Hi there,
Awesome website. The educational materials are proving very helpful as I try and get my head around things.
Looking to buy an ideal/excellent cut lab round diamond, budget is around $10 – $12k USD. Is there any way of telling whether a lab diamond on James Allen is CVD or HPHT? I can’t see anything that lets you know on there.
What do you think of this diamond? I don’t have set minimums in terms of carat, color or clarity, but I figured E color and a VS1 clarity seem to be that point where any inclusions or coloration are definitely not noticeable to the human eye?
Keen to hear your thoughts.
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/2.14-carat-e-color-vs1-clarity-ideal-cut-sku-9536129?a_aid=55f8cd4e21a11
Thanks, I’m glad you’re finding this info helpful.
Sometimes the grading reports will list whether it’s HPHT or CVD. However, you can almost always tell visually, especially in superzoom. CVD’s will show some amount of strain, enough to distinguish it.
The 2.14 E VS1 looks nice, but it does have a faint blue hue to it. If you compare it to something like the 2.51 E VS1 below in side view, you might be able to tell the difference in hues.
For color, I think as long as you avoid brown or blue, then F+ would be more than sufficient to be white. There’s a large amount of flexibility within your budget. Something like the 2.41 F VS1 would get you close to 2.5ct for less than your budget range. The 2.1 D VS1 would be an alternative to the 2.14 E VS1; for about the same price you can go up in color. And then you can hit 2.5ct with the latter two diamonds, although I think the 2.42 F VS1 is a better relative value. All of these diamonds have optimal proportions and would be eye-clean. They’re all HPHT – they don’t show strain and don’t have a blue hue (they’re yellow).
Shape,Carat,Color,Clarity,Cut,Price (USD),Affiliate Link
Round,2.42,F,VS1,Excellent,9410,https://www.diamondscreener.com/ja/loose-diamonds/round-cut/2.42-carat-f-color-vs1-clarity-ideal-cut-sku-9534224
Round,2.1,D,VS1,Excellent,10110,https://www.diamondscreener.com/ja/loose-diamonds/round-cut/2.10-carat-d-color-vs1-clarity-ideal-cut-sku-9380748
Round,2.56,F,VS1,Excellent,11180,https://www.diamondscreener.com/ja/loose-diamonds/round-cut/2.56-carat-f-color-vs1-clarity-ideal-cut-sku-9534222
Round,2.51,E,VS1,Excellent,11730,https://www.diamondscreener.com/ja/loose-diamonds/round-cut/2.51-carat-e-color-vs1-clarity-ideal-cut-sku-9535835
Hi Joe,
Sorry just double checking as there is a 2.42 and a 2.41 F VS1 available.
Which would you choose?
The first one (9534224). The second one has a blue hue.
Thanks very much Joe, appreciate your guidance.
Might be another couple of months until I purchase so I might trouble you again at that time for your thoughts.