Expert help please - deciding on Emerald cut diamonds

[elzny]

Hi, I''m new here, need to decide between these 2 emerald cut diamonds:

Emerald 2.44ct H VS2 8.42x6.59x4.49mm D68.1% T57% Girdle STK to THK,
cutlet: VSM, Polish VG, Symmetry VG, Fluo None 1.28:1

Emerald 2.19ct G VS2 8.63x6.52x4.48mm D68.7% T69%, Girdle Med, Cutlet
SM, Polish EX, Symmetry VG, Fluo None 1.32:1

The 2.19 looks much sharper in person for some reason & sparkles more. But I thought emerald cut shouldn''t sparkle. Also maybe it''s cut too deep? Sometimes I see dark box when looking straight down & wondering if that''s light leakage? I''ll try to upload another picture...

I''m a bit concerned with the small table of the 2.44.

Any advice/suggestions are greatly appreciated!!

 

[emeraldlover1]

Which one is which?

 

[elzny]

This is another picture. 2.44 (left) vs 2.19. See the dark box on 2.19. Maybe it''s just the camera angle??

 

[elzny]

Thanks! No, the left one is 2.44!! That''s what amazes me - 2.19 looks bigger than 2.44... But the 2.19 is more expensive as well because of its G color.

 

[emeraldlover1]

Ok, I was trying to figure it out based on the table size but the camera angle is a little wonky in the first pic. Give me a minute and I'll tell you what I think.


ETA...The size shouldn't be a factor on this one because of the dimensions of the 2.19 face up a little larger in the 2.19 than in the 2.4. Right now I'm trying to figure out where the extra weight in the 2.4 went.??

 

[Lorelei]

Welcome!

This article by strm explains about the faceting of an EC - http://journal.pricescope.com/Articles/61/1/Virtual-Facets-and-patterns%2c-a-Discussion-about-step-cuts-.aspx

Weight can hide in other areas with these shapes which could account for the apparent size difference between the two. If you read this page from GOG and look at the two pears, they illustrate this as the larger looking diamond is actually lighter on the carat weight. http://www.goodoldgold.com/ShapeTutorials/ShapeTips1/

Personally I like the diamond on the left best from what I can see.

 

[emeraldlover1]

Well, its only .2 mm difference so that isn't that big of a deal. Do you have any more pictures? I would like to see the 2.4 straight on.

I see what you mean by the dark box on the 2.19. I'm tempeted to say that it might be light leakage only because the center is showing up bright. Sometimes when I am directly in front of my stone blocking the light the whole center will look dark, not just on a few facets if that makes sense. Better ask STRMDR about that though. He'd probably have a more technical answer for you.

I'm not that concerened about the smaller table on the 2.4 because its not really that small. I actually thought in the first picture that the 2.19 may have the smaller table. Also, I can't visually tell a difference in the color so unless you can see it in person that would not be a deciding factor for me.

You said that you think the 2.19 sparkles more. My emerald sparkes a lot so that is a good thing. What do the steps look like comparitively speaking? It looks like the 2.19 has wider steps.


ETA...based on the pics you posted I like the shape and patterns of the 2.4 better than the 2.19. Hope that helps.

 

[elzny]

Thanks! I love the picture of your emerald! What are the claws like? May I see a bigger picture of your ring? Thanks!! The whole ring looks so sparkly! I checked the AGA rating charts, seems they have 2 versions?!? http://diamonds.pricescope.com/fnc2.asp this one has a wider range than the one on their own website http://www.gemappraisers.com/GradeForm.asp

Which one to use??

 

[elzny]

2.19 comparing to a 2.13. The 2.19 looks much shinier in person...

 

[elzny]

See now the 2.19 whole center is dark??

 

[elzny]

2.44 head on - I feel there are too many lines... because of the smaller table. The 2.19 looks cleaner...

 

[elzny]

2.19 close up... The box is still there. In person for some reason it looks very sparkly. From an arm length it outshines the 2.44 by a lot.

