Need Some Help/Advice

[sofin]

Hey Everyone,

This is my first post, so I apologize in advance if some of questions/concerns are newbie ones! I''m in the mkt for a princess cut diamond with the following stats:

Color: D-F
Cut: Excellent, VG
Clarity: VVS1-VVS2
Carat: 1.45-1.60
L/W: 1.00-1.05
Depth: ~67-72
Table: ~68-74
Fluorescence: None to very faint
Polish: Excellent
Symmetry: Excellent - VG

How much should I expect to spend on something like this? I''ve scoured bluenile and adiamor and found some in the 12K range. Is it really worth spending this much or should I perhaps increase my paramters to include a VS1? Once I get the diamond, I was thinking of getting a reproduction of the platinum Cartier 1895 solitaire pave made in the diamond district in nyc. I''ve heard mixed things about Leon Mege, but like some of his work and not too sure if I should consider others. Does anyone have any recommendations on who else I should possibly consider? My price max for a setting will be ~$3K.

Would appreciate some advice on the diamond and also some setting designers that you may have worked with in the past. Thanks!

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 11/3/2008 2:22:22 PM
Author:sofin
Hey Everyone,

This is my first post, so I apologize in advance if some of questions/concerns are newbie ones! I'm in the mkt for a princess cut diamond with the following stats:

Color: D-F
Cut: Excellent, VG
Clarity: VVS1-VVS2
Carat: 1.45-1.60
L/W: 1.00-1.05
Depth: ~67-72
Table: ~68-74
Fluorescence: None to very faint
Polish: Excellent
Symmetry: Excellent - VG

How much should I expect to spend on something like this? I've scoured bluenile and adiamor and found some in the 12K range. Is it really worth spending this much or should I perhaps increase my paramters to include a VS1? Once I get the diamond, I was thinking of getting a reproduction of the platinum Cartier 1895 solitaire pave made in the diamond district in nyc. I've heard mixed things about Leon Mege, but like some of his work and not too sure if I should consider others. Does anyone have any recommendations on who else I should possibly consider? My price max for a setting will be ~$3K.

Would appreciate some advice on the diamond and also some setting designers that you may have worked with in the past. Thanks!

Welcome to Pricescope,

Yes you could certainly include VS1 or even VS2/ SI1 if you were agreeable to your search as this would broaden the options. SI1 can be a good choice if verified eyeclean by a trusted vendor. Unless you wanted VVS clarity particularly you would not notice any difference to the naked eye between that and VS most likely. If you wished, you could also consider GIA or AGS G or H colour as these grades will still look very white if the cut is great.
Also finding a well cut Princess is rather more complex than just depth and table being in a certain range. It is best to work with an expert vendor who has in house stones with the cut analysis done so you can make the best choice. Otherwise you are really buying blind if going by numbers, you want ideally detailed photos of the diamond from the vendor, plus ASET images if available. You could also consider AGS0 cut grade Princess if you wished.

Polish and symmetry - it depends, some say good and above for both is indistinguishable to the naked untrained eye, however some prefer at least very good in fancy shapes as part of the finish of their diamond.

Fluorescence - you may not notice any effects from faint to medium and only with medium in some sunlight or some nightclub lighting. So you could include faint to medium if you wished, strong or very strong you could notice the effects more, but if such a diamond came along get an expert to check it for any negative effects such as the diamond looking cloudy in some lights - this is rare though.

Pricing - you can use the search tool above to get an idea of similar. I would suggest working with one of the Pricescope vendors who have in house diamonds and can provide the cut analysis and info you need to choose. BN to the best of my knowledge do not offer detailed photos or ASET images of their Princess diamonds and unless you are buying an AGS0 cut grade Princess where these are very useful to have anyway, these aids are really essential in my opinion when buying any other diamond.

Here is a chart you can use, but please use it as a guide only, otherwise you could miss out on some great diamonds you might be very happy with.

http://diamonds.pricescope.com/fnc1.asp

 

[sofin]

Thanks so much for the quick reply and all the information. I wasn''t aware of the ASET images and just started reading the postings about it. Do you recommend any specific dealers on the site?

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 11/3/2008 3:05:05 PM
Author: sofin
Thanks so much for the quick reply and all the information. I wasn't aware of the ASET images and just started reading the postings about it. Do you recommend any specific dealers on the site?

You are very welcome!

These chaps are good to work with for Princess, have a look through their websites and take a look at their inventory to see what appeals to you.

www.winkjones.com

www.goodoldgold.com

www.niceice.com

www.whiteflash.com

www.jamesallen.com

These vendors have in house diamonds and often with photos and ASET provided, so take a look through!

 

[honey22]

Ditto Lorelei, you can''t buy fancies from the numbers alone. If you really want to make this easy, check out Whiteflash''s range of ACA Princess cuts, they are all top ideal cut AGS000 princess stones, handpicked to be killer stones. You just need to find one within your budget and it will be beautiful.

I would def recommend dropping to VS clarity, VVS is overkill IMO, you can''t see the inclusions in the VS range, so it''s paying money for something you can''t see.

Good luck!