Does size REALLY matter?

[Trekkie]

I've been offered the chance to trade in my beautiful .51 G VS for a .91 H I1.

Both are H&A ideal cut. Both are eye clean.

Would you do it?

 

[diamondbuggy]

Hey Trekkie!

I'm a size girl so I would do it! Especially since they're both eye clean and I doubt you'd notice much colour difference between the G and the H. Don't get me wrong, I think you have a gorgeous stone already but why turn down a bigger one!

You lucky lady!

 

[ksinger]

That would be a large visual jump in size. If the larger stone was eyeclean to my satisfaction, I'd go for the larger one every single time. But then I have zero color sensitivity. I can SEE color, but it bothers me not. And even so, I'm not sure I could tell the difference between grades so close. The person across the room or table absolutely can't, but they can see your larger diamond.

 

[Imdanny]

Did I read that right? Did you ask about trading your VS2 for an I1? No way! JMHO.

 

[mrscushion]

I would do the trade provided the I1 were really eye clean to my standards.

 

[Porridge]

Hard to say. It would be a big jump in size, and the colour wouldn't bother me, but an eye clean I1? I'd have to get a good look at it first. If it were eye clean to my satisfaction then I would definitely do it.

 

[atroop711]

I really like them as big as I could get them and if the larger one was really EYE CLEAN, I would go for it.

 

[Trekkie]

Diamondbuggy - I'm a size girl myself and I thought half a carat was huge when I first got it. Seriously. Now even 1ct seems just... average. And you and I both know, where we're from, 1ct is HUGE. I think I'm spending far too much time on Pricescope!

Ksinger - me too! I see colour, but I don't find it unattractive at all. I think warmer diamonds have a special "glow" about them. Having said that, H is still plenty white enough, kwim? I totally agree with you that size is more important!!!

ImDanny - I know. It seems crazy, right? But the inclusion is a white fleck, barely even visible when I hold it right up to my nose and look straight at it. It's there, but not distracting. If that makes any sense? The stone is so well cut and sparkly, the sparkle completely camouflages the inclusion.

MsCushion - It is eye-clean... But then I think of Dancing Fire's signature about "mind clean". This stone is definitely not mind clean. I wonder if the inclusion will start to bother me after a while... And I really like how clean my VS2 is...

Porridge - It is quite a big jump in size. But it's also quite a downgrade clarity wise.

Atroop - Size does matter.

Sigh. You know, I really like my diamond. I've had it for just about a month. That's not even long. I'm just being completely childish about the size. And what if I get the .91 and DSS sets in again? I can't spend my life chasing bigger diamonds. There will always be someone with a bigger diamond. I mean, even DiamondFan eventually grew accustomed to her 9ct rock.

But then I remember what Amethyste says... When it's big enough, you stop looking.

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh! Why is this so difficult for me?!?!?!?!?!?!

 

[diamondbuggy]

Diamondbuggy - I'm a size girl myself and I thought half a carat was huge when I first got it. Seriously. Now even 1ct seems just... average. And you and I both know, where we're from, 1ct is HUGE. I think I'm spending far too much time on Pricescope!

I know, Pricescope definitely messes with our minds!

Good luck figuring this out! Let us know what you decide.

 

[AGBF]

I've been offered the chance to trade in my beautiful .51 G VS for a .91 H I1.

Both are H&A ideal cut. Both are eye clean.

Would you do it?

It's an "I" question, not a "you" question so I'll tell you about my own preferences. Much as I wish for a larger stone and wish that I had had the sense to buy each of my diamonds from a vendor who had a, "trading up" policy, I need a certain "bottom line" color and clarity to be happy with a diamond. Furthermore, I have imposed even more stringent standards on myself for projects now for sidestones in terms of color. (This is in case I want to take things apart and re-use them.)

As Dancing Fire terms it, for a "mind clean" stone I need at least a VS2 clarity and for color I really need a colorless stone. My solitaire is an F. I have one G stone. All the rest of my stones are higher color. My new rule is to buy only D color stones, though. So far I have applied this mainly to sidestones. If I ever upgraded to a 3 carat solitaire I do not know if I could afford to get a D. But if I could not, I do not know if I would want to do it.

So my answer is: I would prefer to keep high clarity and color! I would definitely prefer the .51 G VS. It sounds like my kind of stone!

Deb/AGBF

 

[rosetta]

I picked the H no question. My solitaire is an F, it was chosen by my fiancé.

My next stones are Js.

 

[soocool]

Color in a diamond doesn't bother me in the least. I have a 1.51 ct J set in yellow gold and still in love with my ring. However, it is also a VS1 and I myself could not deal with anything less than a VS2 when it comes to clarity especially in a larger size stone. But then again it would have to depend on exactly what that inclusion is and where it is. I can live with some inclusions and not others.

 

[Tuckins1]

If the I1 were indeed eye clean, then I would in a heartbeat!

 

[gemgirl]

I think every one of us who own a number of diamonds has a personal preference as far as color and clarity, and I think you have to decide what that is for you. Speaking only for myself, I prefer G color stones, though I do have a pair of Hs that are set in yellow gold and look very similar to my Gs. For clarity I own VS2s and perfectly eye clean SI1s, and I wouldn't go lower than an SI1. But that's just my preference.

