Help with Radiants!

[Minga]

Hello Everyone,

This is my post on PS, and I''m not sure what exactly you need in order to be able to help me. I''m looking to get engaged in the next few weeks and having been working with a Diamond Broker in the Dallas/FtWorth area for the last few weeks. He''s shown me a few stones that I haven''t been exactly thrilled about until today when I saw a 1.40 CT E VS2 (EGL Rating).

I''ve been shopping around for a few months and attempting to study up on Radiants. The reoccuring theme I''ve found is to look for radiants with Table & Depths in the 60-65 range; with the table being 3-5% less than the depth. The stone I''ve listed below is being offered to me for $7500, is this a good deal? I''ve seen the stone and it has a lot of brillance and fire; not the crushed ice look though (which I like). I was really only interested in buying a GIA graded stone, but the broker told me I could take the stone to a Gemologist of my choice to have it appraised. I''m so confused, is this as good of a deal as it looks????

EGL
Radiant
Weight:1.40 CT
Measurements: 6.38-6.31 x 4.49 mm

Proportions
Total Depth: 71.2%
Table Width: 74%
Crown Height: 6%
Pavilion Depth: 62%
Girdle Thickness: Medium, Polished

Finish
Polish: Good to Very Good
Symmetry: Very Good
Culet: None

Clarity Grade: VS2

Color: E

Fluorescence: None

 

[surfgirl]

Hi Minga! I assume you''re a guy from your chosen avatar and with that said, can I just ask what might sound like a stupid question? Do you know for sure that your intended wants a Radiant cut? And if so, does she like the crushed ice look as you do? I ask because I''m always so surprised how many men purchase the most meaningful piece of jewelry they''ll ever give their partner, yet they dont really know for sure what cut, setting, etc. she really loves. If you''re not sure, I''d urge you to ask her first!

FYI, re: the EGL/GIA saga, there''s another thread on that on page one here. Basically the general consensus is that GIA is more conservative on their grading and is more the gold standard in grading reports. EGL is a bit more forgiving, if you will, on their grading and even within EGL it depends on whether its EGL/US or another EGL lab overseas.

 

[iheartscience]

Welcome to Pricescope, Minga! I have a radiant cut diamond myself and I love it! However, it is definitely tricky finding a good looking radiant. Going on numbers alone is not usually enough. However, based on the AGA cut chart (find it here: http://diamonds.pricescope.com/fnc2.asp) the stone you have posted is not the most ideal cut radiant.

According to this chart, ideal cut radiants have depth percentages between 60 and 65%. Ideal table percentages are 60-65.5%. With that said, fancy cuts (anything that isn''t a round) need to be seen in person or photos because numbers don''t always tell the whole story. However, because the stone you''re looking at is relatively deep, it will face up a bit smaller than some other radiants that are the same size.

As far as price goes, the price on this diamond seems fair. It''s not a great deal, but it''s probably not a bad one either. I have a 1.51 G/SI1 GIA certified radiant with a crushed ice appearance that I bought recently and it was just a bit more than this one.

If you go to the Prices heading on this website, you can plug everything into the search by cut function and see how this stone measures up against other similar stones.

And as far as GIA vs. EGL, GIA is just more well-regarded than EGL. Apparently EGL is a bit looser with their grading. Accordingly, GIA certed diamonds generally cost a bit more than EGL certed stones.

Hope this helps!

 

[Minga]

Thanks for the reply surfgilrl. My girlfriend and I have been looking at Radiants for a few months; she definitely loves radiants! We''re not particularly big on the crushed ice look though, and this stone doesn''t have that look.

 

[Minga]

Hello thing2of2, thank you for the reply. Everyone''s so helpful on this site. I was thinking the same thing about the depth & table %''s, but the stone looked so beautiful. I''ve seen tons of stones, everything from Original Radiants cuts (which I''m kinda skeptical about), to stones at your everyday retail establishments. There''s a store in the Dallas/Fort Worth area who sells Original Radiants, but it seems like you''re paying a heavy premium. Did you buy your stone from a Brick & Mortar, or an online establishment?

