Princess or Radiant- and can a diamond be too BIG?

[samanthalee]

I brought me sister with me to look at rings (she has a better eye than I do)- we saw a radiant cut and she looked at the diamond and said " I want to hate you because you are not a princess- but I can''t - I look at you and I love you because you are so alive!" I agree, this stone was alive. Brilliant- looks at you and has something to say-

I saw a princess 4.3 carat D, SI1- that had such a bad cut that no amount of paper work could save them now!

So my diamond family- what do you think of this-

4.12 , radiant cut, E, Si-1, flurenscence none- GIA cert
shines like a diamond in the sky
69 K- is that reasonable?

what do you think about a princess vs a radiant?

also, it looks a little big, do you think a diamond can look cheep and guady because it is so big? or do you think it looks fabulous and rare? be honest-
I don''t want to look tacky?

 

[Ellen]

You don''t have all the stats to truly compare prices, but it doesn''t really matter, I can only find 2 searching that come close in size. They are both 3.04, going for 40,465 and 41,494.


As for 4 cts being too big, that is an entirely personal decision. If you did a poll on here asking if that''s too big, you''d get everything from absolutely, I wouldn''t be caught dead wearing it, to, can''t you find something bigger??

It has to be what YOU are comfortable wearing. No one else can tell you what to do/wear.

I just had a 5.33 ct. Aquamarine recut (from a ring I''ve had forever). One, it wasn''t cut that well, and two, for me, it was too big. I''m not a big size girl (although I do think with fancy cuts you can get away with a bit more size than rounds), so I wasn''t comfortable with a stone that size. I simply wouldn''t wear the ring, and I wanted to. So, it''s now a more acceptable size to me.

It''s just whatever you feel right about.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 1/20/2008 8:50:57 AM
Author: Ellen
You don't have all the stats to truly compare prices, but it doesn't really matter, I can only find 2 searching that come close in size. They are both 3.04, going for 40,465 and 41,494.


As for 4 cts being too big, that is an entirely personal decision. If you did a poll on here asking if that's too big, you'd get everything from absolutely, I wouldn't be caught dead wearing it, to, can't you find something bigger??

It has to be what YOU are comfortable wearing. No one else can tell you what to do/wear.

I just had a 5.33 ct. Aquamarine recut (from a ring I've had forever). One, it wasn't cut that well, and two, for me, it was too big. I'm not a big size girl (although I do think with fancy cuts you can get away with a bit more size than rounds), so I wasn't comfortable with a stone that size. I simply wouldn't wear the ring, and I wanted to. So, it's now a more acceptable size to me.

It's just whatever you feel right about.

Absolutely! My diamond is enormous compared to the others I see where I live, but I wear it and enjoy it and don't worry if others think it is tacky or whatever, if you think you will be comfortable with a large diamond, then that is fine. I also think once you hit about 4 carats, fancy shapes look best in that size and above, but that is my preference.

 

[Ellen]

Date: 1/20/2008 9:04:49 AM
Author: Lorelei

Absolutely! My diamond is enormous compared to the others I see where I live, but I wear it and enjoy it and don''t worry if others think it is tacky or whatever, if you think you will be comfortable with a large diamond, then that is fine. I also think once you hit about 4 carats, fancy shapes look best in that size and above, but that is my preference.

You go girl!

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 1/20/2008 9:09:29 AM
Author: Ellen

Date: 1/20/2008 9:04:49 AM
Author: Lorelei

Absolutely! My diamond is enormous compared to the others I see where I live, but I wear it and enjoy it and don''t worry if others think it is tacky or whatever, if you think you will be comfortable with a large diamond, then that is fine. I also think once you hit about 4 carats, fancy shapes look best in that size and above, but that is my preference.

You go girl!

I will indeed!!!

 

[Eva17]

It sounds like this stone had something to say to you!!!

As far as size, there are several large radiant wearers on here and they wear them as everyday rings. If you love it, who cares what others think.

