Fancy Gurus Please!

[Cehrabehra]

Date: 7/12/2006 9:53:57 PM
Author: Gypsy
Gypsy? This ring has a pretty ideal example of what I want the top of the ring to look like (not exactly but this is close)... but when you look through the setting for the main stone and you see the pincers? I want that to be a high polished rhodium mirror surface instead of looking through to skin. The open bottom design is more ideal if you''re holding the ring, but if it''s up against the browns and pinks of skin tone, especially if it creates a little dark cave under the diamond, I don''t think it''s best... particularly if the stone you''re looking for (or I''m looking for lol) is going to be somewhat light-leaky. Best to turn that to an advantage IMO. I call it a prism chamber I have more pictures to post as well...

This is fascinating for me. So this helps your stone appear brighter. I skimmed your other thread... and well, I would love to underrstand this better-- especially if it can be applied to my custom setting. Wonder if asschers are ''leaky''... I am actually hoping for a barion cut gemstone to replace my asscher in this setting, so I really like them-- and have seen BEAUTIFUL versions of the cut in colored gemstones.

As for cushions and stress on you.

Can I advise you to do something? I don''t know where you live. But if your in the US (or even Canada)... I would HIGHLY suggest a trip out to NYC for you. You could go see Mark T at ERD and Jon at GOG... and browse the diamond district. You wouldn''t have to buy. It needn''t be a buying trip. It can be an educational trip... and when you figure out what you want, if you want to use a PS vendor you can always have the diamond sent to you or an appraiser to see if before you decide.

And frankly, if you come out to the NYC area I''ll meet you at either GOG or ERD and browse with you. 100% sincere offer. I would love to go browse diamonds in NYC with another PSer it would be a TOTALLY FABULOUS experience.

ETA: Those settings are beautiful, especially the one from your av. what shaped stones are you wanting for your setting?

Okay, you''ll probably think I''m weird... but... on each side: half moon, pear, and three rounds. The center stone represents air which is me (gemini lol), the moons represent earth - my husband (taurus - and BTW I''m not really into astrology, I just like the four natural elements...), the pears represent water (which happens to be the element for my best friend of 22 years), and the rounds fire - and since I have three children who are all leo''s (fire) I am putting three on each side. I''d also like maybe a baguette on each side of the crown under the main diamond, under the "prizm chamber" LOL That''s uncertain... but since I figured out that equals 13 stones I''m more apt to do that (I''m open to another shape though) lol

 

[Gypsy]

Date: 7/12/2006 11:20:34 PM
Author: Cehrabehra

Date: 7/12/2006 9:53:57 PM
Author: Gypsy
Gypsy? This ring has a pretty ideal example of what I want the top of the ring to look like (not exactly but this is close)... but when you look through the setting for the main stone and you see the pincers? I want that to be a high polished rhodium mirror surface instead of looking through to skin. The open bottom design is more ideal if you''re holding the ring, but if it''s up against the browns and pinks of skin tone, especially if it creates a little dark cave under the diamond, I don''t think it''s best... particularly if the stone you''re looking for (or I''m looking for lol) is going to be somewhat light-leaky. Best to turn that to an advantage IMO. I call it a prism chamber I have more pictures to post as well...

This is fascinating for me. So this helps your stone appear brighter. I skimmed your other thread... and well, I would love to underrstand this better-- especially if it can be applied to my custom setting. Wonder if asschers are ''leaky''... I am actually hoping for a barion cut gemstone to replace my asscher in this setting, so I really like them-- and have seen BEAUTIFUL versions of the cut in colored gemstones.

As for cushions and stress on you.

Can I advise you to do something? I don''t know where you live. But if your in the US (or even Canada)... I would HIGHLY suggest a trip out to NYC for you. You could go see Mark T at ERD and Jon at GOG... and browse the diamond district. You wouldn''t have to buy. It needn''t be a buying trip. It can be an educational trip... and when you figure out what you want, if you want to use a PS vendor you can always have the diamond sent to you or an appraiser to see if before you decide.

And frankly, if you come out to the NYC area I''ll meet you at either GOG or ERD and browse with you. 100% sincere offer. I would love to go browse diamonds in NYC with another PSer it would be a TOTALLY FABULOUS experience.

