Help me choose a JA Marquise!

[JimmyMan]

Hello,

I've been lurking in this great forum for a good year now, trying to learn enough to make an informed decision when the time came. I've picked up some really handy nuggets of knowledge so thanks to everyone who contributes to this forum. The time has now arrived to make the purchase and I'd appreciate some advice.

The (hopefully!) lucky lady has picked this setting in platinum: http://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/pave/platinum-thin-french-cut-pave-set-diamond-engagement-ring-item-2018 And she is dead set on having a nice size marquise in there. A few people I've discussed this with have commented that it's an odd selection but she is obsessed with having a very delicate pave band with a marquise in North/South setting, and who am I to argue?

For ease of purchase and peace of mind with shipping, returns etc in mind (I'm in the UK) I'd like to purchase the stone from JA as well.

I have learned quite a bit from the extensive post on this page regarding potential criteria and key things to look for: [URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/finding-the-perfect-cut-marquise.25651/..']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/finding-the-perfect-cut-marquise.25651/....[/URL]. From what I've read it's important not to pigeon-hole oneself too much when looking for marquise's so I'm trying to be as open-minded as possible as well.

So my key criteria:

Budget up to $6500 (for the stone)
Happy with an SI1 as long as it's eye clean (I'm not worried about inclusions only visible under loupe/microscope)
Length to Width 1.75 - 2.00 (any less or more just seems a bit odd looking)
Colour up to G (I have read that H and above in a marquise can seem dim in the tips but I'm happy to be corrected?)
Size 1.00 to 1.50 ct

I think the top priority is size and then general fire and sparkliness (though I guess everyone says that!).

So, candidates that I've come across, based on my limited understanding of what potentially constitutes a nice marquise:

http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/marquise-cut/1.22-carat-f-color-si1-clarity-sku-424408 - this is very upper end of my budget but it's a really nice size and looks my my untrained eye to be very nice.

http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/marquise-cut/1.22-carat-f-color-si1-clarity-sku-324220 - very similar to the above, there is one inclusion that might be visible to the naked eye though? I have also read that extremely/very thin girdles run the risk of chipping or fracturing?

http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/marquise-cut/1.20-carat-g-color-vs2-clarity-sku-416484 - I don't know how accurate JA's photos are but it looks slightly tinged to my eyes compared to the previous 2? Is that bowtie perhaps too noticeable?

http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/marquise-cut/1.08-carat-g-color-vs1-clarity-sku-305399 - this one is a little smaller, stupid question perhaps but is that 0.12ct actually going to make for a noticeably smaller stone compared to the 1.22ct? It also has very thin girdle. I do however like the dimensions of this one.

http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/marquise-cut/1.08-carat-d-color-vs2-clarity-sku-287620 - to my eye the D colour make this a very pretty stone to look at and I like the dimensions a lot. Is there something I'm missing that causes a D stone of this size to be noticeably cheaper than others of a higher colour?

These 5 are the ones that stand out to me. I would very much appreciate if someone with a bit more knowledge could give me some pointers as to what they make of the above, and/or suggest some others from JA that I've not seen?

Once I have a slightly better idea of what I'm looking at I'll start thinking about asking JA for some ASET's, gemologist opinions etc, to help me make a better decision.

Thanks in advance for any and all advice offered!

 

[Niel]

ok first things first. I strongly believe she would be disappointed with that setting. The CADS make it look amazing, but the actual photos show it very flimsy and not well made. Id suggest.......

http://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/pave/14k-white-gold-rounded-pave-engagement-solitaire-item-8116

http://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/side-stones/platinum-0.30ct-common-prong-round-shaped-diamond-engagement-ring-item-1982

As for Marquise... I love them, dont make excuses for loving a beautifully shaped stone, or having a future fiance that does!

as for stone..... here are ones Id consider.....


http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/marquise-cut/1.15-carat-e-color-vs2-clarity-sku-329744

http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/marquise-cut/1.09-carat-d-color-si2-clarity-sku-385543

http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/marquise-cut/1.02-carat-f-color-si1-clarity-sku-326567

 

[JimmyMan]

Hi Neil, thanks for your reply.

Could I ask for a bit more detail as to your concerns with the ring itself? Do you really think it will not be very well made and that it wouldn't look up to scratch? When you say flimsy I take it you literally mean not very sturdy? I certainly don't want to buy something sub standard and I guess I assumed that if somewhere reputable like JA were producing and selling it that it would look as expected. The reviews for the ring are all very good though I've always thought that some of the photo's looked a bit odd, but I took that to be a natural result of such close ups and the inherent reflections.

The lady in question picked this particular setting quite some time ago and subtly manoeuvring her into picking another one will be tricky! The 2 you linked are very nice indeed but she has seen both in the past and decided against them in favour of this one. Pushing her to change her mind now will likely reveal that the time is approaching, so I'm going to have to find a way to be very subtle indeed.

On the suggested diamonds themselves, I think the E is a little too long and thin for what I've been looking for, though I like the other two, particularly the D. I notice it is graded SI2 but I don't see any noticeable inclusions, what are the chances of it being eye clean do you think?

Could you perhaps give me an idea of the particular things you're seeing on the diamonds you've suggested that have led you to pick them? And is there anything in particular about those I originally listed which puts you off?

Sorry for all the questions and thanks again for your help!

 

[Niel]

My concern about the setting is that it looks cheap. And I know your budget is very healthy, there is no reason for it to look cheap.

Take a look at the photos of the actual ring. There is more metal than diamonds in the shank.... Ypu can hardly see the pave. Plus it does seem thin and flimsy. And yes by flimsy I mean breakable.

If she doesn't want either of those suggested. Maybe this? Though im still a little concerned about the amount of metal.

http://www.jamesallen.com/mobile/engagement-rings/pave/14k-white-gold-0.32ct-french-cut-pave-diamond-engagement-ring--item-7090

As for the stones you picked, they weren't bad necessarily, its just when I look for a mq I look for a few things. I want the facets crisp in the center of the stone as well as toward the tips. If it gets "blurry" or "mushy" towards the tips, I try to avoid those.
Take a look at the d I suggested vs the d you have picked, you'll notice your d gets a bit blurry north and south of center.

The other thing I look at is overall brightness. Sometimes the flashes from the center of the stone can hide the fact the tips are dull. When looking at a stone, try focusing on the tips, even cover up the center if that helps, and just look at how bright and lively the tips are.

Next I look at the faceting itself. This has two things to look for. Is there a bowtie and does the faceting look even thought. Bowtie is when you look at the stone strait on and you see a black bar in the middle of the stone. Can be small. Can be huge. Ideally you don't want huge, and small isn't the end of the world. Second look at Tue faceting, is it huge facets in the center but small at the tips? Now this second part isn't a huge deal, but keep in mind you can see that on the hand. So some people prefer a uniform faceting patter so it isn't distracting.


As for an si2. Eye clean is eye clean. I have an si2 marquise that's eye clean and I don't regret it as I don't care what ita graded if I can't see the inclution. And its cheaper lol.

And for the e I posted, I had a feeling it might be too long but I love it so I had to pass it along.

 

[Niel]

I like that g 1.08 you posted. I'd get an aset of that.