Yet another request for newbie help

[Jibboo]

If I stretch my budget, I can afford this diamond. Please tell me if it is a sound purchase. My priorities are cut and size (2carat+)

AGS certified
2.01 carats
D
SI2
Ideal cut
Pol/Sym: ideal
8.15 - 8.19 x 5
Depth: 61.2
Table: 55
Girdle: 14.9%
Pavillion: 43.3%
Cutlet: pointed
Flouresence: none/negligible

I ran it through the pricescope cut advisor and it said that the stone was a .9 on the TIC, whatever that means. But it seemed to think highly of it.

Any input would be greatly appreciated.

 

[chrono]

I think that one will be lovely but you need to double check a couple of things with the vendor in the following order:
1. Hold it on reserve ASAP if it is still available
2. Make sure the SI2 is eyeclean. Ask the vendor what are the inclusions, where they are and if it is white or black.
3. Ask for a magnified picture of the stone
4. Ask for an Idealscope picture
5. Ask for an ASET
6. Ask for a Sarin

 

[kcoursolle]

Date: 5/24/2007 1:06:54 PM
Author: Chrono
I think that one will be lovely but you need to double check a couple of things with the vendor in the following order:
1. Hold it on reserve ASAP if it is still available
2. Make sure the SI2 is eyeclean. Ask the vendor what are the inclusions, where they are and if it is white or black.
3. Ask for a magnified picture of the stone
4. Ask for an Idealscope picture
5. Ask for an ASET
6. Ask for a Sarin

ditto all of this. In addition, if you wanted to save money, you could go way down in color to the H/I range if you are buying AGS and GIA and still have the stone face up very white.

 

[Regular Guy]

Date: 5/24/2007 12:53:40 PM
Author: Jibboo
If I stretch my budget, I can afford this diamond. Please tell me if it is a sound purchase. My priorities are cut and size (2carat+)

AGS certified
2.01 carats
D
SI2
Ideal cut
Pol/Sym: ideal
8.15 - 8.19 x 5
Depth: 61.2
Table: 55
Girdle: 14.9%
Pavillion: 43.3%
Cutlet: pointed
Flouresence: none/negligible

I ran it through the pricescope cut advisor and it said that the stone was a .9 on the TIC, whatever that means. But it seemed to think highly of it.

Any input would be greatly appreciated.

Jibbo,

1) I think you omitted the crown angle
2) Give us the pavilion in angles, along with the crown too. If AGS, it will have this
3) If AGS, tell us if a newer one, with zero for light performance. If so, most us us would just say yes, go with this one
4) Still...you want to definitely check that your SI 2 is eye clean, cause if not, we think you should keep looking
5) I take it you didn''t like mine above...and if this is really AGS 0, you''re doing better than I.

 

[Jibboo]

Sorry, the Crown percentage is 14.9% (I mistakenly listed it as girdle angle).

The girdle is listed as "faceted 1.1 degrees to 3.3 degrees"

The Crown angle is: 33.9
The pavillion angle is: 41

The AGS certification is dated 2007.

Because this is on a website (pricescope approved), I can''t see it before hand, but there is a return policy. Everything was graded "0" except for clarity, which is "6".

Ira - I liked yours very much...but this one caught my eye too. But I am very appreciative of your help, and if this one doesn''t pan out, I certainly hope that H is still available on WF.

I just came from my local jeweler, who frankly is pushy and I don''t like him. He seems to believe he has an in. He is using high pressure tactics that make me uncomfortable. For example...rather than ask me if I am interested, he says "so how do you plan on paying for this?" He keeps offering me celebratory scotch....he gets annoyed and presses me for reasons when I pass on a stone. Do I really owe this guy some sort of explanation?

Here are the last two stones he showed me in price. Please let me know if I am just being overly concerned:

1) GIA certified
2.03
H
SI2
Very Good cut
Depth: 60.1
Table: 59
Crown: 37 degrees
Pavilion: 40.2 degrees
8.12-8.25x4.95
VG polish
G symmetry
Flouresence: faint
Asking Price: $17,900

2) EGL Israel certified (I know, I know)
2.10
H
SI2
Ideal/Excellent cut
Depth: 62
Table: 58
Crown: 15% (sorry, I didn''t right down degrees on this one)
Pavilion: 44%
Polish: VG
Sym: Ex
Fl: Slight Blue
Asking Price: $15,500 (including a nice setting that includes small diamonds on either side that his normal asking price is $1,400.)

I saw both of the stones in person and was significantly more impressed by the EGL Israel. It looked pretty similar to G/H stones in the shop and I did not personally observe any obvious imperfections. I ran it through the tools calculator on price scope and it the cut advisor didn''t seem to thrilled by it...but I saw it significantly shine in spots with poor lighting.

Growing more and more confused.

 

[Regular Guy]

Jibboo,

Preliminarily, your D AGS0 looks sweet, and trumps my H, you betcha.

