18 replies to this topic

[motherof3]

I recently purchased a 2.01 carat diamond from Blue Nile. It's H, eyeclean SI1 with excellent cut, polish and symmetry. When it was delivered I loved it, loved wearing it, compared it to my mother's much higher color/clarity 2 carat stone and still loved it. I thought it was very sparkly, even though my mother's was a bit more sparkly. The stone is an excellent cut but the table % is 59 and the depth % is 59.7. I didn't think it was that much of a big deal since my diamond would appear a bit bigger....but those % have always been in the back of my mind.

Then I go to a jewelery store to verify that the GIA registration # on my certificate is the same as the one on my stone. Then the jeweler compares my stone with a different 2 carat. He pointed out how my stone didn't sparkle as much and had some dark spots (not inclusions, but spots that didn't sparkle). I went home and did massive research on the %'s and shallow diamonds losing light. I went to another jewelry store today and comapred my diamond to theirs. Again it was not as sparkly....but theirs was over 6k more expensive.

I have 8 days left on my Blue Nile return policy. Should I exchange it for a new diamond? It would be the same size, color and clarity. I would just choose more ideal %'s with the cut, but not the Blue Nile Signature Ideal Cut. I think it would also cost me maybe a thousand more since I think my diamond was priced well (maybe due to the %'s).

I am so caught up with this percentage thing. Any thoughts or opinions would be so appreciated. This happy occasion has been extremely stressful for me. I spent a great deal of time selecting my diamond and now I think I made the wrong choice. Thanks for reading!

[GeorgeDI]

Hi Motherof3,

You have to be happy with your purchase! You can get caught up in all the little details and some of those numbers can make a huge difference, but the bottom line is that you need to be happy. Otherwise you will always regret the purchase and that cannot be what you really want. Take advantage of the return policy. Do a little more shopping, I am certain you will find the perfect stone. We currently offer 9 stones in that range. Maybe one of them is close to your price? The reason to buy from a vendor who has a return policy is to be able to return it if you are not happy. If you want to take a look at the stone we currently have in inventory, cut and paste this link into your browser: http://www.diamondid...ADVPAVILION_TO=

Hope this helps.

[davidelevi]

I agree with George - but would like to add a caution: if your diamond has been set, and worn, it's most likely dirty. Diamonds are literally grease magnets, and human skin is naturally greasy. Before you dive into comparisons, anguish and returns, make sure your diamond is scrupulously clean (water, dish soap and a soft toothbrush - clean the pavillion!).

Also, bear in mind that the quality of the setting - both metalwork and the way the stone is set - can affect sparkle. Nothing to do with the diamond itself.

[motherof3]

I cleaned it well before venturing off to the jewelers. I'm still in "the clean it everyday" mode. My diamond sparkled, but less than the ones I compared it to, I'm just not sure if the extra bucks are worth the extra sparkle. Something I must ponder over the next few days. I 'm just wondering if I'm getting too caught up with the depth and table %s.

[LaurieH]

No matter how pretty the diamond, no matter how good the price, if there is something about it that you can't get out of your mind about it, you won't be happy in the long run. I'd go ahead and send it back (and get on it! tick tock!) and take your time looking for its replacement. I'd say as long as you stay within ideal ranges for the best cut, and make sure you have an Excellent or VG in Cut Grade, Polish and Symmetry, you'll be golden!

Good luck, happy shopping, and let us know how things turn out!

[denverappraiser]

I agree with the above, go ahead and send it back. You're not happy and that's the goal here.

That said, I'm not convinced you've done a fair test and it may be seriously skewing your perceptions. A correctly graded GIA/x will not have dead spots if it's clean and the lighting is anything like normal. Heck, even GIA-Good's don't do that. Something is off here. 'Dark spots' is a complicated question because diamond cutting involves a phenomena often called 'head obstruction'. This is basically a reflection of YOU in the stone and since you aren't a light source, it shows as dark areas. Actually, everything in the room is reflected in the stone so the color of the ceiling, the furniture, your clothing, and everything else about you plays a role. That's why it gets complicated and why it's important to understand the environment. If you decide to buy a stone from this jeweler (or anyone else for that matter), make sure your test of which one is 'best' involves an eximination of the stone(s) under controled circumstances and under neutral territory. It's certainly possible that the best stone for you is the one that he's showing but, so far, this sales pitch smells bad.

Edited by denverappraiser, 06 January 2011 - 05:32 PM.

[motherof3]

Thanks for the replies. I wish I never went into that jewelry store to verify the GIA cert numbers. I was confident that BlueNile wouldn't have made a mistake but just wanted to be sure. The jeweler was very nice and helpful, but I guess he was hoping to sell me his diamond. I think he put enough doubt in my mind for me to question my original purchase. From what I have read, the cut of my diamond makes it have great brilliance (white light return), a slightly larger table, but a bit less sparkle/fire. Is that a bad thing? I guess it could be to some people. I just need to decide if I personally am ok with it. Hmmm...things to think about.

