Triple Ex doesn't necessarily mean the best cut? Need more help to choose a stone.

[rorodiamant]

I am searching for the perfect diamond for ring renewal and the more I read on pricescope.com the harder it gets... Recently I started watching youtube channel called JannPaul talking about GIA TripleEx doesn't necessarily mean it's the best , showing the comparison among the TripleExs how much light performance can differ. My current ring is GIA F/TripleEx and while it sparkles in certain lighting, its generally very grey and has that dark circle in the middle that makes it kinda dead stone, which is why I have been studying and trying to get a new one that would be more lively.

Fundamentally, a lot has to do with the proportion that everyone talks about. While most people agree it's the best to see the gem in person before purchasing it, given that I am in abroad and jewelers here aren't very trustworthy (swapping stones etc is very common in some countries to this date.), I would like to source it via online or jewelers via online etc.

What should I ask the jewelers to show me to see the stone better? curently I have some videos in natural light but it's hard to say what it's look like really.

Last time I was advised for certain range of proportions to choose for best performance but I think it's still hard to figure out the light performance without seeing it in person. Even if I see it in person, if I don't know how to see it, then not sure if it helps.

There are 2 stones that I am currently debating on:

table 56, crown 34.4, pavilion 40.8, depth 61.8, medium faceted (1.27 ct / E / VS2 / ex ex ex None)
: These are in natural light. (the one in the middle is from db)



table 57, crown 35.9, pavilion 40.8, depth 62.5, medium faceted (1.56 ct / D / VVS2 / ex ex ex None)
: This photo is from DB not natural light.



What more should I ask the jeweler before making the final decision?
If a particular stone seems to win over the other, I would appreciate your opinion.

The jeweler also suggested that custom cut is an option also. So I would give him a proportion that I would like and they'd cut it to get that proportion. Would that be the optimal thing to do?

Both are within my budget range so I am not too concerned about the costs.

Thank you in advance everyone!

 

[new-beginning]

Do you mind giving us a 'general' idea of where you are located? Europe? Middle East? Asia? South America? etc.

 

[rorodiamant]

Do you mind giving us a 'general' idea of where you are located? Europe? Middle East? Asia? South America? etc.

Temporarily in Asia. Trying buying from India because the price of diamonds here is 2 or 3 times what we'd pay in US for the same spec.

 

[Dancing Fire]

The jeweler also suggested that custom cut is an option also. So I would give him a proportion that I would like and they'd cut it to get that proportion. Would that be the optimal thing to do?

Very unlikely, because no cutter can guarantee you the exact proportions.

 

[rorodiamant]

That's good to know. I kept asking whether that's something actually possible.

 

[Dancing Fire]

That's good to know. I kept asking whether that's something actually possible.

Wish it was that easy. I would have done it a long time ago.

 

[AllAboardTheBlingTrain]

So you can use the HCA tool on this website in order to generate an HCA score. A score of under 2 usually means that it has angles/proportions that should work together. Further study (like with your own eyes) is likely needed.

If you’re based/buying out of India I would assume getting ASET images is effectively out of the question (I have never seen someone able to provide that there but I could be mistaken so definitely ask) so you’ll have to rely on the cert, videos and your own eyes.

First step is to ensure that it’s actually a GIA cert because jewelers in India push IGI a lot in my experience. Crown angle of 34.4 and 35.9 respectively seems to suggest it’s not GIA since I thought GIA rounds to the nearest half degree for crown angles?

Second step is to run the stones by the HCA to see whether the angles are complementary. You can also try searching the stones on the PS search first to see if they show up (unlikely if your vendor is India based).

Third is to request the vendor for some 360 Lightbox videos and/or videos in normal indoor light to show you the faceting/contrast pattern and for you to try and spot areas of leakage etc to make sure there isn’t any dead area in the stone. do this only for stones <2 on HCA.

Fourth, you can post those videos here along with as detailed imagery as you can get for the prosumers on here to weigh in. I don’t know enough about cut to be able to gauge off of a photo. 34.4/40.8 is a safer combo than 35.9/40.8 though; and I prefer depth <62 if possible so the 61.8 is good. Still there could be some horrible flaws I’m not spotting so dont go by my word!

 

[rorodiamant]

So you can use the HCA tool on this website in order to generate an HCA score. A score of under 2 usually means that it has angles/proportions that should work together. Further study (like with your own eyes) is likely needed.

If you’re based/buying out of India I would assume getting ASET images is effectively out of the question (I have never seen someone able to provide that there but I could be mistaken so definitely ask) so you’ll have to rely on the cert, videos and your own eyes.

First step is to ensure that it’s actually a GIA cert because jewelers in India push IGI a lot in my experience. Crown angle of 34.4 and 35.9 respectively seems to suggest it’s not GIA since I thought GIA rounds to the nearest half degree for crown angles?

Second step is to run the stones by the HCA to see whether the angles are complementary. You can also try searching the stones on the PS search first to see if they show up (unlikely if your vendor is India based).

Third is to request the vendor for some 360 Lightbox videos and/or videos in normal indoor light to show you the faceting/contrast pattern and for you to try and spot areas of leakage etc to make sure there isn’t any dead area in the stone. do this only for stones <2 on HCA.

Fourth, you can post those videos here along with as detailed imagery as you can get for the prosumers on here to weigh in. I don’t know enough about cut to be able to gauge off of a photo. 34.4/40.8 is a safer combo than 35.9/40.8 though; and I prefer depth <62 if possible so the 61.8 is good. Still there could be some horrible flaws I’m not spotting so dont go by my word!

I looked at 35.9/40.8 and it looked too milky to me so I passed. I am still wondering about the 34.4/40.8.

I ran HCA and the cut estimator and 34.4/40.8 was more stable area than the 35.9/40.8 which was just on the edge.

Here are some videos of 34.4/40.8:
Natural light:

Screen Recording 2021-05-20 at 3.19.51 PM.mov

drive.google.com

Indoor light:

Untitled 3.mov

drive.google.com

Untitled1.mov

drive.google.com

In a way it looks really pretty but at the same time it just kinda looks like crystal for some reason. And on the fingers, I feel like it is reflecting skin color but not sure if that is the case.

And you are 100% right. I tried many times asking for ASET and no luck.

 

[rorodiamant]

Here is another from the 360: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Dk6WNslFeJ66oxLq6iTKQS3FozheAaWW/view?usp=sharing

 

[AllAboardTheBlingTrain]

Well honestly I don’t have a good eye for video, I’m very much a buy by eye person, so I’ll wait for someone else to comment.