Are different size diamonds graded according to different criteria?

[A Brady World]

What I mean is, for example, is a larger stone -- say, .50-1.00 or so -- subject to tighter grading than smaller stones (.10-.20) because what may be visible to the naked eye on a larger stone wouldn''t be as visible on a smaller? I ask because I am currently considering a 6+ carat tennis bracelet rated at I1; to the eye the stones look clean although not dazzling, but under a loupe there are many, many black specks. I would imagine that with larger stones those specs would not only be visible, but perhaps push the grading into I2? Or are these smaller stones (in the tennis bracelet I''m considering) being graded better than they are (I1 rather than I2)?

I''m sorry for all these questions, but I''m eager to learn.

 

[valeria101]

The thing with these little diamonds is that no one certifies them (or, at least, no independent party). If the seller wants to call industrial rough "I1" there''s no stopping them. It happens... Grades below "I1" are rarely mentioned anyway, not that they are not used.

Such included little diamonds look white rather than brilliant. Much of the mellee in commercial jewelry is of rather low quality - you''d never think those little specs should actually be brilliant

In theory, the size of the diamond does make some difference for grading - but not in that way. The relative size of inclusions to stone is kept in check, so small I1 diamonds are allowed to have inclusions relatively as large as any other I1. Translated into a larger diamond, the same speck would not down grade clarity to I1 but maybe VS or so. I am not familiar enough with diamond grading to go into detail though.

 

[cflutist]

My advice would be for you to look at the I1 bracelet next to an SI bracelet for you to judge whether you can see a difference and whether you are willing to live with it. If you can't see a difference, than I1s are a better value than SIs.

I had a friend whose husband bought her a bracelet from BB&B. When she put it next to my old tennis bracelet, she could tell a definite difference so she returned it and I helped her buy a better quality one from a different jeweler.

 

[A Brady World]

Thanks so much for answering...the stones on the bracelet I''m considering are not white looking, as you noted, but do have quite a bit of "sparkle" -- although they are not bright as can be found on SI quality bracelets. The color is stated as J/K. Is it the color combined with the large number of black inclusions (which are not visible to the eye but still there, nonetheless) the reason for the lack of brightness?

(It is a lovely bracelet, but certainly not the most blinding one out there, lol!)

 

[valeria101]

Date: 4/14/2005 2:38:19 PM
Author: A Brady World

Is it the (J/K) color combined with the large number of black inclusions (which are not visible to the eye but still there, nonetheless) the reason for the lack of brightness?

I wouldn't think color has much to do with it.... the shades are very light - too light to hinder brilliance. Clarity and cut would make a big difference. It is somewhat unusual to see low color melee cut well - but that has nothing to do with the color grade itself, it's ust some weird market bias which may or may not apply to the bracelet in question.

If I'd change anything there, it would not be color: perhaps J/K VS-Si1, and nicely cut would be quite a sight.

Wouldn't it make sense to have the bracelt custom made ? How many diamonds are there ? What size ? What kind of bracelet is that ? If the model is basic (so the setting can be sourced semifinished and set with stones - like Wink did for Cflutist), having it made on order might end up with a better deal.

 

[A Brady World]

I decided to take the bracelet; it has 36 diamonds, each approximately 16 points. My photography skills are far from great (the first photo was taken in my laundry room, atop a side-laying bottle of fabric softener (!) -- the other two, more closeup photos were taken on the camera case. I could not get the flash to work (I''m starting to feel like my mother!)

All I can say is that it looks far more lively in person. I got it for $689, by the way. Anyhow, here goes:

 

[A Brady World]

And now for the closeups...

 

[A Brady World]

And, finally:

 

[A Brady World]

I realized I posted these under the wrong thread -- I reposted them under my tennis bracelet thread -- but can''t figure out out to remove these from here (I don''t want to be rude having the same posts in two different places).

Please forgive me!

 

[valeria101]

Date: 4/15/2005 11:34:51 AM
Author: A Brady World

can''t figure out out to remove these from here

Don''t think you can. But if you do post twice, Leonid can remove one set of pictures (or the entire thread, for that matter). Not that posting pictures twice is wrong in any way... wait and see how many times your pics will be re-posted by others !

The setting is just lovely !