Advice on Round Brilliant
- Thread starter Jyt1022
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That's really not going to be a great one. Try to stay within these parameters which will put you in the ideal cut range.
Table: 54-58
Depth: 60-62.3
Crown angle 34-35 (or up to 35.5 with a 40.6 pavilion angle)
Pavilion angle: 40.6-40.9
The stone you posted has a 35 crown angle and 41.6 pavilion angle. You'd want a pavilion angle closer to 40.6 with a 35 crown angle. A 34 crown angle would usually work with a 40.9 pavilion angle.
Be sure to look at stones that have photos or videos.
Table: 54-58
Depth: 60-62.3
Crown angle 34-35 (or up to 35.5 with a 40.6 pavilion angle)
Pavilion angle: 40.6-40.9
The stone you posted has a 35 crown angle and 41.6 pavilion angle. You'd want a pavilion angle closer to 40.6 with a 35 crown angle. A 34 crown angle would usually work with a 40.9 pavilion angle.
Be sure to look at stones that have photos or videos.
Thanks - so really the biggest issue here is the pavilion angle? Everything else seems to fit the parameters you mentioned above.
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The pavilion angle is the most important, every 0.1 degree counts, and it is off by alot.
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Yes, it would cause problems. If you use this tool, you will see that it scores poorly.
Holloway Cut Advisor | HCA Tool
The HCA Tool uses data from a round brilliant diamond to produce a score that can help you make an estimate regarding the cut quality. Use it here.
www.pricescope.com
It comes out to have this score:
What you want to see is:
Light return: Excellent
Fire: Excellent
Scintillation: Excellent
Spread: Very Good
HCA Score: 2 or less (most will be in the 1-2 range)
As you can see, a score of 5 is pretty bad. The GIA excellent range is extremely broad, so you have to screen them to find the really nice ones.
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I'm not tied to them. Was just referred to them from another friend. I was looking at 20-25K for the diamond.
What specifications you are looking for like carat/clarity/color ?
Members on this forum are very helpful and can recommend a top performance diamond.
Txborn79
Shiny_Rock
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With your budget you can get an idea cut stone and take all the guess work out of picking one. I’m going off the color/size/clarity in your original post
Diamond | 2.238 ct I VS2 A CUT ABOVE® Hearts and Arrows Super Ideal Round Cut Loose Diamond AGS Certified | 4379400
This Whiteflash A CUT ABOVE® super ideal cut hearts and arrows 2.238 carat I color VS2 clarity loose diamond is graded by the American Gem Society (AGS) Laboratories. | 4379400
www.whiteflash.com
Good pick
Very clean VS1
Diamond | 2.128 ct I VS1 A CUT ABOVE® Hearts and Arrows Super Ideal Round Cut Loose Diamond AGS Certified | 4378834
This Whiteflash A CUT ABOVE® super ideal cut hearts and arrows 2.128 carat I color VS1 clarity loose diamond is graded by the American Gem Society (AGS) Laboratories. | 4378834
www.whiteflash.com
I definitely appreciate that. I’m looking for this. Let me know if I’m missing anything though
Shape: round brilliant,
Color: I (or J)
Clarity: VS2 (or VS1)
Carat: targeting a little over 2
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That is definitely doable. See above for amazing recs
You have the budget to go with Whiteflash which is a super ideal vendor. This means they have top cut diamonds which are the best of the best. They also have a very generous upgrade policy, simply spend $1 more and get full value of your diamond you are trading in. Whiteflash is highly recommend on this forum and their customer support is top notch you can't go wrong.
Thanks everyone @lovedogs @jp201845 @Txborn79
after researching a bit more my question is, is the “super ideal cut” or “a cut above” from white flash worth the premium? In other words, is there a noticeable difference with this cut or am I better off saving a few grand and going into a slightly lower cut to maximize my value? By all means 20-25k is a budget but if I come in lower I have no issues with that!
How would you spec out a diamond with that budget with cut and carat being the more important items?
after researching a bit more my question is, is the “super ideal cut” or “a cut above” from white flash worth the premium? In other words, is there a noticeable difference with this cut or am I better off saving a few grand and going into a slightly lower cut to maximize my value? By all means 20-25k is a budget but if I come in lower I have no issues with that!
How would you spec out a diamond with that budget with cut and carat being the more important items?
Txborn79
Shiny_Rock
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The good thing about an ACA or a diamond from a “super idea” vendor is they have the stones in house and have already taken all the guess work out of picking by doing all the advanced imaging so you know you are getting a sparkler. Most other vendors do not have the diamonds in house and they are available on numerous different sites so you can only go by numbers on the report, which in GIA reports, the numbers are rounded so without advanced images (idea scope, aset image and hearts image) you don’t really know if the diamond is cut well. GIA excellent doesn’t always mean well cut.
