Find your diamond
Find your jewelry
shape
carat
color
clarity

Would you buy this diamond??

Status
Not open for further replies. Please create a new topic or request for this thread to be opened.
Unless you have an unlimited budget, buying a diamond is mostly about trade-offs. What is important to you? Is hitting the 3-ct mark the most important factor for you? Do you want the diamond to look as big as possible? Is scintillation (white sparkle) and fire (colored sparkle) an important factor in your purchasing decision? Do you care if the diamond has a hazy look to it, or noticeable specks?

If you can't have all of the above on your budget (which is how much, by the way?), then which factors would you sacrifice and which are must-haves?

FYI, your diamond has an HCA score of 3.7 (suggesting it looks fairly large for its carat weight, is reasonably bright, but may not have the best scintillation and fire). It has several clouds as the grade-setting inclusion (which may give the diamond a hazy appearance), along with several black carbon spots under the table (which at an SI2 clarity grade and 3-ct size, may well be visible to the naked eye).

So, I pose your question back to you: Would you buy this diamond?
 
Exactly why I'm wresting with this question, drk14!

Budget is $35k including setting.

I would like to be in the 2.5-3ct range. I"m almost thinking about backing down a bit on size to get a bit better color & clarity, but I still want the excellent cut.

I need to go back and look at this diamond without my contacts in... I do not see well close-up with them in and noticed nothing in the diamond.
 
lesliek|1410142088|3746757 said:
I need to go back and look at this diamond without my contacts in... I do not see well close-up with them in and noticed nothing in the diamond.
Click to expand...

My opinions are educated guesses based on the scant data available from the GIA report. To allow PS members to assist you with diamond selection, you need to have the vendor provide high-definition photos and/or videos of the diamonds, along with IdealScope and/or ASET images, as well as images through a Hearts & Arrow viewer, if applicable. Not all vendors are able to provide such data, which is why PS members typically only recommend a handful of internet vendors.

Where are you shopping? Are you open to considering other vendors?
 
You're right, it's not an online vendor, but an independent dealer. I know a well-cut J can look much brighter/whiter and not yellow, but I'm worried that once the diamond is not under the bright lights that it could look totally different.
 
lesliek|1410142088|3746757 said:
Exactly why I'm wresting with this question, drk14!
Click to expand...

To get the best help, you will have to do some soul searching and set some priorities. On this website, most members value "light performance" above all (e.g., brightness, scintillation, fire, etc.), which is primarily correlated to the quality of the cut (which is why you'll often see the phrase "cut is king" thrown around). And there is much more to "cut" than the "cut grade" assigned by the grading laboratories. This being said, some diamond shoppers have different priorities, and may be happy with a reasonably bright, but not super-sparkly diamond, as long as it has a large size. There is nothing wrong with that if that's your true preference. But unless you specify otherwise, the advice you will get here will lead you to a diamond with excellent light performance, reasonable clarity (what we call "eye clean"), a reasonably white color (within your stated tolerance for tint), and a size that maxes out your budget.

If you haven't seen it already, you should check out the Diamond Search Tool:
https://www.pricescope.com/diamond-search-results

For up to $33k (leaving $2k+ for a setting), there are now 480 diamonds on the market with specs G-I color, VS1-SI1 clarity (GIA or AGS graded).
 
lesliek|1410143820|3746775 said:
You're right, it's not an online vendor, but an independent dealer. I know a well-cut J can look much brighter/whiter and not yellow, but I'm worried that once the diamond is not under the bright lights that it could look totally different.
Click to expand...

Are you open to using an internet vendor? If you use one of the PS recommended vendors, you can typically expect to get a higher-quality diamond at a lower price, with more generous policies for return/refund (if you're not happy with the way the diamond looks when you get it home), as well as buy back and trade-up (in case you want a bigger diamond down the road), compared to a brick-and-mortar dealer.
 
No, I do think that is exactly what I want... not only bright, but sparkly! I want the fire & brilliance! I have had an asscher cut for 10yrs, so this round brilliant is definitely going to be SPARKLY.

