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Emerald cuts are confusing! Advice needed!

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blueeyedgirl

blueeyedgirl

Rough_Rock
Joined
Sep 9, 2008
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6
Hi everyone! My wonderful boyfriend want to go ring shopping soon. However, I've convinced him that shopping online is a much better way to get more bang for our buck, so I think "ring shopping" will be more like me picking out a few I like and letting him decide and purchase. I have always been partial to Emerald cuts, but now that I'm researching they seem so confusing! I'm wretched at math, so trying to keep all the measurements for length to width ratios and table and depth... AHH! I'm going crazy!

I have small fingers, size 3.5, so I don't need/want a super large diamond. (We are also trying to save money for our wedding and doing a serious home-remodel this year). Size is not a huge factor for me, nor is color I don't think. I find clear, pink, yellow, champagne, etc. diamonds all very pretty! Basically, I want to get a good value for our money.

I'd like to keep the diamond price below $2000. Can you recommend the best sites or even specific diamonds that you think fall into my realm of possibility? I am so overwhelmed! Even tips for looking would be greatly appreciated!!


Thank you!!!
 
From what I have heard you want to stay pretty high up in clarity if you want a step cut diamond like an emerald. Hopefully Gypsy will chime in soon she knows all sorts of things about step cuts :wavey:


GOG has had some issues with Hurricane Sandy but their website says they are available via email. Maybe see how much they are asking for this
http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/9556/
 
I purchased an EC from JA a couple of months ago. You get an additional discount for being a PS member and they will provide up to three ASET's. The ASET's can be posted on here so the step cut pro's can help you determine which stone has the best cut.
I recommend you wait for some more opinions on which diamonds to request ASET's on. You will also get feedback from their gemologist telling you which stones performs the best.
Here is one more that I think looks promising. http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/I-VVS1-Very-Good-Cut-Emerald-Diamond-1424603.asp

Good that you don't think you are color sensitive. My diamond is a K but is very bright and well cut. Every jeweler that saw it guessed it as an H or higher, prior to me showing them the gia certificate. If you want to see pics of my ASET, diamond or finished ring click on topics next to my avitar. You also need to decide if you prefer a more classic rectangular shape or a square. Mine is a shorter ratio of 1.09 so just slightly off square but with the EC facets, although some jewelers mistakenly referred to it as an asscher just seeing the shape & steps. I also considered asschers but they face up much smaller for the same carat weight and feel like I found a cool compromise with my diamond. I'm very happy with my ring and think you won't have a problem finding a great stone in your budget.
Hope this helped!
 
I am by no means an EC expert but I am an EC fan and consumer. IMO You can't really use the numbers to determine how well an EC diamond will perform; they are something that you kind of have to see. Since you want to purchase online I would go with a trusted vendor like James Allen and tell them your expectations for your diamond. Having them provide ASET images will be helpful to see the diamond's light return. You are probably fine with a VS2 clarity and I think you'll be happy with a diamond in the near colorless range (GHIJ). A well cut EC will face up white though you'll see some warmth from the side or in different lighting.
 
Thank you all for your help!

I am looking at page after page of diamonds and my head is spinning! I currently have 12 diamonds in my compare list on Pricescope and I honestly have no idea which diamond is best, or even a top 3! I have princess and emerald cuts in my list and I am stumped as to "table" vs "depth" percentage and the mm measurements.

I can figure out color and clarity, but as for figuring out which diamond will face up bigger? I'm lost! *Cue me tearing my hair out*
 
Well which "faces up bigger" is easy because its comparing length and width. So you don't need angles for that. Those also matter because it depends in what type of emerald cut you want. You want a longer one? Or one that is more square like an asscher. If you're looked at emeralds I would suggest asschers instead of princesses. Just because even though they are both square really it's the step cuts that make those really stand out.

And yeah those angles help but if they are confusing just use your eyes. Look at the ASET and idealscope images. If you like them and the people at the place you're buying them tell you it's nice and the test show good performance, then there you go. In the end you're going to look at the diamond on your finger, not the GIA report. Don't let it stress you :)
 
This is probably SUCH a silly question, and I'm embarrassed to even have to ask, but... do I add up the length and height in mm of a diamond to find out how big it looks? Like, if the length is 3 mm and width is 2 mm, would I add 3 + 3 +2 + 2 and get 10mm and thats how big that one is? Or is there multiplication and such in there?

Honestly, I am so incredibly overwhelmed! Most of the diamonds I see do not have pictures on the site. I can't request to see pictures of all 14 diamonds I'm currently looking at. I know the final decision will come from 2 or 3 pictures I compare but I would just like to know how to narrow it down.
 
