AGA cut charts and Fancy Shapes

[homer_j]

What has been your experience with the AGA cut grade charts for fancy shapes (esp. radiant)? I have now had several jewelers/diamond buyers tell me that they can''t locate any radiant diamonds b/n the 0.55 - 0.90 ct range in the AGA 1A-2B cut grade. They say that a radiant with a depth of 64-66 and table of 63-64 just isn''t the "norm" and that they aren''t ever cut that way. I''bve also heard from them that radiant diamonds are cut to have a depth and table in the 70''s.

What is the value of using the AGA charts for fancy shapes like radiant? Am I getting the run-around from these guys or is that these charts just haven''t done a good job in helping to define what are ideal or well cut proportions?

 

[oldminer]

You are not getting a run around. The problem is the economics of cutting to those standards when few people ask for it. The regular customer buys a diamond from a selection obtained by a jeweler. They buy the one they like the best or the one they can best afford. Now, with the cut standards, a few people ask for stones that would not weigh so much and would be larger in length and width and not so deep. Well, it isn't the way most cutters cut radiants... Not yet, at least. CUtters leave as much weight in the finished diamond as possible. If you are willing to buy a roast with lots of fat on it for $10 per pound, why cut it off and throw away the profit? A similar thing happens with diamonds. Now, expect a better cut to cost more per carat, but you will get a better diamond.

Don't give up. Ask around on the Internet and you may well find smart vendors who do have some diamnonds that will get a better AGA Cut Class grade.