Another "which one" thread.

[XChick03]

Really sorry to make yet another thread like this, but I just don''t know what to do. Both are princess cuts, and the second one is the one I already told my boyfriend to get. I really like the first one better, but I promised my bf I wouldn''t change my mind again. So, which stone do you think is better?

Carat weight: 0.90
Cut: Very Good
Color: J
Clarity: VS1
Depth: 68.1%
Table: 71%
Symmetry: Very good
Polish: Excellent
Girdle: Medium to slightly thick
Fluorescence: None
Measurements: 5.48x5.29x3.60 mm
Length/width ratio: 1.04

#2
Carat weight:0.91
Cut: Good
Color: I
Clarity: VS2
Depth: 76.3%
Table: 77%
Symmetry: Good
Polish: Very good
Girdle: Extremely thin to thick
Culet: None
Fluorescence: None
Measurements: 5.32x5.20x3.97 mm
Length/width ratio: 1.02

Any opinions are really appreciated. Thanks in advance.

 

[E B]

Have you seen pictures of either of these stones? Where are they coming from? I wouldn't recommend buying a "good" princess cut without seeing it.

 

[XChick03]

They''re from Blue Nile and I haven''t seen the pictures yet. I just sent them an e-mail about an hour ago requesting them, so hopefully they''ll send me some.

The "good" cut is what makes me want the first one. The dimensions are also larger.

 

[mrssalvo]

Have you seen lower color princess stones? I personally can see hints of color in both cushions and princess that I can''t see in rounds once going below and "h." All eyes are different but a J is pretty low in a fancy if you haven''t seen it.

 

[E B]

I've never dealt with BN before so hopefully someone will chime in, but it's my understanding (and please! someone correct me if I'm wrong) that they don't have many (or all?) of these stones "in house", so pictures might be difficult to get.

Do you have any other numbers? And while we're talking well-cut princess stones, I thought I'd throw in another choice JUST in case. It's a tiny bit smaller, but it's also an AGS 0 ideal.

.826 I, VS1

 

[XChick03]

I have seen a K color princess that looked pretty nice, but I know it can be different in every stone. Color is the most important thing to me next to cut, though.

 

[XChick03]

Damn, I just found another one on WF, and now I am really stumped. Maybe I should just stop looking.

What about this one? And this one is a couple hundred cheaper than the other two.

Shape: Princess
Carat: 1.06
Color: I
Clarity: SI1
Depth: 72.7
Table: 71
Girdle: M
Polish: Very Good
Symmetry: Very Good
Culet: None
Fluorescence: No
Measurements: 5.53-5.50X4.00
Length/Width: 1.01

 

[E B]

It's an EGL certified SI1, which means it probably isn't eye-clean. I'd stick to GIA and AGS.

Someone who knows Princess cuts...please, come in!

 

[XChick03]

Thanks for the tip, I guess it takes that one off the list.

 

[XChick03]

I just found a really nice cushion at a good price, but I''ve always loved princesses. Though, I think the cushion may look better in this setting. What do you think? And keep in mind, the cushion shown isn''t the stone. The stone I am looking at is more squared and is .95 ct. I think the one shown is between .5 and .75. Same goes for the princess.

 

[E B]

I think they both look great in the setting. Remember, the fact that the sides are round won't be AS apparent because the setting is so much smaller in real life. It really all depends on which shape you like more. If you really like princess cuts, go with a princess!

Is the cushion from BN? I'd be really careful (I know, I've been saying that this whole post!). Cushion cuts are cuts you absolutely have to see.

Are you trying to stay within a certain budget? I'm sure princess and cushion experts will help you find what you're looking for (with the best cut) given your wants.

 

[mrssalvo]

have you checked out Goodoldgold? they have their in stock stones listed and jonathan has more info listed than most of us can understand. If i were going for a fancy the only way i'd buy sight unseen would be from a very reputable vendor. Fancy shapes are tough to call by numbers alone and Bluenile doesn't stock their stones so no one there can look at it for you and tell you what they see, which may or may not be what you'll see.


