Large and In Charge Emerald Cut?

[bearycute]

I’m hoping to purchase a large and in charge lab EC, but am wary to spend 5 figures on something I’m unsure of for potential resale/upgrade value.

I see a few 6-7 ct on Ritani for <8k, but don’t know if I’m educated enough to catch the striations, or to understand the cut quality without them posting ASET photos. Can I get some help?

 

[momofive]

Sure. You need to post the link so the pros on here can see the video, images and cert.

 

[MMtwo]

We can help.
Please forget resale value. Figure 60% of retail at resale for mined and lord knows what for lab. Stick to mined if you want a trade up policy.

The striations look like streaks on glass in the sun, you can see them as the diamonds twirl. I would try hard to find a HPHT.

 

[bearycute]

Sure. You need to post the link so the pros on here can see the video, images and cert.

There’s no stone I’m specifically interested in, just kinda want help to learn more for future? If that makes sense? There are so many threads about how to pick rounds, but none really on ECs so I feel like there are no “sample” journeys for me to learn from.

 

[bearycute]

We can help.
Please forget resale value. Figure 60% of retail at resale for mined and lord knows what for lab. Stick to mined if you want a trade up policy.

The striations look like streaks on glass in the sun, you can see them as the diamonds twirl. I would try hard to find a HPHT.

I’ve gone through inventory of the size range I’m seeking, and they’re all CVD.

I’m not looking for a trade up policy. I’m just keeping it in mind to not overspend. I don’t think it’s wise to completely ignore resale value of *anything* large expense— cars, homes, fancy bags, jewelry.

 

[bearycute]

So, say we start from this one:

6.01 Carat Emerald Lab Grown Diamond D Color SI1 Clarity Very Good Cut | Ritani

6.01 Carat Emerald Lab Diamond VG Cut D Color SI1 Clarity with diamond report number IGI #LG557248490

www.ritani.com

A 6 carat D SI1 that looks eye clean enough because I don’t really care for crystal clear clarity, just for obstructed light or if it poses risk of cracking.

How do I judge the cut quality from this? Or would I only be able to use an ASET in-person after having it ship to me?

 

[momofive]

I'm not an expert, and I'm sure they'll weigh in soon, but I have this article which talks about the characteristics of a good EC diamond. I know you're not concerned about some of the normal things people look for, but you do want sparkle and light. What I see in the diamond above is that the depth% is deep and there is a large culet, which falls outside of even the poorest diamond on this chart. But, again, let's see what the experts say.
I think having someone physically look at the diamond and give you their "read" on it, whether it be your having the diamond sent to you or a consultant at the vendor is the only way to get a true read for EC's without an ASET or other info.

 

[springsparkle]

So, say we start from this one:

6.01 Carat Emerald Lab Grown Diamond D Color SI1 Clarity Very Good Cut | Ritani

6.01 Carat Emerald Lab Diamond VG Cut D Color SI1 Clarity with diamond report number IGI #LG557248490

www.ritani.com

A 6 carat D SI1 that looks eye clean enough because I don’t really care for crystal clear clarity, just for obstructed light or if it poses risk of cracking.

How do I judge the cut quality from this? Or would I only be able to use an ASET in-person after having it ship to me?

I am not an expert but I have been looking at many EC lab diamonds recently and developed some criteria for myself to pick out good candidates. First I look up the stone on Loupe360 so I can get the best video quality. I also save the video to my camera roll so that I can move through it slowly and look for imperfections.

1. Facets take turns turning on and off as the stone spins, and facets go all the way down to the culet. You don’t want to see a block of facets go dark at the same time. Overall, the stone looks pleasing to the eye from the video.
2. There are no striations or streaks in the stone. I move through the video slowly to check all the facets.
3. The stone does not look grey, yellow or brown. Nor does it look blue, if you’re looking at HPHT stones.
4. There are no inclusions in the table/reflecting into the table. Personally that bothers me as it’s very visible.
5. I check that the table % and depth % are both around 65%, and that the crown % is above 14.5%. When I stick to this criteria I find beautiful stones.

When I’m looking for a stone, I check Ritani regularly (once or twice a day) because the inventory and pricing changes a lot! I recently purchased a 6 ct emerald cut but returned it upon previewing, because there was a small inclusion in the girdle that reflected through the table. Some may be ok with that but I find inclusions in the table to be distracting.

