Help! Novice very confused after talking to jewelers and net research

[djhaycock]

Ok, so my girlfriend and I are planning to get engaged in the next few months. I actually would like to do it sometime in the beginning of September. I have spoken with a jeweler my sister uses and have gone to a few other mom and pop jewelers to compare pricing and I am very confused. I have also researched online and again I have no idea if I''m getting ripped off or not.

Please help me better understand what I need/want in the particular diamond engagement ring I would like to purchase. Here are the specs:

Princess cut diamond set in 14K gold trillon style setting.
From what I understand I want the trillions to be .20 cts each.

I''d like the diamond to be 1 ct., F/G color and VS1 color. Now, I don''t know what the best ratios, girdle thicknesses are or any of that. All I know for sure is that I want no culet and no fluorescence (sp?) in the diamond from all my research. I have been quoted prices from $3500 - $5300 for similar diamonds, some with better clarity, some smaller but all in the above mentioned price range.

So, I basically need to know best price scenario, diamond measurements etc.

Please help!
Thanks

 

[researcher]

First, fluorescence is a personal taste. If you want to go with a stone with lower color (which very few people can tell once the diamond is set) fluorescence can make your stone appear whiter. Second, who cares if there's a small culet? All it means is there's a small facet cut at the bottom of the stone rather than the stone coming to a point (which is more fragile). Third, what made you decide on your clarity level? You can't tell the difference between a VS1 and 100% eye clean SI1 unless the stone is magnified so you can see the inclusions, so I wouldn't rule out stones of slightly lower clarity just yet. The MOST important "C" in princess cut stones is the cut. I would sacrifice everything else (to a degree) to find the best stone possible. In fact, I did just that. My stone is an I/SI1 and a TRUE beauty because of the cut. So, focus on cut and everything else will fall into place. Here are some helpful hints:

Look for a stone with an average diameter of around 5.6mm, as this is about right for a 1 ct (obviously, you would go a little bigger or smaller depending on the exact carat weight). Look for a stone with a table smaller than the depth (by 3-5% is best), with both numbers in the high 60's to low/mid 70's. Other than that, all the information you need can be found on AGA Cut Charts.

Good Luck!

 

[phoenixgirl]

First of all, I think that this quote from this threadis quite applicable to your question:

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On 2/24/2003 rhino wrote:

As a general rule of thumb, my first piece of advice is to look for princess cuts with tables that are smaller than their total depths. I like them to be around 5% less. So if total depth is 73 I like to see a table of at least 68. This however is not a hard fast rule. I don't like to go above 76% depth and if a client is looking for a princess cut and there are none with notably smaller tables I'll consider stones with tables up to the total depth BUT before calling them in for analysis there are certain combinations of crown height/angles and pavilion depth/angles that the stone MUST meet before I'll start spending money and calling in stones.

I'll reconfirm the info that crown heights over 9% are a plus (though I like em as high as 15%) but without knowing the pavilion depth/angles that are coupled with that crown the point is moot.

If you are particularly interested in getting one of the most beautiful princess cuts possible I cannot stress MORE THAN ANYTHING having the expertise of a bricks and mortar establishment help you in your search. Nothing against online brokers but they do not see what it is they are selling so for any broker to tell you how beautiful a stone is (cut wise) just from a GIA Report & EVEN A SARIN REPORT alone is sheer lunacy. The reason I state this is because I've been studying princess cuts quite intensely over the past year and very few people have the battery of lab equipment that we do for analysis of light return, optical symmetry, etc and what makes this harder to communicate to people is that you have 3 pavilion angles to be considered as well as no lesst than 2 crown angles.
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Rhino is in the business to give such advice; I am not.

Here are some stones I found online in your area. I dropped down to H/VS2 because stones with great cuts and reputable certicates will command more than others; I'm not sure if you were taking cut and certification into account.

1.00 F VS2 for $4460* ask about their Price Scope discount

1.04 G VS1 for $4625*

1.01 E VS1 for $5692

1.03 G VS2 for $4753

1.05 F VS1 for $5684