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Spring/ Ashoka/ Crisscut/ Prince cuts - light performance, pros & cons...?

diamondhoarder

Brilliant_Rock
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Apr 5, 2012
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Hi all

I am on the lookout for a modified emerald cut such as one of the branded cuts like Spring, Ashoka, Crisscut, Prince cut or tycoon if it has clipped corners . I really like additional sparkle and facet pattern that the scissor cut facets add to these types of cuts. However, I'm used to buying more mainstream diamond shapes with the help of ASET images and am very keen on maximising light performance. I have seen some examples of the stones which seem to show windowing and bowtie effects, although I'm unsure if this is just because these were poorly cut examples, or whether this is general to these cuts.

I am leaning more towards spring cut so far, because of the chunkier light flashes and facet pattern but Im not sure if these are going to be problematic because of having larger tables. Its not clear if the spring cut was designed to have a larger table and shallower depth in order to maximise spread or whether the proportions vary from good to terrible just the same as other emerald and radiant cuts. I haven't been able to find much info about it other than a fairly brief summary which was presumably written by their marketing team.

Also the general message from Pricescope seems to be that for max light performance, tables should be smaller than depth, and shallow stones with large tables are to be avoided because of lack of performance/ glassiness/ dullness etc. However, I'm wondering if this also holds true for stones which have been designed this way like the L'amour crisscut which is supposed to maximise spread whilst retaining light performance according to their marketing info. I personally don't like the look of the L'amour myself but the cutter clearly set out to cut a shallow diamond which would still perform well. Is it really possible to get this combination together?

Can any of the pricescope experts weigh in on this? Karl K - Have you done any analysis of these cuts? I would love to see an ASET for one of these!

Do any pricescopers who own any of these cuts have any input on the pro's and cons of these cuts? Any spring cut owners out there? :wavey:
 

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Do you have images of the Spring, Prince and Tycoon cuts? I am not familiar with these as I am with the Ashoka and Crisscut. I would love to see what these look like.
 
I have seen some Tycoon and Chrisscut diamonds in person and frankly I was not impressed.
There was a large variation stone to stone.
I do not have ASET images for them as they were at a b&m.
They were not designed for light performance the way we think of it on PS but they were not horrible.
 
Do you have images of the Spring, Prince and Tycoon cuts? I am not familiar with these as I am with the Ashoka and Crisscut. I would love to see what these look like.

r7600-7.jpg


Lambskin - DBL has this Tycoon cut diamond on their website at the moment.
 
I have seen some Tycoon and Chrisscut diamonds in person and frankly I was not impressed.
There was a large variation stone to stone.
I do not have ASET images for them as they were at a b&m.
They were not designed for light performance the way we think of it on PS but they were not horrible.

Hi Karl_K:wavey: Thanks for your reply. So is it always the case that people wanting optimal light performance in their diamond should choose one with a smaller table than depth percentage regardless of the type of cut? And that a smaller table is preferable over a larger one? I know that there are other factors too (girdle, positioning of facets etc - I have read lots of your posts about emerald cuts and asschers =)2) but if this rule about tables and depths is applicable to all diamonds of every cut type, then that answers a lot of my questions about these branded cuts.
 
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Hi Karl_K:wavey: Thanks for your reply. So is it always the case that people wanting optimal light performance in their diamond should choose one with a smaller table than depth percentage regardless of the type of cut? And that a smaller table is preferable over a larger one? I know that there are other factors too (girdle, positioning of facets etc - I have read lots of your posts about emerald cuts and asschers =)2) but if this rule about tables and depths is applicable to all diamonds of every cut type, then that answers a lot of my questions about these branded cuts.
I dont go by the smaller table than depth rule at all, on any cut.
For example a 65% table 60% depth EC/SE could be awesome but a 70%/71% is not likely to be very great.
What I look for instead is a table in the acceptable range for that cut and style.
Then with step cuts I look at mm spread over the depth %.
Some cuts the rule does work out but that is just where the sweet spot for that cut happens to be, not because of the rule.
 
r7600-7.jpg


Lambskin - DBL has this Tycoon cut diamond on their website at the moment.

Woops guess I should have checked stock!
Not that it would have changed my opinion any on the line overall.
Some of them were very nice, but there was a large variation stone to stone which is what turned me off on them.
 
I have nothing to add here except that I've seen a larger Crisscut L'Amour (it had rounded corners... very cool) and it looked pretty good! That said, I've seen a lot of other Crisscut stones and thought they were very "splintery" and haphazard to my eyes.

