2.31 carat princess cut upgrade Im considering!

[laurenk]

Hello,
I currently have a 0.83 si1 G princess cut (5.05 x 5.5 x 3.62) dont have the table/depth etc.. (I think depth is about 65%?) info on me at the second. Anyway Im looking to upgrade to a bigger princess and have found the following:
2.31 carat
7.21 x 7.12 x 5.2
G si1 (EGL israel)
slightly thick girdle
73.1% depth
75% table
1.02 ratio
very good for both polish and symmetry.

I cannot visulaise this diamond on my hand, its quite a large jump (not that I have a problem with that hehe). My main questions are:

Do all the stats for this princess look ok?
Im not sure about EGL israel, Ive heard whatever they grade your diamond, its generally a colour and clarity worse in truth (say if GIA graded it). What are your experieces buying with an EGL israel cert?

This diamond is about $10500.

Is the depth of 5.2 too deep?

Im ideally looking for a large surface area so I feel like Im wearing a big stone, but still wish to maintain good colour and sparkle etc. Clarity is something Im happy to go down a notch providing the colour and cut is good and there are no huge carbon spots or large feathers from the top.

Ive heard colour "I" for princess at absolute worst and si1.

Looking forward to hearing some advice.

Thanks
Lauren

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Lauren, I'd look for princess cuts with GIA or AGS certs. You easily could be looking at I or J color for that stone in reality. You need pictures of the stone, too.

Here is an AGS princess in your size and price range that looks pretty good. I am seeing a shortage of stones this size with the vendors who specialize with ideal cut princess stones.

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/I-SI1-Ideal-Cut-Princess-Diamond-1423410.asp

 

[jstarfireb]

Hello,
I currently have a 0.83 si1 G princess cut (5.05 x 5.5 x 3.62) dont have the table/depth etc.. (I think depth is about 65%?) info on me at the second. Anyway Im looking to upgrade to a bigger princess and have found the following:
2.31 carat
7.21 x 7.12 x 5.2
G si1 (EGL israel)
slightly thick girdle
73.1% depth
75% table
1.02 ratio
very good for both polish and symmetry.

I cannot visulaise this diamond on my hand, its quite a large jump (not that I have a problem with that hehe). My main questions are:

Do all the stats for this princess look ok?

No huge red flags with the numbers, except that I'd prefer to see a smaller table. I like tables under 70% or at least less than the depth. 73.1% depth is typical and not a problem at all. However, numbers don't tell nearly enough of the story for princesses. You need images or to evaluate the diamond with your own eyes before you buy.

Im not sure about EGL israel, Ive heard whatever they grade your diamond, its generally a colour and clarity worse in truth (say if GIA graded it). What are your experieces buying with an EGL israel cert?

EGL Israel is known to be soft on color and clarity, particularly color. The color may be up to 2 grades lower than GIA/AGS. I prefer AGS-graded princesses because AGS will assign a cut grade to a princess and no other lab will. However, GIA princesses are much more plentiful.

This diamond is about $10500.
Unfortunately, you're not going to find a well-cut GIA or AGS princess with your desired specs for that price. You will either need to look at smaller stones, look at lower colors, or raise your budget.

Is the depth of 5.2 too deep?

See above.

Im ideally looking for a large surface area so I feel like Im wearing a big stone, but still wish to maintain good colour and sparkle etc. Clarity is something Im happy to go down a notch providing the colour and cut is good and there are no huge carbon spots or large feathers from the top.

An SI1 is not guaranteed to be eye-clean, so you'll need to ask the vendor about that. I agree with not paying for higher clarity since you can't see the difference with the naked eye.

Ive heard colour "I" for princess at absolute worst and si1.

It's a matter of personal preference and color sensitivity. If you want it to face up white, I'd agree that I is the lower limit for my comfort zone. However, you may find that you're more color-sensitive than most and might want to go higher. I've found that I color is a great bargain, though...it's very white to most people and the price jump to H for the same clarity and size is quite high. Keep in mind that an EGL-Israel I is probably equivalent to a GIA J-K.

Looking forward to hearing some advice.