 

[dk168]

Please forget resale value. Figure 60% of retail at resale for mined and lord knows what for lab. Stick to mined if you want a trade up policy.

This, +1 - forget about resale value.

DK

 

[momofive]

I'm not an expert, and I'm sure they'll weigh in soon, but I have this article which talks about the characteristics of a good EC diamond. I know you're not concerned about some of the normal things people look for, but you do want sparkle and light. What I see in the diamond above is that the depth% is deep and there is a large culet, which falls outside of even the poorest diamond on this chart. But, again, let's see what the experts say.
I think having someone physically look at the diamond and give you their "read" on it, whether it be your having the diamond sent to you or a consultant at the vendor is the only way to get a true read for EC's without an ASET or other info.

Sorry. I forgot to attach the article!
Beyond 4 cs

 

[bearycute]

LOL damn, the second I post on PS, someone buys it. See why I have to do some pre-emptive learning before asking for help on a specific stone? Damn sharks! haha

 

[bearycute]

Sorry. I forgot to attach the article!
Beyond 4 cs

Thank you!

 

[bearycute]

I am not an expert but I have been looking at many EC lab diamonds recently and developed some criteria for myself to pick out good candidates. First I look up the stone on Loupe360 so I can get the best video quality. I also save the video to my camera roll so that I can move through it slowly and look for imperfections.

1. Facets take turns turning on and off as the stone spins, and facets go all the way down to the culet. You don’t want to see a block of facets go dark at the same time. Overall, the stone looks pleasing to the eye from the video.
2. There are no striations or streaks in the stone. I move through the video slowly to check all the facets.
3. The stone does not look grey, yellow or brown. Nor does it look blue, if you’re looking at HPHT stones.
4. There are no inclusions in the table/reflecting into the table. Personally that bothers me as it’s very visible.
5. I check that the table % and depth % are both around 65%, and that the crown % is above 14.5%. When I stick to this criteria I find beautiful stones.

When I’m looking for a stone, I check Ritani regularly (once or twice a day) because the inventory and pricing changes a lot! I recently purchased a 6 ct emerald cut but returned it upon previewing, because there was a small inclusion in the girdle that reflected through the table. Some may be ok with that but I find inclusions in the table to be distracting.

I wish I had seen your reply to even purchase this damn stone. Darn! Thank you for your tips.

 

[MMtwo]

So, say we start from this one:

6.01 Carat Emerald Lab Grown Diamond D Color SI1 Clarity Very Good Cut | Ritani

6.01 Carat Emerald Lab Diamond VG Cut D Color SI1 Clarity with diamond report number IGI #LG557248490

www.ritani.com

A 6 carat D SI1 that looks eye clean enough because I don’t really care for crystal clear clarity, just for obstructed light or if it poses risk of cracking.

How do I judge the cut quality from this? Or would I only be able to use an ASET in-person after having it ship to me?

I actually went through everything at Ritani for you yesterday and did not find a HPHT in stock. The emeralds have no room for distortion. "Close enough" on clarity would be okay in a round, but an emerald cut is unforgiving.

 

[bearycute]

I actually went through everything at Ritani for you yesterday and did not find a HPHT in stock. The emeralds have no room for distortion. "Close enough" on clarity would be okay in a round, but an emerald cut is unforgiving.

Im really not bothered by that stone’s clarity! I’m an antique lover, and used to accepting stones as they are. Eye clean from 12” distance at a real life size is the typical word, right?

 

[MMtwo]

Im really not bothered by that stone’s clarity! I’m an antique lover, and used to accepting stones as they are. Eye clean from 12” distance at a real life size is the typical word, right?

It is, and I am also an old cut lover. What I am concerned about is a diamond, even a VVS1, that has internal graining and never looks clean. As crazy as it sounds, they do not take graining or optical texture into account when giving clarity grades.

 

[bearycute]

Is there graining on that stone? I don’t see any, but I’m a noob to identifying any lab characteristics other than striation on larger facets. Even the smaller facets seem to escape me! And I’m also unsure if striations are obvious in real life or not, since these videos are blown up a bajillion (real number lol) times. I don’t care about choosing labs that “pass” as mined, just for something fun and sparkly to wear.

 

[MMtwo]

I can't click through now. Really, it may be fine. Your eyes can tell you when you get there. I get wanting big and sparkly!

