Looking for a 1 carat Princess!

[ten_anniv]

Hi All,

I was hoping to get some help in picking a diamond for my wife on our 10th wedding anniversary.

I know that she likes the Princess cut, and so am looking for a 1 carat Princess cut diamond to have set in a ring.

Essentially, I'd like to keep the price of the ring within $6000 - and would like an Ideal cut diamond with the best color and clarity in this budget. I'd like to allocate the bulk of the budget to the diamond and will likely pick a simple setting for it.

What would my best options be? I've taken a peek at the inventories of Whiteflash and James Allen and see a few that come up within my budget/criteria, but was hoping to get some better options from the experts here on Pricescope.

Your help is appreciated!

Thank you

 

[slg47]

Here are some options...

0.946 carat
http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/princess-cut-loose-diamond-2594763.htm

1.01 carat (request ASET)
http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/H-VS1-Good-Cut-Princess-Diamond-1356870.asp
1.21 carat (request ASET)
http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/H-VS1-Good-Cut-Princess-Diamond-1382123.asp

ETA
1.03 ct
http://goodoldgold.com/diamond/8124/

AGS0 from blue nile
http://www.bluenile.com/diamond-search?pt=setform#diamonds_pid=LD02020320

 

[stone-cold11]

This looks good.

http://goodoldgold.com/diamond/8124/

 

[ten_anniv]

thank you so much for the quick replies!

slg47, those look like great options, thanks.

stone cold - what makes you pick the good old gold stone as the winner vs. the other ideal cut from whiteflash? is it purely size or do you see something more in the numbers? just trying to get some insight thx!

 

[stone-cold11]

Nothing really, just basing on your specs.

 

[ten_anniv]

Thx Stone Cold.

Does anyone see any issue with the table % here? It is 50.18%, whereas ideally it should be somewhere between 62%-68%, correct?

Just wondering whether there is a better stone out there for me?

Once again, any help at all would be appreciated. Thank you!

 

[slg47]

nothing wrong with the smaller table...some prefer smaller table.

 

[stone-cold11]

Ditto. Table is actually about 60% from the AGS report. Input error on the part of GOG on their website.

 

[Gypsy]

How adventurous are you?

I ran across this looking for old cuts. I like this seller and feel he's very honest. So... if you are willing to take a small risk...Leo princesses are beautiful and cut to exacting standards. It's worth the gamble (there is a return policy)... and you could have it shipped directly to an appraiser. I'd best offer at 3,400 and see what the seller says. That would leave you with a nice budget for a setting.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/BEAUTIFUL-PRICESS-LEO-CUT-DIAMOND-98CTS-SI-1-H-/370500991092?pt=Loose_Diamonds&hash=item5643947874

 

[ten_anniv]

haha, very risk averse when it comes to online diamond purchases gypsy!! that does look like a gorgeous diamond, but after all the ebay horror stories i've heard, i will pass.

thanks for pointing out the table error stone cold.

question for slg47 (or anyone else who'd like to respond!): we know that cut is king when it comes to light return and performance of diamonds. is there any reason that you listed some 'good' cuts in your original suggestions? is cut more of a factor with RB's only? or did you include 'good' cuts because of my budget? curious to know.

thank you!

 

[slg47]

because 'good' is a label provided by the vendor and does not necessarily indicate that the stone is cut poorly. many AGS0s fall into the 'good' cut range at JA. JA even recommends looking at good/premium cut for fancies.

 

[ten_anniv]

v interesting - thx for clarifying slg47!

out of the ones you posted, would you recommend the good old gold diamond the most as well, or is there another winner in your eyes? i'd like to get a few discriminating views before making the final purchase.

thank you again!

 

[slg47]

I think the GOG one looks great...it is 1 carat and within your budget! I would probably pick that one because GOG provides so much information

 

[jstarfireb]

Yup, vendor cut grades are based solely on numbers and not light performance. Numbers tell a good bit of the story for rounds but not much for fancy cuts.

As for my preference, I think I prefer the facet patterning on the one from GOG so far. That's just my personal preference. I like the shape and size of the table better than the others. Plus, it's a VS2, which would be good for me since I like to stay above SI1 (but again, that's my personal preference, and to many people here, there's nothing wrong with an eye-clean SI1). It's also above 1ct, but you could argue the opposite way and say get the WF one because you save money by being under 1 ct.

But I've gotta say that the 1.21 H from JA could give it a run for its money, since it's larger for less money, and it looks very well-cut. I would ask JA for an ASET on it and compare that to the WF and JA ones.

So here's what I think...first of all, my #1 pick, all things considered, is the GOG one. But if budget is a big concern (did she fall in love with an expensive setting, for example?), the WF one is a really good buy because it's an eye-clean SI1 (all of their ACA diamonds are eye-clean) and juuuuuuuuust under 1 ct. And if you're OK with a stone that doesn't have the AGS ideal designation or a pedigree like ACA or GOG signature, check out that 1.21 from JA, and you could get a bigger stone for less.