what cut of stone

[myraandrews]

I would like to buy a nice stone about 1 carat in size. I would like it to be internally flawless (IF) and colour D. Colour and clarity makes sense because IF is better than VV1 and colour D is better than E. I understand this.

What type of cut? I have heard of hearts and arrows, super ideal cuts, the eight star cut? NO clue!! Meaningless to me. Is this some marketing gimmick? Which is the best type?

Myra

 

[Mara]

Hi Myra--

You can run an archive search and find all the information you ever wanted on H&A, ACA, Superbcert and 8* stones. Just click on Advanced Search above and type in your search terms. I would suggest doing one term at a time as the search is pretty basic. There will be many threads on each type of stone, as the cut and the superideal stones are a hot topic around here.

I would go out on a limb and say that there is no BEST cut of stone. It really is all about your personal preference. The SuperIdeal stones (ACA, SC, 8*) are all cut to present optimal light return and excellent symmetry in a stone. H&A is more of a generic term for a great symmetry (and hopefully great visual effects from that symmetry) in a stone. SC and ACA stones are H&A stones too. Hope that makes sense. In any case, it really does come down to what you like to see in a stone. If budget is a concern, as it most of the time is, 8* may be too expensive because of their markup. A regular well-cut AGS0 H&A stone may be what you want to spend your amount of $$ on. It will be amazing to look at if you do your homework right before you buy.

Now I wanted to give my 2 cents (even though you did not ask for them) on your choice of color/clarity in a stone. I have no idea how much you know already so I hope I am not insulting you by going into my explanation here. Yes D is better than E and IF is better than VVS1 but you will page a HUGE markup for a D IF stone over an E VVS1 or even an F VS1. If your budget is a concern, as it is for most of us trying to balance our wants between a budget and our priorities in a beautiful stone, then I would suggest an E/F VS1 stone. To your eyes (and most of the world), VS1 stones look the same as IF. Why? Because your eyeballs are not 10x or 20x magnification. If you have an unlimited supply of $$ then by all means, get the flawless colorless D IF stone. But if you have a budget, then I would highly suggest E F color and VS clarity. It will make your dollar go MUCH farther and you can get a BIGGER stone, which most of us really like. Hee Hee.


Here are two comparisons that I dug up. Not knowing anything about your preferences in carat weight, or budget, I just ran some #'s to show the differences in potential pricing from a VVS to a VS and also from a D to an E or F. The stones below are most likely very similar in person to your naked eye in color, clarity AND excellence of cut. So it can be a good comparison. You will see the difference is around $3000 if not more between the D VVS and an E VS or similar.


1.05 D VVS2 $11991 AGS0 H&A ACA SuperIdeal

1.04 E VS1 $7595 AGS0 H&A Ideal

---

1.15 D VVS1 $12500 H&A AGS0 Ideal

1.13 E VS1 $9200 H&A AGS0 ACA SuperIdeal

----

1.26 F VVS1 $10750 H&A AGS0 Ideal (.20c more for LESS $ than the 1.05 D VVS1!)


If you definitely want the D IF, then please don't let me dissaude you. But didn't want you to go into a jewelry store and come out thousands lighter on a 1c stone when you can get a 1.26c for the same price with the same look of color and clarity as that D IF.


Good luck!!