I REALLY hope this is a good princess stone!! Please help me, scholars of the diamond!

[LoveMeDo]

Hi everyone! I have really been impressed by your knowledge of princess stones, and I''m wondering if you could tell me if this is a good one carat stone. The jeweler is selling it to us for $3,200 (which I THINK is a good deal from what I''ve compared it to on the net...):

EGL certified
Weight 1.01 ct.
Shape PRINCESS
Color H
Clarity VS1
Measurements 5.62 x 5.23 x 3.96 mm
Depth 75.7
Table 73.0
Crown 12.4
Pavilion 60.6
Girdle MEDIUM TO SL. THICK POLISHED
Polish VERY GOOD
Symmetry GOOD
Fluorescence NONE
Culet NONE

I would really appreciate your help, because even though I''ve been trying to learn, it''s still quite overwhelming!

Thank you!

 

[Garysax]

Date: 2/5/2006 1:36:41 AM
Author:LoveMeDo
Hi everyone! I have really been impressed by your knowledge of princess stones, and I'm wondering if you could tell me if this is a good one carat stone. The jeweler is selling it to us for $3,200 (which I THINK is a good deal from what I've compared it to on the net...):


EGL certified

Weight 1.01 ct.

Shape PRINCESS

Color H

Clarity VS1

Measurements 5.62 x 5.23 x 3.96 mm

Depth 75.7

Table 73.0

Crown 12.4

Pavilion 60.6

Girdle MEDIUM TO SL. THICK POLISHED

Polish VERY GOOD

Symmetry GOOD

Fluorescence NONE

Culet NONE


I would really appreciate your help, because even though I've been trying to learn, it's still quite overwhelming!


Thank you!

Looks like a very good deal to me, if it's true. Too good. And the EGL cert makes me very, very nervous. See if you can get a look at it through an idealscope and check to make sure it's not in some way damaged. *If* you buy it expect at least a little lower color and clarity so definitely have it checked by an independent appraiser during your return period. Also, the cut looks decent but it's not ideal. 75-73 are decent numbers, a good cut. But make sure--fancy cuts are very variable and even ideal measurements can have poor light return.

Just remember often a deal that's too good to be true on diamonds is too good to be true. So make sure your bases are covered and that you know a lot more about it than the numbers.

 

[valeria101]

'Scholars of diamond' --

[assume chuckle] - It ain't that bad, is it?

Date: 2/5/2006 1:36:41 AM
Author:LoveMeDo

The jeweler is selling it to us for $3,200 (which I THINK is a good deal from what I've compared it to on the net...):

I see a couple of GIA graded for about the same..

And if the EGL grading the stone you have found locally is not the US branch, this is no deal at all. look among the 'rectangular' princess cut diamonds (this means any with length/width > 1.05 by definition) you will find they are somewhat discounted. Yours is slightly beyond this range - it should still look square enough, but the discount has something to do with the hunch that the princess cut often results in dull stones if not square (with a large bow-tie across the long side). Of course, this stone you were offered is only slightly rectangular (l/w=1.07:1), and on a 5mm 'object' small details of cut quality may be lost unless you get used to look for them.

Without seeing the stone, all these are only 'details to look for' - no idea of they apply or not. On a forum like this, diamonds with sufficiently detailed online presentations (pictures, IdealScope or other cut grades attached) are easier to talk about. I can only second-guess what you say about the diamond in question - and this is not a fair evaluation at all.

Even if I were an expert - which I am not.

I can't guess if the stone is or is not a relatively brilliant princess cut from the numbers given, because there is no research available to back 'guesstimates' up.

My 2c

 

[valeria101]

Date: 2/5/2006 2:29:23 AM
Author: Garysax

...fancy cuts are very variable and even ideal measurements can have poor light return.

I assume by ''ideal measurements'' you mean the type of stats on lab reports (table & depth and possibly crown height - all averaged).

As much as I remember, AGS used quite a bit more numbers to define their AGS0 grade for princess cuts - perhaps those make sense, but it is impossible to get the ''set'' and ... there is no quick & easy software to get a cut grade reading out of them. Not counting 3D scans readable by DiamCalc (or similar).

 

[LoveMeDo]

is it likely that my jeweler will be able to offer me an idealscope to look through? nothing was mentioned about that while we were talking..

 

[Garysax]

Date: 2/5/2006 3:07:34 AM
Author: valeria101

Date: 2/5/2006 2:29:23 AM

Author: Garysax


...fancy cuts are very variable and even ideal measurements can have poor light return.

