What does ''Premium'' Cut mean exactly for rounds?

[kaylagee]

for a round shape - on the scale of H&A - Ideal - Premium -Very Good - Good...what does Premium really mean as far as quality of cut?

here is the blurb from their site but i''m hoping someone can translate for me.

"Diamonds that are described by ******* as Premium have a make which is considered fine by anyone in the industry. In the case of round diamonds, many of these diamonds have cuts that are the equal of any Ideal Cut diamond, though they often can be purchased at slightly lower prices than AGS Ideal Cuts. They are intended to provide maximum brilliance and fire. They are truly for the connoisseur who enjoys knowing that he has one of the finest things that money can buy."

??

 

[Caratz]

That sounds like a slippery definition to me . . . all fluff and no substance. I would not put any reliance whatsoever on their "premium" label. You are better off going by the numbers of the stone . . .

 

[Hest88]

"Premium" is not a standard diamond term. It's just a company's marketing term. I'd just take it with a grain of salt. Is this SuperbCert? Isn't "Premium" the name they give to their non-H&A diamonds?

 

[kaylagee]

BTW, this all 'after the fact' questioning. my e-ring is from Mondera. this is their "Premium" spiel posted above. i'm already ticked-off about their discontinuing upgrades in February.

i really wish i had found this site before we purchased( i'm sure other newbies have said this too) oh well... i still love my ring but it bugs me that we didn't get the best deal & treatment.

 

[twinkly]

Hi Kaylagee,

I think that as long as you love your e-ring then nothing else matters. Think of it this way, when you want to upgrade you probably won't be trading in your current e-ring, so you'll always have it as a memory right?

Twinkly

 

[barry]

"Premium" is a term that is/should be defined
in relation to its own parameters as well as
to another product.

Barry
www.superbcert.com

 

[Rhino]

In my experience, any diamonds I have seen described as "premium" is usually a fancy synonym for the garbage that resides in their inventory. By calling it "premium" they usually hope to dissuade you with fluffy words.

Rhino

 

[mdx]

Hi Kaytagee

I have often seen this term used on EGL Israel mini certs.
The stones however where pretty ordinary

Wayne
Melbourne Diamond Exchange ltd (Australia)

 

[dimonbob]

You guys are hard!
According to Mr. Atlas' chart:

CUT CLASSES
Class 1A
Class 1B
Class 2A
Class 2B
Class 3A
Class 3B
Class 4A
Class 4B

Ideal cut
Premium cut
International fine trade cut
US domestic average cut
below average

He places Premium cut under ideal and above international fine trade cut Class 1B. That is not just a regular diamond, but a pretty nice diamond. Whatever!

 

[Caratz]

----------------
On 4/16/2003 10:18:35 AM kaylagee wrote:

BTW, this all 'after the fact' questioning. my e-ring is from Mondera. this is their "Premium" spiel posted above. i'm already ticked-off about their discontinuing upgrades in February.

i really wish i had found this site before we purchased( i'm sure other newbies have said this too) oh well... i still love my ring but it bugs me that we didn't get the best deal & treatment.

----------------

Mondera's definition of "Premium" includes not only the word description you posted, but also the proportion ranges shown in the chart at the bottom of this page:

http://www.mondera.com/learn/diamondcut.asp?mscssid=LJHA5HJBEQS92KRH00A3HCKSTUCK7089

 

[Rhino]

Here is a stone with a 62.5 depth and a 60 table that would be considered "Premium" by the definitions given on the Mondera site. Excellent case for my point.

Rhino

 

[dimonbob]

Caratz

I am sorry you got stuck my Mondera. Please let all your friends and anyone that is even thinking about marriage or a diamond to come to Pricescope for a little education first.
We also have some good information about other stones than diamonds, like ruby, sapphire, emerald, opal and etc.

 

[Colored Gemstone Nut]

Good example to prove your point Jonathan, but there are many consumers which read the comments from professionals like yourself and take their criticisms to heart because they don't know different.

In my experience, any diamonds I have seen described as "premium" is usually a fancy synonym for the garbage that resides in their inventory. By calling it "premium" they usually hope to dissuade you with fluffy words.

