Help finding a princess cut

[j1bonk]

Hey Folks,

So, the hunt is on

I'm looking for a .9-1.2ct princess for my soon-to-be fiance. I am, of course, more concerned about what it looks like in the end than any specific values, with the emphasis being on cut. I have seen a bunch in person but have been somewhat put off by the local stores refusing to talk about cut more than "oh, yeah, it's good, we promise" - so I'm branching out online.

Budget is up to $6500, although I'd prefer to stay somewhere in the region of 5.

I'd ideally like something in the following:
Carat: .9-1.2 (although I'd certainly consider larger, I doubt my budget can handle it!)
Cut: "excellent"/"ideal"/whatever the specific location feels
Color: Need some guidance here - will "H" stones show up as too yellow on a white gold/platinum setting with a princess cut? Otherwise, Somewhere E-H.
Clarity: VVS1-SI1, prefer something VS1 or 2 for good balance of quality and price.

I've requested a few Idealscopes/ASETs from JamesAllen (not sure if they'll even provide them, but can't hurt to ask), and found this one on whiteflash:
Whiteflash 1.041ct ACA VS1 H

Also, any thoughts on buying ring from one place, diamond from another, and getting it set locally? Am I asking for trouble there?

Not sure how much it really matters, but setting will be either solitaire or with channel set princess in either platinum or white gold (depending on price of the diamond) - either cathedral or trellis. Leaning towards something like the attached at the moment, although obviously with a princess, not a round! possible ring is below...

 

[j1bonk]

Here''s the ASET from the whiteflash diamond - sorry for doublepost, tried to edit last one and it wouldn''t let me attach or link more. Idealscope is, of course, available on their page.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 6/30/2009 6:10:38 AM
Author: j1bonk
Here''s the ASET from the whiteflash diamond - sorry for doublepost, tried to edit last one and it wouldn''t let me attach or link more. Idealscope is, of course, available on their page.

This image looks great!

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 6/30/2009 6:03:17 AM
Author:j1bonk
Hey Folks,

So, the hunt is on

I'm looking for a .9-1.2ct princess for my soon-to-be fiance. I am, of course, more concerned about what it looks like in the end than any specific values, with the emphasis being on cut. I have seen a bunch in person but have been somewhat put off by the local stores refusing to talk about cut more than 'oh, yeah, it's good, we promise' - so I'm branching out online.

Budget is up to $6500, although I'd prefer to stay somewhere in the region of 5.

I'd ideally like something in the following:
Carat: .9-1.2 (although I'd certainly consider larger, I doubt my budget can handle it!)
Cut: 'excellent'/'ideal'/whatever the specific location feels Princess need to be carefully evaluated, AGS are the only lab who grade Princess for cut at this time.
Color: Need some guidance here - will 'H' stones show up as too yellow on a white gold/platinum setting with a princess cut? Otherwise, Somewhere E-H. A reliably graded H colour will be fine, not yellow at all.
Clarity: VVS1-SI1, prefer something VS1 or 2 for good balance of quality and price. VS 1 or 2 sounds like a good compromise.

I've requested a few Idealscopes/ASETs from JamesAllen (not sure if they'll even provide them, but can't hurt to ask), and found this one on whiteflash: James Allen can provide Idealscope but not ASET, ASET are best for fancy shapes.
Whiteflash 1.041ct ACA VS1 H Very nice diamond!

Also, any thoughts on buying ring from one place, diamond from another, and getting it set locally? Am I asking for trouble there? You can do this but make sure whoever sets the diamond will assume responsibility should the diamond get damaged, this is rare but not unheard of but not all will take the responsibility if it is a diamond they did not sell. It can be easier to have the diamond set by the seller.

Not sure how much it really matters, but setting will be either solitaire or with channel set princess in either platinum or white gold (depending on price of the diamond) - either cathedral or trellis. Leaning towards something like the attached at the moment, although obviously with a princess, not a round! possible ring is below...

 

[stone-cold11]

Nice stone. Please put it on hold by calling WF or you could find it gone soon.

 

[j1bonk]

Wow, quick replies, thanks folks

One more to compare...

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/5532/

The whiteflash one is:
$5,140 - AGS 0/0/0, H, VS1, 1.041 cts. Thin to medium girdle, 5.68x5.60x4.00mm.
GOG:
$6086 - AGS 0/0/0, F, SI1, 1.056 cts. Not sure on girdle, 5.63x5.63x4.13mm.

Based on that, unless you guy see something that I don't, I don't see any reason to go up in price between the two - assuming the color won't be noticeable, of course!

Any other diamonds, or other places that would provide AGS and hopefully ASET, that I should be looking?

Cheers!

[EDIT] - called WF to ask them to reserve it for me, thanks for the tip Stone-cold11!

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 6/30/2009 6:46:50 AM
Author: j1bonk
Wow, quick replies, thanks folks

One more to compare...

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/5532 /

The whiteflash one is:
$5,140 - AGS 0/0/0, H, VS1, 1.041 cts. Thin to medium girdle, 5.68x5.60x4.00mm.
GOG:
$6086 - AGS 0/0/0, F, SI1, 1.056 cts. Not sure on girdle, 5.63x5.63x4.13mm. The girdle is fine, thin to medium.

