Opinion on a Cushion Diamond

[jimmyd]

I am looking at purchasing a 1.52 carat Cushion Brilliant Diamond.

Here are the specs:
GIA certified
Shape: Cushion Brilliant
Meas: 7.89 x 6.78 X 3.80 mm
Depth: 56%
Table: 63%
Girdle: Thick to Very Thick, Faceted
Cutlet: None
Polish: Good
Symmetry:Good
Clarity: VVS2
Color: G
Flouresence: Medium Blue

The two questions I have overall are
1) based on the information above is there any aspect of the diamond that I should be concerned with?
2) Is there any concern with a Flourescence of Medium Blue?

Thanks, any help or advise would be greatly appreciated

 

[reena]

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On 10/14/2004 8:05:25 AM jimmyd wrote:





I am looking at purchasing a 1.52 carat Cushion Brilliant Diamond.

Here are the specs:
GIA certified
Shape: Cushion Brilliant
Meas: 7.89 x 6.78 X 3.80 mm
Depth: 56%
Table: 63%
Girdle: Thick to Very Thick, Faceted
Cutlet: None
Polish: Good
Symmetry:Good
Clarity: VVS2
Color: G
Flouresence: Medium Blue

The two questions I have overall are
1) based on the information above is there any aspect of the diamond that I should be concerned with?
2) Is there any concern with a Flourescence of Medium Blue?

Thanks, any help or advise would be greatly appreciated


----------------

hi there jimmy d! good choice in diamond shape, if i do say so myself!

i'm sure you've heard this said before but it is SO tough to tell from the numbers whether a particular cushion is going to be fabulous or a dud. have you seen this stone in person? can you? if so i would definitely recommend that as step one. and if you've seen it and you love it, well then you can disregard everything i' m about to say!

anyway being as i haven't seen this stone, take everything i'm saying with a BIG grain of salt. (also, i am not an expert, just a fellow cushion-buyer.) anyway, generally speaking, there's nothing about these numbers that would cause me major concern (although hopefully someone more flourescence-educated than myself will chime in about the possible effect of a medium blue flr in a G colored stone). being ultra-picky, though, as a rule of thumb i think it's good to look for at least VG (or hopefully EX!) polish and symmetry, as opposed to just "good", and also as a general rule you might want to look for stones where the table is a few % points smaller than the depth. you've got the opposite thing going on here. the stone is a tad on the shallow side IMO--which is not a bad thing (it will look big for its carat weight!) unless it means that you're losing brilliance or personality. which you won't know until you see it for yourself. but just something to think about. also many cushions have thick girdles, so it's not a huge deal, but i suppose you could be losing some spread there too. finally, the cushion is going to be pretty rectangular looking, as opposed to sqaure (which is totally fine so long as that's what you're looking for).

also, is there a reason you went that high on clarity?

in any event, GOOD LUCK! is this for an engagement?

 

[jimmyd]

Hi Reena,

Yes the stone is for an engagement ring and I did see it in person. Based on my untrained eye and the more trained eye of my future fiance's sister, the diamond looked great.

(I am trying to creating something similar to the Tiffany's Legacy collection...the less ornate of the two in the collection). I was initially looking for something more square but after seeing the stone placed into a mounting, both her sister and I liked the stone since my future fiance'is concerned that her fingers appear too large. Our though was that the rectangular stone would help elongate her finger Thanks for the input and feedback. Hopefully I will be able to find out more about the flouresence question.

Thanks!

 

[reena]

well, if you've seen it and it looks great (and if you've some other cushions for comparison purposes), then that's all you really need to know! i, too, initially wanted a square cushion and ended up purchasing one that is a little more elongated, so i'm right there with ya. if you find a good one, you take it as it is!

if you are in NYC, i recently tried on a ring that looks nearly identical to the less ornate legacy ring at a store in the diamond district. i believe it was at i. friedman & sons (www.ifriedman.com, but the ring isn't shown on the web page). might be worth a trip over, although the setting was pretty expensive (at least $6k i think). still cheaper than buying it at tiff's, though! good luck . . .

 

[diamondsbylauren]

Hi Everyone!

Reena, there's a few things you've pointed out which do not really make sense in the real world- although there are plenty of people spreading the same info.
1) EX,EX vs Good/Good.
In a cushion shaped diamond the polish and symmetry will make less of a difference than other vital aspects of the diamond- such as the shape and general sparkle. Polish and symmetry should of course be at least "good"- but I've also seen some very interesting and desirable stones with Fair Symmetry.
Not that one should aim for "Fair"- or that it's not a plus if the cert says EX/EX ( it is good selling point)- just that most people would not be able to see the difference between Good/Good, and EX/EX. Add to this the rarity of nice cushion shaped diamonds, and it makes no sense to pass on a stone becasue it's "only" good/good.

2) formulas which declare "as a general rule you might want to look for stones where the table is a few % points smaller than the depth." also do not hold water in the real life search for a diamond.
Each diamond has it's own unique personality- especially with cushion diamonds. Cushions with depths of 56% may be quite nice. Again, the rarity of these stones means that many people widen the parameters and go with what their eyes tell them. A marked contrast to a H&A shopper for example.

Of course you did mention the most important fact- no one can tell from the numbers by themselves.

