Some miscellaneous questions on cut

[kinopop]

The nice thing about this forum is that because no
two diamonds are the same, the posts are unique.

Now, to the questions,
I''m interested in buying a diamond for a ring
(with gem side-stones) and I''ve stumbled over
a few things in shopping online.

Let me first say that I am considering the two:

-------------------
http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/D-SI2-Ideal-Cut-Oval-Diamond-1073879.asp
I like the shape oval better than round, and I
feel it''d be better for the ring, but the "wow"
factor (how bright, colorful, and sparkly it is)
is first.
-----------------------

That is why there is the second option:

-------------------
http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/I-VS2-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1225100.asp
I''ve heard time and time again that rounds
are the shiniest best thing ever, and so I
felt this Hearts and Arrows would do the trick.
---------------------

Now to the real questions

-The oval mentioned above is also listed on
this website:
http://www.solomonbrothers.com/Diamond_34Y7Y889
On this site, it only receives a "Good" cut,
and not "Ideal." That''s a pretty big spread.
In fact, I''ve been on the phone with the latter
company and when asked about a diamond oval
they marked as "ideal" they did not recommend it.
I''m kind of nervous about their "Good" then.

-Exactly how much more light does a round
reflect than an oval anyways? Is there any way
of making that a percentage?

-Ovals are given an ideal proportion range of
between 1.33 and 1.7 from what I''ve seen. Does
that mean that they have the best performance.
Personally, I prefer the more squashed ones.
If this is closer to round, shouldn''t it reflect
more light, and have less bow tie?

-There are a couple ovals on the same site that
appear to have better figures:
http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/I-VS1-Ideal-Cut-Oval-Diamond-1190447.asp
http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/I-VS1-Ideal-Cut-Oval-Diamond-1190447.asp
The second is almost exactly the same, just with
better statistics (novice perspective).
Neither of them look quite as good as the first
one spoken of. So, can a camera be that
deceptive or should I trust it well enough to
get the one with the worst information?
For instance, the desired oval and the most
recent oval link have the same color, but the
camera doesn''t agree with it.

-If this were a decision for you guys, which
would you choose in your own opinions?

-The bow tie thing. Of the three, the first
looks like it has the weakest bow tie, but is
that necessarily good? I''ve heard no bow tie
in an oval could equal less light altogether.

Thank you all for being so nice.

 

[stone-cold11]

Request an IS image and post it here, then we can say something on the cut for oval.

 

[chrono]

For any diamond, you need to get the Idealscope picture and ASET if possible. JA does not do ASET but should have no problem with providing an IS picture. For fancy cuts like ovals, the numbers don''t tell much at all, unlike round cut diamonds.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 6/26/2009 12:01:32 AM
Author: Chrono
For any diamond, you need to get the Idealscope picture and ASET if possible. JA does not do ASET but should have no problem with providing an IS picture. For fancy cuts like ovals, the numbers don't tell much at all, unlike round cut diamonds.

Ditto, that way those of us who take a special interest in fancy shapes can assist you.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 6/25/2009 8:08:09 PM
Author:kinopop
The nice thing about this forum is that because no
two diamonds are the same, the posts are unique.

Now, to the questions,
I'm interested in buying a diamond for a ring
(with gem side-stones) and I've stumbled over
a few things in shopping online.

Let me first say that I am considering the two:

-------------------
http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/D-SI2-Ideal-Cut-Oval-Diamond-1073879.asp
I like the shape oval better than round, and I
feel it'd be better for the ring, but the 'wow'
factor (how bright, colorful, and sparkly it is)
is first. I would want an Idealscope image for this diamond, I am not loving it in the photo.
-----------------------

That is why there is the second option:

-------------------
http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/I-VS2-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1225100.asp
I've heard time and time again that rounds
are the shiniest best thing ever, and so I
felt this Hearts and Arrows would do the trick. This one looks good.
---------------------

Now to the real questions

-The oval mentioned above is also listed on
this website:
http://www.solomonbrothers.com/Diamond_34Y7Y889
On this site, it only receives a 'Good' cut,
and not 'Ideal.' That's a pretty big spread.
In fact, I've been on the phone with the latter
company and when asked about a diamond oval
they marked as 'ideal' they did not recommend it.
I'm kind of nervous about their 'Good' then. There really isn't such a thing as an Ideal Cut oval at this time, when these terms are used by vendors it doesn't guarantee you a well cut diamond.

