Please, thoughts on this diamond before pulling the trigger

[DeepNimbus]

Hello! I'd like to thank everyone in advance for their help.

I have my eye on a diamond from James Allen, and I'd like to know your thoughts before pulling the trigger, which I hope to do soon, in the next few days.

It's described as a True Hearts Ideal Diamond, and scores 1.5 on the Holloway Cut Advisor.
It is a 1.3 carot I-SI1.

My concerns:
-the imperfection directly on the center of the face, but seems negligible once at eye view distance.. "eye-clean" from my (very) amateur viewpoint
-I was originally only looking at color "H" and above, but opened the range to include "I" as the differences between "H" vs "I" seemed negligible as well, especially in light of the setting I chose, which masks a lot of the diamond side-view.

Price is $6580.

I've attached images from various angles, the AGS cert, and the my chosen setting with a sample 1.5 carot diamond.
The diamond link is just below.
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/1.30-carat-i-color-si1-clarity-ideal-cut-sku-2277036

I'm plan on matching it with this platinum pave setting which has G-H diamonds encrusted on the side.
https://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/pave/platinum-inspired-diamond-engagement-ring-item-41126


Thank you again!

Jason

 

[Lore]

Re: Please, thoughts on this diamond before pulling the trig

I'm with you -- not a big fan of that inclusion right smack in the middle of the table, but if you can verify with JA that it's eye-clean from YOUR viewing standards, then it should be ok. I am no expert so I'm not going to make a call on this -- but the white area at about 11:00 in the Idealscope image concerns me a little. Can someone with more experience comment whether that is due to alignment or if it's true leakage?

If you want to stay away from potential inclusion problems, I'd go up a notch in clarity. I took a quick look and found these two that might suit you?
#1 It's a bit smaller but is a I VS2 and cleaner hearts, $6760, HCA 0.9:
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/1.14-carat-i-color-vs2-clarity-ideal-cut-sku-2154043

#2 And this 1.216 carat J VS2 A Cut Above from WF, $6766 if you wire, HCA 1.1:
http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3646308.htm

If it were up to me, and you were okay with a J, I'd go WF ACA. I bought an ACA myself recently and I have to say that it's absolutely stunning. The diamond performance should more than make up the difference for the .1 in carat size (1.216 vs 1.3).

Edit: Here's a 3rd one to consider if you're okay with J: an SI1 but marked as eye-clean at $6537 wire price and is 1.221 so gets you closer to the 1.3 mark: http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3788134.htm

 

[tyty333]

Re: Please, thoughts on this diamond before pulling the trig

Ask JA if it is eye-clean from however many inches away you think is appropriate. I dont think it would be eye-clean enough for
me.

The cut is good...AGS000, good angles...nothing to worry about.

Edit...love that setting!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Re: Please, thoughts on this diamond before pulling the trig

Nope, I couldn't deal with that inclusion. It looks too close to the table and right in the center.

 

[gm89uk]

Re: Please, thoughts on this diamond before pulling the trig

No concerns regarding cut, ideal scope is nice. Inclusion is a deal breaker for me. You don't necessarily need to go up in clarity, but it takes longer to find a clean si1 with great angles then it does vs2. What is your budget?

 

[DeepNimbus]

Re: Please, thoughts on this diamond before pulling the trig

Thank you all for your responses! They are much appreciated for this diamond amateur.

For gm89uk and tyty333, JA assured me that it was an eye-clean diamond I asked again, that it would not be noticeable stating in their prompt email reply "We will only send eye clean Si1/2 diamonds to customers. Eye Clean is 8 inches away from the face. The inclusions is going to blend well so it would be hard to see it. Unless you knew where to look and what to look for and looked hard enough, you would see it. To the average person you wont see it at all!".

My price range is $6-7,000 for the diamond.

For Lore, thank you for the suggestions! the Whiteflash ACA diamonds look clean indeed, however my (and my lady's) heart was set on the setting that I had chosen at James Allen, so I was hesitant to go to another site... would James Allen embed diamonds purchased on WhiteFlash onto their settings? Also regarding your comment on "the white area at about 11:00 in the Idealscope image" causing possible leakage, is this something that is a dealbreaker?

Again, thank you Pricescope community!

Jason

 

[Lore]

Re: Please, thoughts on this diamond before pulling the trig

For Lore, thank you for the suggestions! the Whiteflash ACA diamonds look clean indeed, however my (and my lady's) heart was set on the setting that I had chosen at James Allen, so I was hesitant to go to another site... would James Allen embed diamonds purchased on WhiteFlash onto their settings?

James Allen will set diamonds purchased from somewhere else! From the FAQ on their site:
"- I have my own diamond but I'd like to purchase one of your settings. Can you set my diamond into a JamesAllen ring?
Yes! Almost Every ring on the James Allen website is available for purchase, regardless of whether or not you purchase a center diamond from us. Many rings, however, cannot be manufactured unless we have the diamond in our possession. Tension settings, rings with diamond halos, and other unique designs fall into that category. In those instances we require that you send the diamond to our offices and charge a $100 setting fee. To order those designs, please contact our offices and we will provide you with an exact shipping and insurance quotation. For all other designs, you can complete your order through our online shopping cart. When you check out with just a setting (and not a diamond), please provide us with the exact shape and millimeter dimensions of your diamond so we can include properly sized prongs.

Please Note: While we will take every precaution to ensure that your diamond is professionally mounted into our ring setting, JamesAllen.com cannot be responsible for any damage that may occur during the setting process. CZ (cubic zirconia), diamond simulants, clarity-enhanced diamonds, gemstones, or other diamond substitutes are particularly prone to damage. Any diamond simulants or enhanced diamonds should be clearly marked as such when sent to our offices. We also reserve the right to charge additional fees for diamonds or gemstones that are greater than 7mm in diameter."

Also regarding your comment on "the white area at about 11:00 in the Idealscope image" causing possible leakage, is this something that is a dealbreaker?

I'm not sure - hopefully someone else on the site can provide commentary about why the IS looks like that. For me, it's not just the weird white area in the IS, but the symmetry and quality of the hearts. I liked the cut quality on the WF diamonds better. That said, you might be able to find a True Hearts diamond at JA with good symmetry in the hearts - it just takes some looking. Good luck!

 

[DeepNimbus]

Re: Please, thoughts on this diamond before pulling the trig

What about this one?

https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/1.31-carat-i-color-si1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-2203499

1.31 carat, I-S1, HCA 1.0

 

[DeepNimbus]

Re: Please, thoughts on this diamond before pulling the trig

Or this one?

1.24 carat, I-VS2
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/1.24-carat-i-color-vs2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-2283389

 

[ac117]

Re: Please, thoughts on this diamond before pulling the trig

Of these two new stones, I like the 1.31 I SI1 better bc the 35 CA goes better with the 40.6 PA. The washed out arrows in the 1.24 I VS2 could possibly indicate that the 35 CA/40.8 PA were rounded (as GIA normally does) and are actually a bit higher/not complimentary. Could they get you ideal scope images?

 

[Dancing Fire]

Re: Please, thoughts on this diamond before pulling the trig

Thank you all for your responses! They are much appreciated for this diamond amateur.

For gm89uk and tyty333, JA assured me that it was an eye-clean diamond I asked again, that it would not be noticeable stating in their prompt email reply "We will only send eye clean Si1/2 diamonds to customers. Eye Clean is 8 inches away from the face. The inclusions is going to blend well so it would be hard to see it. Unless you knew where to look and what to look for and looked hard enough, you would see it. To the average person you wont see it at all!".


Jason

Eye clean? depending on your age. when you get to my age every stone looks "eye clean"..