My diamond criteria - feedback please

[miraj]

I made a list of criteria to meet my objective for a diamond for an engagement ring based on my research. Am I missing things? Am I asking too much? I being reasonable, unreasonable, obsessive...? And if you have suggestions for specific diamonds and the price I should be looking at, please pass them along!

Objective: To pay the least for a large-appearing round diamond that sparkles like crazy and will last forever without unsightly imperfections (when viewed without magnification) and no maintenance.

Shape: Round Brilliant, 57 facets

Cut: Ideal (AGS) or Excellent (GIA)
Carat: 1.85 to 2.1 (preferred: 2.0ct)
Clarity: VS1 to SI2
Color: G to I
Certificate: GIA or AGS

Must be:

• conflict-free
• eye-clean
• very crisp / no haze that is eye-visible or significantly affects light performance
• no inclusions that could compromise durability, integrity, or increase risk after decades of normal wear (e.g. feathers that reach the surface or near the girdle, cavities/chips near the girdle)
• no inclusions that require cleaning or maintenance (e.g. cavities, chips, indented natural)
• HCA score < 2.0
• no “enhancements” or lasering
• natural, not lab-grown
• no visual degradation (e.g. haziness/lack of crispness or sharpness) due to fluorescence

Table: 54.0% to 57.0%
Depth: 61.0% to 62.0%.
Pavilion Angle: 40.6° to 41.0°
Crown Angle: 34.3° to 34.9°
Culet: Pointed (AGS) or None (GIA)
Girdle range: Thin to Slightly Thick
Fluorescence: None to Medium

Lesser importance:
Lower girdle facets: 75% to 78%
Star facets: 45% to 50% (40% to 58% may be okay)
Diameter: at least 8.0 mm
Diameter Ratio: 0.99-1.01

When available:
Symmetry (AGS): Excellent to Ideal
Polish (AGS): Very Good to Ideal

 

[OoohShiny]

Personally speaking, if I may be so bold, I would put the list of priorities under different headings, as below:

1. Required specifications:

• Shape: Round Brilliant, 57 facets
• Cut: Ideal (AGS) or Excellent (GIA)
• Carat: 1.85 to 2.1 (preferred: 2.0ct)
• Clarity: VS1 to SI2
• Color: G to I
• Fluorescence: None to Medium
  
  
  2. Must be:
  
  • AGS000 / GIA XXX
  • Symmetry (AGS): Excellent to Ideal
  • Polish (AGS): Very Good to Ideal
  • HCA score < 2.0 (which should come about through the above three)
    
    
    3. Things that won't need to be worried about if the 'Must be' requirements are met:
    
    • Lower girdle facets: 75% to 78%
    • Star facets: 45% to 50% (40% to 58% may be okay)
    • Diameter: at least 8.0 mm
    • Diameter Ratio: 0.99-1.01
    • Table: 54.0% to 57.0%
    • Depth: 61.0% to 62.0%.
    • Pavilion Angle: 40.6° to 41.0°
    • Crown Angle: 34.3° to 34.9°
    • Culet: Pointed (AGS) or None (GIA)
    • Girdle range: Thin to Slightly Thick
      
      
      4. Things that the vendor can check and confirm for you so you don't have to worry:
      
      • eye-clean
      • no inclusions that could compromise durability, integrity, or increase risk after decades of normal wear (e.g. feathers that reach the surface or near the girdle, cavities/chips near the girdle)
      • very crisp / no haze that is eye-visible or significantly affects light performance
      • no visual degradation (e.g. haziness/lack of crispness or sharpness) due to fluorescence

5. Not anything to be worried about if buying from a recommend PS vendor:

conflict-free
no “enhancements” or lasering
natural, not lab-grown
no inclusions that require cleaning or maintenance (e.g. cavities, chips, indented natural)

To do so, and to then shop with the recommended PS vendors, means you only have to let them have your ideal specs, your 'Must be' requirements and your budget, and then you can ask them to check the things listed under section 4 above when they have identified stones that may be of interest to you.


Your objective is something that I think we all share on here, and the PS vendors will help you achieve that Plus, many of them have upgrade policies that let you upgrade a stone in the future without losing much/any of its original value!

You can use the Diamonds Search function under the Resources tab at the top of the forum and enter in your required specifications, and that will give you a list of what is available on that system, and then you can play 'the trade-off game' with yourself, to see what you will need to sacrifice to guarantee getting one particular specification requirement (e.g. with a set budget you might be able to afford a 1.8ct F VVS1 but in order to get over the 2ct mark, you may have to drop to I SI1, for example).

FWIW, I would look at the 1.90-1.99 range to get maximum value for money - there is a jump in prices once the magic whole carat mark is reached (1ct, 2ct, 3ct etc), so getting a stone just underneath that will mean you don't spend money on going over a psychological barrier but get a stone that looks as big as a 2ct (and probably with better colour/clarity that you've secured by not spending money on going over 2ct).

