round brilliant - help from experts please (ie Lorelei, Gary H - cut nut) as well as anyone with ins

[diamondseeker2006]

Hi, Lorelei has given you great information, so I just had one comment to make. My diamond is VS1, and you usually cannot see inclusions (or a very tiny speck at most) with a 10x loupe in a VS1 stone. So VS1 is really the best option for someone (like me) who is bothered by inclusions and prefers not to see them with a loupe.

Here is some great info on clarity with pictures:

http://goodoldgold.com/content.php?c=13

There is also a great section with pictures on color. Many of us here have found that you can easily go to G and H with ideal cut stones because they face up white. So I''d really encourage you to at least consider G VS1 as well as F stones. WhiteFlash has a couple of G VS1 ACA''s in the 1.54-1.57 ct. range for $17,900 with the wire/pricescope discount. You''ll jump into much higher prices if you look at D-F VS1''s, unfortunately.

 

[ctyc]

Date: 1/3/2009 11:25:32 PM
Author: diamondseeker2006
Hi, Lorelei has given you great information, so I just had one comment to make. My diamond is VS1, and you usually cannot see inclusions (or a very tiny speck at most) with a 10x loupe in a VS1 stone. So VS1 is really the best option for someone (like me) who is bothered by inclusions and prefers not to see them with a loupe.


Here is some great info on clarity with pictures:


http://goodoldgold.com/content.php?c=13


There is also a great section with pictures on color. Many of us here have found that you can easily go to G and H with ideal cut stones because they face up white. So I''d really encourage you to at least consider G VS1 as well as F stones. WhiteFlash has a couple of G VS1 ACA''s in the 1.54-1.57 ct. range for $17,900 with the wire/pricescope discount. You''ll jump into much higher prices if you look at D-F VS1''s, unfortunately.

Thanks for the info diamondseeker2006.

I am checking out more diamonds that are available through the pricescope search and came across one that does not fit Lorelei''s specs above (a general guide to follow for myself), but came back with a great HCA score.

depth % = 59.3%
table % = 59%
crown angle = 33.5%
pavilion angle = 40.8%

Definitely a bit on the shallow end. But oddly enough a great HCA score. Is this one that I should rule out because of the depth % or should I keep it in the running due to it''s HCA score?

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 1/3/2009 10:06:07 PM
Author: ctyc
So I've read a bunch about crystals and feathers and needles and indented naturals. All of those are different types of inclusions. Here is the thing though, which is worse to have? I don't know if it is worse to have a few feathers on the edges of your diamond or to have a crystal and a cloud within. I know that the feathers won't affect the diamond structurally, but I don't know if it's worse to have essentially fissures in your diamond or a crystal within. Hope this doesn't sound silly.

That depends on the clarity grade really, feathers for example in VVS/ VS clarity may not be any kind of issue, SI2 or even I1 they are not likely to be but an expert eye is always good to advise in these cases as feathers need individual evaluation in the lower clarities if they are present. Crystal and clouds again in VVS/ VS no issue and not likely to be visible but if you need high clarity for your diamond to be ' mindclean' then that could be the way to proceed.

With the diamond you listed it has possibilities, the crown angle is slightly shallow as is the depth, but combined with the pavilion is a good balance, the table is a little larger but not terrible so it could be a good looking diamond.

 

[ctyc]

Date: 1/4/2009 4:36:32 AM
Author: Lorelei

Date: 1/3/2009 10:06:07 PM

That depends on the clarity grade really, feathers for example in VVS/ VS clarity may not be any kind of issue, SI2 or even I1 they are not likely to be but an expert eye is always good to advise in these cases as feathers need individual evaluation in the lower clarities if they are present. Crystal and clouds again in VVS/ VS no issue and not likely to be visible but if you need high clarity for your diamond to be '' mindclean'' then that could be the way to proceed.


With the diamond you listed it has possibilities, the crown angle is slightly shallow as is the depth, but combined with the pavilion is a good balance, the table is a little larger but not terrible so it could be a good looking diamond.

Thanks Lorelei. The answer regarding crystals and clouds vs feathers was exactly what I was looking for. It is solely for "mindclean" purposes.

The most recent specs posted are a bit odd don''t you think? Meaning, not in the norm of what I have become accustomed to (in my extremely short career in learning about and searching for the perfect diamond). I am getting a bit frustrated though with the lack of idealscope images. Especially since I am sure, that would be the deal maker or breaker for all of these diamonds.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 1/4/2009 4:51:30 AM
Author: ctyc

Date: 1/4/2009 4:36:32 AM
Author: Lorelei

Date: 1/3/2009 10:06:07 PM

That depends on the clarity grade really, feathers for example in VVS/ VS clarity may not be any kind of issue, SI2 or even I1 they are not likely to be but an expert eye is always good to advise in these cases as feathers need individual evaluation in the lower clarities if they are present. Crystal and clouds again in VVS/ VS no issue and not likely to be visible but if you need high clarity for your diamond to be ' mindclean' then that could be the way to proceed.