 

[strmrdr]

The 2.19 is contrasty, it may be a little over contrasty for some people.
The overall light return area is similar to the 2.44 but it is concentrated in the center and you see the dark box.

The 2.44 looks like the very center is dark?
That isn''t a good thing either.

http://journal.pricescope.com/Articles/60/1/Performance-and-the-p3-facets%2c-a-discussion-about-step-cut-diamonds.aspx

Smaller table and high crown is good but it is possible to have a small table and shallow crown which isn''t good but that is rare.
That the 2.19 is more sparky with the large table means something might be up with the 2.44.
If the 2.44 was well cut it would be the opposite.

Im not that impressed with any of the 3 posted.

 

[kcoursolle]

I think the 2.19 is a bit large for the table and is giving the shiny glassy look, but if you like that look than that is fine. I like the 2.44 actually and I like the smaller table, but I''m not an expect in EC''s this is just my opinion given the look of the pictures. If storm doesn''t like either...then maybe you should just keep looking LOL!

 

[Lorelei]

If you aren''t keen on either one and especially as you have seen both in person, I would keep looking quite honestly.

 

[emeraldlover1]

I have to be honest Elzny...but I don''t like either one of them least of all the 2.19. I agree with you that the 2.44 looks like the step patters are a lot of them and very skinny, its almost the opposite with the 2.19. The 2.19 there is just too much contrast for my eye in the wrong areas. I would personally keep looking. Are you in NYC?

There are many pics of my ring and setting on this site. The setting I have is a tacori setting and the prongs are meant to be not noticible. I wish they were more claw like but they blend into the style of the pave on the setting if that makes sense. I''ll dig up the links for you.

 

[emeraldlover1]

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/do-you-want-to-see-my-ring-emeraldlover1s-emerald-is-here.93625/

 

[elzny]

O-M-G! IT - IS - GORRRRRRRRGEOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I LOVE LOVE LOVE your setting - the MOST beautiful EC ring I''ve ever seen, period. Belated congrats on your engagement!

I immediately wanted to ask you if it''s a mighty 4ct monster, then I scroll down to see it''s a 2.75ct - but it looks HUUUUUUUGE!! J color!? It looks pretty white to me! I see the proportions of your stone are better than these 2 I posted... This is actually for a friend, we''ve seen over 20 stones believe or not. The 2.19 is the one that sparkles the most. Lots of them with >70% depth. We couldn''t get the crown height info... I don''t know if he''ll have the time to keep searching though cause he wanted to pop the question soon!

Yes I''m in NYC. Are you? Did you find your stone here? How did it work - did you bring the loose stone to Tacori to have it set? I read somewhere that the stone should be set only by the seller?

 

[emeraldlover1]

Date: 4/7/2009 3:42:10 PM
Author: elzny
O-M-G! IT - IS - GORRRRRRRRGEOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I LOVE LOVE LOVE your setting - the MOST beautiful EC ring I''ve ever seen, period. Belated congrats on your engagement!

I immediately wanted to ask you if it''s a mighty 4ct monster, then I scroll down to see it''s a 2.75ct - but it looks HUUUUUUUGE!! J color!? It looks pretty white to me! I see the proportions of your stone are better than these 2 I posted... This is actually for a friend, we''ve seen over 20 stones believe or not. The 2.19 is the one that sparkles the most. Lots of them with >70% depth. We couldn''t get the crown height info... I don''t know if he''ll have the time to keep searching though cause he wanted to pop the question soon!

Yes I''m in NYC. Are you? Did you find your stone here? How did it work - did you bring the loose stone to Tacori to have it set? I read somewhere that the stone should be set only by the seller?

LOL...you are too funny. yes, its a 2.75 and my fiance calls it the rock. I''m like...I have DSS...need a bigger one. He would kill me for saying that. Yes, I''m in NYC too. Make a long story short another poster on PS was looking at this particular stone for his wife. Well, he let me know that he didn''t choose it and I had Mark T bring the stone in with a few others for me to look at. I was very open minded when it came to color. I knew that getting a well cut stone in a lower color would save my fiance some money and that I would probably be able to get the setting that I wanted if I dropped my requirements. Not to mention that I probably would have gotten closer to a 2ct rather than the 2.75 that I now have. With the setting its actually the perfect size.

