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GeminiGuy

Rough_Rock
Joined
Jan 1, 2005
Messages
25
Hello,

Happy New Year All!!!
I’m looking for an engagement ring to receive by Valentines Day, looking for your expertise in my diamond search.

My focus is on saving money, I want the best sparkling diamond that is eyeclean (and will not affect the sparkle of the diamond). I don’t want to waste money on something the eyes can’t see. From reading many educational articles and videos, is your recommendation a G/VS2 if trying to save money?

Below is what I’m looking for:

Budget: 13k-15k with platinum setting
Setting: Simple Solitaire or Vatche pave
Cut: Most sparkling Round cut (my most important). Is A Cut Above (whiteflash) or True Hearts (James Allen) really required or a waste of money if can’t tell?
Carat: 1.2 - 1.5 (want to get biggest size within budget)
Color: G (seems like the best bang for the buck and safe point?)
Clarity: VS2 (seems like the best bang for the buck and safe point for selecting eyeclean?)

After reading so many educational articles, I’m still not able to safely determine and select a diamond that will produce maximum sparkle without any light leakage from the ideal scope/asset pictures, and making sure it’s eyeclean on the clarity. Thank you so much for your help.

I did I search on whiteflash for a cut above in F-G, VS1-VS2, and there are not a lot of selections. I did a same search for True Hearts on James Allen and didn’t like any diamonds there as I can see blemishes on center of all their diamonds.

Below 3 diamonds are all I can find within my budget on white flash. Are these a cut above from white flash good, with no light leakage and eyeclean clarity? Which one is the best. Are there any other diamonds you can recommend, it could be from anywhere that you all trust.

1)

Diamond | 1.225 ct G VS2 A CUT ABOVE® Hearts and Arrows Super Ideal Round Cut Loose Diamond AGS Certified | 4494795

This Whiteflash A CUT ABOVE® super ideal cut hearts and arrows 1.225 carat G color VS2 clarity loose diamond is graded by the American Gem Society (AGS) Laboratories. | 4494795
www.whiteflash.com

2)
www.whiteflash.com

Diamond | 1.233 ct G VS2 A CUT ABOVE® Hearts and Arrows Super Ideal Round Cut Loose Diamond AGS Certified | 3063758

This Whiteflash A CUT ABOVE® super ideal cut hearts and arrows 1.233 carat G color VS2 clarity loose diamond is graded by the American Gem Society (AGS) Laboratories. | 3063758
www.whiteflash.com www.whiteflash.com

3)

Diamond | 1.223 ct G VS2 A CUT ABOVE® Hearts and Arrows Super Ideal Round Cut Loose Diamond AGS Certified | 4546998

This Whiteflash A CUT ABOVE® super ideal cut hearts and arrows 1.223 carat G color VS2 clarity loose diamond is graded by the American Gem Society (AGS) Laboratories. | 4546998
www.whiteflash.com
 
Of the three, this one looks the cleanest.

Diamond | 1.223 ct G VS2 A CUT ABOVE® Hearts and Arrows Super Ideal Round Cut Loose Diamond AGS Certified | 4546998

This Whiteflash A CUT ABOVE® super ideal cut hearts and arrows 1.223 carat G color VS2 clarity loose diamond is graded by the American Gem Society (AGS) Laboratories. | 4546998
www.whiteflash.com

Since cut is the most important factor in determining a diamond's beauty, I would absolutely go for an A Cut Above diamond over the True Hearts from James Allen. A Cut Above diamonds are more precisely and stringently cut and come with a much better upgrade policy.

For me personally, I wouldn't hesitate to go to H color and a clean SI1, which would allow you to get to the 1.5ct. mark.

Diamond | 1.513 ct H SI1 A CUT ABOVE® Hearts and Arrows Super Ideal Round Cut Loose Diamond AGS Certified | 4558481

This Whiteflash A CUT ABOVE® super ideal cut hearts and arrows 1.513 carat H color SI1 clarity loose diamond is graded by the American Gem Society (AGS) Laboratories. | 4558481
www.whiteflash.com

Diamond | 1.553 ct H SI1 A CUT ABOVE® Hearts and Arrows Super Ideal Round Cut Loose Diamond AGS Certified | 4472202

This Whiteflash A CUT ABOVE® super ideal cut hearts and arrows 1.553 carat H color SI1 clarity loose diamond is graded by the American Gem Society (AGS) Laboratories. | 4472202
www.whiteflash.com

Diamond | 1.520 ct H SI1 A CUT ABOVE® Hearts and Arrows Super Ideal Round Cut Loose Diamond AGS Certified | 4492526

This Whiteflash A CUT ABOVE® super ideal cut hearts and arrows 1.520 carat H color SI1 clarity loose diamond is graded by the American Gem Society (AGS) Laboratories. | 4492526
www.whiteflash.com

Diamond | 1.512 ct H VS2 A CUT ABOVE® Hearts and Arrows Super Ideal Round Cut Loose Diamond AGS Certified | 4558521

This Whiteflash A CUT ABOVE® super ideal cut hearts and arrows 1.512 carat H color VS2 clarity loose diamond is graded by the American Gem Society (AGS) Laboratories. | 4558521
www.whiteflash.com
 
Hi Kim - thank you for the quick reply. I’m too afraid that H will be yellowish when greater than 1.5.

