Difference between OEC and transitional?

[MichelleCarmen]

What would be the difference between an OEC and a transitional? Also, do most, if not all, OEC stones have an open culet? Just curious because someone I know recently received what is suppose to be an OEC of around 100 years old and doesn''''t have a visible open culet. . . I am wondering if it''''s a transitional instead.

 

[Upgradable]

Usually, an oec will have a higher crown, smaller table, and an open culet, but that is not an absolute. With transitionals you will find those parameters coming closer to modern round brilliants, some with a small culet, some with none at all.

Does that help at all?

 

[that_someone_special]

Ah ha!

 

[LGK]

Yeah, transitionals can be pretty hard to characterize... they usually just seem like a mix of OEC & RB characteristics, like they might have chunkier facets like an OEC but a large table and shallow crown with a closed culet, that's a pretty typical transitional cut look. (An OEC would have a high crown, small table and open culet generally speaking... and while they are often characterized as being slightly deeper than a RB, it's more that they vary widely in depth... there's some VERY shallow OECs out there!)

Generally speaking, a closed culet would be much more likely a transitional cut, or early round brilliant... some OECs do have such small culets they aren't easy to spot without a loupe though, and I'm sure some have closed culets but I don't remember seeing one in a larger size stone (like not close to melee size). You do see all sorts of things called "old mine cut" or what have you by people.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Thanks. From your gals' descriptions, it sounds like she has a transitional. It does appear to look almost, but not exactly like a RB. . .

She took the ring off and let me look at it (and she probably thought I was looney) and I held it up to the light to look at it through the pavilion plus tried to get a good look at it from the top. Her diamond is really pretty and I made sure to praise it a lot while I was playing with it.

Taking out my loupe would have been over the top, so I just eyed it. (and I've known her for over 15 years, so it's not like I grabbed a stranger's arm and pried the ring off to get a good look)

ETA - Upgradable - now that I look at your transitional cut over on the SMTR forum, I don't even think her ring is that old. Ah, what a shame that she may not have what she think she does.