ETA: Those settings are beautiful, especially the one from your av. what shaped stones are you wanting for your setting?

Okay, you''ll probably think I''m weird... but... on each side: half moon, pear, and three rounds. The center stone represents air which is me (gemini lol), the moons represent earth - my husband (taurus - and BTW I''m not really into astrology, I just like the four natural elements...), the pears represent water (which happens to be the element for my best friend of 22 years), and the rounds fire - and since I have three children who are all leo''s (fire) I am putting three on each side. I''d also like maybe a baguette on each side of the crown under the main diamond, under the ''prizm chamber'' LOL That''s uncertain... but since I figured out that equals 13 stones I''m more apt to do that (I''m open to another shape though) lol

Hmm. Sounds very elemental. Wiccan even. Which is great. And it sounds like the ring will be much more than just a piece of jewelry to you. Which is also just great. I don''t think your weird at all, actually. Just very strong minded. As I tend to be the same, I find it quite comfortable.

 

[Cehrabehra]

Date: 7/13/2006 12:00:56 AM
Author: Gypsy

Hmm. Sounds very elemental. Wiccan even. Which is great. And it sounds like the ring will be much more than just a piece of jewelry to you. Which is also just great. I don't think your weird at all, actually. Just very strong minded. As I tend to be the same, I find it quite comfortable.

I have always gone back and forth between degrees in astrophycis and quantum physics. I'm still not sure which I'll choose (I'll go back to school when my youngest is in school full time) but I've always placed a high importance on the natural laws that create our world. I'm not pagan, but I admire the embracing of the earth. I tend to observe what I call "natural" holidays. Not for the history of paganism, but because in my head celebrating the sun and the moon and the earth and the galaxy and the universe just seems to make sense. I want a ring that showcases that and everything else in my life. And that's a big reason why I want large chunks of fire... I'm not kidding when I say I would *love* to have a stone that I could shine big rainbows with for my kids like a portable prism. I'm not too into the blinding flashes of pinlight or pinfire. They're GORGEOUS but I want a stone that makes me *think* and makes other people think when they look at it

My own interest in physics lies in the realm of theoretical (gee can you see how this imparts itself into my diamond experience? ::snort:: ) and the finitely/inifinitely large and the finitely/infinitely small. My husband on the other hand is an engineer with a double major in physics and he's very practical and much more knowledgable about the physics of light and optics etc. I seriously might just have a stone cut that's totally unique in the end... that would very much suit me LOL Still, I wish to defer to the experts out there (still waiting to find an impassioned cushion expert lol)... I can't be so filled with hubris that I assume I know better than people who've spent their lives at this LOL Still... no one holds the cushion crown that I can see... no one wants it... hey... maybe I could have my 'ideal' stone planted in a crown bahahahahahahaha!

 

[Cehrabehra]

Okay... just for kicks... I chronicled some of these phone calls I made to local stores... I''m slightly amused at what I''ve heard already LOL

S co - first person I talked to had never even heard of a cushion cut, second person said they don''t carry them.

Tiffany - only has preset stones, didn''t know cushions came in various cuts and tried to focus me on what type of SETTING I wanted and wouldn''t even entertain the thought of me choosing a stone that wasn''t already set even if I purchased their setting. “Do you like three stone rings?” “Do you like pave?” "Did you want platinum?" Those were the answers to my questions about CUT LOL

Uncommon - said they had found some cushions, mostly under a carat, in the past but didn''t take long to admit that he didn''t have a lot of experience and recommended 6 other local jewelers I might try. Brownie points for honesty!

Ben – has one cushion in a safe that’s already sold, but took the time to find out the stats on it as an example of what they could locate. 1.52 carat vs2 h color 11,595. Had the GIA and described the cut as a four pointed star surrounded by four more facets and then 8 more facets. Sure would be nice if these cuts had REAL names hahaha! She thought it was interesting that there was more than one type of pavilion cut on a cushion and didn’t know that before.

Marg – Willing to do a search, knows they have more than one pavilion cut but has not familiarized herself with them. Took the time to look at 1.72 carat 7.29x6.43 (113), h vs2… 70% depth, $13,500 with a loupe but was unable to describe the cut, even when I narrowed down to query whether it was a 4 pointed or 8 pointed star - she called it a “modern cut”.

