Which rock should I pick please?

[jambo1981]

Hi,

I'm about to pull the trigger on a diamond for an engagement ring. Can't quite decide between these, what do you guys think?

0.70 F VS2 exexex 5.65x5.69x3.54 HCA 2.4 Price: +8%
0.8 F VS2 vgvgex 5.86x5.88x3.68 HCA 1.7 Price: +26%
0.8 F VS2 vgvgex 5.89x5.95x3.73 HCA 5.5 PRice: +25%
0.72 E SI1 exexex 5.80x5.83x3.53 HCA 1.7 Price: Cheapest - Couldn't see any inclusions but am no expert.

What do you guys think? I really can't decide. Is the extra 0.1 worth it for an extra 20%? They do look quite a bit bigger but understand they are still fairly small dimensions for a 0.8? I want to get the biggest diamond possible but the draw of the trip ex is there. Even though it was worse HCA score trip ex is trip ex isnt it?

Any help appreciated

 

[CopperTop]

I have a feeling people will tell you #3 is a definite no. Any more specs?

 

[jambo1981]

Leaving 3 aside then some more specs are below...thank very much

0.70 F VS2 exexex 5.65x5.69x3.54 HCA 2.4 Price: +8%
Depth: 62.4%
Table: 57%
Crown Angle: 35.0°
Crown Height: 15.0%
Pavilion Angle: 41.0°
Pavilion Depth: 43.5%
Star Length: 50%
Lower Half: 75%
Girdle: Medium to Slightly Thick, Faceted (4.0%)
Culet: None

0.8 F VS2 vgvgex 5.86x5.88x3.68 HCA 1.7 Price: +26%
Depth: 62.6%
Table: 58%
Crown Angle: 37.0°
Crown Height: 15.5%
Pavilion Angle: 40.2°
Pavilion Depth: 42.5%
Star Length: 55%
Lower Half: 75%
Girdle: Slightly Thick to Thick, Faceted (4.5%)
Culet: None

0.72 E SI1 exexex 5.80x5.83x3.53 HCA 1.7 Price: Cheapest - Couldn't see any inclusions but am no expert.
Depth: 60.8%
Table: 56%
Crown Angle: 32.5°
Crown Height: 14.0%
Pavilion Angle: 41.2°
Pavilion Depth: 43.5%
Star Length: 50%
Lower Half: 80%
Girdle: Medium to Slightly Thick, Faceted (3.5%)
Culet: None

 

[Niel]

hard to decide without pics especially if the symm or cut isnt graded "ex", whats your budget for the stone? but i would for sure leave out the HCA 5+ and probably the 2.4

 

[bunnycat]

none of these are really calling my name.

Without pics and idealscopes, I'd guess the first one may have a little leakage from the numbers. The second one , though it scored alright, has that steep crown paired with a 58% table and faces up rather small for a .8 stone, which should be right around 6mm. The third one, I'm not sure. Pictures might be more helpful.

Are you set on getting a stone from where you are looking or are you open to other suggestions? Or can they bring in some other possibilities for you if we give you some specs and proportions that are more in line with an ideal cut stone?

 

[jambo1981]

They are the ones they have in at the moment, however, they constantly get different ones in, however, i am running out of time!!

The 0.7 F is excellent excellent excellent as is the E SI1. (both GIA)

Its just the 0.8 thats very good symettry and cut and excellent polish

 

[Niel]

They are the ones they have in at the moment, however, they constantly get different ones in, however, i am running out of time!!

The 0.7 F is excellent excellent excellent as is the E SI1. (both GIA)

Its just the 0.8 thats very good symettry and cut and excellent polish

Well do you have to buy it from them?

 

[bunnycat]

They are the ones they have in at the moment, however, they constantly get different ones in, however, i am running out of time!!

The 0.7 F is excellent excellent excellent as is the E SI1. (both GIA)

Its just the 0.8 thats very good symettry and cut and excellent polish

Well do you have to buy it from them?

ditto. if you're not locked in to purchasing from them you can post your budget here and we can find some others possibilities.

Here is a quick guide to the parameters an ideal cut stone falls in to.

