Advice needed please on round brilliant and cushion brilliant

[Belle Brilliant]

Hi,

Thought I would introduce myself. I''ve been lurking on this site for a long time and have learnt so much from all of you, so thank you!

I got engaged about ten days ago and my fiancee and I are now shopping for an engagement ring.

I was convinced I wanted a cushion brilliant and have seen some beautiful ones on here, particularly MMM''s and Reena''s which are both stunning

. But they are very hard to come by. I also really like the fire you get from a round brilliant so I think I would be just as happy with a beautiful round (like Ellen''s beautiful stone

) if I couldn''t find a perfect cushion.

Mark T has been looking for cushions for me. He has found a 2.27 F VS1 cushion brilliant for me, and is going to let me know his opinion (and the price!) hopefully later today.

I''m from England and have also been looking over here. I''ve seen a few cushions but nothing special, and I''m seeing some more this evening.

The prices seem to vary hugely, could any of you tell me what you would expect to pay for a 2 carat E Vs2 round brilliant with excellent cut, excellent polish and very good symmetry? I will try and find out the angles as I know there is an optimum range. (Also how do I find out what THAT is?). And if any of you would be kind enough to PM me with prices of your cushions that would help enormously!

Phew, this is a long post. Any help and advice would be much appreciated.

BB x

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 10/9/2007 7:06:07 AM
Author:Belle Brilliant
Hi,

Thought I would introduce myself. I've been lurking on this site for a long time and have learnt so much from all of you, so thank you!

I got engaged about ten days ago and my fiancee and I are now shopping for an engagement ring.

I was convinced I wanted a cushion brilliant and have seen some beautiful ones on here, particularly MMM's and Reena's which are both stunning

. But they are very hard to come by. I also really like the fire you get from a round brilliant so I think I would be just as happy with a beautiful round (like Ellen's beautiful stone

) if I couldn't find a perfect cushion.

Mark T has been looking for cushions for me. He has found a 2.27 F VS1 cushion brilliant for me, and is going to let me know his opinion (and the price!) hopefully later today.

I'm from England and have also been looking over here. I've seen a few cushions but nothing special, and I'm seeing some more this evening.

The prices seem to vary hugely, could any of you tell me what you would expect to pay for a 2 carat E Vs2 round brilliant with excellent cut, excellent polish and very good symmetry? I will try and find out the angles as I know there is an optimum range. (Also how do I find out what THAT is?). And if any of you would be kind enough to PM me with prices of your cushions that would help enormously!

Phew, this is a long post. Any help and advice would be much appreciated.

BB x

Hi Belle and welcome

Firstly, we no longer have PM so other members won't be able to share what they paid with you in this way, but I can suggest using the search tool above, Pricescope Your Diamond to compare prices. You will see they can vary quite a bit depending on the grading report, cut, colour, clarity etc. However you can compare prices of E VS2 Rounds quite easily using the tool. If you decide in the end you want a round diamond, if you search between AGS0 and GIA Ex cut grades, you will be looking at some of the best cut diamonds and should end up with a lovely stone.

Regarding the cushion, you are in excellent hands with Mark T, he won't steer you wrong! If it is a round you ultimately want, then vendors such as Good old Gold, Whiteflash Wink Jones and Mark, James Allen can help you find a superbly cut diamond. Tell them what you are looking for, and they can make it easy by showing you examples. Their websites also supply lots of info on their in house diamonds such as Idealscope images, ASET images and photos to help your selection process. That should make it easy for you to end up with a diamond which has all the right proportions. Also for your own knowledge, the tutorial here on this site should give you an excellent grounding in diamond basics and cut!

You could also lower your colour grades a bit to include G and H perhaps and also consider a clean SI1 grade if that came up so you can broaden your options, if that is ok with you.

Here is the tutorial for you.

http://diamonds.pricescope.com/

 

[Belle Brilliant]

Thanks Lorelei,

That''s really helpful. Fingers crossed I will find ''the one'' soon. Does anyone know what the ideal proportions for a round brilliant should be, or where to find them?

thanks again

belle

 

[Ellen]

Hi Belle,

Welcome to PS! and congrats!!

