help please from all diamond experts...
- Thread starter kmcq
- Start date
Oh Dear...wherec to start!!! j/k. I was like that when I first strated looking at diamonds.....and there is a lot to learn before you even half know what the real deal is!!!
I strongly suggest you go to a diamond site like Pricescope and read up on all the info you can manage...its infinate!
I will give you a short summary to start you off. First, the specs are only as good as the lab. who issued the report. The labs work for the seller and not the buyer so keep that in mind. Some labs will be very soft in their report so a J may be a H in the report etc.
Keep in mind that cut is king. The diamonds cut and polish is the only thing that lets it sparkle...otherwise it is just a rock! Now, the angles and relative lengths of the facets is what gives the diamond its scintilation, fire, brightness sparkle etc. The facets act as windows and mirrors....and to be honest it gets very technical, but 10% of diamonds are cut for max. performance, and the rest are cut to different degrees of great to average etc.
A great cut and polish will make a diamond look whiter and actually hide imperfections better (in the blinding flashes)!
Budget is usually the biggest hurdle to all of us women getting the 5 carat D IF diamond that we all deserve.
Fancy cuts like the pear have to be seen on an individual basis to determine if its beautiful, the specs wont tell the whole story. Usually this applies to all diamonds actually as sometimes even with perfect specs the diamond may not face up as well as another with less perfect specs.
Some diamonds are cut more symetrically (h& a) and some more randomly, this boils down to preferance as each gives a different scintilation effect.
The clarity refers to what the eye can see from the top of the diamond. If you are lucky you can get a low grade clarity that is still eye clean for a better price, or more carat.
Flourecence will pull the price down, make a yellow diamond look whiter, make a white diamond look `blue`.....but watch out because sometimes it causes cloudiness, mostly not!
My honest opinion is that most diamonds once set will look great even if the cut is not perfect. And in a jewellery shop ALL diamonds will look amazing, its the lighting. Diamonds need to be clean and have proper lighting to perform at their best!
I strongly suggest you go to a diamond site like Pricescope and read up on all the info you can manage...its infinate!
I will give you a short summary to start you off. First, the specs are only as good as the lab. who issued the report. The labs work for the seller and not the buyer so keep that in mind. Some labs will be very soft in their report so a J may be a H in the report etc.
Keep in mind that cut is king. The diamonds cut and polish is the only thing that lets it sparkle...otherwise it is just a rock! Now, the angles and relative lengths of the facets is what gives the diamond its scintilation, fire, brightness sparkle etc. The facets act as windows and mirrors....and to be honest it gets very technical, but 10% of diamonds are cut for max. performance, and the rest are cut to different degrees of great to average etc.
A great cut and polish will make a diamond look whiter and actually hide imperfections better (in the blinding flashes)!
Budget is usually the biggest hurdle to all of us women getting the 5 carat D IF diamond that we all deserve.
Fancy cuts like the pear have to be seen on an individual basis to determine if its beautiful, the specs wont tell the whole story. Usually this applies to all diamonds actually as sometimes even with perfect specs the diamond may not face up as well as another with less perfect specs.
Some diamonds are cut more symetrically (h& a) and some more randomly, this boils down to preferance as each gives a different scintilation effect.
The clarity refers to what the eye can see from the top of the diamond. If you are lucky you can get a low grade clarity that is still eye clean for a better price, or more carat.
Flourecence will pull the price down, make a yellow diamond look whiter, make a white diamond look `blue`.....but watch out because sometimes it causes cloudiness, mostly not!
My honest opinion is that most diamonds once set will look great even if the cut is not perfect. And in a jewellery shop ALL diamonds will look amazing, its the lighting. Diamonds need to be clean and have proper lighting to perform at their best!
Littlesharon, what I would do for an IF, 4 carats, give or take a carat, I'm not picky.
kmcq - H color is a little on the yellow side. The diamond is not small so the color might be noticeable. I would set this ring in yellow gold. If you set it in anything white, you will notice the yellow of the diamond more. SI2 is borderline below average IMO. If the diamond is over $10,000 (CDN) I would say it's too pricey for that diamond, but if you get a good deal, and you like how it looks, go for it.
kmcq - H color is a little on the yellow side. The diamond is not small so the color might be noticeable. I would set this ring in yellow gold. If you set it in anything white, you will notice the yellow of the diamond more. SI2 is borderline below average IMO. If the diamond is over $10,000 (CDN) I would say it's too pricey for that diamond, but if you get a good deal, and you like how it looks, go for it.
I work in jewelery, and SI2 is nicer than what the average person owns (note I say "average" and I am not referring to millionaires as they are not average). Most people are not walking around with IF or VVS diamonds because they're expensive and rare. SI2 means the inclusions are difficult to see to the naked eye. The color grade is just below colorless (DEF are colorless) and may not be bad at all, but it's hard to judge that unseen. Grading is largely opinion so there is room for variance, and the skill of the cutter makes a large impact on the final look of the stone. Faceting can mask inclusions. SI2 can be very nice if there's no carbon (black spots) in the diamond. Because yes, you can have a VVS stone with carbon deposits. I've seen them. If there's none in this diamond then it doesn't sound like a bad stone. Besides, all that matters is that YOU think it's beautiful, KWIM? BTW I've seen H color set in white metal and it didn't look bad. IMO I think you can set it in white metal and it still looks nice, until you get to about a J color. At that point yellow metal is a better option. Again, just an opinion but I look at diamonds all day and I see lots of them at all different grades. Some of the most famous and beautiful diamonds ever mined are actually SI. I respectfully disagree with caliprincess in that SI2 isn't below average. Average is not a VVS stone. They're rare. Actually most diamonds are in the I clarity range.
. I'll also check pricescope.
you might wanna check Whiteflash too. they're pieces are well-priced. they have "a cut above H&A" which equals to Hearts on Fire - The Word's most perfectly cut diamond
my friend has a J round brilliant and she told me it was "ideal" cut and oh my, that diamond is just sooooo white and sparkly, i had trouble believing it was a J!
would this be because of cut or cut and flouresence? anyone know how much flouresence plays a part in making a diamond look better?
would this be because of cut or cut and flouresence? anyone know how much flouresence plays a part in making a diamond look better?
Truly outstanding advice has been given in this thread. Never better! Nothing more to add, except to reinforce that it's all about the CUT!!