Whats the best combination of cut, clarity etc for earrings?

[DiamondBaby]

Hi,
I am looking to buy a pair of diamonds to get made up onto earrings, probably from blue nile. I am looking at between 1 - 1.5 tcw.
I have no idea what is the minimum standard that i would have to look for in the diamonds, or what the best combination of cut, clarity etc would be.

Can you compromise on those aspects for size?? Any photos would also be a great help.

Thanks

 

[Viya]

Re: Whats the best combination of cut, clarity etc for earri

It all depends on your budget. If you want perfectly Eye clean then I would suggest you stick with S I2 or higher clarity with H, I or better color.

 

[JoeNewbie11]

Re: Whats the best combination of cut, clarity etc for earri

Cut: Excellent - Ideal
Color: G or H if color sensitive, otherwise I color
Clarity: SI2 or I1, no need to pay for better clarity. Ensure I1 does not affect performance or have a lot of carbon.

 

[Upgradable]

Re: Whats the best combination of cut, clarity etc for earri

Some suggest staying on the shallow end of ideal for earrings. They retain their "brilliance" longer even when a bit dirty.

 

[DiamondBaby]

Re: Whats the best combination of cut, clarity etc for earri

Thanks

Viya, JoeNewbie11 and Upgradable.

It has given be a great point to start looking.

Would the same apply to a single stone for a pendant, round brilliant, or would you be going up in terms of cut clarity etc???

 

[endless_summer]

Re: Whats the best combination of cut, clarity etc for earri

I don't have any experience with Blue Nile, but I would take a look at matched pairs at either BGD (signature H&A) or Whiteflash (ACA), which would provide you with plenty of super ideal pairs to choose among with the images/ASETs/Idealscopes. As for color, that is totally your preference. Clarity - you can call to have them confirm whether the stones are eyeclean (sometimes the eyeclean designation is written already). In smaller stones, you should be able to find eyeclean SI stones. If I were to compromise somewhere, it would be by choosing eyeclean SI stones, rather than compromise on the cut, size, or color

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Re: Whats the best combination of cut, clarity etc for earri

Whoa, umm, you've been given very questionable advice! I agree with endless summer! I wouldn't personally order from Blue Nile since they don't offer photos of the stones or idealscope images (other than some of their signature stones). BUT, if I did, I definitely would not order lower than SI1 because of the higher possiblity of the diamonds not being eye clean at SI2 and I1. Plus low clarity can diminish the brilliance of the stones!

My studs are H VS2 and I could recommend down to I SI1 for others. But not all SI1's are eyeclean, so you'd have to check it out and return if it turned out not to be. I think good quality is preferable for all diamonds. I'd rather wear good quality simulants than crappy quality real diamonds. Mine came from WhiteFlash and I highly recommend them. They have a great upgrade policy which I have used.

 

[kenny]

Re: Whats the best combination of cut, clarity etc for earri

Whatever combination each person prefers is 'best' for that person.

Guess what, people vary.

 

[Gypsy]

Re: Whats the best combination of cut, clarity etc for earri

For round brilliant studs? I prefer J/K and Si1 clarity. Si2 clarity okay if the clarity is based on twinning wisps that do not impact brilliance.

You don't see studs from the profile. So the tint isn't evident, and all the light return is. My friends' all have J/K earrings (all pricescopers) and I personally wouldn't pay for higher color.

I would get great cut GIA Ex cuts. And my personal preference is for 60/60 stones (spread and lots of white light return) with a pavillion angle between 40.6 and 41 and an IDEALSCOPE IMAGE. And a crown angle between 33.5-35. With fluorescence if I can find them.

Bang. For. Buck. From a vendor that provides idealscopes and images.

 

[Gypsy]

Re: Whats the best combination of cut, clarity etc for earri

Something like this: http://www.b2cjewels.com/dd-5107990-0.81-carat-Round-diamond-K-color-VS2-Clarity.aspx?sku=5107990&utm_source=pricescope.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=pricescope.com

Would be perfect. IMO. And if you can find an eyeclean SI1 with fluorescence (that is not over blue)... that would be even better.

But I think this stone has fantastic potential as long as B2C can get you an idealscope.

 

[PintoBean]

Re: Whats the best combination of cut, clarity etc for earri

I had BGD pick me GIA XXX. K, SI2 eye clean, med blue fluor.

Going down to K, I wanted fluor for sure.

 

[lioness]

Re: Whats the best combination of cut, clarity etc for earri

For round brilliant studs? I prefer J/K and Si1 clarity. Si2 clarity okay if the clarity is based on twinning wisps that do not impact brilliance.

You don't see studs from the profile. So the tint isn't evident, and all the light return is. My friends' all have J/K earrings (all pricescopers) and I personally wouldn't pay for higher color.

I would get great cut GIA Ex cuts. And my personal preference is for 60/60 stones (spread and lots of white light return) with a pavillion angle between 40.6 and 41 and an IDEALSCOPE IMAGE. And a crown angle between 33.5-35. With fluorescence if I can find them.

