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Which of these two diamonds should I buy?

What are your requirements for eyeclean - do they match the vendors' definitions of that word? Decide what eyeclean means to *you* - clean from 6" face-up? from 15"? from the sides? w/ 20/20 vision in most types of lighting - and have them vet the stones to your specifications.

Both should sparkle like mad - so it really does come down to price, whether you personally prefer something a little larger (that 0.3mm diametre difference would be visible to me even once set) but lower clarity and colour, or something smaller, higher clarity/colour, strong fluor. Does one vendor have the setting/designer you prefer? Upgrade policies for both brands are generous.
 
Yssie said it all! Either way, let us know what you select...we love to drool over jewelry! ;))
 
The Good Old Gold diamond is $421 more. It's not enough of a difference to make my decision easy.

I am just so torn between the one with larger size and the one with better color and clarity. I'm not sure how big the size difference will be when mounted. I appreciate you stating your opinion, Yssie. Does anyone else have one?
 
How color sensitive are you? Have you seen an I in person? Also, are you choosing a solitaire setting or setting with side stones? My mom has an I/J color stone in a halo setting and the stone looks a tad yellow next to the side stones. An I should be fine and it's a good choice if you are considering a solitaire.
 
I have seen an I colored diamond and I thought it looked a little... gray.. for lack of a better word. I guess I didn't really see yellow. I have not seen a properly graded G, though. I have really not been able to find diamonds locally with reliable certs lately.

I'm thinking of getting a setting like this one, only in palladium due to a nickel allergy:
http://www.jamesallen.com/engagemen...destones/2-2mm-0-54ctw-Common-Prong-Ring.html

I have read something about how certain diamond colors look next to palladium, but I can't remember what I read!
 
kindred|1309462205|2959305 said:
I have seen an I colored diamond and I thought it looked a little... gray.. for lack of a better word. I guess I didn't really see yellow. I have not seen a properly graded G, though. I have really not been able to find diamonds locally with reliable certs lately.

I'm thinking of getting a setting like this one, only in palladium due to a nickel allergy:
http://www.jamesallen.com/engagemen...destones/2-2mm-0-54ctw-Common-Prong-Ring.html

I have read something about how certain diamond colors look next to palladium, but I can't remember what I read!
Click to expand...

Yea not all diamonds look yellow when it goes farther from the colorless range. Some look brown and some look gray. Sounds like you saw a "badly graded" I thought. But to be safe I think you should stick with H or above if you are worried about seeing tings of yellow/brown/gray. I have a G stone and I don't see any color at all.

If you are considering a setting from james allen but perhaps you can look and see if they carry a stone to your liking.
 
OCgirl|1309464473|2959349 said:
kindred|1309462205|2959305 said:
I have seen an I colored diamond and I thought it looked a little... gray.. for lack of a better word. I guess I didn't really see yellow. I have not seen a properly graded G, though. I have really not been able to find diamonds locally with reliable certs lately.

I'm thinking of getting a setting like this one, only in palladium due to a nickel allergy:
http://www.jamesallen.com/engagemen...destones/2-2mm-0-54ctw-Common-Prong-Ring.html

I have read something about how certain diamond colors look next to palladium, but I can't remember what I read!
Click to expand...

Yea not all diamonds look yellow when it goes farther from the colorless range. Some look brown and some look gray. Sounds like you saw a "badly graded" I thought. But to be safe I think you should stick with H or above if you are worried about seeing tings of yellow/brown/gray. I have a G stone and I don't see any color at all.

If you are considering a setting from james allen but perhaps you can look and see if they carry a stone to your liking.
Click to expand...

It was actually a well graded stone. I was used to warmer diamonds like J, L and M colored stones and I guess I was expecting more "wow, white" from the I.

Anyone else want to tell me which diamond they would buy?
 
The G is probably the safer bet if you are unsure about the I color. Most people can see a difference between 2 color grades. The ~0.3 mm in diameter difference is barely noticeable to me with loose stones. Once set, the size difference is likely not all that visible.

