Help - which 3+ carat rock would you choose?

[hammy123]

Please help! I would love your opinions. Which engagement ring stone would you choose?
Both are round brilliant
Option 1 -- 3.54 carats, F color, VVS2
Option 2 -- 3.48 carats, D color, VVS1

 

[MamaBear]

I think the lovely people here will be asking for you to post video and certificates before giving any suggestions! Good luck!

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

Please help! I would love your opinions. Which engagement ring stone would you choose?
Both are round brilliant
Option 1 -- 3.54 carats, F color, VVS2
Option 2 -- 3.48 carats, D color, VVS1

ME? I would not choose either, and that is without knowing all the stuff I really care about.
YOU? Have you looked at D and F colored diamonds in that size range in a variety of lighting environments, including shaded daylight? If yes - can you detect any color differences? If yes - would you say that the cost difference is one you can justify?
Is the high rare Clarity important for a reason other than making sure the diamond is eye clean?
Have you run the diamonds through my HCA calculator - you can get some free uses since you have registered

 

[hammy123]

Hi! Sorry, I'm a bit clueless here as I'm new to the forum. Are videos/certificates required before people can opine? Are stones with the same C's I've listed different to each other even though they have the same stats? I don't have video/certificates. I just saw these stones in the store and I can't decide.

 

[hammy123]

ME? I would not choose either, and that is without knowing all the stuff I really care about.
YOU? Have you looked at D and F colored diamonds in that size range in a variety of lighting environments, including shaded daylight? If yes - can you detect any color differences? If yes - would you say that the cost difference is one you can justify?
Is the high rare Clarity important for a reason other than making sure the diamond is eye clean?
Have you run the diamonds through my HCA calculator - you can get some free uses since you have registered

Thanks Gary! I'm curious - why would you not choose either (as a professional in the industry)?

 

[Kaycee2018]

Hi! Sorry, I'm a bit clueless here as I'm new to the forum. Are videos/certificates required before people can opine? Are stones with the same C's I've listed different to each other even though they have the same stats? I don't have video/certificates. I just saw these stones in the store and I can't decide.

There is much more to it than the 4Cs. Copies of the lab reports are needed showing the specs and proportions of the diamonds and the types and locations of inclusions. There is a link above to the HCA tool, which you can use once you have the lab reports to confirm if the specs “work”.

 

[hammy123]

There is much more to it than the 4Cs. Copies of the lab reports are needed showing the specs and proportions of the diamonds and the types and locations of inclusions. There is a link above to the HCA tool, which you can use once you have the lab reports to confirm if the specs “work”.

Ahh, thank you so much for this explanation! I'm learning so much from you all, what a great forum.

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

Thanks Gary! I'm curious - why would you not choose either (as a professional in the industry)?

VVS is very expensive when combined with high clarity Hammy.
e.g. in 3ct sizes expect a D VVS1 to cost 22.5% more than a D VVS2.
H VVS1 would cost 4.5% more than H VVS2.
At the higher end of the scale the rarity factors play out big time. However there is also less demand for really well cut / proportioned diamonds that are more beautiful. And the theme and meme here is very much about sparkle and beauty.

I took those numbers above from Rapaport price list and it is against their wishes to publish those images. But this is my data and works well for up to 1 Carat.
But for the size you are looking for it is harder to find a 'nice icy white eye clean highly transparent diamond below F and VS1 or VS2. (IMHO)

 

[LLJsmom]

At a very very minimum you need the certificates. Preferably GIA or AGS. VERY few people here would advise without it because whichever way you go, it’s an extremely expensive purchase. Also what are your priorities? High color? Size? Beautiful and sparkly? All of the above? Budget if there is one??? Help US help YOU. LOL!!

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

If you have the specs and "we" cannot know--how can anyone here help you? In that case, given you saw the stones, choose the one you liked best.

Curious, what is their trade up policy?

cheers--Sharon

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Cut is the most important of the 4 C's. A beautifully cut stone will appear larger, brighter, and more sparkly than one that is not. It doesn't matter if it is D IF, it could be a mediocre or poor performing stone in terms of light return.

