I have a huge Migraine can you help?

[Migraine]

Ok, I am trying to get educated really I am. My search is for a now dreaded Princess cut any wear from 0.50 to 0.60. I believe I am educated enough with Color, Carat, and Clarity. The problem started with this darn table for the princess cut. You all know this one -http://www.gemappraisers.com/chrt4.htm It has numbers on the top so I think I have it then of course it lists numbers right below it example box 1 68.1-71% then right below 61.9 to 60% what the heck? SO I find the aga charts and I am putting in all this info and I come to Crown height? Where o Where is this to be found so I can put it all in? Any way from what I can find through now 2 weeks of online searching is I can get a diamond in my $ range (1250 max) with specs like this-

0.50 H VVS1 70.8% 79% GIA xt-tk no gd gd no 4.46x4.45x3.15 $2312 $1156*SP

0.50 H VVS1 74.4% 73% GIA m no vg vg no 4.4x4.29x3.19 $2318 $1159*SP

0.50 H VVS1 74.8% 77% GIA m-tk no gd ex no 4.45x4.28x3.2 $2324 $1162*SP

0.50 H VVS1 70.8% 79% GIA xt-tk no gd gd no 4.46-4.45-3.15 $2388 $1194*

0.50 H VVS1 74.4% 73% GIA m no vg vg no 4.40-4.29-3.19 $2394 $1197*

0.55 H VVS2 Good 75.2%/
71% None 1.03 GIA $1,224.00

Again the 3 c''s are easy but when you add the table and depth for the princess I get fuzzy thinking and then the Migraine. Thanks for your kindness.

P.S. Specs My lady would like- Princess(of course) 0.50 and up H or better VS1 or better TY.

 

[strmrdr]

First I want to clarify that im not a princess cut fan and havent studied them as much as some other cuts.
That said.
When it comes to princess cuts the numbers cant and dont tell the whole story.
There are too many variables to take into account.
They can likley get you in the ballpark but thats about it.

My advice for your headache relief is to work with a vendor that has a solid reputation for seperating the great from the good and let them have the headache of seperating them.
Out of my favorite vendors:
goodoldgold.com
whiteflash.com
niceice.com

Have solid reputations for seperating the wheat from the chaff in princess cuts.
My advice is to contact them and form a relationship and go with the one you match up with the best and have them help you find the diamond of your dreams.

 

[valeria101]

Would the migraine get away if you could see what these grades are all about ?

Perhaps some of the bits below help...

#1. Why VVS ? Does it mean something to you or you just want to be sure no inclusions show ?

#1. Why exectly 0.5 cts ? Did it just happen ?

About cut...

There is no generally accepted standard for princess cuts, but you can get a clue into how cut quality is perceived by the trade from the AGA charts (see gemappraisers.com or the "Fancy Shapes" chapter under "Knowledge" on top of this page here).

It is not possible to predict how brilliant any of these stones might be among peers unless there is some test done on the stone - not by numbers. The table & depth stats on GIA paper are not meant to predict brilliance - allot more detail is needed for that and numbers would be less precise than any test involving the diamond in person. Surely you have seen princess cuts listed with Ideal Scope and Brilliance Scope scored and what not. Those selected breeds do come at a premium... so it''s all down to whether you value cut and brilliance or not quite. It seems that hunting down a brilliant princess cut is rather hard - many are not cut to be bright but havy, they say.

Even if there is no general standard, each shop seems to call *something* "ideal cut princess diamond": it is obviously much easier to make up an arbitrary threshold for table and depth and put a name on it than study the optics of the cut. AGS did this (there is an AGS ideal cut standard for fancies in the works) and came up with a rather complex set of measurements proven to predict brilliance relatively well (definitely more detail than table and depth - and more than for AGS0 round brilliants). The standard is not out yet.

Hope this makes some sense.

If you ditch any concern of brilliance away from your decission, than table and depth are ok as long as the size is reasonable for the given weight, the stone is square (rectangular princesses usually come at a discount for some unknown reason) and there are no durability issues. Less depth and less than thick girdle add up to make stones look larger for their weight and then, very large table (above 75% say - definitely near 80% is very large) may make the edge of the stone fragile... as much as I know.

Just my 0.2, of course

 

[Migraine]

Valeria,

Thank you for the reply. 1st 0.50 or above is because she wants at least a half carat. Vs1 and H are what I would like as far as quality. Again the problem and the migraine happens when I go beyond those 3. I find a Diamond like this one -0.55, H, VVS2 Good 75.2%/
71% None 1.03 GIA $1,224.00
It looks good to me 1,200, H, VVS2 but then comes the dreaded table and depth and length to with all those goodies. I would try and use the charts but still do not know how to figure out the crown height? You asked is brilliance important to me? Well what is important to her is color and quality. If the stones I have listed are meeting that then I guess she would be happy. The problem still lies in the fact that I am not sure if having the "3" c''s all where I want them makes a good princess, and if it does not what do I need to do to figure the rest out. Ok I need my Advil again!

 

[burger59]

Hey man I feel your pain Im trying to buy a princess cut. I have the same problem.

 

[Migraine]

Yep it is not easy. I will start looking for a good therapist soon.

 

[Migraine]

Still hurting. Anyone?

 

[belle]

 

[valeria101]

Date: 1/23/2005 6:48:40 PM
Author: Migraine




Well what is important to her is color and quality.

So... what's "quality" ?

IMO (for what that matters), that's upwards G, VS2-Si1, and a flashlight cut 'cause no other gem but diamonds can give it and it's darn shame if the occasion was lost in the particular item

It could even be some other square (radiant... say) as long as spread (diameter) and brilliance are better.

No wonder you are puzzled over what a "well cut" princess diamond looks like - the industry just made up their minds ! (see the last article by Paul Sledgers in the Pricescope Diamond Journal here for the story.

)

And... perhaps the G/VS1 0.52cts down this link fits that bill. There are other options around half a carat and below 2k where this one comes from. However, I have no idea who else cuts princesses with these parameters (table 60% or less, pavilion well ver 10%... brilliance comparable with round diamonds - it seems).

Otherwise, it should be feasible - in theory - to locate a princess cut ... cut for brilliance within parameters, but with this shape not known for being bright, those are few and far between. At least, nothing turned up in my 10 minute search among a hndful of sites I know. But there ia another square... cut corners & all 0.53cts, F/VS2 relative bargain and pretty brilliant: this one. Now... WF calls that "radiant" but the picture shows a step cut pavilion (characteristic of a branded cut sister to Tiffany's Lucida). If the piece sounds interesting, you might want to ask

Here they are:

And

Hope my 0.2 helps a bit. I wouldn't know how to classify a princess cut by depth and table, - the IdealScope pictures, Sarin and photos are a bit better clues IMO, so I just looked those up.