help me pick an EC

[illsorted]

I''m shopping for an engagement stone...first time diamond buyer. Everything I know I learned from the Pricescope tutorial

Like the tutorial says, I''m looking for the "biggest, brightest, whitest, eye clean diamond" that I can find... I''d like to stick to around $6,000 for the stone, but may be swayed depending on the situation.

I''ve only done some preliminary searching and came up with this:
http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/J-VS1-Ideal-Cut-Emerald-Diamond-1120195.asp

I''d love some help from the EC lovers out there! Thanks!

 

[Lorelei]

Welcome to Pricescope!

EC's are tricky to evaluate by the numbers unfortunately, it is hard to tell from the pic provided as the diamond is quite tilted - could you ask JA if they could provide another photo and perhaps an Idealscope image for this diamond, as that could give us a better idea of how this diamond looks.

One thing with a J colour though, it is likely this diamond probably won't be icy white, not yellow, but you could see a little warmth in it, just wanted you to bear that in mind, as you said that the whitest diamond is important to you.

 

[chrono]

Welcome to Pricescope and a hello to another EC appreciater.

Let''s get down to "business".

1. Some people find I and J too warm. I''d probably shy away from a J in an EC because they DO show colour/tint. I like G and H which is a very safe and white colour. If you want icy white, the E and F and great.

2. I haven''t seen an eye clean SI1, sticking with VS2 is very safe.

3. Ratio: it is a personal preference. I like mine with a ratio of anywhere from 1.3 to 1.4 Some like theirs squarish, long or in between. What do YOU like? What does SHE like?
4. Now on to cut:
This plays the MOST importance as to how the EC performs or sparkles:

Table: 65% and under is best. The smaller, the like-lier you are to getting a higher crown height and an EC with more dispersion (coloured light aka fire shooting out). Also a larger table tend toward the glassy and flat look. Not what most people want in ECs.

Depth: 68% and under. Less is better because if the stone is too deep, then it will look small. Don''t buy by the carat weight, buy by the physical measurement.

Crown height of at least 10%. The higher the better for "life" and sparkle.

Aim for at least VG polish and symmetry

Go for as even a girdle as possible. Avoid the extremes of very thin and very thick girdles. If too thin, it might chip and if too thick, it''s hiding weight.

And ECs must be seen (or at least have pictures and ASET) before even considering to buy the stone.

 

[emeraldlover1]

#1 is you need more pics. The pic on the JA site is not good.

#2 how are you planning to set the stone?

Ps. It may help to check out some EC''s local before you purchase. Find a vendor with some good GIA stones with similar proportions so that you will get an idea of what the color/tint may look like to you.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 6/17/2008 11:21:51 AM
Author: emeraldlover1
#1 is you need more pics. The pic on the JA site is not good.

#2 how are you planning to set the stone?

Ps. It may help to check out some EC's local before you purchase. Find a vendor with some good GIA stones with similar proportions so that you will get an idea of what the color/tint may look like to you.

Ditto, that way you will be able to find out exactly what your colour tolerances are. Colour sensitivity varies, you might find a J is perfectly suitable or not, but that way you will know for sure. Also do use any numbers as a guide only as I mentioned before, otherwise you could miss out on some lovely diamonds.

 

[emeraldlover1]

Date: 6/17/2008 11:24:10 AM
Author: Lorelei

Date: 6/17/2008 11:21:51 AM
Author: emeraldlover1
#1 is you need more pics. The pic on the JA site is not good.

#2 how are you planning to set the stone?

Ps. It may help to check out some EC''s local before you purchase. Find a vendor with some good GIA stones with similar proportions so that you will get an idea of what the color/tint may look like to you.

Ditto, that way you will be able to find out exactly what your colour tolerances are. Colour sensitivity varies, you might find a J is perfectly suitable or not, but that way you will know for sure. Also do use any numbers as a guide only as I mentioned before, otherwise you could miss out on some lovely diamonds.

This is so true. I saw an H yesterday with awesome stats but to me it looked well a little more than tinited and the steps weren''t in the right place. It was weird. On the other hand there were some very nice ones that were right on the money.

For the record. I don''t have any friends with EC''s and I really hope/doubt that my friends aren''t going to be comparing my diamond to theirs so in my mind having a J didn''t matter. Honestly the color doesn''t matter at all as long as you like the way that it looks. I asked about the setting because if it is going to have pave you should work with someone that will match the stone color. I saw one yesterday that had more "white" stones in the setting and it did call attention to the warmth in the center stone.

 

[chrono]

Cut is the most important thing: if the cut is good, the colour will not be as tinted and the stone will have life. The steps have to look even, with a good mix of dark and white lines. No chunks of dark areas. Please don''t get hung up on the colour and numbers. It is a good place to start but you must SEE the EC. The stats I posted above will help eliminate 90% of dud ECs.

