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Help with 4ct Emerald Selection

T

Triumph765

Rough_Rock
Joined
Dec 28, 2024
Messages
17
I am looking for a 4ct Emerald Cut and am overwhelmed by the selection available and huge price difference between similarly graded stones.

This is been my search criteria
4ct +- .25
G+
VVS2+
Excellent Symmetry
L/W 1.35-1.5:1
Table % 61-68
Depth % 60-69
Girdle: Very Thin - Slightly Thick

Still uncertain on ideal pavilion and crown angles… my understanding is pavilion angle should be around 40-45 degrees and crown around 35 degrees.

Once I filter out to the specs above, all the diamonds look very similar to me…. Besides for l/w ratio. The price difference between the cheaper and more expensive stones are huge.

There are a lot of stones available under the 2k mark. Some are outrageous high for reasons unknown and some branded stone such as Precision Lab, BG Premium/Deluxe go for 6-14k

I keep reading that you cant buy based off of stone grade/spec but I’m not really sure what else to look for. Are these sub 2k stones really that inferior to a branded stone?

Below are a couple examples of what I’m seeing.



Diamond | 4.20 ct F VVS1 Emerald Cut Precision Lab Grown Diamond GIA Certified | 390635

This fabulous 4.20 carat Emerald None cut diamond has a clarity grade of VVS1 and color grade of F.It is an excellent choice for engagement rings. | 390635
www.whiteflash.com

www.briangavindiamonds.com

4.06 G VS1 BG Select Lab Grown Emerald Diamond

Brian Gavin Diamonds
www.briangavindiamonds.com www.briangavindiamonds.com

www.briangavindiamonds.com

4.33 G VS1 BG Premium Lab Emerald

Brian Gavin Diamonds
www.briangavindiamonds.com www.briangavindiamonds.com
 
Last edited:
After more research I’ve noticed most if not all of the sub 2k diamonds have large cutlets which as I understand is undesirable.

Below is an example of one I found with no cutlet and specs very similar to the branded diamonds previously listed. What else should I be looking at to judge quality while comparing these stone online?

www.loosegrowndiamond.com

Inventory

Shop your perfect lab grown diamond from thousands of ethically sourced certified lab created diamonds inventory.
www.loosegrowndiamond.com www.loosegrowndiamond.com
 
@Karl_K is our emerald expert, and perhaps he can help. EC’s are notoriously hard to select without an expert’s input. Lots of pitfalls. The facets need to blink on and off, but there’s often too much windowing.

I know that he’s commented that sometimes the stones are too flat in that they have too shallow a crown height. But I’m having trouble pulling up some of the certificates (I’m on my phone), and some of the certificates don’t list a crown height at all.

I notice all your picks have GIA certs. Don’t be afraid of IGI certs, especially since we’re dealing with lab stones. IGI has a solid reputation with lab stones.

Good luck on this search!
 
0515vision said:
@Karl_K is our emerald expert, and perhaps he can help. EC’s are notoriously hard to select without an expert’s input. Lots of pitfalls. The facets need to blink on and off, but there’s often too much windowing.

I know that he’s commented that sometimes the stones are too flat in that they have too shallow a crown height. But I’m having trouble pulling up some of the certificates (I’m on my phone), and some of the certificates don’t list a crown height at all.

I notice all your picks have GIA certs. Don’t be afraid of IGI certs, especially since we’re dealing with lab stones. IGI has a solid reputation with lab stones.

Good luck on this search!
Click to expand...

The first stone linked which is sub 2k is an IGI cert. All the branded lab growns seem to use GIA. Once I filtered to no cutlet it seems the majority of those certs are GIA as well.

@Karl_K Any wisdom you can share would be greatly appreciated. Happy to pay for your time.

Here is another one I found that looks good per the specs. Looking at the videos I'm not sure what I'm looking for as far as windowing, light leakage, etc.

 
Here is another I've found that looks good to my untrained eyes.


www.loosegrowndiamond.com

Inventory

Shop your perfect lab grown diamond from thousands of ethically sourced certified lab created diamonds inventory.
www.loosegrowndiamond.com www.loosegrowndiamond.com
 
Triumph765 said:
The first stone linked which is sub 2k is an IGI cert. All the branded lab growns seem to use GIA. Once I filtered to no cutlet it seems the majority of those certs are GIA as well.

@Karl_K Any wisdom you can share would be greatly appreciated. Happy to pay for your time.

Here is another one I found that looks good per the specs. Looking at the videos I'm not sure what I'm looking for as far as windowing, light leakage, etc.

Click to expand...

GIA and IGI use different words for the same thing....GIA says None but IGI uses the phrase LONG (long thin pointed "keel at the bottom)... so when you filter to "NONE" all you will get a GIA's....

example here's a WF Precison Cut Emerald Shape w IGI report noting Long

www.whiteflash.com

Diamond | 1.01 ct D VVS1 Emerald Cut Precision Lab Grown Diamond IGI Certified | 301953

This fabulous 1.01 carat Emerald None cut diamond has a clarity grade of VVS1 and color grade of D.It is an excellent choice for engagement rings. | 301953
www.whiteflash.com

1735577348549.png
 
freddyboston said:
GIA and IGI use different words for the same thing....GIA says None but IGI uses the phrase LONG (long thin pointed "keel at the bottom)... so when you filter to "NONE" all you will get a GIA's....

example here's a WF Precison Cut Emerald Shape w IGI report noting Long

www.whiteflash.com

Diamond | 1.01 ct D VVS1 Emerald Cut Precision Lab Grown Diamond IGI Certified | 301953

This fabulous 1.01 carat Emerald None cut diamond has a clarity grade of VVS1 and color grade of D.It is an excellent choice for engagement rings. | 301953
www.whiteflash.com

1735577348549.png
Click to expand...