Jimmy- with regard to Med Blue- it should not have any detrimental affect on the look of the diamond. BUT- A G/VVS2 is a high enough of a quality that such a comment might affect the price a little bit.

If you'd like to let us know the asking price, I could give you an idea if the price is aggresive.

 

[reena]

yes, i agree with you. which is why i took care to point out that (1) there's no way to tell from the numbers alone, (2) if he has seen it and loves it he should disregard everything i said, (3) i am not an expert and only a fellow cushion-buyer, and (4) he should take everything i'm saying with a grain of salt. i then further qualified my advice by saying that i try to look for at least VG/EX and that he might want to consider the table/depth thing as a rough guideline when judging by the numbers alone. this was the same advice given to me by people here when i was looking, and i found it quite useful.




i did the best i could do to give this person the opinion he asked for based on numbers alone. the next time perhaps i will just reply, "i can't tell you a single thing. go see it yourself."

 

[jimmyd]

Rene,

Thanks for the info, I am in NYC and I saw the exact mounting that you are talking about Yesterday. I also found one that isn't exactly the same but, it is pretty close it just doesn't have the decorative edeging around the main stone or the outer edge. It is shown here in gold but is available in Platinum. http://ajourintltd.com/item.asp?no=ar20052

Thanks

 

[jimmyd]

David, thanks for the information

 

[reena]

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On 10/14/2004 9:09:45 PM jimmyd wrote:





Rene,

Thanks for the info, I am in NYC and I saw the exact mounting that you are talking about Yesterday. I also found one that isn't exactly the same but, it is pretty close it just doesn't have the decorative edeging around the main stone or the outer edge. It is shown here in gold but is available in Platinum. http://ajourintltd.com/item.asp?no=ar20052

Thanks
----------------

it's this one rite? will the diamonds be pave set? it's hard for me to tell based on the pic. . . anyway if you are looking for other suggestions of where to find a setting like this PM me--this is the basic style setting that i ended up getting, too, so i've looked around for these a lot. /idealbb/images/smilies/1.gif

 

[diamondsbylauren]

You're quite welcome Jimmy.
Reena, I apologize. I guess I get a little heavy handed because I feel strongly about what I do.
A lot of people feel exactly as you do about the numbers to look for and EX/EX. I disagree, but still , I'm sorry if I let my emotions get the better of me and I insulted you.


IS there a photo of yours? I'd love to see it!
The photo of the yellow gold ring looked like it would be quite nice once stones were set into it- is your diamond bezel set?

 

[reena]

it's ok, i was just frustrated because i really i wasn't trying to suggest that a cushion that's not Ex/Ex or that doesn't meet those other standards can't be beautiful in person. (to the contrary--my own cushion is not Ex/Ex.

) i just know from personal experience how tough it can be to narrow cushions down by the numbers alone (i didn't know at that point that jimmy had seen the stone) and thus i was just trying to pass along some (explicitly non-expert) wisdom.




i do value your input, though--it's always good to hear what the experts think about things like this.

 

[blingbling10]

great conversation going here!! very interesting! i am in a similat situation- almost have the exavt same stone except my girdle is thick to very thick,faceted and i dont have any floresence. I am also curious about my stone. 8.17 x 7.19 x 4.13
depth - 57.4
table- 61 %
good/good
vs2,h
and i love the way it shines.- although i am certainly a novice at this- just trying to make my hopefully soon to be fiance SMILE!!!

What do you guys think of this? Its an old mine brilliant- and i know...its all the way it looks!!! just curious what you think. And more importantly- i have been looking for a picture for at least a month of the tiffasny legacy ORNATE- its the cushion cut stone with an amazing setting- i want to purchase a duplicate- but not the siple- the ornate has arms that come up to the sides of the bezel and a sort of antiquing on the front and back- does anyone know where i can get a legitamite picture???? please help- im about to give up......

 

[valeria101]

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On 10/14/2004 9:09:45 PM jimmyd wrote:



I also found one that isn't exactly the same but, it is pretty close it just doesn't have the decorative edeging around the main stone or the outer edge.

----------------

Just ask if they can "millgrain" the edges of the bezel

It may work and can be done while the stone and ring are in the works for setting.

 

[reena]

bling, your cushion sounds like it could be very nice. isn't this the legacy you're talking about?

 

[reena]

im not really sure which ring is which, so i'll paste in all the pics i could find. maybe that will help.

 

[reena]

 

[blingbling10]

that is exaclty it reena- thank you so much- i am having a setting made- ordered it yesterday. Showed him those exact two pictures and he said it wont be a problem. We shall see though- needless to say i am exrtremely nervous!!! He is going to mill the sides and set the stones with pave. I asked for the daiamonds on the arms to gradually increase as they reach the bezel. i am so nrevous that its not going to look exacly the way i want- wish me luck. You guys have been so great- this site is a gem- get it?!?!?!?!

 

[reena]

i bet you that it will be gorgeous. even if it doesn't come out looking EXACTLY like the tiffany, it'll still be awesome--and more unique to your GF that way!!!

POST PICS WHEN YOU GET IT!

 

[blingbling10]

thanks reena!!! i def. will and hope to be seeing either a wax of the ring this week or maybe even the final product!! keep your eyes peeled- and wish me luck!!