Lorelei gave you great advice. Mark has found oodles of lovely cushions for people, I would think he could find you one too! I love cushions (and considered them at one time), that would make a lovely ring!

To give you an idea on rounds, I looked at the place I got mine. These are excellent stones.

Here''s an idea of what you might pay, and these are fair prices for really well cut stones.


This is what you asked about.

http://204.17.89.15/diamond/3089/


Now, as Lorelei said, if you go down, at least in color a bit, it helps with the price tremendously. I have a G (as you may know), and it looks very white, and is safe at almost any size. Also, if you consider just under 2 cts., that helps a lot too. Once set, these stones would appear as 2 cts., no one would know the difference.

I went for just under 1.5, to avoid that price increase, and got a 1.4.

Here''s an F and G at just under, just to give you an idea. The bankwire price is the discount, just under the regular price at the bottom of the info on right hand side.

Hope this helps, and let us know if you need anymore help, or what you get!

http://204.17.89.15/diamond/2622/

http://204.17.89.15/diamond/2881/

 

[Belle Brilliant]

Thanks Ellen,

I love your ring, and it looks much bigger and whiter than a 1.4G. Just out of interest, what made you choose the round over the cushion? I think I may be leaning towards a round because of the better brilliance and fire that you typically get. Plus I love the square cushions rather than the rectangular ones and in a four prong setting a round looks quite similair to a square cushion. I''d be interested to hear about your decision making process though.



Belle x

 

[belle]

here are some comparison charts to get an idea of angle combinations to look for https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/ags-and-gia-cut-comparison-charts.41793/

 

[Ellen]

Thank you Belle!

The reason it looks bigger and possibly whiter than you''d think (although G''s really are white), is because it is so well cut. That''s the real beauty of great cut stones, they mask the color, and clarity to a great extent, and the light return on them makes them look a bit bigger than they are. So cut is most important!

Now, as to how I ended up with a round, how long have you got??

It was a somewhat convoluted process when I went for my upgrade. I originally wanted an Asscher, and I still do. *sigh* However, I quickly realized they face up smaller for the same ct. weight as a round, and my budget was not going to work for what I wanted, as I''d had a very small round for years, I wanted some size!

So then I just looked all over the place. Radiants, Cushions, seriously considered a Flanders, and even put an offer on one, but they wouldn''t take it. So then I just took some time off and really thought about it, and decided I still wanted the sparkle of a round, especially after I''d seen some ideal cuts, which my previous round was not.

So, I ended up getting another round, and dream of getting my Asscher someday....But I''ve never regretted my round. I love it.

Now, even though I have 4 prongs, for the most part it''s still undeniably a round. You might consider a round in a square setting. Halo''s are beautiful, and add size. Another thought is a square hearts and arrows. They still face up a bit smaller, and they''re not cheap, but they are square, with the sparkle of a round. If budget permits, that''s an option too. (I considered those also, but again, my budget was not cooperating with my size preference)

I''ll give you a link to the videos on GOG, that may help. They have lots of them!

http://204.17.89.15/video/

Hope this helped!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Here are some parameters for rounds for you:

table: 54-57%

depth: 60-62%

crown angle: 34-35

pavilion angle: 40.6 to 41.0

girdle: thin, medium, or slightly thick

 

[Gypsy]

Square Hearts and Arrow would be a great choice for you. Teetee just bought one and MAN is it one bright gorgeous stone.

 

[Belle Brilliant]

Thanks everyone for your helpful advice. I need some more though please!!

I''m now thinking that I''m going to go with a round brilliant. The only problem is that I have only seen one stone in London that I really liked (and was in budget although still more expensive than I think it should be based on price scope pricing) whereas, the lovely Mark T has access to several.

The stone I''ve seen is an SI1 although apparently borderline and could easily be a VS2 and the only flaw is a small cloud which isn''t visible to the naked eye. Are some types of inclusion worse than others, or is it just a matter of visibility?

I''m going to be in the States in a fortnight''s time, so do I risk losing the stone in London, or just hope that Mark has ''the one'' and get it there, and then face the logistical problem of having to send it somewhere else to get it set?

Dilemma, dilemma.

