Q/A on a Tiffany Diamond by the Yard Necklace
Reader Christine wrote to us and asked:
I’m shopping for a Tiffany’s Diamond By The Yard necklace and am in desperate need of help! (I know I can get bigger diamonds for cheaper but from reviews I’ve heard the quality of Tiffany’s for this bezel style is great with lots of sparkle for such a small diamond – perhaps due to high table cut %??).
I’m choosing between the .30 and .37 ctw for a yg DBTY because I want something not too big and just a little bit of sparkle at the neck. The specs for the two seem so different that I’m not sure what would be a better pick.
Online it says that the .37 is a color I, VVS2, while the .30 is a color E, VS2. I’m not sure whether color or clarity is more important with a diamond this size.
I’m wondering if I should go down to a .25 to get “safer” specs (F, VVS2), or even the .29 is a G, VS1 which sounds more balanced…
I know next to nothing about diamonds so ANY kind of help or advice would be really appreciated!
Answer:
Hi Christine,
Based on the choices you mentioned, it’s a bit of a toss-up and a mystery. On one hand, the .37 carat weight necklace is a decent Color (I color) but too high of a Clarity. On the other hand, the 0.30 necklace is a decent Clarity but too high of a Color. In order to find out more about the necklace, I went on to the Tiffany website. I’m assuming you were referring to this necklace on the Tiffany site and unfortunately in neither case does it say anything about the diamond’s Cut.
To your point, the diamond’s Cut is most definitely the reason for the high degree of sparkle for such a small diamond. A good proportion between the table % and depth % make the difference between a lively diamond and a dull, lifeless, diamond.
If I could choose only between the two, I would go with the 0.30 with color E, VS2. The reason behind this is that the 0.30 carat weight diamond will look whiter compared to the I color, and anything upwards of VS2 isn’t perceivable to the naked eye. VVS2 would be paying for something you can’t see. In terms of size, the difference would be less than half a mm.
As the DiamondAdvisor, my goal is to always answer your question first and, where possible, help readers get a diamond that is bigger, better and still within budget. Based on what you told me, the Tiffany necklaces you mentioned went for $2650 and $3720. I assumed a budget of $3000 and did a quick search for you just to help give you another option (link to search criteria). Usually I have to filter through many diamonds to come up with something decent, but I got luck today and actually found a stunning one fairly quickly.
Here is my recommendation:
This is a diamond from James Allen (our favorite vendor – long explanation of why can be found here) and is 0.74 Carats, H color and SI2. This is a good size for a pendant (not too big, not to small) and because you have yellow gold (YG) in mind, the H color will still look very white. Despite the low Clarity (SI2), it’s eye clean which means that there are no noticeable inclusions when viewed. Even when zoomed in it was fairly impressive (see for yourself)
In terms of the diamond itself, the Cut grade is Excellent (highest possible value on the cut GIA cut scale) and has Excellent Polish, Symmetry, and no fluorescence. The Holloway Cut Advisor gave it a score of 1.3 which is Excellent [within Tolkowsky Ideal Cut (TIC) range]. Without going through a long explanation, this stone will have excellent brilliance (light return) and a nice blend between fire (flashes of rainbow color) and scintillation (sparkle as the diamond moves). This diamond is $2770 which leaves plenty for the chain in yellow gold. To be fair, the only thing missing is the Tiffany name.
I hope the above helps in terms of a second opinion and as a third option. All the best!
-Jason