 

[EmeraldCutQuest]

For the record. I don''t have any friends with EC''s and I really hope/doubt that my friends aren''t going to be comparing my diamond to theirs so in my mind having a J didn''t matter. Honestly the color doesn''t matter at all as long as you like the way that it looks. I asked about the setting because if it is going to have pave you should work with someone that will match the stone color. I saw one yesterday that had more ''white'' stones in the setting and it did call attention to the warmth in the center stone.

(... and here I thought I was your friend! Waaaaaaaaaaaaaah! j/k

)

I too just bought a J color EC, and since the cut is VG, it shows almost no color in most lighting conditions, and a lovely warmth in others. I am glad that we ''upped'' some of the other parameters instead (cut, weight, clarity).

--ECQ (no longer).

 

[EmeraldCutQuest]

... and by the way, I was concerned that the side diamonds, which are ACA and F/G color would make the center stone look even more yellow. I can''t say that I see that happening at all.

--ECQ (no longer).

 

[emeraldlover1]

Date: 6/17/2008 5:03:26 PM
Author: EmeraldCutQuest

For the record. I don''t have any friends with EC''s and I really hope/doubt that my friends aren''t going to be comparing my diamond to theirs so in my mind having a J didn''t matter. Honestly the color doesn''t matter at all as long as you like the way that it looks. I asked about the setting because if it is going to have pave you should work with someone that will match the stone color. I saw one yesterday that had more ''white'' stones in the setting and it did call attention to the warmth in the center stone.

(... and here I thought I was your friend! Waaaaaaaaaaaaaah! j/k

)

I too just bought a J color EC, and since the cut is VG, it shows almost no color in most lighting conditions, and a lovely warmth in others. I am glad that we ''upped'' some of the other parameters instead (cut, weight, clarity).

--ECQ (no longer).

HAHA...I should have prefaced...friends in real life. Ps friends don''t count in my senario above. Yes...I''m glad we''ve upped them too. Gald to know about the stones in the setting.

 

[illsorted]

I''m glad I found this great resource...you are all a lot of help.

I think I''ll call James Allen and tell them what I''m looking for and post any pictures I get here.

My biggest obstacle is that I''m in the middle of nowhere. None of the jewelers here stock and EC''s and it''s at least a 3 hour drive to find one (which still isn''t a guarantee).

 

[illsorted]

Date: 6/17/2008 11:24:10 AM
Author: Lorelei

Date: 6/17/2008 11:21:51 AM

Author: emeraldlover1

#1 is you need more pics. The pic on the JA site is not good.


#2 how are you planning to set the stone?


Ps. It may help to check out some EC''s local before you purchase. Find a vendor with some good GIA stones with similar proportions so that you will get an idea of what the color/tint may look like to you.

Ditto, that way you will be able to find out exactly what your colour tolerances are. Colour sensitivity varies, you might find a J is perfectly suitable or not, but that way you will know for sure. Also do use any numbers as a guide only as I mentioned before, otherwise you could miss out on some lovely diamonds.

Something like this:
http://www.jamesallen.com/products/item_294-2036_build.asp?module=setting

She says: "This is probably closest to what I picture in my mind, except that in my mind the little diamonds that encircle the big diamond are on separate prongs not set in a channel." I don''t know if such a thing exists...seems to me that diamonds that small need to be in a channel.

 

[emeraldlover1]

Date: 6/20/2008 5:16:35 PM
Author: illsorted

Date: 6/17/2008 11:24:10 AM
Author: Lorelei

Date: 6/17/2008 11:21:51 AM

Author: emeraldlover1

#1 is you need more pics. The pic on the JA site is not good.


#2 how are you planning to set the stone?


Ps. It may help to check out some EC''s local before you purchase. Find a vendor with some good GIA stones with similar proportions so that you will get an idea of what the color/tint may look like to you.

Ditto, that way you will be able to find out exactly what your colour tolerances are. Colour sensitivity varies, you might find a J is perfectly suitable or not, but that way you will know for sure. Also do use any numbers as a guide only as I mentioned before, otherwise you could miss out on some lovely diamonds.

Something like this:
http://www.jamesallen.com/products/item_294-2036_build.asp?module=setting

She says: ''This is probably closest to what I picture in my mind, except that in my mind the little diamonds that encircle the big diamond are on separate prongs not set in a channel.'' I don''t know if such a thing exists...seems to me that diamonds that small need to be in a channel.

Ok, the setting that you are describing is exactly what I''m asking for from the vendor that is custom making my setting. I asked for bead set which is also in a halo like the danov setting you provided a link to. The setting above has an antique look, a flat two sided halo and a one sided band. I''ll share the cad images with you when I get them next week so you can see what I mean.

See if JA can get you more pics. You will have to call them. I emailed them a few times and actually wound up getting the same stone from ERD because they got back to me first and I was able to check out the stone in person. As an owner of a J emerald it would be wrong of me to turn you away without seeing more pics, however, if that were the pic of my stone I''m not sure I would have went for it.