some questions for the famed pricescope community

[viscera912]

Hello!

This is a great website and I will be referring my friends here when they start the whole "rock" process, thanks pricescope!! Anyway, currently I am about 2 months in my journey to acquiring the right diamond and setting. I have perused a vast number of strings on this website and I am still a tad curious about some things. First, I am looking for a princess cut and I have noticed that the percentage range for the princesses are between 70-79%. Some have said that a good cut is around 76% while others say a low 70 is better. Thus, for a diamond in the .60-.70 carat range, does table% really make that much difference? Second, as far as colors go I have learned that taking a color on a website is totally face value and nothing beats looking at it in person. But I have also read that color ranges don''t make that big a difference for the smaller diamonds. So, for a diamond in the same carat range, .60-.70, would the color make that much a difference between a J and an H? Third, for that same size diamond what girdle would be appropriate. These are a few of my questions...the setting is probably going to be platinum or white gold....I am leaning toward platinum and she is leaning towards white gold

that is another issue to be dealt with later....anyway thank you for your help and responses!!!

Jason

 

[valeria101]

Most of talking on princess cut parameters tries to find excuses for most stones out there who can't make it through the more established quality standards for external cut (= measurement) such as the AGA's and never get appropriately evaluated for light return ( via some direct test, such as Brilliancescope or IdeaScope).

I do agree that a smaller stone will not show color allot, so J is great. But size is no excuse for poor cut. I would not let all that much to the imagination buying a "fancy cut" and demand light return analysis on it. Especially since the mesurements alone do not say much about light return fo any other shape but the rouns. Just a thought, of course...

 

[oldminer]

There are lots of nice looking princess cut diamonds to choose from and without a lot of learning, most of them look acceptable. It does not much matter how deep they are or how large the table is and that is proven by the fact that most folks buy one that is way too deep or have way too wide a table. They still manage to look ok.

However, if you can find a princess cut with less than 72% depth and less than a 70% table you will be on the way to finding one of the better cut ones. The diameter will look larger for the weight if the depth is not excessive. If there is some crown height and not an extreme table width, you have a chance for some dispersion, too.

You will need to LOOK at the diamonds. Don't pick one just by the numbers. Let the numbers guide you, but not be the sole deciding factor. Diamonds are a visual thing, not a scientific commodity.

If you put a J next to an H you are likely to see the J is not as colorless. Try an I next to the H. The I will have less of a color difference and may prove to be adequate for you.

Keep track of length and width. You can judge how large one will look to another by Length times Width. Weight can be a tricky thing as the apparent size of a 1 carat diamond may often look smaller than a .90ct diamond that is not cut so deep.

Don't go overly shallow, either. That won't do any good at all. Deep is better than too shallow in most princess cuts.

 

[Giangi]

Dave as always gives the best suggestions.

I will chime in and add that most beautiful performing princesses have a 9% or higher crown height.

Fancy shapes show color much more easily than round brilliants. In the 0.70ct range, I would look at I/SI 1's for the best look/price combo. Some J's are attractive, others are yellowish. I would go with an I to set my mind at ease.

 

[viscera912]

"You will need to LOOK at the diamonds. Don't pick one just by the numbers."
David S. Atlas

Thank you all for the responses. I am probably going to be purchasing the diamond online, thus, how do I "look" at the diamond before purchasing it. I know the reputable online dealers offer a 30 day money return period. Is that what you mean by looking at it and if I don't like it then I can return it? Also, please correct me if I am wrong...Once I purchase a diamond I should get it appraised during the full refund time period to make sure everything is in order? Thanks again for your responses

Jason

 

[viscera912]

"Don't go overly shallow, either. That won't do any good at all. Deep is better than too shallow in most princess"
David S. Atlas

Sorry I forgot about this question...

I am kinda confused about shallow/deep cuts. Which is the measurement for that? If a diamond listing gives the measurement of 4.75x4.69x3.14 <--- is that what you are referring to when you say deep or shallow cuts. which is the number for deep/shallow? What is a good range for princess cuts with the whole deep/shallow issue? I tried doing some homework on my own to figure out the answer to that question but I think I just got more confused so of course I turned to the people I knew would help me out

Thanks!!!

Jason

 

[valeria101]

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On 2/21/2004 8:04:08 PM viscera912 wrote:



Which is the measurement for that? If a diamond listing gives the measurement of 4.75x4.69x3.14 [...] which is the number for deep/shallow? What is a good range for princess cuts with the whole deep/shallow issue?

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The depth percentage is calculated as "(third number) / (minimum of the first two)" . For the measurements you listed, this is 3.14/4.69 ~ 67%...
As you can see, this formula (standard as is) does not work very well for rectangular stones when the shortest side is much less than the longest. For square princesses (this means stones with 1.1 or less LxW ratio to me) no worries.
Princess cuts rarely occur at less than 65% depth, and if they do, you may not want to see those ! Taking the 72% as a good rule of thumb for the upper limit, you get the 64%-72% interval to play with. For me, these numbers already incorporate some slack: I would prefer a stone between 65% and 70% depth, but, well, 1% back and forth is not suposed to get s agreat cut out of your list. I would not keep enlarging the interval though... there are enough princess cuts out there so I do not have to trim the numbers to death.
This is just my opinion, of course... and there is one argument that ay sway it: light return. If optics work much may be forgiven, 'cause fancies with great optics do not come in large crowds at all

 

[pqcollectibles]

The last number will be the total diamond depth in mm. Lmm X Wmm X Dmm

The total depth % of the diamond will be listed on the Cert. You should also see a break down for crown (above the girdle), pavillion (below the girdle), and girdle %'s as well.