Help me pick a James Allen diamond

[amanda1266]

Hi Everyone,
I think I've decided to purchase my diamond from James Allen. It seems I can get a much bigger and better diamond than I can at a local store. I think I'm going to buy my setting locally, there is just something about seeing the setting in person.

I have a question about the JA pictures. Some of these look great and some look blah. Is it just the camera making it look different? They seem to all be of good quality based on the specs.

Here are some that I can considering:
http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/H-VVS1-Ideal-Cut-Princess-Diamond-1391724.asp
http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/G-VVS2-Premium-Cut-Princess-Diamond-1174404.asp
http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/E-SI1-Ideal-Cut-Princess-Diamond-1387920.asp
http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/G-VVS1-Premium-Cut-Princess-Diamond-1447955.asp
http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/G-VS1-Premium-Cut-Princess-Diamond-1442858.asp
http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/H-VS2-Ideal-Cut-Princess-Diamond-1442994.asp

 

[Ravinmad]

the E SI1 was my favorite

 

[elliemay]

If you can narrow it down to your top 3, contact JA and ask them to run ASETs for you -- they'll come back to you with the images as well as a short summary of the gemologist's opinion on the stones. I looked at a few stones at JA and found this service really helpful and also found that the pictures on the site, while helpful for getting a closer look at inclusions, didn't necessarily reflect the "live" appearance of the stones. There were some with fantastic pictures that came back with horrible ASETs and so/so opinions and others that looked pretty dreadful on the site but came back with much better ASETs and were highly recommended by the gemologist.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Some of those have tables that are just too big. Study some AGS Ideal cut princess stones and you'll be better prepared to choose a good one:

http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/princess-cut-loose-diamond-2327038.htm

The one above just looks so much better cut than any of those did. I really would encourage you to consider an AGS Ideal cut princess stone.

This one is GIA but still beautiful..

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/8714/

 

[tyty333]

Some of those have tables that are just too big. Study some AGS Ideal cut princess stones and you'll be better prepared to choose a good one:

http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/princess-cut-loose-diamond-2327038.htm

The one above just looks so much better cut than any of those did. I really would encourage you to consider an AGS Ideal cut princess stone.

This one is GIA but still beautiful..

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/8714/

I love the GOG one, the WF isnt bad either!

 

[amanda1266]

Thanks, Do you know who else sells diamonds graded by AGS?

 

[amanda1266]

What would be ideal for princess cuts?

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I'd look for princess cuts from vendors that specialize in well cut stones like Good Old Gold and WhiteFlash. The don't have to be AGS as you can see from the stone from Good Old Gold. But GOG has the capability of choosing stones that would meet ideal parameters. I didn't think any of those from JA compared to the two I posted, to be honest. The JA might have been cheaper, but the stones were not as nice, either.

 

[amanda1266]

Thanks for the reply. Just wondering, how were they not as nice? I know from the pictures they didn't look as nice, but as far as the specs go.. Would it be the table %, or the depth %? Just wondering what the tell-tale signs are to look for.

 

[slg47]

Thanks for the reply. Just wondering, how were they not as nice? I know from the pictures they didn't look as nice, but as far as the specs go.. Would it be the table %, or the depth %? Just wondering what the tell-tale signs are to look for.

with princess cuts you can't really go by the numbers...that is why images and ASET images are so important.

 

[chel180]

I second the opnion about asets. How a stone looks in a super magnified photo and how it will look irl and normal size is very different. And whilst there are 'sweet spots' for princesses this is not specific. The aset will measure the light return, therefore it will tell you how sparkly it will be. I would rather have a higher color than clarity providing its eye clean. As a starting point why don't you ask James Allen for the aset for the http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/E-SI1-Ideal-Cut-Princess-Diamond-1387920.asp and see what that looks like. You can compare it to the GOG and WF diamonds as they have asets posted online. The whiteflash stone is very imho