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princess cut diamond options - help pls!

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dddiamonds01

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Hello! I would appreciate opinions anyone has on the following princess cut diamonds below. I am in the process of searching for an engagement ring and would love any help from all you experts out there.

Criteria:
princess cut
Carat: approx 2cts
Color: E or better
Cut: Ideal or better
Clarity: VS1 or better

I came across the following 3 and they are meet all characteristics above (in fact they are practically all the same) but the prices are very dramatic. I understand that other factors determine the quality of the diamond (table %, depth %, etc.) but I am not sure how to evaluate these. Could someone help? Also, if I were to go to the diamond district and brought this criteria is it possible to get either a better deal or a better diamond compared to these internet websites? Thanks so much for any help.


http://www.bluenile.com/build-your-own-diamond-ring?pid=LD01056237&forceStep=DIAMONDS_STEP
this is a "signature ideal" diamond (2.01ct, E, VS1, Blue Nile Signature ideal cut). at 23k, this is the highest priced diamond out of the 3. Is it really worth it?


http://www.whiteflash.com/princess/Princess-cut-diamond-68014.htm
from whiteflash and at 21k it is cheaper than bluenile. (2.0 ct, E, VS1, "Expert Selection" cut from whiteflash). priced at 21k it is cheaper than bluenile. Any reason for the price difference even though the "C"''s are all the same


http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/E-VS1-Ideal-Cut-Princess-Diamond-1141713.asp
the cheapest of the 3 but the stats are still comparable (2.01ct, E, VS1, Ideal cut). at 18k this is MUCH cheaper than the other two. I can''t figure out why....
 
Date: 9/23/2009 11:45:42 PM
Author:dddiamonds01
Hello! I would appreciate opinions anyone has on the following princess cut diamonds below. I am in the process of searching for an engagement ring and would love any help from all you experts out there.

Criteria:
princess cut
Carat: approx 2cts
Color: E or better
Cut: Ideal or better
Clarity: VS1 or better

I came across the following 3 and they are meet all characteristics above (in fact they are practically all the same) but the prices are very dramatic. I understand that other factors determine the quality of the diamond (table %, depth %, etc.) but I am not sure how to evaluate these. Could someone help? Also, if I were to go to the diamond district and brought this criteria is it possible to get either a better deal or a better diamond compared to these internet websites? Thanks so much for any help.

Really no, all the depth and table give you are a chalk outline of the stone, no way to buy or judge the cut quality just by these 2 measurements. What I would suggest you do if you are in NY is make an appointment with -

www.goodoldgold.com They are in LI and Jon has top cut Princess and all the tools available to prove cut quality.

If you give him a call and tell him what you are looking for he can arrange to have some suitable diamonds to show you.

I would also advise staying away from the DD, it is a minefield for the rookie shopper. There are however a couple of good vendors there -

www.exceldiamonds.com

www.engagementringsdirect.com

www.jamesallen.com have offices there although they are based in MD.

http://www.bluenile.com/build-your-own-diamond-ring?pid=LD01056237&forceStep=DIAMONDS_STEP
this is a 'signature ideal' diamond (2.01ct, E, VS1, Blue Nile Signature ideal cut). at 23k, this is the highest priced diamond out of the 3. Is it really worth it?

BN don't offer images so really to me it is very risky buying a fancy shape such as a Princess without photos and an ASET image, so no way to judge the cut quality of this diamond.


http://www.whiteflash.com/princess/Princess-cut-diamond-68014.htm
from whiteflash and at 21k it is cheaper than bluenile. (2.0 ct, E, VS1, 'Expert Selection' cut from whiteflash). priced at 21k it is cheaper than bluenile. Any reason for the price difference even though the 'C's are all the same

This one looks like a good stone, not cut to the highest standards but still a " nice make" of cut, it depends on what you want, whether you want the highest cut quality you can get or whether just a decently cut diamond will fit the bill.


http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/E-VS1-Ideal-Cut-Princess-Diamond-1141713.asp
the cheapest of the 3 but the stats are still comparable (2.01ct, E, VS1, Ideal cut). at 18k this is MUCH cheaper than the other two. I can't figure out why....

