Find your diamond
Find your jewelry
shape
carat
color
clarity

Help choosing emerald cut diamond!

L

lastcontestant

Rough_Rock
Joined
May 5, 2014
Messages
8
Hi,

I'm new to the forum and am so impressed with the wealth of advice I've found here so far!

My boyfriend and I are just starting to look at stones for (ideally) a 2ct emerald cut with trillions on the sides, set in 18k rose gold. As I have quite tan/yellow toned skin and we're already planning to set in rose gold, we're open to I and J colored stones, but we're hoping for some advice re: our selection:

http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/emerald-cut/2.00-carat-j-color-vs1-clarity-sku-273731

We'd like to keep the overall budget around 15k and would love to know what to look for in a quality emerald cut and if there are better options online or in person (we're based in NYC, but all the quotes I've received from jewelers in the city have been around 15k+ for the center stone only).

Thanks in advance for any tips!
 
It's not a BAD EC. But it's got a REALLY low crown and a really large table so it will be glassy.

You get 3 ASETs at JA. Let me look and see what I can find for you.

I'm going to look at 1.7 and above in carats. And I want you to know that it is possible that a 1.7 faces up larger than a 2 carat with ECs. What matters is spread, not carat weight. Spread means l/w dimensions.
 
You can call GOG or ERD and tell them you want a stone as close to 8x6 as possible. Down to J in color. Eyeclean. And great performance verified by ASET for 12k.
 
thank you so much for the advice, we really appreciate your help and will most definitely pay more attention to the crown height and size of the tables moving forward in our search!
 
oh my... that is INCREDIBLE! thanks so much, we may have to shift our budget a bit to accommodate that, but it certainly looks worth it!

we'll have to get a ballpark estimate for the setting, 1.5mm 18k rose gold band with 2 side trillions, i would assume I-J color as well, maybe 0.3 cts each.
 
thank you! i just emailed them and will post the ASET images when they arrive as I am not too familiar with what I should be looking for in those- and will continue the search in the meantime :)
 
So, it honestly is one of the best emeralds I have seen on their site. The center is returning light, all the sides are returning light (no huge leakage zones) and the windmills are returning light. The ASET is looking a bit over-blue, but it is disagreeing with the picture, not unusual. It depends on what is your normal viewing distance. Snce you are in NYC... well, I think B2C says their office is not a retail space for actual customers to come in, ask if you can come in for a viewing anyway. Otherwise, they have free shipping both ways.
 
Thanks JulieN and Gypsy!

Sorry Gypsy, just for clarification, do you mean I should pass on the emerald because it has too much blue and white in the ASET?

Or did you mean it passes the test and I should check it out in person?
 
Ask them if they can post the Ideal Scope also, should just be a file that they already have. the obstruction zone for ASET is larger than in Ideal Scope.
 
Did you read the link I posted? 8)

The Blue is obstructed light. As John Pollard put it in that thread, THIS is what it would take for that stone to sparkle when you are looking at it.

head-mirror-candle.jpg


The stone is a reject. And an idealscope is not going to change that. It's a fancy. Idealscopes are not helpful for fancies.
 
This is why you should always have an ASET and an IS:

rounds: typically IS only is ok. However I like to have an ASET to check if there is any green at the girdle, which is not a problem for our high-end H&A vendors (who all post IS and ASET anyway.) However, if I'm searching virtual stones, the JA lighting is difficult to discern green at the girdle in their videos. ASET would be helpful, but JA does not ASET rounds. Other lighting setups it is easier to see the green.

Red girdle IS, green girdle ASET in round: http://www.goodoldgold.com/4Cs/NewCutGrading/Painting/

fancies: IS does not provide any information to distinguish between red/green in ASET. In this case, IS is useless. However if I want to see if what is blue at 30 degrees obscuration in ASET goes away at 25 degrees obscuration, I need an IS picture. If IS and ASET disagree, needs to be looked at in-person. Also face up pictures is only part of the equation, if it persists under tilt or if it flashes on and off quickly is not considered in pictures.

http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/princess-cut-loose-diamond-2835499.htm?source=pricescope
WF IS photo comapred to WF ASET photo, 25 vs 30 degrees: you see blue the left side arms of the X (sorry, don't know how else to describe) in ASET photo vs IS photo. Not a very big difference

WF ASET photo vs AGS generated ASET, 30 vs 35 degrees: large amounts of blue everywhere. bigger difference.

However, the reality is not every vendor is able to take very good photos, and probably ASET photos are harder, so we just ask for IS for rounds.
 
thank you both again for all the info and feedback, so the search continues- i'm going back to the NY jewelry district this week to see as many stones as possible in person- if any can reach the triple excellent I-J, VS1/VS2 specs of the last within a similar price range, i will report back with more detailed specs and ASET images!
 
You won't get TRIPLE excellent for ECs. There is no such thing.

You can get Ex/Ex on Polish and Symmetry but that is meaningless when it comes to light return. You need an ASET scope (GOG and ERD are in NY and have those).

No labs grade EC's for cut. And vendors that do without an ASET and other quantifiable tools are usually blowing smoke up your skirt.

The NY diamond district is, in short, a great place to get ripped off.

Go to GOG and ERD and IDJ. But do not BUY ANYTHING anywhere else on the spot. Or put a deposit down. Or anything.
 
Engagement Rings Direct (ERD) is right in the diamond district, so why not contact them as Gypsy suggested? Also, GoG is a train ride away from NYC so you could stop by and see them as well. I would give both places a few days notice to make sure they can pull some stones for you.

Edit: sorry Gypsy, it looks like I wrote over you!
 
that's great, i'll schedule appointments with IDJ and ERD for later this week and will try to head out to Long Island next week to visit GOG!
 
lastcontestant|1399422665|3667559 said:
that's great, i'll schedule appointments with IDJ and ERD for later this week and will try to head out to Long Island next week to visit GOG!
Click to expand...

Good. Now at least we know you'll be working with reputable vendors.

Make sure you tell them in advance what you want. Because what you want is unusual and they will need to do some hunting for you. I've given you the information they will need above. So relay that to them.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
GET 3 FREE HCA RESULTS JOIN THE FORUM. ASK FOR HELP
Jewelry Blog
PriceScope-Concierge-Ad
Find prime cuts.
Top