There is a long story with the setting. I originally wanted a Leon setting and my fiance wanted to try Mark T. first. While he was coming up with some CAD''s for us my fiance found the Tacori setting and when he showed it to me it was all over, I knew we had found it. So....we did send the stone to Tacori. Tacori has to set the stone for it to be under their warranty. The store had the stone covered under their insurance policy while it was being sent out to be set.

If your friend wants to propose soon I would have him focus on getting the right stone and then setting it in the perfect setting at a later date. The stone is by far the most important part and I would not settle. Have you called GOG? I would see what they have in stock and what they can get, not just what is on the website. I would call Mark too but with EC''s I''d be very specific in what you are looking before and tell him which stones you have already seen. We worked with him because he was so close. My fiance works in RC so a block over from Marks office.

I hope this info helps and thank you for the kind words about my ring, I love it and its always nice to hear great things. One last thing....I''ll look around for some stones online for you. What is the budget for the stone. I checked JA and I really didn''t find anything too appealing but I didn''t know how far to go price wise.

Also, my J faces up extreamly white and the color is only seen from the side. My setting helps hide that a bit. I think it has a lot to do with the cut of the stone but I don''t know. Its white enough for me.

 

[elzny]

EM1- You are SO sweet. Thank you SO much for all the advice!! I used to work at 48th & Park, so I pass by 47th everyday on my way to work & home. I learned about Mark T only after I got my ring. I''m married already & I have a 3.07-square radiant. My ring sparkles a lot but I''m nervous after I learned all this stuff here on PS!! Here''s my ring... I wear my wedding band on the other hand, cause I have mine set really low, so the band does fit.

My friend needs to propose in 3 weeks. He''s been searching for the past 2 weeks - I know that''s very short, but for guys that''s pretty long, especially he went to the jeweler 5 times - I have a family friend in the exchange in Chinatown, and he has a friend who works for a wholesaler who comes into 47th st to show him. Overall he''s seen over 2 dozens of stones, I think he might be sick of it - I know, how could anyone be sick of staring at sparkly rocks!!??

But guys are guys!!

I checked on both Mark T & GOG (I assume it''s goodoldgold.com), with my specifications for emeralds, both generated 0 results. He has a budget of $20K- I know, very nice. The girlfriend is very petite, so he thinks around 2.5ct should be the perfect balance. She has the same finger size as us - 5.25-5.5. Actually if your finger size is only 5, your ring might be too loose?

Anyway, I just send a message to Mark T on his website... I pasted the link to this thread, & I told him how many we''ve seen. My husband told me I should stop working on this. I should become a gemologist instead!

 

[elzny]

EM1 - I just emailed your ring pictures to a bunch of my girlfriends! More ooo and aaahhing for sure!!!!!!!!!! Gasp after gasp!!

After taking closer look, I think I know what you meant by ideally you want the claws to be done better - you probably want them to be skinnier & sharper? Like those in Harry Winston!! One time I walked into HW on 5th Ave & tried on a $500,000 Asscher!!

It was 5-ct, humongous...

But your ring is already BREATH-TAKING!! I never researched on emerald cuts if it weren''t for this friend. Now I cannot stop looking at your ring pictures..

If I don''t hear back from Mark T tomorrow I''ll ask my friend to call him. My friend lives within walking distance to his office... Thanks again!!

 

[emeraldlover1]

Date: 4/7/2009 5:17:27 PM
Author: elzny
EM1- You are SO sweet. Thank you SO much for all the advice!! I used to work at 48th & Park, so I pass by 47th everyday on my way to work & home. I learned about Mark T only after I got my ring. I''m married already & I have a 3.07-square radiant. My ring sparkles a lot but I''m nervous after I learned all this stuff here on PS!! Here''s my ring... I wear my wedding band on the other hand, cause I have mine set really low, so the band does fit.

