Difference between Ideal cut G or so-so E?

[hgau999]

Hi all,

Want to know what are your thoughts. When I began my search for a diamond for my fiancée to be, I started with the belief that I needed to get a minimum .90 ct., E color and nothing less than VV2 and never gave much thought about the cut. The reason for the high grade and clarity is because her friend and my sister have .93 & 1.3, E color, IF, VVS2 stones for their e-ring. But after researching and lurking here the last several weeks and viewing some of the beautiful rings posted here it’s really opened up my eyes. Now I am considering something a little larger than 1 ct., G color and VS2 and ACA @ WF. I’m planning to get something in a white setting (white gold or platinum will go through that debacle when I cross that bridge). My question is once these stones are set do you think there will be a noticeable difference in color from a AGS 0 cut G versus an averagely cut E stone (one ring is set in white gold the other in yellow)?

 

[neatfreak]

YES!!!! An ideally cut stone will out sparkle ANY so so stone, on any day of the week. Not to mention that the average person couldn''t see a difference between an E and a G anyway, especially once they are set.

I would go the way you''re thinking. No need to get an E unless it is for cultural reasons. CUT is what makes a diamond really shine and an ideal cut can hide a lot of color too, although with a G you won''t really need it to.

 

[elmo]

Date: 8/23/2007 1:44:47 PM
Author: neatfreak
No need to get an E unless...

...you decide you want a larger stone that isn't round. More material and certain fancy shapes tend to hold color.

 

[hgau999]

Yes it is kind of cultural thing for wanting to go to E and VVS2 grade. But I''m hoping the gods won''t be able to distinguish between the high cut G and a very eye clean VS2.

 

[ericad]

Do you know your girlfriend''s thoughts on the matter, given that it''s a cultural thing? You should go with what you think would make her the happiest. If it were me, I would choose in this priority - cut, carat, clarity, color - so I''m the wrong person to ask

 

[Jenn5504]

An ACA0 G will outshine a so-so cut E any day in my opinion. Go for it!

 

[Lord Summerisle]

I would always go for the better cut

I think this demonstrates it very well - a photo of Calibration Stones by Garry Holloway
Ideal on the left, Good on the right.

Whats the point of having an E other than bragging rights if it doesnt catch someones eye with the sparkle?

 

[WorkingHardforSmallRewards]

Def. make sure you optimize cut.

However, you should probably head down to a store somewhere and compare a G and an E side by side. because her friend and your sister both have E color diamonds I think there is a decent chance she will compare them side-by-side with one another. In a side by side comparison it is def. possible to tell the difference in color, both from the top, and in particular if she happens to see them from the the profile view side-by-side. Add on top of it the cultural bias towards higher color grades and I would be concerned that it might affect HER mind cleanliness of the diamond, and that she might actually see a subtle difference when comparing them side by side that too her mind might be a bigger deal than it is to many here. So I think you need to head down and look at it yourself very critically and decide if that is a chance or not.

Personally, while I plan to get an ACA for my future wedding band (I cant wait for that, I am a male by the way) if you are at the the top end of your budget I would suggest aiming for AGS0 instead of ACA.

If you find an AGS0 and can get a little emore data on it like an IS image and have a well reputed vendors gemologist look at it for you then there is no reason why it noticably perform any less than an ACA. choosing ACA makes diamond hunting easy, and very nice if you like the idea of having some sort of name, selection process added, and identification of absolutely super ideal symmetry, but while the fee is minimum you will have to pay for that name and selection process. So if you are pushing your budget already I say aim for an F or E AGS0, get rid of the pedigree of ACA (but perhaps stick with WF so that they can get you other information to confirm what the AGS report is saying) and in that way you dont have to worry that a side by side comparison with her friend will make her feel that the diamond is a little bit tainted.

I personally dont think anyone would realy call a G color tainted, but if the culture of your region suggest that G colors are somewhat tainted and she already had that slight cultural bias, then it is possible that in a side by side comparison she might feel that she can see more of a difference than actually exist. That would largely depend on how strong the cultural bias in your region and group of friends is towards the colorless range though.

I personally say when straining your budget or when not quite at a color/clarity that you really want to be at aim for AGS0. ACA are not necessarily visually any better than AGS0, its just that they have been hand selected by an expert gemologist, are guranteed to be of extremelly good crafstmanship such as hearts and arrows--which when talking about two top performing AGS0 diamonds is not gonig to have any noticable visual differences to us non-experts. and I would dare say from my observations that with out years and year and years of observing diamodns and mastering the craft there is no way you will discern between a Top performer AGS0 hearts and Arrows with AGS0 non-hearts and arrows, you simply wouldnt be able to regularly pick between the hearts and arrows out, as it isnt going to have any major visual impact in top performing diamonds.

Dont forget AGS0 cuts are ideal cuts, they are not so-so cuts.

All that being said, I also wanted to ask what the cultural bias is towards hearts and Arrows? I know here in Japan the hearts and Arrows designation alone can raise prices 30-60% over other EXEXEX cuts. so if you are in a region such as that, then what the ACA brand offers, while not necessarily being something that she would ever notice visually once the diamond was set, might offer something that would be even more valuable than the colorless range? if that is the case then aim for the G ACA of course.