Princess vs. Round (Laser Drilled). WHICH WOULD YOU PICK. please help!

[FS]

Hi all,

Can you please help me in making a decision on what to get. What would YOU do in my shoes?

Princess cut 1.03 E SI1 for ~$4200 – Eye clean, ideal cut. great depth and table statistics
Round cut 1.12 D SI1 for ~4800 – Eye clean, ideal cut, great depth and table statistics.
Both GIA.

The caveat - The Round is laser drilled with a TINY laser drilling inclusion that can be seen only if you look very closely from the bottom using a loop. From what I understand, the original distributor himself did not sight the laser inclusion until he saw the cert. the seller guarantees that the laser drilling was done only to remove additional inclusions and it isn’t obvious at all.
I have searched online about laser drilled stones and have a hard time deciding. It is unlikely that I trade in the stone, and I might be ok with the laser stuff but then, I am not sure… Please share your thoughts and what you will do if you were me?

Thanks a lot in advance
fs

 

[Kaleigh]

If it were me I would stay away from laser drilled stones. Too much uncertainty for my taste. But that''s just me. Good luck.

 

[MissAva]

How do you know they are ideal cut? Have you seen them? If not in what manner did the vendor prove they were ideal cut? What about this RB Union Diamond
G SI1 1.19? Honestly I wouldnt pick either without more information.

 

[FS]

Thanks Metatora,

i saw the specs on table and all. i saw the GIA certsd, hence my judgement on the cut. Maybe what I should say is that ‘both of them have cuts that are pleasing to me and fall within the nicer cut ranges on pricescope”. Basically, the cut is not a standard to use to distinguish for me since they are both identically great for me. So, I am confused on way to go. EGL certs are not an option. I ruled them out becos I don’t want to deal with the uncertainties

 

[MissAva]

Did tey have the girdle and pavallion number? Can yupot the? I was under the impession tha GIA did nothave that info on their papers...

 

[FS]

girdle, yes, pavilion, no. but basically, i limited my options to these two but want to determine between them two.

 

[belle]

round and princess cuts are very different. why did you decide on these two stones in particular?

 

[set2374]

Generally, most pricescopers tend to have a particular shape stone in mind. It wouldn''t be a decision between one round and one princess... It would be between two similar stones (at least in terms of shape). You really need to decide which shape you (and your signficant other) prefer. As far as value is concerned, if the cert indicates that the stone has been enhanced (laser drilled), the stone should be valued at the pre-enhancement value. There''s a very good chance your stone was an I1 before the enhancement or possibly worse (one of the experts, feel free to correct me). If that''s the case, I think the price is on the high side for this stone. An D I1 (assuming it wasn''t HPHT treated for color), should be priced between $3600-$4300. $4,800 sounds high for the stone. I would really not be comfortable buying the stone, but you have seen the stone and it is up to you decide what your comfort level is. Good luck!

 

[FS]

longgggggggg story. lets just say i was considering round, within a tight budget, and then i saw a princess on two of my friends and it looked gorgeous, and my search showed that princess was more budget-friendly for me. but i got the round @ that price. cut-wise, i am open to both though i think princess may look cuter on a girl who is 5''10" tall and wears size 6.5 rings. but being a total newbie, i am confused with all the good pros about rounds and all that stuff...

 

[MissAva]

Oh this is true GIA dont cert CE stones...

 

[phoenixgirl]

I''d take the uncertainty of an EGL report over the uncertainty of a laser drilled diamond any day.

Keep in mind that there is no way to determine the quality of a cut just from the table and depth percentages. It''s like picking a date off of Match.com based on her height and weight. Yes, there are some height/weight combinations that mean she is super fat or super thin no matter what. But a seemingly good match in height and weight could result in any number of body types and levels of fitness. A table and depth in the right range might mean you''ve got a knock-out, but you might just have a sort of sloppy, pudgy person. If cut is really important to you, you''ll need to get more information on these two stones.

If you are set on these two stones and won''t be getting any more info, I vote for the princess based on its not being laser-drilled.

P.S. If I were you, I would decide on my shape of choice and then consider several stones, playing around with color and clarity. Have you looked at stones? Must it absolutely be D or E? How about F? If you''re ok with laser-drilled, are you ok with an eye-clean or fairly clean SI2 or I1? Sometimes the inclusions can be obscured under a prong or only visible from the side. If you want the look of a high quality stone without the price, perhaps you''d consider a simulant?

P.P.S. It sounds to me like you have entered into an agreement with someone with a very small inventory. ??? The more selection, the better your chances of finding the best bang for your buck.

 

[belle]

don''t be confused!

go with what you like

none of us have seen the stones that you are looking at, so we can''t make the decision. if you have depth, table, crown and pavilion angles, we could make a guess on the round, but without any of those the diamond has to be seen.

 

[set2374]

If you''re a newbie, don''t buy anything now!!! You''re going to regret it. Take your time and do your homework. Unless you''re very wealthy, diamonds are big decisions that require careful consideration. Don''t get caught up in carat weight when deciding between rounds and princesses. Round stones appear larger than slightly heavier princess cuts because they have larger table to depth ratios. You can do well buying a slightly smaller round and get the same bling. The issue is which shape do you prefer. Once you have that figured out, then you can start to really narrow your search criteria. This site is an awesome source of information. Read the posts and ask lots of questions. Do your shopping. Talk to different jewelers. You may be willing to go to an I-J SI2 to gain size... It''s really a lot to consider. Don''t rush into anything!!!

 

[MissAva]

What sort of setting does you girl prefer? I am really curious as to why it must be one of these two stones and I am concerned that you wre told the RB was GIA when they do not look at clarity enhanced stones. That to me tells me the person you are dealing with in not being 100% honest with you. A major red flag. This is a highly emotional item you are going to pruchase not just for you but for her as well. I think you ought to ask your vendor why he said a CE diamond was certed by GIA.

 

[FS]

thanks to you all for all your help!!!

Actually GIA DOES grade CE stones. i read about this on pricescope and over the internet and i have the GIA cert in my inbox. As long as it is not filled, only drilled to remove inclusions and that is noted on the cert.

i think i will go with the princess though for price and look. We went to a local Jared yesterday and wore a round and a princess both 0.96 points, F colour and relatively similar symmetry and cut. We LOVED the look of princess much more.
plus it is more budget-friendly and i hear new brides these days are going the princess-way.

the setting is a tacori-look setting. antique looking with three center stones. we already got the sides. E colour SI1 20 points.

THANKS AGAIN FOR THE HELP. I TRUELY APPRECIATE IT!!!

 

[MissAva]

http://www.diamondtalk.com/forums/t30657-giagradingcediamondsnow.html
Please post a link to the GIA web page where they say they will grade CE diamonds.