Please help a somewhat clueless person pick out a diamond!

[badhorse]

Hello everyone! I have been reading tons of posts/various info from this website and have learned a lot. I still don't feel confident in picking out my own diamond, but I have some parameters that I have in mind now.

My fiance wants to get a princess cut diamond, however what I am not sure is how the cut will look in person. I have a few different diamonds picked out from James Allen, but even though they are all ideal cut, they all look different.

My budget is around $2000 for the diamond and I am trying to get a VS2, just to make sure it is eye clean. My fiance also is very color sensitive, so I decided to go with at least an F even though I know i could get more value with a G or perhaps H without noticing the difference. But she is pretty color sensitive and it seemed like the most important thing to her. I really want an ideal cut, and the carat size she wanted was something between .7-.8 carats.


Here are a couple I saw, but were not sure about.

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/E-VS2-Ideal-Cut-Princess-Diamond-1333602.asp

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/D-VS2-Ideal-Cut-Princess-Diamond-1328206.asp

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/F-VVS2-Ideal-Cut-Princess-Diamond-1347355.asp

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/F-VS1-Ideal-Cut-Princess-Diamond-1347242.asp



Thank you guys soooooo much!!! This place has been amazing in helping people avoid buying a mistake.

 

[stone-cold11]

Re: Please help a somewhat clueless person pick out a diamon

I prefer this one. Ask JA for the AGS report number, if the stone is eye-clean and request for an ASET image if you are interested.

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/E-SI1-Good-Cut-Princess-Diamond-1338123.asp

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Re: Please help a somewhat clueless person pick out a diamon

I don't really feel qualified to evaluate James Allen princess stones because they have good ones mixed in with not so good ones! I just wanted you to make not of the diameter measurements on the stones. You'll want to get one with the greatest possible size once you identify well cut stones. I would try to look for F VS2 as much as possible and would encourage you to consider G color because you will gain some size with very little difference in color.

Good luck!

 

[slg47]

Re: Please help a somewhat clueless person pick out a diamon

JamesAllen will let you request up to 3 ASET images which can help you with cut quality. Out of the three you posted I like the last three the best. these might be worth considering but remember you can only get 3 ASET images
http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/E-VS1-Premium-Cut-Princess-Diamond-1347354.asp
http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/E-VS1-Ideal-Cut-Princess-Diamond-1347441.asp
http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/F-VS2-Premium-Cut-Princess-Diamond-1264400.asp

ETA I like the one SC posted a lot better.

 

[badhorse]

Re: Please help a somewhat clueless person pick out a diamon

Thanks for all the help! I guess I still have a lot to learn because I'm trying to figure out why the one SC posted looked so much better than the ones I did, but it was graded as only a good cut and SI1 and the same price as a .75 VS2, ideal cut. Can you clue me in? Thanks!

 

[slg47]

Re: Please help a somewhat clueless person pick out a diamon

the cut labels by JA just refer to table and depth percentage. AGS is the only lab that grades cut quality of princess cuts, so if that one gets an AGS0 for cut grade it would be a great find. you can see from the photo that it appears very bright as well, but an ASET will tell more

 

[JulieN]

Re: Please help a somewhat clueless person pick out a diamon

I like the one SC posted, and the .71 E and .72 F that SLG posted.

 

[Lorelei]

Re: Please help a somewhat clueless person pick out a diamon

JamesAllen will let you request up to 3 ASET images which can help you with cut quality. Out of the three you posted I like the last three the best. these might be worth considering but remember you can only get 3 ASET images
http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/E-VS1-Premium-Cut-Princess-Diamond-1347354.asp
http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/E-VS1-Ideal-Cut-Princess-Diamond-1347441.asp
http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/F-VS2-Premium-Cut-Princess-Diamond-1264400.asp

These all have potential, good picks Slg!

The diamond SC chose is a definite contender also.

 

[badhorse]

Re: Please help a somewhat clueless person pick out a diamon

Thanks everybody! I received my ASET images today!

I asked for ASET images on the diamond SC posted, and the first 2 that Slg posted. Their gemologist said that the 1st one that Slg posted was the best one because it had the brightest light performance. What do you guys think?

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/E-VS1-Premium-Cut-Princess-Diamond-1347354.asp

 

[badhorse]

Re: Please help a somewhat clueless person pick out a diamon

This is the ASET image of the 2nd one that Slg posted

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/E-VS1-Ideal-Cut-Princess-Diamond-1347441.asp

 

[badhorse]

Re: Please help a somewhat clueless person pick out a diamon

And this is the one that SC posted.

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/E-SI1-Good-Cut-Princess-Diamond-1338123.asp






what do you guys think? Go with one of these, or keep looking? Thank you guys sooooo much for all of the help!!!

 

[stone-cold11]

Re: Please help a somewhat clueless person pick out a diamon

Did JA give you the AGS report?