I would love to increase the carat size if you think going down on clarity to SI1 is good and still eyeclean. If any experts can find an eyeclean in SI1?
 
Short and sweet is WF ACA > JA TH. More precision and better upgrade program. Also WF has their ACA’s in stock in Houston and they aren’t coming from an international cutter.

Many ladies here have SI1’s and very happy. Inclusion location and type matters but generally WF has eye clean SI1’s that helps save a few bucks and ensures their diamond does the magic fire dance.

I don’t love all the G’s currently in stock. Many times H color will work just as well. I bought my wife an H/VS2. It’s very white but she also easily notices color yet tolerant. For now the H works but later I would like to upgrade her to a D or E.

If you want amazing cut, color and clarity this one is lovely.

www.whiteflash.com

Diamond | 1.314 ct F VS1 A CUT ABOVE® Hearts and Arrows Super Ideal Round Cut Loose Diamond AGS Certified | 4494036

This Whiteflash A CUT ABOVE® super ideal cut hearts and arrows 1.314 carat F color VS1 clarity loose diamond is graded by the American Gem Society (AGS) Laboratories. | 4494036
www.whiteflash.com www.whiteflash.com

I’ve spotted a few more but before I post for others to ogle over (and possibly buy before you can) do you prefer to be at your budget minimum or max?
 
Agreed with the above. Also, other vendors with the same level of quality are:
 
Note to other posters: OP said up to 15k WITH setting, so I think realistically they need at least another 1-1.5k (so diamond up to 13500).
 
Hi Sledge - that is out of my budget.

Budget is 13-15k with platinum setting in plain solitaire or pave.

The 3 I listed from WF, are those not good? Those have light leakage and not eyeclean?
 
lovedogs said:
Note to other posters: OP said up to 15k WITH setting, so I think realistically they need at least another 1-1.5k (so diamond up to 13500).
Click to expand...

Yup. When I went back to re-read his initial post I caught that as well and tossing up a few more. Also, I noticed that Kim posted while I was (slowly) composing on my mobile. Sorry about the overlap.

Here some new suggestions in a compare format. All have amazing light return, hearts, etc. No concern with performance. My favorite is the 1.233 F/SI1 @ $10,071 wire. It's got some twinning whisps but I don't think they will be a problem. It's a very firey stone. :kiss2::kiss2::kiss2:

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 www.whiteflash.com
 
geminizi said:
Hi Sledge - that is out of my budget.

Budget is 13-15k with platinum setting in plain solitaire or pave.

The 3 I listed from WF, are those not good? Those have light leakage and not eyeclean?
Click to expand...

The 3 you listed from WF are excellent. I like (3) the best.
 
geminizi said:
Hi Sledge - that is out of my budget.

Budget is 13-15k with platinum setting in plain solitaire or pave.

The 3 I listed from WF, are those not good? Those have light leakage and not eyeclean?
Click to expand...

I revised some alternate suggestions.

The G's you picked were not bad by any stretch of the imagination. No leakage and I suspect they will be eye clean. Being an ACA, it's hard to pick a bad diamond. Mostly we will be debating nuances when talking ACA's or other super ideals like BGD, VC, etc.

When reviewing stones, especially clarity, it's important to remind ourselves that clarity is graded based on 10x scopes. Our eyes see at 1x. And most videos are 20x or better. So what we may so easily see on a computer screen is normally hard to detect, if not impossible, with the naked eye.

The other difficulty when discussing clarity is there is no universal definition of the term "eye clean". One definition would be to inspect the diamond at 10-12" away, under good lighting and with 20/20 vision. Not every definition is the same, and many are much more lenient.

All that jazz said, I really like WF's videos. I use them alot when narrowing down selection. I believe if you look close enough you can see different personalities of diamonds show up in those videos. Some have slow or faster flashes of rainbow light, some bigger, some smaller, etc. Also, some stones look more clear than others.

Most people here know my preferences....small 54-55 table, 34.5/40.8 with 75-76 LGF's (fatter arrows). This pushes crown height up and creates broader flashes of rainbow light. For me, it's all about that fire and I believe that combo consistently delivers it.
 
