Which of these two diamonds would you pick?

[steffi123]

Hi All,

I''m a beginner so I don''t know much about diamonds beyond the 4 Cs. I''ve been looking at two diamonds from GoodOldGold and I can''t tell which of the two diamonds is better. The first one is an H&A, 1.32ct, F VS1 and the second one is an H&A, 1.41ct, F VVS2. The smaller diamond, although being of lower clarity, actually looks brighter than the bigger diamond, despite the fact that they are both F diamonds. Can this be because of the picture? Or, is there something in the specifications of the diamonds (table, depth, etc...) that makes the smaller diamond more brilliant?

Here are the links to the diamonds:

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/3365/

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/3364/

Thanks in advance!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

For someone who is new to the 4 C''s, you certainly have chosen two outstanding diamonds! They are both excellent! You cannot compare the stones by those pictures. I am sure they are both far more brilliant and beautiful in person. Both are hearts and arrows and both have excellent light performance. Just choose whichever one fits your budget best!

 

[snlee]

Date: 9/6/2007 6:32:02 PM
Author: diamondseeker2006
For someone who is new to the 4 C''s, you certainly have chosen two outstanding diamonds! They are both excellent! You cannot compare the stones by those pictures. I am sure they are both far more brilliant and beautiful in person. Both are hearts and arrows and both have excellent light performance. Just choose whichever one fits your budget best!

Ditto. Also, have you considered getting an eye clean SI1? You could get a larger stone by going down in clarity. Personally, as long as the diamond is eye clean it''s fine with me and I think VVS2 is overkill.

 

[steffi123]

Hi Snlee,

What do you mean by an "eye clean diamond"? And how can you tell if a diamond is eye clean when purchasing a diamond on the web? Are the two diamonds I posted considered "eye clean"? Thanks in advance for your help!

 

[Ellen]

Date: 9/6/2007 6:47:14 PM
Author: steffi123
Hi Snlee,

What do you mean by an 'eye clean diamond'? And how can you tell if a diamond is eye clean when purchasing a diamond on the web? Are the two diamonds I posted considered 'eye clean'? Thanks in advance for your help!

Hi steffi,

You have the vendor look at the stone to determine it's eyeclean (SI1 and lower).

Both you picked are lovely, but really not necessary as far as clarity. You can go a bit lower, still not see anything, and save some money, and/or get bigger. I'm not sure how low in color you want to go, but here's a nice one in the size you're looking at, still eyeclean (VS2 and above is pretty much a given), and it's a nice price!

http://204.17.89.15/diamond/3339/

 

[FireGoddess]

I like the one Ellen picked - saves you some $ and is still a great color and clarity combo in your size range. Both of the stones you picked are lovely but the VVS2 and VS1 clarities are definitely overkill.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Clarity is really personal preference. I could have gotten a 2 ct stone if I had gone to a lower color and clarity. But I wanted a smaller stone with a little higher color and clarity. I''d actually love to have F VS1 or VVS2! So I think it depends on your budget, and whether maximizing size is the most important thing to you, or whether having a stone with high 4 C''s is important to you. We all have to find the right balance!

 

[FireGoddess]

Date: 9/6/2007 6:47:14 PM
Author: steffi123
Hi Snlee,

What do you mean by an 'eye clean diamond'? And how can you tell if a diamond is eye clean when purchasing a diamond on the web? Are the two diamonds I posted considered 'eye clean'? Thanks in advance for your help!

Eyeclean means that you will not see any inclusions in the stone with your naked eye - now, most vendors stipulate that this is at a viewing distance of 10-12 inches from your eye. You may be able to see inclusions at closer viewing distance. That is why, when asking whether a stone is 'eye clean' I ask if it is still so at 4-5 inches from my eye as well. I'm picky like that. SI graded stones can be eye clean, or not. Have to ask the vendor to be sure.

DS does bring up a good point that clarity is a personal preference. However, most people don't care about inclusions that they can't see. That is why a lot of us steer people towards lower clarities to maximize the other 'C's that people are concerned with, and that are more 'visible' - color and carat (weight). No one will be able to tell whether your stone is IF, VVS1, or VS2 without a loupe. So personally, I'd rather go for VS2 (or lower, if eye clean) and get a better color or larger stone. All of the Cs are personal preference to a certain extent - I prefer colorless stones (DEF)...and up to G, while others are not color sensitive and will go down to J,K, etc to get a bigger rock. Ellen and I were just saying that if you're NOT aware, you can go lower in clarity and not sacrifice anything visually.

 

[risingsun]

Like diamondseeker, I chose a higher clarity and color and got a smaller diamond. My first priority was the cut. We all have different criteria for our sparklies. Just take the time to read the tutorials and make an informed choice

Ellen's choice is terrific...perhaps she'll send it to me as a present

 

[Ellen]

FG, thanks, I answered her last two questions, but not the first!!