Good morning all,
To preface this, I am new to diamonds but have researched princess diamonds extensively (75+ hours) for the last two months, attempting to find a diamond that seemed "perfect" in my OCD mind. I have now spent way too much time on this and always end up back to square one again, so at this point, I just need to pull the trigger and buy a diamond.
Originally, I was looking exclusively at Blue Nile Astor Ideal Princess Diamonds because they had Gemex reports. I won't buy a diamond online until I see how the diamond responds to light. I found a few diamonds that met my parameters and were also off the chart on the Gemex report, only to realize though, it seems Gemex reports lack consistency and aren't the most reliable sources for gauging how well a diamond will look in person in the light. I then asked Blue Nile if I could have ASET and Ideal Scope images of these diamonds and was told that they don't do that. I then started scouring many other reputable diamond wholesalers, and have been continually told that they don't provide ASET and Ideal Scope images for GIA lab-certified diamonds, and will only do that at an additional cost after I already purchase the diamond.
Since then, I've been exclusively looking at AGS-certified Princess cut diamonds due to the ASET image on the report, but have had no luck. Princess cut diamonds with AGS reports are hard to find, and even the ones I have found, mostly on Whiteflash, don't meet the standard I want. I've now given up on AGS-certified princess cut diamonds since they're so limited and have gone back to looking at GIA ones. What I need help with is: How can I determine how well the diamond responds to light, therefore helping determine its potential fire, brilliance, and sparkle in person, without having an ASET or Ideal scope image? After narrowing down my searches to the specs I want, a lot of the diamonds look very similar in the HD picture and video and appear as if they'd all have the same amount of fire, brilliance, and sparkle in person, yet I know this can't be true. What am I doing wrong here? Can I really gauge how well a diamond will respond to light in person only through HD pictures and videos or should I make an ASET image mandatory in my search for a diamond? I appreciate any help!
Natural Diamond on Platinum setting: these are the specifications I've been using (I also play around with these values to see what else is available)
Carat: 0.7-0.8
Color: D-H
Clarity: FL-VS2
Symmetry: Excellent
Polish: Excellent
Fluorescence: Faint to none
Table: 63-69%
Depth: 69-76%
Price: up to $4,000
Cut: Very Good - Ideal (although I know princess cut ratings don't have an objective standard and vary from company to company)
To preface this, I am new to diamonds but have researched princess diamonds extensively (75+ hours) for the last two months, attempting to find a diamond that seemed "perfect" in my OCD mind. I have now spent way too much time on this and always end up back to square one again, so at this point, I just need to pull the trigger and buy a diamond.
Originally, I was looking exclusively at Blue Nile Astor Ideal Princess Diamonds because they had Gemex reports. I won't buy a diamond online until I see how the diamond responds to light. I found a few diamonds that met my parameters and were also off the chart on the Gemex report, only to realize though, it seems Gemex reports lack consistency and aren't the most reliable sources for gauging how well a diamond will look in person in the light. I then asked Blue Nile if I could have ASET and Ideal Scope images of these diamonds and was told that they don't do that. I then started scouring many other reputable diamond wholesalers, and have been continually told that they don't provide ASET and Ideal Scope images for GIA lab-certified diamonds, and will only do that at an additional cost after I already purchase the diamond.
Since then, I've been exclusively looking at AGS-certified Princess cut diamonds due to the ASET image on the report, but have had no luck. Princess cut diamonds with AGS reports are hard to find, and even the ones I have found, mostly on Whiteflash, don't meet the standard I want. I've now given up on AGS-certified princess cut diamonds since they're so limited and have gone back to looking at GIA ones. What I need help with is: How can I determine how well the diamond responds to light, therefore helping determine its potential fire, brilliance, and sparkle in person, without having an ASET or Ideal scope image? After narrowing down my searches to the specs I want, a lot of the diamonds look very similar in the HD picture and video and appear as if they'd all have the same amount of fire, brilliance, and sparkle in person, yet I know this can't be true. What am I doing wrong here? Can I really gauge how well a diamond will respond to light in person only through HD pictures and videos or should I make an ASET image mandatory in my search for a diamond? I appreciate any help!
Natural Diamond on Platinum setting: these are the specifications I've been using (I also play around with these values to see what else is available)
Carat: 0.7-0.8
Color: D-H
Clarity: FL-VS2
Symmetry: Excellent
Polish: Excellent
Fluorescence: Faint to none
Table: 63-69%
Depth: 69-76%
Price: up to $4,000
Cut: Very Good - Ideal (although I know princess cut ratings don't have an objective standard and vary from company to company)
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