Sledge - you listed too many diamonds to choose from, some I can see blemish on them, not eyeclean. Are you recommending these color upgrades cause the 3 I listed are not good (you said you don’t love them)? Or in general I should go above G color?

What is the 1 specific diamond you would personally get for this budget?
 
geminizi said:
Sledge - you listed too many diamonds to choose from, some I can see blemish on them, not eyeclean. Are you recommending these color upgrades cause the 3 I listed are not good (you said you don’t love them)? Or in general I should go above G color?

What is the 1 specific diamond you would personally get for this budget?
Click to expand...

Just because you can see blemishes on a hugely blown up computer screen doesn't mean you'll see them IRL. Remember that the diamonds are going to be very small in person, so the important part is that they are eye clean at a normal viewing distance. You can find that out by looking on the listing where it says "eye clean" and then it either says "yes", or "inquire". If it says "Yes", it's eye clean.

I think you need to deicde which stone you want. None listed are bad choices--all are great. You can ask WF to pull your top 3-4 and have them take IRL pics so your own eyes are the deciding factor.
 
Hi All,

I will be making the purchase today and have the original diamond on hold.

However I’m still trying to go larger and need your expertise ASAP. If I can go up in my budget for the diamond alone to around 14,500 to increase in carat size, should I get one of the below 3 diamonds (1.5) or I should stick with my original choice (1.2)? Any new recommendations for this budget or my original choice is the better diamond?

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
 
Last edited:
Here is another option. Over 7mm and under budget.

www.briangavindiamonds.com

1.3 H VS1 Signature Round

Buy diamonds online - AGS Graded 1.3 carat H VS1 super ideal cut Brian Gavin Hearts & Arrows Round Cut diamond. Lifetime Upgrade Policy!
www.briangavindiamonds.com www.briangavindiamonds.com


ETA: You can use this website to compare diamond sizes. It’s very helpful.

Diamond Database - Compare Diamond Shapes and Sizes

Diamond comparison platform where you can compare and evaluate actual diamond sizes on ring and finger. Explore diamond shapes, get buying advice.
www.diamdb.com www.diamdb.com
 
Last edited:
As soon as they open you can call them and tell them you're interested in those 3 stones and have the sales associate talk you
through them. Since they have all 3 there in front of them they can help you pick one. Since they are all Super Ideals its really
hard to pick them apart.

This is what I* see:

For some reason, the 1.55 doesn't look like it has as many flashes as the first two stones, or perhaps
the flashes are just not quite as big as the first two stones.

The 1.52 looks like it has more tint than the 1.51. This could be the photography though. Ask the SA (sales associate).

The 1.51 has a little bit of inclusion way down in the stone, but I think that would be my choice. The sparkle
looks amazing on this stone.

Anyhow, this is what I* see. However, I would refrain from making a choice until I spoke with one of the SAs.
 
Here's a pre-populated search...what jumps out at you?

Round Cut Loose Diamonds for Sale | Buy Loose Diamonds

Whiteflash have the highest quality round cut loose diamonds available, in stock and ready to ship immediately. Order your dream diamond and setting today.
www.whiteflash.com www.whiteflash.com
 
geminizi said:
What is the 1 specific diamond you would personally get for this budget?
Click to expand...

Have WF confirm it's eye clean (their website says it is). Assuming it checks out, this is my choice. Great size, price and color. Tons of big fire!

Diamond | 1.233 ct F SI1 A CUT ABOVE® Hearts and Arrows Super Ideal Round Cut Loose Diamond AGS Certified | 4430028

This Whiteflash A CUT ABOVE® super ideal cut hearts and arrows 1.233 carat F color SI1 clarity loose diamond is graded by the American Gem Society (AGS) Laboratories. | 4430028
www.whiteflash.com


lovedogs said:
Just because you can see blemishes on a hugely blown up computer screen doesn't mean you'll see them IRL. Remember that the diamonds are going to be very small in person, so the important part is that they are eye clean at a normal viewing distance. You can find that out by looking on the listing where it says "eye clean" and then it either says "yes", or "inquire". If it says "Yes", it's eye clean.

I think you need to deicde which stone you want. None listed are bad choices--all are great. You can ask WF to pull your top 3-4 and have them take IRL pics so your own eyes are the deciding factor.
Click to expand...

Thank you! Been swamped at work and don't have much time to respond.

geminizi said:
Hi Kim - thank you for the quick reply. I’m too afraid that H will be yellowish when greater than 1.5.
Click to expand...

geminizi said:
Hi All,

I will be making the purchase today and have the original diamond on hold.

