Calling Niel and marquise lovers for help!

[thecat]

Hi all,

Since I can only ask for 3 asets from JA, I don't want to waste them on the wrong stones. Are the following 3 alright for me to go ahead with aset?

http://www.jamesallen.com/mobile/loose-diamonds/marquise-cut/0.62-carat-d-color-if-clarity-sku-574831

http://www.jamesallen.com/mobile/loose-diamonds/marquise-cut/0.51-carat-d-color-if-clarity-sku-547318

http://www.jamesallen.com/mobile/loose-diamonds/marquise-cut/0.62-carat-d-color-vvs2-clarity-sku-390406

Which do you prefer most or least? And why? Are there better ones within my budget? High color and clarity since I think these are more important in fancy shape? Budget under 3k since I'm new to marquise and have no wish to have too much sunk into a stone which I might put away if I don't like its performance. I understand there's a 30 day full refund but I find that sometimes we only realised we don't like certain things enough after the return period.

 

[ecf8503]

Complete overkill on color and clarity. True fancies do show more color, especially marquise and pears at the ends, but you can safely go down to G/H range and still have a very white stone. As for clarity, step cuts like emerald and asscher cuts tend to show inclusions and reflect them around the stone, so higher clarity is recommended there. But since marquise tend to be rather "busy" stones, often inclusions are well camouflaged. I'd drop down to eye-clean VS2/SI1 with no hesitation. You'll get a bigger stone that way as well.

 

[tyty333]

ditto ECF...fancy cuts like pears and marquise actually tend to hide flaws fairly well. I would look all the way down to eye-clean
SI1/VS2. No reason to pay for something you can't see.

Colorwise, I would go down to a G. H if you were trying to pick up some size and were not color sensitive.

The most important spec is cut and finding a marquise that has a nice faceting pattern that returns light well. That's the number
one thing to look for then go with whatever color/clarity (that falls in your acceptable range) those well cut stones have.

Here is my short list of stones (6) from JA.
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/marquise-cut/?CaratFrom=0.7&CaratTo=&Color=H&Clarity=SI1,VS2,VS1,VVS2,VVS1,IF&PriceFrom=200&PriceTo=3180&TabSelected=3&DiamondID=274507,281582,566054,529787,381622,202075

My top 3 are...
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/marquise-cut/0.88-carat-f-color-si1-clarity-sku-381622 has good size/color
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/marquise-cut/0.72-carat-d-color-vs2-clarity-sku-281582 whiter
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/marquise-cut/0.77-carat-e-color-si1-clarity-sku-529787 white with nice contrast

If you want more size
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/marquise-cut/0.85-carat-h-color-vs1-clarity-sku-202075 has good size but does have slight tint

Wait till you hear from Neil before ordering asets though!

 

[drk14]

Which do you prefer most or least? And why?

Of the ones you posted, only the third one has potential. The others have no life (scintillation) apart from a narrow band in the belly of the mq. This can be seen by turning the diamond back and forth a few degrees in the JA 360 view, and seeing how frequently the facets flash on/off in different parts of the diamond. The areas between the two points and the belly region are often dead (i.e., no rapid on/off flashing of facets there, as the diamond turns).

Although I agree with the clarity/color comments above, because well-cut mq are rare, I would cast a broad net, and mainly exclude those categories for which the price premium outweighs any perceptible benefit (e.g., D color and VVS1/IF clarity). On the low end, clarities down to SI1 or occasionally SI2 should be fine, and color-wise, it would depend strongly on your preferences and sensitivity (personally, I would hesitate to go lower than G).

I have not studied in detail the other suggestions made in this thread, nor have I had a chance to thoroughly scour the JA inventory, but I do like this one on JA, which seems to be lively throughout its body, and also has good brightness overall:

http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/marquise-cut/0.69-carat-e-color-vs1-clarity-sku-131090

 

[drk14]

Of tyty333's selections, I like the scintillation pattern in her first pick the best:

My top 3 are...
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/marquise-cut/0.88-carat-f-color-si1-clarity-sku-381622 has good size/color

 

[arkieb1]

I'd also go down slightly in colour (but still a white face up) and clarity (but I would make sure it was 100% eye clean) and get a larger stone for what you save.

 

[Niel]

This might not be the right ratio for you, but I think it's got the most brightness tip to tip

http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/marquise-cut/0.70-carat-d-color-vs1-clarity-sku-13205

Of the ones your posted I like the 3rd best

 

[thecat]

Thanks for all your help and recommendations. As I watched the video of the recommended stones, I realised that the crushed ice look at the tips of the marquise isn't for me. Seems like I should stick with the trial and tested cuts.

 

[drk14]

Thanks for all your help and recommendations. As I watched the video of the recommended stones, I realised that the crushed ice look at the tips of the marquise isn't for me. Seems like I should stick with the trial and tested cuts.

Just to avoid leaving a misleading impression for other readers of this thread, I would not describe the three recommended marquise stones as having a "crushed ice look". They should all produce fairly "chunky" flashes througout the body of the diamond (albeit not in a geometrically symmetric pattern like an superideal MRB), whereas the term "crushed ice" typically implies a pinpoint flash pattern.

In any case, this is not to take anything away from your impression of these diamond videos -- obviously you saw something in the videos that didn't appeal to you, and that is of course perfectly fine. Good luck in your diamond search, wherever it may take you!