Pack – Far better than average knowledge about cushion cuts, very pessimistic that I’ll find what I’m looking for exactly (the long baby of an old european and an old mine lol) which I’m tending to agree with. Does custom ring design, including wax, for what I would consider a competitive price. Definitely knowledgable, but it was obvious that the intake person acts strictly as a liaison to the person actually doing the searches. The communication gap could be a slight concern.

Estate – hasn’t done much with cushions, doesn’t know much about different cuts, has no old mine or old European and didn’t seem interested in locating… focuses mostly on princess and round. Estate huh?

Queen – said he understood everything that I said and was familiar with the different cuts, but didn’t actually SAY anything that led me to believe this was true. He maintained his confidence in finding just what I was looking for, even in long old mine and old European cuts. Oh really?

Affordable – full service internet vendor with LOCAL shop. Tons of resources, and did I mention local? I have no feedback on them though. So far I have been happier with the PS vendors I’ve talked with and I''m not totally swayed by locality by any means.


Anyway... that''s a snippet. It was amusing. I do have some leads on places I can go in to look around though... definitely glad I made a bunch of calls so I could weed the obvious ones out before I wasted my time going there lol! I still like the PS vendors best, by far. Even though they''re all so far away! The people that post here are just amazingly generous with their time.

 

[diagem]

Hi I posted some cool cushion pics on this thread a while ago...


https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/diagem-please-tell-us-about-your-new-avatar.45713/page-2

 

[fatafelice]

Date: 7/11/2006 5:32:30 AM
Author: Cehrabehra

The names in black all came with the pictures and their accuracy is up in the air. The ones in white are as listed on site, and #ll has no information on it whatsoever.

I promise they are accurate.

Most, if not all, of those designations were taken from the certs of pricescopers with the actual cushions OR from vendors who had certs posted. The only discrepancy I am aware of was early on since (as MMM posted), H&A cushions have the same plot on the cert as another kind of "modern" cushion.

I am very interested to see how your search goes. Only those who have searched for cushions know what a tough prospect it is. I particularly enjoyed the chronicle of the vendors you have spoken to! Some of those conversations sound very reminiscient of ones I had while searching for my cushion.

Here are some random thoughts that I had while reading this thread:

-- To me, a cushion is any stone with a square/rectangular shape and rounded corners. Personally, I don''t think radiants, ovals, or barions qualify.

-- Mark T. is a cushion master, but Whiteflash and GOG also have access to awesome stones.

-- I think that cushion with the baquette sides is actually a "cushion brilliant" like the #5 on your collage. I''ll try to post some pics to show you why I think that. Funny that John didn''t post that pavillion style with the other three, because I know for a fact that WF sells that style cushion as well.

-- He probably can''t discuss it much without violating forum rules, but Diagem knows cutters who do cut old mine replicas. See this thread.

-- Don''t rule out an estate stone. Hard to find, maybe, but there are some interesting variations on OMCs and "antique" cushions to be found in old stones. I''ll try to come up with some links for you of the vendors I think are the most promising. They may not have what you want posted, but if you call them, they might be able to find something for you.

HTH!

 

[fatafelice]

GIA rarely gives the distinction "Old Mine Brilliant" on a cert, but there are many plain old "Cushion Brilliiants" that actually look more like old mines. The ring that you posted with the baquettes is from Rau Antiques, but their jewelry site seems to be down at the moment. I''ll check back later.

In the meantime, here is a collage showing why I think this stone very closely resembles two other stones labeled as "cushion brilliant" with a plot like the one below. Part of the resemblance is obviously the culet, but they also all seem to have a similar pavillion.

 

[fatafelice]

You mentioned in your other thread that you wanted to seem some light return, so here is mine. For more info (and pics) on the stone, you can check out this thread.

 

[fatafelice]

Here are three estate jewelers that I contacted at some point in my search and they seemed to know their way around a cushion. Keep in mind, however, that these kinds of jewelers don't usually have the info that ps'ers are trained to ask for (IS, sarin, etc.).

Estate Diamond Jewelry
Nelson Rarities
Singlestone

You could also check into these vendors:

Adin
Fay Cullen (sells loose cushions and OMCs as well as set rings -- I'd give them a call)
Israel Rose
Lang Antiques (prices seem high to me)

This guy might be able to help in your search for info and in finding a stone.

