Princess Specs Advice

[piripiri]

Hi,
I''m in the process of purchasing my first engagement ring.
I came across this diamond at a local diamond merchant.
In person it seemed extremely brilliant.
Does this look like a good value?


GIA
1.73 carat / VS1 / H
Depth: 71%
Table: 71.9%
Polish: Excellent
Symmetry: Excellent
Fluorescence: None
PRICE: $10,000

 

[jet2ks]

While there is no way to critique a princess on just the numbers, the price seems fair for the size/color/clarity, if it is well cut. There is nothing in the numbers you posted that are a major red flag, either. Since you are able to view it in person, I would check for a few things.

1) What is the girdle thickness? It will be listed on the GIA report. A range of Medium-Sl Thick or Med-Thick is good for a princess. If the girdle lists Thin or Very Thin, make sure that these areas are not at or near the corners, as they can be prone to chipping.

2) View the diamond in as many lighting environments as possible. The jewelry store spotlights can make any stone look good. A well cut princess will carry its brightness clear out to the corners, while a typical commercial cut will usually have the center brighter than the corners and edges. This will be more apparent in a low light condition, like holding the diamond under a counter or table.

3) Length/Width ratio. Ideally a princess should be square. If it appears rectangular, then that can affect performance as well as look. The measurements will be listed on the GIA report, as well. Do a quick division of the two measurements and if the ratio is 1.05 or under, great. If not, you will need to take a critical look at the stone, as any out of square can be enhanced in some settings.

4) If you can get a Sarin scan to show the crown height, that would be good. You want double digits here, at least 10%, with my preference for stone with a 14% or so crown height. If you cannot get a Sarin scan, an indicator for good crown is how much fire (colored spectral light) the diamond emits. A well cut princess will have good fire, while one with a low crown tends to be bright with white light, but not show much fire.

Best of luck with your diamond search.

 

[piripiri]

Thank you very much for the quick reply.
To my untrained eye, the fire (colored light) seemed impressive, even across the room under the shadow of plant.

Assuming the specs I''m missing here (girdle, length, width) are good, would the price for this diamond be considered a good deal or just a fair price?

Is there a thread on bargaining? (I searched but couldn''t find much)

 

[piripiri]

bump

 

[Regular Guy]

Date: 11/23/2009 11:56:03 AM
Author: piripiri

Is there a thread on bargaining? (I searched but couldn''t find much)

I used to have something in a part of Pricescope that''s been deleted.

Read shorthands for "Getting to Yes."

Essentially, find a competing stone on line (or elsewhere) you might actually consider, costing favorably, and have that as a reference point in going forward. If it is not a theoretical...but actual option you might get instead...this become real.

 

[piripiri]

Gotcha. So basically, shop around so you have a BATNA going into the negotiation.

Any feedback on the price of this princess stone?
Good deal? Or just fair?

 

[oldminer]

Obtain the crown height % and the girdle thicknesses and plug your data into this automated screening tool. It is very rare to find a Class 1, but nearly any from 2B and up will be a great bet to investigate further. Some nice looking 3A ones are out there, but they are borderline cut quality issues present. Once you get into the 3B range, which is unfortunately all too common with commercial quality princess cuts, there are definite cut issues which should not be overlooked.

http://gemappraisers.com/oldcutgrade.asp

I hear so often you can''t judge a princess by numbers alone and this is correct, but you can certainly avoid bad ones by using proper screening techniques. Why waste time on dangerously cut or overly deep ones when better are out there ready to be bought for fair prices?

 

[piripiri]

Thanks for the great info!
This forum is great.

So I went back to the store and got the GIA cert.
Here''s some new info.

6.91 X 6.69 X 4.81 mm
Girdle: thin - slightly thick

It doesn''t have the crown height on the GIA cert, but assuming an average 2B crown height of 18%, the result was 1B.
With a better 1A crown height of 10%, the result was 1A.
Is there a way to calculate the crown height from the other specs?