A Study in Compromise: Carat over Clarity (photos inside)

[Maisie]

Date: 3/12/2007 10:50:17 PM
Author: Cehrabehra
I think it''s great that you''ve found your stone Every diamond deserves someone to love it - and they all have quirks of some sort! It wasn''t until the vendor pics that I could even see it... I think its great!! And in time it won''t be the only thing you see... for a long time after my son was attacked by a dog all I saw were his wounds and scar, but now I rarely see them... sometimes I do and when I do they glare at me, but 99.9% of the time its just his smiling face congratulations!

I completely agree with Cehra. Its how you feel about the diamond that matters. Diamonds are like people - we all have our little imperfections but thats what makes us who we are. I think its lovely. Congratulations!

 

[Stellablue687]

That stone is a total winner - and for that price! From one bargain-hunter and size-obsessed girl to another I say you got a great deal! No non-PS folks will ever notice the inclusion - all they see is size and beauty. Wear it in good health and happiness

 

[mrssalvo]

Date: 3/13/2007 5:11:44 AM
Author: Lorelei
Heidi - I really doubt you will find another diamond so large for the price which is so well cut! I think the choice is this - have your lovely large diamond with the inclusion or go to much smaller and higher clarity. There are some good I2''s out there, they are hard to find, but not all are frozen spit as your diamond shows! If size matters to you, then this might be the one, if you think the inclusions will bug you forever, then pass.

I agree completely with Lorelei...

 

[pricescope]

I love inclusions if they do not interfere with light performance. Heidy, i would figure out what exactly are they and admire them, i think it's cool to know that something unique to your stone was "going on and happening" thru the growing process.

 

[chiefneil]

That''s a fantastic price for a great stone. I just paid double what you did for a very similar stone - 1.79 carats, H&A, H, VS2. But I bet that in normal circumstances (i.e. not examining the stones up close) the two would be indistinguishable. I actually almost got a 2.06 carat stone with the same specs as the 1.79 that was almost triple the price of yours! You really got a great deal.

 

[Kit]

It looks really pretty, is a nice color and size and a great bargain. I am wondering if any gemologists have commented on the structural integrity of the inclusion/s--i.e. will it be problem to set the stone? Also, can you get a setting that will sit over the inclusion and cover it up a bit?

Sorry if you''ve already addressed this issue.

Good luck!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Heidi, it is a beautiful stone for the money. But my advice is, "when in doubt, don't". If you love it and are sure the inclusions don't bother you, then great! But if you are concerned about the inclusions, they will probably bother you even more later.

One big question I have not seen the answer to is, does this vendor offer an upgrade policy so if you later decide you want a higher clarity diamond, you could trade it in for full value? That would make a huge difference for me in making the decision.

One more thing, the pricing should be determined by the GIA cert. The EGL one just shows the inflated EGL grading.

 

[DMBsGirl]

I myself have been searching for an eye clean I1 stone and just when I found one, it was sold...unless my sneaky boyfriend purchased it! (wishful thinking!)
anyhow, like most others said, the inclusions will likely NEVER be visible in everyday life. Honestly, most people do not have a tiny fraction of the knowledge that people on pricescope do and all they will see is huge, white and sparkly!!! Enjoy that 2 carat stone for that amazing price!!!

 

[kcoursolle]

I would definitely consider a nice clean I1 for an e-ring stone. Why not? They are such a great values and you can go larger and not spend as much money. I really don''t see anything to suggest that this stone would be better looking if it were an SI2. It''s a gorgeous stone with a lot going on in terms of performance.

 

[hopefulheidi]

Sorry it has taken me so long to respond...I''m currently taking care of a 9 week old yellow labrador puppy
for one of the local dog rescue groups and this little monster, er ANGEL, is sucking up all my time.
1) No one has really mentioned anything about the physical integrity of the stone but my vendor did
wholeheartedly recommend it and I''d like to think he would only do so if he was really confident in it. The
crystal is buried pretty deeply and doesn''t break any surfaces but I''m not sure if it''s any more likely to cleave.
I guess that''s what insurance is for
2) As I mentioned in a different post, my vendor has an upgrade policy, my boyfriend does not. If I do manage to
convince Nate to do an upgrade in clarity we''ll be all set. While my vendor does require that you upgrade
from a virtual stone to one of their stones and only at a 25% increase in price, we got this stone so cheaply
that we''d probably have to spend at least 50% more to get the same size in a better clarity. There''s plenty of
possibility for upgrading in the future
3) Unfortunately the inclusion can''t be covered by a prong, but the only time it''s noticeable is when I try to take
arrow photos. I''m hoping that the overall sparkle and shine of the setting will make the inclusion even less
noticeable.
As far as I can count, today is the last day we have to return the stone and as Nate hasn''t made any noises about doing so,
it appears THIS STONE IS NOW MINE. The few days of freakouts over the clarity seem to have subsided and
now all I notice when I look at the stone is a big, white, sparkle monster. Right now, I''m pretty glad we''ve
decided to keep this one of a kind diamond; I just hope the feeling lasts

~Heidi

 

[iheartscience]

I''m so glad you decided to go for it! Congratulations and I can''t wait to the finished product!

 

[hopefulheidi]

Date: 3/15/2007 6:15:56 PM
Author: diamondseeker2006

One more thing, the pricing should be determined by the GIA cert. The EGL one just shows the inflated EGL grading.

I also thought it should be priced based on the GIA which was one of my initial hesitations regarding this purchase. There are no H/I2 H&A 2.0ct+ stones listed on the pricescope Price Report and going down to a 1A H/I2 yields only a handful of EGL graded stones all averaging $3790/ct which would have pegged my stone at $7655. This is just under what we paid and that''s based on EGL H/I2s which is lower than EGL graded this stone.

Even if I use the EGL grades of G/I1 and compare to other 1A cut stones, I find that the price per carat is $4027 and the only stones available are all also EGL stones. In this case comparing apples to apples (since there are no GIA graded stones with such a great cut and low clarity) my stone should have priced at $8134 which is a couple hundred more than what we paid. I also inquired about a number of the stones in a similiar color/clarity combo, listed on the search engine, and found that in those cases, I1/I2 really meant some very visible inclusions.

Basically finding such a well cut stone with such a low clarity in the 2.0+ ct size is really really tough and finding one with such well masked inclusions is even tougher. If we did have to pay a small premium (which I''m fairly certain we didn''t) it still would have been worth it to get a stone in this price range with all of our very specific requirements because it could have taken months to find something similiar. As weird as it is to say it, a 2.02 ct G/H, I1/I2 well cut stone that faces up "super eye clean" is actually kind of rare hehe

I appreciate your concern on the pricing though as I had the same concern myself. It wasn''t until I really started playing with the numbers and attempted to find something similiar that I realized what a good deal we would be getting

~Heidi

 

[hopefulheidi]

Date: 3/17/2007 1:11:30 PM
Author: thing2of2
I''m so glad you decided to go for it! Congratulations and I can''t wait to the finished product!

That makes two of us !!!!