And these sites have cool stones, but are generally very high end:

SJ Phillips
A La Vielle Russie
Greens of Cheltenham
Bentley and Skinner
Craig Small

 

[JohnQuixote]

Date: 7/12/2006 5:54:21 PM
Author: Cehrabehra

Date: 7/12/2006 1:05:17 PM
Author: JohnQuixote

Looking at the range of configurations on p2 I thought you might like to see our friend the barion here. Basil Watermeyer, a highly regarded cutter, named this design after his wife Marion - using his first initial. This design is also used with colored gemstones.

question - is this considered an oval cut or a cushion cut? or... that side view is very lovely... does Basil W do custom cut jobs?

It can be applied to rounds, ovals, etc. It may interest you to know that it was the precursor to the starburst and the radiant.

I thought you''d find this page interesting (look on the left, under ''cushions''). Bear in mind that these are faceting diagrams; applicable to colored gemstones. Not all can be applied to diamond cutting, but since you''re becoming the configuration queen you can hold court over these too.

http://www.usfacetersguild.org/index_designs.shtml

 

[TravelingGal]

Here is my IS. The white bits freaked me out at first, but the stone is really lovely and I fall in love with it more each day. It''s also an ex/ex and I love the symmetry (which you can also see in the IS).

 

[TravelingGal]

And here is the cushion image

 

[Gypsy]

Date: 7/13/2006 2:09:35 AM
Author: Cehrabehra

I have always gone back and forth between degrees in astrophycis and quantum physics. I''m still not sure which I''ll choose (I''ll go back to school when my youngest is in school full time) but I''ve always placed a high importance on the natural laws that create our world. I''m not pagan, but I admire the embracing of the earth. I tend to observe what I call ''natural'' holidays. Not for the history of paganism, but because in my head celebrating the sun and the moon and the earth and the galaxy and the universe just seems to make sense. I want a ring that showcases that and everything else in my life. And that''s a big reason why I want large chunks of fire... I''m not kidding when I say I would *love* to have a stone that I could shine big rainbows with for my kids like a portable prism. I''m not too into the blinding flashes of pinlight or pinfire. They''re GORGEOUS but I want a stone that makes me *think* and makes other people think when they look at it

I think that''s just wonderful. ''Paganism'' or the worship of the natural world and it''s cycles at an elemental level has always appealed to me. I don''t find it inconsistent with ''non-pagan'' religious ideals. I find it complimentary... but I know this is not a view shared by many. I can understand wanting to have this ring symblize you and all that you are. I think it''s a very worthy endeavor... and well, fun.

Okay.. gonna read the rest of the thread now.

 

[JohnQuixote]

Date: 7/12/2006 9:20:36 PM
Author: Cehrabehra

I think what I find most ironic about this journey is that cushion cuts are the oldest cuts and so few people know anything about them. You say cushion and they say princess! I''ve been chronicalling my phone interviews for *local* places, and have been dismayed, amused, and surprised. I''ll share some of them later... I think you''ll get a kick out of a few lol It seems like the cushion cut, being one of the oldest, would be more understood and I''ve run across people who''ve never even heard of them!

Yes. It''s because the shape and size of those old cuts depended entirely on the rough. There was not a ''bullseye'' for proportions or configurations like we have with the 57/58 facet RB today, thus more freedom to be creative.

The development of tools like the diamond saw allowed further evolution of the round brilliant. Getting more modern, our ability to measure angles and correlate performance actually constricted development of new designs. There are creative cutters today who rue this ''slotting.''

''Back in the day'' each piece of rough was treated as a piece of unhewn art. The final product could be distinctive. Now computer scanners ''pre-plan'' rough for commercially proven shapes and it''s rarely one cutter handling it from blocking to brillianteering.

Date: 7/12/2006 9:20:36 PM
Author: Cehrabehra

The thing I find second most ironic is that while everyone shouts out that we should demand perfection from our diamond, the answer for a cushion is to take what you can get. And I''m supposed to find that acceptable? Maybe I''m ahead of my time... or maybe cushions will never be fully understood or defined. I hope I''m wrong.

