Will an H colour S1/S2 brilliant cut diamond sparkle?

[Liziboo]

Hello,

My fiance has a friend who's father in law is a retired jeweller. He is able to get us a diamond at a discount. I would like a 2.3-2.5 carat round brilliant, but wondered if an H colour will still look sparkly and brilliant if the diamond is an SI or S2? Am worried that it will cause problems for my fiance if he orders the diamond and has it set and it doesn't look as pretty as I would like. Advice please!

 

[Christina...]

I've never seen a purchase from a friend or friend of a friend have a good outcome on these boards. It always ends with someone feeling as though that got screwed and that person is usually the one in your shoes. Posters have always thought that they were getting the deal of the lifetime, and that has never been the case in my experience, so on top of a not so great deal, a not so great diamond, you also lose a friendship. It's not worth it, I'd walk away from it.

The diamonds cut is what makes it sparkle. We typically only recommend GIA EX and AGS ideal cut stones for this reason and even some of those are better than others. If you'd like us to help you find a great stone within your budget let us know, we'd love to help find you a stone that you will be happy with!

edited for grammar

 

[Bella_mezzo]

If it is well cut, yes. If not, it won't matter what the color and clarity are, it will not look good.

 

[Alexiszoe]

Liziboo,

the scintillation and optical performance is not dependent on the color, but mostly due to the cut. SI1 and SI2 clarity may or may not affect a diamond's performance depending on the type of inclusions and where it is located - a good vendor should be able to pick a good eye clean SI clarity diamond for you. A diamond with very strong fluorescence may sometimes make the diamond look hazy/milky.

There are a ton of resources on this website as well as GOG discussing what affects a diamond's performance - you might find these useful.

http://www.goodoldgold.com/ShapeTutorials/RoundIdealCutDiamonds/
https://www.pricescope.com/wiki/diamonds

 

[Dancing Fire]

Hello,

My fiance has a friend who's father in law is a retired jeweller. He is able to get us a diamond at a discount. I would like a 2.3-2.5 carat round brilliant, but wondered if an H colour will still look sparkly and brilliant if the diamond is an SI or S2? Am worried that it will cause problems for my fiance if he orders the diamond and has it set and it doesn't look as pretty as I would like. Advice please!

look out!!!...friend of a friend jeweler usually the most expensive person to purchase from.

 

[Liziboo]

Thanks so much for your replies! I am wary of going this route, as would like to see the diamond first. I did read about cut being the most important factor, but wasn't sure if the inclusions would affect optical performance. Good to know that others haven't been happy with the outcomes of a similar situation.

As I am UK-based I might look in to buying an old European cut diamond ring from Gray's Antiques market in London. It's a different look, but better than getting something I don't like and causing probs for my other half.

I did consider buying online from the US, but it's costly to send things back and forth (not to mention risky!).

Thanks again for your advice. This is a great forum with LOADS of eye candy to look at

 

[Liziboo]

Alexiszoe - what a stunning ring you have btw!

 

[Alexiszoe]

Alexiszoe - what a stunning ring you have btw!

Thanks!

I think buying from the US might not be a bad idea though - many vendors here have shipped internationally so they should know what to do. How about picking out a stone using the help of other forum members here, and have it sent to a reputable appraiser here, such as Neil Beaty or Dave Atlas? They would be able to tell you if that's a good diamond (and a good price too) or not.

 

[Liziboo]

Will look at that. Thank you.

 

[bunnycat]

Hi Lizi-

I have also never seen a "friend of a friend" is a jeweler and giving me a deal discussion turn out well on here and agree with some other posts here that you might check in to an online purchase from one of the PS recommended vendors. I know the thought of online purchase makes some people feel wary and want to buy in person, but honestly, I almost feel the opposite. Jewelery store lighting is tricky and meant to make every stone sparkle and can cover up problems in a stone that you don't see until later (in at home lighting) and sales people (retired or not) are out to make a sale, to be honest, not to make sure you know how to tell a good cut from a bad one.

Nice older cut stones are actually (IMO at least) harder to buy than modern round brilliants and if you don't know anything about them and what to look for in them, I don't think they are the best route to go. If you look around on here at some of the recent OEC discussions, I think you'll get an idea of how difficult they can be.

There's lots of people on this forum that will be able to help you here with a modern round from a reliable vendor if you post your budget and what you are hoping to get. With extra input, and the ability to look at the numbers on a modern stone you ought to be able to get a nicely performing stone from one of the very reliable vendors here.