Preparing to view princess cuts in person

[this_side]

I''m a longtime lurker on this site, and I''m finally ready to make that purchase that brings us all together here...

I''m in the market for a princess cut stone for an e-ring, and thanks to several fabulous posts (notably researcher, valeria101, and moremoremore), I feel pretty comfortable with knowing what I''m looking for. Since I know someone is going to ask, here is what I have in mind:
Color: G
Clarity: VS2 (or eye clean SI1)
Weight: 1.5-1.8
Depth: Max low 70s
Table: Max 68%, 3-5% less than depth
Crown: 10-15%

That said, I have an appointment with a strongly recommended B&M guy this Friday, but I''ve never actually looked at stones before in person. I''m hoping to get a couple of questions answered to help me through the process.

1) Assuming a GIA cert, is there any way to get the crown % if he doesn''t have a Sarin report?

2) Is it acceptable to take a digital camera along and take pictures of the stones so I can refer to them later at home (or, perhaps, post them here for an expert review)?

3) Any other wise words for a first-time viewer? Any classic mistakes to avoid?

Thanks!

 

[Hest88]

1) No

2) Wouldn''t hurt to bring it. Some jewelers are paranoid and may think you''ll take a picture of the style and buy it cheaper elsewhere, but others are accomodating.

3) Look at the stones side by side, on white paper, to gauge how sensitive you are to color. Turn them upside down. View them from as many lighting conditions as you can---under the table, in the sunlight, etc. Note where the inclusions are on the cert and then see if you can spy them with your naked eye. See if you have a favorite then compare what your eye sees to what the cert says. You may find you prefer a larger table, etc. Take your time. Try not to get too excited. But in the end, the most important thing is to find a stone that really "speaks" to you.

 

[researcher]

The only advice I have is to be a bit more open to table/depth proportions. When buying sight-unseen, I think it''s MUCH more critical to be narrow in the numbers you''re searching for. But, if you''re going to a B&M, you have the freedom to see if a ring that does not look quite as good on paper is fabulous in person. That being said, I would probably not go for a ring with a table larger than the depth (but would go for a stone with a table equal to the depth)--unless it was so spectacular the stone spoke for itself. The more diamonds I''ve seen, the more exceptions there are to the rule. But, overall, the rules seem to stick. You just shouldn''t make things so narrow that you may not find a stone or pass on a stone that is unsurpassed in its beauty. Following your numbers criteria, my stone would be out and I can tell you that it holds its own next to the majority of rounds.

As for taking pictures, some places allow it, some don''t. The pictures won''t tell you much though, honestly. If you plan to take pictures through an ideal scope, that would be valuable. Otherwise, the diamonds will reflect different things (thereby affecting color) or do other odd stuff. Just take notes while you''re there so you don''t forget what you liked best about each stone.

Good luck!

 

[moremoremore]

I think that "Depth: Max low 70s
Table: Max 68%, 3-5% less than depth" is a mistake. Like researcher said (and she should know) you need to be open to more combos. A 70 depth 68 table stone does not guarantee a great stone.

 

[oldminer]

I think that you are on target. Don''t get fixated by the numbers, but remember there is good reason not to purchase an overly deep princess cut....It would look too small for its weight, and you will be asked to pay for weight. Don''t buy a stone with a super large table as this cuts down on dispersion from the sides of the crown.

Use common sense, your eyes and the numbers!...

Best of luck.

 

[this_side]

Thanks, guys. I realize that going beyond the measurements I quoted might still be OK depending on the performance of the particular stone, but I figured I needed to start somewhere, right? I appreciate your thoughts, and I''ll report back after I see some stones this Friday. Keep up the good work!

 

[researcher]

Good luck to you! With all the research you''ve done, I know you''ll end up with a winner! PLEASE post when you find your perfect stone, and PM me so I don''t miss it!!!

 

[this_side]

Here''s an update after 3 hours looking over stones this past Friday...

This is fun! I saw six Princess cuts and a couple of cut-cornered squares. Although I am set on a true princess, it was great to see the others because they had some different proportions that helped round out my viewing experience. I found that I do indeed appreciate a smaller table, as it seemed to give a better, more even display of brilliance and fire across the entire surface of the stone. I also found that H was a little too much color for me. Maybe his H''s were on the high side, but I found them to be visibly different than his G''s.

At present, the leading candidate is the following stone:
Weight: 1.73
Color: G
Clarity: SI1 (tiny feather visible from side, but not from the top)
Depth: 72.1%
Table: 71%
Crown: Not given, but visibly higher than a stone with nearly identical dimensions and a 10.3% crown

You''ll note that this is slightly outside the parameters I was targeting, but again, that was really just a starting point, realizing that there are great stones out there that don''t have the "perfect" dimensions. The guy I''m working with is getting some new stones in on Tuesday, and I''ll be going back to check out the new batch against this one. But I wanted to let you know where I stand. Thanks for your help so far - I''ll give an update later in the week.