Checking these numbers on any certificate you view (either online or in person) can help you weed out stones that are obviously out of bounds. The HCA tool (under the tools tab) will also help weed stones out. Look for stones that score under 2.

depth - 60 - 62% - although my personal preference is to allow up to 62.3%
table - 54- 57%
crown angle - 34- 35 degrees
pavilion angle - 40.6- 41 degrees
girdle - avoid extremes, look for thin to slightly thick, thin to medium etc
polish and symmetry - very good and above


And here is the link to the thread in case you want to read a little:

[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/preferred-specs-cheat-sheet-for-rounds.88548/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/preferred-specs-cheat-sheet-for-rounds.88548/[/URL]

https://www.pricescope.com/tools/hca

 

[JulieN]

tricky numbers on that .8 F, needs a pic. if you can't get one, toss.

buying in person, pick the one you like best.

 

[bunnycat]

Here's one you can look for fun at that falls in to ideal cut specs:

http://www.jamesallen.com/#!/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.73-carat-H-color-VS2-clarity-Excellent-cut-sku-185671

 

[jambo1981]

I wish I could get it there but I'm in England so have to pay our hefty prices!

I would like to get it from the place i have been looking as it is very cheap for UK standards. Its basically internet prices but I can actually go to the showroom and view all the stones before buying. Its www. cooldiamonds.com

I viewed many stones there last week and these 4 were the four that looked the best in my rough price range (approx £3700 inc ring).
I got home tested them and I eliminated one of the ones i liked for poor HCA score of 5.5. which leaves the other three, I am going to go and view them again, Is there anything I should look out for specifically or should I just go with gut instinct.

Do the specs of these say to you there is a reason they a cheaper than the other shops by some margin for same GIA grades? Thanks very much for your help

 

[Niel]

I wish I could get it there but I'm in England so have to pay our hefty prices!

I would like to get it from the place i have been looking as it is very cheap for UK standards. Its basically internet prices but I can actually go to the showroom and view all the stones before buying. Its www. cooldiamonds.com

I viewed many stones there last week and these 4 were the four that looked the best in my rough price range (approx £3700 inc ring).
I got home tested them and I eliminated one of the ones i liked for poor HCA score of 5.5. which leaves the other three, I am going to go and view them again, Is there anything I should look out for specifically or should I just go with gut instinct.

Do the specs of these say to you there is a reason they a cheaper than the other shops by some margin for same GIA grades? Thanks very much for your help

I am in the U.S. so i am not familiar with shopping for things out of the country but i know it can be done. Is iT that you have to pay for customs or something? Is it too expensive? Like i said im not the one to ask i think it can be done

 

[bunnycat]

I wish I could get it there but I'm in England so have to pay our hefty prices!

I would like to get it from the place i have been looking as it is very cheap for UK standards. Its basically internet prices but I can actually go to the showroom and view all the stones before buying. Its www. cooldiamonds.com

I viewed many stones there last week and these 4 were the four that looked the best in my rough price range (approx £3700 inc ring).
I got home tested them and I eliminated one of the ones i liked for poor HCA score of 5.5. which leaves the other three, I am going to go and view them again, Is there anything I should look out for specifically or should I just go with gut instinct.

Do the specs of these say to you there is a reason they a cheaper than the other shops by some margin for same GIA grades? Thanks very much for your help

well, I looked them up and saw one of the ones you have on your list. It was marked about 2800L. That converts to about $4400 US. So you'd be paying 4400 for a stone that may not be the best choice and is under .75 carats. I know all the main vendors here can ship overseas. I don't know what taxes and duties you'd have to pay, but when you consider the one I linked to was $2500, surely it's worth exploring what tax and customs would be on an amount like that?

If that's just not an option, I'd seriously consider giving them the cheat sheet specs and asking if they can call any in that fit inside those parameters. I think they're pulling your leg if they say don't have access to more than just the few I saw listed. You don't need an E if it is a truly well cut stone. Don't dismiss SI stones either. I didn't really like the terminology they were using on the website. It seemed to work on fear of anything below VVS and F color.

And worst case scenario in case this really is all they have for you...Try to get the stones away from the jewelry store lighting to look at them near a window (or in some other type of lighting), look for areas of darkness that don't go away when you move the stone, or lack of liveliness in a stone. Try to pick one that has movement all across it instead of just around the edges. Jewelery store lighting is very specially tailored to make just about any stone look great.