My friend needs to propose in 3 weeks. He''s been searching for the past 2 weeks - I know that''s very short, but for guys that''s pretty long, especially he went to the jeweler 5 times - I have a family friend in the exchange in Chinatown, and he has a friend who works for a wholesaler who comes into 47th st to show him. Overall he''s seen over 2 dozens of stones, I think he might be sick of it - I know, how could anyone be sick of staring at sparkly rocks!!??

But guys are guys!!

I checked on both Mark T & GOG (I assume it''s goodoldgold.com), with my specifications for emeralds, both generated 0 results. He has a budget of $20K- I know, very nice. The girlfriend is very petite, so he thinks around 2.5ct should be the perfect balance. She has the same finger size as us - 5.25-5.5. Actually if your finger size is only 5, your ring might be too loose?

Anyway, I just send a message to Mark T on his website... I pasted the link to this thread, & I told him how many we''ve seen. My husband told me I should stop working on this. I should become a gemologist instead!

Your ring is amazing! You should start your own thread. The cut looks amazing so I wouldn''t worry about it. Love the setting.

Both GOG and Mark T don''t list all the stones they can get online so I think its best to contact them, which you did. I did some searching myself and I can''t come up with anything I really love for your friend. Since he is on a short time frame do any of the jewelrs you have worked with offer a trade up policy? I might even look for a smaller diamond that looks better and trade it in when a good one pops up. Virtually speaking there does not seem to be a lot out there right now.

To answer your question, yes...my ring is very loose. It flips around most of the time. I just don''t want to send it back to Tacori to get it resized. Eventually I will.

If the diamonds you have pointed out are the only options then I would personally go with the 2.4. The more I look at it I don''t like the 2.19 at all. That being said, I think I would want the sparkly one if I saw it in person. Hard to say I guess.

My fiance said he looked for months before he finally involved me. He said he must have looked at 100 stones. He eventually wanted to make sure that I liked the stone so he asked for me to look at the stones. Actually, he told me he had been looking and I had a million questions for him. Finally, he said to send him the specifics of the stones that I liked. I sent him a few links and he called them in. Looking back on it I think he was just tired of looking at diamonds.

BTW...I freaking love your ring.

 

[emeraldlover1]

Date: 4/7/2009 5:42:39 PM
Author: elzny
EM1 - I just emailed your ring pictures to a bunch of my girlfriends! More ooo and aaahhing for sure!!!!!!!!!! Gasp after gasp!!

After taking closer look, I think I know what you meant by ideally you want the claws to be done better - you probably want them to be skinnier & sharper? Like those in Harry Winston!! One time I walked into HW on 5th Ave & tried on a $500,000 Asscher!!

It was 5-ct, humongous...

But your ring is already BREATH-TAKING!! I never researched on emerald cuts if it weren''t for this friend. Now I cannot stop looking at your ring pictures..

If I don''t hear back from Mark T tomorrow I''ll ask my friend to call him. My friend lives within walking distance to his office... Thanks again!!

OMG...you are too funny. I''m scared to go into HW. I get this feeling they would know I can''t afford anything and kick me out. I just posted another thread yesterday with some of my wedding band options.

You are totally right on about my prongs. I called Tacori about it cause it was bugging me. The pics in the magazine show the prongs to be claw like but even the one in the jewelrs looked like mine. They told me that is how they are supposed to be. Its not that big of a deal because in real life you can hardly see them but I wish I paid more attention the first and only time I saw the setting before I got it. Ultimatley it was my fiance''s choice so I''m trying to let the thing about the prongs go. Maybe someday I''ll have someone fix it.

I love EC''s always have. I just recently was given my great grandmothers ring with a transitional cut diamond so I''m trying to learn more about other cuts. Ah well, that is what PS is for. I hope the advice I gave is helpful.

