Should I go for the cushion?
- Thread starter kimmo416
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The ASETs are in! I'm bummed because what had been my top choice (the D VS1) looks pretty bad to my eyes. I got the ASETs for the VVS2 F and D VS1 that were recommended by the board, and a G VS1 recommended by them. Here is the link for the picture for the G VS1, which isn't on this thread http://www.jamesallen.com/#!/loose-diamonds/Cushion-cut/1.02-carat-G-color-VS1-clarity-sku-156959
Here is what JA said to me:
I am also happy to give you the positive feedback that the gemologist gave these diamonds. The 1.0 carat-D-VS1 has good light performance, however, it is slightly asymmetrical. It does have very good light return and faces up completely eye clean. It has a nice rectangular cushion outline and is a very beautiful white color. The 1.04 carat-F-VVS2 has a typical balance of light and dark areas that you get with cushion diamonds and its performance is very good. It too has a very nice cushion outline and faces up a bright white color. The 1.02 carat-G-VS1 has good light performance that is mixed with direct light return but some darkness under the table. Just like the other two it is eye clean but this one has a nice white color (not as bright of a white color as the other two).
After reviewing the information and the ASET images, I would personally recommend the 1.02 carat-G-VS1. It has a nice cushion outline, faces eye clean and performs similar to the others (but this one comes at a better value). It is truly a beautiful diamond and I know that you will be stunned when you see it for yourself.
ASETs:
D VS1
F VVS2
G VS1
What do you guys think of the ASETs and their top pick, the G VS1? Should I be worried that it has some darkness under the table? Thanks!
Here is what JA said to me:
I am also happy to give you the positive feedback that the gemologist gave these diamonds. The 1.0 carat-D-VS1 has good light performance, however, it is slightly asymmetrical. It does have very good light return and faces up completely eye clean. It has a nice rectangular cushion outline and is a very beautiful white color. The 1.04 carat-F-VVS2 has a typical balance of light and dark areas that you get with cushion diamonds and its performance is very good. It too has a very nice cushion outline and faces up a bright white color. The 1.02 carat-G-VS1 has good light performance that is mixed with direct light return but some darkness under the table. Just like the other two it is eye clean but this one has a nice white color (not as bright of a white color as the other two).
After reviewing the information and the ASET images, I would personally recommend the 1.02 carat-G-VS1. It has a nice cushion outline, faces eye clean and performs similar to the others (but this one comes at a better value). It is truly a beautiful diamond and I know that you will be stunned when you see it for yourself.
ASETs:
D VS1
F VVS2
G VS1
What do you guys think of the ASETs and their top pick, the G VS1? Should I be worried that it has some darkness under the table? Thanks!
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ariel144
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kalima|1363027785|3402117 said:
Green in an ASET is not leakage. Black is leakage.
Maybe this will help:
Here''s an explanation from www.ideal-scope.com::
ASET shows where a diamond gathers its light.
Blue is blocked by the observer (some blue adds contrast)
Red is best: most light comes from above –from the ceiling
Green is OK; it is reflected and from windows, but red is better
White shows how much leakage is present (bad, especially when the leakage is adjacent to blue; when you will see a large dead dark zone in normal lighting)
One also pays a really high premium for F and VVS stones as well. It's surprising how much high clarity bumps up the price.
On one thread where PSrs were weighing in on the ASETs of several cushions, most picked a certain stone from the ASET. The stone I picked was different from the majority weighing in because I like the faceting and the ASET. When the OP asked the gemologist which stone was the best performer it was the stone that I picked...she also had her friends go look at the stones and they also agreed with the gemologists.
Moral of this story is...you can't always tell from the ASET image which stone will perform best.
Pick several of your fav's get the ASETs and peeps opinions and then trust the gemologist's opinion that is looking at both stones as to which is the better performer.
I like the .86 E Cushion Brilliant because of it's chunkier faceting and also it's depth and table percentages and its' ASET.
I've seen some modified cushions on GOG that have a lot of white under the table (when looking at the faceting on the picture it looks like gray mush) but they still somehow rate "very high" range on the Megascope and so they add them to their inventory because some people like that type of faceting.
If you go there and look at many of his inventoried cushions; their ASETS, Idealscopes, and Megascopes plus their depth and table %'s it will help you rate stones you can only get ASETS on...at least it has me. Because of the depth of the .86 E it faces up like a 1 carat stone. If the stone is lovely who cares that much about resale. One should never buy diamonds based on resale IMO. But each to his own.
