Diamond Expert Advice and Recommendations

*Note: ODBA no longer recommends EnchantedDiamonds.com

Q:

You’re website has been an amazing help. I’m still pretty stressed out by the process and was hoping you, as a diamond expert, could lend a hand if you have time. I’ve come across these two on Enchanted Diamonds:

1.14ct F IF or this 1.26ct E VVS2

I know clarity isn’t that important, especially with great cuts, but for my own peace of mind, I really like the idea of a VVS stone. What do you think about them? I’ve been told that the Enchanted Diamonds, given the proportions, may exhibit less dispersion… will that be noticeable? Also, with regard to their ASET images, I noticed some green spots in between the bodies of the arrows. Is this something that will affect the appearance of the stone?

Thank you so much for any help you can offer!

Michael

A:

Hi Michael,

I’m glad that ODBA has been of assistance to you in your diamond search.

Dispersion is also known as ‘fire’ which are the different colors seen as the diamond is moved through light. Both of the diamonds you have chosen have very similar proportion sets, you will not notice a difference between brilliance vs. fire in either of these. Just looking at the 1.26ct HD video clearly shows beautiful dispersion that is very nicely balanced with overall white light reflection. Therefore I wouldn’t worry about it.

The slightly green areas on the ASET images are nothing to be concerned with. You will not notice the slight (almost visually imperceptible) difference of light reflection in this area. Both diamonds exhibit ideal light performance and beautiful contrast symmetry.

As each diamond must be evaluated independently, we have to consider what other characteristics that would in fact be visible. In the case of these two diamonds, the medium blue fluorescence in the 1.26ct will be noticeable.

Therefore I recommend the 1.14ct F IF for $10,750.00. It is an ideal cut diamond with great light performance, beautiful optical symmetry, has the bragging rights of being internally flawless, and is also much under budget at $10,750.00. 🙂

Please let me know if you have any additional questions.

Best Regards,

Liz

Q:

Good morning Liz,

Thank you for your help! You’ve given a far more detailed–yet understandable–response than I’ve received anywhere else. You’ve definitely eased my concerns and have given me peace of mind. Your a true diamond expert. Thank you!

Michael

A:

You are very welcome Michael.

I have a feeling you probably went to some of my competitors (I’m increasingly getting emails similar to yours). If you care to share your experience, I’d love to know how ODBA can continue to offer easy-to-understand knowledge for any diamond buyer.

Of course, if you have anymore questions please don’t hesitate to ask.

Best,

Liz

Q:

Morning Liz,

Haha, I consulted a few blogs out there that also offered free diamond expert advice. All very helpful, but I thought you did the best in terms of using technical terms but making it very easy to understand. I enjoyed how practical your response was, while still understand and addressing the importance of every little detail and concern that I have. Often, the other experts I spoke with only answered the primary question I asked, but would forget to address the smaller questions that they may not find as important. You addressed everything and more!

One expert was affiliated with a couple retailers and he asked me to take a look at a few of those retailer’s diamonds. He appeared very trustworthy, but the affiliation kind of lingered in the back of my mind. Again, extremely knowledgeable and helpful. Took a lot of time to help me out.

The other expert was helpful as well, but very direct and to the point. Your response was by far the friendliest and pleasant to read. I wish I had found your blog first.

Prior to emailing you, I had settled on a G VVS1 (AGS), extremely well cut diamond. However, for the price, I wanted to make sure I was getting what I paid for. I took the stone to GIA and they came back with an H VVS1. Still, a beautiful diamond, but I was hoping to stay in the D-G range, so I returned it.

AGS appears to be more stringent with cut, so I found it easier to shop AGS stones. However, I am concerned with them being potentially more lenient on color and clarity. Have you found that to be true? I’m awaiting an F VVS1 (AGS) with a feather on the pavilion. Should that be a concern?

Also, for what it’s worth, looking at photos from these online retailers, there appears to be a greater difference between E-F than F-G. Is that normally true? I’d hate to pay for an F but get a borderline G when I could just pay a little more for the E.

Would love your diamond expert advice here…thanks for your time, Liz!!

Michael

A:

Hi Michael,

First – thank you kindly for your insight and feedback.

I have not found AGS to be more lenient on color.

A VVS1 with a feather will not be a concern. This clarity grade is extremely clean. In general, feather’s that are near the pavilion and/or touching the surface are a concern when the clarity grade is SI1 or lower.

Evaluating diamond color via magnified pictures isn’t consistent as each retailer has different suppliers taking pictures under many different lighting conditions and camera adjustments. Generally, in a lab grade setting, colorless diamonds (D, E, and F) are closer in color gradients. The lower you go, the larger the difference. Therefore, there will be very little visible color difference between an E and a F colored diamond, however there will be a noticeable difference in color grade between an I and a J colored diamond. Does this make sense? It is an exponential scale and isn’t a hard science. There are master stones that each lab has to grade every diamond. These are then often double and triple checked by other gemologist’s to gain a consensus lab grade.

I hope this helps!

Kind Regards,

Liz

Q:

Once again, thanks Liz for all your diamond expert feedback. It is truly helpful in my ongoing search!

All the best,

Michael