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Which D color VS1 3 carat-ish?

H

HockeyMama

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Feb 15, 2021
Messages
383
Ladies, I posted last week but have an update. I'm working with Liza at Whiteflash and everything got delayed due to the storm, and in the interim a second stone popped up that satisfied her parameters. There is nothing in their inventory nor coming down their pike. Both of these are virtual stones. They will be able to take photos and videos when I decide which stone to bring in. If the stone does not work I get all of my funds back, so no risk. There is obviously a price difference but that is not a deciding factor. She said they were both excellent choices and didn't lean either way, but obviously I would like to try and get it right the first time. Do any of y'all have a preference for the 3.25 or 3.36? I have terrible astigmatism so I won't really miss the hearts and arrows, but definitely would like a white stone.
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Main difference I can see is that 3.36 carat diamond has smaller table and larger star facet. That means it would have some more sparkle & fire.

I would say your best bet is to see if they are able to call in both and take Idealscope/ ASET images of both and decide based on optical quality of two diamonds (ie light return). Proportions tell you only a small part of the story.
 
Sadly they only bring in the one I buy, and I'm not in a position to buy both, even if I can return one easily.
 
I prefer the 3.36 from the numbers. Crown height is higher and I like the table size. It would be good if there were video or photos of the actual stones, though. The angles aren't 100% clear cut on either stone, but I'd call in the 3.36 first.
 
diamondseeker2006 said:
I prefer the 3.36 from the numbers. Crown height is higher and I like the table size. It would be good if there were video or photos of the actual stones, though. The angles aren't 100% clear cut on either stone, but I'd call in the 3.36 first.
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Same here.
 
This is exciting!!!
 
Exciting/nauseating.

Thank you. Congratulations on your beautiful new ring! An ACA would have been lovely but she said I could wait a couple of years to find one. And she seems pretty optimistic about these.
 
FornasettiLover said:
Thanks. I was leaning that way for no objective reason. Of note, the 3.36 is not engraved but I can have it engraved and WF was not concerned about that.
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I wouldn't really be concerned about that personally, but yes, you can pay to have it sent and added if you wish!
 
I agree with the others...I like the numbers on the 3.36. I'm pulling for you that the 3.36 is the one!
 
Just realized I introduced my post as “Ladies”, please consider it to have read “Ladies and gentlemen”. Thanks to all for the feedback.
 
I haven't read your previous thread, so I don't know your exact situation. But what about have Whiteflash to a cut-to-order ACA in your size/color/clarity? Their ACAs are the best of the best, so you will assured to have a marvelous diamond. And with buying an ACA, you will always be able to upgrade should you wish to down the road. My understanding is their upgrade policy doesn't apply to the virtual selection. With that $$$ spend on a diamond, if it were me, I'd want the "insurance" of being able to trade it in for something else if I ever wanted to in the future (even if I had no desire to do so at the present time.)
 
We talked about a custom cut but they weren’t sure they could find the rough for a large D in any reasonable amount of time. I also am super hesitant about anything custom, and the best way I can articulate this is that I’d rather buy something that already exists in the universe. Totally not a judgement, just knowing myself.

I also can’t imagine upgrading. If I start with a D the only thing would be size and I kind of think this is pretty large. I’ve only ever worn plain bands. When I thought about parameters I read through everyone’s threads, looked at sizes on hands, ordered a fake one off Amazon to wear for practice, and then asked WF for something bigger than I thought I would ever want because of the DSS everyone speaks of. Frankly I’m concerned it’s too large, sacrilege I know.

Anyhoo, as I proof read my post I think I probably need therapy more than a diamond, but here I am.
 
FornasettiLover said:
I also can’t imagine upgrading. If I start with a D the only thing would be size and I kind of think this is pretty large. I’ve only ever worn plain bands. Frankly I’m concerned it’s too large, sacrilege I know.
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FYI, A diamond will SHRINK about 0.12mm per yr. ;))It would be a good idea to have an upgrade policy in place.
 
