Flawless vs. Internally Flawless

[JJH]

Ana, I just read the link you provided. They do overlap to some extent. AGS has ideal outside GIA''s excellent, and GIA has excellent outside AGS''s ideal, but there is some overlap. I think this is what you meant to say. From the one week that I''ve spent studying this (not much), my impression is that AGS''s 0 ideal is probably a little too narrow and GIA''s excellent is probably too broad. But anyway, I''m happy to be done w/ the diamond buying experience. This site and all of you have been a really big help. Thank you all!

I do have a question for those who are experts w/ the HCA. Does it account for the star length? According to the AGSL charts, the diamond I bought is AGS 0 on the 50% star lengths and AGS 1 on the 60% star lengths. My 1.05 has a star length of 55%, right in between. The HCA says that it is within the AGS 0.

I suspect that it assumes a 50% star length, as you only input table and depth percentages, and pavilion and crown angles. I don''t see how you can calculate the star length from these parameters.

Jonas Hodges

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[kenny]

JJH, I just wanted to say Kudos to you for going with a D IF.
Many will reason, "why pay more when you can't see it with the naked eye?"
Congratulatons to you for thinking for yourself.

You and your lady will always know you have the best of the best, the most rare, and the most fine.
Yet its size doesn't scream $$$$$$$$.

You are a classy guy!

There was a guy here who bought a 2.6 ct stone that looked really awful.
I guess all he cared about was size.
Just the opposite!

 

[JJH]

Thank you, Kenny. Quite honestly, I just wanted to buy the perfect diamond for my lovely girlfriend. She is so happy with it. She knows how rare the stone is and that makes her feel special.

Jonas

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[gemmy1]

Jonas,
I want to applaud you for your research and especially on your decisiveness once you had arrived at a logical conclusion. Many buyers get confused by all the competing ideas and have difficulty ever pulling the trigger. The danger there is that the market on round diamonds is recalibrated every Friday and quite often top quality stones increase. Buyers can find themselves hit with a significant "penalty" for procrastination.

One other general statement I would make about the new GIA cut grade system is that a cornerstone of the research is the 70,000 controlled human observations which validated their scientific findings. There is an element of subjectivity in the pursuit of what is "most beautiful" and the GIA system is the only one to account for it in a meaningful way.

Congrats again to you and your lucky gal.

 

[JJH]

Hey Guys,
I wanted to update you all on everything. I was working with uniondiamond, but got a little frustrated because they weren''t completely honest and they were overcharging on their settings and bands. So, I decided to buy the bands from another company and send them to uniondiamond. But, then I contacted Mark at engagementringsdirect.com. It has been so refreshing working with him. He has been so honest (he told me his price on the diamond, which no one else would do) and he''s super knowledgeable. And, his prices on the settings and bands are great. So, I canceled on the 1.05, and picked out another diamond w/ Mark. Here''s the new diamond. It''s a little bigger than what I wanted, but I wasn''t sure if the 1.05 would appear back in the market. Please let me know what you guys think.

Report Type: GIA Diamond Grading Report
Date of Issue: March 04, 2006
Round Brilliant
Measurements: 6.89 - 6.94 x 4.27 mm
Carat Weight: 1.27
Color Grade: D
Clarity Grade: IF
Cut Grade: Excellent
Proportions:
Depth: 61.7 %
Table: 57 %
Crown Angle: 34°
Crown Height: 14.5 %
Pavilion Angle: 40.8°
Pavilion Depth: 43 %
Star length: 55 %
Lower Half: 80 %
Girdle: Medium to Slightly Thick, Faceted
Culet: None
Finish:
Polish: Excellent
Symmetry: Excellent
Fluorescence: Faint
Comments: Surface graining is not shown.

Here are the HCA results:

Factor Grade
Light Return Excellent
Fire Excellent
Scintillation Excellent
Spread or diameter for weight Very Good
Total Visual Performance 1.1 - Excellent within TIC range

Jonas

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[diamondseeker2006]

Oh, super! I was thinking as I read through here, it is a shame he is not going for a little larger than 1 ct. with that budget! And then you post that you now have a 1.27! This one sounds perfect..and it is a wonderful size stone! Lucky girl!

 

[Mara]

Oh I am late reading through this post but the one Mark found sounds like a winner with numbers to me, and bigger to boot!!

That first one from BN was definitely nothing special from the numbers, the second was nice, but glad you were able to get something that fit all your criteria (and bigger is fun too as DSS sets in fast!!!).

Congratulations!

 

[mrssalvo]

I''m glad you were able to work with Mark too. I haven''t had a chance to purchase from him but all I hear is rave reviews. The stone sounds gorgeous and we''d love to see Pics

 

[f0rbidden]

Congrats! I''m sure she''ll love it!

I have a D/VVS2 and if I ever upgrade (DH isn''t big on these upgrade ideas!) I would go with the D/IF or D/FL , too.
In fact, I considered a smaller carat weight with the IF/FL clarity, but fell in love with the VVS.

What can I say?

 

[Rod]

Date: 4/24/2006 4:15:04 PM
Author: f0rbidden
Congrats! I''m sure she''ll love it!

I have a D/VVS2 and if I ever upgrade (DH isn''t big on these upgrade ideas!) I would go with the D/IF or D/FL , too.
In fact, I considered a smaller carat weight with the IF/FL clarity, but fell in love with the VVS.

What can I say?

