Plastic Princesses?

[mountainrocks]

Hello All,

I''ve been lurking here for months, reading and learning everything I can about princess cut diamonds. I''ve read goodoldgold''s entire tutorial, I''ve read hundreds of posts on this board and I''ve checked the HCA cut advisor.

Here''s my question: Almost all of the Princess cut stones that I''ve seen in person (at several reputable local stores) look glassy or plastic when I tilt them even slightly. The salesperson at the last store told me that is a characteristic of all Princess cuts no matter what the proportions are. Is that true?

The stones that she was showing me were HCA 3A and 3B cuts, but she assured me that if I could find a 1A it would still have the "glassy" look. I want a diamond that is full of fire and sparkle but I also want a square. I''ve looked at Regents and Luceres, but they''re out of my price range. Is there such a thing as a Princess with real sparkle or should I abandon this quest and look for a round?

 

[robbe]

hi, usually when a princess looks 'glassy' it means the facet arrangement wasn't welldone.


typically, when the four main triangular facets on the pavilion would be polished too long, one would notice the lack of sparkle and the glassy or crystal look. very undesirable indeed.


try to compare different princess cuts looking at them with a loupe;


trough the table (largest facet on top), you should not or almost not notice these 4 triangular facets that look huge when looking from the pavilion (the bottom side). i hope this helps. good luck, robbe

 

[mountainrocks]

So the line about Princess cuts always looking glassy isn't true? I kind of doubted it, but I wanted reassurance since I will most likely be buying online without actually seeing the stone first.

I didn't really trust the saleswoman after she told me that it's "impossible" to find Princess cuts with tables below 70%. That's when I pulled out my pricescope print out and showed her 20 stones that I found online. Then I got the lecture about not trusting online vendors who could dissapear tomorrow, and that "often" people who buy online wind up with fake diamonds and never know the difference. I think if you can't win business without scaring your customers, you don't deserve business. Sheesh.

 

[robbe]

princess cuts don't always look glassy and you should not think princess's table should not exceed 70%.


up to 75%, sometimes even 78% you will still find amazing princess cuts.


i cannot recommend to buy a princess online; there are too many variaions in facet arrangment for princess cuts.


i can only recommend you choose your princess while comparing with different princess cuts.


i say this only because you are concerned about the way your princess will or won't sparkle.


with rounds, you could probably rely on the numbers.


with princess cut numbers don't realy mean much.


good luck, robbe

 

[mountainrocks]

Thank you for the advice. I'm a little distressed to learn that I shouldn't buy a princess online. I've found such great prices here, I don't know if I can face going back to the B&M's.

Just as an example, one stone I was looking at, at a local, independent jeweler was $3450 for a .73 H VS2 with an 80% table and a 79% depth. I've found stones online that look to be better cut for $1000 less.

Thanks for your opinions though, I'd rather have a smaller, pretty diamond than a bigger ugly one.

 

[Robyn12]

Hello,

I recently saw some princess cuts that seemed to sparkle as much as round stones do -- so they do exist -- and they were really beautiful. I did see one that looked like plastic however, like you described. The jeweler said it looked different because it had high floresence. This might be something you want to watch out for when selecting your stone, wherever you end up buying it...

Good luck.

 

[Hest88]

You *can* buy a princess online, but you just have to find someone to trust. I've never bought from these vendors, but SuperbCert sells stringently graded princess, and regular Pricescope vendors such as Good Old Gold have that educated *eye* that can help you identify a great princess. Diamond Brokers of Florida sells a "BrilliantFire" line that's supposed to be quite sparkly.

 

[Mara]

Yes check out the branded princesses...maybe they will have more fire for you. Also a Bscope and an IdealScope image will help if you shop virtually I am sure.




WhiteFlash also has some hand-picked princesses as well in their 'expert selection'...these are stones that perform well for the cost..so check them out.

 

[caratgirl]

Ditto regarding the above mentioned vendors, but if you want to still look on your own, I would HIGHLY recommend buying the $30 Idealscope, so that you can be sure of the light return.

 

[mountainrocks]

Thank you all for the advice. I can't believe how much I've learned from this board. I was in the mall yesterday and I felt sorry for the couple in Zales looking at rings, I wanted to go over and tell them to spend an hour reading here before they buy anything.

I will check out DBOF, GOG, and Whiteflash for Princess cuts. And I will certainly post here as soon as I find anything.

Thanks again

 

[pqcollectibles]

Dirt Cheap Diamonds has a line of hand selected Princess Cuts too. And sometimes, Nice Ice has Princess diamonds available too. You might check their website as well.