Just be aware that strong blue fluorescence in a G may cause the stone to turn blue under sunlight, depending on where you live. I bought an I with strong blue fluorescence that turns blue in sunlight in FL, but not in CA. Some people like the effect, some don't care for it.
 
Update:

I received the diamond from Good Old Gold today. It is very beautiful. Unfortunately, I don't have anything to compare it to, because the diamond from Brian Gavin is being held at the FedEx station. I did not know before purchasing that Brian Gavin would not ship to our home address and would require my fiance to pick it up, and the FedEx station is about 30 miles away. My fiance's back is hurting him and he says he's not going to pick up the Brian Gavin diamond until Monday. :(

So anyway, I have a question. Would you be concerned about the GOG diamond only receiving a "high" mark for scintillation on the Gemex report instead of a "very high"? Link here: http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/8293/
 
It was smart to order both. You'll be able to tell if the "I" color is too low for you or whether you like the added size.

I wouldnt worry about the "High" on the gemex since you are getting both stones you can evaluate them together
under all different lighting conditions.

Is the "I" eye-clean?
 
kindred|1310160330|2965005 said:
So anyway, I have a question. Would you be concerned about the GOG diamond only receiving a "high" mark for scintillation on the Gemex report instead of a "very high"? Link here: http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/8293/
Click to expand...


No.

Stones w/ fewer, larger facets return fewer, larger flashes of light.
Stones w/ many smaller facets return tons of twinkles.
Bscope essentially cares about how many flashes of light are returned, so stones of the second type will always be rewarded over stones of the first type.
Doesn't mean stones of the second type are "better" - personal preference for one aesthetic or the other

http://www.goodoldgold.com/Technologies/BrillianceScope/BrillianceScopeStrengths/
 
I have an update:

I am going to keep the Good Old Gold diamond. They are both sparkly and beautiful, but I was worried if they would both be eye clean when I finally get a new eyeglasses prescription.

I took both diamonds to a gemologist today and she said she found the Brian Gavin 91 point SI1's inclusion to be more objectionable, because it is one larger inclusion on the table, than the several smaller inclusions in the 1 ct. SI2.
 
Congratulations on finding the diamond.

Just curious - Did you see a noticeable color difference between the G and the I. I
Know you mentioned you were a bit worries about the I color grade. Just wanna see what your opinion is since you have two loose superior cut diamond side by side.
 
I do see a slight color difference when I compare them side by side, mostly with the side view. The G is a little bit more white.
 
I am bumping this thread up to say that I returned the BG diamond.

I forgot to mention before that the gemologist I took it to said that it had a surface breaking inclusion in the table. Is that common with SI1 diamonds? Is that something I should have known from the plot? I'm thinking that I probably wouldn't have ordered it if I had known about it, as it sounds like that could be a structural concern.
 
That is a feather, might be surface reaching if it is drawn in green on the inclusion map but it is not grade setting, so at worst it is only a VS2 inclusion.
 
1. I am certain that BGD wouldn't dream of including a stone w/ a structurally unsound surface-reaching table inclusion in their signature line, but you can call and check - I imagine they'll be only too happy to confirm for you
2. The AGS plot indicates no external blemishes
 
If the BG inclusion was a durability issue I'm surprised the wouldn't say it or grade it lower.


Regardless congrats on finding "the one"
 
Well, these replies are really confusing. I hope I made the right decision.

I had to rely on the gemologist because my eyeglasses prescription is not up to date and though I couldn't see anything in either diamond, I couldn't tell if they were truly eye-clean or not. The gemologist said that there was a surface breaking inclusion in the center of the BG diamond and she was concerned I would see it in the future. I did like the color of the BG diamond better.
 
I think they are both beautiful and, if you're worried about the inclusion, then you probably made the right decision. But you're probably within the return period if you want to gather more info on it.
 
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