- Joined
- Aug 15, 2000
- Messages
- 18,863
dont like clouds as main grade maker below VS1
I have told people here many times that I believe GIA could well be taken down with a class action.Cloud as the grade setting inclusion is not ideal, but realistically what proportion of stones (below VS1 - say SI1) would you estimate would appear milky/cloudy?
I was under the impression milkiness would still be rare as most clouds are smaller, localized types that are less likely to impact light performance.
I have told people here many times that I believe GIA could well be taken down with a class action.
One day there will be an instrument for assessing transparency, and when that comes about a fair % of GIA graded diamonds will be assessed and found to be less transparent than buyers thought.
The main issues are clouds and internal graining in my view. Of 67 stones I just checked there were 21 I would not bother further examining to buy because there would be a high chance they are a little hazy in the GIA VS2-SI2 range.
I am saddened by people who think they bought a near flawless GIA VS / SI diamond. They will almost always be hazy.
Wow that is a high % yikes! I guess GIA has a much higher tolerance for what they would classify as "hazy" than you do.
Do you avoid Clouds / Internal Graining in general, or only when they're the grade setting inclusion? If the % is as high as you suggest, then any stone with a prominent feather or crystal could still very likely be cloudy even without that being the grade setting inclusion.
Say a stone has
Crystal,
Cloud
- then I check the plot, if the crystal is large for the grade I look at the video.
If it was say:
Cloud
Crystal
Needle
SI I will pass,
if VS I will check
Does that help?
Do you feel that way about a stone that is below 1 carat? I have heard. .90-.96 is harder to see inclusions at least with the naked eye?
I have looked at James Allen but it looks like they don’t list there GIAs and I have heard mixed reviews on blue Nile along with Whiteflash I heard might be a little overpriced, is that accurate? Did I miss any others?
You can call James Allen and they will send you the GIAs for any stone you want.
If you are willing to do the work, then you can find "super ideal" stones on your own through Blue Nile, James Allen, B2C and other sites. There are LOTS of ideal stones out there - they are NOT uncommon. You just have to put in the work and time.
If you would rather pay someone extra to do that work for you (ie: 15-30% more than what you would pay on BN/JA), then you can use any of the "super ideal" vendors prominent on this forum.
That’s good. I am in triple ex only now I’m trying to focus on those ranges. Do you also think it’s nest to stay away from si2 or is that debatable? I might even go a little smaller on the center stone since I will be going with a .66 halo and my gf finger is a 4.75. Any thoughts on that?
You oversimplify.
I have many diamonds from several places: blue Nile, B2cjewels, high performance diamonds/CBI and Brian Gavin.
I’m older now and have disposable income, so depending on how much work I want to put into it, I can:
1) search blue Nile for weeks (weeks for my stud upgrades), write out ciphers in a note book that make me look mentally ill lol, find a pair, call, ask a question, wait for a call back a few days later with the answer, wait 2 weeks for them to be sent from overseas, set and then received for me.
Or I could
2) call Melissa at HPD, pick a diamond, do the setting on the phone and be done in literally 20 minutes since the stones are in house and vetted already. I also get the added bonus of getting to choose a SI2 stone since it has already been cleared as a clear inclusion that doesn’t affect performance. Then if I want a bigger diamond, I can do it all again in 20 minutes.
It’s the same reason we now choose to get vip packages for concerts, and for excursions on vacation etc.
YOU don’t value the super ideal stones. That is fine. I value the service, the product and the upgrades.
A note about upgrades: by going with blue Nile, I have gotten stuck twice with th spend double to upgrade program. This can very well be an issue.
Different choices for different people, and it doesn’t simply boil down to 20% upcharge.
Do they post H&A, I-scope and ASET images? If not then there are proof of being "super ideal".If you would rather pay someone extra to do that work for you (ie: 15-30% more than what you would pay on BN/JA), then you can use any of the "super ideal" vendors prominent on this forum.
lol.Your response is a perfect example of exactly what is wrong with PS. Thanks for proving my point.
I like Brilliant Earth, you can narrow down the field well because they have filters for depth and table size. Then you can check the angles. Their videos are high quality and their prices are competitive. I had an excellent experience, their customer service was top notch. With your budget, I wouldn’t pay the premium for WF or the other super ideal vendors.
I like Brilliant Earth, you can narrow down the field well because they have filters for depth and table size. Then you can check the angles. Their videos are high quality and their prices are competitive. I had an excellent experience, their customer service was top notch. With your budget, I wouldn’t pay the premium for WF or the other super ideal vendors.
OP, I’m late to this thread.
Would you want to start over and tell us your budget? I see you are looking for right under a carat, which I think it is a great idea to get that price break.