Which of these WF diamonds is best?

[BennyB]

I think these are all good (used cut quality search to find them -- love that tool!) but can''t figure out which one I should go with. Opinions??

0.904 ct I SI1 Round Ideal Cut
0.91 ct J VS2 Whiteflash ACA
0.914 ct J SI1 Whiteflash ACA
0.907 ct J VS2 Whiteflash ACA


They are all from WF.

Thanks!
Ben

 

[Lorelei]

Hi Ben,

They all look good, the first will have a different personality to the ACA''s very likely, but it is a well cut diamond. It depends on what you want, whether you prefer the pedigree of the ACA''s or the slightly higher colour of the first diamond. What I would do now in any case is to contact WF and find out which of the SI clarities are eyeclean to your standards. Then you can go from there.

 

[BennyB]

Hmm... can you describe what you mean by personality? Is it that the ACAs will be a little more sparkly, or is it something else?

I may eliminate the J/SI1 ACA as a possibility since the other two ACA are VS2. So I guess it's a matter of: is the jump from J to I worth going for the non-ACA (wondering if either difference would be noticable, or if I'm splitting hairs)... Unless anyone sees something in the images/specs that would make one stone superior to the others.

(I am going to set it in a simple 18k yellow gold solitaire if that makes a difference)

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 3/23/2009 3:39:17 PM
Author: BennyB
Hmm... can you describe what you mean by personality? Is it that the ACAs will be a little more sparkly, or is it something else?

I may eliminate the J/SI1 ASA as a possibility since the other two ASA are VS2. So I guess it's a matter of: is the jump from J to I worth going for the non-ACA (wondering if either difference would be noticable, or if I'm splitting hairs)... Unless anyone sees something in the images/specs that would make one stone superior to the others.

(I am going to set it in a simple 18k yellow gold solitaire if that makes a difference)

Certainly! The ACA's are cut with visual balance to the fore from what I understand. Diamonds can often vary concerning looks and performance nuances, the first could be a bright brilliant diamond due to the shallower crown angle, but this is purely speculation as I am only a consumer and can't see the diamond, it also has a smaller table which might be a nice complement to the crown angle. But these are just my thoughts and musings, what I would do is to ask WF which one might be the most suitable when you find out about which are eyeclean, they will be able to inspect the diamonds and let you know which might be the best one for your purposes. Good choice on the setting, I love yellow gold.

 

[Ellen]

I''d shoot for the .914 J SI1 first.

 

[BennyB]

Date: 3/23/2009 6:58:30 PM
Author: Ellen
I''d shoot for the .914 J SI1 first.

Thanks! Why would you pick that one over the others?

 

[BennyB]

I''m still torn between these. I keep going back and forth between the ES SI1/I and the ACA J''s (of which I''m still not sure which is best!). Everything is eye-clean so that is not a factor. The only concern I have about the ES is that the Light Performance is a 3, while the ACA''s are 0.

Can anyone make an argument for any of these 4 over the others?

Thanks!

(if you know of a better stone with similar specs in this price range I am open to looking elsewhere as well)

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 3/24/2009 10:57:00 AM
Author: BennyB
I''m still torn between these. I keep going back and forth between the ES SI1/I and the ACA J''s (of which I''m still not sure which is best!). Everything is eye-clean so that is not a factor. The only concern I have about the ES is that the Light Performance is a 3, while the ACA''s are 0.

Can anyone make an argument for any of these 4 over the others?

Thanks!

(if you know of a better stone with similar specs in this price range I am open to looking elsewhere as well)

Well it depends on your preferences, if you would really rather have the I colour then go for that one. I would probably be inclined to pick an eyeclean ACA out of the ones you have on the list as the colour wouldn''t be a big deal to me - if you aren''t sure though ask one of the experts at WF to evaluate each and discuss them with you, that might really help.

 

[dboy10]

I honestly don''t think you can go wrong with either of these. The ES SI/I definitely appears as though it will be a very bright stone based on specs and where in lands in the HCA. The ACA''s will have a bit more symmetrical fire so to speak. I was just at WF friday scrutinizing the ACA''s and comparing them to the ES''... They were all gorgeous diamonds and IMOP unless you''re viewing them, as I was, side by side I doubt few people would be able to tell the difference. That being said the ACA, which I went with, popped at all different angles... (I''m actually going to pick one up today and take it on a test drive to view it in even more lighting conditions...)

Ultimately I believe it comes down to this... do you want a well cut bright diamond and save about $200 or would you pay the extra $200 for some more fire and the certainty what some would call a top notch diamond.

 

[Ellen]

Date: 3/23/2009 8:37:28 PM
Author: BennyB

Date: 3/23/2009 6:58:30 PM
Author: Ellen
I''d shoot for the .914 J SI1 first.

Thanks! Why would you pick that one over the others?

