Cut with most bang for the buck?

[I like ice]

I am trying to help my daughter's BF do some shopping. As she likes many different cuts he is trying to figure which cut to shop for. Color and clarity (as long as it is eye clean) are at the bottom of the priority list. The two important factors to her are size and sparkle. I was thinking a cushion cut? She likes a marquise, but I am concerned it wouldn't have the scintillation and fire she is hoping for. Thanks in advance for the help!

 

[mjertl]

a marquise will look big for its carat size, so if size is most important for her the marquise will face up nicely. especially if she likes them best! I have an oval, which also faces up very large (my 1 ct is 8mmx6mm) and is very sparkly. with both these cuts you need to be cautious of unpleasant bow ties, which will take away from their loveliness. Maybe she should look at some marquise in person?
good luck! you must be excited to help your future son in law shop!

 

[Black Jade]

You and her boyfriend are in luck--marquise is definitely the cut which faces up the largest for the carat weight.
Marquises also have great fire and scintillation if they're well cut--the only reason people tend to think that they don't is that there are so many examples of bad marquises still around from the 80's.
Check out the thread in the Show me the Ring forum on marquises (do a search on marquise and you'll find it) and you'll see some beautiful examples.
Also, read the section in the 'fancy cuts' tutorial on what to look for. But be aware that it's best to see marquises in person. You can't judge them just by numbers as easily as rounds.
The bowtie is the big problem to look out for. As well as the fact that if they have inclusions on the table, you see them right away. They have such big tables compared to rounds. Also, lower colored marquises show color more than rounds, especially at the tips. This need not be a drawback though. I have a J colored marquise that has color at the tips but you only see this when the ring is turned to the side. However, your daughter may not like to see any color anywhere.
It's true that ovals are large for the weight also, and also beautiful stones, and pears also look bigger for the weight than rounds. A well cut one carat round, generally speaking will be about 6.5 mm, while a marquise of the same weight will be 10 x 5 mm or thereabouts, and an oval 7 x 5 mm. A pear would be 8 x 5 mm. An emerald cut will be 7 x 5 mm also but have a different kind of sparkle--you won't get fire and scintillation. Princesses, asschers, cushions are distinctly smaller than rounds of the same weight--a well-cut one carat in those shapes will be 5.5 mm, or not much bigger than 1/2 round (5.2 mm).

 

[I like ice]

Thanks so much for the detailed repy! The size comparisons are a huge help. I knew cushions looked smaller for the same carat weight but didn't realize the difference was so significant. I guess I had reservations on the marquise as I have one myself. While she likes the shape, it does not have much sparkle or fire (must be a holdover from the 80's LOL). I know fancy cuts are much harder to judge by the numbers. He is likely to get a much better deal online, but it also harder to judge the stone. That is why PS is such a great resource!

 

[tyty333]

If you plan on looking at fancy cuts (besides cushions), I would recommend James Allen because they have pictures and
can provide aset images.

If you want to stay with cushions then I would suggest GOG, ERD and a lot of people have been going through Perry with
Leon Mege but I'm not sure if you also have to get your setting through him (which would be costly). Not sure what budget
your future SIL is working with. If you settle on a cut we can help you look.

 

[marcy]

I have seen some beautiful and fiery marquis posted on here. I hope you guys have fun shopping.

 

[MissStepcut]

Ovals face up big and are priced similarly to cushions. I personally think pears look more modern than marquises (but still provide a lot of finger coverage), and would suggest that for a younger woman.

 

[frankiextah]

i think a pear cut with halo setting would be the best bang for the buck and look stunning as well !

 

[Dreamer_D]

For sparkle and what bam, nothing really beats a modern round brilliant.

For spread, pear or oval.

 

[Amys Bling]

Ovals face up big and are priced similarly to cushions. I personally think pears look more modern than marquises (but still provide a lot of finger coverage), and would suggest that for a younger woman.

agreed- I prefer pear over marquise

 

[lknvrb4]

I have a pear and when I had my other RB ering, the RB sparkled a lot more. My pear sparkles but in a different way if that makes any sense.