Is this a serious candidate for you? Or did it just open to door to the possibility of a radiant?

 

[bem3231]

I would absolutely go with a cushion over a princess, but that''s just me!

I also asked the ''can a diamond be too big'' question when I started looking. What I discovered in my experience is that a diamond that previously looked great suddenly could look less significant once I''d tried on something bigger, which then looked great, until I tried on something bigger, and so on...

That said, I did reach a size where, for my finger, stones started looking too big. The points about where you live and lifestyle are also significant here. I did want a stone that I could wear every day, and I also had an upper limit in my head in terms of the total value of a ring that I''d be comfortable wearing every day. One thing that I did which helped a lot was take pictures of stones in holders on my fingers to get a sense of scale (the photo in my avatar is of my stone in a holder). I showed the photos to my fiance and to friends, and there was a consensus that past my ''upper size limit'' the stone looked out of proportion to my finger and I got a few comments that past my ''upper size limit'' there was a sense that it might look ''fake'' to those not ''in the know''.

All that said, it is quite a personal decision that you have to be comfortable with. I was looking at RB''s as well, which if I''m not mistaken tend to be / look bigger for carat weight than some fancy cuts. It seems to me that somewhere on here there''s a chart with average dimensions per carat size and also a chart of finger coverage of different carat weights for ring size, but they might just refer to RB''s.

Good luck!

 

[iheartscience]

I am not a fan of princess cut diamonds at all, but I really like radiants-I have one myself. You should check out Canuk-Gal''s 5 carat radiant with (I believe) trap sidestones...it''s gorgeous! I also really like cushions, but cushions are a completely different shape than princesses, so you really just need to decide what you like.

As for the too big, it''s all a matter of what you''re comfortable with. I would totally rock a 4 carat diamond if I had one, but I imagine it would be a little uncomfortable for me at times because I''m relatively young and most of my friends are not even engaged yet. They think my 1.5 carat with a halo is huge! Even so, if I had a 4 carat diamond, I''d wear it every day. Who cares what other people think?

 

[tberube]

In my personal opinion, some cuts of diamonds can look more "gaudy" or fake, as you put it, than others. Some cuts have lots and lots of tiny facets, and give off that "crushed ice" feel - like radiants and princess cuts - and to me, they can look sort of CZish in larger sizes. If I were to get a diamond on the larger side, I''d go for a more subtle cut - a step cut (emerald or asscher), and OEC or a cushion. Possibly RB''s too, if very well-cut. But that''s just me.

As far as being "too big" that''s completely personal, and based on what you are comfortable wearing. As much as I love the idea of a huge diamond engagement ring, I probably would feel uncomfortable wearing anything larger than 2 - 2.5 carats. Obviously not everyone feels that way.

You can get 1,000 different answers on this topic, from 1,000 different people, but nobody can tell you what is right for YOU. That''s totally up to you. Good luck finding the diamond of your dreams!

 

[canuk-gal]

Date: 1/20/2008 10:07:55 AM
Author: Eva17
It sounds like this stone had something to say to you!!!

As far as size, there are several large radiant wearers on here and they wear them as everyday rings. If you love it, who cares what others think.

Is this a serious candidate for you? Or did it just open to door to the possibility of a radiant?

HI:

Ditto.

cheers--Sharon

 

[Lorelei]

I also think with a Radiant particularly, you can go very high in the carat weight and they still look fabulous, same with Emerald cuts, pears, marquise or any shape which lies flatter on the finger.

 

[samanthalee]

Thank you all of you are right, it is a personal decision-my fiance is so sweet, he said it is nicer to lean toward regretting a big stone than a small one, and I can see his point-

The radiant I looked at had a much better cut than any of the princess ones- I will see a few more this week, and then I am pretty sure I will choose this radiant one unless another one blows me totally away-

Then I guess the other question is, for a stone like this, I want to get it appraised before I buy it, I told the guy I would leave a credit card if I had to , but I don''t want to make such a big purchase without having it looked at. He was very friendly and said I can get it looked at by so and so, but I want to go to an appraiser that doesn''t know who the stone is from-

any thoughts- iis that ok- standard?

