shape
carat
color
clarity

GIA vs EGL USA

thats my thinking at this point. Thanks gypsy.

Another question, How much more preferable are GIA to that of AGS? Im focusing on one of the ones from JA and crossing my fingers
 
I don't have a preference. I think AGS trades for a little higher than GIA. AGS grades cut and that stone has an AGS0. But that's mostly equalized by the idealscope and a light performance evaluation. GIA can be slightly stricter on color. Over all, it's 6 of one and half dozen of the other. If I was looking for a round I wouldn't favor either lab over the other.
 
justginger|1341260805|3227424 said:
You did not get 'bashed,' don't be dramatic. You were told, by those more educated in the diamond industry than yourself, that buying EGL-graded stones is unwise. And it is. I understand that you were not fussed on color or clarity and SIZE/what your eyes interpreted was the most important criteria...but your eyes do not set pricing. The color and clarity grades do. Your "K/SI1" (which appears very tinted to me in your photos, even more so than my GIA-standard O/P) is in all likelihood a M/N (I'm being generous here), perhaps an SI1. Perhaps an I1. What did you PAY FOR? That stone would have been priced as a K/SI1 with a discount based on its inferior certification. So instead of KNOWING the true color and clarity grades from the start, and the stone being priced accordingly, the amount you paid was probably for a L/SI1. By photos alone, and the history of EGL grading standards, I don't think that's what you got. Abazias suggesting it looks like an F/G seriously makes me think less of them as a vendor. No EGL K graded stone in HISTORY will have looked like a GIA F/G. :rolleyes:

Your advice here is uneducated and muddies the water for people looking for factual information.

Read this thread. It's very applicable: https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/winner-winner-yup-got-a-chicken-dinner.176840/


:appl: Well said. And it really needed to be said.


Hkmitsui, you're getting excellent suggestions from Gypsy - one of the board's post knowledgeable posters. Good luck! I agree with her comment that GIA is sometimes stricter than AGS on color, but nothing you have to worry about. AGS000 stones are already tested for light performance by the AGS, so sometimes it's easier to pick those knowing they are sure performers.
 
thanks webdiva!!

buying an engagement ring sure is a lot of work! :tongue:
 
Only if you are smart enough to want to get the best diamond and best value for you money. Unfortunately some people put more thought into buying a pair of boots than they do their (thousands and thousands of dollars) purchase of a ring. And they get ripped off.
 
ok guys, so heres the info they told me from JA after their review.

"I'm happy to tell you that diamond 1500297 (1.51crt I SI1) has very nice light performance and out performs your other selections. In addition to being bright, it has a solid "I" color and it has no durability concerns (none of your diamonds do). The crystal under the table is very difficult to see and therefore, most people will view it as eye clean. However, if the beholder is looking at the diamond extremely closely and has very sensitive vision, it might be possible for them to find the crystal."

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/I-SI1-Excellent-Cut-Round-Diamond-1500297.asp

my concern with this one is the faint fluorescence. And would the "I" color have some yellow?

Diamond 1502271 (1.50crt H SI2) has very nice light performance and will also likely face eye clean. It will likely face eye clean to most people, but like diamond 150297, a very sensitive eye might be able to pick up on its twinning wisps.

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/H-SI2-Excellent-Cut-Round-Diamond-1502271.asp

Diamond 1473897's (1.51crt G SI2) light performance is nice but it's not quite as bright as your other options. It's crystal blends well and the diamond should face eye clean but under close examination, a keen eye may locate the tiny crystal.

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/G-SI2-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1473897.asp

I found this interesting because I input the numbers and got a really good score on this HCA tool, 0.9...any ideas why?

Diamond 1500297 is our gemologist's favorite of the bunch and I have no doubts that you'll be very pleased with it being mounted in any setting.

So thats the results...im at a lost, i thought the one witht he 0.9 score was the winner. Please help! I really appreciate it
 
seems they left out the idealscope images. I just chatted with someone from JA and they put in the request for them. Hopefully i will get them soon
 
I would until you get your idealscope images, but I do tend to give the gemologist's observations a fair bit of weight. Faint florescence is just simply a non-issue. It's having no negative effect. And you will NEVER EVER see it unless you have a black light on it in a dark space. And I color will have some tint, mostly visible from the profile of the stone when set and only if you really know to look for it. It won't be yellow by any means though. And from the top you won't see anything but amazing performance and light return.

Keep in mind that when you see color in a diamond, it's usually reflected color. When you are outside on a sunny day your diamond will look blue (from the sky), when you are outside at sunset you'll see oranges, if the walls are beige you will see beige in your diamond, if you are wearing a green shirt you'll see green.

HCA is not a selection tool. It is a rejection tool only. Any score under 2 is equal. There is no better. And the only thing the HCA tells you is whether a stone is worth evaluating further in person (like the gemologist did) or with an idealscope image, it does not, however, tell you that you should buy a stone based on it's input alone.
 
Thanks for the input gypsy. I will wait for ideal scope then post ASAP. Hopefully we have a winner
 
Hey guys here are the idealscopes, any advice?