 

[bunnycat]

I wish I could get it there but I'm in England so have to pay our hefty prices!

I would like to get it from the place i have been looking as it is very cheap for UK standards. Its basically internet prices but I can actually go to the showroom and view all the stones before buying. Its www. cooldiamonds.com

I viewed many stones there last week and these 4 were the four that looked the best in my rough price range (approx £3700 inc ring).
I got home tested them and I eliminated one of the ones i liked for poor HCA score of 5.5. which leaves the other three, I am going to go and view them again, Is there anything I should look out for specifically or should I just go with gut instinct.

Do the specs of these say to you there is a reason they a cheaper than the other shops by some margin for same GIA grades? Thanks very much for your help

I don't know what other specs you have looked at, or what other stores may have stones available. I wish someone from UK would see this thread. My feeling on the specs of the stones you are looking at is most of the ones I poked around at on their website are deeply cut, some of them over 63%. (!!!!)

The problem is that GIA EX cut grade does NOT guarantee a well performing stone.

 

[mustangsally]

While I don't have any comment on the stones themselves, I am also in England, so can help with the question on the charges associated with buying in the USA. I made a few purchases from Whiteflash last year. Shipping is free, but you do have to pay the VAT which is currently 20%, duties and a small processing fee to FedEx.

There's a little app on WF's website that if you put in the purchase price and shipping destination, it gives you the total cost to the buyer - could be worth checking that out. You can find it at the bottom of the left hand column on this page: http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/search.aspx

If a worked example is helpful, of one purchase in USD the duties and VAT etc. IN GBP came to 14.5% (purchase price of c.$4500, duties VAT of c. £650). All my items had diamonds set in jewellery, not sure if there is a difference for just a loose stone.

 

[jambo1981]

i need to really buy it soon, my plan is for in the next 2 weeks so must be a uk purchase. I think I will go back down the diamond quarter in london and view more stones. There are loads of shops there but this place is some £500-£1000 cheaper than the rest for the same GIA grades.

Its strange that the top one that scored 2.4 on the HCA. It looked the most sparkly diamond I had seen so far. Loads of glittering colours, can light leak out back through the top (which must be good??)? My setting has the bottom fairly open.

is 2.4 HCA sometimes a really good diamond. It is GIA EXEXEX after all?

 

[Niel]

i need to really buy it soon, my plan is for in the next 2 weeks so must be a uk purchase. I think I will go back down the diamond quarter in london and view more stones. There are loads of shops there but this place is some £500-£1000 cheaper than the rest for the same GIA grades.

Its strange that the top one that scored 2.4 on the HCA. It looked the most sparkly diamond I had seen so far. Loads of glittering colours, can light leak out back through the top (which must be good??)? My setting has the bottom fairly open.

is 2.4 HCA sometimes a really good diamond. It is GIA EXEXEX after all?

I would venture to bet you could probably get one in two weeks from an america vendor...but sounds like you dont want to so thats ok. the hca took is good but your eyes are the best tool. will the place you are buying it from provide asets?

 

[HollyDolly]

I'm in the uk too and got my ring from James Allen and wedding band from bgd.

You can easily get it made and shipped to reach the uk within 2weeks and when it arrives worst case scenario will be that you have to pay vat (at 20%) plus the processing fee to FedEx which is about £12.

Even with the above fees it still works out cheaper to buy in the US than the uk.

 

[Niel]

I'm in the uk too and got my ring from James Allen and wedding band from bgd.

You can easily get it made and shipped to reach the uk within 2weeks and when it arrives worst case scenario will be that you have to pay vat (at 20%) plus the processing fee to FedEx which is about £12.

Even with the above fees it still works out cheaper to buy in the US than the uk.

The only thing i would say would be to buy it from someplace that already has the idealscope images up, so you dont have to wait for them to come in. that would be good old gold, brian gavin, or james allen if you stick to there h and a line
( the pic isnt up yet but i with such high standards id be comfortable buying this from the BGD select line)
http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamonds/diamond-details/0.801-i-vs2-round-diamond-ags-104055908013
plus
http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/engagement-rings/solitaire/ashleigh-14k-white-gold-5853w14

would keep you around 4500 for both, and then that leave some wiggle room for the duties

 

[bunnycat]

i need to really buy it soon, my plan is for in the next 2 weeks so must be a uk purchase. I think I will go back down the diamond quarter in london and view more stones. There are loads of shops there but this place is some £500-£1000 cheaper than the rest for the same GIA grades.

