Emerald Shape Diamond on budget

[Appleton83]

Dear All

I am a new member with only very basic knowledge of diamonds.

I want to buy a loose diamond for my girlfriend and plan to propose at Christmas. Then she can choose her own setting in the New Year.

I know she likes Emerald shaped diamonds.

My max budget is:

GBP £2500
EURO 2750
(USD $4100)

I can go a little higher for something really special.

I have the option of buying the diamond in either Antwerp, Luxembourg or London. Unfortunatley, travelling to the US is not an option and I don''t want to buy online as that makes me nervous.

What carat, cut, clarity and colour can I expect to get for my budget in Europe?

What are the pros and cons of buying an Emerald shape? Would you reccomend a different, similar shape?

Would you reccomend an emerald shape white sapphire for a larger stone? Is it worth it?

Thanks for your time
Theo

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 11/27/2009 5:09:44 AM
Author:Appleton83
Dear All

I am a new member with only very basic knowledge of diamonds.

I want to buy a loose diamond for my girlfriend and plan to propose at Christmas. Then she can choose her own setting in the New Year.

I know she likes Emerald shaped diamonds.

My max budget is:

GBP £2500
EURO 2750
(USD $4100)

I can go a little higher for something really special.

I have the option of buying the diamond in either Antwerp, Luxembourg or London. Unfortunatley, travelling to the US is not an option and I don't want to buy online as that makes me nervous.

What carat, cut, clarity and colour can I expect to get for my budget in Europe?

What are the pros and cons of buying an Emerald shape? Would you reccomend a different, similar shape?

Would you reccomend an emerald shape white sapphire for a larger stone? Is it worth it? I would stick to a diamond personally.

Thanks for your time
Theo

Hi Theo

Emerald cuts often need VS or above for clarity as these shapes can show inclusions more easily, same with colour, I would make GIA graded H the cutoff for colour unless you have seen some I and J colour EC's in person of similar size and lab grade.

It can be a challenge to find a well cut EC, cut quality is key for a beautiful stone. I would try www.bestdiamonds.co.uk and speak to Dr Indira Marchant, she is located in the Royal Exchange, London. Tell her what you are looking for and see what she can come up with for you.

For buying in Antwerp contact Rob van Beurden at http://www.diamondhouse.be/


Also a basic guideline for proportions;

depth 70% or below
table 65% or below
crown height 10% or above

Then the rest is pictures and your own tastes and preferences.

 

[Appleton83]

Hi Thats great advice, thank you.

A nice EC sounds difficult to come by. I''m worried I''ll end up with something tiny.

Is it worth looking at an ascher cut or rectangular cushion cut, to avoid the high clarity / colour that ECs demand?

Any thoughts valued.

Theo

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 11/27/2009 6:11:29 AM
Author: Appleton83
Hi Thats great advice, thank you.

A nice EC sounds difficult to come by. I'm worried I'll end up with something tiny.

Is it worth looking at an ascher cut or rectangular cushion cut, to avoid the high clarity / colour that ECs demand?

Any thoughts valued.

Theo

A cushion cut might be more forgiving of clarity, an Asscher can also show colour and inclusions more easily plus in some cases they can face up small for the weight.

Here is a very useful video consumers guide to buying cushion cut diamonds so you can learn about these shapes. I would suggest though if your GF has expressed a preference for an emerald cut, to stick with that.

 

[Appleton83]

Again thats very useful. Thank you.

I''ll have a look at the video and put my thinking cap on.

Theo

 

[FB.]

As Lorelei said; some shapes need very high colour or clarity.

Pear, oval or cushion shapes probably "face-up" largest for the money. They are all about as good as round diamonds for hiding inclusions, but perhaps not quite as good at hiding colour.
Princess are more reasonably priced than Emerald or Asscher and - if my opinion - have more sparkle. Many emerald cuts seem like an inert lump of glass, with no sparkle.

Bear in mind that many jewellers don't want to get involved with loose stones that aren't supplied by them - and most won't take responsibility for damage during the setting process.

But how big do you need?
I can see 0.9ct, F, VS2 emerald cuts (measuring about 4-5 x 6-7 mm) on virtual listings at the top end of your budget.

 

[kenny]

Perhaps consider a full bezel setting.
They give ECs and Asschers a lot of impact.
Though posted before, here's a pic I took last month that demonstrates how effective and beautiful these bezel settings are for step cuts.

From the bottom the weights are 2.26, 0.71 and 0.63 carat.
Even knowing the bezels are there, the diamonds themselves still do not seem that different in size.

I think these bezels are particularly effective on step cuts because they continue the step effect beyond the stone.