Based on that, unless you guy see something that I don't, I don't see any reason to go up in price between the two - assuming the color won't be noticeable, of course!

Any other diamonds, or other places that would provide AGS and hopefully ASET, that I should be looking?

Cheers!

[EDIT] - called WF to ask them to reserve it for me, thanks for the tip Stone-cold11!

The GOG diamond is also a beauty.

If you wanted to exhaust all avenues also try

www.highperformancediamonds.com and www.briangavindiamonds.com BGD don't have all their inventory listed yet so contact Lesley and ask.

 

[jet2ks]

You picked two beauties!!! Either would be a great choice. I would second Lorelei on having the diamond set by whoever you buy it from, if at all possible.

 

[jstarfireb]

Both look great! I have an ACA princess and they're beautiful. This one's ASET actually looks a little different from the typical ASET for an ACA, perhaps a little less evenly distributed, but I don't think it will affect the visual appearance to the naked eye. If it passed ACA standards, it should be a beautiful stone.

Comparing it to the GOG stone, both are extremely well-cut and great choices. Both are 3-chevron stones, so they should have similar personalities when it comes to sparkle. Make sure the GOG stone is eye-clean to your standards. From there it comes down to a choice between color and price: are you willing to pay almost $1000 more to go up 3 grades in color? It's a matter of personal preference - if it were me, I'd choose the H (I actually have an I color ACA and it's beautiful). Do you have a Jared nearby? They sell AGS ideal cut princesses (their "Peerless" line). You could go there and ask to take a look at ideal cut princesses of various colors and see how they compare.

 

[j1bonk]

Thanks again for the help folks. i''ve asked BGD for their options (they don''t have any princess in stock but are looking to see what they can get), but unless I hear back tomorrow with something that sounds very promising, I''m probably getting the WF stone.

Setting got easy, just got word that she doesn''t really want channel set stones (guess I like them more than her, ha!), just a simple solitaire, so there''s a couple options at WF that look good.

Thanks for the info and help folks, never would have even known to look for an ASET without all the info here.

 

[j1bonk]

And, of course, WF has to go and post another diamond to make things difficult!
1.023 I VS1

More red and a bit more "geometetric" looking in the ASET, but more blue/black as well. Also I color instead of H. Without knowing how to really associate the ASET with real life, is this one going to look a lot better than the first one I linked? Both are within my budget, this second one is about 10% cheaper. I is lower in color than I was initially looking, but in the end it's all about how it looks on the ring!

 

[jet2ks]

The last stone is excellent, as well! I actually like it a little better than the first--better corner to corner light return and a little more edge light return. It will have a slightly different personality than the other two. With the blockier areas of obstruction, it will probably be a little more contrasty because of the slightly broader chevrons, throwing slightly larger sparkles as it is moved around, just not quite as many. Which type of diamond you like is totally personal preference, and there is no wrong answer among these three.

 

[jstarfireb]

What jet said. That stone actually reminds me of a lot of the Good Old Gold signature princesses...wonder if it's from the same cutter? It's a lot different from most of the ACAs, which tend to look more like the first one you posted. Exceptionally well cut, but a different personality.

Regarding I color, in my princess I really can't tell that it's not colorless face-up. When I look at the profile in low lighting conditions, I can see some color, but it's not strong. I've always said that I color is a really great bargain, because the price premium from I to H is pretty substantial.

One more thing to add is that with its higher crown and smaller table, the last stone may lend itself to more fire (reflection of colored light) and possibly less brilliance (reflection of white light) than the others. Hard to say if that would be visually perceptible.

ETA: Just another thought on color - see what color the other stones in that ring are if you can. I would try to get a stone within 2, maybe 3 color grades of those. Not essential, but it may make your decision a little easier regarding F vs. H vs. I.

 

[j1bonk]

I scratched the sidestones, so it will be a solo stone - going to be one of the two shown below, I'm still deciding!

I think I'm going to go with the first stone, the one I put on reserve - but I'll ask the opinion of the guys there. GOG certainly has some beautiful stones, but for the closest comparable stone only 1 color grade better, and otherwise nearly identical (both AGS ideal, VS1, GOG slightly smaller), there's a pretty hefty upcharge (about 20%!). I doubt my eye is fine enough to even be able to distinguish the difference, and we can always trade up later!

Thanks again for the backup on the stone, I wouldn't have even found WF if it wasn't for this forum!

 

[jstarfireb]

Love the X-prong setting!

 

[Lorelei]

The last diamond looks great and the X Prong is a classic - you will have a great ring!

 

[stone-cold11]

Looks good. Depends on your preferences now. Good luck deciding. :p

 

[j1bonk]

Thanks for the help folks, ended up going for the Cathedral (more my style - the lack of curvature continuity in the "x" at the bottom bugs the heck out of me being an engineer/cad designer) as below. I also liked the "squarish" setting better - seemed to show off the diamond more and not hide the fact that it was square, which the "x" setting tended to do. Went with the first diamond I posted up, so fingers crossed!

Not my ring exactly, but nearly identical size and shape diamond on the right setting, so it's pretty close

And hey, even got a 2% discount for coming from pricescope, bonus!

Thanks again!

 

[stone-cold11]

Congrats.

 

[Lorelei]

Looks wonderful!!!!!!!!