I'd never heard of the Spring cut, so I looked it up and found a face up photo... faceting on this one seems haphazard and it looks to have a lot of dark areas.
https://www.israel-diamonds.com/product/diamond/sg/38566.aspx
Spring Cut Diamond.jpg
 
MSOP04, I would agree that neither of those looks very good. I keep thinking that there must be somewhere some kind of really nicely cut variation on emerald cut which has a few more facets for extra sparkle without compromising on cut quality/performance. I just cant seem to find it..........:think:
 
Thank you ll for those photos! I learn everyday from PS! I am not a fan of the Spring, Crisscut and Ashoka. The Tycoon in the picture is really interesting. Looks like some wide flashes and not a lot of dark. Would like to see more Tycoons. I wonder how they face up in terms of size with a regular square cut and Octavia?
 
Well 2 1/2 years after I first posted this question I have found a PrinceCut with lovely light performance. Here is the ASET:

20200612_162818 (2)_LI-2.jpg

In person its very bright with lovely contrast patterns that really makes it dance when its in motion. It needs liberating from a horrible setting, so it will get its own thread once its in its new setting.
 
Well 2 1/2 years after I first posted this question I have found a PrinceCut with lovely light performance. Here is the ASET:

20200612_162818 (2)_LI-2.jpg

In person its very bright with lovely contrast patterns that really makes it dance when its in motion. It needs liberating from a horrible setting, so it will get its own thread once its in its new setting.

Cool! We'll look forward to seeing it :)
 
I'm still waiting for jewellers to re-open here in the UK so that I can get my PrinceCut set into a decent ring. But in the meantime the sun has been out today so here are some photos in shade and diffuse sunlight taken in my back garden. Please ignore the horrible setting - but you can see how the PrinceCut handles light.

I'm loving the facet pattern and the light return :kiss2:


20200614_142948 (5).jpg20200614_151950 (2).jpg
20200614_151107 (2).jpg20200614_143552-1.jpg
 
When you get a chance, would you make a short video?
:)) I've never heard of a prince cut and would love to see it in action.
 
When you get a chance, would you make a short video?
:)) I've never heard of a prince cut and would love to see it in action.

I will do a video but once its in its new home, and looking more presentable. It will probably get its own thread :)
 
I will do a video but once its in its new home, and looking more presentable. It will probably get its own thread :)

Just going through all my open tabs I've been meaning to come back to :D lol

May I ask if you've posted a thread yet? I love that facet patterning in the pictures :)
 
Just going through all my open tabs I've been meaning to come back to :D lol

May I ask if you've posted a thread yet? I love that facet patterning in the pictures :)

I now have the completed ring but haven't posted a thread yet. The ring came out really nicely although now that the re-set no longer features ugly and uneven gaps between the diamonds it does have less finger coverage than in the previous mount. I love the look of the ring and the cut quality of the diamonds, but it is bothering me a bit that the ring doesn't have as much presence as I would like. If I had gone with a halo then that probably would have addressed these concerns, but I really wanted a 3 stone with trapezoids. So I'm still trying to decide what to do.

20200805_152826 (2).jpgIMG-20200805-WA0000 (2).jpg
 
I now have the completed ring but haven't posted a thread yet. The ring came out really nicely although now that the re-set no longer features ugly and uneven gaps between the diamonds it does have less finger coverage than in the previous mount. I love the look of the ring and the cut quality of the diamonds, but it is bothering me a bit that the ring doesn't have as much presence as I would like. If I had gone with a halo then that probably would have addressed these concerns, but I really wanted a 3 stone with trapezoids. So I'm still trying to decide what to do.

20200805_152826 (2).jpgIMG-20200805-WA0000 (2).jpg

Your ring looks beautiful. The diamonds are beautifully cut, bright, fiery, and unique. I'm sorry you aren't happy with the finger coverage, but it looks lovely on your finger.
 
That's beautiful. I've never seen one in person, thanks for sharing with us!
 
Your ring looks beautiful. The diamonds are beautifully cut, bright, fiery, and unique. I'm sorry you aren't happy with the finger coverage, but it looks lovely on your finger.

Thanks. I do love the diamonds, and it is a very eye catching ring when I'm wearing it because of how the diamonds perform. And I do love the ring too, it is exactly what I wanted (except it somehow doesnt look quite as big on my finger as I was expecting).

I'm wearing it as a right hand ring and I have to confess I have been toying with the idea of whether it could be made into a 5 stone ring. I was considering the addition of either small tapered baguettes on the ends (although they would end up being really small and it might end up as a lot of extra hassle and expense for not much additional bling factor). Or maybe adding straight baguettes or emerald cuts either side of the PrinceCut and using the trapezoids on either end. But with this approach there may not be enough of a noticable step down in size between the centre diamond and the side stones. I think the deco style 5 stone ring type looks best when there are distinctive steps down in size with each pair of diamonds.

