Diamond Budget Of $5K Canadian Dollars

Q:

Hi Liz,

I’m looking for your opinion on this diamond: http://www.gia.edu/cs/Satellite?reportno=7213055443

I have concerns regarding the clarity although the VS2 should indicate eye clean typically I’ve looked at 3 pictures and am not sure if the medium fluorescence has any effect of the cloudiness of the stone. It doesn’t indicate that on the GIA report. Thought maybe you would be able to tell by the pictures better. It won’t let me upload the images here so if you’d like I can email them to you.

Thanks,

Nathan

A:

Hello Nathan,

I don’t recommend that diamond as the proportions don’t align to ideal cut. If you can provide images, I’m happy to assess further.

As to the possible fluorescence issue where a cloudy/milky characteristic can appear to affect the translucency of a diamond, this most commonly occurs in strong to very strong blue fluorescence diamonds. As your diamond has medium blue fluorescence this wouldn’t be an issue.

I do think that you’ll likely have to lower your carat weight requirement if you want to have an ideal cut diamond. For example, here is a H&A diamond that is .708ct I VS2 for roughly $3,700CAD: http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamonds/diamond-details/0.708-i-vs2-round-diamond-bfg-17023

I also found this .90ct J SI1 for $3,900.20CAD: https://www.ritani.com/diamonds/round-diamond-0-90-Carat-J-color-GIA-certified/D-J7PSM6

.90ct J SI1 for $3,900.00CAD from Ritani. This SI1’s grade making inclusion are twinning wisps which you can just barely make out in the magnified HD video. These are not visible without magnification and this diamond is therefore an excellent choice for a high quality diamond at a great price.

This diamond is eye-clean with twinning wisps as the grade making inclusions. These are not visible without magnification.

Let me know what you think and if you have any questions!

Kind Regards,

Liz

Q:

Thanks for the opinion 🙂 So when you say Ideal cut, are you referring to AGS? I figured the Triple Ex GIA would be pretty reliable for good proportions. As for the suggestions, I think the .70ct is far too small although Brian Gavin is typically much more expensive then anywhere else so this doesn’t surprise me that you had to lower the size to get results. And for the one from ED I think $6,700 is too much. The last one is interesting. There are a few concerns for me.

The inclusions look large and frequent, and I’m having a hard time imagining the stone is eye-clean. It also has a culet, although it does say small so it may not be a factor.

Cheers,

Nathan

A:

Hi Nathan,

Ideal cut is in reference to proportions that optimize a diamond’s brilliance and fire; resulting in scintillation or sparkle. This includes AGS triple 0 diamonds as well as some GIA Excellent cut diamonds. Diamond cut is a very complex subject that is evaluated by tools that can show how light is being reflected from within a diamond. These tools are primarily the ASET (Angular Spectrum Evaluation Tool) and Ideal-scope. I encourage you to read about these topics as it will help you to understand how a diamond’s cut is evaluated.

Yes, Brian Gavin Diamonds are sold at a premium due to the high level of technical accuracy in all of his diamonds. All H&A are consistent and have been personally viewed and accepted by Brian. They are a boutique diamond vendor and as such their prices reflect the level of service that they provide their customers.

The inclusions in the last .90ct J SI1 are twinning wisps which are rarely seen with the naked eye. These are actually my favorite inclusions as they are easily seen under 10x’s magnification but not by the naked eye. As you can clearly see, the twinning wisps are barely detectable at this magnification. You will not see them at all when the diamond is mounted in a ring – therefore it is absolutely eye-clean. The very small culet is nothing to be concerned with and will not affect the brilliance of the stone. This diamond is my favorite recommendation for you and your budget as it has fantastic proportions.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Kind Regards,

Q:

Hi Liz,

Okay cool so you recommend triple 0 diamonds over triple ex then? I’ve seen several on James Allen and other sites that were very affordable but I wasn’t sure if AGS was more lax or less then GIA.

Thanks,

Nathan

A:

Hi Nathan,

I recommend both gem labs – it is contingent upon proportions and light performance as indicated by the methods I’ve already stated. I recommend you read up on both AGS and GIA labs and how they evaluate cut grade here: https://www.onlinediamondbuyingadvice.com/diamond-education/diamond-grading/

ASET Technology: https://www.onlinediamondbuyingadvice.com/aset-angular-spectrum-evaluation-tool/

What Makes A Diamond Sparkle?: https://www.onlinediamondbuyingadvice.com/what-makes-a-diamond-sparkle-understanding-scintillation/

What Are Eye-Clean Diamonds?: https://www.onlinediamondbuyingadvice.com/what-are-eye-clean-diamonds/

Hope this helps.

Best,

Liz

Q:

Thanks Liz. One more question. I also see this one: http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.92-carat-j-color-si1-clarity-ideal-cut-sku-848285 but it doesn’t look eye clean to me, hard to tell with the magnified images though.

Thanks,

Nathan

A:

Hi Nathan,

This diamond has a large white crystal directly under the table facet. If you looked hard enough you would see this without magnification. Also, this diamond is part of James Allen’s True Heart’s collection, which are supposedly super-ideal Hearts and Arrow diamonds. If you read my JA review, you’d know that not all diamonds in this collection are the best quality H&A diamonds. For $5,375.00CAD, I much prefer the .90ct J SI1 for $3,900.20CAD from Ritani.

All the best,

Liz