2.02 Cushion Cut H VVS1

[took86]

Hi guys,

I hope I'm posting this in the correct place!

I am looking at a 2.02 carat cushion cut diamond from Adiamor. It's an H-color VVS1 and their asking price is $13800 (http://www.adiamor.com/Diamonds/H-VVS1-Excellent-Cut-Cushion-Diamond/D32706934).

They provided me with a picture, which I attached.

Based on the GIA cert, am I making a good decision if I were to buy here?

She likes cushion cuts or a round, but at the same size, color, and clarity, I found that I can get a nice size and colored cushion!

thanks for the info.

 

[tyty333]

I just wanted to bring up that you also need to consider surface area...that 2.02 cushion faces up the size of about a 1.7ish round.
(I know 2.02 sounds more impressive though). Have you asked them if you can get an ASET image for that stone? That will help
us see how well it returns light.

I'm afraid that stone is going to have a lot of mush under the table. An ASET will verify one way or the other.

 

[kb1gra]

Can't say for sure without an ASET but I'm going to say "meh" to that one. Its unlikely to surprise me on that front.

The price is decent for the size, but that's because it's not that great a stone.

What is your budget and what "flavor" of cushion do you like? Square? Elongated? Defined faceting? More glittery "ice" appearance?

All this will help us guide you...

Often Adiamor has the same stones as other places that do have pics/videos/ASETs

This is a super nice cushion for not that much more $$ and above the 2ct mark:
http://www.adiamor.com/Diamonds/H-VS1-Excellent-Cut-Cushion-Diamond/D32658419

Here's a picture of that stone:



This one's got a longer ratio and strong fluorescence, which may turn you off.
http://www.adiamor.com/Diamonds/F-SI1-Excellent-Cut-Cushion-Diamond/D31671599




However, my choice, if you don't mind going down to an I color, is GIA#1233607370. Give them that number and ask them to get it for you. They have done that for me before in the past. It's a 2.03 I/VS1 with a good 1.06 ratio, and a nice ASET. Here's the pics/ASET for that one. The price should be less than the one you've picked out and the spread is slightly better at 7.59x7.19.

 

[took86]

what makes that particular stone a mediocre one?

I really appreciate the recommendations. I'm looking for either a round cut h or i color within the range of vs2 and higher. i am also considering a cushion brilliant cut in h-color or i-color but with good clarity. around the 2ct range please? Is there anything else i should consider?

I've been reading up on different things to look at for cushion cuts and i thought that was a good one to pick, but i'm still learning. So thanks for all of the advice!

 

[kb1gra]

what makes that particular stone a mediocre one?

I really appreciate the recommendations. I'm looking for either a round cut h or i color within the range of vs2 and higher. i am also considering a cushion brilliant cut in h-color or i-color but with good clarity. around the 2ct range please? Is there anything else i should consider?

I've been reading up on different things to look at for cushion cuts and i thought that was a good one to pick, but i'm still learning. So thanks for all of the advice!

What's your budget? And do you have a setting in mind?

A good round should be easy to find - cushion much more difficult without pics. However, if they can get that last one for you, it will be cheaper than the one you picked, I am almost sure of it.

If you look at the pic of the cushion you posted, look at the area just around the center of the stone. See how it's all kind of...blurry? That comes from light leakage under the table. Compare that to the last stone I posted, see how much more definition that area has and how clear the facets are?

Some photos are just blurry, but usually you can tell when the picture is blurry versus light leaking and not returning clear light from the facets.

Not everyone likes the cushion patterns I posted. Some prefer cushion modified, which you'll see referred to on here as a "crushed ice" cushion. I actually don't mind this look, which is more what I'd call "glittery" than "bright" but they don't typically ASET well because the cut relies on light bouncing around inside the stone. It creates a different effect than light return like you'd see in a round or cushion brilliant.

So if you want a round - easy peasy. If you want a cushion, you need to decide on the flavor and what you want it to look like. And you have to be careful with spread on cushions and not look at the carat numbers - you can easily find a 1.7 and a 1.9 cushion that are the same face size but vastly different in price.

You may hear some mixed things about Adiamor but I have a ring from them and they have been courteous, professional, well priced, and am hoping for good quality when my ring arrives next week. I'd be happy to work with them again in the future based on my experience so far.

 

[tyty333]

I really like that last cushion that kb pointed out...I like the faceting pattern and the aset looks very nice.

I marked up the stone that you picked. The donut area that I marked on the stone usually shows a lot of leakage (and we
wont know otherwise without an ASET image).

Look for crisp, sharp, well-defined facets. Areas where you cant really see a distinct facet line or where it looks sort of
mottled (for lack of a better word) can show leakage.

Compared to the last stone that kb posted...crisp easily defined facets

 

[took86]

My budget for the rock is around 13-14k. I really really wanted to find her a nice round cut, but around that pricing, I haven't been able to find anything around the 2 carat range.

What should I be looking at when looking for a round cut? I'm hoping to find a round around the I-color range (I'm told that an excellent cut I-colored diamond is a good buy.) Any recommendations?

I'm considering working with Adiamor or with b2c jewels. Do you have any experience working with b2c?

 

[Sagefemme]

Make sure you are NOT looking at carat weight when comparing a cushion with a round. Many new diamond hunters fall into this. It is very important to realize that cushions have much smaller face-up dimensions for the same carat compared to a round. So anyone glancing at your fiance's 2 carat round will see a noticeably bigger diamond than the same person glancing at her 2 carat cushion, which will appear noticeably smaller.