 

[badhorse]

Re: Please help a somewhat clueless person pick out a diamon

No, they never sent me the AGS report. Should I ask for it again?

 

[stone-cold11]

Re: Please help a somewhat clueless person pick out a diamon

yes.

EDT:

At least ask for the AGS report number and carat weight on the report, then you can check the report online.
From the ASET, I still prefer the AGS stone.

 

[badhorse]

Re: Please help a somewhat clueless person pick out a diamon

I'll get that number from them. Their gemologist said this about the AGS diamond, "Diamond 1338123 has the deepest cut and consequently faces the smallest of these three diamonds. It also has the darkest light performance."

Are they to be trusted?

 

[slg47]

Re: Please help a somewhat clueless person pick out a diamon

im not sure what they mean by 'darkest light performance'. the 2 that I posted don't look bad but the AGS one has much more red in the ASET, to me it is the clear winner.

 

[badhorse]

Re: Please help a somewhat clueless person pick out a diamon

Ok, I received the AGS report, and it got a cut grade of 0. Unfortunately, it is not eye-clean. What do you guys think?

 

[stone-cold11]

Re: Please help a somewhat clueless person pick out a diamon

Why is it only now that JA says it is not eye-clean?

What is the AGS report number and carat weight?

 

[badhorse]

Re: Please help a somewhat clueless person pick out a diamon

I have no idea why they didn't tell me that sooner. It was the first thing that I asked them.

The AGS report number is 0009646401 and the carat weight is .708

 

[stone-cold11]

Re: Please help a somewhat clueless person pick out a diamon

Go with the first E VS1 then.

 

[badhorse]

Re: Please help a somewhat clueless person pick out a diamon

Should I hold off and keep looking? Or just go for it and get the 1st one?

 

[badhorse]

Re: Please help a somewhat clueless person pick out a diamon

Ok, I found a few more diamonds that ALL have an AGS 0 for cut. I would love to get some opinions on these. Thanks so much!

http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/princess-cut-loose-diamond-2327038.htm
http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/princess-cut-loose-diamond-2405315.htm
http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/princess-cut-loose-diamond-2327037.htm



http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/I-VS1-Ideal-Cut-Princess-Diamond-1337367.asp
http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/F-VS1-Premium-Cut-Princess-Diamond-1338062.asp

No ASET images yet. (These 2 are much more in my price range)

 

[slg47]

Re: Please help a somewhat clueless person pick out a diamon

out of the whiteflash ones I much prefer the 0.716. Unfortunately I don't think JA will provide more ASET images but I like those two choices as well.

 

[tyty333]

Re: Please help a somewhat clueless person pick out a diamon

out of the whiteflash ones I much prefer the 0.716. Unfortunately I don't think JA will provide more ASET images but I like those two choices as well.

I like this one too.

FYI - All the whiteflash stones are pretty but I like the .716 G because it looks to be a brighter stone.

The JAs look nice too but need to get ASet. If your GF is color sensitive an "I "color might be pushing it. I would
stay at H or higher. I would rather drop down to SI eye-clean then drop the color to I for someone who is color sensitive.
Also, the last JA you posted is somewhat smaller than the other ones. If the others are in your budget I think you have
plenty of larger nice stones to pick from. (actually looks like you have a good selection to choose from)

Edit - also, I like the smaller tables on these newer stones.

 

[badhorse]

Re: Please help a somewhat clueless person pick out a diamon

Ok, I have the ASET images for those two JA diamonds.

The .71 I looks like

 

[slg47]

Re: Please help a somewhat clueless person pick out a diamon

Ok, I have the ASET images for those two JA diamonds.

The .71 I looks like

looks like a winner

 

[badhorse]

Re: Please help a somewhat clueless person pick out a diamon

And the .65 looks like

 

[badhorse]

Re: Please help a somewhat clueless person pick out a diamon

These are the only other 2 that I could find that works for me. I'm picking my diamond tonight thanks to all of your help.

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/8023/

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/7997/

Thoughts? It's one of these 2, the .71 I or the one everyone liked from Whiteflash.

Thank you guys so much!!!

 

[slg47]

Re: Please help a somewhat clueless person pick out a diamon

does one vendor have a setting you like the best? If it is in budget I would go with the H from GOG, it faces up the largest.

 

[badhorse]

Re: Please help a somewhat clueless person pick out a diamon

To be honest, my girl found a setting that she liked from Shane Co. I haven't been able to find one like it. When I started this whole process, I almost just got everything from there. Luckily I found this website before I made my final decision. The setting is only $650, but Shane Co. said that they would charge about $300 just to set the diamond in. That doesn't sound right to me.


http://www.shaneco.com/Catalog/ProductDetail.aspx?O=PRODSEARCH&X=41002015