I assume by ''ideal measurements'' you mean the type of stats on lab reports (table & depth and possibly crown height - all averaged).


As much as I remember, AGS used quite a bit more numbers to define their AGS0 grade for princess cuts - perhaps those make sense, but it is impossible to get the ''set'' and ... there is no quick & easy software to get a cut grade reading out of them. Not counting 3D scans readable by DiamCalc (or similar).

Right, I mean ideal cuts according to the sparse information on, say, a GIA report (table, depth, if you''re lucky somebody knows the crown...)

 

[valeria101]

Date: 2/5/2006 3:14:20 AM
Author: LoveMeDo
is it likely that my jeweler will be able to offer me an idealscope to look through? nothing was mentioned about that while we were talking..

Chances are he wouldn't have one. Some shops do - but unless they sell some brand of ideal rounds, perhaps not. 'Ideal cut' princess cuts are very much a new kid on the block - cut grading by AGS for them is less than 1 year old. The concept used by IdealScope and similar 'reflector' tool is rather old - but... Apparently few diamonds stand that sort of test and this makes 'scope less popular than you'd hope with sellers.

Perhaps a shop nearby has them - IdealScopes are meant for buyers to use and fairly cheap. If not, perhaps someone on this forum has one to spare, and they can be ordered by mail. I do not know more about supplies of iScopes than there is noted on the respective website: www.Ideal-Scope.com

'Guess you've been there already.


Where are you located? Perhaps someone would know better what could be a source of 'Scopes or cut graded diamonds for comparison within reasonable distance.

 

[LoveMeDo]

This stone is EGL-USA, and they are actually located right next to my jeweler. The jeweler said that we could walk the stone over there to confirm that it''s what it says, but I guess if they are not as strict it won''t really matter...

 

[valeria101]

Date: 2/5/2006 1:14:05 PM
Author: LoveMeDo
This stone is EGL-USA, and they are actually located right next to my jeweler. The jeweler said that we could walk the stone over there to confirm that it''s what it says, but I guess if they are not as strict it won''t really matter...

That is good news...because some other EGL labs would have been allot more questionable - this what my previous post was referring to. I wouldn''t walk the diamond across the street again to EGL either.

 

[valeria101]

The only cut guide that works with this little information (and the strength of the conclusions is accordingly lowered...) is AGA... you may have read about them in the bit about Fancy Shapes/Knowledge on top of this page.

According to them, the numbers on your EGL report sound pretty darn good. More than that... I wouldn''t know what to say, even if I could ''model'' those proportions over a range of cut variations - some of those look rather strange, and there is no way to know what your diamond looks like.

No surprise though - diamonds meant to be sold over the Net come with suitable presentations (sometimes), yours wasn''t packaged that way.

 

[LoveMeDo]

Wow, the AGA chart I looked at had my diamond listed as a 2B. Has the chart changed recently?

 

[valeria101]

Date: 2/7/2006 12:18:25 PM
Author: LoveMeDo
Wow, the AGA chart I looked at had my diamond listed as a 2B. Has the chart changed recently?

Not that I know of...

 

[squarediamondlove]

Disclosure: I am not a "scholar of the diamond!"

But, I also agree with valeria101,

Besides verifying that the specs are accurate, you should really try to obtain an idealscope. If you are not that knowlegable at looking at diamonds, an idealscope will definately make your life easier. Other than that, its hard to go on just specs b/c even ideal looking specs can render a not so ideal idealscope image. If you decide to purchase an idealscope it should take 3-5 days to recieve; so it may be worth the wait.

Other than that, the specs look nice enough, except for the shape of the stone. I am not a big fan of rectangular princesses, they never look very appealing to me and will often leak light on the elongated sides b/c if their shape. You have a greater chance of getting a nicer cut by going with square cut.

If you can't get access to an idealscope, the most I can suggest is just to LOOK at the stone and see whether it looks symmetrical to you - make sure that the symmetry is not off to one side. Also, see if it looks bright and metalic as upposed to being dull looking. The duller gray areas will often be either the areas that leek light or have poor contrast. Compare its sparkle to the sparkle of other stones in the shop - you should feel like it outsparkles other princess cuts.

Another option, which you may not feel comfortable with, is going to Fortunoff to pick out the most sparkly princess cut you see in a 1ct range, then you can bring it to your dealer to compare with the diamond that you are considering. You can then return it and get your money back. Fortunoff has a certain standard it maintains for cuts so it may serve as a good comparison. Just a thought.