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Need Help finding Princess Cut Diamond for engagement ring

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WirelessRoute

Rough_Rock
Joined
Apr 30, 2006
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Need help finding a diamond to fit the engagement ring I am getting
With so many diamonds out there its confusing. I was told the cut is the most important part but just confused on how to determince the cut is the best based on the GIA or AGS report

I Looking for an ideal Princess cut diamond under 3K (Diamond Alone)
I would like something as close to 1 Ct as it can be
Color D to F
IF to SI1

Most importantly the appearance of the diamond must be eye clean

Is there any thing else I should look for ?
How about the Polish and Symmetry on the Report...How important are they?
 
are you looking to buy online?

id/ex/vg for sym and polish

girdle should be thin-slt thick. No slt thin or extra thin. Thick is ok, but less preferable.
 
Yes looking to buy online or locally if I can get/find the right diamond

So look for ID, EX or VG for Polish and Symmetry then?
 
Yes. I''m not saying discount "good," it would have to be a case by case basis.
 
Just looking over at James Allen for you... are you absolutely SURE about the D, E, F color restriction? With your budget you'd get a lot closer to 1 carat if you would consider near colorless... at least G (not that I found anything at Jamesallen in a G either) but H would better if you really want close to a carat ... But an eye clean, perfectlycut, 1 carat, colorless princess is going to be very hard to find for under 3 grand. You might have to prioritize color over size or vice versa.

This is the best I could do at jamesallen for you. (Julie or another expert with numbers will have to tell you if the numbers are right for this stone. I'm not up on princess #'s)
 
You know, once upon a time I knew that about princess girdles (we looked at princesses)... but it just fell out of my brain one day (seems to happen with alarming regularity as I get older). This is why I leave the numbers and specs to the guru''s.
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Ok so whats more imporant the Symetry or Polish?

Would we rate AGS or GIA better for Indpendent Labs?
Do both or either have the Laser Etched Number on diamond that matches report?

Was checking this one out > http://www.jamesallen.com/diamond.asp?cid=131&item=824194
Anythoughts?
 
It''s nice. Very nice. With a nice girdle too.
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And it''s almost square, always a bonus.

But um... honestly? Personally??? I would rather have a larger (.9-.99) G eye clean SI. Something as close to 6mm in l/w as possible.

Princesses are brilliant cuts, when well cut they face up whiter than they are and inclusions are harder to spot on well cut brilliant cut.

If you were going for a step cut, I''d say it''s perfect. But with a brilliant cut like a princess I really think you can get bigger bang for your buck if you keep looking.
 
Date: 5/14/2006 11:10:45 PM
Author: WirelessRoute
Ok so whats more imporant the Symetry or Polish? There's not really a difference you can see with the naked eye between EX and VG

Would we rate AGS or GIA better for Indpendent Labs? AGS is slightly stricter than GIA. Also, AGS has a light performance grading standard, while GIA doesn't.
Do both or either have the Laser Etched Number on diamond that matches report? Some have it, some don't. Depends on whoever sent it out to get the lab report

Was checking this one out > http://www.jamesallen.com/diamond.asp?cid=131&item=824194
Anythoughts? Princesses are just impossible to judge by numbers. The best you can do if all you have is numbers is weed things out in order to increase your CHANCES of picking something good, but you could have thrown a lot of good stones away and STILL end up with a dog. I do know that the one you picked is far too good to be true. A G/H VS2 .85 AGS-0 costs about 3K, so if you have a .8 D VS2 for 3K, you can guess that the cut is lacking. Cut is 40-50% of a diamond's price.
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Hi,

I am also looking for a princess diamond around the 1 carat mark. Initially I was looking only for D-F and IF-VS2, but after a LOT of education from this forum etc, and actually comparing loose stones for colour and clarity, I am now aiming for a G in the SI range. I found that the colour difference was so minimal, and I could only tell when I compared them side by side. In general life, it''s gonna look nice and white! I was also crap at finding the inclusions with a loupe, even in the SI range. So for me, I don''t want to pay for what I can''t see!

I would suggest, like others have, looking in the G range and focus on the SI range as well. That way you can get a larger diamond for you $$$. Make sure that the spread is reasonable also, you don''t want it appearing smaller than the actual carat weight.

That''s what I prefer anyway, as long as it''s cut well you can get great diamonds for a reasonable price!

Good luck!
 
hey guys, i recently bought my princess diamond and ended up with this:

144939767_21bf2f1dc7_b.jpg


it was something smaller than i initially wanted but the loose diamond itself was so sparkly and had great fire that i couldn't resist. i compared it with other princess cuts G and H in color and VS2 and SI1 in clarity. all the diamonds i saw were eye clean. i chose this one because of the specs and the fact that it was not only eye clean but it was very clean and the blemishes are in areas not noticeable at all.

after it was mounted it was even shinier. the setting enhances the diamond some more. my broker compared it with other G's and H's and those were shinier than the loose diamond itself. infact, pronged up gives the illusion of bigger too, especially with a thin band.

i'm happy with mine but now i think about it, i could have gotten something just as eye clean, nearly as brilliant, but a diamond around 6.00mm in length/width.

the ultimate question becomes, if you want something closer to 1 carat, what are you willing to forego? i agree with everyone else because color is so marginal from F to G and the mark up is you pay is not noticeable to the eye! in my opinion, get the best cut and size for your budget and let your setting enhance your stone.

good luck
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If you want a 1 ct, this is the best I could do, $3170 with wire discount (if you're BoA, you can just transfer the money): http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/2033/

It's actually an uncerted stone... coming from GOG, I trust them on the carat weight and color grading. I think adding a cert would raise the price by 1K.

isAsGog.jpg
 
Hi again,

There''s a few at whiteflash, slightly over the $3000, but you get a discount for mentioning you are a Pricescope member I believe.


