Which should I choose?

[Egecan]

Hi everyone!

Going to propose to my girlfriend.

Which of the three would be your choice?

They are similar in price.

1.
Measurements
4.79 - 4.80 x 2.91 mm
Carat Weight
0.41 carat
Color Grade
D
Clarity Grade
VVS2
Cut Grade
Excellent

2.
Measurements
4.63 - 4.65 x 2.93 mm
Carat Weight
0.40 carat
Color Grade
D
Clarity Grade
VS1
Cut Grade
Very Good

3.
Measurements
4.86 - 4.89 x 3.09 mm
Carat Weight
0.45 carat
Color Grade
E
Clarity Grade
VS1
Cut Grade
Very Good




Best,

 

[HappyNewLife]

We would need more info, like pavilion & crown angles, depth and height. Can you post the GIA #s?

Based on the above, I'd go with the first one for being a better cut, but it's not necessarily a diamond we would recommend here at PS without more info

 

[tyty333]

Ditto HNL...

All stones should be in the excellent range. Is the high clarity/high color a cultural thing or can you go lower?
You need to post table, depth, crown and pavilion angles in degrees before we can give you any input (or just post GIA report numbers or post links to the
stones if you have them on hold).

 

[Egecan]

Thanks for the fast responses friends.

1267692679
1182035657
1182909028

Above are the GIA numbers for the three diamonds listed on my first post.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Egecan]

up

 

[TreeScientist]

All of those are pretty bad actually. The .41 D is the least bad, but I would look for other options.

Where are you purchasing (online or retail store) and what is your budget? Also, is there a cultural reason you are going for such high color and clarity? If not, you should look for a better cut and larger diamond in the G/H VS1/VS2 range.

 

[farrahlyn]

Thanks for the fast responses friends.

1267692679
1182035657
1182909028

Above are the GIA numbers for the three diamonds listed on my first post.

Thanks in advance.

Pass on all. You want at least a GIA XXX stone, 2 of those are just Very Good cut. And from there, there are some parameters you want to stick to in order to make sure you're getting a stone with excellent light return. the one with Excellent cut is slightly steep, there's going to be light leakage.

What's your budget, maybe we can help? Do you have to stick to such high color and clarity?

these are all nice:
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-di...m=60&DepthTo=62.30&TableFrom=53&TableTo=57.00

 

[Egecan]

Thanks for the replies.

I'm buying in Turkey. It'll be from a retail store. The high cut/clarity aren't really cultural. But sellers here put great emphasis on these.

So even the 0.41 is not a good buy?

 

[TreeScientist]

Thanks for the replies.

I'm buying in Turkey. It'll be from a retail store. The high cut/clarity aren't really cultural. But sellers here put great emphasis on these.

So even the 0.41 is not a good buy?

Have you thought about ordering from an online retailer. Even with Turkey's VAT of 18%, it may still be much cheaper to order online. I would compare prices online and at your retail store just to check.

No, the .41 is not a good buy. It's what we call a "steep-deep", meaning that the pavilion angle is too deep for at really steep crown angle. This will lead to light leakage. It is borderline GIA excellent, and just because a stone is GIA excellent does not mean that it will perform well.

Post your budget and we'll see what we can find online for you. BlueNile is a good online retailer for European customers, as they have distribution channels in Europe and are used to dealing with European duties and customs (VAT).

If you do decide to go the retail route, keep these parameters in mind:

Carat: Biggest you can afford that meets the other criteria below
Color: G-H (You will never notice G-H color in a mounted stone under .5 carat. Don't waste your money on D)
Clarity: SI1-VS1 (Anything above VS1 is overkill. If SI1, you'll need to check and see if the stone is "Eye-clean" meaning you cannot see inclusions with the naked eye)
Cut: GIA Excellent (But must meet the other parameters below as well)
Depth: 60-62.3%
Table: 54-58%
Crown Angle (CA): 34.0-35.0 (35.5 can work with PA of 40.6, see below)
Pavilion Angle (PA): 40.6-41.0 (40.6 works with CA of 35-35.5, 41.0 with CA of 34. 40.8 can work with CA of 34-35).

