Advice on Diamond

[joemcm633]

I need some advice for choosing a diamond for my girlfriend''s engagement ring. She likes princess cut diamonds, and my budget is about $2,350 for the diamond + $1,000 for the setting. I found these three on Blue Nile:

0.74 Carats
Very Good Cut
G Color
VS2 Clarity
EX Polish
VG Symmetry
1.02 L/W Ratio
73.7% Depth
70.0% Table
Girdle: Slightly Thick
4.94x4.86x3.58 mm
No Fluorescence
$2,272

0.76 Carats
Very Good Cut
H Color
VS2 Clarity
EX Polish
VG Symmetry
1.00 L/W Ratio
73.5% Depth
72.0% Table
Girdle: Slightly Thick to Very Thick
4.93x4.91x3.61 mm
No Fluorescence
$2,352

0.79 Carats
Very Good Cut
H Color
VS2 Clarity
EX Polish
VG Symmetry
1.02 L/W Ratio
73.73% Depth
72.0% Table
Girdle: Slightly Thick to Thick
4.98x4.86x3.56 mm
No Fluorescence
$2,442

I''m a little bit confused about what an ideal cut is for a princess cut diamond. Are these depth and table percentages okay? Is there a rule of thumb that I should look for?

Also, I''m worried about the girdle on the second being slightly thick to very thick. What do you guys think?

Thanks!

 

[Lorelei]

Hi Joe,

Unfortunately we can't tell much without detailed photos and ASET images of Princess, and to the best of my knowledge BN doesn't offer such services. There is a chart I will post with suggested guidelines, but use as a guide only, fancy shapes can't be judged by numbers. Have you looked at some vendors with in house diamonds where all the cut analysis has been done such as
www.goodoldgold.com

www.winkjones.com

www.whiteflash.com

If you prefer to buy from BN thats fine of course, they do have an excellent return policy, but I just wanted to mention that you could get photos and cut analysis to see what you are buying elsewhere.

Also don't go by cut labels such as Very Good, it doesn't guarantee you a well cut diamond. You could consider AGS0 cut grade Princess, these should be excellent performers and lovely looking diamonds.

Here is the suggested number chart - http://diamonds.pricescope.com/fnc1.asp

 

[joemcm633]

Hi Lorelei,

Would it be better to buy a smaller AGS0 diamond to ensure that the spread is fantastic? I found a .71 carat AGS0 on Blue Nile for about the same price as a normal .75 carat very good cut. I want the diamond to be good quality, but I don''t want it to be too tiny either.

Price: $2,304
Carat weight: 0.71
Cut: AGS Ideal 0
Color: G
Clarity: VS2
Price per carat: $3,245
Depth %: 72.6%
Table %: 62.9%
Symmetry: Ideal
Polish: Ideal
Girdle: Thin to slightly thick
Culet: None
Fluorescence: None
Measurements: 4.95 x 4.94 x 3.59 mm
Length/width ratio: 1.00

I''ve checked out Whiteflash and GoodOldGold, but I haven''t had much luck.

Also, I was wondering if you could give me some advice on settings. I really like this James Allen channel setting, but it''s over my budget (I''m a college student):
http://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/settings-with-sidestones/ring/item_58-1187_design.asp?module=setting

This one at Blue Nile is similar, but it doesn''t seem as elegant to me:
http://www.bluenile.com/diamond-engagement-ring-setting-white-gold_5230?metal_filter=platinum,%20yellow,%20white&setting_filter=solitaire,%20sidestone,%203stone&sort_select=LTHP&show_all_pages=0&filter_id=1&set_shape=

Do you know of any similar channel settings?

I also found this one in the Facets Collection that looks promising, but I don''t know anything about their reputation.
http://www.thefacetscollection.com/item.cfm?item_id=2462

Thanks again!

 

[JulieN]

Date: 8/29/2008 1:59:30 PM
Author: joemcm633
Hi Lorelei,

Would it be better to buy a smaller AGS0 diamond to ensure that the spread is fantastic? I found a .71 carat AGS0 on Blue Nile for about the same price as a normal .75 carat very good cut. I want the diamond to be good quality, but I don''t want it to be too tiny either.

Price: $2,304
Carat weight: 0.71
Cut: AGS Ideal 0
Color: G
Clarity: VS2
Price per carat: $3,245
Depth %: 72.6%
Table %: 62.9%
Symmetry: Ideal
Polish: Ideal
Girdle: Thin to slightly thick
Culet: None
Fluorescence: None
Measurements: 4.95 x 4.94 x 3.59 mm
Length/width ratio: 1.00

It''s somewhat bigger than all of the other ones you listed above...

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 8/29/2008 1:59:30 PM
Author: joemcm633
Hi Lorelei,

Would it be better to buy a smaller AGS0 diamond to ensure that the spread is fantastic? I found a .71 carat AGS0 on Blue Nile for about the same price as a normal .75 carat very good cut. I want the diamond to be good quality, but I don't want it to be too tiny either.

Price: $2,304
Carat weight: 0.71
Cut: AGS Ideal 0
Color: G
Clarity: VS2
Price per carat: $3,245
Depth %: 72.6%
Table %: 62.9%
Symmetry: Ideal
Polish: Ideal
Girdle: Thin to slightly thick
Culet: None
Fluorescence: None
Measurements: 4.95 x 4.94 x 3.59 mm
Length/width ratio: 1.00

I've checked out Whiteflash and GoodOldGold, but I haven't had much luck.

Also, I was wondering if you could give me some advice on settings. I really like this James Allen channel setting, but it's over my budget (I'm a college student):
http://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/settings-with-sidestones/ring/item_58-1187_design.asp?module=setting

This one at Blue Nile is similar, but it doesn't seem as elegant to me:
http://www.bluenile.com/diamond-engagement-ring-setting-white-gold_5230?metal_filter=platinum,%20yellow,%20white&setting_filter=solitaire,%20sidestone,%203stone&sort_select=LTHP&show_all_pages=0&filter_id=1&set_shape=

Do you know of any similar channel settings?

I also found this one in the Facets Collection that looks promising, but I don't know anything about their reputation.
http://www.thefacetscollection.com/item.cfm?item_id=2462

Thanks again!

You are welcome! I would rather consider an AGS0 Princess definitely. BN do have a good return policy, so if you ordered it and didn't like it, then you have 30 days in which to decide. One thing to consider with settings, it can be easier to get the diamond set from the same vendor you bought it from. The reason for this is because if anything happened to the diamond while setting ( rare), then often the vendor will take responsibility for the diamond. If you buy the diamond and setting from different places, then it can be problematic finding a setter to take responsibility should anything happen- just something which needs to be taken into account.

 

[swingirl]

You might want to consider this one. The measurements are comparable even though the ct weight is less. I would take an ideal ACA over a GIA very good cut.

http://www.whiteflash.com/aca_princess/A-Cut-Above-Princess-cut-diamond-174074.htm#