Need advice on GIA rating, antique cushion cut, please help!

[Mira6]

Hi everyone

I've been a lurker on this forum for past 1 year. And have been enjoying myself ever since. To think that I didn't even bother with a ring at time of my wedding since I didn't care for Jewelry. Haha My interest in Jewelry took some develop and I've been egged on by my husband to go ahead with a ring .. As per usual. This is now my project and the amount of information in this forum is seriously something !

Having said that, because of the sheer amount of detail, I've now reached a stage of confusion. I've been reading on cushion cuts, and facets etc and it's become way too technical for me, it would be great if I can get some help from you on customising my ring.

I'm looking for Tiffany legacy inspired, some other elements of a Cartier ring too not sure of as now, and am primarily talking to dealers for buying a cushion cut stone. Im confused as to what GIA details I should ideally be looking for to have a proper vintage cut , which has more pronounced facets and shines more, which is what I've read on this forum. I see that GIA standards lists most cushion cuts as modified brilliant, and I've recently got details from a vendor for a GIA Modified cushion brilliant.

But when I saw the facet details for this diamond, they seemed to reflect information available on the for a diamond seemed to match the information available on the internet for a cushion brilliant instead, hence my confusion.

I guess my main questions are -

1. Is this stone and GIA details I've been provided put me on the right track, or alternately, what should I keep in mind looking for a vintage stone which suits best for a Tiffany legacy setting. My grading options are GIA only. I love the vintage style of the legacy ring, but I would definitely want my diamond to shine no matter where and what ! I have dainty hands And a very busy lifestyle so a carat Should do.

2. I've read that a platinum setting affects the shine of a diamond. This is why most diamond vendors are telling me, but I see that most international jewellers continue to use platinum setting. Am I missing something here ? Would you recommend white gold or platinum versus the other considering I want my diamond to be shiny

Please let me know if you need more information from me. Looking forward to your responses , and appreciate any help I get ! [*]

 

[farrahlyn]

Re: Need advice on GIA rating, antique cushion cut, please h

i'm a little bit confused at what you want. Is that particular stone an antique cushion? No, it's not. Do you want a truly antique/vintage stone? Because for an antique stone, you could go a few different ways. LAD or JBG for a truly antique cushion. Good Old Gold or Victor Canera for a precision cut cushion in the vintage style. Depends on budget, really. Are you limiting yourself to a particular vendor for some reason? It's not everyone that can source a nice antique cushion.

 

[Mira6]

Re: Need advice on GIA rating, antique cushion cut, please h

Thanks for the response ! I guess I do sound confused

I'm just looking to buy a diamond with specifications, that would be most suitable for Tiffany legacy type setting. I read on this forum that the vintage and antique cuts are best for that setting, so I wanted to know what kind of GIA specifications I should look out for , any indications etc, to make sure that I don't buy something which would look odd with the kind of setting I've set my mind on.

I don't actually stay in the US , so il be sourcing the stone from my home country.. vintage is not that big here. In fact it's frowned upon, which is why it's difficult for me to have any idea when speaking to the vendor . And explaining the kind of diamond I'm looking for. Obviously these guys assure me that they can do this type of setting, but I don't want to be duped.

What did you think of this stone btw ? Is it a good quality one ?

 

[Rockdiamond]

Re: Need advice on GIA rating, antique cushion cut, please h

HI Mira,
IN terms of which diamond is "best" for a given setting, that's very subjective. Many of our PS members love the antique look. AS far as your inspiration, the "Blue Box" store generally carries modern style cushions
IN terms of what constitutes a true antique cushion, or a modern reproduction: Generally you want to look for a Cushion Brilliant, or Old Mine Brilliant.

The diamond you've posted is a Cushion Modified Brilliant- although there are a few CMB's that have the antique look, the picture you posted is not one of them.

 

[rubybeth]

Re: Need advice on GIA rating, antique cushion cut, please h

Do you have to use a vendor in your country? I would trust any of the regular Pricescope vendors to get you what you want, and some may have a Tiffany Legacy-style setting in stock. I'd have the same vendor get the stone and make the setting, if possible.

Also, I don't really understand the question about platinum and the diamond "shine." The metal type won't affect the "shine" of the diamond, though the setting style might--but a halo like you're talking about should be totally fine in either white gold or platinum. Most people here would go for platinum due to it's properties (doesn't get polished away, wears well) but I personally prefer white gold since I like that the rhodium wears away and it gets a warmer color over time.

 

[arkieb1]

Re: Need advice on GIA rating, antique cushion cut, please h

Look at www.victorcanera.com - you sound confused so that is why I am recommending him for an easy option for you, go for a newly cut, perfectly cut Antique Canera cushion put into one of Victor's halos, they are better made and nicer looking IMHO than the Tiffany ones and I've been into Tiffany and compared them. If you don't want that ask him if he has or to find you a well cut modern cushion. I don't know who told you the B/S story about platinum dulling a diamond. A crap cut or a stone full of inclusions dulls a diamond not the metal you set it into unless you don't clean it regularly and then regardless of the metal the stone will look dull from dirt & grime.

 

[Mira6]

Re: Need advice on GIA rating, antique cushion cut, please h

Hi , thanks to all for your responses.

I guess I should clarify that buying from the US is not really an option for me, I see that the understanding as to what constitutes an antique cushion seems to be much more developed there, as compared to where I am from, but doing this offshore would just be impossible. For instance, the customs duty would kill me! And I'm not willing to waste any vacation time I have in the US, perhaps end of this year or later, over a diamond. I do draw the line somewhere

Another reason is I'm from India, and diamond prices here are significantly cheaper here than abroad, especially the US. This may be because most of the cutting, polishing etc takes place at wholesale markets, and you can get a great deal if you buy from distributors directly, which is what I'm doing, but ya they sell whatever is selling fast, and that unfortunately is the cushion modified brilliant

I'm saw some videos of Old is gold (one of the vendors here), and see that even a cushion brilliant diamond can have that crushed ice, look. and it actually depends on the light reflected by the diamond and the facets. So I guess I'm looking to see if there any indications from a GIA report / photo to see whether a particular diamond would look good with the tiffany legacy style setting. Seeing the diamond in person is not an option here unfortunately, I mean I cannot stress how casually people buy diamonds here, they simply don't care as long as its big and shiny, and vendors are used to that behavior! I on the other hand am looking for something that appeals to me, which I feel now will take more effort!

@rockdiamond - thanks for your tip! Yes, since then I've been trying to read up on what to look for in a cushion brilliant GIA report to get some perspective

@rubybeth - thanks so much for your response! I did some reading later, and see that this specific vendor was just talking crap. I think platinum is more expensive and also kind of gets old looking soon, as it wears off more, which is why she was recommending otherwise, it seems to have nothing to do with quality of the diamond however.

@arkie1 - Saw this designer's rings, Oh my god wow, they are just incredible. and so are the prices I might just pick something from him when I'm in new york next, but for now, an Indian vendor would have to do.