Info & Help Needed For Choosing An Emerald Cut Diamond

[Florida]

Hello Everyone,
I have lurked here and tried to learn from this wonderful site. I have read up a good bit on EC diamonds. It is a very tough choice when it comes to buying a diamond and I am going crazy. I have found two that I am interested in and hope you guys can give me a bit of help and some courage.

Diamond 1:

Stone shape: Emerald
Carat Weight: 2.20 carats
Color: F
Clarity: VVS1
Certificate type: GIA
Depth 65.1
Table 64.0
Crown 12%
Fluorescence: None
Girdle: Medium
Cutlet: None
Symmetry: Very Good
Polish: Excellent
Measurements: 9.08 x 6.42 x 4.18 millimeters
Length-to-width ratio: 1.41

Diamond 2:

Carat Weight: 2.21
Cut: Emerald
Color: F
Clarity: VVS2
Report: GIA
Measurements: 8.40 x 6.31 x 4.41 millimeters
Length-to-width ratio: 1.33
Depth: 69.9
Table: 69
Girdle: Thick
Culet: None
Polish: Very Good
Symmetry: Good
Fluorescence: None



My questions are these:

1) From the info I have given, what price range should the diamonds be in?

2) Is it a good idea to go with a lower Color or Clarity in order to get a biger stone or should I get the best I can afford when dealing with EC diamonds?



Thanks,
Happy Holidays

 

[dani13]

Hi Florida, and welcome!!

to answer your questions:

1) to find out the approximate price range you are looking at for comparable diamonds, PScope your diamond using the search feature at the top of the page....enter in your specs, and you will get a whole list of comparable stones along with their prices.

2) When dealing with EC's, in my opinion (and I am sure many EC lovers as well), you should get the stone with the higher color and clarity vs. the largest stone you can afford. EC's show EVERYTHING....unlike other shapes, such as rounds....their faceting pattern is such that you can see inclusions and color very easily....I would try to stick anwhere above G/VS2...you should be plenty safe with that...

As far as your diamonds, I like them both....not sure of your thick girdle on #2 though. Hopefully an expert will chime in on that. Have you investigated what length to width ratio you prefer? Stone # 1 is going to give you that classic, EC, lean look, and stone # 2 is slightly shorter and fatter....As far as the numbers they both look good...The symmerty in a perfect world would be "very good" in both stones, but that is not a huge deal, imho....I would look at both stones if I were you- see what you prefer...remember, use your eyes to judge- when it comes to fancies, they are your best tool....

As far as length to width ratios- you can use this website to play around: http://www.gemappraisers.com/shapePickerNew.asp

Good luck and let us know what you decide!!!!

 

[Lorelei]

Hi Florida and welcome!

Try this chart too http://diamonds.pricescope.com/fnc2.asp

Numbers aren''t everything with fancy shapes, but they are helpful, so you can use this chart to see how your contenders measure up.

 

[Florida]

Thanks for the input. I really like the 1st diamond. Particularly it''s ratio and symmetry. Going by the charts and sources I found on this site it falls into an excellent range for a EC diamond.

I agree about getting better clarity and color. I mentioned my search to someone and they scoffed at my idea of getting the best Color and Clarity I could afford. They were of the opinion that EC diamonds worked on the same principles as round diamonds.


I asked about the pricing, because one of the diamonds is much cheaper than the other. I can''t figure out if I would getting a good deal or what.

 

[diamondfan]

I have an emerald cut stone and I totally disagree with the notion that they function the same as a round cut stone. This is just not the case at all. You really need great color and clarity with an emerald cut or it will have no life to it...good luck, the first one sounds great...

 

[justjulia]

I like the polish, symmetry, and girdle of #1.

 

[RockDoc]

Hi Florida

If you''re not in a hurry I''d suggest waiting for a while till there are AGS CUT Graded Emerald Cuts Available.

AGS will start grading those for cut very soon.

If the cut grade is important to you, probably good to wait and see those stones.

Rockdoc

 

[Florida]

Date: 12/25/2006 11:50:43 AM
Author: RockDoc
Hi Florida

If you''re not in a hurry I''d suggest waiting for a while till there are AGS CUT Graded Emerald Cuts Available.

AGS will start grading those for cut very soon.

If the cut grade is important to you, probably good to wait and see those stones.

Rockdoc

Thanks for the heads up. Do you know when they will begin doing this?

 

[oldminer]

Waiting for a lab to establish their opinion of "best cut" is a friendly suggestion, but when you have many stones to examine I doubt you would select a poor one over a fine one. You will ALWAYS pick the one YOU like best if you are smart about it. You won't pick what a lab says is best if you think otherwise.

Remember, a lab's opinion of what is best may not be better than your own judgment. The basis for lab grading of best cut is not a perfect science. It is based on measurements that do not reflect the exact nature of individual stones. Although the predictions may be very good for most stones, the way to make a final choice is with YOUR OWN EYES and not with blind prediction.

When AGS does offer the 0 cut with emerald cuts they initially will only be for square ones of certain styles. Many folks want rectangular stones. There will probably be a premium for such AGS 0 stones, not due to their beauty, but more to do with their limited availability. This does not make financial sense unless you decide that these stones offer what no one else offers. I sort of doubt that will happen although the marketers will imply these stones are special. In due course, any cutter will learn to cut them and there will be little premium other than for the care taken in cutting well made examples. This is true of all finely cut diamonds. Labor for cutting fine ones takes longer and the asking price is adjusted higher.

Using the AGA Cut Class screening tool will get you to a point of being able to make a smart buying decision so long as you decide to use your own eyes and view enough comparisons to learn how nice a better cut diamond looks.

Millions of folks bought diamonds before any of us discussed cut grading and they were very happy. Some of these people shopped enough to buy beautiful stones. It is easier today than ever before, so I can't see you going wrong.