Sitara Diamond from the Soul Of a Diamond?

[Des1302]

I''ve found a beautiful Sitara Diamond (which is a "special" Littman''s Diamond) its claim o famie is that it has 89 facets versus the traditional 58 facets.
Its a .92 Carat, VS1, F, and Im assuming a good cut. EGL certified. They want 3600 for this.

It looks like a nice ring but I have been hearing bad reviews about EGL certified rings.

Im just curious to know if anyone is familiar with the "Sitara" collectons from the sould of a diamond
or have any advice for me.

I like the brilliance of it with all the facets. How important are facets in general?

www.soulofadiamond.com

 

[denverappraiser]

Des,

Welcome to Pricescope. I''ll try to answer a few of your questions and leave a few for others. Here goes:

It looks like a nice ring but I have been hearing bad reviews about EGL certified rings.

EGL and the other labs don''t certify things. They give their opinions of some of the important attributes. It''s important to notice if they have given you a report on the diamond, the ring, or both. Their diamond reports will list the weight, clarity, color, some of the dimensions and a few other things that are sometimes helpful in making a shopping decision. Many people find this to be sufficient while others want to know quite a bit more. The reliability of EGL''s opinions is partially addressed in the study about the various labs found on the home page of Pricescope. I say partially addressed because it only discusses EGL reports issued on unmounted diamonds and it only discusses one of the companies that uses the EGL name. EGL-USA has other products that are, in my opinion, far less reliable and there are EGL labs in other countries that do not use the same standards as EGL-USA.
All of that said, the presence of an EGL document doesn’t mean that it’s wrong. Buy the diamond, not the paper. This simple rule will go a long way to avoiding the traps involved with poorly done reports.

I like the brilliance of it with all the facets. How important are facets in general?

Great! So do I. Not everyone else does. Not everyone likes princess cuts either. This doesn''t make them better or worse than anything else, just different. Buy what you love.

How important are facets in general?

Hugely. And it''s not just the count of the facets. Read through the tutorial at the top of the page about cutting. All of the rules that apply to a well cut 58 facet stone also apply to a well cut 89 facet stone. they aren''t all the same. The number of facets has a substantial affect on the look of the stone. The alignment of the facets has a substantial affect on the light behavior. Both are important.

Neil Beaty
GG(GIA) ISA NAJA
Independent Appraisals in Denver

 

[valeria101]

Date: 8/25/2005 9:41:57 AM
Author: denverappraiser

How important are facets in general?

Hugely. And it''s not just the count of the facets. Read through the tutorial at the top of the page about cutting. All of the rules that apply to a well cut 58 facet stone also apply to a well cut 89 facet stone. they aren''t all the same. The number of facets has a substantial affect on the look of the stone. The alignment of the facets has a substantial affect on the light behavior. Both are important

I guess this is about proportions (crown and pavilion angles, & whatever else this cut might make relevant in particular...)

If you do not have the patience to read through the tutorial (which is helpful, btw), than it may help taking a look over the presentations of two other branded rounds with many facets: the Solasfera and one more on GoodOldGold.com. They have put up independent comparisons with a top cut traditional brilliant.

Aside the EGL part, I would also worry about the siye of this piece: what is the diameter ? Some branded cuts come smaller than the traditional rounds and I would not really be all that enthusiatic about that. Especially since other brands come with satisfactory size, brilliance and GIA grading to boot.

I have not tried a price comparison yet, but you might want to do that as well (against GIA F-VS).

Do you have a copy of the EGL lab report ? For once I am curious if this EGL-USA or another branch and what other information they give about cut (table, depth, cult, girdle crown and pavilion % and diameter, namely).

Each branded cut comes with its own standards (for better or worse). It helps to shop around - always.

 

[Des1302]

Thank you gentlemen for your response.

I think I'll grab the stone and taking to David Atlas and have him appraise it for me.

Does anyone know how much it cost to have a stone appraised? Littman says they have an independent appraiser that i could use. Is it okay to use them? Also if an appraiser aprraises it for a certain value is that good enough?

Is it possible to take an EGL diamond and see what it would be certified through GIA?

Also if i have the EGL number how could i get the PLot report??

 

[Des1302]

THis is the EGL USA Certificate on that diamond. It priced at 3499. Does this look like a good deal?

Weight 0.92 ct.
Shape MOD. ROUND BRILLIIANT-SITARA(TM)
Color I
Clarity VS1
Measurements 6.06 x 6.02 x 3.95 mm
Depth 65.4
Table 56.0
Crown 16.2
Pavilion 43.9
Girdle MEDIUM TO THICK
Polish GOOD
Symmetry GOOD
Fluorescence NONE
Culet NONE

 

[oldminer]

Glad to to have you come and visit us. The Independent appraiser locally used by Litmman's is Pamela who used to work for us during her training and then became my partner in her own lab and finally, this year, went on her own. She is a very good appraiser.....her teacher was good

and she is plenty bright all on her own. There is a link to her right on the AGA website header, AGA of Doylestown.

More facets do not directly lead to more brilliancy. It is way more complex. More facets are most welcomed and beneficial on large diamonds, over 2 carats as they do add something more to the look. Extra facets add surface scintillation, but can detract from contrast intensity. They can also add or detract from light return depending on many factors.

More is sometimes a good thing, but more is NOT always a good thing. Sometimes it means nothing, but is neither negative or positive.

Pick what you like, and don't worry over a facet count. More facets do not necessarily equate to better.

 

[Des1302]

Thanks Old timer. I think they were telling me a man would appraise it. I''ll tell them I want Pamela. Maybe it''ll sound like i know people.

I actually work near David that''s why i was gonna use him.

Old timer is it possible to get an ideal of how much an appraisal would cost for the ring cert I listed above w/ 89 facets?

 

[oldminer]

Pam may not do the store you have been looking in. Littman''s is a big group of stores.

We charge $75 for the first item and unless it is complex or someone has many questions, that''s the fee basis. I have no idea what Littman''s fees are. Many appraisers charge differently. Prices per item may range from $40 to beyond $125 for a single item appraisal. Overhead, location, services provided, all make the fees varied.