Can anyone PLEASE give us an opinion???

[lenhejo]

Hi Everyone,

I haven''t made an entry in quite some time but I can say that it is nice to be back. Well, my friend Danny got engaged and initially went to Zales to buy his ring - I almost started screaming - and told him that he had to go through Jonathan at GOG because I had such a wonderful experience with him in the past. So, Danny has a budget of roughly $7K and his fiance will only settle for a princess stone I was hoping we could convince her to go with a RB, but it''s not a big deal. And SIZE does matter to her and her dream stone is 2ct. She doesn''t know anything about diamonds and especially about color or clarity. However, she does know that the probability of her receiving a 2ct is non-existent as they are saving to buy their first home. So, I embarked on this endeavor to help Danny find his stone, using GOG, of course. Danny lives in California and I recently moved to the city (Manhattan) - not too far from GOG- so Danny is pretty much trusting me to find him a good stone. I went to visit GOG and Jonathan and I started looking at a bunch of 1 cts - F''s and G''s with VS2 clarities. He than pulls out this 1.56 J SI1 (eye clean). Let me tell you, this stone was so fantastically cut the disparity in color with the G wasn''t readily apparent. I mean, it must have faced up as an H. Even Jonathan was impressed. And, it was .56 carats larger than any of the other stones we were looking at. I looked at in all different lighting situations - the optics of the stone literally mask the color and I was thrown away. I immediately knew Suzette (Danny''s girl) would be ecstatic with a stone of that caliber. Here are the specs, and please let myself and Danny know (for his own comfort) what you think about the stone. I told Danny that Jonathan is one of the most respected and knowledgeable dealers out there and that if it came from GOG, he can be proud to have it. Oh, Danny is going with a platinum precision setting with diamonds all the way around the ring. So, please tell us what you think about the stone. Specifically, any comments on the cut. I am not sure what ideal parameters for a Princess is? Does this stone make it? Optically, it sure does. Below are the specs of the stone and thank you all in advance for your opinons:

Weight: 1.56 carat
Width: 6.38 mm
Length: 6.65 mm
Total Depth: 4.51 mm - 70.7%
Pavillion Depth: 3.54 mm - 55.5%
Crown Height: .75mm - 11.8%
Table Size: 4.40mm - 69.0%
Girdle Thickness: .25mm - 3.9%
GIA Cert
Cut External
Polish - Excellent
Symmetry - Very Good
Cut Internal
Symmetry - Very Good
Light Return - Excellent
Brilliance Scope Results:
White Light - High
Color Light - Very High
Scintillation - High

You can see the stone at http://www.goodoldgold.com/1_56ct_j_si1_princess.htm.

Best Regards,
John-Aaron Lenhert

 

[Sundial]

I think evaluating princess cuts from the numbers is pretty tricky. This one seems to have good light return, but most importantly you have seen it in person and been impressed with its performance!

 

[dazedland]

I don''t know much about diamonds, but the photo in the link makes the diamond appear faintly yellowish, but since you saw it in person and it faced up white to you I think it''s a good diamond and a good deal. Especially since she knows nothing about diamonds. I don''t know how it would work with a band that was all diamonds because if they are whiter it might make the stone appear less white. If the stones in the band are the same color I think it would look fine.

 

[MINE!!]

Date: 6/20/2005 9:14:17 PM
Author: dazedland
I don''t know much about diamonds, but the photo in the link makes the diamond appear faintly yellowish, but since you saw it in person and it faced up white to you I think it''s a good diamond and a good deal. Especially since she knows nothing about diamonds. I don''t know how it would work with a band that was all diamonds because if they are whiter it might make the stone appear less white. If the stones in the band are the same color I think it would look fine.

From what I gather... it is quite difficult to phoptograph stones.. Although the stone may look ''yellowis'' in the main picture.. if you look at the other pic it looks very nice and white... It is beautiful.. I cannot tell you about the specs, but I have ONLY heard wonderful things about GOG.

 

[mrssalvo]

welcome back lenhejo
I no nothing about princess cuts but just wanted to say the ring you chose for your lady is my dream ring

any chance of getting some hand shots?

 

[dazedland]

I didn''t see the smaller photo, it looks beautiful in that photo!

 

[valeria101]

You have already seen it and know allot more about this stone than us. Even the poor,petty numbers that show online sound great !

2 carat princess cut for 7k can happen (check the database, this one comes with a $5500 quote and I didn't dare look further), but with more excuzes for the rest.

I can't see any serious reason to compromise everything else for the carat weight mark: chances are some 2 carat "finding" will not be more impressive than the piece at GOG. With their draconian cut standards, those guys would probably not allow cheaper bulk get through their door

 

[Giangi]

I think the yellowish cast of the stone is mainly an effect of the picture. I have to say it looks great. Very good numbers and light return, not to mention that the SI1 inclusion looks subtle and harmless.

 

[Jennifer5973]

The stone looks lovely. if you have seen it and concur, then it''s a great opportunity to get a nice carat weight at a more affordable price.

A J fancy, especially a princess, is going to show some warmth. Due to the excellent cut of this stone, it may be very little in this case but it''s graded J for a reason. I don''t think this is an issue but the advice about making sure stones in matching bands are of similar color is very sound. I have seen J princess cuts up against F and Gs and you can spot the warmer color plain as day.

All in all, the cut on this stone makes it look whiter and for this reason, you seem to be getting a great deal-a nice size, sparkly stone at a really good price.

In the end, you buy the stone not the paper--trust your eyes.

 

[lenhejo]

Thanks everyone for their advice. The suggestion to match the color of the diamonds in the band is a good one. My only reservation is that it is difficult for me to assess how this stone ranks on cut. I have not been able to find any "ideal" parameters for a princess. For a RB there seems to be a clear range of parameters that dictate an ideal cut. But you''re right - I did see the stone in person and was very impressed. Can anyone comment on the stone''s numbers (depth, table, crown, pavillion)? Thank you all for your help.

John-Aaron

 

[belle]

john-aaron,
the reason you can't find 'ideal' cut measurements for princesses, is because until just last month, there weren't any.

new princess cut guidelines were set by ags and the first of the new cut has only recently become available.

as for the stone you are looking at, the numbers (even though you can't judge a princess by numbers alone) don't look awful, i think you did an amazing job with the criteria you were given. plus, you've actually seen the stone and love it, there's something to be said for that! i think you should stop second guessing yourself, your eyes won't steer you wrong. best of luck!

p.s. here's a link to a sample of the new ags grading report for princesses.

 

[lenhejo]

Just wanted to thank you guys again. And to Mrs. Salvo, thank you so much for the compliment on my wife''s ring. Its funny that you asked for some hand shots because I recently lost my digital camera. I should be getting a new in August and will post some pics as soon as I can.

 

[mrssalvo]

 

[LAJennifer]

I think the most important thing is to "listen to what she wants". If SIZE does matter to her and she WANTS a 2 carat princess, then that is what he should try to get her. Trust me, she''ll be disappointed with anything less. Personally, I''d rather have the best cut within my budget - regardless of size (as most pricescopers), but the average woman who knows little about diamonds, and stresses the importance of size, wants a big rock. Sacrifice a little on the other c''s - that''s just my 2 cents.

 

[lenhejo]

actually, the under the latest AGS classification, the stones specs fall into the "Ideal" range. Jonathan at GOG was kind of enought to forward me a chart that pinpointed the stone in the "ideal" range.

 

[mrssalvo]

wow, you really know how to pick em. is you friend going to go for it?

 

[lenhejo]

yes he is. he wired the money last night. he is very exicted.