Diamond cut help please!

[medely]

Hello pricescopers!

Please help me with some diamond cut advise! I’m in the process of upgrading my engagement ring and I have a selection of diamonds I’m choosing between. I'm trying to find a diamond with "super ideal" proportions and have found some different information on which proportions make the best cut, but I think the selection below can be considered so be "super ideal"? Maybe except from number 1 that has a bit too large crown angle (35.5) I think the other two are great cut wise? Unfortunately I can’t buy them all and compare them side by side, otherwise that would have been the best option. If I’m going for number 2 or 3 (or another one) I need to replace no 1 first.

1. I have this diamond in my possession a the moment. The first day I got it, it looked hazy in sunlight and I did not like that so I started to search for other options. However, after that first day I have not seen that haziness again. Maybe it had something to do with the weather/sky that day? I don’t know, but I add some photos of how it looked that first day I got it (left in the picture below) and how it has been looking in sunlight the other days (right in the picture below). I really like the blue, if it is not hazy. I also add an ASET photo I took with my home made ASET scope, thanks to Andy Chang for that tutorial (http://theandychang.com/diyscopes/). It has some very bright dots along the entire perimeter (a short distance from the edge), is that light leakage? Otherwise I think it looks good, or?

Carat: 1.16
Color: I
Clarity: VS1
Table: 56%
Depth: 62.5%
Crown angle: 35.5
Pavillion angle: 40.6
Girdle: medium/slightly thick (3.5%)
Lower girdle halves: 75%
Star facets: 50%
Culet: none
Flourescence: Strong blue
Cut: ideal
Symmetry: Ex
Polish: Ex
Measurements: 6.67 - 6.70 x 4.18 mm
Certificate: GIA
HCA score: 1.3 and looks it size (i.e average).







2. I think this is my favourite if I’m not keeping the one I have. My worry here is that it has very strong blue fluorescence and I am nervous about that. I do love the bluishness the diamonds get in the sunlight, but I’m afraid it will look hazy. Is the "very good symmetry" an issue, that its not excellent?

Carat: 1.20
Color: I
Clarity: VS1
Table: 55%
Depth: 61.6%
Crown angle: 34.0
Pavillion angle: 40.6
Girdle: slightly thick (4%)
Lower girdle halves: 75%
Star facets: 50%
Culet: none
Flourescence: Very strong blue
Cut: ideal
Symmetry: Very good
Polish: Excellent
Measurements: 6.78 - 6.82 x 4.19 mm
Certificate: GIA
HCA score: 0.7 and looks its size (i.e. average)



3. This is also a candidate but is has J color and no fluorescence so I’m worried it will look too yellow and that I’m gonna miss the magic that happens in sunlight when it does not have any flourescence. I'm gonna set the stone in a rose gold solitaire setting.

Carat: 1.20
Color: J
Clarity: VS2
Table: 56%
Depth: 62.1%
Crown angle: 35.0
Pavillion angle: 40.8
Girdle: medium/slightly thick (3.5%)
Lower girdle halves: 75%
Star facets: 50%
Culet: none
Flourescence: none
Cut: ideal
Symmetry: Ex
Polish: Ex
Measurements: 6.79 - 6.82 x 4.22 mm
Certificate: GIA
HCA score: 1.5 and looks “a good size for its carat weight” (i.e. big)




So, all diamond expert out there. Which one has the best cut?
If you made it all the way here - thank you!!

 

[lovedogs]

What is your budget? The term super ideal means different things to different people, but mostly is used to refer to proprietary cut stones from vendors like Brian Gavin, HP diamonds (who sells crafted by infinity), and Whiteflash (ACA line).

Overall, we recommend depth between 60-62.4, table between 54-57, crown angle between 34-35, and pav angle between 40.6 and 40.8.

Generally, you want the crown and pavilion angles to be opposite (e.g if one is steeper the other is shallower, like 34 crown and 40.8 pav). But obviously that's not a 100% rule by any means.

 

[medely]

What is your budget? The term super ideal means different things to different people, but mostly is used to refer to proprietary cut stones from vendors like Brian Gavin, HP diamonds (who sells crafted by infinity), and Whiteflash (ACA line).

Overall, we recommend depth between 60-62.4, table between 54-57, crown angle between 34-35, and pav angle between 40.6 and 40.8.

Generally, you want the crown and pavilion angles to be opposite (e.g if one is steeper the other is shallower, like 34 crown and 40.8 pav). But obviously that's not a 100% rule by any means.

Thank you for your reply! I noticed that there are some different ideas on which proportions that are the best, even though there seems to be some overlap between them. I am not looking for a diamond sold under a specific name such as super ideal or H&A etc, but merely trying to narrow down the GIA cut grade excellent to the best cut diamonds within that range. Interesting that the crown and pavilion angles "should" be opposite. I did not know that.