Bang. For. Buck. From a vendor that provides idealscopes and images.

Will remember this for future reference. Thank you for posting.

 

[DiamondBaby]

Re: Whats the best combination of cut, clarity etc for earri

Thanks all for posting,

It has certainly given me a lot to look at. In relation to vendors, i was going with bluenile, as they ship to where i live, and taxes etc are taken at source. I know the likes of whiteflash ship worldwide, i am just not sure what happens with tax and duty when they get here (Ireland).

Gypsy, you posted in relation to fluorescence, and to have some in the earrings. I always thought that it was a bad thing to have in the stones. Can you explain that for me please!!

What is the significance of getting the imaging? I know that Bluenile don't do that for the stones??

Thanks Again!

 

[endless_summer]

Re: Whats the best combination of cut, clarity etc for earri

Gypsy will have better information than I can provide, but fluorescence is not necessarily a bad thing in stones and, in some instances, can be a good thing. Anecdotally, fluorescence got a bad rap because at some point in the past a few unscrupulous sellers used it to pass off stones at a higher color than they actually were. Additionally, in certain instances, fluorescence can cause an oily/hazy appearance in stones. However, giving the appearance of a higher color can work in your favor depending on the color that you are considering, and the number of stones that take on an oily/hazy appearance is small. If you work with a vendor that you can trust, you can ask if the fluorescence has any negative effects on the stones that you are considering to weed the oily/hazy ones out. For example, the stones in BGD's blue line are hand picked to not have this quality, and they are a little bit more cost-effective than those in the signature line.

Here is some educational information regarding fluorescence from Good Old Gold:

reading material: http://www.goodoldgold.com/Fluorescence/
video (a consumer's guide to understanding fluorescence): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKDshYGBdko

Imaging is an important thing because it can help you evaluate cut (most important thing!) though the ASETs & Idealscope images, and magnified images of the actual stones can help you evaluate the inclusions.

 

[Gypsy]

Re: Whats the best combination of cut, clarity etc for earri

Endless summer did a great job.

Here's a couple links that will summarize it all for you:
https://www.pricescope.com/wiki/diamonds/diamond-flourescence
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/calling-all-florescence-experts.198989/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/calling-all-florescence-experts.198989/[/URL]

 

[Gypsy]

Re: Whats the best combination of cut, clarity etc for earri

Significance of imaging. First, if it is a VS2 or SI1 stone you need to see the inclusions. Second, read below:

The entire purpose of faceting a diamond is to reflect light.
How well or how poorly a diamond does this determines how beautiful it is.
How well a diamond performs is determined by the angles and cutting. This is why we say cut is king.
No other factor: not color, not clarity has as much of an impact on the appearance of a diamond as its cut. An ideal H will out white a poorly cut F. And GIA Ex is not enough. And you must stick to GIA and AGS only. EGL is a bad option: [URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/egl-certification-are-any-of-them-ok.142863/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/egl-certification-are-any-of-them-ok.142863/[/URL]
So how to we ensure that we have the right angles and cutting to get the light performance we want?
https://www.pricescope.com/wiki/diamonds/diamond-cut
Well one method is to start with a GIA Ex, and then apply the HCA to it. YOU DO NOT USE HCA for AGS0 stones.
https://www.pricescope.com/wiki/diamonds/holloway-cut-advisor
The HCA is a rejection tool. Not a selection tool. It uses 4 data points to make a rudimentary call on how the diamond may perform.
If the diamond passes then you know that you are in the right zone in terms of angles for light performance. Under 2 is a pass. Under 2.5-2.1 is a maybe. 2.6 and over is a no. No score 2 and under is better than any other.
Is that enough? Not really.
So what you need is a way to check actual light performance of your actual stone.
That's what an idealscope image does. https://www.pricescope.com/wiki/diamonds/firescope-idealscope
It shows you how and wear your diamond is reflecting light, how well it is going at it, and where you are losing light return. That is why you won't see us recommending Blue Nile, as they do not provide idealscope images for their diamonds. BGD, James Allen, GOG, HPD, ERD and WF do.

The Idealscope is the 'selection tool'. Not the HCA.
So yes, with a GIA stone you need the idealscope images. Or you can buy an idealscope yourself and take it in to the jeweler you are working with to check the stones yourself. Or if you have a good return policy (full refund minimum 7 days) then you can buy the idealscope, buy the stone, and do it at home.


Now if you want to skip all that... stick to AGS0 stones and then all you have to do is pick color and clarity and you know you have a great performing diamond. Because AGS has already done the checking for you. That's why they trade at a premium.

 

[Andelain]

Re: Whats the best combination of cut, clarity etc for earri

You'll get different opinions on color, depending on how color sensitive the person it. For example, I had a pair of K's, .84 CTW, and I gave them to a friend. I replaced them with the same size, cut, and clarity in E's. To me, the difference is obvious.