As far as an SI1, that rating is reassuring that there usually is nothing about the stone that would cause a serious durability issue. You may see the inclusion. I recently bought a emerald cut Si1 with an occasionally visible flaw, but I just wanted a pretty step cut and sparkle Usually that's a no-no, but I picked it so it was okay by me.

I have a 2.23 that has the striations, and I can see them depending on the lighting. In a round brilliant, it is a more forgiving cut. This is why I wanted to caution about looking for them and if you could, get an HPHT that does not have that from growth. The crystals are formed like mined.

 

[MMtwo]

Here, look at the white streak. It is clear, yet shows a clear waviness. Sometimes you can't see it, sometimes it causes a silkiness.

 

[MMtwo]

Here is the hpht. You can see it may have dust on the outside, but the inside is just crystal. No inner disturbance.

And I realize this in some ways is minor, but it is a "thing".

 

[Rockdiamond]

Interesting discussion!
I can understand why @MMtwo advises HPHT.
From my viewpoint- either HPHT, or CVD can have issues. And there are amazing examples of both HPHT and CVD.
But my viewpoint includes holding the diamond in tweezers. I can check for issues in person. The rotating videos give a lot of information but have their own drawbacks- so the advise does make sense in an overall way.
I love a lot of "weird" stuff- so I hesitate to eliminate most stones based solely on the growth method.

 

[MMtwo]

Interesting discussion!
I can understand why @MMtwo advises HPHT.
From my viewpoint- either HPHT, or CVD can have issues. And there are amazing examples of both HPHT and CVD.
But my viewpoint includes holding the diamond in tweezers. I can check for issues in person. The rotating videos give a lot of information but have their own drawbacks- so the advise does make sense in an overall way.
I love a lot of "weird" stuff- so I hesitate to eliminate most stones based solely on the growth method.

I love weird stuff too A in a way, this weird inner pattern can (I think) heighten the beauty in the right light it can show a long prism on a streak effect. I think it's beautiful too. I may stare at diamonds too long. I have not noticed this in other diamonds that I have, so I think I am seeing the inner turbulence/stria at an advantage. Maybe it is common and I haven't seen it, but this weird rainbow effect shows up often under the right lighting in this diamond.

 

[Rockdiamond]

hmmm- it's impossible to say definitively from pics- but in most of the pics it looks like "fire"
In the top pic, it kind of looks like it is pixilated...not to be critical of your photography skills!
Nice pics, and nice looking stone!
I know it's really hard to capture some things.

Maybe it is common and I haven't seen it, but this weird rainbow effect shows up often under the right lighting in this diamond. I concerned an emerald cut would not be a favorable cut for the texture.

On this point: I love analogies.
My friend has a German Shepard, and it's really friendly- therefore all German Shepards are friendly....obviously, that kind of thinking can get one in trouble.
Eliminating stones based on growth type ( based on the assumption they will have a characteristic like your stone) alone will lead to some false negatives- that is to say, it might eliminate the best candidate.
I know that I eliminate at least 75% of fancy shapes in general based on cut alone. When I find one with a cut I love, and it has no graining issues, I'm not overly concerned about how it grew.
There are definitely quality grower/cutters who are committed to one or the other. Nice stones exist in both CVD and HPHT

 

[MMtwo]

hmmm- it's impossible to say definitively from pics- but in most of the pics it looks like "fire"
In the top pic, it kind of looks like it is pixilated...not to be critical of your photography skills!
Nice pics, and nice looking stone!
I know it's really hard to capture some things.


On this point: I love analogies.
My friend has a German Shepard, and it's really friendly- therefore all German Shepards are friendly....obviously, that kind of thinking can get one in trouble.
Eliminating stones based on growth type ( based on the assumption they will have a characteristic like your stone) alone will lead to some false negatives- that is to say, it might eliminate the best candidate.
I know that I eliminate at least 75% of fancy shapes in general based on cut alone. When I find one with a cut I love, and it has no graining issues, I'm not overly concerned about how it grew.
There are definitely quality grower/cutters who are committed to one or the other. Nice stones exist in both CVD and HPHT

My iPhone camera...Lord do not get me started. I just bought a Nikon to play with. I hope it ups my diamond photography game. I like taking pictures of them as much as I enjoy wearing them.

Since you see many, many stones, reassuring to hear there are good crystals of either type.