Need advice on cushion cut diamond

[noahsi]

Hi all! I have been browsing around these forums for a few days and have found the discussions here to be extremely helpful, so thank you so much for that! I am getting close to pulling the trigger on what looked to me to be a beautiful 1.71ct F / VS2 cushion cut diamond - actually according to the GIA report it is actually an old mine brilliant cut, and has a cool vintagey look to it. Wanted to ask the experts here if they could take a quick glance and let me know if anything seems obviously off - the salesman was referred to me by a friend which lends him some credence. There are some small clouds just under the table, but they were impossible to see with the naked eye so I don't think this should be a big issue. I will say that I am amazed at the range of clarity specs out there as I have seen some terrible VS1's and some amazing looking SI2's - but I guess that just goes to show that you have to see the stone in person. I will say that this diamond appeals to me because it looked "big" for its weight, and the depth / table still seem to be in a good zone for cut quality, but would appreciate your thoughts. Also, I was not entirely clear on what it meant that the "crown angles are greater than 40 degrees" - any clarity on this would be much appreciated Also, what is your opinion on the price ($14,500)? Thanks so much for the help!

Specs:

1.71ct

7.3 X 7.15 X 4.65 mm

F color

VS2 clarity

excellent polish / very good symmetry

65.1% depth / 52% table

asking price: $14,500

 

[bigdiamondtinygal]

Hi there and welcome! It is very hard to judge cushions on specs alone. Do you have photos of the stone or can you request them from the vendor and post here? Do you have an ASET image? If not, request one from the vendor and post here too. You're likely to get more responses that way.

 

[Haven]

Ooh yes, we need pictures!

I have an OMB myself and I love it.

 

[noahsi]

Hi BDTG and Haven -

Really appreciate the quick responses! I do not currently have any pics of the diamond but I will ask the vendor for some. He said it is going out w/ his sales guy this week (today / tom / thurs) so I would expect he could get one to my by Friday. I did ask for an ASET last week and he responded that he had never heard of it and did not know what it was. Do you guys know what the crown angles greater than 40 degrees means and if this is important - or is it like everything else on the cushions, a case by case basis?

 

[Haven]

Hopefully a cushion expert will chime in, but regarding the crown angles greater than 40 degrees: I do know that this is one of the four criteria GIA uses to give a stone the OMB designation. You can read more about that here: https://www.pricescope.com/journal/new_gia_and_agsl_naming_conventions_cushion_cut_diamonds

I don't know how that translates into optics, I'd love for an expert to speak to that, but you can rest assured that it is apparently a characteristic that gives a stone the antique cushion quality that I imagine you are looking for if you're considering an OMB.

 

[noahsi]

Thanks for the advice guys - here is a picture, it is a little dark but it is the best I could get....

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Oh, looks like a nice one! I'd get the price down, though!

 

[bigdiamondtinygal]

Looks like a pretty stone! But it is a really dark photo. Is there any way you can get the vendor to shoot a short video of the stone for you with better lighting? This will probably give a much better idea of how the stone looks and performs than that photo.

 

[maplefemme]

It's looks really nice! Would you say that in person the stone is less dark than your pic of it?
Hopefully the vendor can send you some better pics on Friday with better lighting, but from first impressions and specs, I really like it.

 

[noahsi]

Thanks for the positive comments everyone! I don't think I will be able to get a video or any other pictures of it as I believe it was taken w/ a cell phone camera - and with all of the questions I have been emailing him I think he might be getting a bit annoyed with me....In person I would say the stone is much less dark / more sparkly than the picture suggests - I am going to see it again on Friday (my mom is actually flying up for the day to give advice, hah) and to make a final decision. I agree on the price that it is a little high - I would estimate that something like $13,000 is a fair price for that stone but I am not sure how to try to get it lower since he already said the first time I went that he doesn't like to "play games" and that the price he offers is the price and that is about it.... any advice on that?

 

[noahsi]

Just wanted to update the forum - I bought the ring and actually proposed last weekend (and of course, she said yes!)

Actually I wound up going with a different stone from a different shop (diamond scene in nyc on 47th street - they were great / professional and easy to deal with, highly recommended) but overall it is similar to the one I posted. I wound up getting a 1.72ct cushion cut g / si1 but interestingly enough this si1 looked better than a lot of vs's that I saw, so it goes to show how subjective the clarity ratings are. The diamond I ended up going with had 2 small and clear clouds in a corner and that was really about it.

Have attached a picture on her finger below - she loved it!!!

 

[Cehrabehra]

congratulations!! Enjoy your engagement!