Two princess cut diamond showdown!

[youknowho]

Hello Pricescopers I''m hoping you can help me choose between two Canadian Princess cut diamonds asap. I want to be sure to choose the best of the two and I''ve hit the wall as far as what I know about diamonds. I''ve learned a ton from this website (thank you Pricescope!) and now I need to call in the experts. Here goes:

#1
1.51ct
6.20 x 6.22 x 4.55mm
E
VS2
Ideal cut
Depth 73.2%
Table 69.6%
Crown 12.5%
Pavilion 57.4%
Girdle med-sl. thk
Cutlet none
Polish excellent
Symmetry very good
Fluorescence none
Chevrons 3
IGI certificate
$12,380

#2
1.51ct
6.21 x 6.22 x 4.50mm (6.24 x 6.23 x 4.48mm via Gemscan)
F
VS1
Excellent cut
Depth 72.5%
Table 69.6%
Crown 13.8%
Pavilion 55.7%
Girdle thickness 3%
Cutlet off 0.3%
Polish ?
Symmetry very good
Fluorescence none
Chevrons 2
Gemscan certificate
$11,510

I haven''t seen the certificate for the second stone since the seller doesn''t have it yet, but they took their own measurements to give me more information and the seller''s dimensions are the ones I listed first. Next to those dimensions in parentheses are Gemscan''s dimensions for the stone. I''ve read about Gemscan on PS and already have some misgivings about them, and this difference in measured dimensions didn''t help convince me that they''re a strict lab.

That said, I live near GIA and will be having them certify whichever stone I purchase. What are your thoughts? Thank you for your help!

 

[laurenfischer5]

I say go for the first one. Its a little bit more expensive, but the color is better and the cut is ideal.

*The only thing is..I was told by my jeweler that the only shape that could be an ''IDEAL'' was a round cut..?? So you might want to ask about that.

GOOD LUCK!

 

[swingirl]

Princess cuts need to be evaluated with images. Are you able to get any?

You really don't know what the colors are or the cut grade because these stones aren't graded by a reliable lab.

 

[Dreamer_D]

There are no cut grades for princess cuts except from AGS, so if these are labeled bear in mind it is not a cut grade per se.

We really need images to help you out, otherwise you will have to use your eyes!

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 2/2/2010 1:04:13 AM
Author: dreamer_dachsie
There are no cut grades for princess cuts except from AGS, so if these are labeled bear in mind it is not a cut grade per se.

We really need images to help you out, otherwise you will have to use your eyes!

Ditto Swingie and Dreamer, its difficult without images unfortunately. What you could do if these are from a brick and mortar store where images typically aren''t provided, you could buy your own ASET scope as it would be very helpful to you for evaluating the light return and cut quality of each. They are easy to use and it is straightforward to interpret the images if you read the charts and instructions.

 

[youknowho]

Thanks for the replies and I agree images would''ve made it easier. The ideal cut rating was coming from the store''s own algorithm, not an AGS cert like dreamer mentioned so I did take it with a grain of salt.

I was able to see the first stone in person but not the second. It was beautiful and did seem to be the better of the two on paper so I bought that one! If the stone''s numbers are going to come down because GIA is stricter I may as well start off as best I can! I''m very interested to see how the IGI cert will compare to GIA''s ratings. I''ll post back here when I get the results.

 

[Todd Gray]

Date: 2/2/2010 12:43:54 AM
Author: laurenfischer5
I say go for the first one. Its a little bit more expensive, but the color is better and the cut is ideal.

*The only thing is..I was told by my jeweler that the only shape that could be an ''IDEAL'' was a round cut..?? So you might want to ask about that.

GOOD LUCK!

Point of clarification...

The "ideal cut" classification can only be assigned by the AGS Laboratory, and it is highly doubtful that anything which the IGI Laboratory classified as having "very good" symmetry would ever be awarded an "ideal cut" rating by the AGS Laboratory - which not only takes the proportions of the diamond into account, but also Polish, Symmetry and Light Performance as part of the overall cut grade...

Personally I find the Light Performance rating provided by the AGS Laboratory for princess cut diamonds so helpful that I don''t even consider princess cut diamonds graded by other laboratories - I will consider rounds graded by the GIA or HRD, because a lot can be determined by the numbers for a round brilliant in terms of "is this diamond worth having brought in for a look" (or not), but princess cuts can''t be pre-selected "by the numbers" with any degree of accuracy, so the Light Performance factor is a nice plus! Of course, the numbers will only take you so far - at some point, you just need to look at the two diamonds and figure out which one is talking to you

The local jeweler is mistaken, the AGS Laboratory currently offers the ideal cut classification for rounds, princess cuts, ovals and a few proprietary cuts...