Need help comparing 2 princess cut J color stones

[allanfan]

Hi, I've been searching around for a couple weeks now, and I'm narrowing down to 2 stones at this point. Would love to see what you guys think of these 2 stones. Both stones are eye-clean according to the seller gemologist.


Option 1 - AGS Stone:

2.00 CT, J, SI1, AGS0 Cut

Certificate: http://www.agslab.com/pdf_sync_reports/104058935006-PGR.PDF
Actual stone picture, IS & ASET images: https://plus.google.com/photos/110119836091135094682/albums/5769189749245721697?authkey=CO6L7oey7KbvBg

After PS/wire discount, about $12K.


Option 2 - GIA Stone:

2.02 CT, J, VS2, Very Good Cut

Certificate: https://myapps.gia.edu/ReportCheckPortal/getReportData.do?&reportno=6147810645&weight=2.02
Actual stone picture, ASET images: https://plus.google.com/photos/110119836091135094682/albums/5769204174339586289?authkey=CNqRra3k-9DndA

After PS/wire discount, about $11K.


I have 2 main questions:

1. Which ASET image is better?
I'm not quite sure what to take from the 2 ASET images. The AGS stone looks more symmetric, but there are more red in the GIA stone. Also, the IS image for the AGS stone looks very good, but the ASET image looks much worse.

2. Is AGS J color a problem?
Seems the consensus is AGS J is more like GIA K. I have not seen the actual stone, and my gf does not like yellow setting. So, I'll prob go with a white gold setting regardless. Is this going to be a problem?

Also, what do you guys think of the price, is either of this a good value?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Christina...]

The ASET of both stones look good to me, however I'm not an expert. However I think that I would choose the AGS stone, because I like the smaller table, I think that a large table on a princess cut can result in glare. And I like the fact that AGS has already graded the stones LP. It's also larger than the GIA. I know that there has been discussion about the color grading differences between AGS and GIA, and I think that color is a larger issue in princess cuts because they tend to hold body color in their corners, it's hard to say if you will notice a difference between the two labs, you would have to see them both to compare. My gut would be for the AGS0.

 

[JulieN]

The consensus is not that AGS J=GIA K....

The ASETs are about the same. The pavilion faceting, however, is very different; this is something best appreciated in person. Can you have both sent to you and return the other?

 

[allanfan]

The consensus is not that AGS J=GIA K....

I thought general consensus is AGS color grade is too loose, no?

 

[JulieN]

Color grading is subjective. There is no consensus, and it is nowhere like AGS J = GIA K. That is more like EGL grading.

 

[tyty333]

My preference would be for the first stone (AGS). The faceting pattern on the GIA stone is just too busy for me. I also
perfer smaller tables...less glare.

 

[jstarfireb]

Regarding J color in a princess, it will most likely be visible from the pavilion view and possibly from the face-up view. I usually tell people to go no farther than I in a princess if you want a white stone. Even the slight tint of the side view of my I bothers me from time to time, and I'm very minimally color-sensitive. So it depends on you and your comfort level. A well-cut J will still be beautiful, and sometimes color is just what you have to sacrifice to get an eye-clean, well cut stone of the size you want. It's what I had to sacrifice too. I would consider putting it in a setting that covers a lot of the pavilion view, because the color is going to be most apparent from the sides.

Regarding AGS vs. GIA for color, it's true that there's no actual consensus. Some people here have said AGS grades maybe 1/2 a grade looser on color and 1/2 a grade tighter on clarity, but many feel that it's exactly on par with GIA. Certainly there's no controversy that AGS grades more tightly on cut, though.

As for the comparison of the 2 stones, I would take the AGS one hands-down. It's not even a question for me. The optical symmetry of the AGS stone blows the GIA one out of the water. The asymmetry in the ASET (look at the excess of green under the table toward the left of the stone) is quite apparent in the photo (although it's now oriented toward the top of the stone). I also prefer a smaller table and fewer chevrons, like the AGS one.

 

[allanfan]

Thanks a lot for all the comments.

What about the price? Does 12K sounds reasonable for the AGS stone?

 

[jstarfireb]

I'm not well-versed on the pricing of larger stones, but I'm bumping your thread so maybe someone else can help with that. It sounds like a good price to me, but I don't have anything to back that up.

 

[ndirish19]

Just to give you an idea of price for what you get, I just purchased an AGS0 2 carat diamond on BN. It was an H color, SI1 clarity, and everything else looks to be about the same as yours. I paid $17,860 for that one. Hopefully, that gives you some idea since the carat and cut were the same...

 

[jstarfireb]

Just to give you an idea of price for what you get, I just purchased an AGS0 2 carat diamond on BN. It was an H color, SI1 clarity, and everything else looks to be about the same as yours. I paid $17,860 for that one. Hopefully, that gives you some idea since the carat and cut were the same...

At this size range, 2 color grades command a significant increase in price. The difference between the OP's stone and this one is probably related to that. I think you both got pretty competitive prices!

 

[ariel144]

I like the smaller table on the AGS stone too.

did you see this Solasfera J on GOG? Maybe he will do a video for you. Solasfera's are cut deep so it does not face up as large as the 2c stones you found.

Call for price:

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/9235/