Looking for an E ring with "sparkle"

[seamoes]

Hi everyone,

I've been reading the forum for a week or so and I really enjoy how positive and friendly everyone is. I figured it was about time to dive in and post something myself. I'm in the market for an engagement ring and have a decent handle on what I'm looking for. Above all else, my girlfriend is looking for something with a lot of "sparkle". Above all else (color, size), the sparkle to her is the most important. I think I have a good idea of ranges I'm looking for in a diamond:

Carat: 0.80 (Range 0.75, 0.90)
Color: I (Range H, J)
Clarity: SI1 (Range VS1, SI2)

I'm aiming for a stone around 3,500 (Range 3,000 to 4,000).

I've been using these two diamonds as a starting point:
http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-2763665.htm
http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamonds/diamond-details/0.804-j-vs1-round-diamond-ags-104061539058

If you have any advice on where to go from these stones, it would be much appreciated! I'm just trying to figure out what trade-offs are worth it, and how to know when a slightly higher price is worth it.

Many thanks

 

[04diamond<3]

This one's stunning!!!

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/J-VS2-Excellent-Cut-Round-Diamond-1551737.asp

Some more:
http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/J-SI1-Excellent-Cut-Round-Diamond-1520243.asp
http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/J-SI2-Excellent-Cut-Round-Diamond-1548134.asp

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/F-SI1-Excellent-Cut-Round-Diamond-1489202.asp


MY FAVORITE EVER PLEASE PUT IT ON HOLD ASAP!!! (It doesn't cost anything)
http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/H-SI1-Excellent-Cut-Round-Diamond-1552015.asp

 

[Lula]

Of the two you posted, I like the BGD diamond better -- based on the images. Compare the red Idealscope images -- the Whiteflash stone has a lot of white in the center, which may translate to a diamond that is not as bright in the center. Or it may be fine -- we can't tell just from the images. Compare the return and upgrade policies between the BGD signature collection and the Whiteflash expert selection; there may be differences as well. None of the JA stones posted by 04diamond>3 are better choices; the cut on all of them is so-so, compared with the BGD diamond. It depends where you want to put your money. I value cut quality over everything else; other people are fine with diamonds that are not as well cut.

 

[04diamond<3]

Of the two you posted, I like the BGD diamond better -- based on the images. Compare the red Idealscope images -- the Whiteflash stone has a lot of white in the center, which may translate to a diamond that is not as bright in the center. Or it may be fine -- we can't tell just from the images. Compare the return and upgrade policies between the BGD signature collection and the Whiteflash expert selection; there may be differences as well. None of the JA stones posted by 04diamond>3 are better choices; the cut on all of them is so-so, compared with the BGD diamond. It depends where you want to put your money. I value cut quality over everything else; other people are fine with diamonds that are not as well cut.

Not true. Thanks for the niceness...The BGD diamond scored a 1.0 on the HCA and the last stone I found, the .90 H SI1 scored a .8 on the HCA.

 

[Lula]

Of the two you posted, I like the BGD diamond better -- based on the images. Compare the red Idealscope images -- the Whiteflash stone has a lot of white in the center, which may translate to a diamond that is not as bright in the center. Or it may be fine -- we can't tell just from the images. Compare the return and upgrade policies between the BGD signature collection and the Whiteflash expert selection; there may be differences as well. None of the JA stones posted by 04diamond>3 are better choices; the cut on all of them is so-so, compared with the BGD diamond. It depends where you want to put your money. I value cut quality over everything else; other people are fine with diamonds that are not as well cut.

Not true. Thanks for the niceness...The BGD diamond scored a 1.0 on the HCA and the last stone I found, the .90 H SI1 scored a .8 on the HCA.

So? Anything under 2 on the HCA is worth considering. ETA: Ergo, a 0.8 on the HCA is not better than a 1.0 and a 1.0 is not better than a 1.5 and a 1.5 is not better than a 2.0. The 40.6 pavilion angle along with the photo of the .90 JA diamond concerns me -- this stone may show obstruction at certain angles and under certain lighting conditions. The photo of the BGD diamond does not show obstruction.

