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culet and girdle question

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statnikov

Rough_Rock
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Jan 23, 2007
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Hello,

We are deciding on the purchase of a diamond ring but we have the following concerns:

1. Is the large culet (according to GIA) on a cushion-shape brilliant good or bad? We can essentially see through the diamond...

2. Also, is it desirable to have girdle "slightly thick to very thick"?

Thanks!
 

chrono

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Culet
It is more of a personal taste. Some people like a large culet, it gives the cushion a very antique look. Others are bothered by the appearance (looks like a hole), and there will be some light leakage at the culet but not that much. Like I said before, a stone with a large culet has a very different look from modern diamonds and you may find that you like it. You'll have to see it in person to decide. Personally, it would not bother me if the cushion has the chunky faceting of an old cut stone to go along with the large culet.

Girdle
Well, with a thick girdle, at least there is very little risk of the diamond girdle chipping through normal wear and tear. On the other hand, it is diamond weight that is hidden, ie not seen, and thus faces up a tad smaller. I would say that if everything checks out well (the diamond's light performance), the girdle would not be a deal breaker for me.
 

belle

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Date: 1/24/2007 8:36:48 AM
Author:statnikov

1. Is the large culet (according to GIA) on a cushion-shape brilliant good or bad? We can essentially see through the diamond...
it''s good if you like the look and bad if you don''t.
2.gif


seriously, it can be ''good'' or ''bad'' depending on the cut. i do like the look of a large culet in some diamonds. it really just depends on the effect that you are wanting.


Date: 1/24/2007 8:36:48 AM
Author:statnikov

2. Also, is it desirable to have girdle ''slightly thick to very thick''?
it''s not necessarily ''desirable'' but it''s not a bad thing either. sometimes, especially with fancy shapes, the girdles tend to be thicker.

the most important advice is to see as many diamonds as you can to decide what you want in a diamond.
 

oldminer

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If the diamond is a modern cut, a large culet is a negative comment, but you might not be bothered at all by it. A very thick girdle is also a negative comment, but if you love the diamond it would be unusual for such a girdle to mean much to an end user. The price you are being asked to pay shopuld take these comments into consideration. Its difficult to say if the price has been adjusted a bit or not unless one shops the market to see how this stone compares to others of the same weight, color, clarity and cushion cut.

Without comparison shopping of apples to apples, no one can tell you how to decide. In a vacuum, neither comment is totally a "no-go" type.
 

He Scores

Shiny_Rock
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Mar 26, 2005
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On stones that draw color (read I-J-K and lower) an open culet will have a slight decrease in the way the stone faces up. It''s a small nuance of cutting that is often overlooked.

Also, in the same colors, a girdle that''s med-thick and NOT FACETED will have the same effect. A girdle that IS FACETED will enhance the face up color of these stones and lower color grades.


Bill Bray
Diamond Cutter
 

JulieN

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Bill, can you explain why the open culet helps lower colors?
 

He Scores

Shiny_Rock
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Mar 26, 2005
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I would guess it does by allowing a leakage of light. Like I said, it''s a nuance. It won''t be a dramatic improvement. Also one could argue that a larger culet reduces the depth of the stone which will also affect how a diamond faces up. Also, it may be that looking down on the stone the open culet appears as a black spot and hence creates a contrast to the yellow color making it appear lighter. Cutters know that if you cut out a carbon spot from a stone invariably it will grade a shade or two darker without the contrasting spot.


Bill
 
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