Thoughts on JA True Hearts 2.142 G IF ??

[mtran89]

Hello!

One of my good friends is looking for a diamond and her top pick so far is this True Hearts stone from James Allen.

It fits within her budget. The minimum specs she is willing to go to is 2 carats, G color and VS1.

The only thing that kind of stood out to me on the certification is that it is 2 years old. JA wasn’t able to really clarify why this was. They said they could recertify it after we purchase the diamond though.

What are your thoughts on this stone?

Thank you!

 

[Diamond_Enthusiast]

This cut is likely to be bright under various lighting. It favors white light at the expense of fire though (less rainbow flashes). It is cut shallow (59.7 depth% and only a 13.7% crown) with a shallow crown angle (33.4) and large 58.3% table. Side profile may not be that pleasing (will look a bit flat due to shallow crown).

Would personally prefer a diamond more balanced, with more fire, higher crown and one that sits in the middle of PS recommended proportions:

Diamond Proportions

The physics of light-behavior within a diamond are reliably consistent, which means proportions measurements can be useful.

www.pricescope.com

Looking at the ASET, there may be a bit of crown painting I believe.

Given she is getting 2ct stone, it would make sense to get a super ideal cut. Brian Gavin has a 2.12 G VVS2:

2.12 G VVS2 Signature Round

Buy diamonds online - AGS Graded 2.12 carat G VVS2 super ideal cut Black By Brian Gavin Round Cut diamond. Lifetime Upgrade Policy!

www.briangavindiamonds.com

Also, if she ever wanted to upgrade, JA requires double original spend! WhiteFlash has an excellent upgrade policy and Brian Gavin requires upgrade of two aspects out of size, color or clarity.

If she has put the JA stone on hold, you can post the listing so we can see the video and give more feedback.

 

[mtran89]

This cut is likely to be bright under various lighting. It favors white light at the expense of fire though (less rainbow flashes). It is cut shallow (59.7 depth% and only a 13.7% crown) with a shallow crown angle (33.4) and large 58.3% table. Side profile may not be that pleasing (will look a bit flat due to shallow crown).

Would personally prefer a diamond more balanced, with more fire, higher crown and one that sits in the middle of PS recommended proportions:

Diamond Proportions

The physics of light-behavior within a diamond are reliably consistent, which means proportions measurements can be useful.

www.pricescope.com

Looking at the ASET, there may be a bit of crown painting I believe.

Given she is getting 2ct stone, it would make sense to get a super ideal cut. Brian Gavin has a 2.12 G VVS2:

2.12 G VVS2 Signature Round

Buy diamonds online - AGS Graded 2.12 carat G VVS2 super ideal cut Black By Brian Gavin Round Cut diamond. Lifetime Upgrade Policy!

www.briangavindiamonds.com

If she has put the JA stone on hold, you can post the listing so we can see the video and give more feedback.

Thank you so much for your feedback!

here is the link to the stone

https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-di...-color-if-clarity-true-hearts-cut-sku-8112536

 

[Diamond_Enthusiast]

Just had a look at the video and it confirms the story that the certificate tells. If you compare the video of that stone from BGD I linked or an ACA from WF, you be able to see the difference in crown height and fire that this stone lacks somewhat.

 

[gm89uk]

Just had a look at the video and it confirms the story that the certificate tells. If you compare the video of that stone from BGD I linked or an ACA from WF, you be able to see the difference in crown height and fire that this stone lacks somewhat.

No way to compare fire of these stones from the videos. They are not the same lighting environments.

 

[daisygrl]

I do not want to suggest super ideal because for some JA is just as good. All I can say is that she will get a great spread - the stone will definitely look bigger than 2.14ct - it might not be as fire-y and as it has a shallow crown angle and relatively large table but the IS looks good. It could be a quite nice stone. Not everyone needs a perfection.

 

[Tourmaline]

The white “hole” in the middle is unpleasantly big due to the low crown angle.

 

[mtran89]

Thank you everyone for your input! The stone was 38k USD I believe. Definitely want to stay under 40k USD.

A lot of the super ideals were a bit over her budget. I showed her a 2.17 G VS1 stone for 35k and she is also considering that one now.

 

[Diamond_Enthusiast]

Not everyone needs a perfection.

It is true that not everyone needs a perfectly cut stone but if someone is buying a 2ct and shortlisting IF clarity and won't drop below VS1 and G color, I get the sense she wants something really special. She is already going to pay a premium for JA True Hearts. So if an opinion is wanted, I'd give her some of the best of the best and let her choose.

@mtran89 Can you please tell us how much this JA cost?

