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Is this $3000 0.80 ideal princess cut from JA a good deal?

Pocron

Rough_Rock
Joined
Jun 18, 2012
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4
http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/H-VS1-Ideal-Cut-Princess-Diamond-1499778.asp?a_aid=dmnd1357&chan=x

I've been looking for an engagement ring for my girlfriend recently and settled on either a brilliant or princess cut however what was more important was the size. My girlfriend quite enjoys the effect of a larger diamond (larger than 0.50 anyway) and so I knew that buying it in a brick and mortar shop I was unlikely to find something of larger dimensions within my price range.

After doing a little research online I came across truthaboutdiamonds.com and JamesAllen.com. I'm aware of the affiliate marketing scheme but I didn't want to disqualify them purely for that, especially when i could use some help. Having asked for a bit of advice the diamond linked above was recommended.

I was delighted to see that it was even bigger than 0.70 carats but I was a little cautious about buying it without the picture. However my contact emphasized that it was a good deal and liable to be pounced upon relatively quickly. His manner was friendly and he answered all of my questions promptly and in good humour but I wanted a couple more opinions so that I could approach my first experience of buying diamonds online in confidence.

If you would be kind enough to give me your own read on this diamond and price I would be really appreciative. Thank you for your time!
 

Statefan42

Rough_Rock
Joined
Mar 21, 2012
Messages
89
Re: Is this $3000 0.80 ideal princess cut from JA a good dea

farmer gal|1340032681|3218693 said:
Can't say without pictures. Just another thought here is a POH that is square cut with round optics with a larger spread :love:

http://goodoldgold.com/diamond/9138/

Price 3032

AVC with larger spread and excellent optics

http://goodoldgold.com/diamond/9211/

Lots of budget friendly settings to choose from
http://goodoldgold.com/iframe.gabriel.html

I don't mean to hijack this thread but how are you seeing prices on gog's site for that diamond? All I get is "call for price." I see this a lot where someone links a gog diamond and says the price but I can never see the price. Just curious because I'm looking for diamonds too.
 

farmer gal

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Mar 26, 2011
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1,063
Re: Is this $3000 0.80 ideal princess cut from JA a good dea

Add it to the cart and it will give you the price :twirl:
 

Pocron

Rough_Rock
Joined
Jun 18, 2012
Messages
4
Re: Is this $3000 0.80 ideal princess cut from JA a good dea

Thanks for the advice Farmer Gal. So there's really no well to comment on the valuation without a picture?
 

farmer gal

Brilliant_Rock
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Mar 26, 2011
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1,063
Re: Is this $3000 0.80 ideal princess cut from JA a good dea

I won't comment on a fancy shape without a picture. You can't just go the numbers in my book.
 

webdiva

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Feb 20, 2011
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1,268
Re: Is this $3000 0.80 ideal princess cut from JA a good dea

I vote for the Princess of Hearts - it's larger than the princess, unique, a great price and will be super blingy! (I have a POH too!) GOG also has a ton of awesomely priced settings.
 

jstarfireb

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Mar 24, 2007
Messages
6,232
Re: Is this $3000 0.80 ideal princess cut from JA a good dea

Pocron|1340155388|3219801 said:

No red flags in the numbers, and the image looks promising, although I'm concerned about possible darkness/leakage in the center. Ask for an ASET.

ETA: Yes, the princess of hearts has larger spread and ideal optics. But if the OP is anything like me, he might prefer a princess to have sharp corners and princess-type optics. I would also prefer H over J for an engagement ring and would be willing to sacrifice size to get there. Personal opinions, of course!
 

jstarfireb

Ideal_Rock
Joined
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webdiva

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
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Re: Is this $3000 0.80 ideal princess cut from JA a good dea

jstarfireb|1340229398|3220560 said:
ETA: Yes, the princess of hearts has larger spread and ideal optics. But if the OP is anything like me, he might prefer a princess to have sharp corners and princess-type optics. I would also prefer H over J for an engagement ring and would be willing to sacrifice size to get there. Personal opinions, of course!

