Have 5 days left in return window - please help me evaluate these GCAL 8x Ovals

[PonderingPine]

I'm looking for some advice if anyone can please help me.

What do we think between these 3 ovals?

Option 1- 3.07ct / D / VS1 - https://www.gcalusa.com/certificate-search.html?certificate_id=332890201
Option 2- 2.90ct / D / VVS2 - https://www.gcalusa.com/certificate-search.html?certificate_id=332900013
Option 3- 2.84ct / D / VVS2 - https://www.gcalusa.com/certificate-search.html?certificate_id=333040008

I purchased Option 1 a few weeks ago and I'm underwhelmed with how it looks in person. Here's the PS thread I made about it. I was hoping I'd get over the bowtie, but no luck. So, I'm looking at exchanging it for another diamond. I was looking at GCAL 8x to help the evaluation process, but I thought I had done some good research before picking Option 1, which backfired.

My thoughts on the diamonds:
Options 2 and 3 have more green in the center for the Optical Brilliance than Option 1 (though based on what I've read, green and red are the same in GCAL reports (?)). Option 1 also has several black spots in the symmetry scan, which in hindsight might be indicative of a bow tie? According to the Brillance scan for #1, there is very little light leakage (blue), but when I'm holding the diamond in person it almost feels like I can see through the sides. All 3 options seem to have good scintillations (which I am judging by the number/symmetry of the dots), and they all seem to have pretty good fire. I have no idea what those axis charts are and I'm not sure what I can take away from the top/bottom views.

Any help would be much appreciated. I'd like to stick to Adiamor if possible.

 

[Grymera]

IMO the other thread was steering you correctly. You don't like bow ties. These all have bow ties. If you want to avoid that, consider a different cut.

 

[elizat]

IMO the other thread was steering you correctly. You don't like bow ties. These all have bow ties. If you want to avoid that, consider a different cut.

Agree. The current stone has a small bow tie. I don't think it's going to get a lot better in a standard oval brilliant unless you do a cut like the Distinctive Gem oval. Or crushed ice ovals.

 

[Jax172]

All these will have bow ties. For a standard oval cut 8x are typically decent performers but you will probably not like any traditional oval cut if you can’t get over bow ties. I purchased a Brian Gavin traditional oval cut and even that had a bow tie. You will either need to choose a different shape or get a proprietary oval cut that is specifically designed to eliminate a bow tie. However know that the outline shape is not going to be quite as oval as a traditional oval. Many of them look more off round than true oval to me.

 

[PonderingPine]

Agree. The current stone has a small bow tie. I don't think it's going to get a lot better in a standard oval brilliant unless you do a cut like the Distinctive Gem oval. Or crushed ice ovals.

Thank you for the responses. Definitely understand that that all ovals will have bow ties to some extent, but when we were looking at different cuts etc in person, I felt like it wasn’t uncommon to find ovals that had less noticeable bow ties than this one.

In looking at the options, do you think options 2 or 3 (or any available ovals) might have a less noticeable bow tie?

Thank you for your help.

 

[DejaWiz]

Found a non-GCAL 2.9x D VS1+ oval that appears to have pretty minimal bowtie effect in the video, but I'm not super well versed on elongated/oblong cuts.

Can anyone provide some feedback on this one as a potential alternative for PonderingPine?

Video:

Media Links

 

[0515vision]

Found a non-GCAL 2.9x D VS1+ oval that appears to have pretty minimal bowtie effect in the video, but I'm not super well versed on elongated/oblong cuts.

Can anyone provide some feedback on this one as a potential alternative for PonderingPine?

Video:

Media Links

I’m not an oval expert by a long shot, but @DejaWiz, that’s a GORGEOUS oval with no real bow tie!

 

[PonderingPine]

Found a non-GCAL 2.9x D VS1+ oval that appears to have pretty minimal bowtie effect in the video, but I'm not super well versed on elongated/oblong cuts.

Can anyone provide some feedback on this one as a potential alternative for PonderingPine?

Video:

Media Links

That looks really nice! Thank you so much for finding it. Bow tie aside, do you think it is a better performing stone than the one I have? I'm curious because it's a bit less expensive than what I paid for mine.

Thank you so much for your help @DejaWiz. I feel like you always have great recs for people asking for help. MVP.

 

[PonderingPine]

Here are a few others Ovals that could be interesting:

Loupe360

loupe360.com

Loupe360

loupe360.com

Loupe360

loupe360.com

Loupe360

loupe360.com

 

[DejaWiz]

That looks really nice! Thank you so much for finding it. Bow tie aside, do you think it is a better performing stone than the one I have? I'm curious because it's a bit less expensive than what I paid for mine.

Thank you so much for your help @DejaWiz. I feel like you always have great recs for people asking for help. MVP.

You're very welcome.
It's listed at LooseGrownDiamond for under $3200, so you may want to contact Adiamor and place an immediate hold on it then ask for a price match.
In all honesty, I can't answer whether or not it's better since ovals are not my forte...I'm basing my oval searches off of what I've gleaned here from others: bowtie, mushy/blurry middle, and darkened tips.
But to what degree of each is acceptable?
I think I'm seeing a little bit of that mushiness, but it is a problem?
Does the center brighten up enough as it rotates just off of the face-up view for it to be non-problematic?
Others will have to answer those questions.
It may very well be worth a shot to order it and lay eyes on it, then decide if it's a keeper or not.

 

[Calliecake]

WOW @DejaWiz! The stone you picked looks GORGEOUS!!! You never cease to amaze me with your selections. I think you may have found yet another shape to add to your forte.

 

[PonderingPine]

You're very welcome.
It's listed at LooseGrownDiamond for under $3200, so you may want to contact Adiamor and place an immediate hold on it then ask for a price match.
In all honesty, I can't answer whether or not it's better since ovals are not my forte...I'm basing my oval searches off of what I've gleaned here from others: bowtie, mushy/blurry middle, and darkened tips.
But to what degree of each is acceptable?
I think I'm seeing a little bit of that mushiness, but it is a problem?
Does the center brighten up enough as it rotates just off of the face-up view for it to be non-problematic?
Others will have to answer those questions.
It may very well be worth a shot to order it and lay eyes on it, then decide if it's a keeper or not.

Wanted to give you guys an update @DejaWiz @Calliecake

I grabbed DejaWiz's suggestion and I've included some comparison videos below. The new one looks much better than the original! Thanks so much again for your help @DejaWiz

Here are the vids:

My original on the right, new one in the tweezers:

My original is on the bottom in this one, new on top:

 

[Calliecake]

@PonderingPine, I am not an expert at anything in life and that especially includes diamonds. That being said, the diamond @DejaWiz picked looks absolutely stunning to my eyes and I do know he is a wonderful at picking beautiful stones.

i’ve loved reading this thread and watching your journey to find your perfect stone. PLEASE come back and post pictures after it’s set. This has been a fun thread for those of us who love ovals.