I understand that being able to say "Oh, it's a 2ct..." is good for impressing those who are impressed by such things, but unless you're a bit of a weirdo and are carrying around the GIA/AGS certificate to wave around in their face while shouting "Look!! It's a 2.04ct!!!", you can just tell a white lie if asked the size directly and if not asked directly, you can just say "My husband/partner dealt with the details... isn't it beautiful?" Plus, one of the best cut stones will be bright from edge to edge, meaning it will look larger than a steep/deep stone over 2ct, for example.

 

[miraj]

I was actually wondering whether the criteria are unreasonable or incorrect or missing some. For example, the depth range of 61.0-62.0 seems especially small to me. But thank you for your input.

I am also thinking about getting the diamond from other sources, so I want to have a criteria list to provide them. Am I forgetting other criteria?

I don't agree that the the angles I list will come about from the "must have" because the angles are even tighter than the AGS000 or GIA Ex boundaries, which is why I kept it as a separate requirement.

You seem to put a lot of trust in the vendor, but I don't. For example, I think I have seen indented naturals on PS vendors.

 

[Diamond_Hawk]

miraj,

You have done some terrific research and your parameters are, indeed, tighter than the top cut-rating from the labs you mentioned. Many of the pro-sumers here on PS have spent time and energy cultivating these same type of criteria for the 'Cut-is-King" philosophy so often espoused here - bravo!

With that in mind I would encourage you to consider adding Optical Performance to your list of criteria. Insist on an Ideal-Scope image or, preferably, an ASET.

You will find a lot of discussion regarding these images on PS. Here is an excerpt of an article I authored for the PriceScope journal on this topic:

There are people who claim that you only need a grading report, an idea of proportions and the ability to see a diamond in real-life to get the evaluation you need. But a growing segment of the industry, and many consumers armed with knowledge found on PriceScope, rely on images of diamonds using tools to arrive at a superior assessment of diamond performance than a non-descriptive grade on a lab report. Indeed, there are vendors who have developed lines of top-performing diamonds which use Ideal-Scope and ASET as proof of the performance pedigree.

For the entire article, follow this link:

https://www.pricescope.com/communit...pollard-compares-aset-and-ideal-scope.212011/

Either way, I encourage you to insist on an image which will reveal the optical performance of your selections.

 

[miraj]

Diamond_hawk: You are totally right -- I will include ASET in my list of requirements. And I would like to know if you think my requirements are overly stringent to find diamonds with amazing light performance.

 

[Diamond_Hawk]

Diamond_hawk: You are totally right -- I will include ASET in my list of requirements. And I would like to know if you think my requirements are overly stringent to find diamonds with amazing light performance.

Miraj,

As I stated above, the numbers you have posted show that you have really done your research and you have a very particular set of specifications you are looking for.

There is a high likelihood that the parameters you have set will have amazing performance - that is why I suggested ASET images to reinforce the optical performance of your diamond candidates.

Once you have found a diamond that falls in your 'comfort zone' and has a great ASET, the real test of course is to see the diamond in person and see how it performs in all lighting environments. The bright lights of the showroom floor can make even average diamonds look fantastic but you want a diamond that will be stunning in bright lights, under a tree, low-light (a romantic restaurant) and everyday office or grocery store lighting.

The only thing limiting you is the budget to size ratio that you have to determine.

You may find something that fits all categories in your budget, or you may have compromise a bit once you do a search and determine which diamond you would like.

There are several PS vendors (full disclosure - B2C is among them) that carry signature lines similar in specifications to what you are looking for - that might be a good place to start as some of the legwork has already been done.

 

[miraj]

I see lots of sparkles from the diamonds I look at, regardless of the measured performance. How can I really compare diamonds in different lights when they all seem to sparkle a lot?

 

[Diamond_Hawk]

I see lots of sparkles from the diamonds I look at, regardless of the measured performance. How can I really compare diamonds in different lights when they all seem to sparkle a lot?

Miraj,

Great question - many forum members have expressed similar concerns.

Ideally you would have two or more diamonds next to each other to make direct comparisons. It is sometimes hard, especially on the showroom floor, to distinguish between diamonds under the bright lights. As odd as it sounds, take the two (or more) diamonds under a table or desk (or display case) out of the direct light, and then step outside under an awning or under a leafy tree where the light will play in and out of direct sunlight. If there is a room you can enter with a dimmer switch, watch how the light plays off the diamond from a half-open door leading into a room as it is darkened with a dimmer switch. These types of real-time experiments will often show substantial difference in what may otherwise appear to be similar diamonds. Most often our customers will speak of the difference in our branded line showing up in dimly lit restaurants or the average lighting in the office or grocery store.

Before you see the diamonds in person, or if you do not have the option of a direct comparison, I would recommend using the Ideal-Scope and ASET images to tell you how efficiently the diamond returns light. This will be a good predictor of performance in the type of environments detailed above.