If I read all of these responses correctly, everyone is unanimous that the 3.36 is the one to try but several think I should just keep waiting for an ACA? I guess people don’t buy stones they can’t trade in?
 
I agree with others that the 3.36 looks better on paper, but of course you need to see it for yourself to know if it is the one. As far as the upgrade policy, that is a very personal choice, and some people select a diamond and keep it forever. However, many of us find that our tastes, visual preferences, lifestyle, etc. change over time and for that reason the upgrade policy provides some nice benefits as well as peace of mind. Only you can know if that is important to you, but I would definitely say it doesn't hurt! This is a significant purchase, so if it were me I would probably take some time to see what develops over the next few months. The virtual stones will always be there, but it would be nice to have in house options as well. But that's just me, so take it for what you will!

In any case, what a fun conundrum to have! So try to relax and enjoy the process as much as you can! Good luck and please keep us posted!
 
You can directly ask them to search for D VS rough for a custom cut. But the demand is low for D diamonds compared to F-J color. So they don't regularly get in D color in all sizes. You could wait forever for that to happen. Like you, I'd really rather see a stone that I can return before committing, but a custom cut ACA from WF is pretty risk free. However, if they couldn't find rough within a couple of weeks, I would just go forward with what you are looking at now.

Regarding trade-in, I think most people out in the world don't change their original diamond. But people on this forum tend to love diamonds more than the average person, so many buy with the intent of upgrading later. The other factor is that we buy one thing and a few years later decide we'd like a larger stone or different color and clarity. As you have said, starting with D VS1 means you are already at the top color and clarity. So it would only be size to upgrade, and I agree that in the vast majority of places, 3 cts is a very large diamond. But only you know your social circle and what you think works best for you.

I'd personally ask them to check their diamond cutters and ask if they can source D VS1 rough for a 3 ct diamond. I do think an ACA would be worth waiting a few weeks for. But no, I would not wait months for them to find rough, either.

Would you be open to E or F color if they could find the rough? I honestly would rather have an F ACA over a less well cut D. I'd express that it must be a high F or E.
 
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Thank you for taking the time to answer my highly subjective and somewhat ridiculous question with your objective info and experienced opinions.

This far exceeds anything in my social circle or even a few circles away. It’s actually not even really consistent with my fairly active lifestyle and I certainly it couldn’t wear it to work. I kind of picked the size out of the air based on what I’ve read here. Why am I doing this, you ask? I’ve always dreamed of it and it would kind of be like art for me. We eloped a long time ago without the pomp and circumstance of a wedding and are in a different place in our lives now.

A white stone is important to me but I would certainly be happy with and E as well. They looked and there are none of those in the ether, I imagine because it’s a popular in between color at a slightly lower price point. I start to see the tiny in an F however and would prefer a higher color. Color is basically all I’ll see because of my vision, which is why it’s important. I told them I will never see a heart or arrow except for in their photos, which is why I would be ok with a not super ideal. I do understand how important the cut is for light return and don’t want to veer too far away from their parameters. She’s been looking for rough for a couple of months and nothing has come up.

I frankly cannot imagine upgrading because the thought of losing the cost of my setting is contrary to my inner frugality, despite the fact that it is a minuscule cost compared to the stone.

I will keep thinking about this over the weekend and welcome all perspectives. Thank you!!!
 
I totally understand! I didn't realize they had already looked for rough! So I think we certainly can help you find the best possible D or E diamond in the 3-3.5 carat range! I am going to take a look and see if there are other options they maybe could access.

Before I look, are you opposed to any fluorescence? I actually prefer it, and it gives a nice discount in pricing on D-F color diamonds. If you don't, that's fine.

Need max budget, too.
 
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This is a beautiful stone. It has a GIA number so you could see if WF could access it. The vendor listing the stone is a PS approved vendor, also. Videos really help assess a stone. There clearly are not a lot of well cut 3ct+ D-E VS1+ stones available, period.


Here's a 2.9 if you can expand your parameters a little. Not knowing your budget, I am not sure whether to go higher or lower in size!

