Ideal vs. Premium cuts

[CountryBoy]

Hello everyone,

Like many people here, I've been educating myself the last several weeks

with regard to what kind of diamond I shall buy within my budget. At first I thought clarity was most important, but after doing much research (mostly on this forum!) I've decided color and cut are much more important. I've lowered my standard in clarity from vs-1 to an eye clean si-2 while raising my standards in color from H to either F or G, and my standards of an average cut to at least a premium cut.

Now I am fine tuning my standards and am wondering the real-life difference that will be noted by my bride to be and people in general with reagard to premium vs. ideal cut. Will there be a noticeable difference in the two? Will an ideal, hearts & arrows cut be so much better than a standard premium cut that I should relax my carat size or color simply so that I may raise my standards with regard to cut?

My main struggle is that I can't figure out what the "expert" will notice compared to the "average Joe" like me.

When it's all said and done, should I do a premium G or an ideal H? What about an ideal cut that is not Hearts & Arrows?

I appreciate any comments and will respond to all. Thank you.

 

[CountryBoy]

Oh, I forgot to add, I am talking about a round cut stone in the 1.70-1.80 range and set in platinum. Thanks again!

 

[codex57]

You likely to run across many experts?

 

[CountryBoy]

Hi Codex,

No, I am not likely to run across any experts, and neither is my bride to be. However, I do very much pay attention to the opinions of the experts. My problem is that I can figure out how much the expert opinions apply to the average guy. In the end, I''m not sure what means most in my dilemma.

 

[Rank Amateur]

I''m guessing that even the untrained consumer can start to see differences between cuts if he or she gets the chance to compare a handful of them side-by-side under identical lighting conditions. After a stone is mounted only the real dogs will bark.

In the end it''s a matter of personal preference and how you want to allocate your budget dollars. Most of us here at Pricescope will pay the freight to get a top cut, but there''s a million Costco shoppers who beg to differ!

 

[strmrdr]

An eyeclean si-1 would be a lot easier to find than an eyeclean si-2.
G-F is kewl.
Cut will make the biggest difference.
Myself id stick to the super-ideal to near super-ideal range which are both above the ideal range :}
Confused?

super-ideal = good hca score under 2, popin idealscope image, true h&a, very very tight demensions. Recomended by a trusted vendor who has the stone in hand.

near-superideal = good hca score under 2, popin ideal-scope image, near true h&a, still tight demensions but not crazy tight.
Recomended by a trusted vendor who has the stone in hand.

 

[Maxine]

Ideal and premium are terms that can mean different things to different people!!!! You need to know what is meant by those terms.....??? Cut is very importan, as I''m sure you have learned here......

 

[aljdewey]

Country Boy.....

I'm just a consumer, but I've had opportunity to compare several of them.

My center stone in my e-ring is an AGS0, H&A from Whiteflash (ACA). My two side stones are AGS0....also ranked 1A by AGA cut grader.....but they are not H&A.

My two new earrings are also ranked 1A by AGA cut grader and are not H&A. One of them is an AGS2 grade, but the grader was the polish, not the proportions.

My former earrings were AGS0...BUT they were ranked 1B by AGA cut grader....and not H&A. My first pair of sidestones were also 1B stones.

The H&A and the 1A stones that aren't H&A all look the same to me......beautiful, gorgeous scintillation, ALIVE.

When I went to the 1B cuts (my old earrings and old sidestones), I saw a difference. They were nice, and they sparkled, but they weren't *alive*......they just didn't have the same scintillation or personality as the 1A diamonds do.

Based on this experience, I don't think it's necessary to have the H&A, but I have seen a difference in 1A and 1B stones, so I prefer to stick with 1A stones.

The AGA grading chart I'm referring to is here; on the left tool bar, select "Old AGA Cut Grade Charts and Rules" .....and select rounds. The table will appear.

 

[bluedawg]

Howdy CountryBoy

Go for cut#1.

My original diamond was 1ct, H, VS1, "good" cut. My husband did do a lot of research but that was 11+ years ago-- well before Pricescope. He went in, like you were originally, with the idea that clarity was #1, the carat weight, then color, and finally cut.

The diamond was white enough. I am color sensitive and I am glad he went no lower than H. It sparkled fine. What did I know about ideal cut RBs? No one I know (even now) had one. The mall jewelry store windows have such hideous diamonds (like the cheesy lower-end chain stores) that I thought my diamond was one of the best! Ha.

Fast forward to my 10-year anniversary upgrade. Thank you, Pricescope! Wow. Hubby & I hung out here for months, then looked at some diamonds at independent B&Ms and local online vendor. Of course, the online vendor (UnionDiamond) had the best stones. Hubby surprised me on Mother's Day with an ideal cut RB.

It is so sparkly, even in a darkened room! It truly amazes me to know how much of a difference the ideal cut makes. This diamond is only a 2.1 on the HCA and a AGA 1B, so there is room for improvement (3-5 years, hopefully, for my 1A HCA ~1). But my original diamond was a 5-6 HCA. I literally get at least 2-3 compliments a day on this stone. Hadn't happened since I first got engaged with my original diamond.

Cut is #1!

Good luck!

 

[dastewar]

Date: 6/6/2005 5:02:02 PM
Author: CountryBoy
Oh, I forgot to add, I am talking about a round cut stone in the 1.70-1.80 range and set in platinum. Thanks again!

I''m guessing you''ll find the price difference between a 1.6 and a 1.7 - 1.8 to be higher than you might have first thought.

1.7 carats is a new magic number, and you will pay about 2K more for a 1.7 vs comparable 1.6.

 

[CountryBoy]

I really want to thank all that responded to my query. I think the prevailing wisdom is that cut is crucial and not an area to be passed over lightly, even though in some cases only an expert would be able to tell. I think I''ve decided to play with things in a manner other than sacrificing cut.

One thing for sure - the more I research here, the more I find myself raising my standards, and in turn, find myself raising my budget

While I am sure my bride to be will be pleased with my research here, I doubt my bank account will

Oh well, it''s a once in a lifetime thing, and I''m convinced now is the time to pull out the stops. Thank you again for the responses and the wisdom contained therein.