 

[Minga]

Does anyone know how you can tell if the stone is graded EGL US or EGL Lab overseas? I have a copy of the cert here in front of me but I can''t tell.

 

[iheartscience]

I bought my stone from Whiteflash.com, an online store. However, they are located in Houston, TX and you can go see diamonds in person if you make an appointment. If you love this diamond, I wouldn''t worry *too* much about the numbers.

However, I would recommend looking at the diamond in different lighting situations to make sure it still looks good in lighting other than magic jewelry store lights. (Direct sunlight, officey lighting, etc.) And I would run the numbers through the Price search feature on Pricescope or a few reputable websites (bluenile.com, whiteflash.com, goodoldgold.com) to make sure the price is right.

You may also want to get the diamond independently appraised just to make sure it matches up with the EGL cert since they are known for being looser with grading. (And I''m not sure how to tell which EGL lab the cert is from...maybe an expert can chime in?)

 

[kcoursolle]

This particular radiant faces up pretty small for it''s carat weight. Also, with a large table of 74% it might be lacking in fire. To make sure you want a crown height 9% or greater.

To give you an idea of how small this radiant is facing up...I have a .74 carat radiant with a depth of 60% and the dimensions are 4.97 X 6.29mm, and your stone is only facing up a tad larger.

 

[Minga]

Thanks again thing2of2 ! Does anyone know how much it would cost to have this stone appraised??? Also, what would the process be to send it to GIA to have it certified? Cost? Time it''d be gone?

 

[Minga]

Hi kcoursolle, thank you for your input. I don''t mean to sound ignorant but what are you talking about when you say that your stone and the one I''m considering about the same facing up? Are you saying that when comparing the 2 stones side by side that they''ll look almost the same size? How could this be since the stone I''m considering is almost twice yours in carat weight.

 

[neatfreak]

Date: 4/14/2007 12:04:14 AM
Author: Minga
Hi kcoursolle, thank you for your input. I don''t mean to sound ignorant but what are you talking about when you say that your stone and the one I''m considering about the same facing up? Are you saying that when comparing the 2 stones side by side that they''ll look almost the same size? How could this be since the stone I''m considering is almost twice yours in carat weight.

The one you''re considering is too deep. So the weight is all below the surface where you can''t see it. If you send it to GIA the cost is around $500 I believe and it takes at least a few weeks if not more.

 

[surfgirl]

I was just told that sending a stone to GIA will take anywhere from 4-6 weeks to get it back, just FYI.

 

[kcoursolle]

Date: 4/14/2007 12:04:14 AM
Author: Minga
Hi kcoursolle, thank you for your input. I don''t mean to sound ignorant but what are you talking about when you say that your stone and the one I''m considering about the same facing up? Are you saying that when comparing the 2 stones side by side that they''ll look almost the same size? How could this be since the stone I''m considering is almost twice yours in carat weight.

I''m saying your stone visually will face up or "look like" something in between my .74 and your 1.40...probably about 1.00-1.1 carats. Do you want to pay for 1.4 carats when your stone will only "look" like 1.1 or so? When a stone is too deep the extra carat weight is spread throughout the bottom and not in the diameter of the stone. The diameter of the stone determines how large the stone will look when you look at the diamond face up in the setting. Carat weight in the side is lost in appearance.

 

[Minga]

Thank you for your comments; I''m truely a novice and not completly sure at what I''m always looking at. Again, thank you everyone for your assistance.

I''m not sure if there''s anyone out there from the Dallas/Ft Worth area but I''m open to recommendations of fair and honest diamond dealers in the area.

 

[bosoxbw]

Instead of a squarish radiant, I would suggest looking at the X-factor from Whiteflash-- It has a similar shape to a square radiant because of the cut corners, but I think the internal faceting and light return is better... you can get a great stone from Whiteflash over the internet because they provide pictures/IS/ASET, but they are also in Houston in case you wanted to make a trip from Ft. Worth...

Just a thought...

here''s a link: http://whiteflash.com/diamonds/Default.aspx-- click on X-factor-- right now they don''t seem to have anything in the 1.4 range, but if you called I''m sure they could tell if those come available... The ~1ct X-factors are only about .8mm smaller than the 1.4ct you were considering...