What is the best possible cut for a blue diamond

[DiamondTiara]

Cut...?
What is the best possible cut? I thought it was 'ideal' but apparently that only applies for round diamonds- not pear shaped ones? So what is the best possible cut for a blue, pear shaped diamond?

 

[chrono]

There is no ideal/best cut for fancy coloured diamonds. Colour is what sets the price and of utmost importance. The rough is always cut to bring out the best colour and yield.

 

[DiamondTiara]

Oh, okay, thanks!

 

[kenny]

What do you mean by the best possible cut?
The shape you prefer best?
The shape the public prefers best?
The shape most plentiful?
Or the shape that results in the strongest color?

The fancy colored diamond industry, like all businesses, is for profit.
Like Chrono said FCDs are cut to make the color as strong as possible, and waste minimal rough, because it maximizes profits.
Shapes like emerald cut, asscher and round don't do that.
Ideally they cause most of the light to reflect only twice before exiting back out the top, like this . . .

Other shapes, radiant, pear, cushion etc. position their facets to force more of the light to bounce around more times before exiting out the top.
This means the light travels through the colored material longer so it gets more strongly tinted.
A stronger color grade sells for a lot more money.
This explains why we see so many radiant and pear FCDs and so few emerald and asscher cuts.
Surprisingly, rounds are well represented in the FCD market, perhaps because round is the most popular shape.

But just because the industry favors radiants and pears doesn't mean YOU have to.
If you are patient you can hold out for an emerald cut blue diamond.
Since they are more rare they will cost more than an equivalent radiant.
You'd think only super saturated rough capable of Deep or Vivid grades would be cut into step cuts, but not so.
It is possible to find step cuts that are not deep or vivid.

I recently bought a blue emerald cut diamond.
It's in the pic below with two of its siblings.
I fell in love with it the instant I saw it.
Even though it is "only" a Fancy Intense Blue I traded my Fancy Vivid blue for it.
There is just something about the emerald shape that resonates with me.

I bring this up because my decision was contrary to conventional FCD wisdom (rather, the marketplace), which dictates that stronger color is more desirable.
PS educates people about the FCD industry and market, but that doesn't mean you have to march lockstep with them.
Learn all you can, but then think for yourself and do your own thing.
If you love blue emerald cut diamonds I hope you buy one and post pics here.
They are dreamy.

 

[LD]

Just out of a matter of interest, are we talking a natural untreated blue diamond OR a treated blue diamond?

If you're looking at natural blue diamonds, the price will be high (depending on the colour). Colour is usually at the expense of cut. If the diamond has both colour AND cut then expect to pay for that. Natural blue diamonds are not plentiful and the prices reflect that. Kenny's stone pictured above is one of the few well cut stones but (apologies Kenny and you know I'm not saying this to diss your baby blue), it's a small carat size diamond. The bigger you go the less likely you are to find one with such a good cut.

If you're looking at a treated blue diamond then the parameters are slightly different. Again, colour is important (and typically you'll find they are overall darker than natural blues) but you may find a good cut also.

 

[kenny]

LD, very true and no problem.
Since you brought up the size and origin factors, the blue above is 0.28 ct., and the material and color are both of natural origin per GIA.

Nice macro camera gear makes small diamonds seem huge since we are not accustomed to seeing things that small that sharply in focus.

 

[T L]

*sigh*

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLLHq64RC7o

 

[kenny]

*sigh*

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLLHq64RC7o

 

[kenny]

More views of TL's 7 ct flawless Fancy Vivid Blue diamond ...

http://jp.reuters.com/video/2009/04/29/rare-blue-diamond-may-set-new-record?videoChannel=204&videoId=102824

http://www.shoppingblog.com/blog/5120923

http://www.shoppingblog.com/blog/3310922

 

[T L]

More views of TL's 7 ct flawless Fancy Vivid Blue diamond ...

http://jp.reuters.com/video/2009/04/29/rare-blue-diamond-may-set-new-record?videoChannel=204&videoId=102824

http://www.shoppingblog.com/blog/5120923

http://www.shoppingblog.com/blog/3310922

I suspect in the Reuters video , the color is enhanced in the middle of that video. The first view of that stone in the video appears to be more of the true color of a blue diamond. I could be wrong. They made it look like a tanzanite in the latter portions of that video.

Thanks for calling it "TL's 7 ct flawless Fancy Vivid Blue diamond" - yeah, I wish!!

 

[kenny]

Thanks for calling it "TL's 7 ct flawless Fancy Vivid Blue diamond" - yeah, I wish!!

Don't say I never gave you anything.

The pic on the left almost looks like a Kashmir sapphire.

 

[DiamondTiara]

What do you mean by the best possible cut?
The shape you prefer best?
The shape the public prefers best?
The shape most plentiful?
Or the shape that results in the strongest color?