We need table %, depth %, crown angle, and pavilion angle for each stone. See if they have a GIA report. Then we can tell you if either one is worth considering.

If you are spending that much on a diamond, we would hope it would be an outstanding one. Almost all diamonds look pretty good in jewelry store lighting, so don't get carried away. There is no reason for you not to get a beautifully cut stone with your budget.

 

[hammy123]

Hi helpful members of Pricescope! We have now changed our search to 4 carat round brilliant with tapered baguettes in platinum and are now deciding between these 2 stones. I have more measurements now! I’d really love your thoughts on which stone to select. Should I continue this discussion in this thread or start a new thread?

OPTION A:
Measurements: 10.16 x 10.20 x 6.30mm
Carat Weight: 4.01 carats
Colour Grade: E
Clarity: VS1
Cut Grade: Excellent
Polish: Excellent
Symmetry: Excellent
Fluorescence: None

OPTION B:
Measurements
10.17 x 10.20 x 6.32mm
Carat Weight: 4.03 carats
Colour Grade: E
Clarity: VVS2
Cut Grade: Excellent
Polish: Excellent
Symmetry: Excellent
Fluorescence: None

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

 

[La2020]

Hi @Garry H (Cut Nut) ! Thank you! I wished I have this table before I purchased my MRB. Do you have a similar table for Emerald or Cushion?

Hi @hammy123 , my personal preference is for B since I like smaller table (not flattish look) and more Fire and Scintillation too. The Girdle is thinner for B too.

 

[lovedogs]

@hammy123 do you have any photos?

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

Hi @Garry H (Cut Nut) ! Thank you! I wished I have this table before I purchased my MRB. Do you have a similar table for Emerald or Cushion?

Hi @hammy123 , my personal preference is for B since I like smaller table (not flattish look) and more Fire and Scintillation too. The Girdle is thinner for B too.

We have had HCA on here for 20 years - I would not have lt you do that.
I would prefer no one cuts those proportions.

 

[hammy123]

@hammy123 do you have any photos?

No, I saw it in store and didn't take photos!

 

[hammy123]

We have had HCA on here for 20 years - I would not have lt you do that.
I would prefer no one cuts those proportions.

Hello! Thank you for your response. I apologize for my lack of knowledge here and sorry if you have to repeat things in a different way. I'd be grateful if you could educate me. I purchased some HCA keys and entered the measurements and seems like Option A (4.01 carats) gets a 6.1 Cut Advisor Score (Fair, NOT GREAT). The Option B (4.03 carats) gets a 3.7 Cut Advisor Score (Very good - worth buying if the price is right). Can you help me by explaining this further? The price for Option A (4.01 carats) including the tapered baguette setting is £190K (not including tax). The price for Option B (4.03 carats) including the tapered baguette setting is £205K (not including tax).

Thank you so much.
Kind regards.

 

[hammy123]

I'd be grateful if you could please help me read this chart. Am I reading it incorrectly? Can you determine fire/scintillation/brightness just using Crown Angle and Pavilion Angle?

 

[tyty333]

I'm afraid neither of these has complimentary crown/pavilion angles. We usually try to keep in the range
of
crown - 34-35
pavilion 40.6 - 41

Its an inverse relationship. 34 crown goes better with 41 pavilion and 35 crown goes better with 40.6 pavilion.

If you are close to these angles (maybe just outside), aset or ideal scope images would tell if the stone is leaking light or not.

Table 54-58
depth 60 - 61.3

You can run the numbers from a stone through the HCA tool to get an idea of how it will perform. Look for stones that score 2 or
under (or at least close to 2).

Holloway Cut Advisor | HCA Tool

The HCA Tool uses data from a round brilliant diamond to produce a score that can help you make an estimate regarding the cut quality. Use it here.

www.pricescope.com

Let us know your budget and specs and we may be able to help you find a few.