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4 ct early round brilliant, to recut or not recut

foxinsox

Ideal_Rock
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The question I have is would you want it to be recut into an ideal MRB or tweak it backwards to a transitional or OEC cut?
It probably comes down to what you’re working with in terms of the proportions as to what you’d be able to do.
What aspects of the light performance currently aren’t to your liking? It looks like a very pretty sparkly stone.
 
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OoohShiny

Ideal_Rock
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If the diamond is sent out anywhere - it should be to AGS as they grade for light performance. GIA does not. All my stones - which are older (pre 1945) - were all sent to AGS prior to their resetting.

+1 to this.

AGS can give you ASET performance (on the Platinum report, IIRC?) which will help inform any decisions on a re-cut.

Alternatively, get it SARIN scanned so you can understand all the faceting details, which will enable use of the HCA tool and understanding of potential leakage issues / cut consistency.
 

SimoneDi

Ideal_Rock
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AGS doesn’t work with the public, so as a consumer OP can only get the family diamond graded by GIA. There will also be no benefit in grading with AGS at this time. Typically, only stones that will yield “ideal” cut are submitted to AGS. OP can simply buy an ASET if interested in seeing what that would look like.
 

kgizo

Ideal_Rock
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Agree with the posters who have said to wear it first as I would not take the risk of a recut without being 100% sure I needed it to be happy with my diamond. I say this as someone who had 2 stones tweaked by Southwest Diamond Cutters and was thrilled with the results.
 

Rose-gold-or-bust

Shiny_Rock
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Aug 7, 2019
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If I gifted anyone a 4ct diamond family heirloom and they had it re-cut, I’d be furious. Unless it is damaged, I would leave it as-is unless the family makes the suggestion to have it modified.
 

Polyhex

Brilliant_Rock
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Sep 18, 2003
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@oldminer Jewelers Mutual will insure for any reason, recuts included. I’ve been down this road. But first, of course, it would need an appraisal and then go through underwriting.

They technically do but they may deny coverage for high value stones. I attempted to insure a 5.7 ct OEC before recut and I was denied. When I asked why they said they had tightened underwriting requirements for high value loose stones and now rarely insure them.
 

Alexiszoe

Brilliant_Rock
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I think I’ve just been hanging around these boards and spending weeks looking at AGS 000 hearts and arrows stones that I became a little self conscious about the stone when a couple of people pointed out that they wouldn’t accept an heirloom they couldn’t recut.

Then I started wondering if this stone needs to be recut since the cut is a bit splintery when really looking with a critical eye. But I think I’m leaning towards cutting not being worth risking the size (or the stone itself breaking) when it’s already plenty lively, fire-y, and brilliant...


Since you mentioned being on PS has made you more self conscious that you might have a less than ideal stone - and hence wanting a recut, I would suggest this instead.

Get off of PS and diamond related research for a while.

Wear it for a bit.

And when things have settled, and you are still thinking about it, go take a look at the super ideal cuts and see if you actually really like it.

I say this because, once upon a time, when I was new to diamonds, discovering PS and cuts etc made me really want a super ideal cut, which I ended up buying.

It was only many years later, through personal experience of looking at and buying more diamonds did I realize I am just as happy with a Gia excellent cut stone which falls within my cut parameters.

Being on these boards, especially when you are new to diamonds, with something as emotional as an engagement ring, can sometimes make us feel anxious and wanting it to be the 'best' and heavily influenced by what the 'experts' have to say.

So give it some time, get away from it for a while, enjoy the ring and see how you feel after some time.
 

Snowdrop13

Ideal_Rock
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Aug 27, 2011
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Since you mentioned being on PS has made you more self conscious that you might have a less than ideal stone - and hence wanting a recut, I would suggest this instead.

Get off of PS and diamond related research for a while.

Wear it for a bit.

And when things have settled, and you are still thinking about it, go take a look at the super ideal cuts and see if you actually really like it.

I say this because, once upon a time, when I was new to diamonds, discovering PS and cuts etc made me really want a super ideal cut, which I ended up buying.

It was only many years later, through personal experience of looking at and buying more diamonds did I realize I am just as happy with a Gia excellent cut stone which falls within my cut parameters.

Being on these boards, especially when you are new to diamonds, with something as emotional as an engagement ring, can sometimes make us feel anxious and wanting it to be the 'best' and heavily influenced by what the 'experts' have to say.

So give it some time, get away from it for a while, enjoy the ring and see how you feel after some time.

I think this is very true. Recutting a stone would probably not be a prime consideration out there in the non PS world. Most of us will never see, let alone wear a 4 ct stone. If it were mine, I would be interested in getting a GIA certificate, just to know the stats and make sure there was no damage that could be repaired easily.
 

OcnGypZ

Shiny_Rock
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Dec 18, 2006
Messages
387
AGS doesn’t work with the public, so as a consumer OP can only get the family diamond graded by GIA. There will also be no benefit in grading with AGS at this time. Typically, only stones that will yield “ideal” cut are submitted to AGS. OP can simply buy an ASET if interested in seeing what that would look like.

The respective jewelers sent the stones.
 

SimoneDi

Ideal_Rock
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The respective jewelers sent the stones.

Yes, I realize how it works and have done it 3-4 times. However, that doesn’t change the fact that OP in this case will not benefit from an AGS grading report. GIA is the only one I would personally recommend and which will be worth it mostly for insurance purposes.
 

msop04

Super_Ideal_Rock
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Dec 3, 2011
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I wouldn't recut it... it looks pretty good as is. I wouldn't chance it, especially if you're worried about size retention.
 

AV_

Ideal_Rock
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Aug 5, 2018
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3,889
Just a thought:
Since this is an earlier type of round brilliant, - it must have its own Ideal, NOT the modern H&A [too much to be said!]. I have some idea whom I would ask to explore such possibilities - the discussion would be beyond fun, but I'd be mostly listening.

@diagem
 
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RedHairDontCare

Rough_Rock
Joined
Dec 6, 2017
Messages
25
I recently bought a 4.53 carat old cut stone and had it recut, this however was because the stone had a lot of damage to the girdle (and this made it cheap to buy!) the recut took her down to 3.7 carats, triple ex. It was a lot of weight to lose but had to be done.

your stone looks beautiful as it is, maybe get an opinion and see what results they could give you and then decide. Good luck!
 
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