 

[mtran89]

It is true that not everyone needs a perfectly cut stone but if someone is buying a 2ct and shortlisting IF clarity and won't drop below VS1 and G color, I get the sense she wants something really special. She is already going to pay a premium for JA True Hearts. So if an opinion is wanted, I'd give her some of the best of the best and let her choose.

@mtran89 Can you please tell us how much this JA cost?

The stone was around 38k USD !

 

[Diamond_Enthusiast]

Thank you everyone for your input! The stone was 38k USD I believe. Definitely want to stay under 40k USD.

A lot of the super ideals were a bit over her budget. I showed her a 2.17 G VS1 stone for 35k and she is also considering that one now.

Would she consider going a little lower and clarity to get a better cut? There are going to be more options in the VS2 range and she'll probably only see more inclusions with a loupe, though can understand if it just a mind clean thing.

 

[daisygrl]

It is true that not everyone needs a perfectly cut stone but if someone is buying a 2ct and shortlisting IF clarity and won't drop below VS1 and G color, I get the sense she wants something really special. She is already going to pay a premium for JA True Hearts. So if an opinion is wanted, I'd give her some of the best of the best and let her choose.

@mtran89 Can you please tell us how much this JA cost?

For some, IF and JA TH = "something really special." I will not stereotype and suggest that only a super ideal is "really special." Super Ideals come at a high premium (I know, I own one) that not everyone wants to pay.

 

[Diamond_Enthusiast]

The stone was around 38k USD !

If she is willing to go with V2 clarity, here is a bigger and also large looking for its carat weight WF ACA for a similar price (even less for bank wire):

Diamond | 2.341 ct G VS2 A CUT ABOVE® Hearts and Arrows Super Ideal Round Cut Loose Diamond AGS Certified | 4412611

This Whiteflash A CUT ABOVE® super ideal cut hearts and arrows 2.341 carat G color VS2 clarity loose diamond is graded by the American Gem Society (AGS) Laboratories. | 4412611

www.whiteflash.com

Clarity plot shows a clean table and also says eye clean. Can also ask WF how eye clean on close viewing if concerned about VS2 rating and perhaps more photos too to confirm. Also, if shes wants to upgrade on clarity later, it will be easier with WF.

 

[Lookinagain]

The minimum specs she is willing to go to is 2 carats, G color and VS1.

Did she come up with these parameters herself after looking at a lot of well cut diamonds, or is this what someone at a jewelry store told her to look for? The answer to this probably makes a difference and you don't really give us any idea of her diamond experience. If she actually knows what she wants, that is great, but if the parameters come from a salesperson at a jewelry store, to me that's a different story.

 

[DejaWiz]

How about this one?

2.03 Carat round diamond

2.03 Carat round diamond

www.jamesallen.com

GIA - Report Check

www.gia.edu

EDIT...found some others that may be worth a look.

2.01 Carat round diamond

2.01 Carat round diamond

www.jamesallen.com

GIA - Report Check

www.gia.edu

2.01 Carat round diamond

2.01 Carat round diamond

www.jamesallen.com

GIA - Report Check

www.gia.edu

2.01 Carat round diamond

2.01 Carat round diamond

www.jamesallen.com

GIA - Report Check

www.gia.edu

2.03 Carat round diamond

This 2.03 carat round diamond D color vs1 clarity has Excellent proportions and a diamond grading report from GIA

www.jamesallen.com

GIA - Report Check

www.gia.edu

2.07 Carat round diamond

This 2.07 carat round diamond D color vs1 clarity has Excellent proportions and a diamond grading report from GIA

www.jamesallen.com

GIA - Report Check

www.gia.edu

 

[flyingpig]

Hello!

One of my good friends is looking for a diamond and her top pick so far is this True Hearts stone from James Allen.

It fits within her budget. The minimum specs she is willing to go to is 2 carats, G color and VS1.

The only thing that kind of stood out to me on the certification is that it is 2 years old. JA wasn’t able to really clarify why this was. They said they could recertify it after we purchase the diamond though.

What are your thoughts on this stone?

Thank you!

Nothing wrong with the stone as long as you get a new report.

 

[mtran89]

There is a lot more VS2 available within price range and I asked her if she would be okay with going down to VS2. She does want the clarity to be at least VS1 to be “mind clean”.

I’ve talked to her the importance of cut but I think she’s decided she doesn’t want to pay the premium for a super ideal because of the budget. She previously wanted a colourless stone as well but is now willing to compromise and go to a G color to stay within budget.

Has the price of stones gone up in the last while? Seems like they are a bit more than I remember compared to when I purchased my diamond in 2020

 

[mtran89]

How about this one?

2.03 Carat round diamond

2.03 Carat round diamond

www.jamesallen.com

GIA - Report Check

www.gia.edu

EDIT...found some others that may be worth a look.

