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| Anonymous Reader

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Hi Sebastian,

First off, thank you so much for your articles! As you will see, I have read many of them and am taking much of your advice. I am currently a graduate student and so have a very limited budget.

Gratefully, my girlfriend has a very small hand (ring size 4), so I’m shooting for a near one carat round diamond. We’ve gone ring shopping and have talked about it quite a bit, so I have a good idea of what she wants.

My budget is currently $4000 for the ring and the diamond, but I’m leaving slight leeway above, perhaps up to $4500, because I really want to get her the best I can get. For the band, I’m looking at a simple six prong solitaire, white gold 14k or 18k.

In order of priority, I’m looking at cut, carat, clarity, color, and fluorescence. Right now, to save money I’m looking at G-J color with faint to medium fluorescence, and I’m satisfied with SI2 or better clarity as long as it’s eye clean. So I guess I’m looking for the biggest possible round diamond with HCA below 2.

The diamond I am looking for (linked below) has super ideal proportions as per your guide, with a 1.6 HCA rating. As far as I can tell, it looks really good, but I wanted to ask for your expert opinion. Specifically, would I be paying too much for the VVS1 clarity when I could get a bigger diamond with lower (but eye clean) clarity and similar cut?

Also, I asked for the Ideal Scope, and they sent me the hearts and arrows (looks like near H&A to me?). I am currently waiting on the ASET image.

Link: https://www.adiamor.com/Diamonds/0.91-ct-H-VVS1-Excellent-Cut-Round-Diamond/D52831411

Again, thank you for all the help you’ve been to me!

Your Diamond Teacher |

Thank you for your inquiry. I am happy to help. And I am glad to hear that the information on my website is helpful. Thank you! The diamond you selected from Adiamor is an excellent choice. It does have the medium fluorescence, which helps with the price….just be sure you and your soon-to be fiancee don’t mind if the diamond glows blue under strong UV light. As you know there are many variables to factor in when selecting a diamond and how these variables impact the diamonds price and performance. If selecting a lower clarity grade and/or color in order to achieve a larger carat weight…be sure to look at the millimeter measurements between the diamonds to see whether the larger carat weight is actually making enough of a visible difference. Once you get the ASET image, get back in touch!

| Anonymous Reader

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Hi Sebastian,

Thank you for the swift and helpful reply! We don’t mind blue glow, and it’ll probably help offset the H color, right? Also, in what situations would one find themselves in a place with strong UV light? Would the blue glow be significant in sunlight?

Attached are the ASET, ideal-scope, and hearts and arrows images.

What do you think?

I really like this diamond, but do you think it’s worth it? Would I be better off finding an eye clean SI1 with similar color, fluorescence, and cut with slightly larger carat? I think the clarity is beautiful, but I’m thinking it probably wouldn’t be so apparent in such a small diamond.

Your Diamond Teacher |

The diamond could glow blue on a very sunny day or if she has her nails done at a salon and they use the UV light to dry the nails. Or you go to a night club with white lights! The blue can be very noticeable depending on the intensity of the UV light. It is actually very cool looking, I think! And the fluorescence will potentially only impact an I or J color diamond to help it appear whiter. An H color diamond will be white. You don’t need to be concerned. The diamond looks good in the attached images. I think you can purchase this diamond with confidence.

| Anonymous Reader

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Hi Sebastian,

Thank you so much for your helpful and timely advice!

Will be recommending your website and expertise to all my friends, to be sure.

Your Diamond Teacher |

You are welcome!  Thank you!

| Anonymous Reader

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Hi Sebastian,

I really like the diamond from Adiamor, but I found out that it has tax when shipped to California, so it ends up being a good 15% over my budget of $4000. I found this diamond 18119157 at James Allen which would allow me to stay under budget. What do you think? Attached is the Ideal-Scope image.

The HCA (attached) is 1.2, but that assumes medium girdle and excellent symmetry, and this diamond has thick girdle and very good symmetry. Will this make a significant effect on light return?

Another concern I have is regarding the color. With a 14K white gold ring, will it be white? Thanks in advance!

Your Diamond Teacher |

The below diamond from JamesAllen.com has a perfect Idealscope image. It is exactly what you want to see from a diamond. You have nothing to worry about regarding the light return based off the results of the Idealscope image. You can purchase this diamond with confidence! 0.90 CARAT I-IF EXCELLENT CUT ROUND DIAMOND

| Anonymous Reader

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Thank you! A couple things I’m worried about is that there seems to be a lot of black when looking at the face directly. Is that a legitimate concern? Also, since it’s color I, should I expect it to be quite yellow?

Your Diamond Teacher |

The black you see in the face up position is not a concern, at all. And this is a “high” I color, meaning it is whiter than other I color diamonds. It is closer to an H than a J color. You will not detect any yellow.

| Anonymous Reader

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Hi Sebastian,

Thank you so much for your help! I have bought the diamond and have received it, and am lurking for an opportune moment to propose. I wanted to ask a question because the cut grade is only “Very Good” and the symmetry grade is only “Very Good”.

Normally, I wouldn’t compromise with these qualities, but as you pointed out before, the diamond possesses an excellent ideal-scope (attached again). I have the diamond and I like it a lot, but I’m not completely sure (and I still have the opportunity to return it).

If you don’t mind, my question is, do you notice any issues with cut and symmetry that could adversely affect the performance of the diamond?

Thank you so much in advance!

Your Diamond Teacher |

Grading a diamond isn’t an exact science. It is somewhat subjective even by the experts at the diamond grading institutions like GIA.  There are preferred ranges for the proportions to get the most sparkle out of the diamond.  And this diamond’s proportions falls within the preferred ranges. Regarding Symmetry and Polish, as long as they are Very Good or Excellent, we have nothing to worry about. The girdle is the one component on this diamond that falls outside of the preferred range. But this does not impact the diamonds ability to sparkle. A thicker girdle just means more carat weight in a section of the diamond that is not visible in the face up position. A thicker girdle can make the cut grade “Very Good”. And the thicker girdle does not impact the Idealscope image, which is excellent. A final note, if the diamond looks great to you in person, than that is the most important. Congratulations on your upcoming engagement!