My 4ct princess cut- what should I compromise on clarity or color?

[samanthalee]

I found a couple of diamonds I am looking at-both princess cuts-
3.87 E Si1 for around 57K
3.65 E VS2 for around 65K

then i have one that is a 3.6 VS2 I for 57K from Fred Cuellar, but he says it is a hard I and is really like a H in reality, because the GIA grading is so weak-

does anyone have an opinion on my ROCK?

not familiar with a SI- and i am not sure if that is very different from a VS .
And I guess- how do you tell if it is cut nicely? Is it just by visualizing the stone?
Thanks for your advice.

I don''t know what I would do without you guys.

 

[Sparkalicious]

My vote is for color b/c, in my opinion, color is more readily apparent than clarity, thus I would rather invest my money in something I will actually "see" and appreciate versus something I will not likely be able to view under normal viewing conditions.

With regards to clarity VS2 is a really good compromise ... You are not paying for the premium for a VVS, however, you are still achieving "eye-cleanliness". SI1 or SI2, is the best deal going, IF you are fortunate enough to find one that has well placed inclusions that are not visible, unless, of course, you are examining the diamond closely or using a loupe etc.

Without considering specs, other than those already posted, I would say go for the 3.87 E SI1 if you are able to confirm that it is definitely "eye-clean" to your satisfaction ... If not, the 3.65 E VS2 is the one!

What a fabulous diamond size! I''m sure whatever you select will be lovely ... can''t wait to see it.

 

[jewelerman]

From the information given i would go with the e color 3.87 as long as it is a true si1.If you can not see inclusions with the eye than go with size and color...you didnt mention cut and if you get the sparkle that this forum expects...good luck on the choice...57-65k is alot so please make sure to read and study and ask a lot of questions before investing in your diamond...invest when you are ready and make sure that the store has a generous return policy so you can get the stone looked at by an impartial party after the sale.

 

[nolimits]

I wouldn't skimp on the color either. You'll notice a big difference between E and H/I color. And I'd have no whims about taking an SI1 as long as it's "eye clean" which just means you can't see inclusions with the naked eye.

Oh yeah, here is a link so you can learn more about clarity:

http://diamonds.pricescope.com/clarity.asp

 

[samanthalee]

Thank you so so much. It makes sense now that I step back a bit. It makes a lot of sense that the color will be noticable.
I will do just that and pay for color.

I guess as far as cut, I have to just see which one is more brilliant. When I read about girdle it says to pick one that is medium, I am assuming that one that is too thin or too thick would not return a lot of brilliance. If I have to lean toward thick or thin, which one should I pick?
Cut is hard to tell from what I read, you just have to see how it shines? right?

I welcome any of your suggestions.

Hey, guys just so you know, will not forget your kind honest feedback. I''m trying to pretend this is fun- but it aint!

 

[Sparkalicious]

Date: 1/16/2008 12:34:36 AM
Author: samanthalee
Thank you so so much. It makes sense now that I step back a bit. It makes a lot of sense that the color will be noticable.
I will do just that and pay for color.

I guess as far as cut, I have to just see which one is more brilliant. When I read about girdle it says to pick one that is medium, I am assuming that one that is too thin or too thick would not return a lot of brilliance. If I have to lean toward thick or thin, which one should I pick?
Cut is hard to tell from what I read, you just have to see how it shines? right?

I welcome any of your suggestions.

Hey, guys just so you know, will not forget your kind honest feedback. I''m trying to pretend this is fun- but it aint!

No prob, Sammy! Happy to help or at least share my opinions.

With regards to cut, unfortunately, I don''t know a lot about princess shape, however, when I was researching my round brilliant, I stumbled across this website that I found really informative and helpful re: the 4 C''s, in general, and "ideal" cut requirements, in particular.

Here is a link if you would like to check it out. There is a ton of info about color and clarity as well. Happy reading!

 

[lisaC]

before you do anything else why don''t you do a search on this site for Fred Cuellar.
Next you could have a look at Dave Atlas''s site he has a chart outlining what combinations could potentially be a beautiful stone.
You can look up his posts his screen name is oldminer.
Only you can decide what colour range appeals to you and as long as the inclusions aren''t glaringly obvious...
good luck

 

[Kaleigh]

Date: 1/16/2008 12:39:37 AM
Author: lisaC
before you do anything else why don''t you do a search on this site for Fred Cuellar.
Next you could have a look at Dave Atlas''s site he has a chart outlining what combinations could potentially be a beautiful stone.
You can look up his posts his screen name is oldminer.
Only you can decide what colour range appeals to you and as long as the inclusions aren''t glaringly obvious...
good luck

Ditto to all.