 

[elzny]

Date: 4/7/2009 5:49:26 PM
Author: emeraldlover1

Date: 4/7/2009 5:17:27 PM

Author: elzny

Your ring is amazing! You should start your own thread. The cut looks amazing so I wouldn''t worry about it. Love the setting.


Both GOG and Mark T don''t list all the stones they can get online so I think its best to contact them, which you did. I did some searching myself and I can''t come up with anything I really love for your friend. Since he is on a short time frame do any of the jewelrs you have worked with offer a trade up policy? I might even look for a smaller diamond that looks better and trade it in when a good one pops up. Virtually speaking there does not seem to be a lot out there right now.


To answer your question, yes...my ring is very loose. It flips around most of the time. I just don''t want to send it back to Tacori to get it resized. Eventually I will.


If the diamonds you have pointed out are the only options then I would personally go with the 2.4. The more I look at it I don''t like the 2.19 at all. That being said, I think I would want the sparkly one if I saw it in person. Hard to say I guess.


My fiance said he looked for months before he finally involved me. He said he must have looked at 100 stones. He eventually wanted to make sure that I liked the stone so he asked for me to look at the stones. Actually, he told me he had been looking and I had a million questions for him. Finally, he said to send him the specifics of the stones that I liked. I sent him a few links and he called them in. Looking back on it I think he was just tired of looking at diamonds.


BTW...I freaking love your ring.

Thanks SO much for your kind words on my ring. I did quite a bit of research back in the days, I just couldn''t believe I didn''t come across this site. I might have, but didn''t dig deep enough. I was involved in day 1 for my ring searching..

I made my jeweler to throw my radiant into a Sarin machine before it was set, and I knew it has a 8.1% crown height so I was really concerned. But my husband was too sick of looking at any more diamonds - we already searched for 9 months. I''m very impressed with your fiance''s patience!!

Anyway, my ring sparkles quite a lot so I just tell myself to forget about those #s...

You probably got your ring set in the summer? cause when the temperature is warmer, our fingers expand a bit more. Mine flops all the time too, I think it also has to do with the size of the stone.

I had told my friend to keep looking but he felt he''s a bit short on time. I will call Mark T tomorrow & see what he has. Bluenile has a some selections, but I don''t think it''s easy to "order" $250K worth of stones just to look at. That''s the problem with these online vendors. My friend only wants a simple solitaire with pave, like my setting, which I''m sure many jewelers have in stock. So I think as long as he can find the stone, theoretically speaking, he could still have the ring ready by the last week of April. I''ll keep you posted! Thanks again for all your help!

 

[elzny]

Date: 4/7/2009 5:56:22 PM
Author: emeraldlover1

Date: 4/7/2009 5:42:39 PM

Author: elzny

OMG...you are too funny. I''m scared to go into HW. I get this feeling they would know I can''t afford anything and kick me out. I just posted another thread yesterday with some of my wedding band options.


You are totally right on about my prongs. I called Tacori about it cause it was bugging me. The pics in the magazine show the prongs to be claw like but even the one in the jewelrs looked like mine. They told me that is how they are supposed to be. Its not that big of a deal because in real life you can hardly see them but I wish I paid more attention the first and only time I saw the setting before I got it. Ultimatley it was my fiance''s choice so I''m trying to let the thing about the prongs go. Maybe someday I''ll have someone fix it.


I love EC''s always have. I just recently was given my great grandmothers ring with a transitional cut diamond so I''m trying to learn more about other cuts. Ah well, that is what PS is for. I hope the advice I gave is helpful.

I can''t afford anything at HW either, but because my office was so close to 5th, going to these jeweler stores during lunch hours have been our favorite pass times... I''ve been to all of them, DeBeers, Cartier, H Sterns, Tiffany, Graffe''s counter in Saks, HW, another store in Wardorf hotel I don''t remember the name, etc.etc... HW though was the most intimidating of course. hahah. The key is when they ask you what your budget is, you stare at them in the eye & say, "About 1/2 million." without blinking.

