79% for a Princess Cut too deep?

[mahende]

I am currently looking a diamond with the following specs:

1.51
VS1
E
Table: 74%
Depth:79%
Symmetry: Very Good
Polish: Good
Cutlet: None
Fluorescence: None
Dimensions 6.52x5.99x4.73
Certification: GIA

For $8980

How good is this cut? Is it too deep? And how good is the price?

 

[VuittonGal]

I do think 79 is too deep for a princess cut. However, have you seen the diamond in person? If it looks great to you in person, the numbers don''t matter as much.

 

[DiamondExpert]

It''s impossible to say, without seeing the stone...there are some AGS0''s with hi 70''s depths, but they usually come with much smaller tables in the 50''s.


The stone you cite is WAY not square, and you probably don''t know the crown height, crown angles and pavilion angles, which are important.

What the girdle?

Impossible to tell much of anything from the info you have given.

 

[valeria101]

Well... the two things I'd be looking for is spread (size for weight) and brighteness: the deep cut may cause either or both to be less than desirable. With the respective stats at hand I can't guess if this is anywhere near the brilliance level that princess cuts can get at their best. Size shows: I count it as surface and expect (as a rule of thimb) square or rectangular cuts to have it at least as large as a round a quarter carat lighter. It just so happens that this 'rule' adjust prices - since fancy shapes are slightly cheaper per carat than rounds, but also smaller for the same weigth. You can easily check where this princess cut (or any other) stands in this regard.

To be honest, if you are going for such high color and clarity grades, I would want to know how cut is relative to the best feasible, not the available stock in that repscetive shop (which is usually not much, or not diverse enough to include top cut quality).

Non-square princess cuts need not be 'ugly' in any way, but this is usually a reason for discount.

Just my 0.2

 

[mahende]

Hey thanks guys! I did a lot of resarch yesterday and it pretty much is right on with everything ya''ll have said..........I am also looking at another diamond that has the following specs.....

1.51 ct
Color: F
Clarity: VS2

$7400

I am calling tomorrow to get the rest of the information. My thinking is that if this diamond has a better cut it would be a better buy becuase we aren''t losing much in clarity and color but could be gaining a lot in surface and brilliance . Is this a right assumption? I have had some friends look at the diamond for me (the wholesaler is in another town), and they have said it is a very good looking stone. The only thing that makes me hesitant about the stone is that it is certified by EGL and I have heard that they tend to be pretty loose in their grading. I will let ya''ll know what I find out tomorrow! Thanks!

 

[RockDoc]

I agree with Diamond Expert here....

A stone with a 79% total depth can be very different if that diamond has a crown height of 13 % or more as compared to a stones that has 9% or less. In addition, one must also consider the crown angles, as they can be "fudged" as well, and the girdle thickness and uniformity is also a vibrant consideration.

Rockdoc

 

[mahende]

Ok so I checked on the other diamond and here is what I got.......

1.51 ct
Clarity: VS2
Color: F
Depth: 69.6%
Table: 74%
Crown: 11%
Pavilion: 55%
Girdle: Medium Polished
Symmetry: Good to Very Good
Polish: Good
Fluorescence: None
Cutlet: None

6.3x6.28x4.37

$7400 EGL Certification

I haven't seen the diamond....I am going to tomorrow.....but I already feel that this is a better buy. What do you guys think? Is it ok for the table to be more than the depth?

 

[valeria101]

Date: 9/19/2005 12:57:50 PM
Author: mahende
Is it ok for the table to be more than the depth?

I do not know is this has much meaning at all... Loking at numbers on a list is not the same se looking at diamonds in person

If you get to compare the two, it should be clear which is nicer. If there is room for improvement over both... that is harder to tell - if you looked over this forum a couple of ways to go about that must have stood out (all those ''scopes and cut grading ways). Of course, none is ''perfect'' - far from that, so it is up to you to look for such things or not.

 

[diamondsbylauren]

Date: 9/18/2005 3:09:14 PM
Author: mahende
Hey thanks guys! I did a lot of resarch yesterday and it pretty much is right on with everything ya''ll have said..........I am also looking at another diamond that has the following specs.....

1.51 ct
Color: F
Clarity: VS2

$7400

I am calling tomorrow to get the rest of the information. My thinking is that if this diamond has a better cut it would be a better buy becuase we aren''t losing much in clarity and color but could be gaining a lot in surface and brilliance . Is this a right assumption? I have had some friends look at the diamond for me (the wholesaler is in another town), and they have said it is a very good looking stone. The only thing that makes me hesitant about the stone is that it is certified by EGL and I have heard that they tend to be pretty loose in their grading. I will let ya''ll know what I find out tomorrow! Thanks!

Hi Everybody,
it can be generalized that 79% is pretty deep for a princess cut.
I do not feel that it''s a hard fast rule, but in many cases, it''s true.

I can say without hesitation that the price of $7400 for a F/VS1 indicates some large problems- it''s well below market, so the dimaond is either not what it''s claimed to be, or it has smoehting drastically wrong with it.
Carat and a half F/VS2''s are in demand, so a price well below market is cause for concern.

 

[mahende]

Hmmmmmm that is a good point......... I found this diamond at a wholesaler....but would that account for the price difference? If the diamond is certified and everything seems to check out, what could be the "hidden" problem? Any ideas? I am going to look at the diamond tomorrow....so I would like to know what to look for or ask about. Thanks!

 

[diamondsbylauren]

The lines between "wholsale" and "retail" have gotten very blurry lately.
A dimaond like an F/VS2 1.50 could be sold for a lot more than the prices we''re talking about ( say around $12,000+)- but it simply won''t sell for much less- evern from a true "wholesale" seller.

Make sure there is a GIA report. That''s the first thing to watch out for.

 

[mahende]

Well it is definately EGL certified....which I know EGL tends to grade soft on color....but surely it wouldn't drop the price that much would it? I think what I will do is go look at it and if it looks ok to me, take it to someone else for a second opinion.

 

[diamondsbylauren]

Date: 9/19/2005 6:22:38 PM
Author: mahende
Well it is definately EGL certified....which I know EGL tends to grade soft on color....but surely it wouldn''t drop the price that much would it? I think what I will do is go look at it and if it looks ok to me, take it to someone else for a second opinion.

There''s probably a reason the diamond is priced below market- just as there is usually a reason cutters skip sendign diamonds to GIA. The best ones always go to GIA.
On a high quality stone like this, my advice is to stick with GIA, and don''t expect to buy a desirable diamond well below market from a dealer/store.

If you like the diamond and purchase it, enjoy! ( and make sure you get a money back guarantee)

 

[valeria101]

Date: 9/19/2005 6:22:38 PM
Author: mahende

I know EGL tends to grade soft on color....but surely it wouldn''t drop the price that much would it?

It could, if the report is not by the US branch of EGL but another.

 

[diamondsbylauren]

It really does not matter which of the EGL''s the report comes from- if you try to compare prices of diamonds with EGL reports to those with GIA reports, it''s far more complex.
Simply because the differences usually go WAY beyond a simple shade of color difference.
The best stones get sent to GIA.