Cushions are challenging to find a really good one. The best faceting on cushions tends to be the Cushion Brilliants and Old Mine Brilliants, but they are few and far between. Lately JA has started carrying more of these better cut cushions that are so rare and they sell very fast as most people prefer them and snap them up.
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kimmo416|1363304536|3405173 said:
the G VS1 ASET is very nice. The slight darkness around the edges of the table is pretty common and it should not be a problem.. Very nice cushion brilliant. the first one...the D color stone looks like it has more darkness under the table than the G stone to me...interesting statement form the gemologist though. The table is rather large on the G 64%, but if it is in your budget and you want a 1 carat then you should go with that. I believe it will most likely out perform your princess cut and obviously look larger.
Have you thought about setting it E/W to get more finger coverage? That would be stunning.
nala|1363307633|3405202 said:
Thanks! It's mostly just off of the measurements - a much larger table than depth. I've seen videos of an ideal AGS princess and mine definitely isn't as nice, but like I said, it still looks sparkly to me. Also, Costco does have an excellent return policy, but my bf wants to propose sooner rather than later and wants the ring decision locked down!
ariel144|1363310308|3405227 said:
Thanks for the feedback and info. The G is actually $500 cheaper than the others, so that combined with the good ASET and recommendation from the gemologist makes it my top pick so far.
I have fairly large, long fingers, so I think that an E/W setting might look weird. I was hoping a longer stone would make my fingers look a little more slender.
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By the way, can some of you cushion lovers tell me why this is an I1...can't see a feather on this stone and looks better than many of the SI1's I've been seeing lately...great deal for someone on a very low budget:
1c F I1...NICE stone even though it faces up a little smaller ...love the high crown. $3,300
http://www.jamesallen.com/#!/loose-diamonds/cushion-cut/1.00-carat-f-color-i1-clarity-sku-203921
Oh, and BTW, even though it is 1c it faces up smaller than the .86 E vs1
1c F I1...NICE stone even though it faces up a little smaller ...love the high crown. $3,300
http://www.jamesallen.com/#!/loose-diamonds/cushion-cut/1.00-carat-f-color-i1-clarity-sku-203921
Oh, and BTW, even though it is 1c it faces up smaller than the .86 E vs1
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kimmo416|1363311154|3405238 said:
Yes, N/S does elongate your fingers but I have long fingers size 5 and I went with an E/W and loved it ( 2.1c....8.9mm x 6.6mm radiant). To me it just seems to face up larger with the E/W.... Best to try on and see what suits you best and what YOUR preference is. I have had so many strangers that complimented me on my ring all the time, but most do prefer the N/S setting.
nielseel|1363311524|3405248 said:
I'm still not sure
I think I'm going to buy the diamond first and then figure it out. It would make life so much easier if I liked JA's settings!!!On another note, JulieN, if you're around, I'd love to hear your opinion on the ASETs since you were one of the first contributors to my thread and I've seen your knowledge in other threads!
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kimmo416|1363356850|3405540 said:nielseel|1363311524|3405248 said:
I'm still not sure
On another note, JulieN, if you're around, I'd love to hear your opinion on the ASETs since you were one of the first contributors to my thread and I've seen your knowledge in other threads!
Do you have a local brick and mortar store to have it set at? I'm soooooo hoping you pick that ritani I'm in love with the setting.
nielseel|1363358085|3405550 said:
I have an independent appraiser where I took my first ring to get appraised who can do it. I love that Ritani, but there's one thing holding me back. I know this is SO dumb, but it's really important to me for some reason. I reeeeeeally love having a peekaboo diamond on the side and that one is all metal. I just want one little diamond to be able to peek out at me, call me crazy.
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kimmo416|1363358536|3405552 said:
I would go to there website and live chat with someone and ask if they can add one. I had asked about them making that setting for a pear they said yes and it wasn't custom, so they might be able to
Eta. They won't set an outside stone but if they say they could them you would just get your stone to a b and m and tell them you want it, that you spoke with ritani and they would do it and for how much extra, if any, they said it would cost.
Hopefully they could do it
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For me, I would still get the .86 E VS1. There is an ASET for it floating around on PS, it looks good but I don't remember where it is. 