You shouldn''t have to say anything. Thank goodness there''s the freedom of choice and if paying for IF would bring you happiness, bring it on. Me on the other hand, would not pay for something I can''t see. My stone is VS2 and even with a loop, I couldn''t see anything. So, it just wasn''t important to invest in anything more, because I couldn''t tell the difference.

But, for you and other''s it means enough to be a good investment in one''s pleasure. So when you do upgrade, you do what makes you happy!!!

 

[canuk-gal]

Date: 4/23/2006 11:26:56 PM
Author: JJH
Color Grade: D
Clarity Grade: IF

HI:

Congrats on such a fine stone!! Having recently tried on a D FL, I know how exceptionally beautfiul these stones are. I am gald you found what you wanted and look forward seeing to the finished ring!!

cheers--Sharon

 

[JJH]

Date: 4/24/2006 1:52:41 PM
Author: mrssalvo
I'm glad you were able to work with Mark too. I haven't had a chance to purchase from him but all I hear is rave reviews. The stone sounds gorgeous and we'd love to see Pics

I'll post some photos as soon as I get it. It will take some time because it will be heading out to the GIA to get the laser inscription. Oh, by the way, Mark said that he could see hearts and arrows. He said that both the hearts and the arrows look really good.

Jonas

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[JJH]

Hey Guys,
I finally got the ring back. I had it sent in to the GIA to get laser inscribed, then I had it sent into the AGS to get it certified, as I was told that an AGS certification might increase its value a little.

Anyway, here it is. The AGS cert was D IF, triple 0, negligible florescence.

Jonas

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[diamondseeker2006]

It''s GORGEOUS, Jonas! Congratulations on the beautiful ring! Have you given it to her yet?

 

[allycat0303]

Very nice ring, a classic! I'm sure your girlfriend will be thrilled. Congrats!

 

[decodelighted]

MMMMmmmmmGood! I don''t think I''ve ever seen a D, IF, AGS OOO before! Which means, I''d like to see one million more photos of it puhleeze!

I''ll send you a "Deco-approved" certificate -- but I doubt that''ll increase the value any!

 

[mrssalvo]

it''s gorgeous. i too would love to see more pics...

 

[pinkflamingo]

Jonas,

It looks fab!! Congrats! we need more pictures including hand pictures.

 

[MissGotRocks]

Oh, it''s just beautiful! Please please take more pics for us! Your girlfriend is a lucky lady indeed!

 

[KristyDarling]

Yes, we don''t see many stones like THIS one around here. It''s on fire! Please indulge us with more pics!!! Have you proposed yet? The setting is beautiful....classic and always elegant.

 

[Dancing Fire]

JJH

congrats,

i don't understand

why did you send the stone to GIA for laser inscribed ? AGS could of done the same after grading. haven't seen a TRUE TRIPLE 0 stone in a long time. can you post the AGS cert?

i'm confuse

which stone did you end up buying?

 

[JJH]

Hey Guys!
Here''s a hand picture without flash. It''s very difficult to take good diamond photos. I''ll upload another with flash.

Jonas

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[JJH]

Here''s one with flash. The photo appeared big on my computer screen once I submitted it, so this one I reduced in size.

Jonas

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[KristyDarling]

STUNNING!!! Very, very classy and that is clearly a top-of-the-line stone. Congrats!

 

[JJH]

Here is the GIA cert. I''ll submit the AGS next.

Jonas

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[JJH]

Hey Guys!
Okay, here is the AGS cert. I had difficulty shrinking this one down to below 100k in size, so it might be a little fuzzy to read. To answer your question, I submitted the diamond to the GIA because I wanted a laser inscription on the diamond. I didn't want my fiance to worry about it when she took it in to get it cleaned. (I read on this site how someone's diamond was swapped with a cubic zirconium.) While it was at the GIA, I decided that I wanted to get an AGS certification because I was told that if the diamond is certified as a triple 0, it will increase in value just a little. I was a little worried that it wouldn't get the triple 0 status, but Mark Turnowski (from www.engagementringsdirect.com) assured me that it would get that certification, so I went ahead with it.

By the way, the first photo I posted was done by the appraiser. If anyone is looking for a good company to do an appraisal in the Los Angeles area, I highly recommend Norman Monteau with American International Gemologists, phone 818-712-9750. Norman is very professional and quite knowledgeable. They are located in Woodland Hills, CA.

Jonas

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[JJH]

Oh, I forgot to answer one question. Yes, I gave it to her. I proposed to her at Disneyland, but gave her the band at that time, as the diamond was still at the AGS. I think it was better to carry the band to Disneyland anyway, as on one ride the band almost came out of my pocket. I would have been very stressed to carry around the engagement ring in my pocket. I had Mark Turnowski send the ring directly to the appraiser, and then my fiance picked it up. Unfortunately, I wasn''t able to see her when she first saw it. She was gleaming all day.

What surprises me most about the diamond is the color. I don''t think the IF makes much of a difference, as you can''t tell a VS2 from an IF without a loop, but the D color and the great cut really make it stand out. The photos don''t really do it justice.

Jonas

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[whatmeworry]

wow...beautiful...more pics please?

 

[JJH]

More photos? *smile* Okay, here''s another hand photo. I''ll try to take a few more off of her hand.

Jonas

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[JJH]

Okay, last photo for now. Here''s a photo of her ring alongside my ring.

Jonas

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