With the diamond you listed it has possibilities, the crown angle is slightly shallow as is the depth, but combined with the pavilion is a good balance, the table is a little larger but not terrible so it could be a good looking diamond.

Thanks Lorelei. The answer regarding crystals and clouds vs feathers was exactly what I was looking for. It is solely for 'mindclean' purposes.

The most recent specs posted are a bit odd don't you think? Meaning, not in the norm of what I have become accustomed to (in my extremely short career in learning about and searching for the perfect diamond). I am getting a bit frustrated though with the lack of idealscope images. Especially since I am sure, that would be the deal maker or breaker for all of these diamonds.

I think here we see so many top cut superideal diamonds that ones which deviate from the usual set of proportions aren't seen as often yes. According to the HCA, this diamond could be a contender but it is frustrating when IS images aren't available. BN do have a 30 day return policy granted, but being able to see actual images would make it so much easier. Have you checked out Whiteflash, Wink Jones, James Allen or Good old Gold? These vendors have in house diamonds and very often Idealscope images available.

 

[ctyc]

I actually used the pricescope diamond search to look for various diamonds and a lot of the diamonds that I have found on the sites that you stated above didn''t even have the GIA cert uploaded. Then there are others that just didn''t have the diamonds I was looking for. I have time to look, it is just a little hard because what ends up happening with BN, is that I have to order it, get it appraised and decide and move on to the next one. They actually said that they won''t sell me multiple diamonds at a time for the purpose of getting it appraised then deciding. Bummer.

I found on an old thread that said that various vendors may carry the same diamond since they are virtual diamonds and that one should look for that because one site may sell the same diamond for less.

And the search continues. Thanks Lorelei.

I don''t know if this is ok to ask on the forum, and if you don''t mind me asking... I am curious as to where you are (country). If you are not comfortable answering that, no problem. Just ignore it. The reason I ask is because I am actually on winter break so I am awake when I really should be asleep and vice versa. I am going to have a fun time adjusting my clock back to normal people time. I am just curious as to how many hours you are ahead of me. And what time zone is pricescope under? Just non-diamond questions.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 1/4/2009 5:15:44 AM
Author: ctyc
I actually used the pricescope diamond search to look for various diamonds and a lot of the diamonds that I have found on the sites that you stated above didn't even have the GIA cert uploaded. Then there are others that just didn't have the diamonds I was looking for. I have time to look, it is just a little hard because what ends up happening with BN, is that I have to order it, get it appraised and decide and move on to the next one. They actually said that they won't sell me multiple diamonds at a time for the purpose of getting it appraised then deciding. Bummer.

I found on an old thread that said that various vendors may carry the same diamond since they are virtual diamonds and that one should look for that because one site may sell the same diamond for less.

And the search continues. Thanks Lorelei.

I don't know if this is ok to ask on the forum, and if you don't mind me asking... I am curious as to where you are (country). If you are not comfortable answering that, no problem. Just ignore it. The reason I ask is because I am actually on winter break so I am awake when I really should be asleep and vice versa. I am going to have a fun time adjusting my clock back to normal people time. I am just curious as to how many hours you are ahead of me. And what time zone is pricescope under? Just non-diamond questions.

The vendors also have virtual stones advertised which aren't part of their inventory but the same ones you see on the main database listing. So search for their in house diamonds - with WF look at A Cut Above, Expert Selection to see in house rocks. With the virtual diamonds which are the same diamonds listed with multiple vendors, some will do a price match so worth asking.

No problem asking where I am, I am in the UK. I wondered if you were actually as we have both been on PS at the same time, many are used to me prowling the boards at this hour! PS is under EST I think.

Here is an example of an in house WF diamond with all the info provided.

http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/Whiteflash-ACA-cut-diamond-1151355.htm

 

[ctyc]

LOL! Thanks for humoring my question. I am actually in CA. I should be asleep, but again, I am on winter break so I'm being a bum.