The Adimore cushion 2.01 measures 7.46 X 7.25 X 4.82. Here's a random round brilliant 1.66 carat from James Allen. Notice it faces up bigger than the cushion (7.62 X 7.64 X 4.69):

https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-di...rat-g-color-vs2-clarity-ideal-cut-sku-1907535

Cushions are deep, so you are paying for something that is not, for the most part, seen by anyone once the stone is set. I love how cushions look but could never bring myself to pay for a smaller presence on the hand than a round stone will provide.

You probably know all this, sorry if I'm lecturing you! Bottom line, you can be looking at smaller carat rounds (less money) to compare with those 2 carat Adimore stones.

 

[Sagefemme]

PS: Sorry tyty already said all this, above.

 

[tyty333]

Here is what JA has.

This is an AGS000 stone
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/1.80-carat-i-color-vs1-clarity-ideal-cut-sku-2101297

Here is a picture that shows the size difference between that 2.02 cushion and the round I just posted.

 

[kb1gra]

There really isn't a need for name calling.

The following isn't really directed at any posters above me.

An elongated shape (either elongated cushion, oval, pear, etc) can actually be a good way to get PERCIEVED size for less money. It really depends on the specific cushion. I chose the one I chose above because it had the elongated ratio of the originally posted stone, but with better faceting and weight allocation (better spread).

However, their price per carat is generally lower than rounds because of the size appearance issue, as well as variances in cut, popularity, etc. A well cut cushion may be more per carat than a round.

I really don't love rounds, so for me I'd much rather have the cushion (at any weight) over a round. I think once you get outside the confines of pricescope, it will come to be that a stone that is 7.6mm in the long dimension is in fact, huge. Thus, if being able to say that you have a 2ct diamond is important, by all means go for the huge, sparkly cushion. I would. However, if absolute size is the goal, at the possible expense of uniqueness or originality (sorry, round lovers!) then we can help you secure a very nice round that is probably going to be less than 2ct. You can even toss it in a cushion halo to get the shape.

I find the appeal of cushions is in the fact they're relatively uncommon in the real world and a good one is even rarer than that. I love that there are different flavors of cushions and every one looks a little different, and you can also get into elongated shapes vs square, facet orientations, etc. That may not appeal equally to others. But I love a good cushion over a round any day of the week.

 

[took86]

Hey guys,

So I think I'm going to go with a round.

Can you guys help me to understand why this 2.05 round is less than this 1.90 round?

http://www.b2cjewels.com/dd-8783256-2.05-carat-Round-diamond-I-color-VS2-clarity.aspx (2.05)
http://www.b2cjewels.com/dd-8746487-1.90-carat-Round-diamond-I-color-VS2-clarity.aspx (1.90)

When looking at the picture of the 1.90, it looks like it has clearly cut facets to me. Am I right?

 

[kb1gra]

2.05 has medium blue fluorescence, which does lower the price, and also has a crystal on the table. Location and type of inclusions can affect price.

 

[ac117]

Hey guys,

So I think I'm going to go with a round.

Can you guys help me to understand why this 2.05 round is less than this 1.90 round?

http://www.b2cjewels.com/dd-8783256-2.05-carat-Round-diamond-I-color-VS2-clarity.aspx (2.05)
http://www.b2cjewels.com/dd-8746487-1.90-carat-Round-diamond-I-color-VS2-clarity.aspx (1.90)

When looking at the picture of the 1.90, it looks like it has clearly cut facets to me. Am I right?

Both of these stones are not well cut because they do not have complimentary angles. The 1.90 is also too deep and will face up smaller. The GIA excellent cut range is broad, and some stones are much better than others. These are measurements to help you stay in ideal cut territory:
table: 54-58
depth: 60-62.3
crown angle: 34-35.0 (sometimes 35.5 is the pavilion angle is 40.6)
pavilion angle: 40.6-40.9 (sometimes 41.0 if the crown angle is close to 34)

Also use the HCA as a rejection tool (rule out those with scores >2). With angles, you need to look for ones that complement each other. As the crown angle gets higher, ideally you’d want a shallower pavilion angle and vice versa. I would also suggest asking the vendor for light return images to confirm performance.

 

[took86]

so I searched based on your recommended parameters and found this:
http://www.b2cjewels.com/dd-8738307-1.90-carat-Round-diamond-I-color-VS1-clarity.aspx

What do you think?

Also, I read something about a diamond being "eye clean". What does that mean?

 

[kb1gra]

so I searched based on your recommended parameters and found this:
http://www.b2cjewels.com/dd-8738307-1.90-carat-Round-diamond-I-color-VS1-clarity.aspx

What do you think?

Also, I read something about a diamond being "eye clean". What does that mean?

It means that you cannot see any visible inclusions under normal wearing/viewing conditions. Even some lower clarity stones have inclusions you can't see, so you're paying more for higher clarity while the stone looks visually the same as a lower clarity stone.

 

[took86]

what do you think about these ones?

http://www.b2cjewels.com/dd-8738307-1.90-carat-Round-diamond-I-color-VS1-clarity.aspx
http://www.b2cjewels.com/dd-8378089-1.83-carat-Round-diamond-I-color-VVS2-clarity.aspx

Thank you for all your help!!!

 

[flyingpig]

what do you think about these ones?

http://www.b2cjewels.com/dd-8738307-1.90-carat-Round-diamond-I-color-VS1-clarity.aspx
http://www.b2cjewels.com/dd-8378089-1.83-carat-Round-diamond-I-color-VVS2-clarity.aspx

Thank you for all your help!!!

keep shopping. stick to the parameters AC117 gave you above.