Very good to know. Thank you! So all IGI emerald certs will say Long I assume?
 
not all some are "Short"
1735583443748.png
 
Triumph765 said:
The first stone linked which is sub 2k is an IGI cert. All the branded lab growns seem to use GIA. Once I filtered to no cutlet it seems the majority of those certs are GIA as well.

@Karl_K Any wisdom you can share would be greatly appreciated. Happy to pay for your time.

Here is another one I found that looks good per the specs. Looking at the videos I'm not sure what I'm looking for as far as windowing, light leakage, etc.

Click to expand...

FYI: Karl always gives generously of his time and expertise but right now, both he and his wife are battling Covid!
 
Triumph765 said:
Here is an IGI diamond I found that meets all criteria for excellent cut grade per IGI standards. Is there anything wrong with this diamond?

3.93 Carat Emerald Lab Grown Diamond F Color VVS2 Clarity Very Good Cut | Ritani

3.93 Carat Emerald Lab Diamond VG Cut F Color VVS2 Clarity with diamond report number IGI #LG651444022
www.ritani.com www.ritani.com
Click to expand...

well for that one....the price is too high.... much less $ @ B2C
1735591128681.png

https://www.b2cjewels.com/dd/25955104/Emerald-diamond-F-color-VVS2-clarity
 
I'm casually looking for an emerald about this size and I've started restricting my search to HPHT (you can do this on Ritani, at least) - all the CVD stones have some internal graining on rotating video or even on still images, sometimes a LOT, and it really stands out to my eye on step cuts. I'm not *sure* how much of that is relevant in real life, since after all these videos are highly magnified, but I *think* it might actually matter for a large step cut. Anybody with more wisdom on that than me?
 
Triumph765 said:
I'm just not understanding why this is 9k
Click to expand...

@Rhino sometimes hasn’t updated his prices. The benefit of going with him is that he will curate a stone for you along with all the necessary advanced images. Choosing an EC is very difficult. A poor EC will look like smudged glass most of the time.

You could reach out to him and tell your budget. He gives excellent concierge service.

I’ve tried to pick EC’s in the past, o lot to have an expert point out the flaws. The lack of input on this thread is out of respect for your purchase. No one wants to lead you down the wrong path.
 
@Karl_K hope you and your wife feel better soon!
 
@Rhino I completed the form on your website a day or two ago and haven’t heard anything. Not sure if this is the best way to contact you regarding this or not but hopefully you haven’t looked into it yet as after seeing some diamonds in person the 3ct size more appropriate.

Still in the market for an emerald but looking for a 3ct between 1.35-1.4:1
 
Triumph765 said:
@Rhino I completed the form on your website a day or two ago and haven’t heard anything. Not sure if this is the best way to contact you regarding this or not but hopefully you haven’t looked into it yet as after seeing some diamonds in person the 3ct size more appropriate.

Still in the market for an emerald but looking for a 3ct between 1.35-1.4:1
Click to expand...

And just fyi - some jewelers take time off around this time bc of the pre-holiday madness. You’re in good hands with Jonathan.

Diamonds By Lauren can also help. Alex Park on IG can also help, but I know he’s on break as posted on their IG page.
 
I started filtering for GCAL only certs and have noticed a big difference between optical symmetry and some optical brilliance.

How does this one look for the trained eyes? I'd like to request ASET but I'm not sure how response they will be. I'm considering just getting an ASET scope and getting a few different diamonds to compare. I'm hoping GCAL images are a decent tool to select a few to look at in person... unfortunately these limits the selection severely as only a select view have GCAL.

https://www.adiamor.com/Lab-Diamonds/E-VVS2-Excellent-Cut-Emerald-Diamond/D65465332

I've reached out to a couple vendors with vetted in house diamonds and may end up going that route. Still getting an appreciation for the effort it takes to pick a winner.
 
I *think* the GCAL one is ok, but like I've said - I've been wrong before.

There is the tiniest bit of graining in the lower right corner, but I doubt this is appreciable to the naked eye. Plus, it's a matter of balancing all the requirements of an EC while staying in budget.

Getting your own ASET will help. If you can go through the trouble of taking your own ASET images and buying/returning stones as needed, this is certainly a way to do. The other route is relying on trusted vendors.
 
Here's one with ASET to review. It looks like it may be at a bit of an angle. I asked for a short clip of it under ASET while being tilted but they are unable to provide.

ASET 2.99ct VVS2 E Lab Emerald.jpg
 
Do you have a 360 video of this one?
 
Here is another ASET I just received. This one seems to have more red in the middle (and overall) as well sharper contrast.

ASET 2.83ct VVS2 E Lab Emerald.jpg

frankdarling.com

diamond-A15189AALT | Frank Darling

Sustainably grown lab diamonds and conflict-free natural diamonds. Shop competitively priced GIA diamonds in every shape, from emerald cut to round brilliant.
frankdarling.com frankdarling.com
 
This may be worth a look if you want HPHT grown

Loupe360

loupe360.com loupe360.com
 
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