ETA: if you've always loved a princess, get a princess

 

[XChick03]

Well, the princess I really wanted is now sold. So, I have to start my search again.

I tried GOG, but all they had for cushions were 1.5+ ct. which is sadly out of my price range. I really wasn''t sure about BlueNile at first, but I later found out that''s where my boyfriend''s sister got her latest upgrade. She said the first diamond they sent her wasn''t exactly what she wanted and they let her exchange it no problem. So, I figure worst case scenario, if I can''t find anything anywhere else, at least I do have a guarantee to fall back on. Also, they have the setting I love. I''m going to keep shopping around, though.

Hopefully, I find something soon because I think my BF wants to propose soon. This is really driving me crazy. It would help if I wasn''t so indecisive.

 

[E B]

What about this stone didn''t you like?

http://www.goodoldgold.com/0_826ct_i_vs1_pr_ags-ideal.htm

Just so we get a feel for what you want and what you don''t want.

 

[msdarlinjoy]

Hi Xchick!

I agree with EBree & MrsSalvo 100 %. If you are infact interested in a Princess or Cushion cut stone ... and want to pay an inflated price, and not get as much for your money, and possibly not get the most sparkle for your Moo-la, then proceed with BN.

Now, if you want to get the biggest, brightest, sparkliest Princess or Cushion cut diamond for your hard earned $$$, then I would "ONLY" check out a very trusty, well informed vendor that can not only supply you with as many reports, stats and pics that will boggle your mind, but also pick a vendor who has a professionally trained eye who will infact "EYEBALL" that diamond and give you the best recommendations of whether this is the one or maybe you should keep looking.

It is hard to be patient, It was hard for me to "slow" myself down, and when I did ... the right diamond that fit my parameters came my way, and I was able to "Jump" on it!

I had an exceptional experience with Jonathan @ Good Old Gold. I will do business with them again, as well as recommend.

I also know someone who has used Whiteflash for a custom piece, and I am impressed with this vendor as well.

I think first off, you need to figure out your budget. Then figure out what shape stone you want. It is very difficult when you like several shapes, and bounce back and forth ... Trust me ... I love them all ... I think it would be so awesome to have one of each! Anyway, once you do decide on a shape, you can concentrate better on the particular traits that best suit the cut of your choice.

Very best wishes to you, and good luck on the search for your pretty sparklie!

 

[XChick03]

From what I have seen, Blue Nile has some of the best prices, and Whiteflash has a few stones I'm looking at, but Good Old Gold really doesn't have what I'm looking for.

I already know my budget and I am basically looking for a princess cut between .9-1.1 ct., color no lower than I (preferably G or H), clarity no lower than SI1 ( I could deal with slightly visible inclusions if it means getting a bigger stone), and an ideal or premium cut. The problem now is finding one...and finding it soon. I think he wants to propose around V-Day and he'll need to order it a week in advance.

Thanks a lot for the advice. You've all been so helpful. I'm off to continue my quest now.

 

[E B]

Just remember that the size difference between a .80ct and a .90ct is so, so small you wouldn''t believe it. If you''re trying to get the biggest bang for the buck size-wise, you might compromise cut and trust me...I saw a "good" princess cut a week ago and it was dead. It didn''t sparkle at all under lights that made my ring DANCE!

The GOG stone (.827) is 5.11mm X 5.27mm, and the stone you wanted from BN (.90) was 5.32mm X 5.20mm...we''re talking a difference of hundreths of millimeters. You wouldn''t know the difference.

Just something to think about. The GOG stone is about as great a princess cut as you''ll find.

 

[valeria101]

Date: 2/2/2006 12:16:59 AM
Author: XChick03

From what I have seen, Blue Nile has some of the best prices, and Whiteflash has a few stones I''m looking at, but Good Old Gold really doesn''t have what I''m looking for.

WF doesn''t grade cut for brilliance - only some ''rule of thumb'' criteria probably avoiding overly deep & small stones or something similar - but not regarding brilliance. And this is what makes the price difference. The ''drop shipped'' diamonds on the Pricescope list are probably no more expensive - and there is just as little known about their cut as there is about the BlueNile listings.