Since she's ok with a round or princess, I imagine they are more concerned with budget, spread and it being sparkly. :) Definitely check out colors in a round, which the POH approximates in cut, and see what color tolerance you have.
 

jstarfireb

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Mar 24, 2007
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6,232
Re: Is this $3000 0.80 ideal princess cut from JA a good dea

webdiva|1340296066|3221083 said:
jstarfireb|1340229398|3220560 said:
ETA: Yes, the princess of hearts has larger spread and ideal optics. But if the OP is anything like me, he might prefer a princess to have sharp corners and princess-type optics. I would also prefer H over J for an engagement ring and would be willing to sacrifice size to get there. Personal opinions, of course!

Since she's ok with a round or princess, I imagine they are more concerned with budget, spread and it being sparkly. :) Definitely check out colors in a round, which the POH approximates in cut, and see what color tolerance you have.

True - I went back and re-read the original post, and it certainly sounds like that's the case. I almost can't believe I'm saying this because I'm such a huge princess fan, but I would actually advise *against* a princess if that's the case. Pocron, correct me if I'm wrong, but it sounds like you chose a princess over a round because dollar for dollar, you'll get a higher carat weight with a princess. However, size isn't all about carat weight, but more about face-up spread. You may be able to get a similar face-up size in a round of a slightly smaller carat weight for the same price. So if your most important factor is size, I would seriously reconsider getting a princess and look at ideal-cut rounds or maybe an oval or marquise, which tend to face up larger. You may actually get the best bang for your buck with an oval because they tend to be quite spready.

Of course, if you like the princess for the same reasons that I do, for the splintery fire and sharp square aesthetic, ignore what I just said and go for a well-cut princess. And the suggestion to look at GIA- or AGS-graded stones in person to observe color is a good one either way.

For what it's worth, and this is a tangent...my personal thoughts on the round vs. princess spread issue are that princesses do face up slightly smaller than rounds of the same carat weight, but not substantially smaller like the numbers might suggest. I think the eye/brain actually does consider area rather than just diameter/dimensions when judging size, so while a 1ct round might have a 6.5mm diameter and a 1ct princess a 5.5mm dimension, the respective areas of about 33 and 30 mm squared make the difference appear much less than one might expect.
 

Pocron

Rough_Rock
Joined
Jun 18, 2012
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Re: Is this $3000 0.80 ideal princess cut from JA a good dea

Wow thanks for all the great support and advance. In fact one of the reasons I like the Princess is because it can be a bigger size and not as conspicuous as a round cut. My girlfriend would like it to be big but I would like to keep it from looking ostentatious. I think the square look is more modern in appearance and while larger than I would have gone with originally it won't look like it's going to fall off her finger.
 

E B

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Aug 31, 2005
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9,490
Re: Is this $3000 0.80 ideal princess cut from JA a good dea

Did you request an ASET for the JA stone?

I would look into this one, too. It's an Eternity Diamonds listing but may be a virtual stone that JA can call in. Either way, it's an AGS Ideal, F VS1 for just around the same price (ED has it at $3106 wire):

http://www.eternitydiamonds.com/diamond_detail.php?id=692108
 

jstarfireb

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Mar 24, 2007
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6,232
Re: Is this $3000 0.80 ideal princess cut from JA a good dea

Pocron|1340349176|3221668 said:
Wow thanks for all the great support and advance. In fact one of the reasons I like the Princess is because it can be a bigger size and not as conspicuous as a round cut. My girlfriend would like it to be big but I would like to keep it from looking ostentatious. I think the square look is more modern in appearance and while larger than I would have gone with originally it won't look like it's going to fall off her finger.

I'm not sure if I'm reading this right, but it sounds like your GF wants the largest stone she can get for the money, but you're concerned about it appearing too flashy and big. I think most of us here, especially women, would agree that anything in the <1ct range certainly won't look to big or ostentatious, and diamonds tend to shrink in your mind's eye over time. If she wants the biggest she can get, I'd give her that! But I wouldn't choose a shape specifically because it looks smaller for the carat weight when she seems to want something that looks bigger.

That said, looking for a princess because you both like its modern shape and appeal is totally legit. Just saying there are a lot of posts here by women who didn't like the ring their boyfriends bought them, and it usually comes down to the fact that the guy didn't listen to the girl when she said what she wanted. I want to help you avoid that situation with your GF!

Did you get an ASET on that JA princess +/- the other one I posted?

ETA: That one EB posted from Eternity looks nice. I know nothing about the vendor or whether they provide images and/or ASETs, but an AGS ideal princess is always worth looking into!
 
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