Diamond rating?

[zpei100]

Hi everyone.

I recently bought a diamond from blue nile (after about a few hours of education).
However, my wife is not "sold" on this ring as she doesn't trust the brand (rather not go into this)

So we are also looking at other options like Tiffany, Harry Winston, to compare the rocks. We were told by their sales person that our stone is more yellow, and less radiant.

We too also notice that under the same lighting, this diamond doesn't have as much fire, or radiance when compared vs some others with the same 4C's (some times with less quality on paper).

I checked a few places and was pretty confident about the cut / proportions I've chosen (please see GIA report part 2), but now I'm starting to second guess myself.

Could the helpful people of this community please help second eyeing this, and see if there is something I've missed or not done right?

Thanks!

 

[Lookinagain]

So we are also looking at other options like Tiffany, Harry Winston, to compare the rocks. We were told by their sales person that our stone is more yellow, and less radiant.

We too also notice that under the same lighting, this diamond doesn't have as much fire, or radiance when compared vs some others with the same 4C's (some times with less quality on paper).

More yellow than what? It's a GIA F graded stone. That's considered colorless. Unless someone is super color sensitive, they aren't going to see tint in that stone.
The diamond falls within the parameters recommended on this site. Your photos don't give much information. Can you add the Blue Nile link?

I'm just wondering if your wife thinks that the diamond is of lower quality because it's from an online vendor. That isn't really the case but some people do have that name brand idea in their heads and assume that Tiffany or HW have better diamonds, which again, isn't necessarily true.

by the way, had your wife's ring been cleaned right before you went into these places to compare the diamonds?

 

[DejaWiz]

You have a perfectly proportioned GIA 3X colorless near flawless diamond!

There's nowhere to go to get any better to the eyes, only better to the mind.

Recommended ranges (simplified version):
Crown Angle: 34-35°
Pavilion Angle: 40.6-40.9°
Table width: 54-57%

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

Have you heard the one about the fox and the crow?

Have you heard about a Tiffany client who was p****ed off when she compared her T diamond to my stores F coloured diamond and her F looked yellow?

An online vendor is going to get more negative reviews than you can poke a stick at if they cheat. BN has been around for over 2 years and is vetted constantly by our management team at PriceScope and by many thousands or consumers on this forum.
The same community members here have helped loads of consumers to avoid crappy cuts sold by Tiffany and work with their sales team to bring in better diamonds.

 

[lovedogs]

Your stone has excellent specs. Anyone who told you otherwise is outright lying bc they want you to buy from them. That said, If your wife doesnt trust it or isnt happy, then that is something to definitely take seriously.

 

[zpei100]

More yellow than what? It's a GIA F graded stone. That's considered colorless. Unless someone is super color sensitive, they aren't going to see tint in that stone.
The diamond falls within the parameters recommended on this site. Your photos don't give much information. Can you add the Blue Nile link?

I'm just wondering if your wife thinks that the diamond is of lower quality because it's from an online vendor. That isn't really the case but some people do have that name brand idea in their heads and assume that Tiffany or HW have better diamonds, which again, isn't necessarily true.

by the way, had your wife's ring been cleaned right before you went into these places to compare the diamonds?

Thanks for the response.

The "more yellow" statement was from the salesperson, with respect to their diamond. Thanks for verifying that it isn't highly likely given they are both ranked F (unless to highly color sensitive people).

We've not cleaned the stone before comparing them (we just got it yesterday)

And here is the link to the stone on blue nile's site: https://www.bluenile.com/build-your-own-ring/diamond-details/LD15884726?offerId=1

Thanks!

 

[zpei100]

You have a perfectly proportioned GIA 3X colorless near flawless diamond!

There's nowhere to go to get any better to the eyes, only better to the mind.

Recommended ranges (simplified version):
Crown Angle: 34-35°
Pavilion Angle: 40.6-40.9°
Table width: 54-57%

Thanks for the info.
Could I also get the source for this chart please?

 

[DejaWiz]

Thanks for the info.
Could I also get the source for this chart please?

None other than PS's very own @Garry H (Cut Nut)

 

[flyingpig]

Thanks for the response.

The "more yellow" statement was from the salesperson, with respect to their diamond. Thanks for verifying that it isn't highly likely given they are both ranked F (unless to highly color sensitive people).

We've not cleaned the stone before comparing them (we just got it yesterday)

And here is the link to the stone on blue nile's site: https://www.bluenile.com/build-your-own-ring/diamond-details/LD15884726?offerId=1

Thanks!

Ideal proportions + no visible leakage in the video + no wonky pavilion. These alone put the stone above typical Tiffany diamonds.
That stone outperforms at least 50% of diamonds Tiffany carries.

 

[Lookinagain]

Tiffany grades it’s own diamonds. They don’t send off to GIA or AGS. To me, that would allow for more discrepancies and give me less comfort.

 

[John Pollard]

An online vendor is going to get more negative reviews than you can poke a stick at if they cheat. BN has been around for over 2 years and is vetted constantly by our management team at PriceScope and by many thousands or consumers on this forum.
The same community members here have helped loads of consumers to avoid crappy cuts sold by Tiffany and work with their sales team to bring in better diamonds.

+1 to the exposure online sellers have to getting roasted if something goes awry, especially those active in the PriceScope community.

+1 on the great community members here and the guidance they give.

In the interest of fair reporting, TGL's acceptable range of proportions largely correlates with AGS 0-3 performance. If you go to the edge of their list there's a HCA 4.5 combo, but that's an outlier.

