Which of these 2 would you choose?

[Shale]

I am trying my best to decide on a diamond. I want something just under .60 and it has become a battle between color and clarity. My budget is around 1500 for the stone and I am looking at a 700 dollar platinum semi bezel setting. Any comments/suggestions?

Diamond 1 - $1420
Round
0.57
Ideal
G
VS2
GIA

Measurements: 5.35-5.39x3.30mm
Depth: 61.5%
Table: 55%
Girdle: Medium to Slightly thick
Culet: NONE
Polish: VERY GOOD
Symmetry: VERY GOOD
Fluorescence: NONE


Diamond 2- $1450
Round
0.57
Ideal (H&A)
E
SI1
GIA

Measurements: 5.38-5.39x3.28mm
Depth: 60.9%
Table: 55%
Girdle: Thin
Culet: NONE
Polish: EXCELLENT
Symmetry: EXCELLENT
Fluorescence: NONE

 

[hoorray]

I like #2 better if it is eye clean. Talk to the vendor and get details on the inclusions -- size, type, color and location. Ask if any break the surface, and can normal eye sight see them un aided from any direction. If not, E is a great color (G is fine too, but E is better IMO), and it looks like a tightly cut stone. I would trade off clarity for better color any day as long as it is in the eye-clean range that you can't see.

Get crown and pavilion angles to ensure the light return will be good. Your vendor probably needs a sarin report fo rthat, but many manufacturers can supply one with the stone.

 

[Magnum]

I recently purchased a 0.614 carat stone, and my criteria were as follows. As far as clarity, I just wanted it to be eye-clean, and in a stone this size, that should be easily accomplished by VS2, and in most cases SI1. I wanted an SI1, as long as I could make sure it was super eye-clean, but I wounded up getting a VS2, which is pretty much a certainty to be eye-clean. I wouldn't have paid for any clarity better than VS2, though. As far as color, I was shooting for a G, since smaller stones show even less color than larger stones, and a G should be very very white. I wound up getting an H, and even table down, I can barely see a difference next to an E color stone, so an H in this size should be very white. The moral of my story is that I had a target for the color and the clarity i wanted, but I adjusted it because the most important factor in my decision was the cut of the stone, and the 0.614 H VS2 was the best cut stone I cound find in my color/clarity range. I wouldn't worry too much about the difference in the color clarity combinations. I would almost bet that it would be very hard to tell any difference in color/clarity between the E SI1 (assuming eye-clean SI1) and the G VS2, especially if they weren't side by side. The bigger question is which stone is cut better. With just table and depth information, it's tough to tell that. Both are within the ideal range, but there are other factors that determine whether a stone is ideal cut or not, like the crown and pavilion angles that lop mentioned. At a minimum, I'd want to know what those angles were before I made my choice. After that, i'd like Idealscope pictures and H&A pictures (especially since one is listed as a H&A), which would give me an even better idea on light performance and optical symmetry (not the same and more important than the symmetry graded on a GIA report). As far as which vendors to use, I'd use the "cut quality" search on Pricescope's homepage, which lists stones from several vendors, nearly all of whom have gotten good reviews here. The stones listed there all have the crown/pavilion angles listed, so you can get a better idea of the cut. One final thing about why cut was the most important factor in my search is that besides determining the light return (flashes & sparkle), a well cut stone can appear whiter face-up, and hide inclusions that may be visible in a more poorly cut stone. Just something to think about. it appears that you've already decided you want an ideal cut stone, but I'd want more information to determine if it really is, besides a vendor just listing it in their group of "ideal" cut stones.

 

[valeria101]

Most likely you will not be able to tell these apart in person, unless there is some huge black chunk right in the middle of the table of the second stone - not exactly likely, btw.

It may be hard to decide between grades on paper, but quite easy with the contenders lined up

 

[chris-uk04]

The smaller the diamond gets, the lower quality and color you can go without it being visible at all. It will be impossible to tell via your naked eye the difference between a GIA certified SI1 or a VVS1 at 0.65 carats. There is a strong chance that at that carat size, a SI2 will also be "eye clean."

Similarly colour, will be less obvious. I definitely wouldn't waste money on anything higher than a G, because you will be wasting size on quality that you cannot see.

Personally, I'd pass on both of those stones and keep looking until you find a better combination.

 

[69gm]

if i had to choose between both of these stones, i too, would pick the second one. check to make sure the SI1 is eye clean, which many of them are. also getting the crown and pavilion angles are a must.

the expert here could probably tell you if the "price is right".

good luck!

 

[69gm]

btw, did you try to enter your criteria here at PS to see if anything bounced back at ya'?