Determine you can't see an inclusion, take it to the appraiser of your choice, and hopefully...pat yourself on the back.

Make sure your dealer pays for the scotch.

P.S. Also, my HCA score gets 1.2 based on angles, and is even more favored by some whiners here.

 

[hoorray]

Jibbo -- the HCA doesn't think much of the EGL Israel stone.

Also, one of the specs you should watch out for is the diameter. First off that determines how big the stone will LOOK, rather than how much it weighs (which is what carat measures). The bigger the diameter, the bigger looking the stone. Also, the two measurements for the diameter should be within .10mm. A bigger spread than that means the diamond could be out of round, and is also an indictor of not very precise cutting, which, when you are trying to optimize the cut, is not a good thing. If you notice, the GIA stone's diameter of 8.12-8.25x4.95, the difference is .13, which is pretty big. That would be a red flag to me.

This G/VS2 could be a sweet value. It will face up very close to the same size as the others, but you don't pay the premimum for the 2ctw title. Maybe you should call a couple of the recommended vendors, tell them what you are looking for and what your budget is, and let them see what they can recommend for you. (Similar as to what your local jeweler is doing, but I think you will get much nicer stones being recommended.)
ETS, this stone is $15397 pricescope price. You could put it in a simple solitare setting and have a knockout ring... (Assuming WF says it is a nice stone once they look at it.)

Good luck!

 

[MWG]

No offense, but it appears that you are trying to go way in debt over a diamond. Not good in my book.

Have fun and be smart and buy a smaller well cut diamond from a Pricescope vendor that allows lifetime upgrades. Save the extra money for now and later when you have the extra money, then you and your wife upgrade and get a larger well cut stone. To me, this could be a lot of fun to do and she will feel like you love her all over again.

Just my 2 cents
MWG

 

[Jibboo]

Thanks again all! Ill keep you informed.

MWG - no offense taken. I wish my gf saw it your way...want her number to talk some sense into her? Please let me assure you that I like buying a nice diamond, but I like having a savings account even more.

 

[MWG]

Date: 5/24/2007 7:51:19 PM
Author: Jibboo
Thanks again all! Ill keep you informed.

MWG - no offense taken. I wish my gf saw it your way...want her number to talk some sense into her? Please let me assure you that I like buying a nice diamond, but I like having a savings account even more.

None taken.

Good Luck
MWG

 

[Jibboo]

I have now read virtually everything on this website about flouresence. But I need some more information please.

1) Is there a set scale for grading flouresence? Some places use an "S"...but I don''t know if this means "slight" or "strong" or something else. I''ve seen "MB" which I assume means medium blue. I have also seen N (none/negligble) and F (faint).

From what I''ve read, it dosen''t seem like flouresence is a bad thing, but it doesn''t seem like a terribly good thing either. While I am sure the answer likely varies by the stone and individual tastes....is there any general cut off point, where it will detract from the quality of the diamond.

I have one diamond in my sites that is excellent in every way except it says "strong blue" (and is "strong blue" different from the websites and certs that just say "S")

Thanks

 

[fisiogrl]

I just watched one of the video clips last night where Wink talks about fluoro.

he love it! Essentially he says, if you like it, go as strong as you can without getting the nasty oily effect. And only blue flouro, not yellow or other colour. (I hope that I am not misquoting you, Wink

)

I find it cool, but I have never seen it in real life. I think that I would like my next stone to have it!

 

[chrono]

Date: 5/25/2007 11:44:38 AM
Author: Jibboo
I have now read virtually everything on this website about flouresence. But I need some more information please.

1) Is there a set scale for grading flouresence? Some places use an 'S'...but I don't know if this means 'slight' or 'strong' or something else. I've seen 'MB' which I assume means medium blue. I have also seen N (none/negligble) and F (faint).

From what I've read, it dosen't seem like flouresence is a bad thing, but it doesn't seem like a terribly good thing either. While I am sure the answer likely varies by the stone and individual tastes....is there any general cut off point, where it will detract from the quality of the diamond.

I have one diamond in my sites that is excellent in every way except it says 'strong blue' (and is 'strong blue' different from the websites and certs that just say 'S')

Thanks

Jibboo,
Flouresence range from N (none) to F (faint/slight) to M (medium) to S (strong).
Medium is sometimes listed as MB and Strong is sometimes listed as SB if the flouro is Blue.
Flouresence will not detract from the the look and sparkle of the stone unless it happens to be the rare one that gives a cloudy & milky appearance.

 

[Jibboo]

So if I see something that has strong flouresence but is otherwise great, would it be fair to say that I shouldn''t let the flouresence be a deterrent?

When I think of flouresence, I think of a party with a lot of blacklight. I wonder if a strong flourescent diamond will make my girlfriends finger stand out in the room!?