Thanks
Lauren

See bolded parts above. What you're missing here is any information about the cut quality. Cut is what makes a diamond sparkle, not color or clarity, so you could be getting a huge stone that looks dead in the middle. I'd rather have a sparkly little fireball than a big chunk of glass. It is difficult to evaluate princess cut quality without images unless you have an AGS-graded ideal cut stone. An ASET is the most helpful thing you can get, but most vendors do not supply them. I'm not sure if you're looking locally or online, but if you're open to online, look at James Allen, Whiteflash, Good Old Gold, Nice Ice, Excel Diamonds, and High Performance Diamonds (Wink Jones, who sells Crafted by Infinity diamonds, some of the most gorgeous princesses out there). JA tends to have the best prices but also the biggest variation in cut quality.

This one is gorgeous but probably out of your price range:
http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/princess-cut-loose-diamond-2690311.htm

I don't see a lot of good ones out there with your desired specs. These may be worth looking into (ask for an ASET and if they're eye-clean to your standards):
http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/G-SI1-Premium-Cut-Princess-Diamond-1371873.asp
http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/E-SI1-Good-Cut-Princess-Diamond-1337330.asp

And this is my favorite in the 2ct range at JA, but it's a lot more expensive:
http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/F-VS1-Ideal-Cut-Princess-Diamond-1244921.asp

 

[MissStepcut]

Near the face-up size you're looking for, in your budget, and with (what looks like) a decent cut:

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/I-SI1-Ideal-Cut-Princess-Diamond-1423410.asp

The color on paper is lower than your EGL, but we don't really believe that anyway, so...

 

[jstarfireb]

I saw that one too and didn't recommend it because (1) I don't like the central pattern, and (2) it's an AGS cert but there's no cut grade, which makes me think it wouldn't have been ideal if it had been submitted for a cut grade. But you could get an ASET on it and see how it performs. It definitely faces up nice and big if size is what you're looking for, and it's probably not a bad cut, just not top-notch.

 

[MissStepcut]

I saw that one too and didn't recommend it because (1) I don't like the central pattern, and (2) it's an AGS cert but there's no cut grade, which makes me think it wouldn't have been ideal if it had been submitted for a cut grade. But you could get an ASET on it and see how it performs. It definitely faces up nice and big if size is what you're looking for, and it's probably not a bad cut, just not top-notch.

Yeah, I was interpreting the OP's priorities to be such that face-up size trumps an ideal cut, and that one would have some impressive finger coverage. But your concern is reasonable.

 

[slg47]

I saw that one too and didn't recommend it because (1) I don't like the central pattern, and (2) it's an AGS cert but there's no cut grade, which makes me think it wouldn't have been ideal if it had been submitted for a cut grade. But you could get an ASET on it and see how it performs. It definitely faces up nice and big if size is what you're looking for, and it's probably not a bad cut, just not top-notch.

is it possible there is no cut grade because the report is old?

 

[jstarfireb]

Oh, good question. I'm not sure if AGS did cut grades on princesses in 2003. Maybe one of the experts on AGS ideal princesses will chime in (John Pollard? Rhino? Wink? Paul?).

ETA: Looks like they started in 2005 - https://www.pricescope.com/journal/ags_new_cutgrading_princesses_first_experience

 

[laurenk]

Thanks to all for your help. I have just done some deeper research and the stone I mentioned in my post is clarity enhanced! The wholesaler told me never to worry about this, they are perfectly fine and you get better clarity for your dollar, but I always believed clarity enhancing was a huge no no. I feel so disappointed.

Im in Australia, so whilst I believe the USA sites are fantastic, I feel a little uncomfortable buying a stone from overseas. Does anyone recommended anyone here in Australia?

Boohoo

 

[jstarfireb]

Good idea to stay away from clarity enhancement. There's a very enlightening thread going on right now with photos of what happened to a CE diamond a few years down the line.

I'm not sure where in Australia you are, but I've heard good things about Jogia Diamonds in Perth. That's all I know of since I'm in the US, but there are many Aussie PSers who can help you out.

 

[MissStepcut]

jstar is right, we have a few Aussie PSers who might be able to guide you. I would consider starting a new thread to get their attention, or using the search feature. After shipping and insurance and taxes and all the other add-ons you Aussies have to pay for, I am not even sure it works out to such a great deal to buy from PS vendors anyway.

 

[DiamondsDiamonds]

[The diamond] is clarity enhanced! The wholesaler told me never to worry about this, they are perfectly fine and you get better clarity for your dollar.

You get junk for your dollar, he should have said. Clarity enhanced diamonds are to be avoided, as are sellers who tell you they are "perfectly fine."

Best of luck to you with your search in Australia!