Petales Soufflez! wrote:VS2 SI2 etc it is all a question of choice, priority and means. You can buy whatever you want as long as you can live with it.
I have a G VS2 and I was (am still) very happy with it. Then I actually have friends who have like D or E and VVS diamonds and when you compare theirs to mine, you can actually see the difference in the colour and the clarity and at moments like these, you feel slightly less good.
The guy who sells his diamonds to the Crillon in Paris sold me a pair of H SI1/2 for earrings saying that they were as good as VS and in any case we all know that diamonds have no resale value etc. When I first had them, they seemed really fine, but I swear that 2 years later, one of them started having a visible line in it. I ended up hiding them in the bottom of my drawer.
My favourite pair of earrings is this beautiful fake pearl thingy from Misaki. I know it's fake, but it refuses to acknowledge it and we co-exist brilliantly for that. I really believe that whather you choose, just go for something you can live with.
When I bought an engagement ring for my wife, I actually bought smaller than I initially intended to but ended up getting a beautiful diamond. It's a good thing I didn't listen to the vendor and did some research online first.
"1- Cut - Here we are talking about the proportions of the diamond as opposed to its shape. If the angle at which the diamond was cut is not perfect, the brilliancy and scintillation of the diamond won't be optimal. For instance, if the base of the diamond is too deep, light will be absorbed inwards instead of being reflected. Think of it as the diamond's sparkle. Usually, a diamond's cut will be referred to as Ideal, Premium, Very Good, Good, Fair and Poor. We recommend that you leave out Fair and Poor and aim for Very Good or better.
2- Clarity - Here we are talking about the number and the size of tiny inclusions within the stone or on the surface of the stone. The diamond's clarity is referred to as FL (Flawless), IF (Internally Flawless), VVS1 VVS2 (Very, very small inclusions), VS1 VS2 (Very small inclusions), SI1 SI2 (Small inclusions) or I1 I2 I3 P1 P2 P3 (Inclusions, visible to the naked eye). These inclusions can block the light and affect the brilliancy of the diamond. Flaws are also visible to the naked eye starting from I1. Therefore, we do not recommend that you buy anything rated lower than SI2. You should preferably aim for VS2 or higher.
3- Color - Diamond color is usually rated using the letters D through Z. The rating D is the best color as it represents a colorless diamond. On the contrary, the rating Z is a brownish yellow. The rule is quite simple, the closer the diamond is to colorless, the more valuable the diamond will be. We do not recommend that you buy anything worse than J. So the only acceptable choices are D, E, F, G, H, I.
4- Carat - Carats always refer to the weight of the diamond. Therefore, it also refers to the size of the diamond, as diamonds always have the same density. We strongly recommend that you find the size that you want in real life and then buy it online. If you buy your fiancee a .30 carat diamond and she is expecting a 1.0 carat diamond, you may get in trouble!"
I hope this helps people who are still unsure about the 4 c's and what to look for in a diamond. Sometime, 20% smaller can mean good reflection. Who wants a big yellow diamond that does not sparkle much?