Ideal Cuts and the Leo - help the newbie out :)

[stephensmith]

I have a 10 year wedding anniversary in the next few weeks and have been searching for a nice 3 stone ring. I came across the Leo diamond at Mark''s and Morgan and was leaning towards that one, although after reading many posts on this board, i''m completely lost now.
Was there a true verdict on the Leo diamond or is it just basically whatever makes you happy? As far as 3 stone anniversary rings go, is there a certain proportion that the side stones should be? One store said a 1:3 ratio, another 1:2 which is a pretty big difference. What is the norm? originally i was looking at 2 carats total - 1 in the middle and .50 on each side, would that look too much like an engagement ring? take away too much from center stone? I''m pretty clear on color, clarity, and carat, is ideal the best cut? what range should the girdle fall in? My wife wants princess cut diamonds, after researching the web, i found a company that i could get a 1.01 center, G color, si-1, gia certified, with the gia certificate number laser inscribed on the diamond for around $4400 and then 2 similar half carats, gia certified for around $3000 (they are all ideal cut). Without being able to see them, would they have a similar shine to the leo''s? the leo ring i was looking at was $7200 for 1.5 ct total weight, is it that much better? Sorry there are so many questions, it seems like a lot has changed since the last time i bought diamonds.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I am not much help on choosing princess cut diamonds, but I''d recommend looking at the Good Old Gold site and contacting Jonathan there to help you select and match up three stones. There is absolutely no sense in paying for a brand name of a diamond. What you want is an excellent cut which is verified on the GIA or AGS certificate. I recently bought a diamond at Good Old Gold and they were excellent to work with. And we saved a significant amount of money and got a better quality stone than we could have locally.

http://www.goodoldgold.com/Home/

There section on the 4C''s is outstanding as well and will help you narrow down your color and clarity preferences.

 

[mrssalvo]

I don''t know a lot about princess cuts either but agree that having a vendor help you match them up would be best. Good Old Gold is great. You also might want to try Wink Jones at Winfields or Bill at Ice mine both carry the new AGS0 princess cuts and they look fabulous.

 

[ladykemma]

leo''s are really pretty....if you want a leo, get one?

 

[JulieN]

I don''t know if you''ve read this appraiser''s verdict? https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/review-of-a-leo-cut.17770/

And for princesses, the usual proportions of princess 3 stone is 1 ct center, and .25 each for the sidestones, example here: https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/new-e-ring.47381/= Seems like any bigger on the sides would be too big.

 

[Starky]

Hey, I''m not a diamond expert, but I just like you have read all the forums on here about LEO diamonds. I was recently given a 1ct LEO engagement ring. The specs are very good, and I really love my diamond. I know it was a bit overpriced, but my fiancee just felt more comfortable buying from a mall store like Marks & Morgans. They offer a lifetime warranty and the LEO to me is a beutiful diamond. I get compliments everyday. Just wanted to give you my opinion, since I own one. Good Luck with whatever you decide.