I eliminated 1 because I like the numbers on the other 3 better. And between those 3, it''s a toss up, they are all going to be stunning, and basically are all the same size. So I went with the cheapest! (if eyeclean)

 

[BennyB]

Thanks for all of the feedback!

I''ve narrowed it down to these two diamonds:

0.91 ct J VS2 Whiteflash ACA

0.907 ct J VS2 Whiteflash ACA

From what I can tell, they are virtually identical (both in stats and price). If anyone can find a reason to go with one over the other, please let me know!

I think I''ve also decided on a setting (18k yellow gold with wg head):

WF Legato Sleek Line

I feel pretty good about this combination, just need to settle on the stone and I think I''m all set. Any final feedback/tips would be welcome!

PS - people probably already know this, but if not, it looks like WF is currently having a sale on settings - 10% discount on any setting if you buy an ACA center stone (the ad is on their main page)

Ben

 

[marcy]

I think either diamond will be stunning and I love the setting.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 3/25/2009 12:01:36 AM
Author: BennyB
Thanks for all of the feedback!

I''ve narrowed it down to these two diamonds:

0.91 ct J VS2 Whiteflash ACA

0.907 ct J VS2 Whiteflash ACA

From what I can tell, they are virtually identical (both in stats and price). If anyone can find a reason to go with one over the other, please let me know!

I think I''ve also decided on a setting (18k yellow gold with wg head):

WF Legato Sleek Line

I feel pretty good about this combination, just need to settle on the stone and I think I''m all set. Any final feedback/tips would be welcome!

PS - people probably already know this, but if not, it looks like WF is currently having a sale on settings - 10% discount on any setting if you buy an ACA center stone (the ad is on their main page)

Ben

You could go with either Ben and be delighted, if you aren''t sure then ask one of the WF experts to evaluate each and help you decide.

The setting is a classic!

 

[BennyB]

I''m just curious -- does anyone know about how often (or when) WF puts up new ACA''s for sale? In particular, diamonds in the .9 to 1c range similar to what I''ve been looking at.

 

[Ellen]

Date: 3/25/2009 10:01:28 AM
Author: BennyB
I'm just curious -- does anyone know about how often (or when) WF puts up new ACA's for sale? In particular, diamonds in the .9 to 1c range similar to what I've been looking at.

I think they get stones in about every 6 weeks. That size is a bit rare though really (unusual to see so many at once), so I don't know that I'd hold out.... What in particular would you be looking for over what you have here?

And that setting is gorgeous, the ring will be perfect!

 

[BennyB]

Date: 3/25/2009 10:04:39 AM
Author: Ellen

Date: 3/25/2009 10:01:28 AM
Author: BennyB
I''m just curious -- does anyone know about how often (or when) WF puts up new ACA''s for sale? In particular, diamonds in the .9 to 1c range similar to what I''ve been looking at.

I think they get stones in about every 6 weeks. That size is a bit rare though really (unusual to see so many at once), so I don''t know that I''d hold out.... What in particular would you be looking for over what you have here?

And that setting is gorgeous, the ring will be perfect!

Thanks! The thing I would possibly change is going from a J to an I in color. But I may be overthinking it. From what I''ve read, J is still very hard to detect yellow in, particularly in such a well cut stone (and mounted in yellow gold). But then again, for the amount I am spending if it only cost a little bit more to go to an I then it may be worth it. That''s why I was wondering if what I am looking for in an I-color might show up. I think I may be splitting hairs again

 

[Ellen]

Date: 3/25/2009 11:04:47 AM
Author: BennyB

Thanks! The thing I would possibly change is going from a J to an I in color. But I may be overthinking it. From what I've read, J is still very hard to detect yellow in, particularly in such a well cut stone (and mounted in yellow gold). But then again, for the amount I am spending if it only cost a little bit more to go to an I then it may be worth it. That's why I was wondering if what I am looking for in an I-color might show up. I think I may be splitting hairs again

Well, you wouldn't be the first!

An ACA J won't ever look yellow, more like winter white. However, putting it in a YG setting might cause it to take on some of the gold color, so, I don't know if that matters to you or not. I took a look, and found a few H's, no I's.

This is an H SI2, you would need to discuss the inclusions, but it doesn't mean it's automatically not eyeclean. And this would be 5% off with PS discount.

http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/Whiteflash-ACA-cut-diamond-1982390.htm#


This may be more than you want to spend, but thought I'd throw it in.

http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/Whiteflash-ACA-cut-diamond-1982359.htm


And then there's this one, from their ES. The table measurement is a hair larger than we normally see, but it may not really be detrimental. However, it's listed larger on the Sarin, so not sure which is correct. But just for the heck of it, you could always call and ask about it, and have them compare to one of the two you are looking at. There may not be that much difference...

http://www.whiteflash.com/round_ideal_cut/Round-Ideal-Cut-cut-diamond-1987286.htm

Anyway, thought I'd throw this out! You do what you are comfortable with.