It''s an irony: The quest for ''perfection'' [ x+y angle = z light return ] and eventual slotting of rough for conventional design is the very thing that caused the reduction of the ''artistic'' makes you''re now attracted to.

Welcome to the madness.

 

[JohnQuixote]

Date: 7/13/2006 10:57:47 AM
Author: fatafelice

Funny that John didn't post that pavillion style with the other three, because I know for a fact that WF sells that style cushion as well.

Fatafelice and Traveling Gal; thank you for sharing your diamond images and insight. FF, yours was one I had in mind to find today. Your style is indeed one we've been happy to sell. There are a few others we've sourced as well. I only posted our 3 most common, according to Bob and Brian who have been in the trade since cushions were popular.

(ok, I exaggerate)

Cehra, here is a great dual-cushion thread: https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/twins-a-cushion-for-me-and-a-cushion-for-mom.45066/

 

[Cehrabehra]

Date: 7/13/2006 11:24:20 AM
Author: fatafelice
GIA rarely gives the distinction ''Old Mine Brilliant'' on a cert, but there are many plain old ''Cushion Brilliiants'' that actually look more like old mines. The ring that you posted with the baquettes is from Rau Antiques, but their jewelry site seems to be down at the moment. I''ll check back later.

In the meantime, here is a collage showing why I think this stone very closely resembles two other stones labeled as ''cushion brilliant'' with a plot like the one below. Part of the resemblance is obviously the culet, but they also all seem to have a similar pavillion.

I wish the picture had copied... but the reason I think it''s either old mine or old european is because of that one glowing facet cut. It is unobstructed and tapers toward the middle, not away from the middle. It''s just a different shape facet than the cush brils.

 

[Cehrabehra]

Date: 7/13/2006 1:28:51 PM
Author: JohnQuixote

Date: 7/12/2006 5:54:21 PM
Author: Cehrabehra

Date: 7/12/2006 1:05:17 PM
Author: JohnQuixote

Looking at the range of configurations on p2 I thought you might like to see our friend the barion here. Basil Watermeyer, a highly regarded cutter, named this design after his wife Marion - using his first initial. This design is also used with colored gemstones.

question - is this considered an oval cut or a cushion cut? or... that side view is very lovely... does Basil W do custom cut jobs?

It can be applied to rounds, ovals, etc. It may interest you to know that it was the precursor to the starburst and the radiant.

I thought you''d find this page interesting (look on the left, under ''cushions''). Bear in mind that these are faceting diagrams; applicable to colored gemstones. Not all can be applied to diamond cutting, but since you''re becoming the configuration queen you can hold court over these too.

http://www.usfacetersguild.org/index_designs.shtml

bahahahaha you crack me up! I''d be curious which could be applied to diamonds... Thanks John! ::clicking link::

 

[Cehrabehra]

Date: 7/13/2006 2:03:22 PM
Author: JohnQuixote


It''s an irony: The quest for ''perfection'' [ x+y angle = z light return ] and eventual slotting of rough for conventional design is the very thing that caused the reduction of the ''artistic'' makes you''re now attracted to.

Welcome to the madness.

You''re not kidding LOL!!!

 

[fatafelice]

Date: 7/13/2006 2:14:19 PM
Author: Cehrabehra

Date: 7/13/2006 11:24:20 AM
Author: fatafelice
GIA rarely gives the distinction ''Old Mine Brilliant'' on a cert, but there are many plain old ''Cushion Brilliiants'' that actually look more like old mines. The ring that you posted with the baquettes is from Rau Antiques, but their jewelry site seems to be down at the moment. I''ll check back later.

In the meantime, here is a collage showing why I think this stone very closely resembles two other stones labeled as ''cushion brilliant'' with a plot like the one below. Part of the resemblance is obviously the culet, but they also all seem to have a similar pavillion.

I wish the picture had copied... but the reason I think it''s either old mine or old european is because of that one glowing facet cut. It is unobstructed and tapers toward the middle, not away from the middle. It''s just a different shape facet than the cush brils.

Isn''t that the same thing, depending which direction you are travelling?

I guess I''m not quite getting it. To me, the facets appear to be very similar. I think one of the things going on in that photo is the tilt and the reflection making the facet appear longer/larger. I''m not saying that the facet in that stone is not different, but that the basic pattern of the pavillion is the same, with differences owing to size,depth,table, etc. A stone like that one may well have a cert that says "cushion brilliant," based on the fact that GIA is very general with their designations.

