Unusual step cut cushion - help with ASET please?

[diamondhoarder]

I love step cuts and have been looking for something a little different, with lovely light performance. I am particularly keen on seeing colored light as well as some good brilliiance (which I understand won't be as strong on a step cut as on a more brilliant cut).

I had found an antique emerald which I had to pass on because of an extremely thin girdle. But just when I was despairing of finding something special I found this one which is a step cut cushion:


It looks a lot like the Tiffany legacy style of diamond cut and I love that it looks a little like a round cornered asscher but with some additional crown facets which add some extra brilliance.

Here is the ASET:


Its on a white background. So should I assume that the absence of white in the ASET means very little leakage?
What is the black? Is that contrast/ obstruction or is it leakage?
And the greenish/ greyish square just inside the table? is that a weaker form of green or does that suggest leakage? I have seen the video and when the diamond is rotated each fact lights up in turn, there are no dark areas once its moving so I'm hoping this is a good performer? Unfortunately I cant post the video but hopefully people can chime in based on the images provided.

My main concern is whether it will be a good performer and whether the black and greenish grey areas will look dull and leaky when the diamond is viewed face on. I'm quite happy with strong contrast though as I think its a feature of this type of cut.

 

[OoohShiny]

The ASET illustrates where light is being returned from - somewhere there is a diagram, perhaps posted by Garry H, but finding stuff is a faff on my phone!

Black is light 'returning' from the very centre of the ASETscope, in that it's reflecting the camera/lens, so in real life it's likely to form contrast patterns.
Blue is light returning from around the centre of the ASETscope, so will indicate areas of varying obstruction/contrast patterns that depend on the size of the viewer's head/hair and the distance from the viewer.
Red is light returning from (IIRC...) about 10 to 45 degrees from the vertical, so will reflect the environment around the viewer's head.
Green is light returning from 45 to 90 degrees (IIRC), so will reflect the wider environment.

In this stone I think the square of light green might indicate it's slightly leaky there, so not have such strong light return head-on - but don't forget, as ASET is only taken head-on, and those facets will work differently at different viewing angles, so may well be just fine at all other angles!

I like it IMO It's a strong ASET image and the lack of white/leakage is good!

 

[diamondhoarder]

The ASET illustrates where light is being returned from - somewhere there is a diagram, perhaps posted by Garry H, but finding stuff is a faff on my phone!

Black is light 'returning' from the very centre of the ASETscope, in that it's reflecting the camera/lens, so in real life it's likely to form contrast patterns.
Blue is light returning from around the centre of the ASETscope, so will indicate areas of varying obstruction/contrast patterns that depend on the size of the viewer's head/hair and the distance from the viewer.
Red is light returning from (IIRC...) about 10 to 45 degrees from the vertical, so will reflect the environment around the viewer's head.
Green is light returning from 45 to 90 degrees (IIRC), so will reflect the wider environment.

In this stone I think the square of light green might indicate it's slightly leaky there, so not have such strong light return head-on - but don't forget, as ASET is only taken head-on, and those facets will work differently at different viewing angles, so may well be just fine at all other angles!

I like it IMO It's a strong ASET image and the lack of white/leakage is good!

Thanks Oooh shiny, that's really helpful

I'm trying to get my head around whether its going to look like it has a dark black box in the centre of the diamond when viewed face on IRL. Im assuming that there would be contrast in that area but hopefully not quite so dark black?

 

[Karl_K]

Thanks Oooh shiny, that's really helpful

I'm trying to get my head around whether its going to look like it has a dark black box in the centre of the diamond when viewed face on IRL. Im assuming that there would be contrast in that area but hopefully not quite so dark black?

In some lighting at some distances it could look like a bright box in the center then a dark square then bright again.
When its small that can form really nice patterns but if its large or stays dark at to great a distance its an issue.
A huge area pointed right at the center of the ASET is not a good sign in this case.
In the real world that would be pointed right at you face even at longer distances.
That it is surrounded by areas of mostly leakage is even more of a negative.

So the indications are that your thoughts are right on.

 

[diamondhoarder]

In some lighting at some distances it could look like a bright box in the center then a dark square then bright again.
When its small that can form really nice patterns but if its large or stays dark at to great a distance its an issue.
A huge area pointed right at the center of the ASET is not a good sign in this case.
In the real world that would be pointed right at you face even at longer distances.
That it is surrounded by areas of mostly leakage is even more of a negative.

So the indications are that your thoughts are right on.

Hi Karl Thanks for your very valuable input, your posts about cut and light performance are always very illuminating.

I'm not quite clear if you are saying that there is too much black in the centre and the stone looks too leaky? Or if you are giving that as an example of a problematic stone but saying that this particular stone is likely to be OK?

 

[Karl_K]

Hi Karl Thanks for your very valuable input, your posts about cut and light performance are always very illuminating.

I'm not quite clear if you are saying that there is too much black in the centre and the stone looks too leaky? Or if you are giving that as an example of a problematic stone but saying that this particular stone is likely to be OK?

Your thoughts of it having a dark box are correct in some viewing conditions.
If that is a problem is really up to you.
I have an opinion that it is not something I would enjoy but it is just an opinion.

 

[diamondhoarder]

Thanks Karl, I will think on it some more.

 

[diamondhoarder]

Do you think this one would be more pleasing?
Its a photo from a different vendor, I'm hoping to get additional images, but from the static photo there is no large black box in the middle around the culet. I am wondering about the thinner black square just inside the table though. I dont think there will be an ASET available for this one either so I'm not sure if this black square is contrast or leakage.

 

[Karl_K]

The picture isn't good enough to draw a solid conclusion but smaller dark areas that flash quickly are not a huge issue.

 

[ringo865]

Can the vendor of that first step cushion do a video in different lights and on their hand?

 

[diamondhoarder]

Can the vendor of that first step cushion do a video in different lights and on their hand?

I do have a video but I cant post it.

 

[diamondhoarder]

Im waiting to see a video on the 2nd stone.

 

[diamondhoarder]

Here is a photo of the 2nd stone along with some trapezoids which might make up a three stone ring. Any thoughts on the cut based on this photo? I still cant upload the video but when it rotates in natural light and spotlighting the broad facets light up with different colors. There seems to be more brilliance around the crown facets and more fire coming from the pavillion facets although there are smaller fire flashes in the crown as well.

This one seems to still have the dark contrast patterning of concentric squares. Is it too much contrast to be a well cut stone? I have no ASET for this one but assume the ASET would look similar to the one I posted above. I have seen a few photos and videos of these step cut cushions and they all seem to have the dark contrast patterning so maybe its an expected feature of the cut? The crown angle seems quite decent based on what I can see from the videos. This one has table 63 and depth 68.



Any comments and opinions will be appreciated!

 

[Karl_K]

Yea, it has a lot of large dark zones.

 

[KKJohnson]

Did you see this?! Is this who you are going through?

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bp4vNi4HV5l/?utm_source=ig_share_sheet&igshid=17o1jntqsq46i

 

[diamondhoarder]

Did you see this?! Is this who you are going through?

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bp4vNi4HV5l/?utm_source=ig_share_sheet&igshid=17o1jntqsq46i

Wow that is stunning! No, its not from this vendor although his designs are amazing!

 

[naroo_11]

Did you end up getting this stone or did you pass?