How I do it is like this:

Say you have 2 stones
1 is a 1.1ct that measures 5.75x5.44
http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/I-VVS1-Good-Cut-Emerald-Diamond-1503367.asp
2 is a .95 ct that measures 6.8x5
http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/D-VS2-Good-Cut-Emerald-Diamond-1529431.asp

It has 2 things about it, see how that .95 is longer and actually has more surface area (if you just multiplied the two, which is just an estimate sense they have those corners)? So even though it has a smaller ctw, it doesnt really mean that one will LOOK bigger than the other. Also the second thing is that, BOTH of those were found by searching for emeralds, but they look very different, so thats really why the length matters.

And dont feel bad!! These things can be difficult to decide, just get some pictures and compare the asets. Im sure lots of people here would be happy to give you their 2 cents about them once you have them. :wavey:
 
Blueeye-Are you just looking at the pricescope compare with the numbers? You can not pick an emerald cut that way, you have to see pictures. Thats why we all linked to diamonds on James Allen for you. Of the stones that were recommended by us, which did you like? Repost the links here of what you like from the James Allen site and we will advise you on which to get ASET's for.
When buying step-cuts ASET's tell the story more than numbers. Did you see my thread on asking for help with the ASET when I bought my diamond? I'll link that here along with another emerald cut ASET thread that a PSer bought. Please read these threads to understand why you need ASETs.
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/aset-photo-of-emerald-im-considering-step-cut-lovers-help.177801/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/aset-photo-of-emerald-im-considering-step-cut-lovers-help.177801/[/URL]

[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/emerald-cut-opinions-please-1-09-g-vvs2-aset-sarin.177411/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/emerald-cut-opinions-please-1-09-g-vvs2-aset-sarin.177411/[/URL]

Also an emerald cut & a princess cut are completely different. The majority of women have a very strong preference and rarely like both. Here is a thread you should look through if you haven't already to get an idea of what step-cuts look like in different settings and length to width ratio's.

[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/emerald-cuts-asschers-a-collection.113993/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/emerald-cuts-asschers-a-collection.113993/[/URL]
Have you actually seen each cut in person? If not head over to a local jeweler to see each cut in person. Don't let them pressure you into buying anything though, we can find you a beautiful stone here at a great price.
 
I couldn't resist hunting down a few for you to look at.

I really like this one:
http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/G-VS2-Very-Good-Cut-Emerald-Diamond-1463015.asp

This one has less depth & a larger table like mine & the stone bought by Joenewbie. It will have a larger face-up. Ignore the cut ratings-there are no cut ratings on emerald cuts by GIA.
http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/G-VS1-Good-Cut-Emerald-Diamond-1528231.asp

What do think of these? They may be worth an ASET. You only get three so if you have more than three that you are interested in you can ask the gemologist to look at all of them and recommend which to get your ASET's on.
 
Is James Allen the best place to look? I like the ones you have posted, but I have several that I'm looking at from Solomon Brothers, USA Certed, BC2 Jewels and I.D. Jewelry. I know it is important to see pictures, I was just hoping there was a good way to narrow down the millions of diamonds into, say, 5 or 6.

Prices really seem to vary, for instance, this stone http://search.virtcert.com/cgi/u/10...012&_p=sdf348gd743&_c=&_fs=1&prestock=&_ln=ps is much bigger for the price than the others I am looking at.

These two also seem big for the price point:

https://www.pricescope.com/diamond/f93b15b1256b4eb8adf506dab0376d1f
https://www.pricescope.com/diamond/822dee10580dafc67a8edd1dd7a2bc52


I also have 10 saved diamonds between .71 and .75 carats that range in price from $912 - $1215.
 
The diamonds you posted are EGL graded not GIA. EGL grades very soft on both color & clarity. You do not want to buy an EGL stone!!!
There are many threads on here about why EGL is an unreliable source for grading. If the diamond is graded as a K VS2 it would actually be graded at least two grades lower by GIA. Believe me no dealer is going to leave money on the table. Those stones are priced lower because they are worth less, period.

James Allen is one of the best places to buy stepcuts because you can see an actual picture of the diamond and they will provide ASET's for free. Did you read the threads I posted on ASET's? The dealers you linked to do not provide those. They are imperative when choosing any fancy cut diamond. JA also has a 60 day full refund return period. I have nothing but good to say about their customer service.
Another great vendor for stepcuts is Good Old Gold. There are wonderful video's on their site to help educate on how cut affects performance.

I watched every single one multiple times when deciding on my diamond. If I hadn't found my stone at JA I would have purchased thru Good Old Gold. video page: http://www.goodoldgold.com/Diamond_Videos/
 
There is no magic number crunching for buying emerald cuts. There are plenty that look great on paper but are poor performers in real life because the numbers do not tell the whole picture. Even without an ASET, you can tell by the patterning which ones will look the liveliest. Going with drop shippers like the few you've chosen is like gambling in roulette where the odds are stacked against you.

I have nothing against EGL USA. My EC is an E VS1 EGL USA diamond and was verified to be spot on for both colour and clarity. Perhaps I got lucky. My stone is surely discounted compared to a GIA stone but I also know that its value in the secondhand market will also be lower than a GIA diamond. This is not an issue for me though because I have no plans to sell or upgrade it.
 
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