Rhino[/i]
[/b]
I am not trying to jockey for position just want to bring to light another example on another site where a stone is advertised as premium:

Attached is the actual imagescope view of this stone. I will include megascope, b-scope results and Hca too.
CLASSIFIED AS "PREMIUM" BY THIS PARTICULAR SITE
Weight: .219
Diameter: (3.92-3.95)
Total Depth:% 60.3, 2.37mm
Crown Angle:34.5 (34.4-34.6)
Crown Height:14.6 (14.4-14.7)
Pav Angle:40.7 (40.6-40.9)
Pav Depth: 43 (42.8-43.1)
Cutlet: .4
Table Size:55.3 (55.0-55.5)
Girdle Thickness: 1.5% (1.2-1.6)

B-SCOPE RESULTS
White Light: Very-High ++ (Pegs the meter)
Colored Light: Very-High ++ (Pegs the meter)
Scintillation:Very-High (1/3rd of the way acroos the veryhigh column)
5 Light views look outstanding

Desktop HCA results: Scores each category numerically
Light Return-0.00-Excellent
Fire-0.19-Excellent
Scintillation-0.22-Excellent
Spread-0.26-Excellent
Total-0.7-Excellent (TIC)

I think it is also important to realize that it depends on how a particular vendor categories his stones as premium and what guidelines he or she follows when terming their own stones as premium.


Josh Rioux
Sitka, Alaska

 

[kaylagee]

okay, so 'premium' = 'very good' w/fancy title?

... maybe it's good we didn't spend any more $$ with them than we did. phew!

so in the future, we should always look for 'Ideal' or 'H&A' for round stones? and ask for a Sarin analysis?

if the curiousity starts killing me, i'd have to get my ring taken apart to get the stone scanned, right?

 

[oldminer]

Premium Cut is generally an EGL term meaning, Not Quite Ideal. I think it is a fair term considering there are no real definitions. These diamonds generally look very good, but do not command Ideal Cut premium prices.

You generally get what you pay for. I have seen many Premium cut diamonds that do look very nice and are long away from poorly cut ones.

The AGA 1A rounds are pretty much Tolkowsky cut while 1B are still all Ideal Cuts. All AGA 1B's are inside of the AGS 0 parameters which are looser in certain limited respects.

My wife enjoys a really lovely 2A cut round, but it was large enough and affordable too...So even an "expert" can make an informed choice. A 2A stone might well come under a definition of a Premium Cut.....

 

[Rank Amateur]

Dave

Would you call "premium" 2B or better? It seems like a logical division.

If "yes", then the second part to that is, "What % of round brilliants are cut to 2B or better?"

 

[dimonbob]

RA
I don't want to speak for Dave but "premium" 2B or better"
is going a little far. I think he said that a 1B was premium and "A 2A stone might well come under a definition of a Premium Cut.....". MIGHT to me says that maybe, sometimes a 2A will qualify as a premium but there is no way a 2B will qualify.
I can hear the salesman now: "You can have this (almost) premium cut diamond with (almost) hearts and arrows for (only) $5000 today only because you were the first one in the store today. The regular price is $10,000 and we will give you an appraisal for the regular price of $10,000.
I am rambling, sorry! No wonder the consumer is confused!

 

[oldminer]

The bottom end of 1B and Upper 2A are really "Premium" cut in my opinion. This is only with round diamonds. 2B is an "almost ran" type of stone. It may be pretty, but it is not Ideal or Premium make..... Remember, this is opinion, not fact.

In Fancy Cuts I use 1B as "Premium" because I made the 1A "Ideal choices broader than in rounds. Since there is no Tolkowsky sort of agreement about fancy shapes and they are very different, I felt Premium represented a very nice stone, but not the top stone.

If I was to do it all over again, I would widen my 1A grade to make it more commercially palatable. I would then make 1B fit the AGS 0 grade for consistency, since AGSL has become a market setter at this point. However, being there many years ahead of AGSL and sticking to standards has its own reward. I haven't been accused of doing the grading for the big bucks, but it has led many to adopt the grading of diamond cut as an important, if not most important, factor in many diamonds.

Today, even rather poor quality diamonds are being cut to tighter standards. This is surely good for the consumer, from the fine stone buyer all the way down to the person buying a small diamond in a credit chain retail store.

Every diamond is very important to someone. We keep that in mind when we do grading and teaching. So much sentimental value and attachment accrue to a diamond gift that we must always hold that importance in our words and actions.

 

[Rhino]

Very good point scorpion. The lesson to be learned here is when someone places a "verbal grade" on a diamond such as "premium" it is the consumers responsibility to ask WHAT THEY MEAN by that or how do they "define" their verbal grade.

Rhino