Please help me! Newbie with some princess cut questions

[mo322]

Hello,
I have been a longtime lurker and am trying to help my brother look for an engagement ring for his girlfriend.
My brothers boss referred him to a guy who is supposedly a "wholesaler" who only does wholesale but helps select people
by referral only. He is meeting with him on Monday and I am extremely weary of someone saying they are a wholesaler.
I am worried about him being scammed or getting a dud. My brother has a budget around $7500 is looking for a princess cut stone.
This "wholesale" guy is supposed to be bringing GIA certified stones with GIA certificates in the 1.75-2 carat range.
He claims to be able to save my brother tons of money and after looking into gia certified stones in that size range they are way
over his budget so I don't know how this guy will be able to bring any quality stones, it just doesn't add up to me!
His boss and his bosses wife love the stone they got from this guy.

Since I know absolutely nothing of princess cuts I am asking you knowledgeable people if there are any specs that would help him to eliminate any duds? any tips on color, and clarity? Does the same "cut is king" idea apply to princess stones? (i'm assuming that is a definite yes but I want to confirm!) can you use the HCA on princess cuts? ANY help would be greatly appreciated! Even directing me to any relevant threads would be amazing!


Thank you in advance for any help! I really want to make sure my brother gets the best diamond he can within his price range!

 

[Dancing Fire]

Hello,
I have been a longtime lurker and am trying to help my brother look for an engagement ring for his girlfriend.
My brothers boss referred him to a guy who is supposedly a "wholesaler" who only does wholesale but helps select people
by referral only. He is meeting with him on Monday and I am extremely weary of someone saying they are a wholesaler.
I am worried about him being scammed or getting a dud. My brother has a budget around $7500 is looking for a princess cut stone.
This "wholesale" guy is supposed to be bringing GIA certified stones with GIA certificates in the 1.75-2 carat range.
He claims to be able to save my brother tons of money and after looking into gia certified stones in that size range they are way
over his budget so I don't know how this guy will be able to bring any quality stones, it just doesn't add up to me!
His boss and his bosses wife love the stone they got from this guy.

Bunch of bull!...If I lay a stack of $100 bills on the table I can guarantee you that he'll sell me a stone. Your brother is buying at retail level no matter what this "wholesale" guy say.

 

[mo322]

Bunch of bull!...If I lay a stack of $100 bills on the table I can guarantee you that he'll sell me a stone. Your brother is buying at retail level no matter what this "wholesale" guy say.

Thanks for replying Dancing Fire. I suspected as much!
I would like to send him some alternate stones that will be great performers and in his budget. but I don't know what specs to even start with! I have only looked into rounds before so I am at a complete loss as to what proportions are recommended!

 

[MarionC]

I think both Whiteflash and James Allen carry Ideal cut princess diamonds, which takes away the guess-work. I don't know of other vendors who specialize in this, but perhaps someone else can fill you in. On James Allen you can see videos of Ideal cuts. I am not recommending one vendor over another, just giving a reference for ways to learn more and have a visual : )

 

[tyty333]

He can stick with an AGS000 graded stone and take much of the
Guess work out of it. There are no numbers to go by with princess cuts.

Stock with AGS or GIA certs. Compare what he is being offered on JA. Try to get aset images ( which he probably can't do so he is going to have a hard time checking on light return).

 

[mo322]

Thank you all for the replies! After doing a little detective sleuthing I actually found out that she would prefer a cushion cut over a princess! She originally liked princess but changed her mind. She likes elongated cushions not the more square shaped ones. I will have to start a new thread but thought I would give an update here!

My brother met with the guy and the guy only brought princess cuts (my brother had told him about her preference for cushions) He then tried to convince him to put down a $500 deposit for a princess! I'm so happy my brother actually called me before going through with it! he told me the stones were really sparkly and looked nice, but I reminded him it was not really the shape she wanted and if the guy didn't sell cushions then he shouldn't purchase from him. The seller also didn't bring the GIA certificates with him which made me extra leery. I convinced my brother that someone trying to pressure him into getting the wrong shape stone knowing it isn't what you want isn't who he should be doing business with! Phew! So now the hunt starts again! I will create a new thread and hopefully someone will be able to help us with cushion info! I was finally learning a little about princess cuts too!