Does anyone actually buy “perfect” diamonds?

[skypie]

Yes, many Asians only buy D/IF diamonds for "cultural reasons".

 

[Attached]

My husband and his family don't buy anything lower than E and VVS1. They believe that the more inclusions and imperfections the diamond has, the more issues in a marriage and relationships. Hence, my center stone was held up to those standards. I wouldn't mind lowering those standards and getting a bigger stone

 

[blueMA]

They believe that the more inclusions and imperfections the diamond has, the more issues in a marriage and relationships.

ha- which culture if you don't mind me asking?

 

[Attached]

ha- which culture if you don't mind me asking?

He is Chinese and Laotian. When his sister got divorced they blamed it on the ring that her husband bought her.

 

[JPie]

My husband and his family don't buy anything lower than E and VVS1. They believe that the more inclusions and imperfections the diamond has, the more issues in a marriage and relationships.

Well, crap, my husband and I are doomed with my F VVS2!

 

[Johnbt]

"Well, crap, my husband and I are doomed with my F VVS2! "

Then so are my wife and I => F VVS2

 

[Attached]

Well, crap, my husband and I are doomed with my F VVS2!

There wouldn't be any married couples by their standards

 

[kmoro]

He is Chinese and Laotian. When his sister got divorced they blamed it on the ring that her husband bought her.

That’s awesome, rofl!!!

I’m going to tell my ex husband that we got divorced because of the huge black inclusion in the engagement diamond! He’s gonna love that, lol

 

[mellowyellowgirl]

I have an E IF and an I VS1. I can definitely see the tint in the VS1 and although it allegedly has better specs it does not garner the attention nor look as beautiful as the E IF (it is set in a pendant though). They are a similar size.

I love love love the E stone so no complaints there. It is very white and seems to throw more pinky sparkles. I would never swap it for another stone because it's got specific characteristics that I like and I know I will be annoyed if another stone looks different.

The I VS1, I can give or take really. It is very replaceable, nothing special. I keep it as a pendant because sometimes I need a diamond pendant but it is one of those things I can see myself giving to my sister on a whim.

I am very touchy about clarity and I don't think I could do an SI. I can always see inclusions. What's weird is I am a coloured stone girl at heart and they are notorious for inclusions (oh the bogies in my ruby and emeralds) but in a diamond they REALLY bug me.

 

[blueMA]

more pinky sparkles.

I just saw a video of a stone close to FIC and noticed this, since higher crown tend to throw more prism colors. Is your E stone a high crown stone?

 

[mellowyellowgirl]

I just saw a video of a stone close to FIC and noticed this, since higher crown tend to throw more prism colors. Is your E stone a high crown stone?

Yes! One of the reasons why it would get dinged in terms of cut is that the crown is higher than the desired ideal.

 

[blueMA]

Yes! One of the reasons why it would get dinged in terms of cut is that the crown is higher than the desired ideal.

Very interesting. Yes I noticed that on this diamond. 35.5/40.6 outside super ideal proportions, pretty much a FIC (firey Ideal Cut). Checkout near 1:45

 

[AV_]

@blueMA @mellowyellowgirl - I'd hear @Rhino on this one.

_

D/Fl ... - are just a grading convention in my book, but do hve their meaning as defined. They'd make me smile twice about a small stone for which even a high % premium for the overkill grades would not amount to much.

Then, often enough, among fancy cuts, I notice quite inconsistent pricing - to the extent that the value of a couple of grades back & forth is drowned.

 

[blueMA]

@blueMA @mellowyellowgirl - I'd hear @Rhino on this one.

_

D/Fl ... - are just a grading convention in my book, but do hve their meaning as defined. They'd make me smile twice about a small stone for which even a high % premium for the overkill grades would not amount to much.

Then, often enough, among fancy cuts, I notice quite inconsistent pricing - to the extent that the value of a couple of grades back & forth is drowned.

I'd personally not pay extra premium for D/Fl - why pay so much for something you can't really see? They're just old shiny rocks after all, and we're all already paying too much for em thanks to DeBeers.

 

[mellowyellowgirl]

@blueMA thanks for posting the video! I can totally identify with the part where it's in the dark room!!!

Mine behaves like that! It'll eat up any light in a dark room and throw out flashes.

I think in hindsight if I were to buy another one I'd try and look for similar proportions with cheaper specs (and save money for coloured stones, addicted to coloured stones) like an F VS1 but it's too much effort and risky to swap out the current overkill stone

 

[blueMA]

@blueMA thanks for posting the video! I can totally identify with the part where it's in the dark room!!!

Mine behaves like that! It'll eat up any light in a dark room and throw out flashes.

I think in hindsight if I were to buy another one I'd try and look for similar proportions with cheaper specs (and save money for coloured stones, addicted to coloured stones) like an F VS1 but it's too much effort and risky to swap out the current overkill stone

Haha thanks for confirming. As I was watching that video, my thought was "hmm, I have all ideal diamond proportions but none of my diamonds throw those red sparkles!"

My preference is more towards Bright diamonds with more brilliance(34/41, also outside the superideals), but also love OEC for romantic chunky sparkles, but now I just might add a FIC to my collection in the future!

