What should I buy???

[pochacco]

I need to buy an engagement ring for my gf...
I have been doing research on diamonds lately, and it''s getting too confusing.
There are just too many darn choices...

Color? Clarity? Certifications?

I am think about getting...

Round, 1.31 Carat, F color, VS2 Clarity, Ideal/Excellent Cut,
Excellent Symmatry & Polish, M-FAC Girdle, None Fluorescence
Depth 60.7%, Table: 58.0%
EGL- Israel Certification

for about $5,700

Is it a good diamond?
I want to buy her something that is at least an average.
But, I just don''t know what an average grade diamond is.
I have friends that has already proposed but couldn''t dare to ask them for color and clarity they bought.

If the diamond described above is not so good, could you please give me an idea on the color, clarity, certification???

Thank you all for your time and help~
Danny

 

[stone-cold11]

Grading report, stick to GIA/AGS. The rest likely to be a few grades off in color and clarity.

Graded by these labs, well cut stone will show little color table up, up to H/I.

Clarity, as long as it is eye-clean. Best deals are in the SI1 range as that range it is still relatively easy to get eye-clean stone. Use a trusted vendor.

Around here, cut is the most important, frequently we sacrifice other C just to get Ideal cut. To determine that from numbers, we will need at least the table and depth %, crown and pavilion angles. Other data will be useful such as girdle thickness variation, star and lower facet %, physical dimensions. If these numbers are good, we will need ASET/IS image to make further judgment on the cut.

Reading on ASET/IS.http://www.highperformancediamonds.com/index.php?page=education-performance

 

[tyty333]

Are you looking on line? Just wanted to let you know that the labs preferred around here are GIA and AGS.
EGL and IGI are considered to be soft graders so their color and clarity may be lower than what they might
be graded by GIA or AGS. Just keep that in mind. A sweet spot for color/clarity is around G/H VS2/SI1 (make
sure they are eyeclean). Even well cut I/J color stones should show fairly white from the top (you may see
a hint of color from the side though).

The usual numbers that the experts look for are:

Depth - 60-62%
table - 54-57%
crown angle - 34-35
pavilion angle - 40.6 - 41
(these numbers can be found on the lab reports)

We can make some stone recommendations if we know what your budget is. Hope that is enough info to get you
started. I''ll look to see what I can find for stones.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 7/9/2009 5:01:13 PM
Author:pochacco
I need to buy an engagement ring for my gf...
I have been doing research on diamonds lately, and it's getting too confusing.
There are just too many darn choices...

Color? Clarity? Certifications?

I am think about getting...

Round, 1.31 Carat, F color, VS2 Clarity, Ideal/Excellent Cut,
Excellent Symmatry & Polish, M-FAC Girdle, None Fluorescence
Depth 60.7%, Table: 58.0%
EGL- Israel Certification

for about $5,700

Is it a good diamond?
I want to buy her something that is at least an average.
But, I just don't know what an average grade diamond is.
I have friends that has already proposed but couldn't dare to ask them for color and clarity they bought.

If the diamond described above is not so good, could you please give me an idea on the color, clarity, certification???

Thank you all for your time and help~
Danny

Hi Danny and welcome!

EGL Israel are said to be lenient on grading so I would stick to GIA and AGS graded diamonds, this page explains how the grading labs rank.

http://diamonds.pricescope.com/grading.asp

As to ' average' thats a tough one to answer, many posters here go for an excellently cut diamond of around a carat, some go for G or H colour and VS clarity for quality, others want more size and prefer H to J colour and SI clarity grades if eyeclean. Others want the highest colour and clarity, D IF or VVS. I would say the largest group fall into the first and second categories. If you get a well cut diamond then that is most important for the beauty of the stone.

If you want to buy online then we could suggest some diamonds you might like?

Here are some additional numbers and advice based on the figures Ty gave you

depth - 60 - 62% - although my personal preference is to allow up to 62.4%
table - 54- 57%
crown angle - 34- 35 degrees
pavilion angle - 40.6- 41 degrees
girdle - avoid extremes, look for thin to slightly thick, thin to medium etc
polish and symmetry - very good and above
note - with crown and pavilion angles at the shallower ends ( CA 34- PA 40.6) and steeper ( CA 35- PA 41) check to make sure these angles complement in that particular diamond - eyeballs, Idealscope, trusted vendor input - check as appropriate!

From expert John Pollard.

As the above implies, configurations depend on each other. A little give here can still work with a little take there.

With that said, here's a "Cliff's Notes" for staying near Tolkowsky/ideal angles with GIA reports (their numbers are rounded): A crown angle of 34.0, 34.5 or 35.0 is usually safe with a 40.8 pavilion angle. If pavilion angle = 40.6 lean toward a 34.5-35.0 crown. If pavilion angle = 41 lean toward a 34.0-34.5 crown.

GIA "EX" in cut is great at its heart, but it ranges a bit wider than some people prefer, particularly in deep combinations (pavilion > 41 with crown > 35).

 

[pochacco]

Thank you all for your advise.

This is really helpful...

I am thinking about spending some where around $6,000...

As long as it can''t be tell with naked eyes, it''s bigger the better...

 

[tyty333]

Here''s some
(I''m trying to stay around your price on the other stone)


http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/Whiteflash-ACA-cut-diamond-2141791.htm (check for eyeclean)

http://www.whiteflash.com/round_ideal_cut/Round-Ideal-Cut-cut-diamond-2097590.htm (again, check for eyeclean)

http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/Whiteflash-ACA-cut-diamond-1982327.htm (same here)

The real experts can help narrow it down even further...or can offer some other stones.