QUOTE(bkkw @ Feb 22 2017, 10:23 PM)
Hi all sifu,
I'm looking for a proposal ring.
Had done some research but don't know how to decide.
Lazare and GIa cert diamonds which one better?
Lazare uses in-house cert. They grade the stones themselves. Cert details are not available online and the cert itself does not tell all proportions (Star Length, if not mistaken). GIA cert is a well-recognized cert worldwide and is an independent diamond lab.
Not all Lazares are cut to perform that well. Some can be pretty good, some can be mediocre, but all are overpriced.
Hearts & Arrows failed for one of the Lazare diamonds I saw on a pendant actually didn't quite meet the standard. This is normal because there are not selling Hearts & Arrows (super-ideal), they are just selling ideal cut. I saw some that can perform well under LED lighting at retail store, but I can't be sure if they can perform the same under normal lighting conditions. As you know, in retail stores, most stuff blings.
To get an idea what is the difference of Hearts & Arrows and Lazare, go to Tomei/Gold Heart/My Diamond and check out their Le Lumiere, then go to DeGem and check out their Lazare. You can go to Mid Valley as there is a flagship Le Lumiere store and a DeGem store there, you may even drop by Bangsar's DeGem to check things out. Let me know if you can tell the difference, or which one you preferred. I can't guarantee that all Le Lumiere may reached Hearts & Arrows standard, but since this is their selling point, I believe some of them may reach the standard. See few of them and compare to few Lazares. So, you will come down to a few conclusions:
1. Hearts & Arrows performs better than Lazare.
2. Lazare performs better than Hearts & Arrows.
3. Shit, I can't see the difference man.
If you reached conclusion 1:
Great. You have more options for H&A diamonds now. Do consider WhiteFlash or Brian Gavin if you are considering Hearts & Arrows as their price will be cheaper than retail stores (most likely).
If you reached conclusion 2:
It is overpriced (for example, a 0.42 there can be a RM 3500 - RM 4000 difference compared to what you can get from WhiteFlash or Brian Gavin), but money can be earned again. Buy what you and your partner desired is usually more important, as long as you don't go over your budget.
If you reached conclusion 3:
Then please refer conclusion 1 to save some $$.
My thoughts:
I am always looking for balanced performance, that means, fire and light return works well with each other. Some diamond can be cut with steep crown angle to increase the fire, but this will sacrifice on light return. This kind of steep crown angle will create a very fiery effect on the diamond under pin-fire lighting (e.g. candles), but since we live in a modern world where fluorescent lamp is used more than candle, this steep crown angle may cause the diamond looks duller. Hence, I always look for something that can bring a balanced performance in all environments, hence we need to look at the proportions of the diamonds.
The proportions for Lazare diamonds are actually quite good to be honest:
But we can get such proportions as well at a more reasonable price.
Why Hearts & Arrows? Because for optical precision, so that it can perform well from all viewing angles. And because to me, this the creation of Hearts & Arrows require remarkable skills and the end product is a piece of fine art.
Does GIA has great diamonds?
Yes, definitely. Just that you will require more time to filter out because the standard for triple excellent does not guarantee that the stone is surely top notch in terms of performance. One thing I know is that it will surely be cheaper. Besides, you have readily available tools such as Enchanted Cut Score to quickly help you filter out poor performers. Refer here:
http://myengagementringexperience.blogspot...-brilliant.htmlHope this helps and good luck!