This one is what is called a commercial cut quality Princess, I would prefer the WF diamond to this one, you would need to ask JA for an ASET image if interested in this diamond.
 
Thanks for the reply. Any other suggestions out there in terms of retailers?

Also, have you guys heard of BrillianceScope as a tool to judge the cut of a diamond? Can this tool be used for princess cuts and how does it compare to ASET images?

Thanks again for your help guys.
 
one more question...

starting to understand how to read ASET images. Would I be correct to say the following diamond is pretty good? Is there anything wrong with this one? or anything that could be better? (not only on ASET but other attributes as well)

http://www.whiteflash.com/princess/Princess-cut-diamond-69873.htm#
 
http://www.whiteflash.com/princess/Princess-cut-diamond-69873.htm#

ASET is very good--lots of red with some contrast. I don't like the ring of leakage shown in the IS image, however I don't know how much that would be noticeable in real life. Also not a fan of the larger table. It is a well above average princess, better than any of the first three, still not quite an elite diamond IMHO. For the price, it could be a very good choice.

Have you looked at this tutorial on ASET? It is very good at showing what to look for.

http://www.highperformancediamonds.com/index.php?page=education-performance
 
Ditto the others on the cut quality. One more thing would be to examine why exactly you''re looking for such stringent color and clarity. Some people have cultural expectations for high color and clarity, and that''s fine, but others have been misinformed on what constitutes a good color or clarity grading. You can safely go down to G-H in a reliably graded princess and still have a brilliant white diamond. Mine is an I, for example, and it''s not yellowish, but I am also not that color-sensitive. D-E-F color comes with a very high price premium especially at that carat weight, and you can save yourself a bunch of cash but get an identically appearing stone by looking a tad lower. Same goes for clarity...VS1 and above are considered by most people here to be a bit of clarity overkill. An eye-clean SI diamond will appear exactly the same as an IF to the naked eye. So you can definitely widen up those ranges and have a diamond that looks just as beautiful, for a lot less money (or a bigger diamond). Anyway, just think about why you''re looking for E/VS1 and whether you can broaden those ranges a bit.
 
Date: 9/27/2009 10:33:02 PM
Author: dddiamonds01
Thanks for the reply. Any other suggestions out there in terms of retailers?

Also, have you guys heard of BrillianceScope as a tool to judge the cut of a diamond? Can this tool be used for princess cuts and how does it compare to ASET images?

Thanks again for your help guys.
Yes, goodoldgold.com uses Bscope. If you do a search for BrillianceScope it will bring up more info.
 
Oops.. originally posted this reply on the wrong thread...


Thanks for all the replies. The reason I was focused on high clarity/near colorless diamonds at fist was because I am new to the process and wanted to filter out the junk by setting the quality high. As i read up more on diamonds I am getting more comfortable going down in quality (but not all the way down).

On ASET images, should the image look symetrical? i.e. if the ASET image colors look good but the center is slightly off diamond does that make the diamond less ideal?

Here is an example. If you look at ASET the center is off slightly to the upper left. (only a bit but imagine it was more off). does this affect the quality of the diamond?

http://www.whiteflash.com/princess/Princess-cut-diamond-68014.htm#
 
last question..... promise...


If i had a choice between

1. a great ASET image/idealscope image from whiteflash but i was unable to see it in person
2. a great ASET image/idealscope image from goodoldgold. Not as good as whiteflash but still pretty good. In addition, I was able to see the diamond in person.


which would you guys choose? I am basically asking does seeing the diamond in person make all the difference in the world? I am thinking the answer is yes but would like to hear some opinions....
 
Interesting question. I would choose WF because of the better ASET image.

If you feel safer buying a stone that you''ve seen before from GOG, and happy with the quality, go for it!
 
dd,
Do you think WF would be willing to make a video for you? GOG does a great job providing videos.

Don''t settle. There are many better stones out there. If GOG''s diamond is not good enough, pick another one or ask GOG to search one for you.