 

[marvel]

Date: 1/20/2008 8:34:24 PM
Author: samanthalee
Thank you all of you are right, it is a personal decision-my fiance is so sweet, he said it is nicer to lean toward regretting a big stone than a small one, and I can see his point-

The radiant I looked at had a much better cut than any of the princess ones- I will see a few more this week, and then I am pretty sure I will choose this radiant one unless another one blows me totally away-

Then I guess the other question is, for a stone like this, I want to get it appraised before I buy it, I told the guy I would leave a credit card if I had to , but I don''t want to make such a big purchase without having it looked at. He was very friendly and said I can get it looked at by so and so, but I want to go to an appraiser that doesn''t know who the stone is from-

any thoughts- iis that ok- standard?

Sounds like you have a smart man

Is a cushion an option for you? You can find a cushion that is more square like a princess, but I think a cushion will always be a classic.

 

[samanthalee]

I haven''t seen any cushions that look that square, if I did yes I am open to that possibility. So far the only one that look nice, even under 10X was this radiant-
My fiance hates round stones ( I think they are lovely), but I am trying to honor his taste too, and that is why i was leaning toward a princess, the ring he proposed to me with was a princess but it was too small ( I know it sounds pathetic), he got it in Europe and I guess the diamond market is not what it can be- the cushion seems to look a little round from a distance, that is why I am sticking to the princess or radiant-

I think huge is a good thing- I just need to get it looked at before I buy it-

It does make sense to get it appraised BEFORE the purchase right?
This place lets you bring it back for a full refund in a week-

 

[Eva17]

Samantha, it is absolutey alright to get it checked out before you buy, and it should be a must!!! Especially while it is unmounted.

Use your own appraiser to have the diamond checked out. I wouldn''t be comfortable bringing it to someone the jeweler suggested.

If you do a search on resources, check to see if there are any local appraisers in your area.

See if you can get an aset of the diamond from the appraiser. You can ask when you call to book the appointment if they can provide you with one.

Good luck!

 

[samanthalee]

Date: 1/20/2008 9:50:45 PM
Author: Eva17
Samantha, it is absolutey alright to get it checked out before you buy, and it should be a must!!! Especially while it is unmounted.

Use your own appraiser to have the diamond checked out. I wouldn''t be comfortable bringing it to someone the jeweler suggested.

If you do a search on resources, check to see if there are any local appraisers in your area.

See if you can get an aset of the diamond from the appraiser. You can ask when you call to book the appointment if they can provide you with one.

Good luck!

Thank you so much- I will do that.

 

[mimzy]

i agree with the others - if you have to ask others if it is too big, then it probably isn''t too big for you

i think that a 4 carate radiant would look MUCH better than a 4 carat princess. the princess cut is really trendy right now and there are TONS of those fakey gigantic CZ princess cut rings and i just don''t think they look all that elegant in that size. a radiant (or other cuts that have been mentioned) on the other hand, i think can look totally classy and really impressive. either way, you''re a lucky girl!

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 1/20/2008 9:50:45 PM
Author: Eva17
Samantha, it is absolutey alright to get it checked out before you buy, and it should be a must!!! Especially while it is unmounted.

Use your own appraiser to have the diamond checked out. I wouldn''t be comfortable bringing it to someone the jeweler suggested.

If you do a search on resources, check to see if there are any local appraisers in your area.

See if you can get an aset of the diamond from the appraiser. You can ask when you call to book the appointment if they can provide you with one.

Good luck!

Ditto, here is the link for the appraiser resource.
https://www.pricescope.com/appr_list.aspx

 

[kennyg]

Edited - my reply was meant for a different thread, somehow got mixed up and put it in this one - please ignore this post.