1.15 versus 1.2 ratio cushion ?!?!?!?

[kristalulu]

Hello all PSers! I have been lurking and reading all of your posts for months and now that I am actually on the verge of buying a diamond (thanks to all of your wonderful insight), I don''t think it would be right to move forward without your opinion. From envying all of your beautiful gems, I''ve come to the conclusion my dream diamond is a 1.15 ratio chunky cushion, however, Gary at ERD has a 1.21 ratio chunky for me currently. It looks good to me, but I guess I don''t know how much the difference in ratio would really be. I''ve read that the good chunky cushions are hard to come by these days, and I would hate to pass a good one up if it is really over something that I couldn''t even notice. Do you really think the difference in ratio is something to fuss over? Do you think I should wait it out? Thank you so much!

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

Can you or Gary see both side by side?

Can you show us ASET images?

in general it is harder to find nice stones with longer LxW ratios - but the style/shape you like is equally important.

 

[CharmyPoo]

Were you ok with the way it looks? For me, a perfect 1.0 ratio is a must. I thought I would be ok with 1.04 but it wasn''t right when I saw it. Just take a look and see how you feel.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 1/15/2010 11:20:39 PM
Author: Garry H (Cut Nut)
Can you or Gary see both side by side?

Can you show us ASET images?

in general it is harder to find nice stones with longer LxW ratios - but the style/shape you like is equally important.

Ditto, that would be helpful, you indicate you have seen photos of it, what do you think?

 

[kristalulu]

Hello, thank you for your responses! Gary told me that he would send me more pictures side by side to compare, but he also warned me that the pictures won''t do it justice and to pretty much trust his eyes. Also, I asked for an ASET and he said that ASETs aren''t a good analysis tool for cushions, only for rounds. Should I still press him for one?

I do like the stone when I look at it alone, but then I look at 1.15 ratios and prefer them better. I guess I just answered my own question. I''m just scared that this one may be the closest to ''The One'' that I will find. Waiting is so hard!

When I get more pictures I will post them.

Thank you!!

 

[CharmyPoo]

ASET are good tools for cushions. Idealscope are more appropriate rounds.

You are right that the perfect cushion may never come along and we have to make scarfices. For example, I didn''t want a culet but I accepted it because everything else was perfect. For another diamond, I purchased a G because other aspects met my needs.

 

[ChunkyCushionLover]

Date: 1/16/2010 11:28:52 AM
Author: kristalulu
Hello, thank you for your responses! Gary told me that he would send me more pictures side by side to compare, but he also warned me that the pictures won''t do it justice and to pretty much trust his eyes. Also, I asked for an ASET and he said that ASETs aren''t a good analysis tool for cushions, only for rounds. Should I still press him for one?

I do like the stone when I look at it alone, but then I look at 1.15 ratios and prefer them better. I guess I just answered my own question. I''m just scared that this one may be the closest to ''The One'' that I will find. Waiting is so hard!

When I get more pictures I will post them.

Thank you!!

You are either misunderstanding him or he doesn''t have experience with ASET. An aset is one of the best tools for evaluating fancy shapes and any vendor not willing to show the ASET has either turned off customers because the cut isn''t as good as they would like or doesn''t know how to take a proper image.

I am very UNIMPRESSED if he told you that, you can get Mark at ERD to do it for you instead and I would suggest dealing with him anyway.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 1/16/2010 11:28:52 AM
Author: kristalulu
Hello, thank you for your responses! Gary told me that he would send me more pictures side by side to compare, but he also warned me that the pictures won't do it justice and to pretty much trust his eyes. Also, I asked for an ASET and he said that ASETs aren't a good analysis tool for cushions, only for rounds. Should I still press him for one?

I do like the stone when I look at it alone, but then I look at 1.15 ratios and prefer them better. I guess I just answered my own question. I'm just scared that this one may be the closest to 'The One' that I will find. Waiting is so hard!

When I get more pictures I will post them.

Thank you!!

I would respectfully disagree with that statement, ASET are valuable for cushions and many more consumers are recognizing this, in this case it would be of great benefit if one could be obtained.

 

[CharmyPoo]

Date: 1/16/2010 9:11:14 PM
Author: ChunkyCushionLover

I am very UNIMPRESSED if he told you that, you can get Mark at ERD to do it for you instead and I would suggest dealing with him anyway.

I don''t think it makes a huge difference working with Mark or Gary. They are literally working side by side. Gary is a really nice guy.

To the original poster, it is well known here that ERD does not depend on tools to evaluate diamonds. They depend on their eyes and rough ranges in the specs. If you want a more tech savy vendor who has a huge priority on cut performance, GOG is the place to go. I had good experiences with both vendors but they are different - it is really up to you.

