Can you help a diamond novice out? (A couple quick questions)

[fuzzers]

Hi everyone.

A few questions...

1. What are the best websites for buying diamonds? I particularly like Blue Nile... it''s very user-friendly! Which places should I avoid?

2. I''m interested in Asscher cut diamonds and am wondering what depth %s, table %s are considered "good". I was comparing a few on Blue Nile. They all had "signature ideal cut" but one had a depth of 66% and another 58%...

I''ll let you know if I think of any more questions. Thanks!

 

[fuzzers]

Oh, I thought of a couple more:

3. Do certain diamond shapes "sparkle" more than others? For example, round brilliants seem to be more popular on this site than princess cuts etc... but why?

4. Are there stone shapes that will cost relatively less than other shapes?

 

[strmrdr]

BN is one of the worst sites to buy asschers from.
You have to get pictures and they don''t provide them.
www.goodoldgold.com is tops on asschers and provides videos, often you have to work with them to get some called in for testing.
jamesallen.com sometimes has some nice ones in stock with a pic that can get one started in selecting one, then have them do more pictures and a ogi scan to get the crown height....

numbers...
table under 65 depth under 70(unless a very very high crown), 10%+ crown height, square as reasonable(1.04 max depending on size), the rest is pictures.

 

[wishinpink]

If you are getting fancy branded shapes, they usually cost more. I don't think there are any stone shapes that definitely cost less.... there are fancy shapes or colors that definitely cost more though...

If you want the diamond to really sparkle, get realliy good cut! The Asscher is a beautiful cut but it doesn't sparkle in the way a round diamond would due to the different faceting, however, it has very interesting steps in the diamond.

 

[Tuckins1]

A lot of people prefer rounds because they really do have A TON of sparkle... After the round, it''s really a debate as to which shape has more "sparkle". I have a princess and there is NO SHORTAGE of sparkle and fire coming off of my ring!

Others have already said, and I will reiterate, that to get a lot of sparkle... You need to look at the quality of the cut! Fancy shapes all have unique and wonderful things about them, and they all sparkle in their own way. You just want to be sure that you are getting a quality cut, no matter the size or shape of the stone!

 

[wishinpink]

Oh, one more thing- rounds have the best optics, but now there are other shapes that can have the similar optics of the round via taking the hearts and arrows cut on the round diamond and combining them with other shapes..

Princess cuts can leak light through the corners I think... but that doesn''t mean every princess cut is less sparkly than every round.