Ideal cut vs other cuts

[prc]

BF picked up appraisal today from gemologist who is GIA appraiser. When he asked about ideal cut round diamonds, she said that the GIA determined that ideal cuts do not always have the most brilliance or fire, it depends on the angles of the cut. She showed him a 0.89 ct F SI1 for $5,300 and 2 different H VS2 diamonds for $6,150 and $6500.

 

[firebirdgold]

I''m no expert, but that sounds awfully expensive for an F SI.

 

[ChooChoo]

Ideal cuts not always the best? $5300 for F SI1? I would NOT buy from this person. Why don''t you just buy through Pricescope and save yourself a lot of guessing and problems?

 

[prc]

The rings didn''t sound great to me either but he said they had "fire." I want to use Whiteflash or another vendor but BF said he wants to use a local jeweler following our Ebay fiasco. Though I''m working on him....

 

[ChooChoo]

Your BF should read this board. Your local jewelers are FAR more likely to rip you off than any of the recommended Pricescope vendors. Even the good local jewelers just won't have the same level of quality of stones in stock. The Boston jeweler who sold us our setting tried to show us some stones, and after doing our research on Pricescope and buying an ideal cut stone from Union Diamond online, nothing she showed us held a candle to our stone.

My sister's first engagement ring came from a trusted and recommended local jeweler. After she started reading Pricescope, she had it appraised and discovered what a piece of cr*p it unfortunately was. She has bought another set, with an ideal cut stone from DirtCheapDiamonds, and wears it all the time. Sadly, it was too late to return the old ring, so it just sits in her jewelry box. Please don't make another expensive mistake!

 

[Kaleigh]

I would definitely have your BF read up here on PS. You''ll get a better cut stone online than most B&M''s and you''ll pay a lot less too. I have bought from WF and GOG. Good luck!!!

 

[WinkHPD]

Date: 2/25/2006 3:54:23 PM
Author:prc
BF picked up appraisal today from gemologist who is GIA appraiser. When he asked about ideal cut round diamonds, she said that the GIA determined that ideal cuts do not always have the most brilliance or fire, it depends on the angles of the cut.

Unfortunately, with the new proportion based parameters that GIA has offered in their cut grading system that is true. If you stick with an AGS performance based ideal you will not find that to be true. AGS has shown that it is light performance that rules, not proportions, especially the steep deep that AGS removed from their ideal standards but that GIA just added to theirs.

Wink

 

[Just_Looking]

PRC,

I had doubts about using an online vendor myself for my GF''s e-ring. However I have been very pleased with the experience so far (the ring should be here on Wed.)

Where do you live? I would check some of the sites to see if there is one close to you. I ended up using Union Diamond. I was very impressed by the quality of their stones and their helpful staff. But the biggest item in their favor was their location. They are in Atlanta (1.5 hours from where I am in Chattanooga). I went down a couple of weeks ago and was able to meet them in person and take a look at a couple of stones (just to get a feel for them and what they had in stock). After returning home I found some stones online that I was interested in. Tony, at uniondiamond, had a couple of them brought in and I went down today to take a look at them and picked out the "perfect" stone.

If there is someone reasonably close to you then you may be able do have the "personal" touch of seeing a stone in person and dealing with someone face to face, but still receive the price savings that an online vendor brings.

(if your doublely lucky then they will be in another state as well. Since Union Diamond is in Georgia and I live in Tennessee there is no sales tax.

)

Just and Idea.

 

[gemmy1]

What the gemologist may have been saying, and what the new GIA cut grading system implies, is that there is a wider range of cut specs that result in top performing diamonds than many people have been led to believe.

I also agree that the prices on the stones you refer to are too high relative to what is available from many reputable online sellers.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Date: 2/25/2006 5:32:26 PM
Author: Wink

Date: 2/25/2006 3:54:23 PM
Author:prc
BF picked up appraisal today from gemologist who is GIA appraiser. When he asked about ideal cut round diamonds, she said that the GIA determined that ideal cuts do not always have the most brilliance or fire, it depends on the angles of the cut.

