Calling all cushion and asscher lovers, experts and appraisers!!!

[jewelerman]

Hello ladies and gentlemen of Pricescope,
I really need your opinions! My sister just called...shes engaged to a very nice guy and now we are shopping for the diamond and the setting!!!She has decided she wants a natural yellow cushion or asscher cut diamond of between 3-4carats.She found a setting on the natural colored diamond association website(www.ncdia.com)by New York designer Martin Flyer.This designer is new to me and I am hoping that the members of the forum can help me out with any info or opinions on the quality ect.I am also interested in any opinions or suggestions about finding the diamond...any great websites that i can be made aware of for natural yellows with exceptional qualitys...I am hoping experts like Neil Beaty,Garry H,and David Atlas will chime in and offer any advise or suggestions on picking a quality natural yellow cushion or asscher cut and what to consider when looking at proportions and shape,choice of depth of color,websites ect...even with 25 plus years in the trade I dont deal with fancies alot and need advise on where to be more strict or forgiving where cut is concerned and what dept of color is most previlant on the market and where the price jumps are...Thanks alot in advance for any imput that can help me with this information!

 

[Diamond Explorer]

I worked with the Martin Flyer settings when I worked at Baileys. The stuff seemed pretty well made, and they do have some nice designs. I only saw the case-stock, as it was pulled before i could sell any of it. I also met the salesman once, he made some good promises. They are a big player, I bet they can deliver.

 

[jewelerman]

Date: 10/24/2008 1:18:08 AM
Author: Diamond Explorer
I worked with the Martin Flyer settings when I worked at Baileys. The stuff seemed pretty well made, and they do have some nice designs. I only saw the case-stock, as it was pulled before i could sell any of it. I also met the salesman once, he made some good promises. They are a big player, I bet they can deliver.

Thanks for the post.

 

[dazzle66]

Martin Flyer is my favorite bridal jewelry designer. They have quality settings and you are able to customize pretty much anything. They also have top notch customer service. I have contacted them through their website and have gotten quick replies from Alan Flyer. I really adore the Flyer Fit settings; the way the head is connected to the shank is pretty cool. They also seem to do quite a bit of work with fancy yellow diamonds. Hope that helps.

 

[jewelerman]

Date: 10/24/2008 12:34:57 PM
Author: dazzle66
Martin Flyer is my favorite bridal jewelry designer. They have quality settings and you are able to customize pretty much anything. They also have top notch customer service. I have contacted them through their website and have gotten quick replies from Alan Flyer. I really adore the Flyer Fit settings; the way the head is connected to the shank is pretty cool. They also seem to do quite a bit of work with fancy yellow diamonds. Hope that helps.

tHANKS...It really helps! Please members!...more help and opinions about where to find this yellow diamond for my sister...i know this is the best place for help....

 

[jewelerman]

Date: 10/25/2008 1:41:19 AM
Author: jewelerman

Date: 10/24/2008 12:34:57 PM
Author: dazzle66
Martin Flyer is my favorite bridal jewelry designer. They have quality settings and you are able to customize pretty much anything. They also have top notch customer service. I have contacted them through their website and have gotten quick replies from Alan Flyer. I really adore the Flyer Fit settings; the way the head is connected to the shank is pretty cool. They also seem to do quite a bit of work with fancy yellow diamonds. Hope that helps.

tHANKS...It really helps! Please members!...more help and opinions about where to find this yellow diamond for my sister...i know this is the best place for help....

Dazzle66 and diamondexplorer,
Thanks for the feedback on Martin Flyer.I will give my sister the info.as we shop for settings.I think their settings will really show off a cushion shape yellow diamond.

 

[strmrdr]

asschers with a good yellow color are very rare.
Most yellows are cut from lighter stones tricked out to make them darker.
That doesn''t work with asschers.
They have to be cut from darker material as the cut due to inherent leakage lightens the color even with the long light paths.

 

[strmrdr]

Here is a 4ct badly cut vivid asscher that I think is way over graded.
http://www.rarecoloreddiamonds.com/yellow238-details.html

Compare it to a fancy vivid radiant that is darkened lighter material.
http://www.rarecoloreddiamonds.com/yellow233-details.html

 

[denverappraiser]

I agree with Karl that it’s unlikely that you’ll find a fancy yellow Asscher for reasons that he outlines but cushions are out there. It’s all about the color and shopping for that without looking at the stone is tricky indeed. As you probably have noticed, I don’t recommend particular dealers because I think it’s a conflict of interest to do so but I will say that choosing your dealer well is even more important no fancy’s than with colorless stones. You don’t have 1000 stones to choose from the way you do with more ‘generic’ sorts of goods. A 4ct. fancy intense or fancy vivid may simply not be available at all, even before you get picky about the cutting or the exact hue that suits your fancy so it’s a delicate game of compromises. You’re relying on their expert advice to help you hunt. Also be warned, NEVER buy a stone like this without GIA. Treatments are big in this arena, some are wickedly difficult to detect and they’re a huge deal.

Neil Beaty
GG(GIA) ICGA(AGS) NAJA
Professional Appraisals in Denver

 

[strmrdr]

To give you an idea on pricing look around here:
http://www.icestore.com/search/yellow_diamond_detail.asp?ID=242
icestore has a bit of a mixed reputation.
Do a search on them here.

They have several others in varies shades of yellow.

 

[jewelerman]

Neil and Karl,
This is the type of information I was hoping for from the forum...many thanks for the input..Neil,I agree that the stone must come G.I.A. graded...since my background is with the G.I.A.,then any stone must accompany a cert to check for dreaded enhancements...Karl...thanks for the post!I wasnt aware about asschures and the problems with color and cut...so I appreciate the information. Neil and Karl... on a cushion cut like the one that has been pictured...where in your opinions do you allow the cut to be less then perfect?The table,girdle or crown...Im looking foward to hearing what the people of the forum have to say on this topic...thank you guys...JM

 

[strmrdr]

I was waiting to see if someone with more hands on experience with colored diamonds would answer.

I would look for the same thing I would in colorless stones, smaller tables with a high crown with a matching pavilion.
That can work against color so huge tables are common which is comparable to a 65% tabled round when compared against a properly cut 56% tabled stone.
Might be pretty in some lighting but is never going to have that great of performance.
Some people are ok with that in exchange for color.
The higher the performance, or the cut with the most light return, the more perfect the color of the starting rough has to be.

 

[denverappraiser]

Fancy colors never seem to have what you would call fantastic optical performance. The problem is that it’s possible to cut a stone to maximize the face up color saturation or you can cut to maximize light behavior (cutters also have the usual concerns abut weight, clarity, durability and other issues as well). You can’t have both. What PSers count as optimum cutting tends to bring down the faceup appearance of color which, in a colorless stone is actually an added benefit but in a fancy it can be a deal killer. The difference between fancy, fancy intense and fancy vivid is huge and, unlike the traditional grading system, color on fancy’s is graded from the top so it doesn’t just look darker if the cut brings out the apparent color, it gets a darker grade.

This means you can’t really separate out the cutting on fancies as a unique property the way we’re accustomed to doing here with mainstream stones. It’s part of the whole stone and the whole package needs to be evaluated together. Look at stones. Buy from experts who are actually looking at the stones. Hire an expert who has done it before to assist (and who has the opportunity to look at the stones).

Neil Beaty
GG(GIA) ICGA(AGS) NAJA
Professional Appraisals in Denver

 

[elmo]

Not an asscher but this EC is listed up on Scheiner Diamonds, FY (not intense) even distribution and just over 4 carats. Of course you can do anything with a photo but if it looks anything like this I wouldn't complain about color.