However I’m still trying to go larger and need your expertise ASAP. If I can go up in my budget for the diamond alone to around 14,500 to increase in carat size, should I get one of the below 3 diamonds (1.5) or I should stick with my original choice (1.2)? Any new recommendations for this budget or my original choice is the better diamond?

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
Click to expand...

What changed? I thought H was too yellow for you?

Color is graded and seen through the body/pavilion of the diamond. The more carat weight, the bigger the body so the higher your odds of seeing color. You can do things to mask color such as using yellow gold, or choosing a setting that conceals the pavilion of the stone more than others.

In the face up position (looking down on the diamond) it will be much harder to see any color, especially in a super ideal cut where light return is maximized and you get edge to edge brightness. This actually has two benefits. It minimizes color impact (again, from face up position only) and can also make a super ideal look bigger than a poorly cut stone as the light returns from edge to edge. Poorly cut stones don't always do that and consequently the lit up portion is smaller.

Color is very subjective. Most women see it more easily than men. The real question becomes if you and yours are bothered by it (tolerant or not). If not sensitive and tolerant than color can be a good way to bump size and/or save a few bucks in the process.

diamond-color-side.jpg


diamond-color-d-h-k.jpg


An example of a well cut vs poorly cut stone and how edge to edge brightness matters. Both stones are the same size, but they don't look it. Well cut on the left and poor cut on the right.

Capture1.PNG
 
geminizi said:
Hi All,

I will be making the purchase today and have the original diamond on hold.

However I’m still trying to go larger and need your expertise ASAP. If I can go up in my budget for the diamond alone to around 14,500 to increase in carat size, should I get one of the below 3 diamonds (1.5) or I should stick with my original choice (1.2)? Any new recommendations for this budget or my original choice is the better diamond?

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
Click to expand...

I like the 1.513 the best.
 
Hi Kim,

Would you be okay with the 1.513 H SI1? Is it worth the higher price?

Do you prefer the 1.513 or the original 1.223 G VS2?

I need to make a decision within 15 minutes on these 2 diamonds to get the setting going to guarantee delivery. Please help!
 
If you know that H color will be OK, then snag it.
If you feel G may still be a color grade that is too low, then strongly consider picking from their D-E-F color grades in your budget.
You have a lifetime of easy upgrade opportunity, regardless of which diamond that you select today. :)
 
Relative size difference...on a size 6 finger. Do you think your GF values color (quality) or size the most?

Edit...this is from diamdb.com if you want to play around with the different sizes.

size.png
 
geminizi said:
Hi Kim,

Would you be okay with the 1.513 H SI1? Is it worth the higher price?

Do you prefer the 1.513 or the original 1.223 G VS2?

I need to make a decision within 15 minutes on these 2 diamonds to get the setting going to guarantee delivery. Please help!
Click to expand...

If it were for me, I'd choose the 1.513 over the original 1.223. The size difference is substantial, and I personally would be okay with H at this size.
 
Kim N said:
If it were for me, I'd choose the 1.513 over the original 1.223. The size difference is substantial, and I personally would be okay with H at this size.
Click to expand...

I would do the same!
 
WH consultant says with quick assessment the 1.52 looks little bit better in color and cleaner.

Any reason u like the 1.513 over the 1.52?
 
I went with the 1.513. You all are the best, very much appreciated for your help and quick responses.
 
I could do the 1.52...like I said, the slight tint that I might have been seeing could just be the photography. I trust WF's opinion
but also agree with Kim N...we're down to splitting hairs. Either would make a lovely engagement ring!

Edit...just see you've made a decision! Congratulations!!! What setting did you go with?
 
Thank you so much for walking me through this milestone.

I received an assessment from their lead gemologist and was told both stones are extremely close and he thinks the 1.513 is a slightly nicer SI1.

I went with the Vatche Felicity pave setting in platinum.

Felicity Pave Diamond Engagement Ring by Vatche | 1650

Felicity Pave Diamond Engagement Ring by Vatche. Sparkle and shine with the exquisite Felicity pave diamond engagement ring by Vatche. | 1650
www.whiteflash.com
 
geminizi said:
Thank you so much for walking me through this milestone.

I received an assessment from their lead gemologist and was told both stones are extremely close and he thinks the 1.513 is a slightly nicer SI1.

I went with the Vatche Felicity pave setting in platinum.

Felicity Pave Diamond Engagement Ring by Vatche | 1650

Felicity Pave Diamond Engagement Ring by Vatche. Sparkle and shine with the exquisite Felicity pave diamond engagement ring by Vatche. | 1650
www.whiteflash.com
Click to expand...

That's a beautiful pairing. I hope you'll come back to share photos when it arrives.
 
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