 

[sledge]

Kind of fun to listen to different view points.

People will always justify their preferences, so yes, people will buy "perfect diamonds" regardless of whatever preferences we choose to determine "perfect".

For the right price I'd buy a D FL stone. Doubt the price will get to where I'm happy to pull the trigger but I'm not taking the possibility off the table, just in case.

But in a sense, isn't every diamond perfect? I mean after all, it met the color, clarity, cut, carat weight and cost/budget constraints of the person that bought it and gifted it with love. So at that point in time, with that knowledge, those dollars, that availability, etc it was a perfect fit for that particular person.

How cool is that? We have no choice but to buy "perfect" diamonds.

 

[AV_]

@blueMA I will agree that those strongest flavours of mirror brighteness or old school 3D flickering, make sense each in its own right. I am rather dreaming of a ring combining such diamonds with wildly contrasting play of light (& will likely do nothing about it...)

-

Then,

IHMO grading drives prices more than taste & this is not endearing detailed reports to me. I could live with just origin identification.

 

[blueMA]

@blueMA I will agree that those strongest flavours of mirror brighteness or old school 3D flickering, make sense each in its own right. I am rather dreaming of a ring combining such diamonds with wildly contrasting play of light (& will likely do nothing about it...)

-

Then,

IHMO grading drives prices more than taste & this is not endearing detailed reports to me. I could live with just origin identification.

That's marketing at work - it certainly drives the demand.
There are plenty great performing diamonds out there at great price, especially if you shop around - I'm sure someday you'll stumble upon one.

 

[AV_]

I'm sure someday you'll stumble upon one.

I have seen just a couple of bold step cuts that I could live with...
Jewelry & I bond for life, so this is that serious ,)

 

[bmfang]

My sister has an IF D given by a person who could pretty much afford anything. Really, it looks the same as any eye clean near colorless diamonds.
Not sure how you'd get the stats, but the market is for the consumers simply wanting the best of the best of what's available.

I surmise that a D IF/FL would be easier to sell at smaller carat sizes rather than larger. The cost becomes prohibitive for average folks who aspire to have high colour/high clarity but at relatively affordable price points for smaller stones rather than larger.

 

[Dancing Fire]

He is Chinese and Laotian. When his sister got divorced they blamed it on the ring that her husband bought her.

 

[Wewechew]

He is Chinese and Laotian. When his sister got divorced they blamed it on the ring that her husband bought her.

HAHAHA I love it!

 

[mellowyellowgirl]

Haha thanks for confirming. As I was watching that video, my thought was "hmm, I have all ideal diamond proportions but none of my diamonds throw those red sparkles!"

My preference is more towards Bright diamonds with more brilliance(34/41, also outside the superideals), but also love OEC for romantic chunky sparkles, but now I just might add a FIC to my collection in the future!

Thanks to you I'm in a dark room with blinds drawn trying to get green flashes (my favourite colour)

 

[AV_]

@mellowyellowgirl I certainly see how diamonds are wearable prisms to play with !

 

[AV_]

...

Laughing or not -

I take it that somebody in Laos or in China shortchanged on a point of tradition & it was a correct sign of what became of the underlying contract... I see it all the time in this decayed world - if not all the time: sure do hold your precise observance of the European lore of equal rings in high regard (not gold strips!).

 

[Dancing Fire]

Thanks to you I'm in a dark room with blinds drawn trying to get green flashes (my favourite colour)

Very hard to capture a green flash on a diamond. Here is a rare photo of my wife's stone.

 

[blueMA]

Very hard to capture a green flash on a diamond. Here is a rare photo of my wife's stone.

Don't get me wrong, I see all the colors of rainbow out of my diamonds but I don't see just red or green repeatedly flashing in the absence of other colored lights.

 

[blueMA]

Here's my green flash. I can capture any color.

 

[holeydonut]

He is Chinese and Laotian. When his sister got divorced they blamed it on the ring that her husband bought her.

I’ve heard this sentiment dozens of times as well. The inclusion on the diamond became a symbol of the guy’s willingness to cut corners and settle for second (or last) place.

I still have a hard time deciphering where this BS comes from. Without wasting time trying to get a PhD on this topic, I think it boils down to these elements.

The East grew attached to Western elements of glamour and sophistication.

The concept of “diamond is forever” became a new aspirational status symbol, but was poorly understood.

A bunch of low-rate diamonds and jewelry got pushed on a population of unsuspecting buyers in Asia.

Many people were conned into what they thought was a high class status symbol, only to discover they bought a cloudy, poorly cut, yellow thing with flaws.

A metaphor arises: A man who gets a flawed diamond is a flawed person as well. And Asians tend to be very judgemental toward others about perceived flaws.

A solution to avoid the “flaw” is to get a D, IF/FL, Triple-X, with no haze/cloudy issues. Because any diamond that has imperfection would be symbolic of the buyer’s flaws.

The marketing-reliant diamond industry reaped huge benefit from the “horror stories” every old Asian person seems to have around con-job flawed diamonds.

The only solace I have in all this is how Tiffany stock has been getting smoked recently. Diamond demand in China and parts of Asia has plummeted.