9 replies to this topic

[fuhrball]

Stock number:LD01748258Price:$26,211[url="http://www.bluenile.com/glossary.jsp?word=bank_wire"]Bank wire price:[/url]$25,818[url="http://www.bluenile.com/glossary.jsp?word=pricepercarat"]Price per carat:[/url]$17,358[url="http://www.bluenile.com/glossary.jsp?word=carat"]Carat weight:[/url]1.51[url="http://www.bluenile.com/cut_pop.jsp?cut=Signature%20Ideal"]Cut:[/url]Signature Ideal[url="http://www.bluenile.com/color_pop.jsp?color=G"]Color:[/url]G[url="http://www.bluenile.com/clarity_pop.jsp?clarity=VVS1"]Clarity:[/url]VVS1[url="http://www.bluenile.com/glossary.jsp?word=depthpercentage"]Depth %:[/url]60.5%[url="http://www.bluenile.com/glossary.jsp?word=tablepercentage"]Table %:[/url]57%[url="http://www.bluenile.com/glossary.jsp?word=polish"]Polish:[/url]Excellent[url="http://www.bluenile.com/glossary.jsp?word=symmetry"]Symmetry:[/url]Excellent[url="http://www.bluenile.com/glossary.jsp?word=girdle"]Girdle:[/url]Thin to Medium, Faceted[url="http://www.bluenile.com/glossary.jsp?word=culet"]Culet:[/url]None[url="http://www.bluenile.com/glossary.jsp?word=fluorescence"]Fluorescence:[/url]NoneMeasurements:7.45 x 7.42 x 4.50 mm
[url]http://www.bluenile.com/diamond-search?track=head#diamonds_pid=LD01748258[/url]

The stone will be on a solitaire setting. My girlfriend is a petite 5'5 who is not into ostentatious material things so I don't want to go any bigger. I was looking for an F color but I came across this stone and I think the G will be fine. I guess I'm just looking for some opinions on the quality/cut of the stone. Thanks in advance!

[LaurieH]

First--personal note: if she's petite and not into big, showy things, a carat and a half IS pretty big. esp if her fingers are petite.

So it looks like a good diamond, and it's a fair price for what it is. However, with VVS1 Clarity, unless there's a symbolic reason or such to have a diamond with such a high clarity, you're spending a fair amount more than necessary for something that is not apparent without magnification. Personally, I'm a fan of the G VS2--highest in the Near Colorless so you're totally white looking once set, VS2 means that (since you're GIA graded here) you're completely eye-clean. And the stone is triple Excellents. You can't do much better, but unless budget is really no concern to you, I'd personally like to see you find something same size or smaller (again, depending on just how big you think this is going to look on her hand), keep your Color and triple EX, but drop down in Clarity to the VS category, and put that extra money into the setting--or, heck--into the honeymoon!

That's just MY opinion on buying, though. If you love this diamond, though, go for it. You don't get too much better, all things considered.

[davidelevi]

What Laurie said.

Couple of notes:

1. You'll be paying a premium for "Signature Ideal" branded items. With a bit of scouring, you can find stones that are as well cut for less (or at least give you a broader choice).

2. You are paying a premium for going over the 1.50 carat threshold - regardless of the vendor. A 1.4x will look the same size, but will cost at least 15% less. If you want to pay, pay for something you can see - or at least that's my thought.

3. A 1.50 or thereabouts is a pretty large rock (and a pretty large amount of money too). If she is petite and not into ostentatious things, maybe a trip to a jeweller to check what her preferences are won't go amiss, and may let you put some money into other things (whatever they may be - for example a pair of earrings...)

[fuhrball]

Laurie & David, thank you both for your thoughtful comments; I appreciate the insights. As to the size, while 1.5 is certainly not a small stone, it is smaller than the average stone in the circles I run in. For example, my brother-in-law gave my sister a 2+ carat $50k stone, and many of my friends have bought something similar for their fiancees. Not that I'm basing my purchase on what others have bought, but I want my girlfriend, who does not come from money (unlike most of the people in my peer group), to know that I believe she deserves the best because she's wonderful and unique and deserves the best. Also price isn't really an issue, but as I work in the public eye I must be conscious of the message that a too high-priced stone would send. As for clarity, I have a symbolic reason for the vvs1. I have a thing for tiny imperfections. As Stephen Hawking said, "without imperfection, neither you nor I would exist."


Thanks again for the comments. I'll keep you posted as to my decision. I'm taking her on a vacation in early September and I plan on surprising her with the proposal then.

Regards,
S.

[davidelevi]

One more point, considering what you just wrote: what about going for something special in another sense than size - have you thought about a D-IF/FL 1.0x diamond?