But I am torn because I really like the proportions of the current ring, and the size ratio between the PrinceCut and the trapezoids. I think I want to keep it as it is for the time being and enjoy the diamonds whilst I have a think about what to do (if anything).
 
I now have the completed ring but haven't posted a thread yet. The ring came out really nicely although now that the re-set no longer features ugly and uneven gaps between the diamonds it does have less finger coverage than in the previous mount. I love the look of the ring and the cut quality of the diamonds, but it is bothering me a bit that the ring doesn't have as much presence as I would like. If I had gone with a halo then that probably would have addressed these concerns, but I really wanted a 3 stone with trapezoids. So I'm still trying to decide what to do.

20200805_152826 (2).jpgIMG-20200805-WA0000 (2).jpg

Personally I think it's gorgeous. Very clean, distinct lines and I love the claw prongs. I think a halo would detract from the clean, straight-line geometry inherent to the way your diamonds are cut. I wouldn't change it. My suggestion would be to wear it for awhile. I wouldn't be surprised if you come to appreciate it more over time.

I'm also not a fan of the 5-stone idea. Again, I think it would detract more than enhance. Sometimes the simplest pieces with carefully chosen lines are the most elegant - and I think you absolutely nailed it on this design.

The other thing worth mentioning here is that anything we design ourselves will be subject to the worst kinds of self-scrutiny once they are manifest in metal and stone. I've certainly been prone to analyzing pieces I've created to the point that I despise them...until I leave them alone for awhile and come back to realize their true beauty.

There is no issue with the obvious, inherent beauty, proportion and lines of this ring. That part is clear. There *may* however be something going on here around perception.

Dr.'s advice: Tincture of time, applied liberally and patiently.
 
Personally I think it's gorgeous. Very clean, distinct lines and I love the claw prongs. I think a halo would detract from the clean, straight-line geometry inherent to the way your diamonds are cut. I wouldn't change it. My suggestion would be to wear it for awhile. I wouldn't be surprised if you come to appreciate it more over time.

I'm also not a fan of the 5-stone idea. Again, I think it would detract more than enhance. Sometimes the simplest pieces with carefully chosen lines are the most elegant - and I think you absolutely nailed it on this design.

The other thing worth mentioning here is that anything we design ourselves will be subject to the worst kinds of self-scrutiny once they are manifest in metal and stone. I've certainly been prone to analyzing pieces I've created to the point that I despise them...until I leave them alone for awhile and come back to realize their true beauty.

There is no issue with the obvious, inherent beauty, proportion and lines of this ring. That part is clear. There *may* however be something going on here around perception.

Dr.'s advice: Tincture of time, applied liberally and patiently.

Thanks Dr_Diesel, wise words indeed! :D You are spot on about the second-guessing and intense scrutiny that this poor ring has been subjected to since I got it back from the jeweller on Friday :lol:
 
Thanks. I do love the diamonds, and it is a very eye catching ring when I'm wearing it because of how the diamonds perform. And I do love the ring too, it is exactly what I wanted (except it somehow doesnt look quite as big on my finger as I was expecting).

I'm wearing it as a right hand ring and I have to confess I have been toying with the idea of whether it could be made into a 5 stone ring. I was considering the addition of either small tapered baguettes on the ends (although they would end up being really small and it might end up as a lot of extra hassle and expense for not much additional bling factor). Or maybe adding straight baguettes or emerald cuts either side of the PrinceCut and using the trapezoids on either end. But with this approach there may not be enough of a noticable step down in size between the centre diamond and the side stones. I think the deco style 5 stone ring type looks best when there are distinctive steps down in size with each pair of diamonds.

But I am torn because I really like the proportions of the current ring, and the size ratio between the PrinceCut and the trapezoids. I think I want to keep it as it is for the time being and enjoy the diamonds whilst I have a think about what to do (if anything).

You're welcome. The proportions look great to me too. I agree, it's a good idea to live with it as is for awhile. You can always make changes in the future.
 
The ring is exquisite. I've never seen a Prince cut before and it stunning; thank you for sharing it!
 
Thank you for the video, it really is a beautiful stone and the ring is very elegant. :love:
 
Thanks. I do love unique cuts :kiss2:




Here is a quick video:


Love it! :))

It looks like it is less 'directional' than a normal step cut - you know, where some ECs can look 'all dark' because they are pointing at something dark and only collecting/reflecting light (or lack of it) from there - I presume because the different facet angles on each side gather light from a wider angle?

Either way, it looks ace :)
 
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