Hi Joe,
First of all, I want to thank you for building this website. This is by far the most informative and statistically backed shopping website I have seen. I also enjoyed reading your research using CV.
I have been shopping for diamonds for a few weeks and want to ask your opinions regarding clarity. My budget is $25k and I am looking at some SI diamond in order to maximize color and weight. (can we have a color clarity curve like ROC curve?? 🙂 )
I found some on JA and would love to have your opinions on it:
- 2.07c D SI1 https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/2.07-carat-d-color-si1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-10195224
- 2.02c D SI1 https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/2.02-carat-d-color-si1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-9546115
I also went to a local jeweler and they showed me a 2.30c E SI2 that looked eye clean but with a few obvious inclusions under a microscope (but no bad inclusion in the center of the diamond). I thought the price is competitive at $20,000 but the SI2 is in my head. What is your opinion on SI2 diamond and do they worth buying?
Thank you in advance!
For the 2.3 E SI2, was it cloudy? You might not have been able to see inclusions like black crystals, but if it’s hazy or cloudy due to clouds/internal graining/surface graining, then it’s a bad SI2. If it was clear and transparent, then it’d be a worthwhile SI2.
I generally try to find a cleaner table than the 2.07 D SI1. The twinning wisps in the 2.02 D SI1 are closer to the culet and reflect around the diamond. Within your budget, I liked the option below more, although it’s more expensive than the SI1’s.
Shape,Carat,Color,Clarity,Cut,Price (USD),Affiliate Link
Round,2.14,D,VS2,Excellent,24630,https://www.diamondscreener.com/ja/loose-diamonds/round-cut/2.14-carat-d-color-vs2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-10609031
I would prefer a cleaner medium fluorescent D without clouds/strain over a non-fluorescent D with clouds (2.02 D SI1) or twinning wisps/graining (2.07 D SI1) [sorry, in my answer I had mixed up the diamonds, the 2.02 D SI1 should have a cleaner table).
I think medium is OK if the diamond is nice. It’s what seemed best within your budget.
Thank you for the response Joe!
I’d need to go back to check since I wasn’t very aware of lighting and fluorescence at the time. I’m still trying to educate myself on this issue.
Regarding your suggestion on this 2.14 D, will the medium fluorescence negatively impact the color? I read somewhere that fluorescence is not recommended on high grade colors.