help: which diamond to go for ? from choice of 2

[sundewtrap]

Hi, I''m looking to buy a round diamond engagement ring but cant make up my mind which diamond to go for.
The specs are from GIA certificate. Both scores 1.3 on HCA. I don''t know if these stones are true hearts and arrows though they both have inscription h&a. Based on the specs which stone would you go for? Many thanks for your advice!

Diamond 1 costs GBP £1174.00 approx 1,833.90 USD

5.44 - 5.49 x 3.38 mm
0.62 carat
Color Grade: E
Clarity Grade: SI1
Cut Grade: Excellent
Depth: 61.8%
Table: 55%
Crown Angle: 34.5°
Crown Height: 15.5%
Pavilion Angle: 40.8°
Pavilion Depth: 43.0%
Star length: 50%
Lower Half: 75%
Girdle: Medium to Slightly Thick, Faceted (3.5%)
Culet: None
Polish: Excellent
Symmetry: Excellent
Fluorescence: None
Clarity Characteristics:
Crystal, Feather
Additional Inscription: [MAPLE LEAF OUTLINE SYMBOL] H&A


Diamond 2 £1261.00 approx 1,968.84 USD

Measurements: 5.49 - 5.51 x 3.34 mm
Carat Weight: 0.61 carat
Color Grade: F
Clarity Grade: SI1
Cut Grade: Excellent
Proportions:
Depth: 60.7%
Table: 57%
Crown Angle: 34.5°
Crown Height: 14.5%
Pavilion Angle: 40.8°
Pavilion Depth: 43.0%
Star length: 50%
Lower Half: 80%
Girdle: Thin to Medium, Faceted (3.0%)
Culet: None
Polish: Excellent
Symmetry: Excellent
Fluorescence: None
Clarity Characteristics:
Crystal
Additional Inscription: H&A

 

[Lorelei]

Hi Sundew and welcome!

These diamonds both look very promising as far as can be told without images. As to which to pick, do you know if they are both eyeclean? Also concerning hearts and arrows, there is no way to tell if they are in fact h&a without images of both hearts and arrows,so if this matters to you then I would work with a vendor that can supply images. If you aren''t concerned with the h&a patterning precision then thats fine.

To sum up they both have potential so I would determine if these are in fact eyeclean if you haven''t already done so in order to choose between them.

 

[Dreamer_D]

What year are the certs?

Ditto Lorelei on cut. Make sure that you are not paying an H&A premium for the diamond just because they are inscribed H&A. You need hearts and arrows images to verify that label and without it I would not be willing to pay the extra premium.

 

[Dreamer_D]

I did a little search and those diamonds are priced on the higher end, assuming they are H&As. So if you choose one, personally I would try to negotiate a little because there is no H&A documentation. The inscriptions did not come from GIA, they were there when the diamonds were graded.

 

[sundewtrap]

hi, thanks guys for your advice! I am from UK, the diamonds here are more expensive due to VAT added. I had thought about buying from US as they are cheaper, but I would have to pay VAT and customs shipping and the price would come to approx the same.

The certs are both January 2010. I had phoned up the shop to ask if they were H&A and they did say they were, although I only have their word for it. From my research the shop is similar to bluenile whereby they don''t actually have the diamonds in stock but have a diamond inventory and order through the vendor once the customer confirms purchase.

I don''t know whether these stones are eye-clean. I will ring up the shop to ask if they are, though not sure if they will be able to tell me as they don''t actually have the diamonds in stock.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 2/7/2010 2:56:28 PM
Author: sundewtrap
hi, thanks guys for your advice! I am from UK, the diamonds here are more expensive due to VAT added. I had thought about buying from US as they are cheaper, but I would have to pay VAT and customs shipping and the price would come to approx the same.

The certs are both January 2010. I had phoned up the shop to ask if they were H&A and they did say they were, although I only have their word for it. From my research the shop is similar to bluenile whereby they don''t actually have the diamonds in stock but have a diamond inventory and order through the vendor once the customer confirms purchase.

I don''t know whether these stones are eye-clean. I will ring up the shop to ask if they are, though not sure if they will be able to tell me as they don''t actually have the diamonds in stock.

Let us know how you get on, also if having a h&a diamond matters to you then you really need images of both hearts and arrows in order to check the precision of the patterning.

 

[Dancing Fire]

i love #1

just going by the specs.

 

[Dreamer_D]

Date: 2/7/2010 2:56:28 PM
Author: sundewtrap
hi, thanks guys for your advice! I am from UK, the diamonds here are more expensive due to VAT added. I had thought about buying from US as they are cheaper, but I would have to pay VAT and customs shipping and the price would come to approx the same.

The certs are both January 2010. I had phoned up the shop to ask if they were H&A and they did say they were, although I only have their word for it. From my research the shop is similar to bluenile whereby they don''t actually have the diamonds in stock but have a diamond inventory and order through the vendor once the customer confirms purchase.

I don''t know whether these stones are eye-clean. I will ring up the shop to ask if they are, though not sure if they will be able to tell me as they don''t actually have the diamonds in stock.

All makes sense. The prices are pretty good for B&M and UK then it seems, adding 15% VAT etc to the prices I saw online would make them similar.

Have you seen the two in person?

I like number one better just on numbers. Nice small table and also I like the lower girdle halves to be smaller rather than longer. It changes the appearance of the diamond going from 75% to 80%. Try a search on lgf to see what comes up, or look at them in person, you may prefer the longer lgf appearance.