Which diamond to choose?

[James530]

Dear diamond lovers,

Diamond is for a solitaire ring for engagement. Which one would you choose?
Thanks a lot for your advice!

Carat weight:
0.46
Cut: Ideal
Colour: F
Clarity: VS1
Depth %:
61.7%
Table %:
57%
Polish:
Excellent
Symmetry:
Excellent
Girdle:
Medium
Culet:
None
Fluorescence:
None
Measurements: 4.98 x 4.96 x 3.07 mm


Carat weight:
0.46
Cut: Ideal
Colour: D
Clarity: VS2
Depth %:
62.0%
Table %:
54%
Polish:
Excellent
Symmetry:
Excellent
Girdle:
Medium to Slightly Thick
Culet:
None
Fluorescence:
None
Measurements: 4.94 x 4.96 x 3.07 mm

Carat weight:
0.46
Cut: Ideal
Colour: E
Clarity: VS1
Depth %:
61.8%
Table %:
57%
Polish:
Excellent
Symmetry:
Excellent
Girdle:
Medium to Slightly Thick
Culet:
None
Fluorescence:
None
Measurements: 4.95 x 4.94 x 3.06 mm

Carat weight:
0.46
Cut: Ideal
Colour: D
Clarity: VS2
Depth %:
61.3%
Table %:
56%
Polish:
Excellent
Symmetry:
Excellent
Girdle:
Thin to Medium
Culet:
None
Fluorescence:
None
Measurements: 5.00 x 4.98 x 3.06 mm

 

[jillianfl]

I'd say go with the best cut but they all say ideal cut! I am new but the one that sparkles the best is what I'd choose Color wise you won't be able to tell the difference so maybe go with the best clarity stone in this case, that would be my vote, good luck!

 

[Gypsy]

WHo is saying they are ideal?
GIA doesn't have an IDEAL catagory so that better be AGS, anything else is a pass.

 

[Gypsy]

I'd say go with the best cut but they all say ideal cut! I am new but the one that sparkles the best is what I'd choose Color wise you won't be able to tell the difference so maybe go with the best clarity stone in this case, that would be my vote, good luck!

Jillian, Welcome to PS! Thank you so much for your enthusiasm! Maybe, though, you want to spend a bit more time on the forum learning about what constitutes a good diamond choice before advising others?

I suggest you start at the knowledge tab at the top of the page.

Here's a little information to get you started though:

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. And you need a reliable lab report which means GIA or AGS only.
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 with MODERN ROUND BRILLIANTS GIA Ex is not enough.
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 (for round brilliants)
Well one method is to start with a GIA Ex, and then apply the HCA to it.
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.
Is that enough? Not really.
So what you need is a way to check actual light performance of your actual stone. For round brilliants 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. James Allen, BGD, GOG, HPD, ERD and WF do.

The Idealscope is the 'selection tool' for round brilliants. Not the HCA.
So yes, with a GIA round brilliant 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 modern round brilliant 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.

Now fancies (anything other than a modern round brilliant) are very different than rounds. Then you are talking faceting and light return only. And that's much harder. An ASET image can help you with that for fancies: http://www.ideal-scope.com/1.using_ASET_scope.asp As it evaluates light performance by TYPE of light. And the the experienced posters on this board can help teach you about whatever fancy shape it is that you are looking for.
Or, in the case of Princesses and cushions: you can short cut and get an ASG0 cushion or princess. They are RARE though, but we can direct you to vendors that carry them.
With other shapes... you are back to the time consuming method of searching out stones on an individual basis, which means pictures, videos, and ASET images.


I hope you enjoy your time here on Pricescope. We love newbies and helping them learn. So if you ever need something explained to you... just let us know and we'll be happy to help!