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Has anyone here purchased an SI3 diamond?

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sarah95

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I saw a diamond today that was F in color and SI3 in clarity. It was an EGL certed diamond so I know those specs probably aren''t accurate. The diamond faced up white and it had two small white inclusions that I could see. One was tiny and white and could easily be covered by a prong. The other was like a small thin line (maybe a twining wisp? on the table. It had a lot of fire and sparkle, and according to the notes on the cert, the cut achieves maximum brilliance. It had excellent symmetry and very good polish. My concern is that I didn''t see a ton of inclusions...I saw it in natural light by a window and I was straining to find something while looking at it from all angles. I couldn''t find a single black spot. Are my eyes fooling me? Can SI3 diamonds have inclusions that are hard to see with the naked eye? The two inclusions I did see are found when looking at the diamond very close and of course --I was trying hard to find them.
 
Not all inclusions are black as you saw. Be very careful about believing an EGL cert depending on the region something that is SI3 could even be an I. I guess the question is can you live with it, and is it in your budget. I would personally only go to an SI1 and maybe an SI2 if I didn''t see anything, but Im a mind clean eye clean kind of guy.
 
Personally I wouldn''t go under a Si1... why spend a lot of money on something that you can visibly see defects in?

I would suggest if you want maximum brilliance with a color like F drop down your carat size to goto atleast a Si1

It should be noted that GIA doesn''t even recognize the Si3 clarity
 
Date: 8/15/2008 12:25:40 PM
Author:sarah95
I saw a diamond today that was F in color and SI3 in clarity. It was an EGL certed diamond so I know those specs probably aren''t accurate. The diamond faced up white and it had two small white inclusions that I could see. One was tiny and white and could easily be covered by a prong. The other was like a small thin line (maybe a twining wisp? on the table. It had a lot of fire and sparkle, and according to the notes on the cert, the cut achieves maximum brilliance. It had excellent symmetry and very good polish. My concern is that I didn''t see a ton of inclusions...I saw it in natural light by a window and I was straining to find something while looking at it from all angles. I couldn''t find a single black spot. Are my eyes fooling me? Can SI3 diamonds have inclusions that are hard to see with the naked eye? The two inclusions I did see are found when looking at the diamond very close and of course --I was trying hard to find them.
It is certainly not impossible for a diamond of this clarity to be eyeclean or close to it, but as previously noted, SI3 is an EGL used only grade, GIA and AGS would probably grade the same diamond an I1. However it is possible to find eyeclean I1''s with luck and judgement!
 
I have seen some beautiful I1 diamonds (check out Winfield''s and sometimes Good Old Gold for some nice ones) and would purchase one for a pendant, earrings, etc if THEY WERE CUT PERFECTLY. For an ering, I personally would prefer something no lower than an Si2, but that is a personal thing. But cut is most important no matter the clarity...
 
Very happy SI2 Cushion owner here! They are out there, but you need patience and a little bit of luck.
 
It''s certainly possible to find an eye-clean SI2 or I1 diamond, so I''m guessing it''s possible to find an eye-clean SI3. However, you just said it''s not eye-clean! You saw the inclusions with your own eyes. One can be covered by a prong, but the other one is right there on the table. Are you OK with having a visible inclusion right on the table? I wouldn''t be, and I think most people here would probably agree.

So it''s not so much the grading that''s important, but what your own eyes can see. Just make sure you''re OK with whatever you do see!
 
All in all if the diamond is beautiful in your eyes and the price is right then don''t worry about the cert IMHO. If you try to resell it then yes it is better to have a GIA Si1 or better. But even then you are most likely not going to get what you paid for.

I have a .71 SI2 Princess cut EGL Cert that is so eyeclean and sparkilicious! It is amazing!
 
Date: 8/15/2008 12:42:49 PM
Author: neatfreak
I have seen some beautiful I1 diamonds (check out Winfield''s and sometimes Good Old Gold for some nice ones) and would purchase one for a pendant, earrings, etc if THEY WERE CUT PERFECTLY. For an ering, I personally would prefer something no lower than an Si2, but that is a personal thing. But cut is most important no matter the clarity...
Ditto.
 
One of my first diamond purchases when I was college-aged were a pair of stud earrings - SI3 and E color. They sparkled in the diamond lights, but of course when I brought them home, they were white crystals. very disappointing and sad lesson; of course, no matter how much you cleaned them, they still were lackluster.
These days, I go for it to get the shimmer and fire - get the best that you can afford for the item! You''ll only cry once!
 
Date: 8/15/2008 8:59:46 PM
Author: precious jemz
One of my first diamond purchases when I was college-aged were a pair of stud earrings - SI3 and E color. They sparkled in the diamond lights, but of course when I brought them home, they were white crystals. very disappointing and sad lesson; of course, no matter how much you cleaned them, they still were lackluster.

These days, I go for it to get the shimmer and fire - get the best that you can afford for the item! You''ll only cry once!

This was probably due in large part to a really poor cut...
 
Date: 8/15/2008 9:11:48 PM
Author: neatfreak

Date: 8/15/2008 8:59:46 PM
Author: precious jemz
One of my first diamond purchases when I was college-aged were a pair of stud earrings - SI3 and E color. They sparkled in the diamond lights, but of course when I brought them home, they were white crystals. very disappointing and sad lesson; of course, no matter how much you cleaned them, they still were lackluster.

These days, I go for it to get the shimmer and fire - get the best that you can afford for the item! You''ll only cry once!

This was probably due in large part to a really poor cut...
Ditto to that!
 
Is an S13 equal to a I1?
 
Date: 8/16/2008 7:49:46 AM
Author: MMT
Is an S13 equal to a I1?
Some experts think so yes M, that if a SI3 graded diamond was regraded by GIA, it would get an I1 grade.
 
Date: 8/16/2008 7:54:52 AM
Author: Lorelei

Date: 8/16/2008 7:49:46 AM
Author: MMT
Is an S13 equal to a I1?
Some experts think so yes M, that if a SI3 graded diamond was regraded by GIA, it would get an I1 grade.
I suppose in some cases it could go the other way and some might get SI2...
 
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