Stone check

[bartleby]

Trying to make an engagement ring decision soon. I've read through the forums here at a surface level and i'm diving in deeper now.

I went to some brand name stores and liked what I saw in terms of settings, the stones seemed nice to my untrained eye, but the prices were predictably high. I'm probably not going in that direction.

I went to ID based on the recommendations here and talked to Yekutiel. Great experience. He showed me this stone:

GIA - Report Check

Report Check

www.gia.edu

It's pretty much exactly at my target budget (though I could go up or down in price significantly from here, i'd just want good value).

Any red or green flags here? When I filter to similar stones (cut grade, caret weight, clarity grade, color grade) on ID's site or whiteflash; the price he quoted me was very competitive. So i'm really wondering about the things I don't know to look for. The proportions seem like they are in a good range based on the articles on this site - is that correct? Should I be looking for something even further towards the recommended targets? Let me know if I should be asking more questions about the stone that I haven't communicated here.

More notes:
The intended recipient will not want an ostentatious chunky ring, but will want something elegant and special, so i want to make sure I'm not compromising on grade to get a certain size. She is probably more educated on stones than I am . She likes round cuts. I think this size is great for the type of lower profile setting we looked at - it will be set in platinum.
I live in NYC and can visit vendors around the area. I want to go with an earth mined stone.

Thank you in advance!

 

[musicloveranthony]

Those light pink/white areas under the table on that ideal-scope image would be light leakage. So, in person those areas would look dark/see through

 

[bartleby]

If I go back in to see more stones of a similar cut (and various sizes), what will be the most visible attribute (outside of caret size) to look/optimize for compared to this one?

Cut quality / proportions / light leakage?

Color - will going up 1-2 grades be something we notice? Going to 3? (Every sales associate has said no to me on that front)

Clarity - My understanding is that will not be possible to discern higher grades of clarity than vs1 with the naked eye, but it presumably affects the inherent value of the stone.

Added HCA

 

[josieKat]

Those light pink/white areas under the table on that ideal-scope image would be light leakage. So, in person those areas would look dark/see through

I believe those are showing up that way (at least in part) due to the significant tilt of the stone in the scope.

 

[molecule]

If I go back in to see more stones of a similar cut (and various sizes), what will be the most visible attribute (outside of caret size) to look/optimize for compared to this one?

Cut quality / proportions / light leakage?

Color - will going up 1-2 grades be something we notice? Going to 3? (Every sales associate has said no to me on that front)

Clarity - My understanding is that will not be possible to discern higher grades of clarity than vs1 with the naked eye, but it presumably affects the inherent value of the stone.

Added HCA

This is a difficult question because we don't know how good your and your intended"s eyesight is. Some people have very good eyesight and can see slight changes in color or inclusions easily - others are more tolerant or less observant.

 

[NY_Resonant]

If I go back in to see more stones of a similar cut (and various sizes), what will be the most visible attribute (outside of caret size) to look/optimize for compared to this one?

Cut quality / proportions / light leakage?

Color - will going up 1-2 grades be something we notice? Going to 3? (Every sales associate has said no to me on that front)

Clarity - My understanding is that will not be possible to discern higher grades of clarity than vs1 with the naked eye, but it presumably affects the inherent value of the stone.

Added HCA

Everybody has different color sensitivity. Many people do not see color in I color stones and some see it but like it. Females tend to be a bit more color sensitive on average from what I hear.

There are “ranges” even within each GIA category and the range is LARGER for I than for H… Then also larger for H than for G; etc.

When I was shopping for an ER, I considered F, G, H and I color diamonds. In person, I could definitely see a bit of color on the I diamond (It also becomes easier to see color on larger diamonds, I was looking at 1.5-1.6ct sizes). On the H, I still saw a small bit of “warmth” that caused me not to buy it.

I bought a G color stone. It was very hard to detect the difference between G and F (But yes, detectable, especially when looking at certain angles).

I didn’t know my fiancee’s sensitivity to color, it was a surprise proposal… so I tried to be conservative on color and i’m glad I was!

 

[momofive]

Hi. You're lucky to live close enough to NYC to be able to go in and see diamonds in person. Yuketiel has access to an ASET scope, so I would ask him for that. Also, make sure you contact him often before you go so he has a couple of stones brought in to show you. I went twice before he remembered I was coming, even though I dm'd him. I ended up going with Jann Paul for my ring (which was an EC) but I liked Yuketiel and he gets great reviews on here.

For me, it would be all about cut, with spread/carat coming in second.
I think color is definitely subjective. While you might notice color in a very warm stone, for G, H or even I (at the bright end) if viewed by itself and then set in a white gold or platinum setting, would probably look white. For me, the cut is priority because I think the sparkle and flashes are what make the diamond. A poorly performing diamond, no matter the size or color, would be terrible. As far as size, beautiful diamonds with great cuts will probably show up larger than their carat weight. My DIL has a 1.2 ctw EG diamond. She has 2 small children so I know she doesn't clean it often, but every time I see it, I notice the sparkle. It is just well cut.

With clarity, you can get a beautiful S1. It's all about where the inclusions are and what type. Yuketiel should be able to help you with that.

So, my suggestion would be to not rush, see a lot of stones and whichever vendor you ultimately use, make them work to find the perfect stone for you. Then, like you just did, bring it back here to get the expert opinions.

Good luck.

 

[bartleby]

Thanks to everyone for the advice here. It is actionable and will help me

 

[MissGotRocks]

Compare these images to the one from IDJ. This is a super ideal cut diamond from Whiteflash. Check out the videos!

Diamond | 1.87 ct I VS1 A CUT ABOVE® Hearts and Arrows Super Ideal Round Cut Loose Diamond GIA Certified | 1050541

This Whiteflash A CUT ABOVE® super ideal cut hearts and arrows 1.87 carat I color VS1 clarity loose diamond is graded by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA). | 1050541

www.whiteflash.com

This is a beautiful diamond but not sure if you are considering another color.

An H: https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-di...-vs1-clarity-round-excellent-cut-sku-a4583258

 

[Jax172]

In most situations an I color will look very white to most people - especially in a well cut stone. I personally am pretty color sensitive and an I color wouldn't be my first choice if I wanted a white diamond. The lowest I can go is a G but even then I still can tell that it has body color vs an D or E color.

 

[headlight]

In most situations an I color will look very white to most people - especially in a well cut stone. I personally am pretty color sensitive and an I color wouldn't be my first choice if I wanted a white diamond. The lowest I can go is a G but even then I still can tell that it has body color vs an D or E color.

I will second this excellent post (but at this point I’m at lowest a G ONLY IF it has medium blue fluorescence!!!). However, I am not sure about I looking white to most people.
I do not thing you need to go up in clarity. But I would go up to H color at minimum. If you can swing a G go for it!

 

[Jax172]

I will second this excellent post (but at this point I’m at lowest a G ONLY IF it has medium blue fluorescence!!!). However, I am not sure about I looking white to most people.
I do not thing you need to go up in clarity. But I would go up to H color at minimum. If you can swing a G go for it!

I meant most non diamond crazy Pricescope people would think an I is white enough. Your average family and friends will just remark wow it’s so sparkly and not think an I color is at all a colored stone. Especially with it not being next to a whiter stone at the same time.

 

[headlight]

I meant most non diamond crazy Pricescope people would think an I is white enough. Your average family and friends will just remark wow it’s so sparkly and not think an I color is at all a colored stone. Especially with it not being next to a whiter stone at the same time.

But what about when they ARE near someone with a whiter stone? But yes, of course I know what you are saying and is someone isn’t sensitive to color everything you said is 100% true!