Final 3

[doughboyr6]

Hi there,

My name is Fred and I am new to the site. I came across this website during my search for the perfect ring. I was originally spending a lot of time on Bluenile due to a friend's suggestion. But in my internet search and thru this site, I came to know about JA and have been spending ridiculous amounts of time on that site.

I've narrowed down to 3 diamonds which I've asked for a gemologist to look at and report back to me tomorrow their findings. I also asked for the idealscope images as well.

The price difference between the 3 are negligible with a spread of only $200 difference between the most expensive and cheapest. So i want to get the best one of the lot.

Now, I can really benefit from the expertise and help of this community. Which of these 3 is your favorite and also what questions might you have for me to ask the gemologist tomorrow?

Thanks in advance for your help.


DIAMOND 1

 

[doughboyr6]

DIAMOND 2

 

[doughboyr6]

DIAMOND 3

 

[04diamond<3]

I like the arrows on the first one better, but love the last whole aset. I would go for the 1.10 which happens to be the best aset, but it'd be between that one and the first one.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Eliminate #2 because of very good cut (thick girdle makes stone face up smaller than it should). #1 looks great, but #3 is larger so I would take it as long as they tell you it is eyeclean from top and sides.

 

[doughboyr6]

I hope everyone can see the GIA certificates of each.

Just for your information.

If i Plug in the values into the HCA tool these are the results of each.

DIAMOND 1 = 2.6

DIAMOND 2 = 2.4

DIAMOND 3 = 1.9

 

[04diamond<3]

even more confirmation you should go with the 3rd one - the 1.10

 

[doughboyr6]

here is some more info if anyone cares.

I'd appreciate as much feedback as possible. Thanks.

DIAMOND 1
6.46 X 6.48 X 4.02
Polish/Sym - Excellent
Flour - None
No Cutlet
H&A Inscription on girdle
Table 56%
Depth 62.1%
Crown Angle 35.5
Crown % 15.5
Pavillion Angle 40.8
Pavillion % 43
Girdle is med-sl thick 3.5

I've left out DIAMOND 2 based on your recommendations.

DIAMOND 3
6.60 x 6.63 x 4.10
Polish/Sym - Excellent
Flour - None
No Cutlet
Table 57%
Depth 61.9%
Crown Angle 34.5
Crown % 15.0
Pavillion Angle 41.0
Pavillion % 43.5
Girdle is med-sl thick 4.0

 

[diamondseeker2006]

even more confirmation you should go with the 3rd one - the 1.10

I agree. This is the one I would pick without a doubt!

 

[doughboyr6]

I'll be having my phone consultation this morning at 1030 with the gemologist to reviewed the 3 diamonds above from JA.

Any last minute questions you think I should ask when on the phone with them?

The one I can think of is asking about 'eye clean'

Any others?

 

[justginger]

I agree with the crowd - stone three is the clear winner to me. Nice image and an HCA <2. Check eyecleanliness and then I think you have a winner!

 

[doughboyr6]

GEMOLOGIST PHONE CONSULTATION FINDINGS:

I just concluded my phone conversation with JA's gemologist who reviewed all 3 diamonds. She said that she had in front of her all 3 diamonds, the certificates and the idealscope images.

Her ranking of the 3 are:

1) DIAMOND 2 - 1.01CT
2) DIAMOND 1 - 1.04CT
3) DIAMOND 3 - 1.10 CT

Which is opposite to the comments here so far.

She began by saying that all 3 diamonds are eye clean and shouldn't be much of a concern. And below are her findings of each.

She said the 1.01 (Diamond 2) shows best. Most brilliant and shines the whitest. This is the only diamond of the 3 with faint flour. and she says it helps it shine a little whiter. When I asked her about the thick girdle and the off ideal proportions based on the HCA tool she said that based on GIA standards it only scores as a VG cut because of the thick girdle and 59% table. On paper is should not fair well, but when she looks at it optically, she says of the 3 performs the best.

She said the 1.04 (Diamond 1) is a close 2nd. She said that it is a very high H colour and shows nearly as white as the above diamond. In terms of brilliance and shine, she ranked that 2nd as well. It does have the H&A inscription and is ranked as an excellent cut because of the proportions and thinnest girdle of the lot based on GIA standards. She liked the idealscope image of this diamond the most with very clean symmetry and arrows.

Her least favorite and suggestion to eliminate was in fact the 1.10 (Diamond 3). She said this diamond shows up with warmth and is a lower H. This showed the worse of the 3 in terms of sparkle/brilliance. The cut is still very excellent and proportions are great. When I asked her about this scoring the best on the HCA; she said that based on paper, this theoretically is the best one, but for some reason when viewed in person, it shows the worse.


Now the hard part is what do I do with all this information?? lol. I need to make a decision in a 24 hour period as that is how long they will continue to hold the diamonds.