Unfortunately, with the new proportion based parameters that GIA has offered in their cut grading system that is true. If you stick with an AGS performance based ideal you will not find that to be true. AGS has shown that it is light performance that rules, not proportions, especially the steep deep that AGS removed from their ideal standards but that GIA just added to theirs.

Wink

So Wink, are you saying that people are safe in looking at AGS Ideals without having to analyze all the numbers to death?

 

[firebirdgold]

Date: 2/25/2006 8:59:52 PM
Author: gemmy1
What the gemologist may have been saying, and what the new GIA cut grading system implies, is that there is a wider range of cut specs that result in top performing diamonds than many people have been led to believe.


I also agree that the prices on the stones you refer to are too high relative to what is available from many reputable online sellers.

So Gemmy, are you saying that the new GIA grading system will help a consumer pick a beautiful stone? In the end beauty and appeal is all we really care about, right guys? I''m a big GIA fan so I want to believe that their new system isn''t worthless, but that does seem to be the feeling I''ve picked up on PS.

 

[gemmy1]

Date: 2/26/2006 12:55:39 PM
Author: Wren

Date: 2/25/2006 8:59:52 PM
Author: gemmy1
What the gemologist may have been saying, and what the new GIA cut grading system implies, is that there is a wider range of cut specs that result in top performing diamonds than many people have been led to believe.


I also agree that the prices on the stones you refer to are too high relative to what is available from many reputable online sellers.

So Gemmy, are you saying that the new GIA grading system will help a consumer pick a beautiful stone? In the end beauty and appeal is all we really care about, right guys? I''m a big GIA fan so I want to believe that their new system isn''t worthless, but that does seem to be the feeling I''ve picked up on PS.

Yes, I believe that in time the GIA cut grading system will help consumers choose the right diamond for their purposes without so much anguish. It should not be necessary for the consumer to break out their old geometry books in order to get engaged.
There may be faults in the new system and there could be changes made to it over time. But the GIA system is based upon the most exhaustive study ever undertaken on diamond cut. Best of all, the mathematical system derived from the computerized ray tracing technologies and light measurement instrumentation were confirmed and validated by some 70,000 human observations.
My guess is that it will be a system that can be comfortably relied upon by most folks, allowing them to spend time on other important aspects of their diamond selection and opening up a wider pool of stones worthy of consideration.

 

[Gonzodogg]

Date: 3/1/2006 4:00:45 PM
Author: gemmy1

Date: 2/26/2006 12:55:39 PM
Author: Wren

Date: 2/25/2006 8:59:52 PM
Author: gemmy1
What the gemologist may have been saying, and what the new GIA cut grading system implies, is that there is a wider range of cut specs that result in top performing diamonds than many people have been led to believe.


I also agree that the prices on the stones you refer to are too high relative to what is available from many reputable online sellers.

So Gemmy, are you saying that the new GIA grading system will help a consumer pick a beautiful stone? In the end beauty and appeal is all we really care about, right guys? I''m a big GIA fan so I want to believe that their new system isn''t worthless, but that does seem to be the feeling I''ve picked up on PS.

Yes, I believe that in time the GIA cut grading system will help consumers choose the right diamond for their purposes without so much anguish. It should not be necessary for the consumer to break out their old geometry books in order to get engaged.
There may be faults in the new system and there could be changes made to it over time. But the GIA system is based upon the most exhaustive study ever undertaken on diamond cut. Best of all, the mathematical system derived from the computerized ray tracing technologies and light measurement instrumentation were confirmed and validated by some 70,000 human observations.
My guess is that it will be a system that can be comfortably relied upon by most folks, allowing them to spend time on other important aspects of their diamond selection and opening up a wider pool of stones worthy of consideration.

Who needs a book when you have pricescope? Just post the stone you are considering and let all of the crazy diamond obsessed ladies here do all the work for you.
It worked for me