Either way, try to remember that in a cushion under 2 carats, the visual difference between the length of the facets (if that is the difference that you mean) would probably be negligible. If it helps, I can assure you that my (only 1.31 ct.) stone returns light in a very chunky manner and that the fire is outstanding. Particularly in the car, I aim rainbows at every available surface (at least until FI tells me to stop distracting him while he is driving!

). I could be wrong here, because I have never gotten into numbers as much as others, but the fire that you want to see will largely be determined by the crown height/angle, etc.

 

[fatafelice]

Here''s a diagram that I think illustrates what you are talking about as far as the difference between those particuar facets is concerned. However, even though that Rau stone is different from the cushion brilliant, I''m not sure that it is any closer to the OMC. Somewhere in between, IMO. But that is the point. Old cushions come in MANY variations and it is hard to put a label on them.

 

[fatafelice]

Here's another cushion brilliant for you!

 

[Cehrabehra]

Date: 7/13/2006 3:16:31 PM
Author: fatafelice
Here''s a diagram that I think illustrates what you are talking about as far as the difference between those particuar facets is concerned. However, even though that Rau stone is different from the cushion brilliant, I''m not sure that it is any closer to the OMC. Somewhere in between, IMO. But that is the point. Old cushions come in MANY variations and it is hard to put a label on them.

Your diagram is exactly what I''m talking about! I just love the shape of that facet I''m not sure what the "Rau" stone is... is it the ring that I like? this one?

 

[Cehrabehra]

Date: 7/13/2006 3:24:57 PM
Author: fatafelice
Here''s another cushion brilliant for you!

This is *very* close to the EXACT cut that I was looking for... do you have ANY examples of this in a stone?

How facets do with refraction/fire? I mean... do larger facets do better or smaller? I know that''s a general and vague question... but I want a lot of fire and I want the fire chunks to be BIG not pinfire.

I really appreciate your input!

 

[Cehrabehra]

Date: 7/13/2006 3:16:31 PM
Author: fatafelice
Here''s a diagram that I think illustrates what you are talking about as far as the difference between those particuar facets is concerned. However, even though that Rau stone is different from the cushion brilliant, I''m not sure that it is any closer to the OMC. Somewhere in between, IMO. But that is the point. Old cushions come in MANY variations and it is hard to put a label on them.

Okay, going back to your diagram... just based on the look of the facets and not the performance, I would LOVE a cut like the OMC but with the "windmill" areas the same angles from the culet as the other facets... basically 8 equally spaced facts.

Can you tell me more about your cushion?

 

[fatafelice]

From the PS tutorial:

"Fire or dispersed light appears as flashes of rainbow colors. You see more fire in darker environments like restaurants that have just a few point light sources or a flickering candle.

Diamond experts have known for a long time that steep crown angles and small tables (like ''old cut'' diamonds) produce more fire. But this combination also produces less light return. Less light return makes it easier to see firey flashes that might otherwise be swamped by bright white sparkles; that one reason is why old cut diamonds and some fancy cuts appear to have a lot of fire."

The main aspects of the cut that are going to contribute to fire are crown angles and small tables. If I am reading this correctly, perhaps having chunky facets helps by cutting down on white light return.



I don''t know any more about that last plot...it was posted awhile ago by another member (I wish Ana was here now, she would definitely have input on this!).

That is the stone I meant...look at my other post where I mention Rau Antiques. That is where the pic came from. I recognized their style, but I checked and that ring isn''t listed anymore.

As far as my cushion goes, I think it is the best of both worlds. It is a new stone cut in the old style and like most other cushion brilliants with that plot, it does have 8 equal pavillion facets -- or nearly equal since the stone isn''t a perfect square. it is very close to the old mine cut, but not quite as deep and with a larger table. It has a ton of fire in low light. As a matter of fact, two complete strangers grabbed my hand to look at it last week because the flashes caught their eye.