Perhaps their ''signature'' princess cuts have been selected for the usual cut quality criteria which surely should include brilliance, but that, I don;t know. Nearly every shop on the web gives some sort of cut grading saying their top grade is more brilliant... but when the information on which these grades rely does not include any hint of proportions (or anything aside the depth & table stats on lab reports), I winder how on Earth can they tell?

AGS gives cut grades for princess cuts based on details about proportions that sound convincing - there is a full explanation about how the grading works and why which I surely appreciate. There is also a premium... Your call.

If you like the way a seller grades their stones or what not, but there are no suitable choices listed at the moment (GOG''s case, you say), it may help to call and ask if there is something just so at hand, but not on their website. You never know.

My 2c

 

[msdarlinjoy]

XChick,

If you were my best friend, I would tell you hands down ...

CALL THE TRUSTED VENDOR!

I don''t know about Whiteflash''s Princess cut''s ... you say GOG doesn''t have what you want. Let me tell you this. I no more than called Jonathan after months of looking, months of searching for that perfect diamond. I called him, told him my budget, told him what was important to me, what I was willing to settle on, etc... He said that he didn''t have a diamond that fit my parameters that day, but he would call in some diamonds to personally look at, and then he had his awesome people there taking pics, and doing reports for me in like a blink of an eye.

Guess what, I left it up to the Professionals, and the professional came thru for me, and under budget! In the blink of an eye ... I can''t believe I tried to do it all on my own. I wasted alot of time ... lessoned learned!

If you want the Biggest, Best looking, most sparklie diamond for your $$$ and you are on a time crunch ... Call up a professional and enlist their valuable years of expertise and put them to work for you, you are not obligated, but I bet you will be pleasantly surprised at what they might find for you!!!

You don''t have anything to loose, and especially you don''t have time to loose, the only thing you risk is trying to do this all on your own, and in a rush, people do make mistakes.

All the posters here have given you great advice, and I personally think Valeria "does" know what she''s talking about ... wish I had some of her good sense and keen eye for detail.

Good luck in your search, hope you end up with something that sings to you!

 

[mrssalvo]

Xchick03,

I did a search on Goodoldgolds website and smaller cushions offered here. if you scroll down to the bottom he has several around 1 carat and a couple even smaller. Many times vendors do not have all of their inventory listed. your best bet is to call them and tell them what you are looking for. You can even have them call in a stone you find on Bluenile

and they will probably be able to do better on price. If you feel most comfortable with BN, great, but it will be very difficult for people here to advice you on the quality of the stones because not enough info is given. If you really, really, want a princess, i'd call Jonathan today and tell him what you want and let him do all the legwork for you. He'll find you the perfect stone that will sparkle and fit into your budget

 

[february2003bride]

"If you are infact interested in a Princess or Cushion cut stone ... and want to pay an inflated price, and not get as much for your money, and possibly not get the most sparkle for your Moo-la, then proceed with BN."

Whoa Darlin'' Joy- have you actually worked with Blue Nile or bought anything from them?

Their stones and prices are just as competitively priced as WF or GOG. We bought my e-ring and diamond wedding band from BN in November 2002 and took it to Martin Fuller to be appraised. He said that the stones he had appraised from BN for clients were all wonderful and he''d heard nothing but good customer service comments from people he had seen. BN is not inflated, especially compared to other online diamond sites and B&M stores, and to say that her stone wouldn''t sparkle is blantantly false! I could go buy a stone from WF tomorrow and it might not sparkly. A "name" doesn''t make a diamond sparkle, the CUT does and last time I checked Blue Nile, they had ideal and very good cut diamonds up the ying yang.

Carrie

 

[february2003bride]

XChick- the stones in the BN "photos" are 1 ct. If you want Princess you should go with princess! I personally, love the setting that you have chosen and think the princess cut goes beautifully!

I attached a photo of my Blue Nile princess cut solitare (F, VS2, PLAT setting) and my BN .50ct. princess cut wedding band.

 

[february2003bride]

With the matching band- yummy!

Carrie

 

[jaz464]

Yes, I don''t think BN sends out pics.