I also have to say (this will come as no surprise to all of you I''m sure!) that Mark is the most amazing man. He know''s SO much about diamonds, not only cushions and is so generous when it comes to taking time to educate you and I. I have probably seen in the region of 20 cushion cut diamonds now, and none of them have come near to the ones I saw in his office.

Sorry this is a bit rambling,

What would you do if you were me? Please help!

B xx

 

[Ellen]

belle, if it were me, I''d look with Mark to find one. I would imagine he''d have something, or can get something in, just tell him what you are wanting to see before you come. The more you see, the more you''ll know what you like, they can have many different personalities. (as you saw somewhat w/the cushions)

He can also verse you best on inclusions, most don''t present problems, and part of it is where they lie in the stone.

Also, I''m just guessing his prices would be better, but that''s only a guess.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 10/11/2007 7:44:05 AM
Author: Ellen
belle, if it were me, I''d look with Mark to find one. I would imagine he''d have something, or can get something in, just tell him what you are wanting to see before you come. The more you see, the more you''ll know what you like, they can have many different personalities. (as you saw somewhat w/the cushions)

He can also verse you best on inclusions, most don''t present problems, and part of it is where they lie in the stone.

Also, I''m just guessing his prices would be better, but that''s only a guess.

Ditto that, also the exchange rate would make buying in USD a good idea too.

 

[Ellen]

Date: 10/11/2007 8:43:03 AM
Author: Lorelei

Date: 10/11/2007 7:44:05 AM
Author: Ellen
belle, if it were me, I''d look with Mark to find one. I would imagine he''d have something, or can get something in, just tell him what you are wanting to see before you come. The more you see, the more you''ll know what you like, they can have many different personalities. (as you saw somewhat w/the cushions)

He can also verse you best on inclusions, most don''t present problems, and part of it is where they lie in the stone.

Also, I''m just guessing his prices would be better, but that''s only a guess.

Ditto that, also the exchange rate would make buying in USD a good idea too.

Ooh, good point. I always forget about that.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 10/11/2007 8:52:06 AM
Author: Ellen

Date: 10/11/2007 8:43:03 AM
Author: Lorelei

Date: 10/11/2007 7:44:05 AM
Author: Ellen
belle, if it were me, I'd look with Mark to find one. I would imagine he'd have something, or can get something in, just tell him what you are wanting to see before you come. The more you see, the more you'll know what you like, they can have many different personalities. (as you saw somewhat w/the cushions)

He can also verse you best on inclusions, most don't present problems, and part of it is where they lie in the stone.

Also, I'm just guessing his prices would be better, but that's only a guess.

Ditto that, also the exchange rate would make buying in USD a good idea too.

Ooh, good point. I always forget about that.

 

[belle]

i third ellen and lorelei''s suggestion of buying here. i think you will have much better selection and great prices.
best of luck!

 

[Belle Brilliant]

Hi everyone and thanks again for all your helpful advice.

I''ve thought a lot about it and realised that if I could get the stone in London at the right price then I would be very happy and also saving myself a lot of travelling and expense in going to NYC, finding a jeweller to work with, shipping it out of the state and then getting it to the jeweller etc etc.

Soooo, well I went back to look at the stone I fell in love with in London today and we managed to get the seller to give us (what I think) is a great deal. My fiancee and I spent 10 minutes with a 10x loupe trying to find the inclusion (a very small cloud, just looks like a miniscule fragement of cobweb) which is not at all visible with the naked eye and very hard to find with a loupe. The stone is extremely sparkly and white and I love it.

What do you guys think?

GIA 2.02 E SI1 (although the seller considers it to be closer to VS2 as it only has one tiny cloud)

Round Brilliant

Measurements: 8.21 -8.28 x 4.98

Cut: Excellent
Polish: Excellent
Symmetry: Very Good

Depth 60.4%
Table 58%
Crown Angle 32%
Pavilion Angle 41.6%
Girdle Thin to Medium Faceted
Culet: None
Fluorescence: None

It gets a 3.6, very good on the HCA rating which says worth buying if the price is right.

What do the experts think (you guys)?? Please tell me it''s a good one!!

The jeweller also custom makes his own settings and the one I like is so beautiful. It''s a bit vatche x-prong esque, but with a much thinner band, with channel set round diamonds on the shoulders.

Waiting in anticipation to hear what you guys think!

B xx