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What is the best choice with budget $6000?Need your help.

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flyingangelet

Rough_Rock
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Sep 11, 2009
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Hi,



My friend told me many people at this forum are very knowledgable about diamonds. So I registered and post my first aritcle here. :)

It is about the diamond for engagement ring.

First of all I want a ideal cut stone. Previously I thought F color is good enough and I wanted a diamond about 1 Carat. After reading some articles I am not sure if F color is the right choice because maybe it is not white enough? Since the budget is limited (~$6000), I think maybe it''s better to get a D color one and ~0.90 Carat diamond?
Which choice is better?
(1)Ideal cut, D color, ~0.9 Carat, clarity VS2
(2)Ideal cut, F color, ~1.0 Carat, Clarity VS2

I am also not sure if Vs2 is ok if the color is D? Will the inclusions at the grade of VS2 eliminate the whiteness of color D?



Or, let me put the question this way, if the budget is $6000, what is the best choice (not limited to above two) ? Can you recommend some choices to me ?




Thanks a lot for your help.

Jane

 
Given those 2 choices, I would for sure go F 1ct. If it was for me, I''d go G or H and get 1.10ct+.
 
First off, who graded the stones and what is the report type. That will have an important effect on the word Ideal used to describe the cut.

Will need the depth %, table %, crown and pavilion angles, to have a rough judge on the cut. Best to have access to IS/ASET image.

And where did you read that F is not white enough? Most people can't tell the difference between an Ideal cut D to G unless loose and pavilion up. Also, inclusion has nothing to do with color.
 
Right now I do not have specific stones in mind. I want to have a rough pattern before searching the stones.

I checked James Allen / White Flash / Blue Nile and the reports are either GIA or AGS. So I think the grade of "idea cut" from these reports should be fine. right?

What I want to do is first get a rough idea of the choice, then looking for some diamonds according to the choice, and compare various paramters, like the sarin/ideal scope/aset, etc.

Need more suggestions. thanks. :)
 
No, GIA best cut grade is Ex, AGS best cut grade is Ideal, AGS0. GIA Ex cut allows for some combination that are leaky and not the best performance so we prefer to judge the cut with an Idealscope/ASET image.

Vendor cut grade has their own criteria. For example, JA ideal cut is for stone with a table of <58%, some still look bad because of the angles and some great stone, AGS0 cut graded, are in the premium grade because they have a table larger than 58%.
 
Out of the $6K budget, how much will you allocate to the diamond?
 
Stone-cold11,

Thanks for your detailed explanations. :)

Yeah. Based on your comments I want a GIA excellent cut or AGS AGS0 cut.

You said it is possible a AGS0 cut stone may be put into premium cut category at JamesAllen. I always neglected premium cut ones when I browsed JamesAllen. It seems I should check more details next time before neglecting it if I find a premium cut one at JA. hehe.
 
$6000 is for the loose diamond. It would be great If I can get a good one at lower price.:)
 
Ya, do that, you will be surprise at what you can find... :P
 
swingirl, thank you very much for your help. I prefer clarity >= VS2. :)

Another question is about the Polish and Symmertry. When I searching pricescope, I usually neglect the stones that do not have Excellent Polish or Excellent Symmertry. Is this criteria too strict? Did I miss some good stones by doing this?
 
You might need to drop in size. 0.9ct F VS2

If you can find an eye-clean SI1 with a well-positioned inclusion that doesn''t easily show many people would prefer the extra carat weight and size.
 
Ya, too strict, layman with naked eye cannot tell the difference between VG and Ex polish and symm.

No need to junk SI1/2, as long as they are eye-clean, which is possible, have the vendor check out for you, they will not look any different from an IF stone.
 
$6029 with PS discount.
Whiteflash Ideal cut .915ct E VS2 with AGS 0 cut.

http://www.whiteflash.com/round_ideal_cut/Round-Ideal-Cut-cut-diamond-2163483.htm

$5631 .903ct F VS2 ACA with AGS 0 cut

http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/Whiteflash-ACA-cut-diamond-2169546.htm

$5616 .904ct F VS2 ACA with AGS 0 cut.
http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/Whiteflash-ACA-cut-diamond-2119055.htm

Gosh I wish HPD and Brian Gavin put their stones in the PS look up too.
It makes it so much easier to search in one place and compare.
 
I am all about size (
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) and CUT. Cut = sparkle and beauty. Don''t compromise there.

When I was a nervous newbie, my first diamond purchase was a beautiful AGS-0 1.53 G/VS stone. That was a nice "safe" color/clarity combo, and the biggest well-cut stone I could find in the budget.

BUT, I hung around here awhile and learned a LOT. And I started to see that once they are set, there really isn''t much difference IRL between DEF/VS stones and carefully chosen (eyeclean) GHIJ/SI stones. So I looked around awhile, and finally found my (current) upgrade. A killer AGS-0 2.36 J/SI2 RB. Now don''t take my word for it -- take a look for yourself here: Link

So my point is, you can probably go a LOT lower in color and clarity than you think, and still end up with a GORGEOUS diamond. Maybe way bigger than you thought (never a bad thing, IMHO!), or maybe come in under budget. (Not a bad thing, either!)