I'll browse the internet vendors... but honestly the prices I'm seeing here online are about what I'm being quoted. :)
 
lesliek|1410145311|3746788 said:
I'll browse the internet vendors... but honestly the prices I'm seeing here online are about what I'm being quoted. :)
Click to expand...

If you want to continue to work with your dealer, that's fine, too, but unless they are able to provide photos and light performance data (e.g., IdealScope or ASET, etc.), the PS members will be very limited in the type of advice they can give you.

Also, what kind of policies does your dealer have for returns, future buy back, or trade-up?




ETA: Seems like comparable diamonds to the one you linked run about $25k from the PS vendors. What is the price you're being quoted by your dealer?
 
No. It's a VERY bad 60/60 styles stone.

The entire purpose of faceting a diamond is to reflect light.
How well or how poorly a diamond does this determines how beautiful it is.
How well a diamond performs is determined by the angles and cutting. This is why we say cut is king.
No other factor: not color, not clarity has as much of an impact on the appearance of a diamond as its cut. An ideal H will out white a poorly cut F. And GIA Ex is not enough. And you must stick to GIA and AGS only. EGL is a bad option: [URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/egl-certification-are-any-of-them-ok.142863/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/egl-certification-are-any-of-them-ok.142863/[/URL]
So how to we ensure that we have the right angles and cutting to get the light performance we want?
https://www.pricescope.com/wiki/diamonds/diamond-cut
Well one method is to start with a GIA Ex, and then apply the HCA to it. YOU DO NOT USE HCA for AGS0 stones.
https://www.pricescope.com/wiki/diamonds/holloway-cut-advisor
The HCA is a rejection tool. Not a selection tool. It uses 4 data points to make a rudimentary call on how the diamond may perform.
If the diamond passes then you know that you are in the right zone in terms of angles for light performance. Under 2 is a pass. Under 2.5-2.1 is a maybe. 2.6 and over is a no. No score 2 and under is better than any other.
Is that enough? Not really.
So what you need is a way to check actual light performance of your actual stone.
That's what an idealscope image does. https://www.pricescope.com/wiki/diamonds/firescope-idealscope
It shows you how and wear your diamond is reflecting light, how well it is going at it, and where you are losing light return. That is why you won't see us recommending Blue Nile, as they do not provide idealscope images for their diamonds. BGD, James Allen, GOG, HPD, ERD and WF do.

The Idealscope is the 'selection tool'. Not the HCA.
So yes, with a GIA stone you need the idealscope images. Or you can buy an idealscope yourself and take it in to the jeweler you are working with to check the stones yourself. Or if you have a good return policy (full refund minimum 7 days) then you can buy the idealscope, buy the stone, and do it at home.


Now if you want to skip all that... stick to AGS0 stones and then all you have to do is pick color and clarity and you know you have a great performing diamond. Because AGS has already done the checking for you. That's why they trade at a premium.
 
No, IMO the crown is too low.. :knockout:
 
No, I would not. :knockout:
 
I'd pass on that one as well. Some 60/60 stones can look okay (some folks prefer the whiter return) but even then it's not really a fabulous representation of what those stones' numbers can be like.

That's a healthy budget. It can be tempting to "go big or go home," but many here will rightfully urge you to consider cut over carat. A bigger stone that has poorer light return is simply more of less. A beautifully cut stone that's slightly smaller will outshine a bigger one that's cut poorly. :read:
 
If a well cut stone is what you want, then I would definitely pass on the one you posted.

I would definitely back down on size a bit to get a well cut stone. A three carat poorly cut stone won't bring you happiness in the end.

Check with a few of the vendors here to see what they have to offer you in your price range. Also choose a vendor with a great trade in policy. Then you can be assured of getting full value should you ever decide to trade in to get to that 3 ct. mark if and when funds are available.
 
Status
Not open for further replies. Please create a new topic or request for this thread to be opened.
GET 3 FREE HCA RESULTS JOIN THE FORUM. ASK FOR HELP
Jewelry Blog
PriceScope-Concierge-Ad
Find prime cuts.
Top