The size difference between it and the G is less than 6%, noticeable when loose and side-by-side. After you put it in a halo, I believe the difference in overall look and presence will be insignificant. Between the D and G, I would prefer to have them shipped loose to me to see.
Anyway, ASET only tells you brightness in one way: table perpendicular to the eyes, with the lightting coming from above you +/- 15 degrees. It does not tell you fire or scintillation, it does not tell you the size of flashes. So it is just one part of the puzzle for me, I don't think anyone buying fancies should make their decision on static ASET picture alone.
The size difference between it and the G is less than 6%, noticeable when loose and side-by-side. After you put it in a halo, I believe the difference in overall look and presence will be insignificant. Between the D and G, I would prefer to have them shipped loose to me to see.
Anyway, ASET only tells you brightness in one way: table perpendicular to the eyes, with the lightting coming from above you +/- 15 degrees. It does not tell you fire or scintillation, it does not tell you the size of flashes. So it is just one part of the puzzle for me, I don't think anyone buying fancies should make their decision on static ASET picture alone.
JulieN|1363367382|3405639 said:For me, I would still get the .86 E VS1. There is an ASET for it floating around on PS, it looks good but I don't remember where it is.
The size difference between it and the G is less than 6%, noticeable when loose and side-by-side. After you put it in a halo, I believe the difference in overall look and presence will be insignificant. Between the D and G, I would prefer to have them shipped loose to me to see.
Anyway, ASET only tells you brightness in one way: table perpendicular to the eyes, with the lightting coming from above you +/- 15 degrees. It does not tell you fire or scintillation, it does not tell you the size of flashes. So it is just one part of the puzzle for me, I don't think anyone buying fancies should make their decision on static ASET picture alone.
These are good points. Thanks for your feedback Julie. Unfortunately, the .86 E VS1 just isn't an option for us because I have to respect my boyfriends opinion about the carat size since he's paying. I wish we had enough money to get both the D and the G to look at! Is it worth asking the JA gemologist about the fire and scintillation with the D and G?
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Yeah, it would be best if the cash flow worked out if you could get both, but I understand that's not always feasible.
You could ask them to better describe the fire and character of the scintillation between the two. As I understand it they only look at the diamonds under the office lights (fluorescent lights, windows, white walls) which is not really where the fire show happens. It is possible the D has broader flash and is more fiery in a different environment. Or sometimes you can ask them to do a taste test with a handful of other employees?
You could ask them to better describe the fire and character of the scintillation between the two. As I understand it they only look at the diamonds under the office lights (fluorescent lights, windows, white walls) which is not really where the fire show happens. It is possible the D has broader flash and is more fiery in a different environment. Or sometimes you can ask them to do a taste test with a handful of other employees?
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Hmm. Or maybe they can compare #1 G you have on hold to this guy, it is actually bigger: http://www.jamesallen.com/#!/loose-diamonds/cushion-cut/0.95-carat-g-color-vs2-clarity-sku-125608
It looks surprisingly square for its measurements, so I hope that is the right diamond in the video.
It looks surprisingly square for its measurements, so I hope that is the right diamond in the video.
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You don't need an ASET for it if they enforce the 3 limit, just get them to compare it to the G you already have on hold, it is the same kind of cut. And ask them to double check it is the same one in the video if they do not give you an ASET, because it just looks way more square in the video than the dimensions suggest.
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ariel144
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ariel144|1362946446|3401451 said:
I posted that thread with the ASET back on pg 1 in here.
But now this 1.01c E SI1 is available again and slightly larger, she might want that stone. The ASET and gemologist's comments that the feather is not seen with the naked eye are in this same thread...great ASET too:
http://www.jamesallen.com/#!/loose-diamonds/cushion-cut/1.01-carat-e-color-si1-clarity-sku-30101
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/antique-style-cushion.185565/page-3#post-3401126#p3401126']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/antique-style-cushion.185565/page-3#post-3401126#p3401126[/URL]
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Post by rearadmiral » 22 Feb 2013 14:56
http://jamesallen.com/#!/loose-diamonds/cushion-cut/1.01-carat-E-color-SI1-clarity-sku-30101
30101.jpg
sorry don't know how to post pic's yet.
http://jamesallen.com/#!/loose-diamonds/cushion-cut/1.01-carat-E-color-SI1-clarity-sku-30101
30101.jpg
sorry don't know how to post pic's yet.
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