Oh, BTW, one last thing: don''t make the mistake of judging *lower* color/clarity stones by most of the crap you see in the mall! The diamonds in my area that I saw in person were YELLOW and visibly included.
14.gif
Thanks but no thanks there! No, I am talking about ideal cut diamonds graded by a reputable lab, like those sold by PS vendors.
 
Very appriciate for all the suggestions and comments!
1.gif


This stone would be my first stone. I want the color >=F although I am not sure if this is necessary since I heard many people say G/H color is also very good . My concern is: when put two stones with different colors (F and G/H) together, can we see the difference if we assume all of the other parameters are same?
 
Date: 9/11/2009 9:12:58 PM
Author: flyingangelet

... when put two stones with different colors (F and G/H) together, can we see the difference if we assume all of the other parameters are same?
Click to expand...

Don''t worry. My experience is that different (well cut) diamonds side by side in a setting will *match* (and look) just FINE within a color grade or two either way. I have even seen more dramatic color grades look fine, too. For example, one color grade for a center stone, and side stones (at an angle and on a different *plane*) several grades different -- and still looks awesome. At least to my eyes! (And I am persnickety!!!
2.gif
1.gif
9.gif
)
 
Prefer the IS of 1255584, the other stone''s IS might be tilted, can''t be certain. Also, note the arrow size, some prefer a thinner arrow shaft than the first stone.
 
Date: 9/11/2009 7:46:29 PM
Author: Stone-cold11
No, GIA best cut grade is Ex, AGS best cut grade is Ideal, AGS0. GIA Ex cut allows for some combination that are leaky and not the best performance so we prefer to judge the cut with an Idealscope/ASET image.
Click to expand...

i wonder...
what doesnt GIS have stricter standards when grading diamonds?
Couldnt they match up with AGS more and not let leaky diamonds pass through?

Are there chances that there are leaky AGS ideal 0 graded diamonds too ?
 
Date: 9/11/2009 8:27:55 PM
Author: kenny
$6029 with PS discount.
Click to expand...
what does PS discount mean?
 
Date: 9/12/2009 2:52:37 AM
Author: haagen_dazs

what does PS discount mean?
Click to expand...

PS discount is PriceScope discount, if you are a member of PriceScope, certain vendors has a special discount available to you. Usually the price will be reflected when you search for a stone using the pricescope your diamond tool above, or just ask the sales rep.
 
Date: 9/12/2009 2:43:40 AM
Author: haagen_dazs
Date: 9/11/2009 7:46:29 PM

Author: Stone-cold11

No, GIA best cut grade is Ex, AGS best cut grade is Ideal, AGS0. GIA Ex cut allows for some combination that are leaky and not the best performance so we prefer to judge the cut with an Idealscope/ASET image.
Click to expand...

i wonder...

what doesnt GIS have stricter standards when grading diamonds?

Couldnt they match up with AGS more and not let leaky diamonds pass through?

Are there chances that there are leaky AGS ideal 0 graded diamonds too ?
Click to expand...

GIA, who knows, wrong methodology used when developing their cut grade? Check out the journal, there are several articles on it. Some think it is more beautiful that way...

There are some AGS0 stones that are leaky, not a lot. That is why we would like to see an ASET/IS image for every stone just to be sure.
 
Date: 9/11/2009 9:30:43 PM
Author: Stone-cold11
Prefer the IS of 1255584, the other stone''s IS might be tilted, can''t be certain. Also, note the arrow size, some prefer a thinner arrow shaft than the first stone.
Click to expand...
could someone tell me

does a thin arrow shaft = steeper or gentle pavilion angles?

or
thin arrow shaft = longer or shorter depth girdle facet ?

or is there no correlation at all?
 
Date: 9/14/2009 9:51:15 PM
Author: haagen_dazs

Date: 9/11/2009 9:30:43 PM
Author: Stone-cold11
Prefer the IS of 1255584, the other stone''s IS might be tilted, can''t be certain. Also, note the arrow size, some prefer a thinner arrow shaft than the first stone.
Click to expand...
could someone tell me

does a thin arrow shaft = steeper or gentle pavilion angles?

or
thin arrow shaft = longer or shorter depth girdle facet ?

or is there no correlation at all?
Click to expand...
On the report look for the "Lower Facets" or Lower Girdle Facets number. The higher the number the narrower the arrows. Generally you get greater scintillation with narrower arrows. This is generally a matter of taste. Generally 70-80 is acceptable.
 
Thinner the arrow shaft, longer the lower girdle facet.

Also, the numbers are generally from 75-85%.
 
I''ve compared an F,H, and I side by side face up (all ideal cut,VS2, and all set in similar solitaires), and I could tell a difference. But the H and I weren''t ugly by any means, just a bit creamier in color.

I have a .9 F Vs2 Ex/Ex/Ex cut and I lurv it :) And nobody''s guessed it''s not a full carat. My aunts who are all diamond mavens, put it at 1ct or slightly above. I think with the right setting, the difference between .9 and 1 is pretty negligible.

And I personally like having a diamond that''s "colorless", even though I know the cut offs are arbitrary and a total marketing plow, it still makes me feel happy and special.
 
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