Marquise Cut Engagement Ring- Newbie Help

[clock4869]

Hey thanks for taking the time to read my post and hopefully a few will respond because i''m in dire need of help. I''ve done a lot of research online on this particular cut for my soon to be fiance. i have a general understanding of the various things to look for, but i dont know what ranges i should pick for a few categories. Please read below and hopefully you will understand

Carat: This one is straight forward i''m looking for a 1 to a 1.15 Carat stone
Height/Width Ratio: I understand this as well and am looking for a stone between 1.9 to 2.1 over 1
Color: I believe i have a good understanding of this and looking for anything that is H or better
Clarity: VS2 or better
Table: I''ve gotten various info on the internet and i''m not sure what is a good table range to be in?? Please help with this one

Depth: Same with the Table I seem to get varying levels online of what too look for. Please help with this one.

Culet: I dont understand what this one is and if it is really pertinent to pay attention to this?

Girdle: I understand that i should look for a think to thick girdle? Would you agree?
Polish: I believe good or better will be my criteria
Symmetry: Again good or better will be my criteria
Fluorescence: I understand that i can go almost any direction with fluorescence?

My price range is $6,000 or below for the loose diamond. Preferably lower, but obviously i will pay for quality. Basically i''m worried about the depth and the table because i got the impression if i screw those up even if the 4 C''s are okay i will have a diamond with minimal sparkle. I want to have a diamond that is really nice and brilliant and of great quality. I really do appreciate everyone''s time and help with my query. I apologize in advance if i have asked a question that has been previously asked or if i am posting this in the incorrect area, but i desperately need help. I would like to purchase this diamond in the next week or so and I feel these few things are incredibly important.

Thanks,

James

 

[Anthony K]

Ok first off I happen to like the Marquise shape diamond and my wife has one. As you know there are alot of factors involved in your selection, but you seem to have a pretty good idea of what you are looking for.

On your Height/width ratio I beleve you ment to say Length/Width in which case idealy I would look for 1.75-2.25 this will help with it not looking too thin or too fat.
Color: definatly no lower than H but if you can I would do F-G.
Clarity: Honstely I would look for a clean SI1 over a VS2. They will most likley look the same but the SI will save you money.
Table: 54%-61.5% of diameter is again idealy the range I would stay in.
Depth: 59%-63% of diameter will be the best range. Just like with the table you should stay in this range to help minimize light leakage.
Culet: This is the bottom point of the Diamond. Sometimes they will cut it so it is flat but this will effect light return, so I would recomend for culet none (which means it comes to a point)

I would recomend always looking at the diamond in person, I am not a big fan of internet sales, so go to a local jewelry store and start looking at some loose diamonds.

Hope this help you and just ask if you have anymore questions.

Anthony K

 

[ladykemma]

may i recommend the book by renee newman. title is diamond ring something or other.

she has pictures of good marquises and bad marquises and what to look for.

 

[clock4869]

Thank you both for the info it was really very helpful. I plan now to go to some jewlers to ask in the ranges that you had specified, Anthony. I do have a copule of additional questions.

Girdle: What should i look for as far as Girdle is concerned?

Fluorescence: Is fluorescence a concern?

thanks again for both of the responses especially yous Anthony it gives me a good idea of what to look for.

 

[JulieN]

Medium girdle is always best; thin is not so good because of chance of chipping the tips. I am not overly concerned with thicker girdles in fancies, as long as it faces up correctly for it's carat weight.

The AGA cut chart: http://diamonds.pricescope.com/fnc3.asp If the numbers fall into class 2A or something, though, it isn't something to worry about as long as you like the stone. 1A-2B are good numbers.

Flouresence is not a concern as long as it is not yellow or very strong; other than that, it is personal preference.

 

[clock4869]

Sorry to ask again about the girdle, but i''m confused. I went to a website just to check on a diamond and how much it should be based on what i''m looking for so that when i go to a jewlery store i can feel more confident about what others are selling diamonds for. Anyway when looking at girdles it says things like thin to very thick on one diamond or very thin to very thick on a different diamond. That is confusing me a little bit. Is it thin or thick? if one diamond is very thin to very thick should i assume that means a medium? I understand this is probably an inane question, but hopefully all of you will feel pity for this newbie and help me out

Thanks in advance for all the great help.

 

[JulieN]

The first designation is the thinnest part, and the last designation is thickest part. Don't try to average the words.

 

[clock4869]

I see so as long as the thinnest part says medium i should be okay? so a medium to a thick would seem an okay choice for a marquise?

 

[JulieN]

Hmm, ok, it is a little tricky.

Thin can represent a durability issue if it is near the tips, but not so much if it is near the bulge.

In a perfect world, the girdle would be medium.

But it''s hard enough to find pretty marquises, it seems, and if the thinnest part were thin, it would be ok with me, but preferably not near the tips...



RockDoc says in reply to mre:
Date: 7/29/2006 7:33:50 PM
Author: mre
Thanks for the feedback, but maybe I should rephrase my question. Is there a minimum girdle thickness that you wouldn''t go below because it would make the diamond especially susceptible to chipping?

It depends a lot on the shape of the stone. For rounds, I''d say slightly thin, is the red light, where you need to get the stone personally inspected. In reports of mm. measurement less than 0.7 might be the threshold. But the thickness of the girdle is just one consideration. If the stone has shallow crown angles, that needs to be considered as well, along with any inclusions etc. Sometimes the orientation of the cleavage planes to the cutting can also be a factor. Sometimes after the stone is cut this is or is not discernable.

For fancy shapes the location and the area is critical. But I''d also mention that lab reports are sometimes incorrect.
Currently, there is a princess stone I am checking out and on the lab report it does note extremely thin. In examining the stone the girdle is straight, even and there is not any extremely thin area of it.

In a princess for instance, if the center of one of the sides is extremely thin, it is not a serious as it is if the area where it is extremely thin if at one of the points of it.

Rockdoc

consumersgemlab.com

 

[clock4869]

I see. That is tricky i will have to ensure that i look at the points. I appreciate all the help and although i may ask more questions all of your answers have been great.

V/r

 

[Anthony K]

Sorry it has taken me so long to reply to you, but I am still at work. As far as the girdle is concerned I would personally chose one that is Thin-Med, or Med-Thick but that’s me. However on florescence I would make sure it had none.

Hope that helps.

Anthony K