11 replies to this topic

[cdhamo]

Hi all

I'm in the process of trying to find a diamond stone. I thought I would try to buy online since the US$ is so good at the moment (I live in Australia).

I'm certainly no expert, and I've been doing a little research on the net, and I realise that GIA certification is superior to EGL.

However, I have found this stone on the net (bestdiamondsource.com) and wanted to know if the information looks ok.

My preferences would be 1.25+ ct, and the best cut to reflect the most light. I have also read that the depth and table % should be between 59.0% - 61.0% & 52.4% - 57.5 %. Obviously a diamond that looks white would be preferable.

Am I on the right track? Any help would be appreciated.


Shape:






















Round

Carat Weight:

1.25

Color:

D

Clarity:

SI1

Graded By:

EGL

Cut Grade:

Excellent


Depth:

61.8

Table:

58

Girdle:

Slightly Thick, FacetedCulet:

None

Polish:

Excellent

Symmetry:

Excellent

Fluorescence:

None

Measurements:

6.85-6.90x4.25

[davidelevi]

Hi there, and welcome.

I'm not sure what your question is. Would I buy that stone? Not unless it was an absolute bargain. I mean like $1000. There's plenty of fairly graded and fairly priced ones advertised online - why pick one that is likely to be trouble?

Or put another way - why did you pick this particular stone out of the thousands available?

[LaurieH]

I would likely skip this stone. When you're buying sight-unseen, and having to worry about potentially shipping back to return internationally if you don't like it, and working within a likely small return window, here is my advice for looking:

Pick a GIA or AGS graded stone. You'll likely have better luck finding a GIA one.

Drop your Color and raise your Clarity--a G is going to face up white, as is a J (if you're sticking to something that is as strictly graded as GIA, etc), so if you don't need *colorless* but just facing up white, you can stay in the same budget to do that and then go up a grade or two (staying in VS is going to guarantee that it's eye-clean), you'll have a great looking diamond.

The rest of the parameters you had on that diamond looked fine, so go ahead and keep looking for something with Very Good or Excellent Cut Grade, Polish and Symmetry.

Good luck and happy hunting!

[idealistic1]

[quote name='cdhamo' timestamp='1287707649' post='27575']

Hi cdhamo-
My daughter lives in Perth W.A.
In looking for a diamond you are smart to realize that cut is extremely important!
You are unfortunately only considering about half of the make parameters.
Though table & depth are important, you also need to know if all the weight is in the bottom of the stone or
if the top and bottom angles are at acceptable angles. EGL's Excellent cut is quite liberal-much more than GIA's
Excellent Cut. It is important to realize that all the angles have to be working in harmony & balance to give a diamond
it's maximum brilliance & life! Diamond buyers always focus on color & clarity...instead of beauty & brilliance.
This is a fatal mistake! Cut is misunderstood by most buyers & MANY trades people.
If you wish spend some time on this website: www.heartsandarrows.com

BTW, A good rule of thumb: Pavilion angles are best 40.6-41 degrees & crown angles are best 34-35.5 degrees. This is very important.

Brilliantly yours,
Idealistic1

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[cdhamo]

davidelevi, on 21 October 2010 - 05:48 PM, said:

Hi there, and welcome.

I'm not sure what your question is. Would I buy that stone? Not unless it was an absolute bargain. I mean like $1000. There's plenty of fairly graded and fairly priced ones advertised online - why pick one that is likely to be trouble?

Or put another way - why did you pick this particular stone out of the thousands available?

Hi thanks for the reply

It's been advertised at $5K +. I assume this is a rip off... Why do you consider this one to be trouble? Is it because it's EGL?

[cdhamo]

Hi cdhamo-
My daughter lives in Perth W.A.
In looking for a diamond you are smart to realize that cut is extremely important!
You are unfortunately only considering about half of the make parameters.
Though table & depth are important, you also need to know if all the weight is in the bottom of the stone or
if the top and bottom angles are at acceptable angles. EGL's Excellent cut is quite liberal-much more than GIA's
Excellent Cut. It is important to realize that all the angles have to be working in harmony & balance to give a diamond
it's maximum brilliance & life! Diamond buyers always focus on color & clarity...instead of beauty & brilliance.
This is a fatal mistake! Cut is misunderstood by most buyers & MANY trades people.
If you wish spend some time on this website: www.heartsandarrows.com

BTW, A good rule of thumb: Pavilion angles are best 40.6-41 degrees & crown angles are best 34-35.5 degrees. This is very important.

