Advice on oval diamond

[gongjoo143]

Hi all,

This is my first post, but I have been checking out the website for quite some time now.

I need to ask some advice on an oval diamond I''m looking at. I found the seller on another diamond forum. I know a bit about RBs but not much about ovals. Can you tell me if this is a good deal for the price? The seller says that it faces up like a 1.5ct, which is the size that I''m looking for...but I''d rather pay less and have the appearance of a larger stone. = ) I have heard that oval shapes can be ugly - is this one poorly shaped?

EGL cert US23420702D
1.20CT
Oval brilliant
E SI2
8.16 x 5.76 x 3.84
Depth 66.70%
Table 61.00%
Crown 16.10%
Pav 45.80%
Girdle med to sl. thick
Culet none
Polish good
Symmetry good
Very faint blue fluorescence
Mined in Brazil (MG state) and cut in US
Retail $10080

Selling price $4500

Thanks for all your help!

 

[MyDreamRing]

I am not a diamond expert by far, but I too am looking at ovals and I know what you mean about how they can look funny depending on the cut. Sometimes they look fat, other times to skinny.

Go onto www.gemappraisers.com

They have a fancy shape selector where you can type in your ovals width and height measurements and it will show you what shape your oval is. As far as I could see yours looks good.

AGA was also one of the first gem appraisers to set grades for their fancy shapes. On the website you can look up their AGA chart for an oval and find out what the ideal cut's characteristics should be.

Also check out www.diamondhelpers.com

This is a great website to educate you on more than just the 4 C's.

Good Luck!

 

[diamondsbylauren]

Hi gongjoo,


I'd say, ask for a photograph.


The profile of an oval is quite a particular taste- and there is no "right or wrong"





An aspect of oval shapes which some poeple wish to aviod is the "bow-tie" effect.


This occurs if the facets in the center fo the diamond are arranged so that the center of the diamond has a darker appearancere in certain areas of the center of the stone.


IN the photo below you can notice


a) the shape of the oval


b) the "bowtie" effect- primarily on the left edge of the diamond from 8-9:00

 

[diamondsbylauren]

 

[diamond demon]

Hi Gongjoo. I too am an oval lover.

Personally, this stone from what you have posted doesn't excite me, nor do I think it is any great deal.
Here's why:
1. So-so on AGL charts. Not bad, but nothing to jump at.
2. Depth is too deep, thereby losing size for the carat weight.
3. An S12 by GIA standards may be absolutely fine, I question it more by EGL standards. Is it really eye-clean?
4. Crown is a bit high maybe losing some performance.
5. Price is fair but no bargain. I saw a 1.19 E S12 (PS)with better specs for $4,600.

On a positive note: I like the measurement ratio of 1.41. Also, despite my comments above, the stone may perform great when you see it in person..and that's the only true test.
I'm only commenting by seeing it on paper which should'nt be the final answer but rather a guideline and things to look for.

 

[diamondsbylauren]

Yes Demon good points!


Also - An SI2 in E color could be a recipe for eye visibilty- even if there was a GIA report ( assmedly GIA is stricter- althought not always the case)




From a price standpoint:


If you see the stone and like it- the price is reasonable.

 

[gongjoo143]

hmm.... interesting. Thanks for all the info - very helpful indeed. I looked at the gemappraisers.com site and the shape of the oval seems fine, but the cut only scored a 2B. Not so good.

What I was really wondering about was if the diamond would face up closer to a 1.5 like the seller said it would. If the depth is really too deep, then it most likely won't. I would prefer a shallower but larger-looking stone.

DBL, thanks for the pictures. I see what you mean by the bow-tie effect. I have also been looking at cushions and they seem to have the same problem. I guess I will ask the seller for a picture but I'm already turned off by the so-so cut. I have actually looked at your ebay site many times...wish you had more sizable ovals, although your 3-oval rings are lovely.

ah well, I guess I'll keep on looking. Gotta find the perfect 1.5ct solitaire for my size 4 finger...all at a bargain price. ; )

 

[diamondsbylauren]

Here's the GIA for the stone I posted.
A you can see, it has a depth of 51.3%- definately on the low side.
But I have seen nice looking ovals up to 73% depth. NKce looking does not neccesarily mean really really well cut.
Generally speaking, I would say the best cut ovals I've seen were close to 60t/60d- with thin-med thick girdle


Thanks for stopping in to the eBay store!