-Exactly how much more light does a round
reflect than an oval anyways? Is there any way
of making that a percentage? Not really, suffice to say ovals can be great performers if the cut is excellent.

-Ovals are given an ideal proportion range of
between 1.33 and 1.7 from what I've seen. Does
that mean that they have the best performance.
Personally, I prefer the more squashed ones.
If this is closer to round, shouldn't it reflect
more light, and have less bow tie? Shape is a matter of preference, bow ties have to be evaluated on a particular stone, some feel the longer and thinner the oval or shape is the greater the bow tie but it doesn't always seem to come down to that. I have seen very roundish ovals show a distinct bow tie and longer thinner ones with less. This is why it is best to stick to vendors who have in house diamonds who can discuss the amount of bow tie with you.

-There are a couple ovals on the same site that
appear to have better figures:
http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/I-VS1-Ideal-Cut-Oval-Diamond-1190447.asp
http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/I-VS1-Ideal-Cut-Oval-Diamond-1190447.asp These are the same stone. It looks quite nice in the photo.
The second is almost exactly the same, just with
better statistics (novice perspective).
Neither of them look quite as good as the first
one spoken of. So, can a camera be that
deceptive or should I trust it well enough to
get the one with the worst information?
For instance, the desired oval and the most
recent oval link have the same color, but the
camera doesn't agree with it. Photos can act as a guide but don't tell the whole story, useful for getting an idea of shape, bow tie etc but they can't capture performance.

-If this were a decision for you guys, which
would you choose in your own opinions?

-The bow tie thing. Of the three, the first
looks like it has the weakest bow tie, but is
that necessarily good? I've heard no bow tie
in an oval could equal less light altogether. Not really the case, even very well cut ovals can show distinct bow ties, you can ask for the bow tie to be minimized if working with an expert vendor, but it isn't always possible to avoid them entirely.

Check out this article on bow ties and other shape tips

http://www.goodoldgold.com/ShapeTutorials/ShapeTips1/

Thank you all for being so nice.

 

[kinopop]

Thank you Lorelei for the in-depth help.

Sorry for the double-link there. The
other diamond was meant to be this one

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/D-SI1-Ideal-Cut-Oval-Diamond-892053.asp

I requested an IS yesterday, and await it
now.

When you said "It looks quite nice in the photo,"
what was the basis of that comment versus
the top oval?

You've all be an incredible help, thank you.
I'll post the IS when it comes in.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 6/26/2009 4:44:32 PM
Author: kinopop
Thank you Lorelei for the in-depth help.

Sorry for the double-link there. The
other diamond was meant to be this one

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/D-SI1-Ideal-Cut-Oval-Diamond-892053.asp

I requested an IS yesterday, and await it
now.

When you said 'This one looks good,'
what was the basis of that comment versus
the top oval?

You've all be an incredible help, thank you.
I'll post the IS when it comes in.

Glad to help! Yes that remark was about the round not the oval. The second oval looks preferable to me.

I will look out for the IS images when you get them

 

[kinopop]

Wow, you''re zippy!

Only three IS images can be requested for
any one customer.

Would it be useful for me to request one for
either of the other two ovals?

I guess I''ll just wait for the one for now.

 

[Gypsy]

Before you request the images, I''d ask them if there is a diamond that meets your specs in their inventory that, in their opinion (since they can see them) is the best performer and is the nicest looking, with the least bowtie? Sometimes just asking a vendor what the nicest stone they have in fancy shapes is the way to go.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 6/26/2009 4:56:14 PM
Author: kinopop
Wow, you''re zippy!

Only three IS images can be requested for
any one customer.

Would it be useful for me to request one for
either of the other two ovals?

I guess I''ll just wait for the one for now.

Hehe!

If you particularly like one of the ovals then yes but as only 3 are allowed make sure you are very interested in a particular diamond to avoid wasting IS images!