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last post before buying - please help decide

D

darena

Rough_Rock
Joined
Dec 6, 2006
Messages
31
After three weeks of OCDing I picked two diamonds. I am ready to buy unless somebody tells me I am wrong. The ring will be in rose gold, so I've been told that KLMN colors are still going to be OK. The setting for the ring can take only up to 1.25 carats, so I was looking in the size category 1.1 to 1.25 carats

The first diamond is from James Allen. It is bigger but has medium blue fluorescence.
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-di...olor-vvs2-clarity-true-hearts-cut-sku-7381183
cert(3).jpeg
Above is its AGS report.
The second diamond is from Brian Gavin
https://www.briangavindiamonds.com/...ls/1.137-k-vs1-round-diamond-ags-104105357016
It is smaller.

Price wise they are almost the same; BG is running a July promotion where we get our sales tax back ( 7.5%)

I plugged both diamonds in HCA report and both stones came up with with same score 1.

Please give me your opinion.
Thank you =)
 
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The JA one doesn't wow me, the center just appears blurry for some reason. I would pick the BG stone even though it is smaller I think you will be blown away with how beautiful it is.
 
Both stones are gorgeous. Great job picking ut the two contenders. The JA stone is slightly bigger in diameter so you know... that would be the one I would pick:lol:. Another consideration would be who has the setting you want? Also if you think you might do an upgrade in the future, BG's upgrade policy is a little better than that of JA which requires spending double the $$ so that might be a consideration too.
 
I think I’d go with the JA diamond, assuming the MBF doesn’t have a negative impact on the diamond’s appearance (usually it doesn’t but worth asking to confirm).

My reasons: It’s cleaner/higher clarity, has a larger face-up, and assuming you don’t ‘need’ the brand label, the JA stone (just like the BGD diamond) is an AGS ideal cut. The JA stone also seems like a ‘cleaner’ purchase, in that - I would be leery of potential tax consequences depending on how BGD documents/reports the taxes to your home state. I’d hate to get a surprise tax bill a year after my purchase because of what I thought was some kind of deal. Why not just discount the diamond price as the ‘sale/promo’ so everything is legit?

And personally, I have an ideal cut K with med blue fluorescence, and it’s beautiful and faces up very white IMO.
 
I would go with the BGD stone. For some reason the JA one just looks hazy to me, which is weird given the high clarity. The other reason I vote for the BGD stone is that VVS is overkill IMHO, because you are paying for stuff you can't see, plus the upgrade policy is better with BGD vs. JA.
 
KKJohnson said:
The JA one doesn't wow me, the center just appears blurry for some reason. I would pick the BG stone even though it is smaller I think you will be blown away with how beautiful it is.
Click to expand...
Phew, I thought for a minute that I was crazy or seeing things (or just being biased against JA's new business model stuff). Glad to hear I"m not the only one seeing it as hazy/blurry.
 
I would want a larger stone (given similar cut stats) so I’d go with the JA one because of this and the MB fluorescence might help it appear whiter.
 
I don’t see blur in the JA stone.

0BFD190E-9225-45E5-9108-CF091E2FA8B8.png

76070DDB-1CA4-4291-B4CB-67E72BEDE7B6.png


Here is a virtual comparison between your two choices.

https://www.diamdb.com/compare/1.13ct-round-6.66x6.68x4.14-vs-1.24ct-round-6.86x6.9x4.24/

It is my understanding that medium to strong BF assists diamonds of lower color grades appear whiter, face up.
I have no personal experience with this phenomenon. Just adding what I’ve read, here, by others who have stones with BF.
That idea may appeal to you, and help you make your decision.
Both diamonds show body color, as they are both K. Depending on the setting, either should look charming in a RG setting.
You have to consider 2 factors: HER priorities, outside of cut, and the upgrade/trade-up policy.
Quite frankly, you can’t go wrong with either. You have to decide what matters most & go for it.
 
Also, I wouldn’t advise judging the face-up color of one over the other in this situation; two different lighting set-ups, cameras, surroundings, etc.

And FTR: I am not personally a fan of either vendor; in this case, I voted from a place of practicality & reality, tucked down inside my wallet. ;)2
 
Oh my gosh. Saga continues... Hopefully somebody can give me an advice. I called the jeweler who will be ordering my Tacori ring. He, of course, asked me to see my AGS report and told me he could do better.
I sent him the AGS report of the BG ring that we bought. See below.
cert(3).jpeg

He came back with this offer. $4700 for the diamond, which GIA report you see below.
IMG_20190710_154012.jpg

Screenshot_20190710-154407.jpg

I plugged them both in HCA score. The BG diamond is score 1. The jeweler diamond is .09
The price difference between two diamonds is $600.
He told me that his diamond looks big for the size, so the difference to the naked eye would be minimal. He also told me that although AGS is famous for grading cuts, they are not good at grading colors and my K color diamond would look like M or N and why would not I want my diamond to look sparklier? My ring is in rose gold.

I know that if I go to the jeweler in person to compare two diamonds, I would pick his over mine just because of the color D.

Please help me decide. lol. Very exhausted.
 
Do you have the clarity diagram/specifics for the D? Was it eye clean? I'd be tempted to ask why it's a 2018 report if such a screaming deal.;)
 
He just sent me those two messages. The first image says it is S2 clarity
 
darena said:
He just sent me those two messages. The first image says it is S2 clarity
Click to expand...

Especially in an SI-2, the types and placement of inclusions is very important. I'd definitely ask.
 
