Princess Cut (opions please)

[mdibatti]

I started a topic a while back with some questions about a particular diamond, well I finally got the specs. What do you guys think?


Diamond Details

Certification: EGL

WEIGHT 1.02 Cts.
Shape and Cut: Princess
Measurements: 5.68 x 5.38 x 3.78

PROPORTIONS
Total Depth: 70.3%
Table Width: 83%
Girdle: sli thick polished

FINISH
Polish: good t.v.good
Symmetry: good

CLARITY GRADE: VS2

COLOR GRADE: D
Fluorescence: none

 

[Capitol Bill]

Hi mdibatti,

Would I be right if I guessed that this particular stone appeared to be bargain priced?

While the surest way of determining how a princess cut looks is to actually see it in person, there are tell-tale signs in the extremely limited information you've provided that indicate this stone has little potential.

Are you looking for a square princess? If so, this stone is not.
Are you looking for a princess cut that doesn't have an ice rink-sized table? If so, an 83% table is not what you're after.

Also, something tells me that this diamond is likely to have some visually displeasing qualities (e.g. dark fields, dullness, asymmetrical faceting pattern, etc.).

When it comes to princess cuts, you can follow the old AGA cut class charts and narrow your chances of locating a nice stone to about 50/50 (in my experience). Another approach is to go with a stone accompanied by an AGS report. Without the slightest hesitation I can say that I've never been disappointed with the appearance of an AGS princess cut (AGS-0 or AGS-1). I hope this helps.

Best of luck!
Bill Scherlag

 

[mdibatti]

Bill, thanks for your response. Very good insights might I add.

I''m not sure about bargain price, is 5k a bargain?

I have seen this stone and in the sun light, it''s blinding. I''m not really concerned with a square stone or the table size, it looks OK to me.

I think it may have dark spots however. Not noticable from the top, but when I view it from the side I notice a couple tiny spots. What do darks spots represent, should diamonds not have dark spots? Common sense tells me they shouldn''t, but I really don''t know.

How would I find a stone with an AGS report?

Thanks again!

 

[Capitol Bill]

Date: 5/8/2006 11:11:32 AM
Author: mdibatti
Bill, thanks for your response. Very good insights might I add.


I''m not sure about bargain price, is 5k a bargain?
A handy tool for checking price is the PriceScope database. From that you can determine how other 1ct/D/VS2''s compare in price. Keep in mind that stones accompanied by EGL reports tend to be less expensive that GIA- or AGS-graded stones. This is due to the perception that EGL has a reputation for liberal grading.


I have seen this stone and in the sun light, it''s blinding. I''m not really concerned with a square stone or the table size, it looks OK to me.
Indeed, if I were to slap a few facets on a piece of glass and show it to you in direct sunlight (or under most jewelry store spotlights) it likely would have the same blinding effect. To really see how well a diamond actually "performs" you should view it away from direct light sources. In my opinion, a gray, overcast sky is the best natural lighting environment.


I think it may have dark spots however. Not noticable from the top, but when I view it from the side I notice a couple tiny spots. What do darks spots represent, should diamonds not have dark spots? Common sense tells me they shouldn''t, but I really don''t know.
The dark "spots" you describe could likely be dark crystal inclusions. If so, this would only confirm what I mentioned above about EGL grading. But this is not what I was referring to in my previous post. The "dark fields" I was referring to are technically called areas of "extinction." In a poorly made princess cut these dark areas usually appear in each quadrant and they increase/decrease in size as the stone is tilted. To a novice''s eye they might look like they are just a feature of this particular cut. I would suggest that you take the time to view a lot of princess cuts, or at least see an AGS-graded princess cut prior to purchase for comparison''s sake.


How would I find a stone with an AGS report?
AGS-graded princess cuts are out there. It just takes a bit of looking.

Bill Scherlag

 

[mdibatti]

Can you elaborate on the Table measurement please? I understand it''s a measurement of the width of the top of the stone. But what does a smaller vs. larger table width mean to the overall diamond?

Thanks!

 

[Paul-Antwerp]

I will try to explain this in a simplified way.

In a diamond''s light performance, you are looking for brightness, fire and scintillation.

Fire is achieved by the dispersion of light rays into their spectral colours. In rounds, it is common to achieve this with crown angles of around 34-35°. With these crown angles, and of course the correct pavilion angles, one gets better dispersion, thus more spectral colours, which is more fire. A big table on a princess-cut indicates that the stone is cut for weight-retention with a shallow crown and probably steep crown angles. This clearly reduces the potential of fire.

Scintillation is obtained by the difference in light return of all the virtual facets (windows) in a stone, and by the contrast-pattern of obstruction and light leakage. With a big table, one clearly reduces the number of virtual facets, and the stone has more likelihood of looking rather dull.

Brightness is primarily built up in the pavilion area, but a big table also increases the dullness of the stone in this respect. Furthermore, if we can see that the stone did not get a good crown area, how can we expect that the pavilion area is up to par?

Hope this helps,

 

[mdibatti]

Thanks for the explanation! That really helps clear things up....and explain why a larger table isn''t a good thing.

It''s unreal how much more I know about diamonds after only visiting this site a few time over about a week!

 

[janko10]

Does anyone have a recommeded table range for princess cut? I''ve seen the range for round but can''t find one for princess.