 

[Amys Bling]

I think it really depends in what you want- the most spread for your money- or the most sparkle. The answer to those two questions arenot necessarily the same

 

[Enerchi]

I think it really depends in what you want- the most spread for your money- or the most sparkle. The answer to those two questions arenot necessarily the same

It sounds like that old cigarette ad - "Good rich flavour or lower tar and nicotine" - not suggesting she starts smoking to show off the new ring, tho LOL!!

Does she have a preference for spread vs sparkle? I also had a marquis as my original ering in 1984 and that was WILDLY different back then. Not a good cut, very little fire, it was super tiny - but I loved it! Now, the alternatives to a RB seem to be more acceptable and intriguing to new brides.

What shape are her hands - if she has stubbier hands (I know that shape well - I own and operate 2 fairly pudgy/stubby hands myself! ) something like a pear or a marquis would help elongate her hands and make them look thinner and elegant. Just another thought to throw in the mix!

 

[I like ice]

I agree that the marquise may look a bit dated. I agree that an oval or pear may be a better option. As for spread vs sparkle I think spread has a slight edge. I think she is using a stone in my three stone ring which is 1.22 RB as a benchmark for the size/substance of the stone she would like. I am just not sure if a RB of that size is going to fit into their budget.

Many of their friends have purchased from the large chains and spent around $5000. She just hasn't been impressed with what they got for their money. If she can't find something she likes within their budget she will just go with my mothers ring instead. While we haven't discussed a firm budget I think they plan on spending at least that much.

I couldn't find the ASET images the on James Allen site, do you need to request them? I looked at some on GOG's site for fancy cuts and they didn't seem like the stones would have much sparkle. Is that typical for fancy cuts?

I thought a halo might be the perfect setting for her as she loves the vintage look. However, she has vetoed them as they have become so popular and she wants to avoid something that looks too trendy. Her hands are average I guess, neither stubby or thin. If a setting has side stones how low can you go with color? It seems most sidestones are in the G-H range.

Thanks for all the input!

 

[tyty333]

I agree that the marquise may look a bit dated. I agree that an oval or pear may be a better option. As for spread vs sparkle I think spread has a slight edge. I think she is using a stone in my three stone ring which is 1.22 RB as a benchmark for the size/substance of the stone she would like. I am just not sure if a RB of that size is going to fit into their budget.

Many of their friends have purchased from the large chains and spent around $5000. She just hasn't been impressed with what they got for their money. If she can't find something she likes within their budget she will just go with my mothers ring instead. While we haven't discussed a firm budget I think they plan on spending at least that much.

I couldn't find the ASET images the on James Allen site, do you need to request them? I looked at some on GOG's site for fancy cuts and they didn't seem like the stones would have much sparkle. Is that typical for fancy cuts?Usually you narrow it down to
your 3 favorite stones than request aset images. They will give you 3 for free.

I thought a halo might be the perfect setting for her as she loves the vintage look. However, she has vetoed them as they have become so popular and she wants to avoid something that looks too trendy. Her hands are average I guess, neither stubby or thin. If a setting has side stones how low can you go with color? It seems most sidestones are in the G-H range.What kind of side
stones are you talking? Little pave or bigger stones like in a 3 stone ring? The usual rule is to stay within 2 color grades of
the diamonds on the setting. Small pave tend to look whiter due to their size. Fancy stones like pears and marquise tend
to show more color in their points.

What is your mother's ring? Could she remount the center stone into a setting that she likes or only use it as a whole?
You should have her look at the marquise threads, pear threads and oval threads on the Show me the Bling forum.
She may see something that she really likes.
Thanks for all the input!

 

[I like ice]

Thanks for the info on the aset images. For side stones I was thinking either small pave or classic Harry Winston style with baguettes might appeal to her.
As for my mom's ring it would be used as is as she likes the setting itself, just wishes the center stone was larger (.5 ct). I am not sure if it would be possible to mount a larger stone in the setting as that could be another good option.