The fancy colored diamond industry, like all businesses, is for profit.
Like Chrono said FCDs are cut to make the color as strong as possible, and waste minimal rough, because it maximizes profits.
Shapes like emerald cut, asscher and round don't do that.
Ideally they cause most of the light to reflect only twice before exiting back out the top, like this . . .

Other shapes, radiant, pear, cushion etc. position their facets to force more of the light to bounce around more times before exiting out the top.
This means the light travels through the colored material longer so it gets more strongly tinted.
A stronger color grade sells for a lot more money.
This explains why we see so many radiant and pear FCDs and so few emerald and asscher cuts.
Surprisingly, rounds are well represented in the FCD market, perhaps because round is the most popular shape.

But just because the industry favors radiants and pears doesn't mean YOU have to.
If you are patient you can hold out for an emerald cut blue diamond.
Since they are more rare they will cost more than an equivalent radiant.
You'd think only super saturated rough capable of Deep or Vivid grades would be cut into step cuts, but not so.
It is possible to find step cuts that are not deep or vivid.

I recently bought a blue emerald cut diamond.
It's in the pic below with two of its siblings.
I fell in love with it the instant I saw it.
Even though it is "only" a Fancy Intense Blue I traded my Fancy Vivid blue for it.
There is just something about the emerald shape that resonates with me.

I bring this up because my decision was contrary to conventional FCD wisdom (rather, the marketplace), which dictates that stronger color is more desirable.
PS educates people about the FCD industry and market, but that doesn't mean you have to march lockstep with them.
Learn all you can, but then think for yourself and do your own thing.
If you love blue emerald cut diamonds I hope you buy one and post pics here.
They are dreamy.

If you don't mind me asking- How much did you pay for the Fancy Vivid blue diamond and the fancy intense one?

 

[kenny]

If you don't mind me asking- How much did you pay for the Fancy Vivid blue diamond and the fancy intense one?

These tiny diamonds ain't Sotheby's or Christie's goods, I ain't no sultan, and they live in a bank vault so I don't mind answering because in this Internet age price is practically pubic record anyway.
Even the recent buyer of that flawless 7-ct Fancy Vivid Blue at Sotheby's got no price-privacy.
Sure people vary, but I have no clue why people are sensitive and coy about prices. Whatev!

Here is the current listing for the 0.16 ct Fancy Vivid Blue I spent a very short time with. http://www.fancydiamonds.net/view_diamonds/3722.htm

It was never set or worn.
As such it has not absorbed any of my juju.
Even then, when people divorce or die their diamonds are not exactly thrown away.
There's no way to know if your "new" diamond was owned or worn by others in the past.
Unless it enhances the value, like being owned by Marie Antoinette or Liz Taylor, provenance conveniently vanishes when vendors sell most diamonds.

The 0.28 ct. Fancy Intense Blue emerald cut pictured above is larger but since it is "only" Fancy Intense was only a couple bucks cheaper than the 0.16 Fancy Vivid Blue.

FWIW, here are all my kids.
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/fancy-colored-diamond-collection.159746/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/fancy-colored-diamond-collection.159746/[/URL]

 

[pregcurious]

*sigh*

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLLHq64RC7o

This made me laugh. Thanks, Kenny. BTW, your fam is fab.

 

[DiamondTiara]

If you don't mind me asking- How much did you pay for the Fancy Vivid blue diamond and the fancy intense one?

These tiny diamonds ain't Sotheby's or Christie's goods, I ain't no sultan, and they live in a bank vault so I don't mind answering because in this Internet age price is practically pubic record anyway.
Even the recent buyer of that flawless 7-ct Fancy Vivid Blue at Sotheby's got no price-privacy.
Sure people vary, but I have no clue why people are sensitive and coy about prices. Whatev!

Here is the current listing for the 0.16 ct Fancy Vivid Blue I spent a very short time with. http://www.fancydiamonds.net/view_diamonds/3722.htm

It was never set or worn.
As such it has not absorbed any of my juju.
Even then, when people divorce or die their diamonds are not exactly thrown away.
There's no way to know if your "new" diamond was owned or worn by others in the past.
Unless it enhances the value, like being owned by Marie Antoinette or Liz Taylor, provenance conveniently vanishes when vendors sell most diamonds.

The 0.28 ct. Fancy Intense Blue emerald cut pictured above is larger but since it is "only" Fancy Intense was only a couple bucks cheaper than the 0.16 Fancy Vivid Blue.

FWIW, here are all my kids.
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/fancy-colored-diamond-collection.159746/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/fancy-colored-diamond-collection.159746/[/URL]

I know, some people get incredibly upset if you ask prices etc. so I'm always very careful about that.

 

[kenny]

I know, some people get incredibly upset if you ask prices etc. so I'm always very careful about that.

Yes, you're right.
Thank you, it is very considerate of you.

Thanks Pregcurious.