Should i buy this stone?

[jappy]

Hello to you all, been a lurker for a while and have amassed a lot of knowledge and am now nearly ready to buy.

I'm in the UK and sadly buying a decent stone for a sensible price here is easier said than done. I've looked at the obvious online vendors but have been put off and now i'm looking closely at james allen and gog.

I have spoken to ja and they seem great, i picked out a stone i didn't think would be any good however....

i'm looking at this particular stone

http://www.jamesallen.com/#%21/loose-diamonds/Round-cut/1.50-carat-H-color-I1-clarity-Very-Good-cut-sku-188674
The video of the stone looks imo stunning
Its larger than i thought i could get
its hca score is 1.0 with it being triple excellent and a very good spread
It looks totally clean apart from the feather
it seems great value to me
h colour
it looks better than some h&a stones i have seen in terms of symetry although i realise it isnt nearly a true h&a

the downsides (potentially)

its not graded as a gia triple x - if thats the case why does the stone look better than some i have seen sold as actual h&a and why is the hca score better than the dozens of gia triple x's i have tried before?

The feather looks like its about 1mm long so likely visible to the eye, but i am very scared it could mean its got poor integrity and thats why its an i1.

do you guys think it will be visible? do you think it will effect integrity? I have read articles on here and elsewhere about feathers leading to chips and it seems rather unlikely it would break.

its still over 7k which while seems reasonable its a little more than id like to spend although can do if its as good as i think. do you guys have any suggestions

many thanks in advance from the not so sunny UK

 

[Christina...]

The proportions look ok, but in order to receive GIA EX cut the stone must also receive at least a VG for polish and symmetry, this one only received 'good'. It's very clean for an I1 with the feather being the grade making inclusion, which would concern me. You should definitely ask the gemologist about any durability issues if you decide to proceed with this stone. I'd also ask if the cloud affects the brilliance negatively in any way. I don't have any personal experience with stones that have been graded 'good' for symmetry so hopefully someone with more experience can chime in and give you more feedback as to how you might expect this particular stone to look and perform.

ETA I just wanted to mention that the HCA assumes EX symmetry when producing a score.

 

[JulieN]

Good I1s are such great deals, the symmetry seems like it is not a problem. Did you ask for an Ideal Scope?

You need to ask JA how visible it is. About durability, insurance! You could buy a VS2 and still smash it in a doorway or lose it.

 

[jappy]

Many thanks for the replies.

I spoke with a couple of people fro ja and they both said they would also be concerned with durability, but thats just them looking at the video and not in the flesh.

Maybe the search goes on

 

[04diamond<3]

Good I1s are such great deals, the symmetry seems like it is not a problem. Did you ask for an Ideal Scope?

You need to ask JA how visible it is. About durability, insurance! You could buy a VS2 and still smash it in a doorway or lose it.

I agree 100%!!!! I love absolutely everything about this stone!!! It's perfect! It scored a 1.0 on the HCA and that inclusion is *perfectly* placed! Assuming it's not detrimental to the stone, I say GO FOR IT and fast!!!!

 

[jappy]

I have found a 1.5 ct gia j si2 for about the same money, it also scores highly on the hca and is a tripple x stone with faint fluro.

I cant get pictures of it though as its on a uk blue nile type site (quality diamonds). It would be easier for me to buy certainly.

heres the cert
http://www.diamondbyhk.com/certimage.aspx?id=2146272228

 

[04diamond<3]

I have found a 1.5 ct gia j si2 for about the same money, it also scores highly on the hca and is a tripple x stone with faint fluro.

I cant get pictures of it though as its on a uk blue nile type site (quality diamonds). It would be easier for me to buy certainly.

heres the cert
http://www.diamondbyhk.com/certimage.aspx?id=2146272228

I don't like it. the table's too big and those inclusions look terrible. I much prefer the one you posted first. I think it's beautiful and perfectly cut.

 

[alma123]

Good I1s are such great deals, the symmetry seems like it is not a problem. Did you ask for an Ideal Scope?

You need to ask JA how visible it is. About durability, insurance! You could buy a VS2 and still smash it in a doorway or lose it.

To me, there's a reason why it's graded I1. In the diamond world, there are few "deals" to be had. The best deal by far is just going down in color. Visual differences are subtle-- price differences not so much.

I think you should stick to J SI1. SI2 are rarely eye-clean. 1.5 ct J SI1 is going to be hard to find for ~7 k so I would recommend buying the biggest J-SI1 you can find as long as the cut is excellent or very good. I would also buy a K if I can see it in person or from James Allen since you can see/compare color in his stones pretty well.