Following this advice, I'm sure you can get an excellent diamond above .5 carats for the same price as the D colors you were looking at above.

 

[TreeScientist]

Here's an example:

https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-di...-color-vvs1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-3545691

Great 0.44 carat stone for the price. Converting the price to Lira and adding 18% VAT, the total price would come to 5,470 Turkish Lira.

https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-di...g-color-vs1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-4277822

This larger 0.54 would be 7,700 Turkish Lira including the 18% VAT

How do these compare to the prices you were quoted at the retail store?

 

[Egecan]

Hi again everyone!

Thanks for taking your time for answering, these amazing and detailed feedback. Especially to TreeScientist.

The thing is that there are strict customs regulations in Turkey. It will definately be an issue with them and it might not even make it to my address or with high custom taxes I have to pay.

With this in mind, I am most probably going to purchase a diamond from a retail store here.
I have done some research on this and these were the stones which had the best 'C's I have come by.

Here are two more alternative diamonds which I am considering, but they are approximately $ 700 making them more expensive (approxiamately $1900). Could you also look into these stones?

Here are their GIA numbers:
2185547216
6242993533

I am most probably going to purchase the 0.41 ct.
But please remark on the above two stones.

 

[rockysalamander]

2185547216
6242993533

Both are terrible. All steep-deep. Ask your vendor if they can get any of the stones PP listed. Just given the retail vendor GIA numbers of those stones. See if they can get them.

The 0.41 (1182035657) is the least bad of any you posted (I agree with @TreeScientist). It is a 60/60 style diamond that will return more white light than fire. In spite of that, with a low crown and deep pavilion, I would be concerned about light return. *I* would keep looking.

 

[farrahlyn]

ditto @rockysalamander , don't settle. Use the parameters that @TreeScientist gave you above and have your vendor search for diamonds that fit within those parameters. As rocky pointed out, try to see if they can get one of the ones posted, we are looking at virtual inventory so it's not as if these stones "belong" to jamesallen. It doesnt hurt to ask!

 

[TreeScientist]

ditto @rockysalamander , don't settle. Use the parameters that @TreeScientist gave you above and have your vendor search for diamonds that fit within those parameters. As rocky pointed out, try to see if they can get one of the ones posted, we are looking at virtual inventory so it's not as if these stones "belong" to jamesallen. It doesnt hurt to ask!

Great advice here by @rockysalamander and @farrahlyn . Absolutely don't settle. I'm sure that your vendor could call in one of these stones posted above (they are virtual inventory, meaning that they're located at a wholesaler somewhere in the world and are not "owned" by any retailer yet).

If they can't get one of these for some reason, take the values I posted above to the vendor and tell them to only show you diamonds that fit in that range. Remember, THEY are trying to get YOUR business. You are the customer here, and you're paying a premium to work with this retailer (they're likely charging you 50-60% over wholesale prices, which is their cut). Don't let them hassle you and try and convince you that the diamonds they're showing you are good enough (because they are not).

 

[Egecan]

Friends,

Thank you all for the help, this was really educational for me.
I will be on the look out and may organize an online purchase via friend living abroad.
This thread has made me see that the diamonds sold in Turkey aren't so good in quality.

Thanks so much.
E.

 

[TreeScientist]

Friends,

Thank you all for the help, this was really educational for me.
I will be on the look out and may organize an online purchase via friend living abroad.
This thread has made me see that the diamonds sold in Turkey aren't so good in quality.

Thanks so much.
E.

Honestly, this would probably be the best option (and I know that MANY people living outside of the U.S. do this). If you have a friend in the U.S. and they're planning on visiting Turkey within the next few months, just have it shipped to them (or have them order it for you and pay them back) and they can bring it in their carry-on luggage. Or, if you're planning a visit to the U.S., have it shipped to the friend you're visiting and pick it up when you arrive.