1.014ct F VS1 WhiteFlash ACA

This 1.014ct carat diamond is beautiful. The proportions are definitely great! I always fall for smaller table size (<= 56%) diamonds because this will result in better fire. How I landed on 56% is because I observe my wife's other diamond that has a 55.9% table and that diamond is returning a lot of fire. Also, a lot of Black by BGDs are cut to around that average, as far as I am concerned, so I believe 56% is a good and safe number for better fire. You will tend to see that when the table has a smaller percentage, the crown height will usually be more than 15%, so there will be more room for the fire to disperse, which is good! The 34.8 degree crown angle will certainly make sure the fire of the diamond is very very good.

The hearts & arrows of this diamond is simply top notch. Very beautiful and well-cut. Nothing to complain there. Light return checks out very well based on the IdealScope so this diamond is going to return a lot of light, as expected from a diamond with 40.8 pavilion angle. Personally, I feel that too much brightness will tend to make the diamond less interesting, hence, I always look for the extra contrast which always come together with the smaller table and higher crown as mentioned in the paragraph above. Other than that, another important contributing factor will be the star length, which is at 53%. This will certainly improve the contrast level of this diamond and add more life to it. In general, diamonds above 50% star length seems to be returning good contrast level, based on the ASET image found in the respective diamond certificate.

Below are the images cut out from the respective diamond page. Please refer to that page for better representation of the images.

1.014ct F VS1 WhiteFlash ACA

1.014ct F VS1 WhiteFlash ACA Hearts & Arrows

1.014ct F VS1 WhiteFlash ACA IdealScope

1.014ct F VS1 WhiteFlash ACA ASET

1.014ct F VS1 WhiteFlash ACA ASET in Cert

The calculated ideal weight is 6.44 x 6.47 x 3.99 mm x 0.0061 = 1.014ct
The actual weight of this diamond is also 1.014ct. So, perfect!

Of course, quality comes at a price, at USD 9687, this is certainly not cheap in terms of Ringgit.

MoneyMatch shows this diamond costs RM 39782.34 before tax

So, RM 39782.34 add on 6% GST, the price will be RM 42169.28. The insurance cost is 1% of RM 42169.28, which means it will be RM 421.69. This insurance is included as part of the free shipment by WhiteFlash, however, you will still need to pay 6% GST for this insurance, so it will be RM 25.30. Now, you will also need to pay 6% GST for the freight charges, which I am not sure what the exact amount will be, but let's take RM 498.75, which is from my previous Brian Gavin Diamonds freight charges. I use this figure because both WhiteFlash and Brian Gavin Diamonds are based in Houston, Texas, so I figure the price might be the same. I will let you guys know again if I have an updated price in the future. So 6% of RM 498.75 will be RM 29.92. There is also one more charges known as Free Commercial Zone (FCZ) charges, which is at a flat rate of RM 5.00. So, I will call all these GST on insurance, GST on freight, and FCZ charges as misc. charges, which in this case, the total will be RM 60.22, a figure that pales in comparison to the total amount purchase! Now, you see why I usually don't focus on this amount and simply round up a the final diamond price (inclusive GST). So, the grand total for this diamond will be RM 42229.50.

So, the price is really not cheap, even if you compared with other options for 1 carat from another local vendor, for example this one: https://www.gia.edu/report-check?reportno=2267763222. However, the price is pretty minimal, less than RM 3000 difference (for a price this big). Again, the price for this local vendor is actually RM 5000 more expensive than Zoara, for the exact same piece of diamond! So in actual fact, you can actually save up more than RM 8000 if you buy a normal GIA Triple Excellent diamond from Zoara.

Have a look at that GIA diamond:

1ct F VS1 GIA-2267763222

Honestly, the diamond above looks not bad. However, not all of the arrows are fully reflecting off the dark camera lens of the camera taking the picture. This means there is some cut inconsistencies there. Also, some of the arrows are also not that well-aligned - 11 o'clock, 12 o'clock, 1 o'clock, and 3 o'clock. This diamond will return a lot of fire if you view it under spot lighting thanks to its 36.5 crown angle, 55% table, and 16.5% crown height. However, from what I have learned by reading online, this diamond will be pretty lifeless under normal fluorescent light. Also, this diamond will probably be leaking light. Of course, I have not seen one, so take it with a pinch of salt. Anyway, one thing for sure is that you will find it easier to look for diamonds with such proportions, compare to diamonds within 34 - 35 degree crown angle and 40.6 - 40.9 pavilion angle. Now, why is that so??? Because those values in general, are considered as ideal cut proportions and diamonds with such proportions are either sold as top of the shelf diamonds or they are probably sold out pretty fast once they are listed on MLS.

Anyway, you have to know that when you are buying a super ideal cut such as this 1.014ct carat diamond, what you are paying for is cut quality. You have to know that diamond cutters will spend more time to perfect the diamond compared to a similar carat diamond that has a worse cut or cut for weight retention only.

Of course, ultimately, the choice is up to you. If I can find a diamond with some slight misalignment or some minor cut inconsistencies but with decent proportions, I think I can live with it, since I will be saving over RM 8000! Of course, such diamonds are to hard come by, at least from my experience.

For ring setting, Memory Jewellery will be able to do loose stone settings from RM 1000 for existing designs and between RM 1300 - RM 1500 for custom designs. This is the latest price I have obtained from their staff. And yes, it is still this price even for a 1 carat diamond!