An ungraded stone...

[Shameless]

This is what I''m looking at:
.67 SI 1 G "very good" cut Prince Cut diamond.
In addition, I''m looking at a pair of .30 Prince Cut tapered baguettes, that don''t seem to be exact matches.. The jeweler said once set, you won''t be able to notice that one is a little bit skinnier on one end.

These prince cut diamonds are difficult to find, in that there''s not a ton of them out there.. Diamond source of VA only had them over a carat... (and over my price range)

I looked at the stone in person, and with a loupe; it''s very nice... beautiful, no inclusions that I could see.. but I don''t have a super experienced eye either.

The stone is ungraded. I told him I want it graded, he said it would cost extra... but last time they sent out an ungraded stone, it was exactly what was written on his internal envelope. For a prince cut stone... Who would I request? He is in Canada. Should I say, Send it to GIA... or somewhere else? Who would be most competent, and helpful for a prince cut diamond?

I''m going to tell him I want the stones graded... should I expect to pay extra for this? As a jeweler, can he expect to sell an entirely ungraded stone? If I do get it graded, and I don''t like the grading... or the previous information is not accurate... What then?

I''ve been unable to find an internet vendor to work with... therefore have resorted to going through a B & M store. Seems adequately reasonable so far though.

 

[arjunajane]

Shameless, may I ask why the preference against a regular emerald cut? Have you compared a Prince and well cut emerald side by side?
imho, the Prince is a lil bit "busy"... A nicely cut emerald will make a gorgeous ring, especially with the tapered baguette look.

Just my opinion of course!

I would suggest GIA for the grading, and yes it does come at a cost - I will let the experts chime in on your other Q''s though.

For those who haven''t seen one, pic of a Prince cut..(I''d never seen one until now)..

 

[Shameless]

I did compare them side by side.. I truly think the pictures on their website are not actually representative of what they look like. In the middle I don''t notice them to be so busy... But you really notice it toward the ends.. the scintillation, fire.... that you would typically see in a RB.
They''re both beautiful, my future fiance prefers the prince cut. The added advantage of the prince cut is that I can go with a SI1 stone... where I wouldn''t be able to get away with that in a traditional emerald cut.

So GIA and not AGS on a fancy cut like this?

 

[neatfreak]

Date: 10/7/2008 11:55:39 AM
Author: Shameless
I did compare them side by side.. I truly think the pictures on their website are not actually representative of what they look like. In the middle I don''t notice them to be so busy... But you really notice it toward the ends.. the scintillation, fire.... that you would typically see in a RB.

They''re both beautiful, my future fiance prefers the prince cut. The added advantage of the prince cut is that I can go with a SI1 stone... where I wouldn''t be able to get away with that in a traditional emerald cut.


So GIA and not AGS on a fancy cut like this?

Depends on what you want out of it. I''d personally probably skip the grading and have it sent to an appraiser who can conduct a whole analysis and give you an ASET report which will tell you about light return. It''ll be cheaper and easier too. Certificates are only useful for resale, otherwise appraisals are just fine if the right person does it.

Richard Sherwood is a great appraiser''s website to peruse:

http://www.sarasotagemlab.com/

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 10/7/2008 12:12:17 PM
Author: neatfreak

Date: 10/7/2008 11:55:39 AM
Author: Shameless
I did compare them side by side.. I truly think the pictures on their website are not actually representative of what they look like. In the middle I don''t notice them to be so busy... But you really notice it toward the ends.. the scintillation, fire.... that you would typically see in a RB.

They''re both beautiful, my future fiance prefers the prince cut. The added advantage of the prince cut is that I can go with a SI1 stone... where I wouldn''t be able to get away with that in a traditional emerald cut.


So GIA and not AGS on a fancy cut like this?

Depends on what you want out of it. I''d personally probably skip the grading and have it sent to an appraiser who can conduct a whole analysis and give you an ASET report which will tell you about light return. It''ll be cheaper and easier too. Certificates are only useful for resale, otherwise appraisals are just fine if the right person does it.

Richard Sherwood is a great appraiser''s website to peruse:

http://www.sarasotagemlab.com/

Ditto.

 

[Shameless]

Should I get the tapered baguettes done as well?
Should I really not worry about the difference in size near the skinny end of them?

$90 per diamond, plus $180 for tapered baguette appraisal right?

If I see they''re not matching with my eyes, should I send them in to get appraised and possibly waste that money?

 

[neatfreak]

Date: 10/7/2008 12:46:46 PM
Author: Shameless
Should I get the tapered baguettes done as well?

Should I really not worry about the difference in size near the skinny end of them?