I used to meet w/ a local T&Co. manager (a friend from class) to share and compare our diamonds in H&A, IS, ASET. Her stock wasn't all HCA 0 but, based on my experience, I wouldn't choose the adjective you did. FWIW.

 

[John Pollard]

That stone outperforms at least 50% of diamonds Tiffany carries.

Hi @flyingpig . Same essential ask here, as above. Unless something has changed in the past handful of years, the tolerances TGL adheres to are pretty solid - but I am interested in your observations.

@zpei100 - I just wanted to say that I agree with everyone above who believe you may have encountered "anti-internet bias" from a sales professional.

My question for Garry and FP is a side topic.

 

[John Pollard]

Tiffany grades it’s own diamonds. They don’t send off to GIA or AGS. To me, that would allow for more discrepancies and give me less comfort.

I seem to be the Blue Box apologist today - unintended (and unexpected) I assure you.

For what it's worth, Tiffany was evaluating and selling their own diamonds 100 years before the GIA existed.

They also established their own cutting factory in New York - and hired Henry Morse's foreman to run it. One the first luxury brands to cut diamonds to 'newfangled scientific parameters' known for beauty, rather than cutting for heaviest weight.

 

[Bron357]

It’s a beautiful ring and diamond.
I suspect your wife is equating brand name with being top quality and anything else, lower quality.
An F colour diamond is as colourless / white is ”almost” as white as a diamond can come. Yes, D and E are higher but very very few people can discern that to the unaided eye.
Tiffany sells plenty of G and H colour diamonds with same and lower clarity for much much more than a Blue Nile diamond.
Ditto Harry Winston.
And of course ANY salesperson is going to promote THEIR product over everyone elses, that’s their job. They want a sale. That’s how they stay employed and earn an income.
If your wife wants a brand name, then buy her a brand name.
However when you take your same $$$$$ to Tiffany or Harry Winston it won’t be a well cut 1.50 carat diamond F, VVS1 she comes home with. It will be smaller.
Her choice of course.

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

Tiffany, I believe, made the decision to grade their own diamonds for good reasons. I believe they did it after a GIA lab person got bribed and falsified reports.
I also suspect Tiffany avoids diamonds that GIA, in my view, uses jargon to conceal reduced transparency (clouds and gaining etc).
However we here have helped many people over two decades who wanted a blue box get Tiffany sales people to sort through their inventory and choose diamonds with far superior cut quality.
Crappy might have been a bit harsh Sir John!
But certainly none of the businesses that you have represented would offer diamonds with the proportions that Tiffany extend to.
It is my mission to highlight these facts and drive change. Don't you think the top end would be a good place to focus?

PS does anyone know if Tiffany uses a different cut quality standard to GIA?

 

[Tourmaline]

Your wife is incorrect. You won’t find a better diamond at a brand name store, and you’d pay double. I hope she can get her head around it.

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

Your wife is incorrect. You won’t find a better diamond at a brand name store, and you’d pay double. I hope she can get her head around it.

Better has all sorts of connotations.
Telling her girlfriends her hubby bought a diamond online to save money and not from Tiffany - in her mind it may not be better.

 

[John Pollard]

PS does anyone know if Tiffany uses a different cut quality standard to GIA?

I have them Garry. Privately given. As I mentioned above:

<< In the interest of fair reporting, TGL's acceptable range of proportions largely correlates with AGS 0-3 performance. If you go to the edge of their list there's a HCA 4.5 combo, but that's an outlier. >>

I'm inclined to believe most who purchase from T&Co are choosing to spend what they do for brand association, perhaps also for association with higher "gem quality." You can go to their ring-builder and pretty much be assured of a nice diamond because they don't stock dogs. Will some PriceScopers' diamonds blow some T&Co's away? Sure, but that's essentially everywhere. This site is a beautiful, dazzling outlier... Would I expel the AGS 2-3s from my sales floor if I was managing a T&Co? You know me. Yup.

But certainly none of the businesses that you have represented would offer diamonds with the proportions that Tiffany extend to.

The signature collections of companies I have associated with do have cut quality standards stricter that T&Co's. And I suspect T&Co will never be able to adopt optical-precision (aka H&A) formally, because it would make over a century of their output 'second best' if they suddenly promoted optically precise diamonds.

However, to be fair, T&Co is more strict in selection of other gemological criteria. Whether it's "okay" to be a company that is super strict on cut (but not other Cs) ... vs a luxury brand that's super strict in other Cs for over 100 years (but not quite as strict on cut) becomes a question of business and consumer philosophy.

You know what side of that philosophical argument I stand on. But I respect a company's right to have a different philosophy as long as the overall focus is quality. These folks have also been at the forefront of consumer conscious initiatives since their inception, recently the Tiffany & Company Foundation – awarding over $75 million in grants to conservation and the arts over two decades – to their Diamond Source Initiative in 2020, breaking the glass ceiling and providing provenance information for every diamond they sell.

It is my mission to highlight these facts and drive change. Don't you think the top end would be a good place to focus?

If you want to set up a meeting with them, I'll join you.

 

[Tourmaline]

Better has all sorts of connotations.
Telling her girlfriends her hubby bought a diamond online to save money and not from Tiffany - in her mind it may not be better.

Yes. I can understand feeling that way about a setting (whole ring), but as an opinion about a diamond, it’s an ill-educated opinion.