I wouldn''t worry about the claws. Trust me, no one would notice except you. I mentioned it only because I saw what you wrote in the other thread, & also I was obsessed with my claws back in the days, cause I wanted them to be set like this (see picture) - so that they blend seamlessly with the cut corners...

Ah, I could really go on and on and on about diamonds.

I wish I could take you to see those 2 stones to get your expert opinions to help my friend out...

 

[tyty333]

Date: 4/7/2009 5:17:27 PM
Author: elzny
EM1- You are SO sweet. Thank you SO much for all the advice!! I used to work at 48th & Park, so I pass by 47th everyday on my way to work & home. I learned about Mark T only after I got my ring. I''m married already & I have a 3.07-square radiant. My ring sparkles a lot but I''m nervous after I learned all this stuff here on PS!! Here''s my ring... I wear my wedding band on the other hand, cause I have mine set really low, so the band does fit.

My friend needs to propose in 3 weeks. He''s been searching for the past 2 weeks - I know that''s very short, but for guys that''s pretty long, especially he went to the jeweler 5 times - I have a family friend in the exchange in Chinatown, and he has a friend who works for a wholesaler who comes into 47th st to show him. Overall he''s seen over 2 dozens of stones, I think he might be sick of it - I know, how could anyone be sick of staring at sparkly rocks!!??

But guys are guys!!

I checked on both Mark T & GOG (I assume it''s goodoldgold.com), with my specifications for emeralds, both generated 0 results. He has a budget of $20K- I know, very nice. The girlfriend is very petite, so he thinks around 2.5ct should be the perfect balance. She has the same finger size as us - 5.25-5.5. Actually if your finger size is only 5, your ring might be too loose?

Anyway, I just send a message to Mark T on his website... I pasted the link to this thread, & I told him how many we''ve seen. My husband told me I should stop working on this. I should become a gemologist instead!

Yes, start a tread on your ring

! It''s beautiful and we dont see to many radiants around here...thanks to your
ring I''ve just added another one to my wishlist (EL1''s ring is already on my list!)

 

[dani13]

Im not loving any of them either, Elz. I would keep looking...something better will turn up. Good luck!!!

 

[elzny]

Date: 4/7/2009 9:28:18 PM
Author: Dani
Im not loving any of them either, Elz. I would keep looking...something better will turn up. Good luck!!!

Thanks Dani!! I know! I sent him the list on Mark T''s site - all the ECs there are with much better proportions. He''ll have to decide! If it was me, I''d definitely keep searching!!

Oh Gosh, this site is so addictive. I''m having such a hard time to stay away!!

 

[elzny]

Date: 4/7/2009 8:27:22 PM
Author: tyty333

Date: 4/7/2009 5:17:27 PM

Author: elzny

Yes, start a tread on your ring

! It''s beautiful and we dont see to many radiants around here...thanks to your

ring I''ve just added another one to my wishlist (EL1''s ring is already on my list!)

Thanks so much for your kind words on my ring. Will do my best to start a thread, I''ve got a lot of pix when I first got it. At least get some expert opinions on the cut I guess - I do have pretty much all the specs. Still feeling nervous though cause comparing to my sister''s round, in certain light mine just doesn''t bling as much...

 

[Siamese Kitty]

Date: 4/7/2009 10:44:24 PM
Author: elzny

Date: 4/7/2009 8:27:22 PM
Author: tyty333

Date: 4/7/2009 5:17:27 PM

Author: elzny

Yes, start a tread on your ring

! It''s beautiful and we dont see to many radiants around here...thanks to your

ring I''ve just added another one to my wishlist (EL1''s ring is already on my list!)

Thanks so much for your kind words on my ring. Will do my best to start a thread, I''ve got a lot of pix when I first got it. At least get some expert opinions on the cut I guess - I do have pretty much all the specs. Still feeling nervous though cause comparing to my sister''s round, in certain light mine just doesn''t bling as much...

You''ve got a *gorgeous* ring and rounds have a different type of sparkle due to the difference in the cut. Welcome and good luck with your emerald cut search for your friend!