This may be a silly question, but I did find on Whiteflash a lot of diamonds of possible interest. But they didn't have the GIA reports or any kind of certification posted. Is this because those are the "virtual" diamonds and so they don't necessarily have more than just the rough specs for it at hand? And I tried using the general pricescope search and it seems that everyone has different diamonds and only a few diamonds are carried by multiple vendors. Is this a possibility or am I not looking hard enough? I tried to find the same diamond that I find on BN at another site and I can't seem to find it. Also, because my bf and I aren't planning on buying the diamond for a few months, I am afraid of the whole "diamond poaching" business.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 1/4/2009 5:52:08 AM
Author: ctyc
LOL! Thanks for humoring my question. I am actually in CA. I should be asleep, but again, I am on winter break so I''m being a bum.

This may be a silly question, but I did find on Whiteflash a lot of diamonds of possible interest. But they didn''t have the GIA reports or any kind of certification posted. Is this because those are the ''virtual'' diamonds and so they don''t necessarily have more than just the rough specs for it at hand? And I tried using the general pricescope search and it seems that everyone has different diamonds and only a few diamonds are carried by multiple vendors. Is this a possibility or am I not looking hard enough? I tried to find the same diamond that I find on BN at another site and I can''t seem to find it. Also, because my bf and I aren''t planning on buying the diamond for a few months, I am afraid of the whole ''diamond poaching'' business.

The ones on WF which don''t have any info uploaded generally say call for availability, this usually means this is a virtual stone - yes they only have minimum info, WF will evaluate the diamond should they call it in. The BN diamond could be exclusive to them if it is a Signature Ideal from what I understand those are in house.

How nice to be in CA, it is freezing here, just been sliding on an icy patch outside! What are you studying?

 

[ctyc]

Date: 1/4/2009 6:22:18 AM
Author: Lorelei

Date: 1/4/2009 5:52:08 AM

Author: ctyc

LOL! Thanks for humoring my question. I am actually in CA. I should be asleep, but again, I am on winter break so I'm being a bum.


This may be a silly question, but I did find on Whiteflash a lot of diamonds of possible interest. But they didn't have the GIA reports or any kind of certification posted. Is this because those are the 'virtual' diamonds and so they don't necessarily have more than just the rough specs for it at hand? And I tried using the general pricescope search and it seems that everyone has different diamonds and only a few diamonds are carried by multiple vendors. Is this a possibility or am I not looking hard enough? I tried to find the same diamond that I find on BN at another site and I can't seem to find it. Also, because my bf and I aren't planning on buying the diamond for a few months, I am afraid of the whole 'diamond poaching' business.

The ones on WF which don't have any info uploaded generally say call for availability, this usually means this is a virtual stone - yes they only have minimum info, WF will evaluate the diamond should they call it in. The BN diamond could be exclusive to them if it is a Signature Ideal from what I understand those are in house.


How nice to be in CA, it is freezing here, just been sliding on an icy patch outside! What are you studying?

The diamonds that I am looking at now are also ideal. I am hoping that those are not exclusively theirs (BN) as well so that I can find it elsewhere and possibly an IS with it. WF does have a lot diamonds of interest. They just don't have any of the GIA certs for me to even enter the % on the HCA. I guess I will have to request for a whole bunch of GIA certs. I hope they don't get annoyed.

CA is nice, but I'm a wimp so my toes are freezing even though the heater is on and set to 70 F and I'm wimpering from the cold (42 F outside). I actually just defended my MS thesis in Molecular Bio a couple of weeks ago (not fun) so I keep telling myself that I deserve my break. I still have to finish up some experiments, and am now looking for a job. So in the mean time, when school resumes, I get to start teaching as a teaching assistant again until I find a real job. And of course, I am also now planning our wedding even though we haven't even gotten a ring yet. LOL!!! It doesn't help that I am really not a jewelry person, so the only other piece of jewelry on my person (aside from earrings my dad gave me) needs to be as close to perfection as possible.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 1/4/2009 6:38:12 AM
Author: ctyc

Date: 1/4/2009 6:22:18 AM
Author: Lorelei

Date: 1/4/2009 5:52:08 AM

Author: ctyc

LOL! Thanks for humoring my question. I am actually in CA. I should be asleep, but again, I am on winter break so I'm being a bum.


This may be a silly question, but I did find on Whiteflash a lot of diamonds of possible interest. But they didn't have the GIA reports or any kind of certification posted. Is this because those are the 'virtual' diamonds and so they don't necessarily have more than just the rough specs for it at hand? And I tried using the general pricescope search and it seems that everyone has different diamonds and only a few diamonds are carried by multiple vendors. Is this a possibility or am I not looking hard enough? I tried to find the same diamond that I find on BN at another site and I can't seem to find it. Also, because my bf and I aren't planning on buying the diamond for a few months, I am afraid of the whole 'diamond poaching' business.