Another benefit from buying from an idea cut vendor is the upgrade policies. HPD and WF have the best as in you only have to spend one dollar more to upgrade. The vendors who don’t own their own stones, you have to spend double, so for an upgrade of a $25k diamond, you’d have to spend $50k where as with HPD and WF you’d only have to spend $25,001.
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Cut is the most important factor in the beauty of a diamond. The measurements I gave you above will help you narrow down GIA Excellent stones, and perhaps you can find a very nice one. I do favor ACAs, personally, but if you want to post some other GIA Ex stones to compare, that's fine, and we can give you more feedback to help you decide!
@diamondseeker2006 @Txborn79
thanks all! I’ll be researching some more over the coming weeks. A jeweler I met said an ideal cut is a marketing gimmick where you’re paying 30-40% premium for a marginal increase in cut. What are your thoughts there? I’m sure at some point there’s diminishing value of return and frankly I feel fine paying more for a better cut but just curious how others think about it.
Separately, how often do folks get loose diamonds set on a ring from a local jeweler? I wasn’t able to find a ring setting I liked on white flash’s website but wonder if there’s a downside going to a local jeweler to finish the job.
thanks all! I’ll be researching some more over the coming weeks. A jeweler I met said an ideal cut is a marketing gimmick where you’re paying 30-40% premium for a marginal increase in cut. What are your thoughts there? I’m sure at some point there’s diminishing value of return and frankly I feel fine paying more for a better cut but just curious how others think about it.
Separately, how often do folks get loose diamonds set on a ring from a local jeweler? I wasn’t able to find a ring setting I liked on white flash’s website but wonder if there’s a downside going to a local jeweler to finish the job.
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Jewelers who say that are trying to convince you that their (inferior) stones are "just as good" as the ideal cut stones. Frankly, they are lying to attempt to get your business, and I think it's a crappy tactic.
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I certainly wouldn't pay 30-40% more. It's possible to do that at certain brick and mortar jewelers and buying certain brands such as Hearts on Fire, but a vendor like Whiteflash certainly isn't 30-40% higher than an equivalent top cut generic GIA stone.
I wouldn't go to a local jeweler for a setting because they often will be mad you bought a stone elsewhere. But we can tell you about custom ringmakers if you can show us examples of what style you are looking for.
I wouldn't go to a local jeweler for a setting because they often will be mad you bought a stone elsewhere. But we can tell you about custom ringmakers if you can show us examples of what style you are looking for.
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oooh good point. hearts on fire = wallet on fire
Got it, that’s good to know that whiteflash is well respected and not charging a huge premium.
With respect to the setting, that’s what I was afraid of as well. I was thinking of a setting like this but was told it might be a little weak in the area connecting the setting to the ring itself. Ideally looking for something simple, elegant and modern.
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Got it, that’s good to know that whiteflash is well respected and not charging a huge premium.
With respect to the setting, that’s what I was afraid of as well. I was thinking of a setting like this but was told it might be a little weak in the area connecting the setting to the ring itself. Ideally looking for something simple, elegant and modern.
WF could easily make something like that, except more secure.
LoveMeDo
Shiny_Rock
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That’s what I was thinking too. Just one and done to call it a day
LoveMeDo
Shiny_Rock
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As somebody who agonizes over things like this, I just hope that you’ll spare yourself.
Hi all - I've done some more work and curious to get folks' thoughts between these diamonds.
I'm leaning between these two (one was recommended by @Txborn79)
One question I have is the 2.238 ct stone much better than the 2.191 (or any of the others listed)? It's almost 2K more and I couldn't see a significant advantage over the 2.191ct aside from slightly large (though the dimensions are very very similar).
Diamond comparison | Compare Diamonds to choose and buy the best one
Whiteflash gives you an excellent opportunity to compare diamonds to make a great deal. With diamond’s parameters provided, you can compare any detail.
www.whiteflash.com
I'm leaning between these two (one was recommended by @Txborn79)
One question I have is the 2.238 ct stone much better than the 2.191 (or any of the others listed)? It's almost 2K more and I couldn't see a significant advantage over the 2.191ct aside from slightly large (though the dimensions are very very similar).
Given that they're both VS2, I think it's likely largely irrelevant - BUT, on top of being slightly larger obviously, the more expensive stone has no notation of surface graining. To have that surface graining noted and still get VS2 on the first stone it must really be mild, however. Still, it's there, and that could be a bit of that difference in price you're seeing.
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