Color and Clarity on a princess cut stone

[divya]

Hi everyone,

My fiance and I are looking at princess cut stones and our budget affords us right around 2 carats , I in color and VS2 in clarity, GIA certified. Do you think its worth it to go down to Si2 and J/K to get a larger stone? Will it be a noticeable difference? My fiance likes when the stone is clean and white but i think I prefer to go larger *if* it isn't too noticeable. Also, will there be a huge price difference ? thanks for your help

 

[divya]

I know my questions are vague but I would love some insight. this forum is so helpful for others, I would love if someone could help me as well.

 

[Roxy]

As far as color is concerned, since you say that your fiance likes when the stone is "clean and white", I'm assuming you mean that they prefer a "cooler" crisp white stone vs a richer "warmer" white stone? In truth, D-J are all white, they just have different undertones, and only you can figure out which type you like better by looking at them and comparing.

That said, if you're comparing princesses that have the same light performance (I would focus on those that are certified as AGS0 ideals if I was choosing one), I highly doubt you'll see any difference between an I and a J.

When I was researching colors, I found that many experts would group D-F, then G-H and then I-J (even though G-J are all referred to as "near colorless") and sure enough, I could see a difference between G and I at certain angles, but between I and J ... not really.

To help you visualize the differences, you should take a look at some of the youtube comparison videos that show multiple diamonds, side by side, that are all around the same carat weight and performance, but are all different colors. The most helpful videos for me were from Good Old Gold, but I'm sure there are plenty of others that you will find posted as well.

I'm pretty sure that if you love the look of an ideal princess that's an "I" then you'll also like an ideal princess that's J. Regarding price ranges, this site has a really nice search engine, where you can plug in your specs and it'll give you a list of stones in your price range.

This was super helpful to me when I was beginning my quest, so take a look and let us know what you find. If you can find a few stones that you like for comparison, the folks here can really help you narrow things down!

 

[divya]

Thank you so much Roxy! That is so helpful! How can you tell if its an ideal cut if its a GIA certified stone? He will not budge on going below a VS2 but i'm going to try to save some money somehow!

 

[divya]

my fiance picked out these two stones. does this look like fair pricing? we are purchasing from a retailer (they all say they are wholesalers though) in the diamond district in downtown los angeles

Certified by : GIA
Weight : 2.09
Color : I
Clarity : VS2
Depth : 71.4%
Table : 69
Polish : Excellent
Symmetry : Very Good
Girdle : Slightly Thick
Culet : None
Fluorescence: None
Measurements: 7.12x7.10x5.07Mm
Price: 12,900


Princess 2.40ct I/SI1 GIA 7.64x7.48x5.27 Mm - Depth 70.5% -Table 72% Price : $18,500

Price 18,500

Sorry i dont have more info, just any initial thoughts would help!

 

[divya]

Also, if we are not able to see ASET images, will we be able to see how well the diamond performs if we see it in person? what is a well cut diamond supposed to look like? please help!!

 

[TC1987]

GoodOldGold has videos online. Or track down an AGS jeweler and go look at some AGS graded princess stones. (Didn't AGS do something with cut grade for princess? I can't recall,)

If you are buying a stone that size and vendor doesn't showyou ASET, you could buy an ASET scope to use, and can always resell it later.

Or, just buy the diamond online from some vendor who can provide all of that information, because most B&M jewelers won't.

 

[divya]

is the first stone priced well? we don't want to over pay!

 

[tyty333]

I would not go down in color. Princess cuts show more color in their corners.

Princess cuts can not be evaluated by the numbers. You can do a PS search to see
If the price is similiar to other stones.