I had a diamond with a cavity near the girdle edge once. The diamond broke. The D SI2 combo could be a good savings for you but look up the scan on the GIA website. 2 cavities. Most people say to stay away.

upload_2019-7-10_20-31-55.png
 
darena said:
Oh my gosh. Saga continues... Hopefully somebody can give me an advice. I called the jeweler who will be ordering my Tacori ring. He, of course, asked me to see my AGS report and told me he could do better.
I sent him the AGS report of the BG ring that we bought. See below.
cert(3).jpeg
Click to expand...
I'm confused :confused: b/c that's not a BG stone.
 

Attachments

darena said:
Oh. I didn't know you can look them up online.
Click to expand...

He was probably banking on that; there was a reason (or in this case 6 reasons) he didn’t send you the full report, which would have been wayyy easier than taking pics of parts of it.

I’m not saying “don’t get it” (though I wouldn’t buy it); just be informed about what these inclusions are/mean.

And for kicks, without telling him you saw the clarity plot, I would ask him what the inclusions are (since he showed you the SI2 grade), if they are concerning, and if the diamond is eye clean from 10”. And let us know what he says.:Up_to_something2:
 
darena said:
He also told me that although AGS is famous for grading cuts, they are not good at grading colors and my K color diamond would look like M or N and why would not I want my diamond to look sparklier?
Click to expand...
Others will chip in on the SI nature of your jeweller’s other diamond (although the price seems very cheap for a D and the cavity very worrisome), however I would put down this colour comment here to a hard-sell tactic on his part. Diamonds are graded for colour from the side and face down. Face up, you may not see much of a colour difference. Your Brian Gavin will also be cut to maximise light return to the extent allowable by physics, and Brian has a great reputation - I would not worry about the sparkliness of the one you chose :)) Personally I’d take your jeweller’s comments with a huge pinch of salt as he’d love to have you buy a diamond from HIM instead of someone else.
 
Your jeweler is an ass who wants you to buy from him and is disparaging your stone despite offering you a WORSE stone. I can't stand that nonsense, so I"m calling it out. The price seems too good to be true for a D color, so that means that SI2 is a hot mess in terms of inclusions.

Your BGD stone will be SO MUCH SPARKLIER than his, I wouldn't even consider this for one minute.
 
darena said:
Oh my gosh. Saga continues... Hopefully somebody can give me an advice. I called the jeweler who will be ordering my Tacori ring. He, of course, asked me to see my AGS report and told me he could do better.
I sent him the AGS report of the BG ring that we bought. See below.
cert(3).jpeg

He came back with this offer. $4700 for the diamond, which GIA report you see below.
IMG_20190710_154012.jpg

Screenshot_20190710-154407.jpg

I plugged them both in HCA score. The BG diamond is score 1. The jeweler diamond is .09
The price difference between two diamonds is $600.
He told me that his diamond looks big for the size, so the difference to the naked eye would be minimal. He also told me that although AGS is famous for grading cuts, they are not good at grading colors and my K color diamond would look like M or N and why would not I want my diamond to look sparklier? My ring is in rose gold.

I know that if I go to the jeweler in person to compare two diamonds, I would pick his over mine just because of the color D.

Please help me decide. lol. Very exhausted.
Click to expand...
Also, he is lying about "why would you not want your diamond to be sparklier" as a question. Color has nothing to do with sparkle. Cut is what determines sparkle. And inclusions can sometimes block sparkle. So I would have no hesitation to tell him where to take his "great deal" of a diamond and shove it.
 
lovedogs said:
Also, he is lying about "why would you not want your diamond to be sparklier" as a question. Color has nothing to do with sparkle. Cut is what determines sparkle. And inclusions can sometimes block sparkle. So I would have no hesitation to tell him where to take his "great deal" of a diamond and shove it.
Click to expand...

Nothing is worse than being tied to a Jeweler who claims their diamonds are superior to all other stones but in fact what they have is frozen spit and they keep offering you crap. As pointed out already you can do much better.
 
lovedogs said:
Also, he is lying about "why would you not want your diamond to be sparklier" as a question.
Click to expand...

This ^^^ He is either ignorant and in the wrong business, or lying his azz off in hopes you don’t know any better just to make a sale. I wouldn’t want to buy a diamond (much less anything else) from either.
 
Oh. Thank you for the input. I didn't know anything about inclusions and cavities.
Now I wonder if I should trust him with the Tacori setting at all and go somewhere else.
Good thing I asked.
Thank you!
 
darena said:
Oh. Thank you for the input. I didn't know anything about inclusions and cavities.
Now I wonder if I should trust him with the Tacori setting at all and go somewhere else.
Good thing I asked.
Thank you!
Click to expand...

Whiteflash carries Tacori settings I believe
 
darena said:
Oh. Thank you for the input. I didn't know anything about inclusions and cavities.
Now I wonder if I should trust him with the Tacori setting at all and go somewhere else.
Good thing I asked.
Thank you!
Click to expand...

You *may* be okay getting the Tacori setting from them but I’d be a bit cautious given they have a clear propensity for not being fully truthful. Tacori makes all of their settings, so my concerns getting a setting from this jeweler would be: 1) is he in fact ordering you a brand new setting for your diamond, or having one on hand/in stock resized and/or modified by a non-Tacori authorized bench; and, 2) will he now mark up the price of the Tacori ring if you don’t buy the diamond from him (likely and not unheard of), and/or would he charge you an insane setting fee to set an outside diamond.

Honestly, once someone who I was about to hand over a couple thousand dollars demonstrates dishonesty, I’m done doing business with them. I’d go to another vendor who also offers Tacori settings; I don’t see them listed on BGD’s website, but it may be worth a call to see if they can get them in, even if perhaps for a slight premium (it’d be worth the peace of mind knowing it was done ‘right’ IMO).
 
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