Dilemma over three different stones

[katyman]

Hi,

I am new to this forum.

I am thinking of getting my first solitare diamond soon. I have asked around in our local jewelery shops and the SA has offered me these three stones;

1.01 carat H VS2 (~US$4800)

0.9 carat F VS1 (~US$3650)

1.04 carat G VS2 (~US$8100).

The three stones come with the certificate of GIA, AGS and IGI. But I cannot recall which certificate goes to which.

At the moment I am very tempted with the 0.9 carat due to the price and the colour and clarity. Obvioulsy it will not make me feel good because it is less than one carat.

Which one should I choose? Any opinion

TIA

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 1/5/2009 11:12:25 AM
Author:katyman
Hi,

I am new to this forum.

I am thinking of getting my first solitare diamond soon. I have asked around in our local jewelery shops and the SA has offered me these three stones;

1.01 carat H VS2 (~US$4800)

0.9 carat F VS1 (~US$3650)

1.04 carat G VS2 (~US$8100).

The three stones come with the certificate of GIA, AGS and IGI. But I cannot recall which certificate goes to which.

At the moment I am very tempted with the 0.9 carat due to the price and the colour and clarity. Obvioulsy it will not make me feel good because it is less than one carat.

Which one should I choose? Any opinion

TIA

Hi Katy,

I would concentrate on the AGS and GIA diamonds as they are the gold standard labs for diamond grading. We would be able to help you more if you could provide some more info on each diamond, you can get this from the grading report. We need the -

depth %
table %
crown and pavilion angles
polish and symmetry grades
girdle thickness
diameter measurement
fluorescence if applicable

Then we can go from there.

 

[swingirl]

You seem to be looking at stones within quite a broad price range. Do you have an actual budget that you''d like to stay with? Do you have any interest in buying from an internet vendor?

 

[katyman]

Date: 1/5/2009 11:26:20 AM
Author: Lorelei

Date: 1/5/2009 11:12:25 AM

Author:katyman

Hi,


I am new to this forum.


I am thinking of getting my first solitare diamond soon. I have asked around in our local jewelery shops and the SA has offered me these three stones;


1.01 carat H VS2 (~US$4800)


0.9 carat F VS1 (~US$3650)


1.04 carat G VS2 (~US$8100).


The three stones come with the certificate of GIA, AGS and IGI. But I cannot recall which certificate goes to which.


At the moment I am very tempted with the 0.9 carat due to the price and the colour and clarity. Obvioulsy it will not make me feel good because it is less than one carat.


Which one should I choose? Any opinion


TIA

Hi Katy,


I would concentrate on the AGS and GIA diamonds as they are the gold standard labs for diamond grading. We would be able to help you more if you could provide some more info on each diamond, you can get this from the grading report. We need the -


depth %

table %

crown and pavilion angles

polish and symmetry grades

girdle thickness

diameter measurement

fluorescence if applicable


Then we can go from there.

OK. Thanks for the advice. I am going back to the shop to get the info.

Date: 1/5/2009 12:48:24 PM
Author: swingirl
You seem to be looking at stones within quite a broad price range. Do you have an actual budget that you''d like to stay with? Do you have any interest in buying from an internet vendor?

I am targeting to spend up to US$5K. Obviously the lower the better

In this case I prefer to buy it from a shop myself. I like the shopping experience.

 

[Ellen]

Date: 1/5/2009 1:09:47 PM
Author: katyman


OK. Thanks for the advice. I am going back to the shop to get the info.



I am targeting to spend up to US$5K. Obviously the lower the better

In this case I prefer to buy it from a shop myself. I like the shopping experience.

Understandable! In that case, the Cut Adviser could be a big help, because Cut, much more than color and clarity, are what make a diamond sparkle well. But it's hard to tell about a diamond in limited lighting environments.

Just plug the numbers in, and see where the x lands. It is preferable to have it in the overlap area of AGS and GIA. Hope this helps! (in case you don't want to keep coming back with numbers)

http://www.pricescope.com/cutadviser.asp

 

[katyman]

Sorry for the delay, below are specs for the stones that have been shown to me.

Cert: AGS
Carat:0.9, F, VS1
Measurement: 5.89-5.92-3.92
Total depth: 66.4%
Table:58.4%
Girdle:Slightly thick
Culet: Pointed
Finish: Good
Polish:Excellent
Symmetry:V.Good
Price: ~US$3850

Cert: AGS
Carat:0.9, F, VS2
Measurement: 5.87-5.89-3.91
Total depth: 66.4%
Table:58.7%
Girdle:Slightly thick
Culet: Pointed
Finish: Good
Polish:Excellent
Symmetry:Good
Price: ~US$3766

Cert:IGI
Carat: 1.01, H VS2
Measurement: 6.19-6.27-4.02
Cut Grade: Good
Polish: Good
Symmetry:Good
Table:61%
Crown Height: 15.5%-38.5%
Girdle: Medium
Culet: Pointed
Total Depth: 64.7%
Price: ~US$4780

Cert:HRD
Shape: Brilliant
Carat:1.08, G VS2
Flurescene: nil
Measurement: 6.57-6.61-4.08
Proportion:v.good
Girdle: Medium 3.5% faceted
Culet: Pointed
Table width: 57%
Crown Ht: 15.5%
Pavillion Depth: 43.5%
Finish Grade: V.Good
Price: ~US$8000

Btw the first three stones are from the same shop whereas the last one is from our well known local jewelery shop.

Appreciate your comments on these stones.

Thanks

 

[Lorelei]

The first three are too deep for my liking, the crown and pavilion angles or percents are needed to get a more complete picture but going by the depths I would pass personally. The third HRD diamond is better for depth according to my calculations, what did you think of this one when you viewed it? It is considerably more expensive than the others by the look of it. Does your jeweller have access to a Sarin machine which gives detailed measurements of the diamond?

 

[AmberGretchen]

Umm...the first three look pretty hugely deep. I''d do some more searching and research - I really think you can find a better stone for the money, and IMO the third one, while it looks more promising, is overpriced.

Have you considered any of the Pricescope vendors such as Whiteflash or Good Old Gold?

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Unfortunately, many of us found ourselves in the same boat when we realized that the quality of stones in local jewelry stores was just not up to par with some of the vendors online. I enjoyed the experience shopping at jewelry stores, but ultimately, I was not going to overpay for a poorly cut stone. I''d also suggest looking here to see what is available in excellent-excellent cut (and check GIA and AGS only for labs).

https://www.pricescope.com/sift.aspx