Recommend a princess cut

[dowsey]

Hi all

I have a budget of about $3800 to spend on a princess cut for my fiance''s ring. I have looked at lots of stones but my lack of expertise is making me indecisive. I''m looking for some expert advice. I have emailed ERD and i''m waiting for some feedback, but i would love to hear from some of the forum experts.

Thanks in advance

Dowsey

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 6/16/2008 9:55:37 AM
Author:dowsey
Hi all

I have a budget of about $3800 to spend on a princess cut for my fiance's ring. I have looked at lots of stones but my lack of expertise is making me indecisive. I'm looking for some expert advice. I have emailed ERD and i'm waiting for some feedback, but i would love to hear from some of the forum experts.

Thanks in advance

Dowsey

Welcome Dowsey!

We would be pleased to help you, can you give us a bit more info please? What are your carat, colour and clarity requirements? If you could let us know, then we can offer some suggestions.


Is the budget just for the diamond, or does it include the setting also?

 

[Ellen]

Here''s a few. Always ask if eyeclean on SI1 and lower. I didn''t search for less than H color, as I wasn''t sure how low you wanted to go. Squares will show color a tad easier than rounds. And this is about the biggest I found, before it jumps to 1 ct +, which also makes the price jump past your budget.

http://goodoldgold.com/diamond/3955/

http://goodoldgold.com/diamond/2850/


http://www.whiteflash.com/aca_princess/A-Cut-Above-Princess-cut-diamond-912073.htm

http://www.whiteflash.com/aca_princess/A-Cut-Above-Princess-cut-diamond-912084.htm

 

[dowsey]

Thanks for the replies folks. I was hoping for 0.85 or greater, with a max G colour and VS2 clarity....am i being unrealistic? Even then, i am concerned if these specs are ''good enough'' and would appreciate your thoughts.

Here are some stones i was considering (hope the links work)

http://www.engagementringsdirect.com/loose_detail.php/session/158880f777a38ad103956eaffc7844c2/id/13972224/sz/150/premium/premium

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/G-VS1-Premium-Cut-Princess-Diamond-1133631.asp

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/G-VS1-Premium-Cut-Princess-Diamond-1089087.asp

I have no clue about cut, so hoping you can advise.

Thanks again

Dowsey

 

[Lorelei]

It is so difficult to tell with Princess by numbers or cut labels such as Premium etc. If you stick to AGS0 Princess, these have been evaluated for optical performance, and should be an outstanding stone. That is how I would approach it anyway, get a top cut, such as the ones Ellen posted above and try to match your carat, colour and clarity from there. To maximise the budget, a G or H can look plenty white, and even clarity of SI1 or even SI2 can be eyeclean - check with the vendor concerning each individual SI clarity diamond to be sure.

I found this one which is well within budget - http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/4441/

 

[Ellen]

Date: 6/16/2008 10:53:11 AM
Author: dowsey
Thanks for the replies folks. I was hoping for 0.85 or greater, with a max G colour and VS2 clarity....am i being unrealistic? Even then, i am concerned if these specs are 'good enough' and would appreciate your thoughts.

Here are some stones i was considering (hope the links work)

http://www.engagementringsdirect.com/loose_detail.php/session/158880f777a38ad103956eaffc7844c2/id/13972224/sz/150/premium/premium

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/G-VS1-Premium-Cut-Princess-Diamond-1133631.asp

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/G-VS1-Premium-Cut-Princess-Diamond-1089087.asp

I have no clue about cut, so hoping you can advise.

Thanks again

Dowsey

In a very well cut stone, yes.

The first stone is way too deep, and the symmetry is only good. We recommend Symmetry and Polish to stay at, at least Very Good. It's not square, and the clarity is also a tad overkill. This is not a great stone.

The second one might be ok, though ideally you want the table percentage smaller than the depth.

Second one might be ok. I would want Idealscope images on them.

Cut is what is going to make the stone stand out, and dazzle her. I would rather have an excellent cut, and smaller stone, than the other way around, but that's just me.

 

[sapient007]

check prices often. talk to whiteflash or GoG. they''ll be able to find you a better stone than your basic search. it could be done. i scored a 1.21 princess for about 4800 but did went down in color however i still love it. I would suggest going to the GoG video archive to check out some of their "hotties" for the princess cut. since it''s hard to tell how good a princess is by number, it''s good to have a visual attached to the stone. you''ll find something. it just takes time and research.

 

[dowsey]

Thanks all. I have contacted GOG so will wait and see what if they have anything alongside the .84 that Ellen recommended. I appreciate the recommendation btw, but wanted to ask about that grade of stone in a platinum mount. Do i need to worry about the inclusions being visible to the naked eye and also how noticeable is a G colour in a princess cut?

Thanks again

Dowsey.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 6/16/2008 12:04:49 PM
Author: dowsey
Thanks all. I have contacted GOG so will wait and see what if they have anything alongside the .84 that Ellen recommended. I appreciate the recommendation btw, but wanted to ask about that grade of stone in a platinum mount. Do i need to worry about the inclusions being visible to the naked eye and also how noticeable is a G colour in a princess cut?

Thanks again

Dowsey.

GOG will advise you if this diamond is eyeclean to your standards, as to the G colour, it should be very white in that size Princess - no worries!

 

[dowsey]

Hi all,

Still waiting on gog & erd so thought i would run a few more stones past you if that''s OK?

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/E-SI1-Ideal-Cut-Princess-Diamond-1089066.asp

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/E-VS1-Ideal-Cut-Princess-Diamond-1124356.asp

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/E-VS2-Ideal-Cut-Princess-Diamond-1106326.asp

I''ve tried to take on board your recommendations regarding cut, so hopefully these are better stones..

Thanks

Dowsey

 

[Lorelei]

I like #1 and 2 the best with the info given, if you want to pursue these, although this isn''t as useful as ASET, ask for an Idealscope image of these diamonds, so we can get a better idea.

 

[dowsey]

Hey all,

i have now reserved the following stone from gog:

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/4441/

Thanks again for your advice and likewise to sarah @ gog

Dowsey