 

[kristalulu]

Hi everyone!! Okay, I received some pictures from Gary. They seem kinda far away and if you zoom in they get all blurry, so the pictures aren''t very good. He also didn''t give me at ASET image, and said that it is difficult to capture an ASET image of a diamond using his equipment. I also asked him if he thought this was a beautiful diamond and he said something along the lines that he is a salesman trying to get a sale. Are these total red flags to not be interested in this diamond or is he joking with me?

Okay, I''m going to try and attached the pictures (I''ve never attached pictures on this site). Let me know what you think. The diamond I''m interested in is the rectangular one on the left in all pictures. What do you think of the dark center of the diamond? Could that just be shadow?

 

[kristalulu]

Okay, lets try to make that a bit bigger.

 

[kristalulu]

Why isn''t this working.

 

[kristalulu]

Yeah! I figured it out. I don''t think I''m gonna try for another picture right now, this one is the best. So, let''s hear your feedback. Thank you!!!

 

[CharmyPoo]

Photo is much too small for us to see. You need to crop around the diamonds.

I wouldn''t look too much into the salesman pitch - they are all sales people afterall. You have to make the evaluation yourself and trust your eyes. If you need an expert opinion, send the stone to an independent appraiser - I recommend Richard Sherwood or David Atlas. Do not go with an independent appraiser that actually works very closely with the seller.

 

[CharmyPoo]

Can you crop the photo closer to the stone and keep the photo bigger?

Are you also considering the stone on the right?

If you are still questioning the ratio, it is a very personal question. For me, the diamond is too narrow but I am one who loves squares for diamonds but like rectangular shapes for my colored gemstones.

 

[Cehrabehra]

mine (avatar) is 1.26... it''s a bit on the long side if you ask me but it''s much squatter than the average oval. Depends on what you like - I *wanted* mine to be like this, but in hind sight I think 1.2 would have been closer to my ideal. If you don''t like the look once it gets too long then definitely hold out.

View pictures BEFORE you make any decision though!!!!

 

[Cehrabehra]

the "shadow" you refer to is obstruction but it has a nice cross (from what I can see) which IMO is a good thing and harder to get in longer stones.

 

[ChunkyCushionLover]

Date: 1/19/2010 9:29:38 PM
Author: Cehrabehra
the ''shadow'' you refer to is obstruction but it has a nice cross (from what I can see) which IMO is a good thing and harder to get in longer stones.

A nice cross is what exactly? All 4 leaves being obstructed and dark rather than just two?

 

[Cehrabehra]

Date: 1/20/2010 1:30:13 AM
Author: ChunkyCushionLover

Date: 1/19/2010 9:29:38 PM

Author: Cehrabehra

the ''shadow'' you refer to is obstruction but it has a nice cross (from what I can see) which IMO is a good thing and harder to get in longer stones.

A nice cross is what exactly? All 4 leaves being obstructed and dark rather than just two?

Sounds to me like you''re not a fan of arrows in a round? Same thing. What in some light is "obstruction" of light from behind you is still a "reflection" of the light hitting your face which is why arrows are not always black and neither are the maltese crosses.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 1/19/2010 9:08:50 PM
Author: CharmyPoo
Can you crop the photo closer to the stone and keep the photo bigger?

Are you also considering the stone on the right?

If you are still questioning the ratio, it is a very personal question. For me, the diamond is too narrow but I am one who loves squares for diamonds but like rectangular shapes for my colored gemstones.

That would help if possible please.

 

[kristalulu]

Thank you to everyone!! I just got off the phone with Gary and Dan at ERD, and in their honest opinion, they don''t think this is the right diamond for me. I''m relieved that they were so truthful, especially about the dark spots in the middle. So, the search continues (and we are no longer looking for a 1.2 ratio cushion, no higher than a 1.17).

Thank you again everyone! Hopefully I will be back soon with a new stone for you to help me analyze.

 

[ChunkyCushionLover]

Date: 1/20/2010 3:43:24 AM
Author: Cehrabehra

Date: 1/20/2010 1:30:13 AM
Author: ChunkyCushionLover

Date: 1/19/2010 9:29:38 PM

Author: Cehrabehra

the 'shadow' you refer to is obstruction but it has a nice cross (from what I can see) which IMO is a good thing and harder to get in longer stones.

A nice cross is what exactly? All 4 leaves being obstructed and dark rather than just two?

Sounds to me like you're not a fan of arrows in a round? Same thing. What in some light is 'obstruction' of light from behind you is still a 'reflection' of the light hitting your face which is why arrows are not always black and neither are the maltese crosses.

What do you define as a nice cross now?
PSers which do you prefer?

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 1/20/2010 11:23:38 AM
Author: kristalulu
Thank you to everyone!! I just got off the phone with Gary and Dan at ERD, and in their honest opinion, they don''t think this is the right diamond for me. I''m relieved that they were so truthful, especially about the dark spots in the middle. So, the search continues (and we are no longer looking for a 1.2 ratio cushion, no higher than a 1.17).

Thank you again everyone! Hopefully I will be back soon with a new stone for you to help me analyze.

Keep us posted krista, the right stone will turn up!