 

[Sparkalicious]

Found this tutorial on PS ... Here''s another link for you to check out.

Also, especially considering the significant nature of your particular diamond purchase, you may not just want to rely on Cut, Clarity, Color & Carat weight for your decision ... You may want to inquire with the vendor you are dealing with about whether or not they are able to provide you with Ideal scope and ASET images. These, in addition to the other specs, should really assist you with identifying "how" the diamond you are considering will perform.

If you would like to know more about these tools or about how important cut is vs. clarity and color etc, you may want to click the Knowledge link on the PS toolbar above ... there''s tons of info that you should find helpful.

 

[QD Rocks]

Hi,

I would stick to D-F SI1 GIA this will be no problem and should be eye clean, i think you should focus on the cut of the stone rather
than the weight. Just look for an ideal depth to maximise brilliance and spread.

Also ratio is a factor if you are looking at stones online. so always looks at the mm stone size

Kind Regards

Paul

Kind

 

[samanthalee]

My sister''s ring is always brilliant always shinning. It''s a 1.2 princess cut F, VS1, and it always looks fabulous-

What makes a ring cloudy? What makes it shine so much? She never cleans it and it always looks fabulous. Some women just have rings that shine more than others.

Any thoughts?

For mine I will definetely look at the depth- for the brilliance and shine. Thanks

 

[Sparkalicious]

Date: 1/16/2008 2:25:04 PM
Author: samanthalee
My sister''s ring is always brilliant always shinning. It''s a 1.2 princess cut F, VS1, and it always looks fabulous-

What makes a ring cloudy? What makes it shine so much? She never cleans it and it always looks fabulous. Some women just have rings that shine more than others.

Any thoughts?

For mine I will definetely look at the depth- for the brilliance and shine. Thanks

Sammy -- if you refer to the link I included for you in one of my above posts, you will see the "ideal" specification range for a princess shape diamond.

It shows the following ... these are the numbers you should see reflected on the certification for any diamonds you are considering ...

Total depth = 65 - 80 %
Table% = 65 - 80%
Girdle Thickness = Very Thin - Thick
Culet = None - Medium
Polish - Excellent
Symmetry - Excellent
Fluorescence = None to Faint
Length to width ratio - 1.0 - 1.4 to 1

What makes a diamond cloudy is a poor cut and/or large, plentiful or visible inclusions. What makes a diamond shine brilliantly is a superior or ideal cut.

I hope this helps to clarify.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 1/16/2008 2:25:04 PM
Author: samanthalee
My sister's ring is always brilliant always shinning. It's a 1.2 princess cut F, VS1, and it always looks fabulous-

What makes a ring cloudy? What makes it shine so much? She never cleans it and it always looks fabulous. Some women just have rings that shine more than others.

Any thoughts?

For mine I will definetely look at the depth- for the brilliance and shine. Thanks

Samantha, use the numbers as a guide only, they don't tell the whole story with Princess cuts. Use your own eyes and also aids such as ASET are very useful if buying online. If you find a diamond you love which falls out of suggested ranges for the numbers, then don't let that put you off.

See this page for ASET info https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/why-we-prefer-aset-to-ideal-scope-with-fancy-shapes.73949/

 

[Regular Guy]

Date: 1/17/2008 5:00:02 AM
Author: Lorelei

Date: 1/16/2008 2:25:04 PM
Author: samanthalee
My sister''s ring is always brilliant always shinning. It''s a 1.2 princess cut F, VS1, and it always looks fabulous-

What makes a ring cloudy? What makes it shine so much? She never cleans it and it always looks fabulous. Some women just have rings that shine more than others.

Any thoughts?

For mine I will definetely look at the depth- for the brilliance and shine. Thanks

Samantha, use the numbers as a guide only, they don''t tell the whole story with Princess cuts. Use your own eyes and also aids such as ASET are very useful if buying online. If you find a diamond you love which falls out of suggested ranges for the numbers, then don''t let that put you off.

See this page for ASET info https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/why-we-prefer-aset-to-ideal-scope-with-fancy-shapes.73949/

Sam, I mentioned this in my other post, also.

Start here.