1500297






This came with the image

"The idealscope image for diamond 1500297 is a little tilted (seen by the different lengths of the obstructed/black areas) which causes it to look like there's a small area of light leakage. Don't let this worry you because I've confirmed with the gemologist that there are no darks areas of this diamond and that it's very brilliant throughout."

1500297id.jpg
 
2nd stone, sorry, i could not fig out for the life of me how to put all the images on one post

1473897id.jpg
 
last one

1502271id.jpg
 
Looks like you have a winner! If you're worried about the I color, have it sent to you unset for viewing prior to sending it back for setting. However, an I color with a great cut like that should face up pretty white. It's not like your FI will go around putting her diamond next to D colors. A GIA I color reads "white" to most people, and is whiter than many people buy at the mall stores (which are uncerted "I" colors, or EGL I colors).

Edit: The H looks pretty nice too - I wonder why the gemologist liked the I better...
 
webdiva,

So that SI1, I color really is the clear choice? The only issue i have is the faint flurescence, which gypsy tells me is a non-issue. Im just hesitant...I was planning on going to Derco jewelers in San Francisco in 2 days for another go around...But i keep hearing lurkers all over the forum!
 
Hkmitsui|1341526749|3229144 said:
webdiva,

So that SI1, I color really is the clear choice? The only issue i have is the faint flurescence, which gypsy tells me is a non-issue. Im just hesitant...I was planning on going to Derco jewelers in San Francisco in 2 days for another go around...But i keep hearing lurkers all over the forum!

Fluor is a non issue - and many of us prefer it, actually! :) It's a super cool effect and usually helps a stone "face up whiter". I can guarantee you won't find a better stone for a better price in person anywhere. Even if you had the time, patience and an idealscope with you. I was very happy with my customer service from JA - you can order it and send it back if you hate it. :)
 
out of curiousity, what are you looking at when you see the idealscope images? I forgot how much this stone was when i looked at it hahaha :tongue:
 
vince187|1341267997|3227509 said:
Vince, please allow me to give you an analogy:
Someone who's never been in a wreck, and loves riding a motorcycle without a helmet ( this describes me) advising folks that it's perfectly safe, based on their experience.
Thankfully, all the miles I've logged "wind in hair" have been accident free- however I'd NEVER advise folks to ride without a helmet.

Point is- even if someone participates in high risk behavior, and does not get burned, it's still smart to advise against such behavior.

I'm sure your diamond is lovely- please don't take this personally- the responsible thing for professionals to advise is to make sure consumers are aware of the implications of non GIA reports.

As biker myself, this analogy works very well. Rarely do I ride anywhere without hearing lots of advice from people who mean well, and are extremely passionate about sharing their opinion, but have no basis for that opinion beyond repeating what they've heard from other people who again are not experts. The opinion circles around so much and the danger is exaggerated each time that you cannot discuss anything related to what would be a reasonable if not even more practical choice.

Unlike with motorcycle accidents, you can 'undo' a diamond purchase or see if you are going to crash ahead of time. See what Abazias says about "Is it possible to view the diamond prior to purchase?" in their FAQ. This certainly would be lower risk, especially if you had a much larger budget, but even with what I did I can return the stone.

There is a low risk and completely objective way to assess diamond color - its called a 'colorimeter' Yet GIA is making a fortunate off grading which ultimately gets passed down to the consumer. If a typical consumer buys a 1.2 carat SI1 'J' color according to GIA diamond, do you think they are really being ripped off not paying hundreds for gemologists subjectively grading the color of their stone? That isn't to knock the value GIA has done for buyers and sellers of large, high color high clarity stones. But for lower budgets, or diamonds with obvious color and inclusions, I don't see what value it adds.

Vince you're making my point well.
f a bunch of bystanders is telling you to put on your helmet based on innuendo- or impressions garnered from the media, it's worthless.
What if an ER doctor tells yo that he's seen hundreds of lives saved by wearing a helmet- OR- tells you the helmet isn't going to help you based on hundreds of cases he's seen?
In either case, you're getting a better advised opinion.

The colorimeter is not accepted for grading the color of diamonds- and not for any nefarious reason.
It's got to be done by eye- the machine makes a lot of mistakes.
EGL does not make money off soft grades- other than if it increases their business by encouraging more sellers to submit in hopes of getting a better grade- which says a lot.
If a seller is interested in increasing their advantage by using information they know to be incorrect, it does not bode well for their honesty overall.
I agree that GIA report for a 2.05 F/VS1 is more important than one for an O-P I1- but the reasoning behind sending each stone to the lab it went to tells us a lot.
Personally I generally prefer an accurately graded O-P/I1 than a J/S2 which is actually an O-P/I1
 
oh thanks!
 
So im leaning towards the SI1, I....anyone else has any other opinions, it would help a great deal
 
Hkmitsui|1341544260|3229302 said:
So im leaning towards the SI1, I....anyone else has any other opinions, it would help a great deal

A diamond with similar specs and performance is over $12k at Whiteflash, so I think it's a very good price.
http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-2763505.htm

11.9k At GOG:
http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/9528/

Honestly, if the color is the only thing holding you back - go with the H, because it has a great idealscope and the gemologist also said it had good light performance. If you want to go crazy, order both and send one back. ;) I don't think you can go wrong, both of those look awesome.
 
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