$90 per diamond, plus $180 for tapered baguette appraisal right?


If I see they''re not matching with my eyes, should I send them in to get appraised and possibly waste that money?

If they aren''t matching with your eyes you should demand ones that match!

 

[Tuckins1]

Just want to say... You learn something new everyday! I had never heard of a prince cut diamond before, and now I have seen them and know what they are! Thanks!! And to think, i''m home sick from work and still learning!!

 

[Shameless]

Thanks guys...

I''ll tell him I''m not satisfied with the matching tapered baguettes. I emailed him the same day you responded telling him I wanted it sent to Sarasota Gem Lab... Will there be extra fees for Customs that way?

Should I opt for having somebody in Canada appraise it? If so, would they take all those pictures that Sarasota gem lab will?

 

[neatfreak]

Date: 10/9/2008 1:02:11 PM
Author: Shameless
Thanks guys...


I''ll tell him I''m not satisfied with the matching tapered baguettes. I emailed him the same day you responded telling him I wanted it sent to Sarasota Gem Lab... Will there be extra fees for Customs that way?


Should I opt for having somebody in Canada appraise it? If so, would they take all those pictures that Sarasota gem lab will?

If it''s already in the US and then is sent to Richard there shouldn''t be extra customs charges, but you''d have to call customs to be sure.

As for whether another appraiser will provide what Richard will, you have to ask ask ask. There unfortunately is a very very wide divide between appraisers that provide all the services they can like Richard and appraisers who simply say "it''s a nice cut, G VS2" and send you on your way. So make sure to ask questions if you pick someone local. Maybe Richard would know someone in Canada whom he likes?

 

[Shameless]

I emailed him and asked if he would send to Sarasota Gem Lab....

I got this response:
"Hi Stephanie,
Unfortunately we are not able to send the stone to a lab outside canada without incurring substantial costs. The side stones that i showed you are the only ones available, and the ring is not available direct from the manufacturetrs of the stone but we can make you the same ring.
Please let me know your decision. "

 

[Shameless]

Mind you, I first asked him if he would be willing to do this on the 7th.... and reforwarded him the same email on the 13th.. and only got a response today.

I''m not a huge fan of this guy, but he''s the only person that I know that sells prince cut diamonds under a carat weight.

Is there a possibility of me just buying a regular emerald.... and asking a vendor/cutter to ADD extra facets? Or do something similar to the modified cut emerald?

?
Maybe I should repost this under a new title.......

I don''t care about the brand name, she just loves how much it sparkles.. and if I could find someone better... somewhere else... for something similar that would be fine too....

 

[neatfreak]

Date: 10/16/2008 1:20:40 PM
Author: Shameless
Mind you, I first asked him if he would be willing to do this on the 7th.... and reforwarded him the same email on the 13th.. and only got a response today.

I''m not a huge fan of this guy, but he''s the only person that I know that sells prince cut diamonds under a carat weight.


Is there a possibility of me just buying a regular emerald.... and asking a vendor/cutter to ADD extra facets? Or do something similar to the modified cut emerald?

?

Maybe I should repost this under a new title.......


I don''t care about the brand name, she just loves how much it sparkles.. and if I could find someone better... somewhere else... for something similar that would be fine too....

Not without considerable expense and it might not be doable anyway, especially if the Prince cut is patented. But personally I wouldn''t buy something from someone I was uncomfortable with, especially something as important as an engagement ring.

Do you KNOW that this is the only stone she wants? Or is it one of the only ones she looked at? It''s often easy to get overwhelmed and love anything that sparkles...

 

[purrfectpear]

I believe there are a few US jewelers who carry CrissCut emeralds (similar to Prince cut, but nicer IMO).

Mulloys for example

They are GIA documented.

 

[Shameless]

We''ve compared the emerald cut side by side... and she definitely favors the prince cut... For sure, it''s more glittery. Right?

I talked to her about this guy with the prince cut, and his response... and she said, "Well... he should be able to find the tapered baguettes that match.. Why don''t we go back and look at emerald cuts again this weekend.. It''s about what it means to me, the symbolism behind it anyway, right? I''ll love it to the day I die no matter what you end up getting..."

*sigh*

So back to square one.''

It would be easier to get an emerald cut; I tried googling other appraisers as awesome as Richard yesterday that are located in Canada and didn''t really come up with much. That would be my last ditch effort to see if this prince cut is worth its weight, so to speak.

Thank you, neatfreak, purrfectpear, and everyone else.... you''ve all been superduper helpful... Stressful!
And all this while trying to get all the immigration documentation done. eeeeesh..