It will set you off about the same amount, and it will look not different from an F/VVS once mounted, but it will carry its own bragging rights, far more than a 1.50 F/VVS.

Or - if money really is no object - what about fancy colours? Pink or blue are conservative enough. Again - pack more punch in a smaller stone (but for a good 1 carat fancy blue add a zero to your current budget...)

[fuhrball]

David,

It's funny you mention the D/IF, because that's actually what I started out looking at. In particular, this stone:

[url]http://www.bluenile.com/diamond-search?track=head#diamonds_pid=LD02091667[/url]

But then I read about manufactured diamonds being perfect and that having a minute flaw may actually distinguish a natural stone from a manufactured one. What are your thoughts on that?

As to colored stones, I don't really know. I'm rather traditional, so I'm not so sure about doing something other than a colorless diamond in a solitaire setting. But, I'm open to ideas, although I wouldn't know where to look.

Thank you again for the thoughtful comments.

[fuhrball]

I also saw this one, a 1.23 carat D/IF but with a Medium Blue fluorescence. I don't really know what that means other than that most people prefer no fluorescence.

[url]http://www.bluenile.com/diamond-search?track=head#diamonds_pid=LD02104704[/url]

[fuhrball]

Or this one, 1.2 carats with a faceted girdle and no fluorescence.

[url]http://www.bluenile.com/diamond-search?track=head#diamonds_pid=LD01689416[/url]

[denverappraiser]

fuhrball, on 23 June 2011 - 02:15 AM, said:

But then I read about manufactured diamonds being perfect and that having a minute flaw may actually distinguish a natural stone from a manufactured one. What are your thoughts on that?

Makers of synthetic diamonds would surely love to make big D/IF goods by the bucketload if they could but, contrary to the public fear, they simply can't do it. Maybe they're learn, and maybe they'll learn how to make convincing VVS's but, for now, it's not really all that hard to spot a synthetic if you know what you're doing and you take the time and use the tools. For starters, nearly all of them are fancy colors. They're also nearly all a carat or less in size. Agan, it's not that they wouldn't make them the size of a doorknob if they could, it's just not the way the synthetic business works in real life. Making diamonds is HARD, and making big colorless diamonds is ridiculously hard. This whole industry gets WAY blown out of proportion when people start to write 'news' about it. People are sitting on the edge of their seats waiting for a big breakthrough but the reality is that nothing much has happend in nearly a decade in terms of what the growers can and can't do. Maybe this is the year, but I wouldn't bet on it and even if it is, one thing I will bet on is that the natural diamond business will survive it just fine.

As a side note, the GIA report that calls it a D/IF is also solid evidence that it's NOT synthetic. Again, it's not that hard and it's part of the process for every GIA inspection. If you've got a GIA and it doesn't cleary identify the stone as synthetic, you can be confident that it's natural origin.

Edited by denverappraiser, 23 June 2011 - 04:32 PM.

[davidelevi]

"Flawless" is a relative concept: it means without visible inclusions at 10x. Any diamond - including synthetics - will show inclusions as long as it is magnified enough. And those inclusions (e.g. nickel, not present in natural diamonds but used as a catalyst in some synthesis processes) will give tell-tale properties in spectroscopy or fluorescence. Not all synthetics are flawless - though flawless synthetics are more common than flawless naturals. So, if you need tools (loupe) to tell a VVS1 from an IF, you still need other tools (spectroscope) to tell a natural from a synthetic...

Fluorescence: not an issue, as long as you don't mind having something that looks blue in the tanning salon or the disco (only places I know where there's enough UV light to see it). However, fluorescent stones have a bad reputation because some of them (very strong/extremely strong blue, usually) can have a milky or oily look in natural light. These are quite rare and immediately detectable - so, to me a medium blue spells a nice stone at a discount.

If you want to get all the story on fluorescence, read here: http://lgdl.gia.edu/...7_fluoresce.pdf

Of the three that you picked, I have a hunch that the second and third will look better than the first (or at least, that I'd like them more). And I'd have the 1.23 over the 1.20, fluorescence or no fluorescence.

Fancy colours - coloured stones is used for rubies, sapphires, emeralds; basically "not diamonds" - here's what a blue 1 carat looks like: http://rockdiamond.c...-mine-cut-r3512

And here is a faint pink: http://rockdiamond.c...nd-gia-well-cut

They are both sold, but it will give you an idea of the look. And here is a ring with a pink and a blue - not very traditional for an engagement ring, but again it gives you a feel for the intensity of colour and the liveliness: http://rockdiamond.c...urple-gia-r3888

Fancy colours are not common, and I would not recommend going to Blue Nile for them - you need have someone who sees the diamond in person and takes photos/video for you to pick, since there is no cut grade and the cut parameters are different than those for colourless diamonds.