 

[XChick03]

Date: 2/2/2006 1:23:26 PM
Author: february2003bride
XChick- the stones in the BN ''photos'' are 1 ct. If you want Princess you should go with princess! I personally, love the setting that you have chosen and think the princess cut goes beautifully!


I attached a photo of my Blue Nile princess cut solitare (F, VS2, PLAT setting) and my BN .50ct. princess cut wedding band.

You know, I almost went with that same setting and wedding band. Seems like we have really similar taste. And I just love yours.

Thanks for sharing your story, it makes me feel better in case I do decide to go with BN.
Though, I have decided to keep shopping around and I will try GOG just because I trust everyone here, but I am not ready to toss BN out just yet. If nothing else, I will still get that setting from them.

Everyone, thank you SO much for your great advice. You have helped me so much and made this a lot easier on me.

 

[XChick03]

Okay, I am stuck between two princess cuts again. Surprisingly, I found these at a local jewelers for a very reasonable price. It was a small family owned place I'd never heard but was recommened to me by a friend. The owner was there and I told him what I was looking for. He spent a lot of time with me and explained a lot and he showed me these two. He also gave me a copy of the GIA certificates so I could come home and look them over. I'm pretty sure I want the first one, I just want to make sure there isn't something wrong with it I missed.

#1-
1.01 ct.
F/S12 (eye clean)
Depth: 67.3%
Table: 75%
Polish: Good
Sym: Good
5.68x5.60x3.77

#2
.85 ct.
G/SI1 (also eye clean)
Depth: 68.4%
Table: 70%
Polish: Very good
Symmetry: Good
5.38x5.35x3.66 mm


ETA: You know, I must be blind. I just noticed this! Thank you, EBree, for posting that one, its a very pretty stone and in my price range. It's smaller than what I'd like, but I am willing to go down for a really good stone and one the ones I just posted is a .85.

Do you think its better than the two I've just listed? The only thing is that I've seen the other two in person and I love them both, the first is slightly more sparkly. But from all the good things I've heard about GOG, I'd trust them also. Very interested in your opinions!

 

[E B]

I know, it''s me again!

The first stone you listed has quite a large table (75% as opposed to a 67% depth), and me, not knowing much about princess cuts, looked up what the ratios should be for a top performer.

"In the realm of ideal cut rounds (according to the new GIA/AGS standards, few ideal cut rounds according to the current grading standards have tables that are equal to or greater than their total depths. While total depth % used to not be taken into account to determine an ideal cut round the best ideal cut rounds have depths ranging from 60.5% up to around 62% with tables always being smaller (52.4-57.5%). Likewise in princess cuts our findings show we stand a much better chance of finding a high performing princess cut when the table is less than it''s total depth measurement."

From GOG''s princess cut tutorial: http://www.goodoldgold.com/princess_cut_tutorial.htm

That might be something to think about regarding light performance.

 

[E B]

Date: 2/3/2006 12:08:47 AM
Author: XChick03

ETA: You know, I must be blind. I just noticed this! Thank you, EBree, for posting that one, its a very pretty stone and in my price range. It''s smaller than what I''d like, but I am willing to go down for a really good stone and one the ones I just posted is a .85.


Do you think its better than the two I''ve just listed? The only thing is that I''ve seen the other two in person and I love them both, the first is slightly more sparkly. But from all the good things I''ve heard about GOG, I''d trust them also. Very interested in your opinions!

I don''t think you can go wrong with an AGS0 ideal princess. I''m sure you''ll want to hear an opinion from someone else, though. I''ve been a bit of a thread hog!

 

[XChick03]

You are so helpful!

I looked up a chart for table/depth in princess cuts, and you''re right. Its not the best, but its still in the "Very good" category. The second falls into the "ideal" category, but I''m confused because this chart shows like 5 different categories. I thought there was only ideal, premium (or very good), good and fair. Am I wrong on this?

The chart is here

Should I reconsider the first because of that?

 

[Kaleigh]

I really love the one from GOG that Ebree found. It''s a tad smaller, than what you were looking for, but a gorgeous stone. Worth looking into!!!