 

[04diamond<3]

Well personally, I'd go with the one that shows the best idealscope, and has the best hca score. You will hardly notice a difference between a G and an H. Just out of curiosity - how much is diamond two and how much is diamond three?

 

[doughboyr6]

DIAMOND 1 - 1.04 - $6940
DIAMOND 2 - 1.01 - $6790
DIAMOND 3 - 1.10 - $6880

DIAMOND 3 has the highest HCA at 1.9, but it does have a sl tick girdle which i'm not sure if the HCA tool takes into account.

DIAMOND 1 looks to have the best idealscope image. The arrows are nice and sharp and clean lines. The symmetry on it looks best too.

 

[JulieN]

#1 for me.

 

[SMC]

I'm pretty trusting so I would choose the one the gemologist recommended. It's a little bit cheaper and it seems to look the best to her eyes. I think having eyes on it would be the better judge over numbers.

 

[doughboyr6]

Even though the gemologist highly recommended #2 (1.01).

Deep down, I feel that is not the one. Something bothers me about it. I love the fact that it is a color G, but I don't think that alone is enough. I don't like the proportions, the 59% table and 4.5 thick girdle (the gemologist said there are 8 facets and only 2 of them were on the thick side, so it was nothing to worry about).

I'm not so worried about the colour difference of G/H. So I would be happy enough with a H if it performed well.

I'm think i'm down to diamond 1 (1.04) and 3 (1.10). Diamond 1 seems to almost have all the positives of Diamond 2 which was the gemologist's recommendation with barely any downsides. The idealscope looks really nice too.

Diamond 3 the gemologist said shows with warmth or a lower H as she said. She also said it sparkled the least and was less brilliant than the other 2. The size is what it has going for it.

My heart is tugging on the strings of the 1.04.

What do you guys think of my thinking? Am I way off?

 

[SMC]

I don't think you can go wrong with any of your choices. It looks like you are leaning towards diamond 1 so you should get that one! I don't think that the size difference will be noticeable at the end of the day and if you go for the 1.10 you'd always wonder if you should have gone for the 1.04.

 

[babs23r]

Go with the 1.04 !

 

[cygnet]

I also like the 1.04

 

[doughboyr6]

I've spoken with the reps at JA and they were kind enough to keep these 3 on hold for another 24 hours. But by tomorrow 10PM i have to submit my decision.

I'm leaning towards the 1.04. Having the 1.10 is nice, but taking the risk of it not showing as well (brilliance/shine/colour) is not worth the sacrifice in size I don't feel. I like the smaller table % on DIAMOND 1 as well as the slightly smaller girdle. The depth/pavillion % are negligible between the two. The biggest difference is the crown angle at 35.5 which seems to be off ideal.

Let me know any last minute thoughts.

Thank you again so far for everything you've guys had shared and helped with.

 

[vishke8]

I think you don't have anything to loose here..

JA gives 60 days return policy so there is enough time for you to return it if you don't like.

If possible ask them for some images of all 3 diamonds placed next to each other, that should give some idea.

Let us know if you get nay images.

Goodluck

 

[doughboyr6]

Do I need to worry about any of the ideal scope images for diamond 1 and 3? In terms of leakeage or blockage....etc

 

[04diamond<3]

Do I need to worry about any of the ideal scope images for diamond 1 and 3? In terms of leakeage or blockage....etc

This is exactly why I didn't like the first one you posted. The white is too much compared to the other two. So I'm still voting for the third one. The white and red are more even and not as pronounced.

 

[JulieN]

No, the HCA scores are fine, the angles are fine, the Ideal Scopes are FINE. You are overthinking this.

 

[doughboyr6]

Thank you for all your help. In the end I went with the 1.04 (diamond 1).

In the end when I stacked all the pros and cons while keeping in mind the geologists suggestions, the 1.04 just sat best with me.

I apologize if some of my questions were obnoxious or repetitive.

Aside from my house and car, this is the biggest purchase I have made and it carries with it so much meaning and commitment.

I appreciate all your insight and help

 

[SMC]

Thank you for all your help. In the end I went with the 1.04 (diamond 1).

In the end when I stacked all the pros and cons while keeping in mind the geologists suggestions, the 1.04 just sat best with me.

Yay! I'm glad you decided. What setting are you getting?

 

[doughboyr6]

My gf likes a very simple band. She likes the plain knife edge solitaire. This is all good for me as it is the cheapest band. Lol. But I do agree that a simple band does not distract from the diamond.

 

[doughboyr6]

My gf likes a very simple band. She likes the plain knife edge solitaire. This is all good for me as it is the cheapest band. Lol. But I do agree that a simple band does not distract from the diamond.

 

[babs23r]

Congrats! You made the right choice, and that setting will look so clean and elegant.