BN Princess vs ID Jewelry Princess. Which is better?

[lillinh]

Found the right e-ring setting, now I need a diamond to complete it. Please help me decide which diamond is better.

Blue Nile
Carat weight: 0.51
Cut: Signature Ideal
Color: F
Clarity: VS2
Depth %: 69.4%
Table %: 67%
Symmetry: Excellent
Polish: Excellent
Girdle: Medium
Culet: None
Fluorescence: None
Measurements: 4.49 x 4.48 x 3.11 mm
Length/width ratio: 1.00

I.D. Jewelry
Carat: 0.51
Color: D
Clarity: VS1
Ratio: 1.00
Measurements: 4.54X4.52X3.13
Depth Percentage: 69.20
Table Percentage: 70.00
Girdle: Thin to Medium
Polish: Excellent
Symmetry: Excellent
Fluorescence: None
Culet: None

 

[stone-cold11]

Fancy shapes cannot be judged by numbers. We will need an ASET image to do so.

 

[jstarfireb]

Hmm, this is tough. Princess cuts and other fancy cuts simply can''t be judged by the numbers. There are some rough guidelines, but it''s really impossible to tell how these stones will perform based only on numbers. What you really need is either detailed photos and reflector images (ASET) or to see the diamond with your own eyes. Unfortunately, I believe neither of these vendors provide such images.

Since you''re open to buying online, I''d check out one of these. I''m not sure what your budget is, but here''s a start...
0.527 E/SI1
0.521 F/VS2
0.513 F/VS1
0.517 F/VS1
0.51 H/VS1
0.528 F/VS2
0.521 E/SI1
0.5 G/VS1

As always, check if the SI1s are eye-clean. The last option may be attractive to you because the size is closer to your picks due to the smaller depth...just make sure the "very thin" part of the girdle won''t be an issue.

 

[lillinh]

Thank you Stone-Cold for your reply. I''m a Rough Rock Newbie and am shopping for an e-ring with my FI. I seldom wear jewelry and only own 1 to 2 necklace and bracelets respectfully (none with diamonds). This will be my First Diamond Ring.

And Thank you, jstarfireb for your time and info. Most of the better (Colorless) diamonds you suggested are a bit over our $1200 diamond budget. The ring setting is $800; Total budget is $2000. We had to compromise a bit on the BN and ID Jewelry diamonds bc it was just a tad bit over our budget. With that being said, from the list you provided, I only have 3 options:

0.51 H/VS1
0.521 E/SI1
0.5 G/VS1

I''ve visited WF before, but was hoping to get a Colorless, VS+, Ideal/Excellent princess within my budget (Which I''ve found on Blue Nile and ID Jewelry). I guess GIA numbers (excellent or not) are inferior to AGS and ASET images? I will review my 3 SI diamonds from WF. By the way, according to the GIA Diamond Dossier Report, the BN Princess Clarity is "Cloud," and the ID Jewelry Princess Clarity is "Feather,Cloud" if it matters.

 

[jstarfireb]

Ah, I wasn't sure of the budget, so I was just suggesting things that looked good. AGS diamonds do carry a price premium. GIA princesses can be just as good...the thing is, GIA does not grade princess cut quality whereas AGS does. That's why I tend to prefer AGS stones. It takes much of the guesswork out of the equation.

You could look for an AGS0 princess on Blue Nile, then utilize their return policy if it turns out to be a dud, though AGS0 stones rarely are. Keep in mind they have no upgrade policy, and you may find yourself wanting a larger diamond in the future, even if you don't see it happening now (I've had my diamond for less than 2 years and already want more!). Also, James Allen tends to have a larger inventory and lower prices than some of the other PS vendors, much like BN. They do have an upgrade policy, and they will provide Idealscope images.

Knowing your budget, this is what I would suggest...
(1) Go a little softer on color and clarity. A G-colored princess, for instance, will look virtually identical to an F, especially in this size, even to the most color-sensitive among us. Less color-sensitive folks myself would be fine with an H or I (I have an I). Similarly, an SI1 will look the same as an IF to the naked eye, provided the SI1 is eye-clean.
(2) Perhaps go for a less expensive setting? Since your budget is a bit limited, I would vote for putting almost all of it into the stone and buying a simple solitaire for about $200-300. An $800 setting eats up quite a bit of the budget. Remember, you could always remount it later or get a more ornate wedding band.