When I was searching, I found that the best thing to do was look for slightly large or large culets first. That elimiates a lot of stones. Then I looked at the numbers to make sure it wasn''t too shallow or have too large of a table. I also looked at the l/w ratio since I wanted a more square stone. Then I looked at the cert. When I found a cushion brilliant with the equal faceted pavillion on the plot, I called for more info. I know that the vendors who WF contacted for me were able to say if it was an "old-style" cut or not, so I knew whether or not I wanted to call it in.

I believe that you can find a stone that knocks your socks off without having to start from scratch.

What kinds of specs are you looking for?

 

[Cehrabehra]

Date: 7/14/2006 11:27:46 PM
Author: fatafelice
From the PS tutorial:

'Fire or dispersed light appears as flashes of rainbow colors. You see more fire in darker environments like restaurants that have just a few point light sources or a flickering candle.

Diamond experts have known for a long time that steep crown angles and small tables (like 'old cut' diamonds) produce more fire. But this combination also produces less light return. Less light return makes it easier to see firey flashes that might otherwise be swamped by bright white sparkles; that one reason is why old cut diamonds and some fancy cuts appear to have a lot of fire.'

The main aspects of the cut that are going to contribute to fire are crown angles and small tables. If I am reading this correctly, perhaps having chunky facets helps by cutting down on white light return.



I don't know any more about that last plot...it was posted awhile ago by another member (I wish Ana was here now, she would definitely have input on this!).

Yes, I've read a lot of her old posts and think she'd be an awesome contributor to my dilema!

That is the stone I meant...look at my other post where I mention Rau Antiques. That is where the pic came from. I recognized their style, but I checked and that ring isn't listed anymore.

As far as my cushion goes, I think it is the best of both worlds. It is a new stone cut in the old style and like most other cushion brilliants with that plot, it does have 8 equal pavillion facets -- or nearly equal since the stone isn't a perfect square. it is very close to the old mine cut, but not quite as deep and with a larger table. It has a ton of fire in low light. As a matter of fact, two complete strangers grabbed my hand to look at it last week because the flashes caught their eye.

When I was searching, I found that the best thing to do was look for slightly large or large culets first. That elimiates a lot of stones. Then I looked at the numbers to make sure it wasn't too shallow or have too large of a table. I also looked at the l/w ratio since I wanted a more square stone. Then I looked at the cert. When I found a cushion brilliant with the equal faceted pavillion on the plot, I called for more info. I know that the vendors who WF contacted for me were able to say if it was an 'old-style' cut or not, so I knew whether or not I wanted to call it in.

I believe that you can find a stone that knocks your socks off without having to start from scratch.

What kinds of specs are you looking for?

Specs? Well *ideally* it would be a D with med flour, VS1-2, and close to 2 carats if I can FIND it and afford it... I'll accept an I with med flour, SI1 (eyeclean, esp in center), close to 1 carat if it is the right cut. As for ratio, I've pretty much thrown in the towel - anything from square to 1.30 would be great as long as the stone performed well... I think the pic below has nice proportions and the perfect cut.

I want a cut like this in EVERY way:

 

[Cehrabehra]

I want a cut like this in EVERY way:

So... what do I ask for? What cut IS this anyway? Looks like an old mine with more symmetrical proportions to me.

 

[diagem]

Date: 7/15/2006 3:24:28 PM
Author: Cehrabehra

I want a cut like this in EVERY way:

So... what do I ask for? What cut IS this anyway? Looks like an old mine with more symmetrical proportions to me.

Yes, it is an OMC that is more symmetrical, its a 2.03 F-VS1 which is on one happy finger today.
Its one of my pictures, but thanx for the complement...

 

[Cehrabehra]

Date: 7/15/2006 3:35:23 PM
Author: DiaGem

Date: 7/15/2006 3:24:28 PM
Author: Cehrabehra

I want a cut like this in EVERY way:

So... what do I ask for? What cut IS this anyway? Looks like an old mine with more symmetrical proportions to me.

Yes, it is an OMC that is more symmetrical, its a 2.03 F-VS1 which is on one happy finger today.
Its one of my pictures, but thanx for the complement...

YOU TOOK THAT PICTURE???????? Okay yes, that''s my dream stone LOL How do I find one??? Do they still cut those? Do you recall the stats/proportions on that cut? GORGEOUS picture btw!! Do you remember the price on it?

 

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Diagem....

You''re a cutter, aren''t you?

Did you cut that incredible OMC?

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