2.01 Carat round diamond

2.01 Carat round diamond

www.jamesallen.com

GIA - Report Check

www.gia.edu

2.01 Carat round diamond

2.01 Carat round diamond

www.jamesallen.com

GIA - Report Check

www.gia.edu

2.01 Carat round diamond

2.01 Carat round diamond

www.jamesallen.com

GIA - Report Check

www.gia.edu

2.03 Carat round diamond

This 2.03 carat round diamond D color vs1 clarity has Excellent proportions and a diamond grading report from GIA

www.jamesallen.com

GIA - Report Check

www.gia.edu

2.07 Carat round diamond

This 2.07 carat round diamond D color vs1 clarity has Excellent proportions and a diamond grading report from GIA

www.jamesallen.com

GIA - Report Check

www.gia.edu

How would these stones be in comparison to the JA True Hearts line?

 

[Tourmaline]

How would these stones be in comparison to the JA True Hearts line?

All of these are better than the one you first posted.

 

[Diamond_Enthusiast]

How would these stones be in comparison to the JA True Hearts line?

Of those suggestions, the 2.01 E VVS2 looks the best to me from both proportions perspective (all angles and percentages are middle of PS recommended ranges) and visually:

2.01 Carat round diamond

2.01 Carat round diamond

www.jamesallen.com

You mentioned that she wanted to have VS1 but at the same time originally wanted colorless. So in case having the best color, cut and being at the lower end of her budget would change her mind about going VS2, WF has a 2ct D VS2 for $31,812 (wire price). Since WF has an excellent upgrade policy, she could still upgrade clarity later if she feels the need. Just putting the option out there:

Diamond | 2.032 ct D VS2 A CUT ABOVE® Hearts and Arrows Super Ideal Round Cut Loose Diamond AGS Certified | 4212253

This Whiteflash A CUT ABOVE® super ideal cut hearts and arrows 2.032 carat D color VS2 clarity loose diamond is graded by the American Gem Society (AGS) Laboratories. | 4212253

www.whiteflash.com

 

[Diamond_Enthusiast]

If your friend wants to stick to JA, here is an nice looking option that is within her requirements and good value at $29,730!

2.00 Carat round diamond

This 2 carat round diamond G color vvs1 clarity has Excellent proportions and a diamond grading report from GIA

www.jamesallen.com

More on your question about how some non TH stones on JA compare to the TH stones, I would say have a look at the video of this stone above side-by-side with the original G IF TH stone. I think the videos speak for themselves. I keep suggesting to look at the videos because your own eyes I believe is the best judge once you've eliminated potential issues around cut. Also, sometimes it really is a matter of personal taste/flavor of stone you like. There are stones outside of the JA TH that can be great too, you can find it if you know what you to look for. Personally I believe the benefit of TH is the convenience of having the advanced images so that you can immediately confirm the light return performance.

I believe there is more value in the non-TH JA stones because there is already a premium priced in for TH stones and sometimes prices aren't much lower than a super ideal. Even when I find a well cut stone on non-signature lines on JA and BN, pricing doesn't seem to end up much lower than the super ideal vendors (if others have a different experience, it could be that I'm just super picky). The advantage of JA and BN I find is that it has always has a huge number of stones listed, so it is easier to find something that fits a combo (size, color and clarity) of requirements in addition to cut.

For the record, I have made plenty of purchases from JA and BN but when there is something with a super ideal vendor at a similar price, the choice to use a WF or BGD is obvious because of cut quality and better upgrade policy.

 

[mtran89]

Thank you everyone for your expertise and suggestions! I’ve passed all the links and information to her. They will review it all and once they make a decision, I will make an update!

 

[Diamond_Enthusiast]

One thing I forgot to mention is that it seems that JA can provide idealscope images sometimes for stones that are not in the TH range too. So if your friend ends up seeing a non-TH she is interested it, it is worthwhile checking with JA to see if an idealscope image can be provided.

 

[banana123]

Here's also a diamond from JA that I personally am in the process of returning for primarily the sake of JA's upgrade policy. I can personally vouch that this was very very sparkly and nails PriceScope's and WF's preferred proportion ranges.

This was $32.5k

Here is the post where it's talked about

Should I return this for a BGD or WF?

Hey PS Community! Hope all of you are doing well. It's great seeing so many people passionate about getting the perfect stone. I wanted to share with you all a diamond I purchased on JA to get your second opinion. The proportions are quite nice and are in range of "super ideal" according to...

www.pricescope.com

2.12 Carat round diamond

This 2.12 carat round diamond G color vvs2 clarity has Ideal proportions and a diamond grading report from AGS

www.jamesallen.com