Its strange that the top one that scored 2.4 on the HCA. It looked the most sparkly diamond I had seen so far. Loads of glittering colours, can light leak out back through the top (which must be good??)? My setting has the bottom fairly open.

is 2.4 HCA sometimes a really good diamond. It is GIA EXEXEX after all?

Yes- there can be nice looking diamonds that fall outside of the HCA. A score over 2 doesn't mean automatically it's bad (ok, well, some scores could do, like over 3 or 4) but you have to be a lot more careful about seeing how the angles and cutting all line up. That one is in fact, the one that actually comes closest to ideal specs, just on the edges in all directions leaning in to steep...ie 35 crown paired with 41 pavilion and depth JUST outside of tolerance at 62.4 depth. It may indeed have been the best choice of the ones you were shown but we couldn't say if it was a well performing stone without more information (like idealscope). All you can say is your eyes preferred it best and it may have been the best of 3 not so good stones, or it may have actually been a good stone. That's probably the best help you can get on it as it stands.

I think several people have given you compelling reasons why it's feasible to buy from the US and have a ring shipped. I'd agree to go with BGD, Whiteflash or Good Old Gold if you do since there are already performance images posted of the stones and so performance won't be a question at all. We can help you interpret the imagery.

But there seems t be a significant something holding you back from this option. Probably fear of not seeing it in person before buying. But, I ask you if you've never seen a truly well performing stone and don't know how to tell from report numbers which stones to skip and which to explore, how you would be able to tell a good one from a lesser one in person anyway? So how is that any different?

If you were decide buy online and go the BGD route, I'd look at the BLue line. Still fabulously cut (because that's ALL he does in his cutting) and less expensive because it's got fluorescence, and less expensive because heart/arrows symmetry is not guaranteed like in the H/A line. Stick to in house stones (Signature line and Blue line) and not the Select, which are stones that have to be called in.

Nice size, nice price, gonna sparkle like crazy.
http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamonds/diamond-details/0.774-h-vs2-round-diamond-ags-bl-104061762003

 

[jambo1981]

ok well I just checked with james allen and they say 2 days to UK plus 2-3 customs so these are now in the mix.

checking prices on james allen for the loose diamonds the price isnt too much cheaper. you have the advantage of the imagery though. Will check those other sites you mention but hopefully they will be the same shipping times.

Just feels dodgy buying without seeing it first. You can look at all the specs but sometimes the eye sees thing differently and thats what i fear buying online. also the money you save if i have to get it resized etc etc all adds up.

 

[bunnycat]

ok well I just checked with james allen and they say 2 days to UK plus 2-3 customs so these are now in the mix.

checking prices on james allen for the loose diamonds the price isnt too much cheaper. you have the advantage of the imagery though. Will check those other sites you mention but hopefully they will be the same shipping times.

Just feels dodgy buying without seeing it first. You can look at all the specs but sometimes the eye sees thing differently and thats what i fear buying online. also the money you save if i have to get it resized etc etc all adds up.

Yes- JA is going to be a little cheaper than some. *BUT* But, you are going to spend possibly several DAYS here spending time finding a well cut stone and getting comments here on PS, ordering Idealscope images for people to comment on here unless you go with the H/A line, the gemologist recommendations of the comparison and pick will also take several days.

In your specific case, I'd really consider a place like BGD, WF or GOG for one of their in house stones for reasons I outlined before. Yes, it will cost a little more. They have already done all the legwork for you. The stones are well cut, have tons of imagery and performance information posted already and you aren't going to have to worry if you made a good choice.

I understand your concern with buying online. The problem is you don't know how the performance imagery like Idealscope and ASET translate to real life. But that's what PSers can help you with. A lot of us do know how it translates and can help guide your choice.

Be sure to order a very simple setting that is easily resized if you don't know her size.

I'm going to recommend this one again. This, plus the pretty setting Nielseel recommended earlier will probably be less than the cost of the stone you were looking at.

http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamonds/diamond-details/0.774-h-vs2-round-diamond-ags-bl-104061762003