 

[chrono]

Date: 5/25/2007 12:04:16 PM
Author: Jibboo
So if I see something that has strong flouresence but is otherwise great, would it be fair to say that I shouldn''t let the flouresence be a deterrent?

When I think of flouresence, I think of a party with a lot of blacklight. I wonder if a strong flourescent diamond will make my girlfriends finger stand out in the room!?

It should not be a deterrent unless you don''t like the look. And YES, at a disco with UV lights, her diamond will glow blue (which personally, I think is really cool). You can also think of it as your diamond''s marker so you know it''s your stone. CZs don''t have fluoro.

 

[Jibboo]

Hi all....back again

Opinions sought - It is actually below my price range:

GIA
2.09 carats
S12 - I spoke to the cutter and he said there is a "very very" small white inclusion that is visible
F color
SI2
Very Good cut
VG polish
Good symmetry
8.24 - 8.28 x 4.98
Depth: 60.3
Table: 57
Crown angle: 35
Pavillion angle: 40.4
Cutlet: none
Flouresence: Medium Blue

I think you all know my concern - the visible inclusion.

All thoughts welcome!

 

[kcoursolle]

Date: 5/30/2007 6:05:29 PM
Author: Jibboo
Hi all....back again

Opinions sought - It is actually below my price range:

GIA
2.09 carats
S12 - I spoke to the cutter and he said there is a 'very very' small white inclusion that is visible
F color
SI2
Very Good cut
VG polish
Good symmetry
8.24 - 8.28 x 4.98
Depth: 60.3
Table: 57
Crown angle: 35
Pavillion angle: 40.4
Cutlet: none
Flouresence: Medium Blue

I think you all know my concern - the visible inclusion.

All thoughts welcome!

The numbers look fine, can't say much about the inclusion...although he did say that it was visible. Do you have any images?

ETA: Ask him if it can be covered by a prong.

 

[Jibboo]

Thank you all once again for your help. My purchase has been made:

GIA cert
2.01 carats
H - you could swear it was an E or F when looking at it.
SI2 - eyeclean, includes a feather on the pavilion area but nothing on the table at all.
Cut: Excellent
Polish: VG
Symmetry: Ex
8.06 - 8.09 x 4.94
Depth: 61.2
Table: 58 - It is a little big, but it makes the diamond look bigger than 8.06
Crown: 34.5
Pavilion: 40.6
Cutlet: pointed
Flouresence: none

I could analyze and analyze all I want...but when I saw it in person...I just knew. I held that thing in the worst lighting imaginable and it just kept on shining.

Thanks for all of your guidance. I cant tell you how much it meant to me and how appreciated it was.

 

[kcoursolle]

Date: 6/5/2007 2:44:21 PM
Author: Jibboo
Thank you all once again for your help. My purchase has been made:

GIA cert
2.01 carats
H - you could swear it was an E or F when looking at it.
SI2 - eyeclean, includes a feather on the pavilion area but nothing on the table at all.
Cut: Excellent
Polish: VG
Symmetry: Ex
8.06 - 8.09 x 4.94
Depth: 61.2
Table: 58 - It is a little big, but it makes the diamond look bigger than 8.06
Crown: 34.5
Pavilion: 40.6
Cutlet: pointed
Flouresence: none

I could analyze and analyze all I want...but when I saw it in person...I just knew. I held that thing in the worst lighting imaginable and it just kept on shining.

Thanks for all of your guidance. I cant tell you how much it meant to me and how appreciated it was.

It looks great!! Some like the look of a 58% table, because it''s probably a very white and bright stone...and 58 isn''t really that large anyways.

Please come back with some pictures of the stone and the ring!!!

 

[Independent Gal]

Congratulations! That sounds like a great stone and good for you for putting so much effort into finding just the right one.

I hope your fiancee-to-be will be suitably thrilled and that she''ll be sharing HER savings account with you, now that you''ve emptied yours!

 

[Jibboo]

Sadly, I am back.

I picked up my diamond this weekend...and it looks beautiful.

I have a concern though. When mounted, I noticed a small black dot at the bottom that I never noticed before. I understand this in the cutlet, which the GIA cert says is "none."

I personally don't mind it...but should I be concerned? Someone once told me that seeing the black dot at the bottom with the naked eye is a bad thing.

Edit: Its not visible from all angles.

 

[Jibboo]

Sorry I can''t get a better picture.

 

[JulieN]

a black dot at the bottom is not the culet...it''s probably an inclusion?

nice ring.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 6/19/2007 4:56:46 AM
Author: JulieN
a black dot at the bottom is not the culet...it''s probably an inclusion?

nice ring.

I was thinking the same thing.

Anyway it looks lovely and BIG!

 

[kcoursolle]

Date: 6/18/2007 10:55:20 PM
Author: Jibboo
Sorry I can''t get a better picture.

From what I can see it looks beautiful!!