Is this Expert Selection Diamond OK?

[terjoe]

Hi There,

I have done a lot of research (these forums are amazing) so I think this diamond is OK, however if someone has the time to confirm its all good I would be really grateful!

I have a rock reserved from WhiteFlash, round, 0.67 carats, E , eye clean VS2, 1.4 on the HCA scale. It has a 0 rating in all of the AGS cut grades... however it didn't make WhiteFLash ACA grade, as one of the hearts is slightly smaller than the others... Is this still OK? I hear the H&A is mostly a perfectionist thing anyway and not essential for performance... Please correct me if I'm wrong though! Anyhow, I would place much more importance on performance rather than perfection / investment value.

Finally the price: 2900 usd. Is this a good buy? I have a few days to buy or back out so any help is hugely appreciated. Thanks

 

[Enerchi]

Doing a quick PS diamond search with those parameters --- your reserved diamond came up!!! It looks like a good choice to me - I'd snap that up for the price! Very nice selection! Congrats on the find!

 

[terjoe]

Thank you very much for the reply - I am quite new to this, my only experience is a few weeks of searching, and reading of countless articles and posts on the net, so its nice to have someone else confirm the purchase

My main concern is about durability as the girdle thickness goes down to 1.2%... I think the thin range is from 0.5% - 2.75% so its at the slightly thinner end... I don't really know, hopefully this is ok? I know some people have recommended staying closer to Medium at around 3% so I'm slightly concerned about that!

 

[Christina...]

You're correct about the HA. It's more about perfect optical symmetry and less about light performance.

 

[Lula]

Thank you very much for the reply - I am quite new to this, my only experience is a few weeks of searching, and reading of countless articles and posts on the net, so its nice to have someone else confirm the purchase

My main concern is about durability as the girdle thickness goes down to 1.2%... I think the thin range is from 0.5% - 2.75% so its at the slightly thinner end... I don't really know, hopefully this is ok? I know some people have recommended staying closer to Medium at around 3% so I'm slightly concerned about that!

Thin is okay for the girdle. You want the girdle to fall in the thin to slightly thick range. It's the very thin and the thick and very thick girdles that are problematic -- very thin is a durability issue and too thick means the diamond is hiding weight in the girdle.

 

[terjoe]

Thank you for the info - I have read in some places people recommend the girdle be closer to the medium thickness (around 3%) than what this diamond is, thats the only concern I had... so in your opinion, thickness down to 1.2% is ok?

 

[Lula]

Thank you for the info - I have read in some places people recommend the girdle be closer to the medium thickness (around 3%) than what this diamond is, thats the only concern I had... so in your opinion, thickness down to 1.2% is ok?

Yes, it should be okay. Many people here, including myself, have owned diamonds with girdles in the thin to medium range with no problem. The great thing about Whiteflash, and other online vendors recommended here, is that they will be glad to examine the diamond for you and let you know if the thin part of the girdle will pose a problem. So for your own peace of mind, you might want to shoot them an e-mail about it.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Looks like a beautiful diamond. You're saving a bit by it being slightly outside the ACA range and you're still getting an amazing performer.

 

[terjoe]

OK - thanks everyone, between your responses and me quizzing Liza at White Flash (who by the way has been amazingly helpful), I have put all my doubts aside and decided I'll get the rock

This forum is invaluable - got me educated and got me a discount while I was at it!

 

[Lula]

OK - thanks everyone, between your responses and me quizzing Liza at White Flash (who by the way has been amazingly helpful), I have put all my doubts aside and decided I'll get the rock

This forum is invaluable - got me educated and got me a discount while I was at it!

Congratulations! Please come back and post photos when you get it! What are your plans for setting it?

 

[MichelleCarmen]

OK - thanks everyone, between your responses and me quizzing Liza at White Flash (who by the way has been amazingly helpful), I have put all my doubts aside and decided I'll get the rock

This forum is invaluable - got me educated and got me a discount while I was at it!

Congrats! Be sure to post photos!

 

[terjoe]

OK - thanks everyone, between your responses and me quizzing Liza at White Flash (who by the way has been amazingly helpful), I have put all my doubts aside and decided I'll get the rock

This forum is invaluable - got me educated and got me a discount while I was at it!

Congratulations! Please come back and post photos when you get it! What are your plans for setting it?

It is going to be an upgrade for an existing engagement ring. The engagement ring is the style where it kind of cork screw's and wraps around the diamond, with smaller diamonds in the wrapping around bits if that makes sense. After looking at a few similar rings as a gauge, we decided we couldn't upgrade to too much of a large stone with this setting as it could risk looking overly large; around the 0.7c mark seems good for someone with small fingers

My next task is to find a good jeweller in London (and insurance for the diamond) who will be able to reset it! It is going to be a challenge; the new diamond is a lot bigger than the existing one, might even require melting down and starting from scratch which would be really sad..

I will post pics, will probably take me a little while though, long story!

 

[FancyDiamond]

Have you sent a photo of your current engagement ring to WF and ask them for advice? Would be best if you can send your ring to WF and have WF set the diamond for you.

 

[terjoe]

Have you sent a photo of your current engagement ring to WF and ask them for advice? Would be best if you can send your ring to WF and have WF set the diamond for you.

I have thought about sending it in to WF however I am expecting some complications around the setting... this new diamond will be a lot larger, and I think a fair amount of work will need to be done to the ring to accommodate the larger size. So I'm kinda more inclined to try and find somewhere local to do the work - if a decent jeweller does in fact exist over here

The current ring is very much like the attached image, with small diamonds flanking both sides as well... so you can see what I mean by difficult!

 

[FancyDiamond]

It doesn't hurt to send the photo and ask Whiteflash. In the meantime, you can bring the ring to your local jewelers and ask if and how they can mount a larger diamond. Tell them about the dimensions of the new diamond. This way, you have more than one opinions from expert jewelers.

I understand your uneasiness about having "custom" jewelry work done outside of your country. I trust Whiteflash can set your new diamond safely and correctly, although I am not sure if a larger head can be used in your current setting. Anyway, it does not hurt to ask. Worst case is that you need to get a new setting. In such a case, the only restriction is your budget, because choices for both the diamonds and setting style are wide open.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I really don't think it will be all that difficult to get a larger diamond set in that ring. I would trust WF to do it but understand the complications of living in another country and sending the ring.