina