Which stone would you go with?

[wetseel22]

So looking at two stones right now for an engagement ring:
1. 2.03 carat, Color G, VS2, CUT= GIA Ex, Polish =VG, Sym = EX, Floresc = NONE, D= 61.1%, T = 56%, Crown = 35 deg, Pav = 40.6 deg
2. 2.08 carat, Color G, VS2, CUT= GIA VG, Polish =EX, Sym = EX, Floresc = NONE, D=60%, T= 60%, Crown = 36 deg, Pav = 40.2 deg

Price was about the same. ~20-21k. Which one would you go with?

 

[Todd Gray]

Date: 6/11/2009 2:13:01 PM
Author:wetseel22
So looking at two stones right now for an engagement ring:

1. 2.03 carat, Color G, VS2, CUT= GIA Ex, Polish =VG, Sym = EX, Floresc = NONE, D= 61.1%, T = 56%, Crown = 35 deg, Pav = 40.6 deg
2. 2.08 carat, Color G, VS2, CUT= GIA VG, Polish =EX, Sym = EX, Floresc = NONE, D=60%, T= 60%, Crown = 36 deg, Pav = 40.2 deg

Price was about the same. ~20-21k. Which one would you go with?

In my opinion, you''ve ranked them in the right order, but the inclusions would also have a bearing on the decision.

 

[stone-cold11]

Yap, #1 stone first.

 

[wetseel22]

Thanks for the feedback on these. When my friend and I looked at the two stones, I would say #1 had a slight (and i mean very slight) hint of color vs #2. you had to look very carefully though.

 

[Todd Gray]

Date: 6/11/2009 2:22:59 PM
Author: wetseel22
Thanks for the feedback on these. When my friend and I looked at the two stones, I would say #1 had a slight (and i mean very slight) hint of color vs #2. you had to look very carefully though.

Every color grade represents a range of color, thus a G can be almost an F or almost an H or somewhere in between and there can also be shades of gray, brown, etc.

How were you comparing the color? Were the diamonds placed upside down under the controlled light of something like a GIA Diamond Light and compared from a side profile? Or were you comparing them face-up? Diamonds are color graded upside down from a side profile under a controlled light source in a dark room because the brilliance, dispersion and scintillation of a diamond can influence color perception when diamonds are graded face-up.

 

[wetseel22]

We looked by placing the diamonds side by side. Looked at the top of the stone and the bottom of the stone.

 

[Todd Gray]

Date: 6/11/2009 2:32:03 PM
Author: wetseel22
We looked by placing the diamonds side by side. Looked at the top of the stone and the bottom of the stone.

Sounds like #1 is G towards H then... Which one is more vibrant to you? Numbers and details aside, that is how to make the decision if you''re able to compare the two diamonds side-by-side. Note that I would ask to see the diamonds in a variety of lighting conditions, including something diffused / limited like under a table or something that will force the diamond to perform in low light - it can make a tremendous difference.

The late great "Rock Doc" (an independent Gemologist) used to step into a dark closet and run a lit match around the perimeter of a diamond (about a foot out) to see how they played with what little light they could pick up that way. Sounds strange, but it''s actually kind of fun and insightful. Doubtful that a retailer will let you do that though, but you get the idea, under a desk / table works just fine.

 

[Lorelei]

First one for me from the info given.

 

[wetseel22]

Is the Polish being VG for #1 not a big deal in comparing the two? On #2, the polish was Excellent. Symmetry on both were excellent.

 

[stone-cold11]

nope, not a big deal except maybe a price premium, layman would not be able to notice the difference between Ex and VG grade.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 6/11/2009 3:03:39 PM
Author: wetseel22
Is the Polish being VG for #1 not a big deal in comparing the two? On #2, the polish was Excellent. Symmetry on both were excellent.

No, not a big deal, the naked untrained eye cannot normally notice any difference between good and above for polish and symmetry, read more here.

http://diamonds.pricescope.com/polish.asp

http://diamonds.pricescope.com/symm.asp

 

[Todd Gray]

Date: 6/11/2009 3:03:39 PM
Author: wetseel22
Is the Polish being VG for #1 not a big deal in comparing the two? On #2, the polish was Excellent. Symmetry on both were excellent.

Personally I''m a fan of GIA Excellent or AGS Ideal polish and symmetry, but will default to proportions foremost over polish if that is the option presented. In a perfect world, here''s what I would look for:

Total depth 59 - 61.8%
Table diameter 53 - 57%
Crown angle 34.3 - 34.8 degrees
Pavilion angle 40.6 - 40.9 degrees
Girdle: between thin to slightly thick (faceted)
Culet: GIA none or AGS pointed
Polish: GIA Excellent or AGS Ideal
Symmetry: GIA Excellent or AGS Ideal

And then once I had an option or two within that range, I would run a computerized proportions analysis (Sarin, Helium, OGI) and take a look at the facet-by-facet structure of the diamond to determine the spread between the measurements that make up the average crown and pavilion angle measurements stated on the lab report. Then I would look at the diamond through an ASET scope, an Ideal Scope (actually I use a desktop version called a SymmetriScope aka Fire Scope) and determine whether a Hearts & Arrows pattern was present by looking at the diamond through a Gems Fantasy Scope... And of course I''d be checking out the extent of the inclusions using 20x / 40x magnification. Welcome to Pandora''s Box - the diamond version.

It should be noted that other combinations of crown and pavilion angle produce similar brilliance, dispersion and scintillation to the range I specify above, such as the 35.0 degree crown angle and 40.6 degree pavilion angle of option #1, however knowing what combination of crown and pavilion angle are likely to produce similar visual performance requires a little research and I''m trying to keep things simple for other forum readers who might run across my comments in this thread.

 

[wetseel22]

Thanks so much for the great feedback everyone!!!