The ones on WF which don't have any info uploaded generally say call for availability, this usually means this is a virtual stone - yes they only have minimum info, WF will evaluate the diamond should they call it in. The BN diamond could be exclusive to them if it is a Signature Ideal from what I understand those are in house.


How nice to be in CA, it is freezing here, just been sliding on an icy patch outside! What are you studying?

The diamonds that I am looking at now are also ideal. I am hoping that those are not exclusively theirs (BN) as well so that I can find it elsewhere and possibly an IS with it. WF does have a lot diamonds of interest. They just don't have any of the GIA certs for me to even enter the % on the HCA. I guess I will have to request for a whole bunch of GIA certs. I hope they don't get annoyed.

CA is nice, but I'm a wimp so my toes are freezing even though the heater is on and set to 70 F and I'm wimpering from the cold (42 F outside). I actually just defended my MS thesis in Molecular Bio a couple of weeks ago (not fun) so I keep telling myself that I deserve my break. I still have to finish up some experiments, and am now looking for a job. So in the mean time, when school resumes, I get to start teaching as a teaching assistant again until I find a real job. And of course, I am also now planning our wedding even though we haven't even gotten a ring yet. LOL!!!

What you could do when you are ready to buy, if you are having trouble finding what you want, contact WF or one of the other vendors who supply IS etc, tell them what you are looking for and they could source you some suitable diamonds and if they are not in house, call them in and analyze them for you so you will have IS etc to refer to. If you added an H colour ( GIA / AGS graded) if you were agreeable to the search, that could broaden the options.

Molecular Biology sounds tough but fascinating and you DO deserve your break! I can imagine if you are used to warm weather, then being cold isn't too much fun! Are you in Northern Cal?

 

[ctyc]

Just so that I understand you correctly, I can have WF help me find diamonds in the criteria I am interested in and they can provide things such as IS and also help me analyze it? Does this also apply to the "virtual" diamonds?

And the uptight part of me hesitates going lower than an F. I had a dream (before I started actually shopping for diamonds and realized how much it was going to cost) that my e-ring was going to be a 2 carat D/Fl. Sounds crazy, but I have big hands so a 1.5 carat looks normal size on me (and my bf agrees, a guy who doesn't understand the purpose of a diamond). In any case, now that the shopping has begun, unless I want to wait longer than the few months that I already have to for my e-ring, I am going to have to go down a few notches in what I am looking for. But an H might be a bit lower than my "mind" is ok with.

Back to the side conversation, there are a lot harder things than molecular bio, for example, Chemistry. I don't know if this made international headlines, but over the holidays I saw on the news that a girl got 3rd degree burns on a large part of her body. She was in an organic chem lab at UCLA and apparently was working with a compound that ignites when in contact with water. Apparently the stopper came off and it ignited and exploded in her hand and burned a large part of her body when the compound came in contact with air (lots of water in air). Poor girl... She was 22 and will now need assisted care for the rest of her life.

Here comes the embarrassing admission. I am in Souther Cal. Yes, I am a wimp. What can I say? I like the ambient 72 F. LOL!!!

 

[ctyc]

I just realized, I hope I don''t get in trouble for all this non-diamond talk. Sorry!!!

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 1/4/2009 7:09:59 AM
Author: ctyc
I just realized, I hope I don't get in trouble for all this non-diamond talk. Sorry!!!

Of course not, don't worry! This is a friendly place and the main focus is of course diamonds, but our wonderful admin don't mind us having a chat and some fun

In fact it makes it more inviting for newbies to post I think if we keep the atmosphere fun and welcoming, and to get to know a little about the regulars and how they operate!

 

[ctyc]

Just in case I distracted you with all the other stuff Lorelei... I'm working on possibly changing my search strategy.

Just so that I understand you correctly, am I correct in thinking the following - I can have WF help me find diamonds in the criteria I am interested in and they can provide things such as IS and also help me analyze it? Does this also apply to the "virtual" diamonds?

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 1/4/2009 7:27:00 AM
Author: ctyc
Just in case I distracted you with all the other stuff Lorelei... I''m working on possibly changing my search strategy.

Just so that I understand you correctly, am I correct in thinking the following - I can have WF help me find diamonds in the criteria I am interested in and they can provide things such as IS and also help me analyze it? Does this also apply to the ''virtual'' diamonds?

Yes, when you are ready to buy, if you can''t see what you are looking for with WF in house diamonds, you can contact them and tell them your requirements ( carat, colour, clarity, GIA/ AGS report, top make cut quality etc) and they can keep an eye out for incoming diamonds or see if their contacts might have anything suitable. If so they can call the diamond in ( there might be a charge for shipping) and they will see if it is a diamond they can recommend by evaluation from their experts, ASET, Idealscope etc.