When I was 19, which was a hundred years ago (LOL), I was engaged with an uncertified stone that my fiance' bought from a "family jeweler". We were told that the stone was eye clean and when we had it appraised, it was appraised as a VS2. That whole situation was a set up between a diamond seller on Canal St. and a well known appraiser of the day. Fast forward 25 yrs later when I owned my own loupe and knew how to use it, I was appalled at what I saw inside that stone. It was really an I1 and preset into a four prong setting, it was eye clean, but that was enough for me to form my own preference for higher clarity stones. I want to be able to loupe a stone and see either nothing, or a very hard to find single inclusion or I don't want to own it.

You have to set your own comfortable boundaries based on your own experiences and preferences.

 

[ksinger]

Color in a diamond doesn't bother me in the least. I have a 1.51 ct J set in yellow gold and still in love with my ring. However, it is also a VS1 and I myself could not deal with anything less than a VS2 when it comes to clarity especially in a larger size stone. But then again it would have to depend on exactly what that inclusion is and where it is. I can live with some inclusions and not others.

J? Color? Pshaw!

I'm talking COLOR!! I am cheap - or thrify - apply whichever adjective you will - and color is my friend when I want a BIGGER stone than I can reasonably afford in a more colorless range. Right now I'm drooling on some stuff closer to the OTHER end of the scale. U-V, even W. Mmmmm! Colorrrrrr....... All I care about is eyeclean and bangin' cut. I agree that eyeclean becomes more of an issue when you can see more table and such - more big stretches of real estate, if you will.

 

[elrohwen]

My standards for eye clean are looser than most - as long as I can't see the speck all the time and it's not distracting, I'm ok with it. Based on your description, I would absolutely make the switch.

 

[Circe]

I love size, and I love warmth, but I don't think I could go down to I1. I took a diamond grading course last year, and knowing what it takes to get that classification, no. By definition, it either means an inclusion is eye-visible, or that it threatens the integrity of the stone. On the other hand, if there was an I SI1 out there in the size I wanted ... that, I might consider. Is it just this one stone you have the option of trading for?

 

[Ninna]

Color in a diamond does not bother me either. Now, trading a Vs2 for I1, I would suggest waiting for a larger stone a bit longer

 

[AGBF]

I just wanted to add that I didn't vote on this. (In fact, I think gemgirl and I sound like a couple of lawyers because we try very hard to be precise about the opinions that we express here. We keep saying that we are talking about how we want stones to be for ourselves.)

To me this is not an issue I can vote on. I do not think that it is universally better for a person to have a bigger or higher color or higher clarity stone for the same amount of money. All I can tell you is what I would want!

Deb/AGBF

 

[Arkteia]

I am not even into diamonds, but color is seen. I can see it all the time when I look at my E and F studs (they do not totally match) and they compare them with my H studs that I bought a long time ago. Also, I1 may in fact be I2. The only reason to trade it is to upgrade it to, say a 1-ct G-VS1 or G-VVS2 later. I may be wrong, but it seems to be easier to upgrade a 1-ct stone than a 0.64 - ct. stone. I may be wrong on it, but many people still prefer a larger "bling".

 

[luv2sparkle]

I love the size but I couldn't live with the clarity. I had a diamond that I would have sworn was I clean, and in fact was for
years, one day, I saw the inclusion and it bugged me from that day on. I then, could always see it. I would not go below
a VS2 personally. There are many great SI1's out there I know, but for me it's VS2 or above. Color doesn't bother me much,
and I would love the size upgrade but not at the expense of clarity for me. So my vote was a no.

 

[Dreamer_D]

I would get a .90ct J VS2 Clarity is more important to me than color, and size is more important to me whan anything.

 

[partgypsy]

I voted for your original because I'm a clarity gal. I think an I1 would bug me.

 

[DivaDiamond007]

I don't think I could live with an I1. My original stone was a SI2 and that bothered me, so when I could upgrade I went to an eye-clean SI1 and love it.

 

[lyra]

Clarity is my mind clean issue, while colour is not. I'd go lower in color and up in clarity.

 

[jaysonsmom]

To me, size does not matter, it has to be mind clean. If H color, I1 is mind clean enough for you, then by all means go for it, but if it's only for the size, and you really feel you may regret it, then don't do it. You already said that a .51ct is a really nice and respectable size where you live, so why go beyond that and sacrifice your well balanced stone?

 

[reader]

Well, how does the stone perform in various lights, and is the blemish more noticeable in some lights and not in others?

 

[Yimmers]

I don't know if I could live with a I1 stone. It's a mind clean thing for me. Being Asian as well, there's the older generation and some of the younger generation who would give flak for an I1 stone. Even if you couldn't see it without really really close examination, I know a lot of them would automatically write it off as "flawed" and claim they could see how the inclusion affected the clarity, sparkle, etc. I know they'd be talking out of the @ss. Mostly, because they assume the higher clarity always = better sparkle. We know better. Yea, I could ignore those people, but it would still get annoying after awhile.

 

[Laila619]

I would do the trade provided the I1 were really eye clean to my standards.

Agree. But also, the I1 would have to not have any durability issues with regards to the inclusions (like a severe feather).

I might look for a bigger J color stone with better clarity though, like Dreamer said.

 

[lucyandroger]

I would get a .90ct J VS2 Clarity is more important to me than color, and size is more important to me whan anything.

I would get a J VS2, also! I'm biased b/c my e-ring has 3 with this combo!!