Calling all wise ones - what is best diamond for my money?

[Sam69]

Hi - I am in the market for a 1.4 to 1.6 carat diamond for the engagement ring for my sweetie. She likes the princess cut and wants it to really sparkle. I have $10K to $15K to spend. I want to get the very best I can afford, but not pay for things that don't really enhance the "wow" factor. I believe I want at least an F grade. I am looking for any specific advice as to the best parameters for my diamond and what a good price target should be. Also if any other square cuts are great for sparkle, please let me know those. Thanks in advance for your time and intellectual prowess

, Sam

 

[Giangi]

I would go with an ideal (not necessarily H and A) or with a Regent H&A, if you like squares.

A little search shows quite a few potential good diamonds:

1.51 F/SI 1 Ideal Great numbers, idealscope image and price on this one!

1.50 E/VVS 2 Ideal

2.06 G/SI 1 Ideal Very nice numbers on this one as well... Not to mention it's bigger than your requirements!

1.71 F/VS 2 SuperIdeal H&A

1.42 F/VS 1 Ideal It has some hits in symmetry, but the colored light pattern seems to be very pretty.

1.504 F/SI 2 H&A Nice SI 2...

Or on NiceIce.com:
GIA-0XX 1.52 VS-2 G N EX EX ID GIA $12,760.00 $12,330.00 In House 61.2 56 34.8 15.2 40.8 43.0 N-M-F N 7.40 - 7.44 x 4.54
AGS Ideal 0 1.524 VS-2 G N ID ID ID AGS $12,760.00 $12,330.00 In House 61.1 57 34.6 14.7 40.9 43.1 N-SK-F PT 7.40 - 7.45 x 4.53

Have fun!

 

[strmrdr]

The regent would be an alternative to look into.

gog

fancies are tough to select because they can have good numbers yet be dogs.
B-scope readings and ideal-scope or firescope images become more important tools for selecting fancies than rounds.

Having a vendor or appraiser you trust eyeball them before buying is a very good idea.

Some places to start:



goodoldgold

superbcert

dbof

 

[pqcollectibles]

Hi Sam!

On the Price Scope Tutorial homepage is a left hand tool bar of links. At the bottom of that bar are links to cut charts. You check out Princess proportions and cut ratings there. You can also find info on Princess cuts at www.gemappraisers.com

Your best bet to finding a good performer is to work with a Vendor that has Princess cuts on hand and has evaluated them personally. White Flash Expert Selection, Good Old Gold, and Dirt Cheap Diamonds Signature Princess Line are some good places to start. All 3 Vendors stock Princess cuts that have been evaluated by the Vendor for cut quality and performance.

 

[phoenixgirl]

Some possibilities:

1.58 G VS2 princess for $9400

1.31 E VS2 princess cut SPARKLER for $8400

1.53 F VVS2 princess for $11500

1.63 E VS1 regent (modified square with H &A) for ?

 

[Giangi]

Oooooooops! I forgot the most important thing... I put on the list some round stones cause they are much easier to evaluate on the internet and usually have a much better light performance... To get an idea of what the performance is like in a fancy shape you should see it. Anyhow, I realize you want squares and so here we go:

1.58 G/VS 2 Princess

1.83 G/VVS 2 Princess

1.84 G/VS 1 SuperbCert Princess Looks gorgeous!

1.88 G/SI 2 SuperbCert Princess

1.70 F/VS 1 Princess

 

[valeria101]

It sounds like the problem is "maximize light and size for a stone of F color, below 2cts". The answer would be an F-SI, eye clean, top cut (i.e. high light return regardless). Is it so for you?

One I hope this seller can provide extra info on light return.

The color-clarity of this are both higher, and there should be ore where this is comming from, such as this 1.7 F-VS.

An in the picture... the one with cert available seems to have outstanding chances to be eye clean (my guess among available choices). And... if size is of concern, the last would probably maximize everything is the seller confirms optics.

 

[valeria101]

Here it is... the picture mentioned above