[HeartAndStone]

Hi there!

Maybe you can show us some pictures and so as the specs of the your new diamond ring.
It's quite usual for another jeweler to say that they have the 'better deal' , the thing is that they know
that you just purchased it and it's plain impossible for you to return that, then get your money back and buy their stone. Nah.
On the lighter side, they are educating you for your next purchase.
Somehow, I can feel that the comparison between your ring and the jeweler's stone made you unhappy.
Time is ticking. You must be completely satisfied.

[motherof3]

Hi HeartandStone - The jeweler did know that I could return it. I was honest and said that I purchased the stone and still have a few days left to return it. I told him I was in before and looked at a specific ring 2.07 H SI2 with 2 .60 side diamonds. He pulled out the ring for me to look at again and that's when we did the side by side comparison. Yes, I was unhappy after the comparison which has sent me into this frenzy. But now I think I will keep my diamond. I do like that the table is a bit larger for a 2.01 and the intense brilliance....it looks like a flashlight. Now I get why an upgrade policy is appealing to folks. I looked at other diamonds on Blue Nile that have more ideal cut proprtions (their Blue Bile Signature cut). The prices were about 4 thousand more and I'm not willing to pay that. I also am a bit worried that if I return the diamond, the money will be allocated to some other expense....Thanks for your post. I'll keep everyone updated on my decision. Time is ticking. I have until 1/14.

[motherof3]

Here's the specs:

Color H
Clarity eye clean SI1
Cut, Symmetry, Polish Excellent
Table % 59
Depth % 59.7
Crown height % 13
Crown Angle % 32.5
Pavillion Angle % 41
thin to medium faceted 3%
Pavillion Depth % 43.5
no culet
Pavillion % 80

Let me know your thoughts. From what I have learned on the web, the diamond is an unconventional cut. It is slightly shallow, but not enough to leak light return.

[davidelevi]

It's not "unconventional". What makes you say it's "slightly shallow"? In comparison to what standards?

In fact, 25-30 years ago your diamond would have been particularly appreciated, since the fashion then was for slightly larger tables and slightly spreadier (wider and visually larger) stones than what is fashionable now. Having said this, I think it's a very well cut diamond (as far as one can judge from a report!), and it would probably qualify for AGS-0 as well as GIA Excellent cut grades.

I am puzzled as to why the stone(s) that you saw were visually more sparkly - were they also set in a ring? Was the setting similar? Are you sure the jeweller did not touch your diamond with his bare hands? I am not suggesting he did it maliciously (though it would not be the first time something like that happens), but particularly if you did the comparison after looking for the girdle inscription, it's very likely your diamond was no longer clean. A single fingerprint on the stone goes a long way to make sparkle disappear.

[jan]

motherof3, on 06 January 2011 - 09:09 AM, said:

I recently purchased a 2.01 carat diamond from Blue Nile. It's H, eyeclean SI1 with excellent cut, polish and symmetry. When it was delivered I loved it, loved wearing it, compared it to my mother's much higher color/clarity 2 carat stone and still loved it. I thought it was very sparkly, even though my mother's was a bit more sparkly. The stone is an excellent cut but the table % is 59 and the depth % is 59.7. I didn't think it was that much of a big deal since my diamond would appear a bit bigger....but those % have always been in the back of my mind.

Then I go to a jewelery store to verify that the GIA registration # on my certificate is the same as the one on my stone. Then the jeweler compares my stone with a different 2 carat. He pointed out how my stone didn't sparkle as much and had some dark spots (not inclusions, but spots that didn't sparkle). I went home and did massive research on the %'s and shallow diamonds losing light. I went to another jewelry store today and comapred my diamond to theirs. Again it was not as sparkly....but theirs was over 6k more expensive.

I have 8 days left on my Blue Nile return policy. Should I exchange it for a new diamond? It would be the same size, color and clarity. I would just choose more ideal %'s with the cut, but not the Blue Nile Signature Ideal Cut. I think it would also cost me maybe a thousand more since I think my diamond was priced well (maybe due to the %'s).

I am so caught up with this percentage thing. Any thoughts or opinions would be so appreciated. This happy occasion has been extremely stressful for me. I spent a great deal of time selecting my diamond and now I think I made the wrong choice. Thanks for reading!

What was the price for it?

[jan]

motherof3, on 08 January 2011 - 06:35 AM, said:

Here's the specs:

Color H
Clarity eye clean SI1
Cut, Symmetry, Polish Excellent
Table % 59
Depth % 59.7
Crown height % 13
Crown Angle % 32.5
Pavillion Angle % 41
thin to medium faceted 3%
Pavillion Depth % 43.5
no culet
Pavillion % 80

Let me know your thoughts. From what I have learned on the web, the diamond is an unconventional cut. It is slightly shallow, but not enough to leak light return.