 

[04diamond<3]

Of the two you posted, I like the BGD diamond better -- based on the images. Compare the red Idealscope images -- the Whiteflash stone has a lot of white in the center, which may translate to a diamond that is not as bright in the center. Or it may be fine -- we can't tell just from the images. Compare the return and upgrade policies between the BGD signature collection and the Whiteflash expert selection; there may be differences as well. None of the JA stones posted by 04diamond>3 are better choices; the cut on all of them is so-so, compared with the BGD diamond. It depends where you want to put your money. I value cut quality over everything else; other people are fine with diamonds that are not as well cut.

Not true. Thanks for the niceness...The BGD diamond scored a 1.0 on the HCA and the last stone I found, the .90 H SI1 scored a .8 on the HCA.

So? Anything under 2 on the HCA is worth considering. ETA: Ergo, a 0.8 on the HCA is not better than a 1.0 and a 1.0 is not better than a 1.5 and a 1.5 is not better than a 2.0. The 40.6 pavilion angle along with the photo of the .90 JA diamond concerns me -- this stone may show obstruction at certain angles and under certain lighting conditions. The photo of the BGD diamond does not show obstruction.

Personally to me, the .90 looks better and the HCA is better so based on this, it's the one I'd choose. It depends on the person as everyone likes different things. But yes, I tend to think that the HCA points out which stones are better cut.

OP - you should request an idealscope of the .90 and other than having more tests done on both stones comparing scintillation etc, that's really the best way to see the difference between the two. Unless of course you go see them in person.

 

[seamoes]

Of the two you posted, I like the BGD diamond better -- based on the images. Compare the red Idealscope images -- the Whiteflash stone has a lot of white in the center, which may translate to a diamond that is not as bright in the center. Or it may be fine -- we can't tell just from the images. Compare the return and upgrade policies between the BGD signature collection and the Whiteflash expert selection; there may be differences as well. None of the JA stones posted by 04diamond>3 are better choices; the cut on all of them is so-so, compared with the BGD diamond. It depends where you want to put your money. I value cut quality over everything else; other people are fine with diamonds that are not as well cut.

Not true. Thanks for the niceness...The BGD diamond scored a 1.0 on the HCA and the last stone I found, the .90 H SI1 scored a .8 on the HCA.

So? Anything under 2 on the HCA is worth considering. ETA: Ergo, a 0.8 on the HCA is not better than a 1.0 and a 1.0 is not better than a 1.5 and a 1.5 is not better than a 2.0. The 40.6 pavilion angle along with the photo of the .90 JA diamond concerns me -- this stone may show obstruction at certain angles and under certain lighting conditions. The photo of the BGD diamond does not show obstruction.

Thank you both for the advice and such quick replies. I can say that I value cut over the other properties, and an ideal cut will be the biggest factor in my final decision. @Lula - if the BGD has a better cut based on the Idealscope images, what do you think drives the cost difference between the two (Whiteflash vs. BGD)? Just Color I vs. J? I'm surprised the Whiteflash is more expensive with a worse cut.

Also thanks for the advice on return/upgrade policies, I will check into that.

The HCA scale is hard to interpret, at least for a novice. Do people generally consider differences of 0.1-0.2 on the HCA scale to be worth the extra money?

 

[Fly Girl]

The HCA is not a scale. It is an elimination tool only. Eliminate stones with an HCA above 2 and give stones at 2 and below further consideration. You cannot evaluate cut any more than that using the HCA. You need other means to evaluate the diamonds.

For what it's worth, my diamond purchased pre-PS is 2.4 on the HCA, and it is a beautiful stone. It was hand-picked in person by my choosy jeweler.

The problem is when you have to pick a stone without seeing it in person. Then the HCA is useful to eliminate the dogs.

 

[Lula]

Of the two you posted, I like the BGD diamond better -- based on the images. Compare the red Idealscope images -- the Whiteflash stone has a lot of white in the center, which may translate to a diamond that is not as bright in the center. Or it may be fine -- we can't tell just from the images. Compare the return and upgrade policies between the BGD signature collection and the Whiteflash expert selection; there may be differences as well. None of the JA stones posted by 04diamond>3 are better choices; the cut on all of them is so-so, compared with the BGD diamond. It depends where you want to put your money. I value cut quality over everything else; other people are fine with diamonds that are not as well cut.