 
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I do not want fluorescence. It’s a mind thing and also we ride a lot of Disney rides and the thought of my hand lighting up in the dark kind of freaks me out.

I looked on this website and found one that looked great but it’s overseas and she said WF only sources from the US.

I don’t want to misspeak, I’m not sure how actively they “looked”. She mentioned it, spoke to that department when I first reached out at the beginning of the year, then checked back in this week after all the storm drama. They and she kind of said it was not going to happen in any reasonable period of time.

I think my budget is just under 100k and that again is a number I have plucked out of the air.

I’m a scientist. I really wish there was more science to this.
 
There's plenty of science involved in diamond cut! It's just that what you want is more rare. There aren't a lot of 3 ct D-E stones available! That's fine that you don't want fluorescence, but I'd strongly advise not wearing a 3 ct diamond to Disney on rides! I guess you'll have insurance, but as you can see, it might not be easy to find a replacement.

marrduk24 said:
Please take this in the spirit of everyone here trying to help you out. You are buying something truly fantastic. I looked around and found a super-ideal diamond by another vendor. Just to be clear, I have 0 agenda in this.

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This is a good option to look at. I don't know what vendor is calling this super-ideal, but it likely isn't. It's a GIA excellent cut that falls into the AGS Ideal cut range just to be more accurate. Are there no images of the diamond?
 
marrduk24 said:
Hi, there are Idealscope and H&A images available. I thought I would share it with OP and let her decide how much she wants to share. I was trying to walk the fine line between helping, interfering and not sharing info on her future purchase that she may not be comfortable with.
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I actually set all my search limits at 3.5, so that one wouldn't have come up for me on any of the searches I did. I'll see if I can find it and look at the images. That's great that images are available! This stone is under $100k?
 
I greatly appreciate all of your advice! And a diamond I can actually see has a lot of appeal. I like both of these. How do I see more images of the second?

I do like the idea that cut parameters exist to narrow the field. And I guess I’m thankful there aren’t a ton of options. I think there are several I would like, just without the upgrade option which certainly gives me pause.

Good point about Disney, probably not the best idea to travel with this.
 
marrduk24 said:
Please take this in the spirit of everyone here trying to help you out. You are buying something truly fantastic. I looked around and found a super-ideal diamond by another vendor. Just to be clear, I have 0 agenda in this.

07211EEA-E04B-47C3-88CF-8CC112FF2338.jpeg
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I like it! How do I see pictures? And excellent question... is this around 100k?

I just figured out how to reply to people so this might go a tad more smoothly now!
 
@marrduk24 I think it's likely safe to just give the link so we can give input on the images if that suits the OP.
 
No she doesn’t want someone to buy it out from under you.
 
FornasettiLover said:
Do you think I did something wrong or unsafe? Can I have this thread deleted?
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Noooo!!! Someone posted their email address which is against the rules so I told them to delete it and just post the link to the diamond they found.

There's about a zero percent chance of someone lurking and taking a $100k stone before you could. It's a problem when people post 1.5 or 2 ct G-H-I stones which are very popular for engagement rings and there might be many others looking for recommendations for the same thing. You don't need to worry!

I don't know why they didn't return and post the link. I did a couple of searches but that diamond didn't show up for me.
 

3.21 Carat E VVS2 Round Brilliant Natural Diamond GIA Certified 6217372157 Affinity Cut - D46384522

www.adiamor.com www.adiamor.com

3.56 Carat D VS1 Round Brilliant Natural Diamond GIA Certified 5376318319 Affinity Cut - D46499846

www.adiamor.com www.adiamor.com

This is the smallest but still my favorite of the stones with videos:

3.03 Carat E VVS2 Round Brilliant Natural Diamond GIA Certified Affinity Cut - D46455352

3.03 carat, Round, E Color, VVS2 clarity, GIA Certified Diamond, Affinity Cut Natural Diamond, D46455352
www.adiamor.com www.adiamor.com
 
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