$3324 - G SI1 0.91 ct

http://www.whiteflash.com/princess/Princess-cut-diamond-1741230.htm

$3379 - G SI2 1.00 ct

http://www.whiteflash.com/princess/Princess-cut-diamond-2377144.htm#


Otherwise there are a few under $3000, their numbers/girdles are a bit off (but this doesn''t matter really, they could be stunning) and there are lots of EGL certified diamond. It depends what you want really.

I hope you find a great one!
 
Morning!

Yeah definitely want GIA or AGS certified (Read/Heard EGL was not so great)
So what you guys are saying is that F and G are about the same to the eye in color? So why pay more for F correct?
Just worried because I looked at a few diamonds at Mall Stores and some of the diamonds where yellow. I was quite disturbed.
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How about Symmetry and Polish...Whats more important if you had to way and compare the two and choose one over the other?
 
Morning, WR!


Date: 5/15/2006 9:06:32 AM
Author: WirelessRoute
Morning!

Yeah definitely want GIA or AGS certified (Read/Heard EGL was not so great)
So what you guys are saying is that F and G are about the same to the eye in color? So why pay more for F correct?
Just worried because I looked at a few diamonds at Mall Stores and some of the diamonds where yellow. I was quite disturbed.
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Mall stores are usually EGL, IGI certs...potentially off base. Go to a reputable jeweler and ask to see GIA/AGS G and H. And keep in mind that a well cut stone that returns a lot of white light, good contrast and scintillation will look brighter than a poorly cut stone of the same color. Also, once it is mounted, and against a neutral background (her hand) it will also look whiter than against a white background.

How about Symmetry and Polish...Whats more important if you had to way and compare the two and choose one over the other? Case by case...simply cannot buy a princess by the grading report. Unless maybe it's an AGS-0 with great numbers. However, if out of sym and pol one HAD to be good and the other VG, I would rather have good on pol and vg on symm.
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If you look up "researcher"'s ring, she has a 2? 3? ct I princess.
 
Date: 5/15/2006 12:12:59 AM
Author: JulieN

Note the cloud inclusions in the corners. I cannot remember if clouds representing durability issues has ever been asked on PS. If you pick this one, you should have an appraiser look at it before setting it.
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Apparently clouds aren''t a durability issue - the only time they can be problematic according to some experts here is if they are the grade setter for clarity.
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Kool I am going to keep browseing at work on diffrent sites. Feel free to post any you guys see and I will do the same with feed back from you guys

Thanks
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This one looks nice... Any thoughts

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamond.asp?cid=131&item=821365
 
JulieN,

I searched GoodOldGold today for a princess cut. I didn''t see any without certs. How do you search for non cert diamonds over there. Also what are the Pros and Cons of havinging a non-cert stone. I would love to save a 1,000, but I know there must be a trade off somewhere. I''m trying to get a Mark Morell setting, so I have to econmize a bit. Basically the setting will appraoch the cost of the diamond. But I like his work and I think it''s worth the extra cost. I want to purchase in Sept. but I still look for ideal diamonds everyday, just to have a feel for the cost and etc. Thanks
 
Salmon in case Julie isn't logged in or doesn't have the info, you need to look at Excellent Select diamonds at GOG to see the non certed ones available. With Jon at GOG I would venture to say that you would be quite safe in buying a non certed diamond from him, but an independant appraisal is a very good idea if you decide to go this route, also check carefully the returns policy, I am not sure but it might vary with non certed diamonds. Pros are of course you will pay less, cons are that to ask yourself why the diamond doesn't have a cert to begin with, also that they might not check out to be the colour and clarity you think, of course this might not always be the case, but GOG are a great vendor and I should imagine if a non certed diamond is what you want, definitely take a look at his. Also should you ever decide to want to upgrade or trade the diamond it will be worth even less without a cert.
 
How about this one

http://www.abazias.com/database/NewDiamondInfo.asp?stock=29978200

It seems though some sites are saying IDeal cut. How do we verify that it is infact Ideal os is the word used losely?
 
Date: 5/15/2006 12:10:17 PM
Author: WirelessRoute
How about this one

It seems though some sites are saying IDeal cut. How do we verify that it is infact Ideal os is the word used losely?
Click to expand...
The term Ideal Cut is used very loosely by some vendors - the only way to verify is to use the tutorials to study and compare proportions and the HCA is useful too. Also see if the vendor has a Sarin report etc to help determine cut quality, so it means some legwork for the purchaser to find the best cut they can - not rely on labels which can be pinned on by a seller.
 
whew, Lorelei, thanks for fielding ''em.
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Salmon-she''s right (of course.) They''re usually not top notch stones, but the ones from GoG don''t seem too bad.

WR: the H VS1 you picked is a potential. Ask JA if it is an AGS-0. I don''t know if ideal grades are given for symm and pol on DQD''s (a truncated lab report.)
 
No go on the ex thn girdle.
 
Umm just found this at WF-- which looks too good to be true but worth a phone call to see if it's eyeclean and nice. I think WF will do sarins and such. But um... seriously check this thing out. It IS EGL which might explain it... but you could have WF tell you their honest opinion on the sucker. It's is small for the carat weight though...so probably not the best cut.

Then there's this puppy....Tables a bit big. Spreads about right though.

Still, I'd call and ask them to pull the suckers and send you some pics-- I know they do that.. and if you can get a sarin on them you might get lucky and find a gem. *shrug*
 
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