Brilliantly yours,
Idealistic1

[/quote]

Thanks for your reply.

Are the pvailion angles shown on the certificate at all? Also, do these qualities/calcs apply to smaller sized diamonds (say .10ct)?

[davidelevi]

cdhamo, on 21 October 2010 - 07:45 PM, said:

Hi thanks for the reply

It's been advertised at $5K +. I assume this is a rip off... Why do you consider this one to be trouble? Is it because it's EGL?

It's not necessarily a rip-off. It is however asking for trouble: how do you compare sight unseen and (literally) half a world away when you choose something that is graded unreliably? Notice I didn't say loosely - the problem is that it may be a D, or it may be a G, because EGL does not grade reliably. If you want a D, then this is not a stone I'd buy. The next question remains: "Why do you think you like this stone?"

Have you looked at well cut G, H and I stones? Ideally once they have been set, as well as when they are loose.

Edited by davidelevi, 22 October 2010 - 03:22 AM.

[barry]

Stick with either GIA or AGS graded diamonds.

Buying EGL is paying more money for less diamond, so the fact that this particular stone is only 5K is not the right way to evaluate this. EGL color/clarity grading can be off by 2-5 grades, so that auspicious bargain you think you're getting is anything but.

[denverappraiser]

The problem is that you just don't know much about this stone. In particular, you don't know clarity, color and cutting. That's some HUGE variables. It's like buying a car where all you know is the color and the tire size. Is it worth $5,000? Maybe. Maybe not. If I were shopping for a car and that's all the dealer was willing to tell me, I would assume probably not but I guess it depends on your confidence in the dealer.

Actually you know a little more. You know that it's NOT D/SI1/Excellent, because if it was the seller would have secured a better pedigree and charged more money for it. Lab services aren't all that expensive and the payoff is considerable. Is it an E? H? SI2? I1? Who knows? If you really love the stone, get it graded by your own expert and figure out what you've got. Tiny detals make a big difference in this business. It's a mistake to rely on a seller supplied document that, by your own statement, you already KNOW to be unreliable.

[HeartAndStone]

Hello cdhamo!

Welcome

Just to be clear and all...
I'd like to know why you are looking for a loose diamond?
For an engagement ring? Or you just wanna spend your 5k for a diamond,
because US-AUD is ALMOST 1: 1 and this stone will be for your future fiance ...
Or you are a female, and who wants a color D, 1 carat or something..

You can use our 'Diamond Finder' tool, stick with your budget as you prioritize GIA certified diamonds.
Your color preference is so high, and that's one of the reason why am I asking...


Cheers!

[cdhamo]

I think I have found a GIA stone, that has qualities that qualify for H&A.

Does anyone have any comments?

PS. Why would the certificate be dated May 2010?

If the below text doesn't come out properly, the link is
[url="http://www2.gia.edu/reportcheck/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.showReportVerification&reportno=5121070223&weight=1.15"][url]http://www2.gia.edu/reportcheck/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.showReportVerification&reportno=5121070223&weight=1.15[/url][/url]

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Report Type:

GIA Diamond Grading Report

Date of Issue:

May 14, 2010

Laser Inscription Registry:

5121070223

Round Brilliant

Measurements:

6.80 - 6.85 x 4.09 mm

Carat Weight:

1.15 carat

Color Grade:

G

Clarity Grade:

VS2

Cut Grade:

Excellent

Proportions:

Depth:

59.9%

Table:

57%

Crown Angle:

33.5°

Crown Height:

14.0%

Pavilion Angle:

40.8°

Pavilion Depth:

43.0%

Star length:

50%

Lower Half:

80%

Girdle:

Thin to Medium, Faceted

Culet:

None

Finish:

Polish:

Excellent

Symmetry:

Excellent

Fluorescence:

None

Comments:

Additional clouds are not shown.

6.80 - 6.85 x 4.09 mm
Carat Weight:1.15 caratColor Grade: GClarity Grade:VS2Cut Grade: Excellent

[denverappraiser]

cdhamo, on 26 October 2010 - 01:07 AM, said:

I think I have found a GIA stone, that has qualities that qualify for H&A.

Does anyone have any comments?

PS. Why would the certificate be dated May 2010?

H&A is a pattern in the symmetry. The stone here may indeed show it, but there’s nothing on the lab report that points either way. It’s simply not part of the GIA inspection process.

The date on the lab work is the date that GIA inspected the stone. What’s wrong with May 2010?