 

[jstarfireb]

Princesses, asschers, cushions are distinctly smaller than rounds of the same weight--a well-cut one carat in those shapes will be 5.5 mm, or not much bigger than 1/2 round (5.2 mm).

I want to make one small correction here, because as a princess fan, it bothers me when people use size as a reason not to get a princess (and this is not directed at one individual but is more of a general thing).

While it's true that a typical 1ct princess is 5.5mm square, it looks substantially larger than a round of the same 5.5mm diameter because of the corners, so comparing a 1ct princess to a 0.5ct round simply because both have the a similar measurement is a bit of an apples to oranges comparison. In fact, if you kite-set the princess, it will look even larger, because the diagonal dimension of a 5.5mm square is 7.78mm by the Pythagorean theorem. The area of a 5.5mm princess is 30.25mm2, and the area of a 6.5mm round is 33.18mm2, which are quite similar. So in reality, a 1ct princess doesn't look that much smaller than a 1ct round. When I've compared the two in real life, I've found that a 1ct round does look a small amount larger than a non-kite set 1ct princess, but not by much. And a 1ct kite-set princess looks about the same size as a 1ct round.

But anyway, I'm getting a little bit off-topic here. Marquise, oval, and pear shapes are known to appear large, so if you can find a well-cut marquise, you're in the money. Fancy shapes are just a little harder to buy than rounds because the cut has so much more variation.

 

[I like ice]

Thanks for the info on the Princess cut. I admit it os one I am not really familiar with so it really helps!

 

[I like ice]

This discussion has brought up an idea I had not thought of before, having my mothers ring reset with a larger stone. I could keep the center stone and she could use the setting which is lovely. My question is how we could determine how large a stone would fit. The current center stone is .47 in an illusion setting. Perhaps due to the setting surrounding the existng stone there might be room for something larger in a prong setting? There are four side stones and the the nine stone wedding band is welded to it. My thought is they could find or have made a matching band for her wedding band. Is this something I need to take to a jeweler to assess?

 

[decodelighted]

I agree that Marquise cuts skew "dated" *currently* ... BUT ... I think they're coming back into style. So maybe your daughter is an Early Adapter or Trendsetter?

I noticed the engagement ring Christina Applegate wears on "Up All Night" is a marquise cut. If "The Bachelor" can start a national stampede toward Cushions .... who knows!


ETA: I do not think that Pears are a good substitute for Marquise. Someone who likes one would most likely NOT like the other -- folks who are attracted to Pears aren't bothered by lack of symmetry (generally).

 

[Laila619]

I would love a marquise, and I think the setting is really what screams '80s, not necessarily the stone. In the '80s, the marquise cuts were usually in really chunky, yellow gold settings with tons of baguettes. In an elegant, sleek setting, I think a marquise would be GORGEOUS!

 

[armywife13]

I would love a marquise, and I think the setting is really what screams '80s, not necessarily the stone. In the '80s, the marquise cuts were usually in really chunky, yellow gold settings with tons of baguettes. In an elegant, sleek setting, I think a marquise would be GORGEOUS!

You hit the nail on the head! I think a well cut marquise would be stunning in a sleek, wg or platinum setting. Yummmmmm.

 

[Alyeska]

Any diamond cut put into a halo setting can emphasize it's natural size. The larger point diamonds in the halo setting, the bigger it can look. Marquis and pear tend to have a larger appearance because of their LxW ratio for same carat weights.

I personally went with a pear shape because I wanted a larger looking stone on a smaller budget, and I liked the pear shape better than marquis. I especially liked cushion shape, but for the same carat weight and price, the stone looked smaller to me (by dimensions).

 

[Amys Bling]

Hi,

In my experience, UnionDiamond - http://www.uniondiamondstore.com has always been my fave. It's fast and has a decent range of rings and earrings. And being online, the price is better since you save on location, etc.

Do give it a try

Josh

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