Round v other shapes....

[FB.]

A hypothetical question, but one that appears to crop up on here regularly.
Bear with me and tolerate the awkwardness that I incorporate into the "what if" scenario.

We want to buy a D/IF diamond online.
Information is not complete, but we're in a hurry and have to make a choice based on incomplete info.

We've narrowed down to four diamonds.

Round - table 56%, depth 60%
Princess - table 65%, depth 70%, L:W 1:1
Pear - table 57%, depth 61%, L:W 1.5
Oval - table 58%, depth 61%, L:W 1.5
Marquise - table 58%, depth 62%, L:W 2.0

OK, so the info is incomplete.

The round diamond has the same measurements from all directions (e.g crown angle, pavilion angle - neither of which we have). There's a lot of uncertainty as to how good it will be.

The non-round diamonds have different angles as you move around them, due to either the square shape of the princess or the elongated ends of the pear/oval/marquise.
Would it therefore be a safer option to take a non-round that fits into normally-accepted proportions for depth and table, on the basis that at least in some conditions, the non-round ought to find a complimentary set of angles across it's different-length proportions?

To my mind, the round diamond seems to be an "all or nothing" - the angles will either work or they won't.
With the non-rounds, you won't ever get perfection, but you have such a variety of angles within the stone that you're unlikely to get a total dud either.

Thanks for any comments,
FB

 

[DiamondFlame]

With the high premium charged for such top color and top clarity D-IF, I would have thought you're after perfection. A badly cut D-IF will still look like frozen spit, pardon my language. You may not necessarily get duds but after paying top dollar for D-IF only to end up with a loser of a rock, won't it reflect poorly on you, hypothetically? It's like buying a Ferrari with a Skoda engine inside, lol.

Me? I'll take top cut, W-X eyeclean SI2 over any D-IF with questionable cut any time.

 

[jet2ks]

I would never buy a luxury item based on incomplete info . . . . . actually, I wouldn't buy hardly anything until I have enough knowlege to make an informed decision. If someone is in that much of a hurry to buy a diamond, that they can't find more information, then they don't really need it.

The reason the question pops up so frequently is that many people think the 4C's constitute complete information about a diamond and mistake cut for shape. So they list a shape, color, clarity and carat and ask for advice about the stone, with maybe some basic stats like you presented. The only way they will know more is to have someone show them what else is involved in how a diamond looks and performs.

I don't think the round is "all or nothing" as you put it--any diamond will return some light. The factor you are missing with fancy shapes is the overall look. I have seen marquise and ovals that are obviously not optically symetrical--the ends are different shapes, there are funny bulges or the point of a marquise just isn't in line with the axis. What about the princess, is it square? thin girdle that is prone to chipped corners? Every shape has considerations that go beyond performance and basic numbers.

I think your odds of getting a total dud are about the same either way.