Advice on Emerald cut

[stonewell]

Hello everyone!

My beautiful daughter has been commenting on my new and rehabbed rings, so I've decided to have one made for her. Every gal should have at least one nice diamond.

My issue is I know nothing about emerald cuts, which are her favorite. I read up as much as possible and selected one I think will be a good performer.

https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/emerald-cut/0.81-carat-i-color-vvs1-clarity-sku-2575598

It's a bit lower in color than I was intending, but the specs were the best and it appeared to have the most even steps.

Here is the ASET I received.



I appreciate any feedback and advice!

 

[LawmaLlama]

It looks pretty good. As I'm sure you know by now, the look of an EC is a matter of personal preference. Guessing your price range is max $2500?
I also found this one with a nice small table:
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/emerald-cut/0.80-carat-h-color-vs2-clarity-sku-2859663
If you want a more elongated EC with a 1.44 ratio, this one looks nice (if it floats your boat, check with their gemologist to make sure the center isn't dead).
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/emerald-cut/0.80-carat-i-color-vvs2-clarity-sku-2609714

 

[marcy]

What a lovely gift for your daughter. I am no EC or ASET expert but IMO I would look for one with less white in the ASET image. The table, depth and crown % look good on the one you posted. EC are hard to pick out by the numbers but here are the ranges that have worked for me.

Colour: H or better (ECs have a tendency to show body colour)
Clarity: VS2 or better (Step cuts show inclusions very easily)
Depth: 60% to 65% (A deep stone will measure smaller.)
Table: 58% to 65% (Prefer the table to be less % than the depth. A smaller table = more fire)
Crown height: Anything over 10%. If they are over 12% you'll get more fire.
Symmetry: At least VG
Polish: At least VG

 

[LawmaLlama]

Marcy posted some good criteria, but the 65 depth may severely limit your options. You may want to bump up the depth to 67-68. I consider 65 depth and below desirable, but also rare to find. Symmetry is really important to me in an EC, so I'd choose X. All of this is really personal preference. Take a gander at this thread for more info on hunting and to see other asets.
https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/help-on-choosing-emerald-cut.227785/#post-4114889
If you are open to other vendors and have the time, I'd call GOG. From the videos I've seen, they pick ECs well. My EC RHR is not from GOG, but GOG did my recent custom cut AVR ering upgrade, and I cant recommend them enough.

 

[whitewave]

A deep stone will face up smaller, but depth is what gives step cuts the hall of mirrors effect. Under 70% is more realistic of acceptable depths.

 

[stonewell]

Thanks so much for all the feedback! The budget I had originally set was about 2k for the stone. I've since moved that up to about 2.5k. I'm finding ECs to be just as challenging, if not more so, than cushions. I've watched so many videos and there are a variety of opinions. You're right, LawmaLlama, personal preference is the key factor. It's all a little crazy-making, though. lol I appreciate the link to the thread too.

I was planning to surprise her with it... she's been so busy working on her masters and finishing up her CPA. It will be my gift to help celebrate that accomplishment. I think it'll probably be best for me to tell her now so she can be a part of the selection process.

So while I keep looking, I'm going to have the diamond I've selected sent to me so we can view it in person together. It had scored an 1A on the AGA/NAJA calculator too, but you've all given me a lot to think about. Ultimately, I want to find one that she will absolutely love and enjoy wearing.

 

[LawmaLlama]

Great idea. In my experience the AGA/NAJA calculator is a very helpful tool, although some vendors and consumers don't believe in it. Sounds like you are doing your homework, which will serve you well.