Not true. Thanks for the niceness...The BGD diamond scored a 1.0 on the HCA and the last stone I found, the .90 H SI1 scored a .8 on the HCA.

So? Anything under 2 on the HCA is worth considering. ETA: Ergo, a 0.8 on the HCA is not better than a 1.0 and a 1.0 is not better than a 1.5 and a 1.5 is not better than a 2.0. The 40.6 pavilion angle along with the photo of the .90 JA diamond concerns me -- this stone may show obstruction at certain angles and under certain lighting conditions. The photo of the BGD diamond does not show obstruction.

Thank you both for the advice and such quick replies. I can say that I value cut over the other properties, and an ideal cut will be the biggest factor in my final decision. @Lula - if the BGD has a better cut based on the Idealscope images, what do you think drives the cost difference between the two (Whiteflash vs. BGD)? Just Color I vs. J? I'm surprised the Whiteflash is more expensive with a worse cut.

Also thanks for the advice on return/upgrade policies, I will check into that.

The HCA scale is hard to interpret, at least for a novice. Do people generally consider differences of 0.1-0.2 on the HCA scale to be worth the extra money?

Yes, the difference in color may be the reason for the difference in cost. Many people here own lovely J color stones, and many of them chose to go with J color to save money. The Whiteflash stone isn't necessarily a bad cut -- in fact, compared to most diamonds sold at chain store jewelers, it's a very nice diamond -- but the crown angle is a bit steep for the pavilion angle, and I believe this is why the red Idealscope image shows a white area in the center. For the money, I think the BGD stone is a better value.

 

[Lula]

double post

 

[Karl_K]

This one's stunning!!!

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/J-VS2-Excellent-Cut-Round-Diamond-1551737.asp
It will most likely have color entrapment issues. I would not consider it without a full sarin scan
Some more:
http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/J-SI1-Excellent-Cut-Round-Diamond-1520243.asp
This one would likely have an ideal scope image like the the WF one above, some slight under table leakage, not likely 2 eye visible in the real world
http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/J-SI2-Excellent-Cut-Round-Diamond-1548134.asp
This one the numbers are ok, its a near 60/60 with a different look than a near tolk like the original 2 being considered and the inclusions needs to be checked for eyeclean, and an IS gotten.
http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/F-SI1-Excellent-Cut-Round-Diamond-1489202.asp
This one will have some slight under table leakage in an IS image, not likely 2 eye visible in the real world

MY FAVORITE EVER PLEASE PUT IT ON HOLD ASAP!!! (It doesn't cost anything)
http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/H-SI1-Excellent-Cut-Round-Diamond-1552015.asp
This one may or may not have obstruction issues in a ring. I would want an experts eval and a sarin scan. From the limited evidence I am leaning towards a slight issue but not huge

Speaking as a consumer who has spent years here before I joined the trade everyone needs to be careful with words like stunning and favorite unless there is enough evidence to support such a claim and one can defend it with facts.
A report and a picture is not enough information.
Saying I would consider getting more information on a stone based on image and report is fine and proper.

 

[seamoes]

Sound advice Karl - thanks.

I'm also thinking it might be worth it to drop a small amount in size and improve Color from J -> G.

Found this nice one:
http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamonds/diamond-details/0.786-g-si1-round-diamond-ags-104062031035#!prettyPhoto[gallery2]/2/

Thanks again for everyones comments. It's reassuring for someone new to this forum.

 

[Karl_K]

Sound advice Karl - thanks.

I'm also thinking it might be worth it to drop a small amount in size and improve Color from J -> G.

Found this nice one:
http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamonds/diamond-details/0.786-g-si1-round-diamond-ags-104062031035#!prettyPhoto[gallery2]/2/

Thanks again for everyones comments. It's reassuring for someone new to this forum.

Look like a typical Brian signature diamond.
Among the best available. If you decide to pursue it ask for a heart image and tell him Karl_K said to ask :}
Ask about the inclusions to make sure it is eyeclean.