No one can tell you how your stone will look using a few average numbers that are on a lab report. If you think it doesn't sparkle as much as some other stones, you are probably correct as you are the one that is viewing it. If the stone bothers you, I would return it and start over again looking for an ideal cut diamond. If it has light return on it even better.


Here is one to compare. This is a SI1 clarity but is one of the nicest SI1's I've ever seen. Definitely eye clean from all sides and as white as ice.

http://www.dbof.com/...-2-01-ct-si1-f/

Edited by jan, 08 January 2011 - 11:24 AM.

[motherof3]

My diamond was $17,900. I think it was a fair price for the carat, color, cut, etc. I'm not willing to go much higher. Would a diamond that is a much better cut be much more $, hearts and arrows or just ideal %s? Thanks Jan for your post. The diamond you linked was beautiful, but higher than our budget. I don't mind my H color. My questions is would more sparkle would come from a better cut......and at what price.....and is it worth it? At this point, I think I am planning to keep my diamond. I asked my husband if we should have gone for a 2.5 carat. He just rolled his eyes at me. I guess that's not a good sign

[LaurieH]

Sounds like it's a fair price, and it can be a REALLY easy thing to overthink. There does come a point where you almost have too much information about things swimming around in your head--the numbers, the info from this source, that source, this scan, "do i need that scan?", "is there something better out there", etc etc. If you are pretty happy with your ring--if it sparkles back at you, if you enjoy looking at it, if you're comfortable with what you spent on it--keep it. Once you make the final decision, it's a lot easier to be "zen" with it, if that makes sense. Then the questions will start to fade and you'll relax and enjoy your ring more.

[palladora]

When you buy diamond at that time only you should check all the relevant aspects. But as of now forget, don't worry if you really like the diamond and feel happy wearing then keep it, but this percentage and other technical aspects always hammers your mind then sell it off. Sometimes diamonds are also not good for a wearer, it keeps on creating problems for the person.

[motherof3]

It's me again. I am very happy with my choice to keep my diamond. I love it and am fascinated with how it sparkles differently in varied lighting situations. I am now obsessed with diamonds and lurk on different forums. The more I learn about diamond cuts, the happier I am with my diamond choice - a diamond that favors brilliance over fire, with a larger spread. My next purchase will be diamond earrings, hopefully next year.

I still can't get passed how that jeweler's diamond sparkled so much more than mine though. On the HCA tool, my diamond scored below a 2 with excellent in all categories except scintillation. When I put the other diamond into the HCA, it scored a 3.3. It was very good in light return and spread, but only good in fire and scintillation. Does the HCA tool reject diamonds that could be well cut? My diamond is a GIA triple excellent. The other diamond was excellent cut and very good in symmetry and polish.

Sorry to beat a dead horse. I'm curious but can't discuss this with any of my friends. Once I start talking HCA, table, depth, crown angles, etc. they will think I'm a nut!

Thanks!

[LaurieH]

I really think you shouldn't worry about it. Like someone said before, there are "tricks" that some stores might use to make their stones look better (lighting, etc) and yours look worse (smudge it so that it is a tiny bit dirty and can't sparkle as much as it would clean), that might make up some of that difference. But if you're happy with how your diamond looks to YOU, that's really all that matters. Is there gonna be POTENTIALLY bigger and better out there--well, sure! Always. Does that mean you should lose sleep searching for it--no. You're happy with your ring, right? Don't undercut that happiness

And when you're ready for your earrings, come back and give us a shout and we'll get you pointers if ya need them.

[davidelevi]

motherof3, on 11 February 2011 - 05:15 AM, said:

[snip]I still can't get passed how that jeweler's diamond sparkled so much more than mine though. On the HCA tool, my diamond scored below a 2 with excellent in all categories except scintillation. When I put the other diamond into the HCA, it scored a 3.3. It was very good in light return and spread, but only good in fire and scintillation. Does the HCA tool reject diamonds that could be well cut? My diamond is a GIA triple excellent. The other diamond was excellent cut and very good in symmetry and polish.

Sorry to beat a dead horse. I'm curious but can't discuss this with any of my friends. Once I start talking HCA, table, depth, crown angles, etc. they will think I'm a nut!

Thanks!

The HCA is an approximate tool to reject rather than select. It has a number of limitations, not least the fact that it reflects Garry Holloway's taste and opinion on what looks "nice", and it does get things "wrong" (to my eyes at least). It's not terribly relevant at most times, and it is definitely totally irrelevant once you see the stones. I remain convinced that the setting and cleanliness are by far the most likely causes of the "failure".

Don't worry about dead horses. You are welcome to come here and talk diamonds as much as you like! We all enjoy it.