If you go for a less expensive setting and look for an eye-clean SI1, you can go closer to the 0.75ct mark...something like this would be an option:
0.74 F/SI1

A few more suggestions for good looking princesses that meet your criteria:
0.56 F/VS2 from JA
0.55 F/VS2

 

[stone-cold11]

Ditto,

Just to add another stone to the competition.

http://www.whiteflash.com/princess/Princess-cut-diamond-1204618.htm#

 

[lillinh]

Found some AGS0 Princess on Blue Nile. Carat is lower (.40), but disregard that for now. For my education sake, isn''t the Table % of these BN AGS0 less than ideal?

BN AGS0 Princess 1
Carat weight: 0.40
Cut: Very Good
Color: G
Clarity: VVS1
Depth %: 74.8%
Table %: 58%
Symmetry: Ideal
Polish: Ideal
Girdle: Thin to slightly thick
Culet: None
Fluorescence: None
Measurements: 4.05 x 4.04 x 3.02 mm
Length/width ratio: 1.00


BN AGS0 Princess 2
Carat weight: 0.40
Cut: Good
Color: F
Clarity: IF
Depth %: 76.0%
Table %: 58.3%
Symmetry: Ideal
Polish: Ideal
Girdle: Thin to slightly thick
Culet: None
Fluorescence: None
Measurements: 4.04 x 4.01 x 3.05 mm
Length/width ratio: 1.01

Also, the diamond Cut is VG and G respectfully. I thought an AGS0 suppose to be Ideal-cut. I''m SO confused!

And if the Table % is fine, would it be safe for me to purchase the diamond without ASET images?

 

[lillinh]

Clarification:

...purchase an AGS0 diamond witout ASET images?...

 

[stone-cold11]

I think BN only has signature ideal Princess Cut for their Signature Ideal in-house stone, so anything else is rated VG or lower in their cut grading. Also, it seems to me they based their cut grade on the AGA proportion based grading system http://diamonds.pricescope.com/fnc1.asp, so anything with a smaller depth than 59% is graded G. AGS0 typically has deeper total depth and small table so there is a chance that even AGS0 being rated G cut by BN.

AGS developed ASET as a means to assess the cut of a stone, although the Performance Based Grading system used for grading the cut are a computer simulation based on the exact proportion of the stone in question, so it is slightly different but based on the same principle. Therefore it is safer to buy AGS0 than a GIA without ASET image, just that the ASET image is a confirmation for us that it has good light return and nice pattern and not just a grade. Hope that helps.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 4/12/2009 4:48:07 AM
Author: lillinh
Clarification:

...purchase an AGS0 diamond witout ASET images?...

I don't believe so, I would never recommend buying any fancy shape without images as in my years here I have seen that is not the best advice, even with AGS0 I believe ASET images and photos are needed not only to check out the cut quality, but to make sure that particular diamond appeals to you personally. Also there really aren't any ideal proportions for a Princess, AGS0 should get you into the ballpark. Just because it is an AGS0 cut grade Princess does not mean YOU are going to like the diamond and that is what it comes down to in the end. So my advice is to work with vendors who have actual ASET images of their in house Princess diamonds, photos and the expertise to help you choose wisely.

 

[lillinh]

I contacted I.D. Jewelry regarding ASET/IS images for the Princess D VS1 and they had it.

Image attached...

I noticed that the diamond have some white and from what I''ve read/understood from reading a little bit about ASET/IS images, white means leakage?

 

[jstarfireb]

Yay for ID offering ASETs!

That ID diamond looks quite nice. Not what I''d call a top-of-the-line cut, but pretty good, and the visual difference between it and an AGS ideal may be minimal. Plus the relatively lower depth (69) means it will have larger spread than some of the ones we were suggesting. If ID has a good return policy, it may be worth buying with the option to return it if it doesn''t sparkle the way you''d like it to.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 4/13/2009 3:36:55 PM
Author: jstarfireb
Yay for ID offering ASETs!

That ID diamond looks quite nice. Not what I'd call a top-of-the-line cut, but pretty good, and the visual difference between it and an AGS ideal may be minimal. Plus the relatively lower depth (69) means it will have larger spread than some of the ones we were suggesting. If ID has a good return policy, it may be worth buying with the option to return it if it doesn't sparkle the way you'd like it to.

YAY for ID!!!

And ditto Jstar.

This is a great tutorial on ASET Lill

http://www.highperformancediamonds.com/index.php?page=education-performance