What shape should I choose?

[BrightSpot]

Hi all!

I''ve been lurking on PS for quite a while & finally decided to join & ask your advice. PS has been a wonderful source of information for me so far--thanks to all of you for your input, advice and support!

Lately, I feel that the more I learn about the diamond buying process, the more I feel I don''t know! I''ve been looking at diamonds online for so long that I''m getting confused as to what I really want.

My boyfriend & I are in the market for a ring &, as he knows my taste in jewelry is pretty specific, he suggested we choose the ring together. Also, he knows my grandparents were jewelers, so I think he''s a little intimidated by the thought of picking out a ring by himself!

While my taste is pretty classic & simple, I''d like something a little unusual for my e-ring. This will be a second engagement for me--my first e-ring was a 1.23 ct RB, G, vs1 in a 4 prong platinum mounting w/ tapered baguettes.

Ideally, I would like a stone of 1.7-2 ct in size. I''m tall (5''10") and have very long, size 7 fingers, so a stone with a healthy spread would be nice. I''m looking for eye-clean, G color and have a budget of around $15K. My current quandry right now is shape.

I orignially set out to look for Princess cut, but wasn''t enamored with the "X" faceting pattern &, as I understand, the spread is not good for Princess cuts because of their depth. I then switched to radiants, but have been scared a bit by the talk of massive light leakage they often exhibit. I''m also not sure how I feel about what some call the "crushed ice" look. I looked at some of the Jubilees & Square H&A diamonds on GOG''s site and, while they look amazing, I''m afraid my budget might not allow me to purchase one in the size I want. Are there any nonbranded modified square cuts available that would be less expensive, but still sparkly? I''ve recently been looking at ovals, but am afraid of the dreaded bow tie.

As I understand, most fancies lack the brilliance & fire of a well cut RB. I guess I''m trying to decide how much sparkle (if any) I''m willing to sacrifice for a different looking stone and a larger spread. Would some cuts make a better choice than others? What are some things to think about when choosing a fancy cut stone?

I''d appreciate any thoughts you guys could offer. We''re planning to visit a jeweler this weekend & I hope seeing the stones in person helps clarify what I want. Does anyone else find this process stressful?

Thanks again,
BrightSpot

 

[Kaleigh]

Brightspot,
Welcome to PS!!! When looking at fancy cuts the biggest thing I would try to avoid is the bow tie effect that many of them can have. Ovals, pears, marquise etc... Go try on all different shapes at the jewelers and see which one''s you keep going back to, oh and have fun!!!

 

[pearcrazy]

Most of the appeal of fancy shapes is just that- the shape. It''s true that rounds will sparkle more but that''s not to say that well cut fancies aren''t sparkly. You just need to spend a lot of time looking around and decide what appeals to you the most.

 

[MissAva]

I agree with kaleigh! You need to go and see how you feel about the stones on your hand. Also what kind of setting attracts you the most, this can make a huge diffrence in how any stone will look on your hand. I think if you go to stores with a big vairty like BB&B or Jared''s or a great local jewlers with alot of semimounts and loose stones that you can get a better idea of what you are looking for and what you are seeing when you look up things online. Good Luck!

 

[valeria101]

I'd be looking at marquises... IMO, a long shape looks lovely on a long finger

Yeah... maybe.... on average other shapes are not as bright as rounds. But you are not going to buy the "average" - just one diamond. 'Nough to find a single bright one. It would make a huge difference seeing rings and diamonds on yourhand rather then guessing what stone on hand would look based on theory

Not to mention marquises are significantly less expensive per carat than rounds. And spreadier. So you could get quite a bit of "finger cover" for 15k.

You may want to inspect this thread with lots of fancies. Cflutist's 1.5 marq and 3 carat pear look very much the same "size" - and that's what I was talking about, basically.

 

[lillguy]

Have you tried looking at the modified brilliant cushion cuts? I just made the purchase for my girlfriend''s ring. She had her heart set on a round stone and it''s brilliace. In my opinion (valid or not) it was a great option to fall upon. You can avoid the bowtie no problem with the help of price scopers!

I''m hooked on the help. Just do a search on cushion cut and you''ll learn a lot!

 

[AChiOAlumna]

Date: 4/15/2005 2:11

3 PM
Author: valeria101
I''d be looking at marquises... IMO, a long shape looks lovely on a long finger

Emerald cuts (like Marquise) also look nice on long fingers as they have the long shape as well...especially if you get one that is a 1.4-1.5 ratio!!

 

[BrightSpot]

Thanks to everyone for your thoughts! I agree that a pear or marquise would be flattering to long fingers, but I''m not a big fan of the points of the stones. (I''m very accident prone!

)

I like the look of square stones and the long silhouette of the Ovals & rectangular radiants. These would provide quite a bit of finger cover too, right?

About Radiants, do some of them have the "crushed ice" look and some of them not? I saw one posted on PS (a 1 ct square radiant from WF w/ a knock-out Ideal-scope image) that didn''t look icy...

lillguy, where did you find your modified cushion cut stone? Is it branded? (like the H&A cushion from GOG) I really like the look of these stones, but I''m afraid they''ll look too small on my finger.

Matatora, is that your dog? He makes me smile every time I see him!

Hopefully when I see a selection of stones in person, a stone or a shape will sing to me...

BrightSpot

 

[Kaleigh]

Have fun trying on different shapes and let us know which shape sings to you!!

 

[SquareCut]

I agree with lilguy. A cushion brilliant sounds like what you want. The heart''s and arrows are cut too deep so they look smaller and they are more expensive. I would contact the cushion King -Mark Turnowski at Engagement Rings direct. He''s a pricescope vendor in the diamond district and has shown me many georgous cushions.