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Old cuts compared to round brilliants, color-wise?

Circe

Ideal_Rock
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In your experience, which cut will show more face-up color - a modern round brilliant or an OEC? More importantly, why the difference? I remember somebody posting about this in a different thread recently, but I can't for the life of me track it down, and the principle behind the optics is kind of fascinating me ....
 

Circe

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Nobody? C'mon, I know some of our experts have got to have some strong opinions ....
 

LGK

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Well, I'll bite. I'm full of opinions! :bigsmile: IMO, old cuts face up really white for their actual color, *if* they are well cut. My larger OEC is an M- Victor Canera actually said when he reset it that he thinks it faces up like a G in the setting it's in now. I dunno if I'd go that far ;)) - but it is really white looking for it's actual body color. I think the large chunky facets have something to do with it. Erica has said she also believes that old cuts tend to look quite white face up, compared with their actual grade, IIRC.
 

coati

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Yep-I share LGK's opinion and cut qualifiers. I've also read JBEG's Erica post similarly, and it was my experience working in old cuts. hehe maybe we can get OWD to chime in.

Depends on the cut of the OEC or rb. It's common lore in the old cut trade that well-cut OECs face up whiter than their color grades, but this is similar to the face-up value of well-cut rbs. I try not to generalize and stress the case-by-case basis. There are many OECs that have not-so-great proportions, stones that run very deep with dark centers and dead areas. Those stones aren't going to face-up as well color-wise.

JBEG's Grace had a huge cushion-was it a K? I saw it in person once, and it was so incredibly brilliant-faced up like an H IIRC. Off to find a pic.

eta: Pourquoi? You have some old cut news, Circe? :naughty:
 

Circe

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Thanks, ladies! That's also what I'd heard, and I was trying to figure out if it was apocryphal or not.

Coati, I do - I'm buying a 2.75 stone that the dealer has graded as a J VS1. It faced up in the same neighborhood as my e-ring - also a J - in the shop lighting, so I was trying to predict how it might act in better lighting! It looks beautifully cut to my eye, so ... my options are, a) terrible lighting, b) it might be a lower color than he thinks, or, c) some other combination of factors. Given that I like the price and love warm stones, I won't be heart-broken either way ... but since I have to be patient about taking possession until my anniversary, I'm going to be a curious cat who's full of technically oriented OEC questions for, oh, the next six weeks!

Have patience, ladies. It's not that I'm obsessive or anything .... :tongue:
 
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