My budget is between 5800-6000 USD (it needs to be at least 5800 for the diamond upgrade but I'd like to keep it below 6000).

 

[OoohShiny]

1 and 2 both have great combinations for lots of coloured fire - smaller tables and shorter LGFs, with the one you currently have also having a higher crown.

I think the ASETscope image on 1 is over-bright, as the HCA score indicates the angles work well together. The bright dots are not an issue.

Strong and Very Strong Blue fluor are usually just fine in terms of 'haziness' or 'oiliness' - if you can't see it, I don't think you have anything to worry about. You could always contact a PS-recommended appraiser, though, for peace of mind via an appraisal.

Can you get two of / all of the stones side-by-side to review (in a range of lights, including sunlight)? You could always ship both to the appraised if you do use one.

 

[medely]

1 and 2 both have great combinations for lots of coloured fire - smaller tables and shorter LGFs, with the one you currently have also having a higher crown.

I think the ASETscope image on 1 is over-bright, as the HCA score indicates the angles work well together. The bright dots are not an issue.

Strong and Very Strong Blue fluor are usually just fine in terms of 'haziness' or 'oiliness' - if you can't see it, I don't think you have anything to worry about. You could always contact a PS-recommended appraiser, though, for peace of mind via an appraisal.

Can you get two of / all of the stones side-by-side to review (in a range of lights, including sunlight)? You could always ship both to the appraised if you do use one.

Thanks for your reply and all the useful information. I'm learning new things constantly at this forum! I'm glad to hear that you don't think the bright dots in diamond 1 is not an issue.

Unfortunately I don't have the opportunity to compare the diamonds side by side, as that would have been preferred.

 

[OoohShiny]

It's a shame you can't get them side by side but totally understandable.

It would be good to do so in order to get that peace of mind that one is not better than the other, but you may have to just analyse your current stone as much as possible across different lights, so you are confident that it performs to your satisfaction!

If it was hazy on the first day but then not again later, that is interesting. Have you cleaned the stone to make sure it is definitely not anything on the surface effecting light return? Dirty stones do perform differently to clean stones

 

[medely]

It's a shame you can't get them side by side but totally understandable.

It would be good to do so in order to get that peace of mind that one is not better than the other, but you may have to just analyse your current stone as much as possible across different lights, so you are confident that it performs to your satisfaction!

If it was hazy on the first day but then not again later, that is interesting. Have you cleaned the stone to make sure it is definitely not anything on the surface effecting light return? Dirty stones do perform differently to clean stones

I also find it strange that it looked hazy one day and clear all the other days. I have not done anything with it, I did not clean it...

 

[Ss52]

Medely, this might be a good replacement for your number 1, 1.16 I Vs2:

https://www.bluenile.com/diamond-search?pt=setform&track=NavDiaSeaRD

Diamondscreener.com shows it as within the limits of Ideal for both AGSL and GIA, it’s very clean, but no fluorescence.

 

[Ss52]

Oops, posted wrong link. Here:


https://www.bluenile.com/diamond-de...AMONDS&track=viewDiamondDetails&action=newTab

 

[medely]

Oops, posted wrong link. Here:


https://www.bluenile.com/diamond-de...AMONDS&track=viewDiamondDetails&action=newTab

Thank you, that one is beautiful! I actually just purchased the other two diamonds in my original post in order to be able to compare them side by side... I don't know if they like when people do that and just send two of them back, but since they do not offer ASET images I just wanted to see them side by side and be able to have a look at them myself.

 

[Ss52]

Thank you, that one is beautiful! I actually just purchased the other two diamonds in my original post in order to be able to compare them side by side... I don't know if they like when people do that and just send two of them back, but since they do not offer ASET images I just wanted to see them side by side and be able to have a look at them myself.

Excellent to compare two side by side! I’m sure the vendors don’t mind. Also, you can, for little money, purchase your own ASET viewer. Here’s a thread on them:
https://www.pricescope.com/communit...-from-atlas-or-ags-are-they-different.240106/

 

[sledge]

Excellent to compare two side by side! I’m sure the vendors don’t mind. Also, you can, for little money, purchase your own ASET viewer. Here’s a thread on them:
https://www.pricescope.com/communit...-from-atlas-or-ags-are-they-different.240106/

Great suggestion!

I might note that AGS has altered their pricing scheme. Now the price is $25 for members, and $50 for non-members. Basically offering NO cost savings to a normal end consumer. It was only $25 to non-members when I posted in the older thread.

https://www.americangemsociety.org/page/newhandheldaset

Being the same price, I'd consider supporting Dave Atlas (@oldminer) instead, who is an active participant in this forum and community. Plus, he may have other tools you want to add to the order, and lessen your shipping costs rather than ordering from two places.

https://datlas.com/ideal-scope-store/aset-scope/