Lastly, if you decide to purchase the WF stone, but change your mind later, you can always return it. All you are out is the shipping fee (which is quite a bit).
 
Date: 9/28/2009 10:12:08 PM
Author: dddiamonds01
last question..... promise...


If i had a choice between

1. a great ASET image/idealscope image from whiteflash but i was unable to see it in person
2. a great ASET image/idealscope image from goodoldgold. Not as good as whiteflash but still pretty good. In addition, I was able to see the diamond in person.


which would you guys choose? I am basically asking does seeing the diamond in person make all the difference in the world? I am thinking the answer is yes but would like to hear some opinions....

I will just fix the link

http://www.whiteflash.com/princess/Princess-cut-diamond-68014.htm#

The red on the ASET seems to be more concentrated on the left however this might not be visible in reality, discuss this with your WF rep. This Princess is a nice example of an Expert Selection stone, however it isn't cut to actual ideal standards, if you want a Princess which is cut to the very highest levels then the ACA Princess are the place to look.

As to the above question I would definitely want to go to GOG before commiting to a purchase, seeing a diamond in person could well settle the question plus Jon could have some others for you to look at.
 
Date: 9/28/2009 10:02:28 PM
Author: dddiamonds01

Thanks for all the replies. The reason I was focused on high clarity/near colorless diamonds at fist was because I am new to the process and wanted to filter out the junk by setting the quality high. As i read up more on diamonds I am getting more comfortable going down in quality (but not all the way down).
Don't confuse color and clarity with quality. Color and clarity are rarity--the quality of the diamond is in the cut. A well cut diamond will appear whiter and will outshine a poorly cut one due to the increased light return. Like jstar mentioned, if you really want colorless for the sake of saying it is colorless, that is fine but here are a couple other options that would definitely be very white, and are beautifully cut. It depends on your comfort level for color and clarity. The vast majority of people cannot tell D from G even when side by side and definitely not once set and in normal lighting environments.

http://goodoldgold.com/diamond/5114/ (My personal preference of any in this thread. The cut is beautiful and the price is great, just ask Jon if it is eye-clean)

http://whiteflash.com/aca_princess/Whiteflash-ACA-Princess-cut-diamond-617009.htm# (Cut is absolutely top notch, higher clarity and a little more expensive than the GOG stone)
 
Date: 9/29/2009 3:29:57 AM
Author: Lorelei

Date: 9/28/2009 10:12:08 PM
Author: dddiamonds01
last question..... promise...


If i had a choice between

1. a great ASET image/idealscope image from whiteflash but i was unable to see it in person
2. a great ASET image/idealscope image from goodoldgold. Not as good as whiteflash but still pretty good. In addition, I was able to see the diamond in person.


which would you guys choose? I am basically asking does seeing the diamond in person make all the difference in the world? I am thinking the answer is yes but would like to hear some opinions....

I will just fix the link

http://www.whiteflash.com/princess/Princess-cut-diamond-68014.htm#

The red on the ASET seems to be more concentrated on the left however this might not be visible in reality, discuss this with your WF rep. This Princess is a nice example of an Expert Selection stone, however it isn''t cut to actual ideal standards, if you want a Princess which is cut to the very highest levels then the ACA Princess are the place to look.

As to the above question I would definitely want to go to GOG before commiting to a purchase, seeing a diamond in person could well settle the question plus Jon could have some others for you to look at.
HI:

Ditto. Wonder if it got "ES" rating due to the large table.

cheers--Sharon
 
I would make an appointment with GOG to look at the stone.
 
Thanks for the feedback. Now I know if I go to the diamond district I can negociate the price. Is it the same with the online internet dealers such as WF and GoG? If so, what is a reasonable percentage amount to ask off their offer?
 
WF and GOG have discounts for Pricescope members. They operate on much lower margins than most B&M stores (many of whom overprice their goods and then allow you to talk them down so you feel like you are getting a good deal) You can try to negotiate, but I think what you will find is that they are giving their best price to PS members already.
 
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