What should I expect for a 1.7 carat Princess for $8500

[Kensato]

Hello Everyone,

I have been reading the fantastic information from this site for awhile now and am ready to make a purchase for my wife (a very patient and wonderful woman who has waited years for something more than a silver band).

I want to spend up to $8500 on the diamond (excluding the setting) and maybe even up to $9000. The cut is the most important thing for us, but we really don''t know what we are doing. We want the ring to sparkle and shine.

She wants a princess cut, about 1.7 carat. For the most part, we can''t tell the difference ourselves from F to H or VS2 to SI1 with our eyes.

Any thoughts on whom to go to and what I can get for this amount of money? We have looked at James allen, Excel, Abazias, ect.

In the perfect world, I would like to get an AGS graded ring as I can''t see it before I purchase it online. If not, i wonder whom I could go to and is trustworthy to help me get a ring with a nice sparkle and brilliance.

Finally, I am wondering if I either need to get a smaller diamond or am going to have to spend a little more to get what we really want.

I am sorry for all the questions. Any help would be greatly appreciated. I thank you in advance!!!

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 7/12/2009 7:16:43 AM
Author:Kensato
Hello Everyone,

I have been reading the fantastic information from this site for awhile now and am ready to make a purchase for my wife (a very patient and wonderful woman who has waited years for something more than a silver band).

I want to spend up to $8500 on the diamond (excluding the setting) and maybe even up to $9000. The cut is the most important thing for us, but we really don't know what we are doing. We want the ring to sparkle and shine.

She wants a princess cut, about 1.7 carat. For the most part, we can't tell the difference ourselves from F to H or VS2 to SI1 with our eyes.

Any thoughts on whom to go to and what I can get for this amount of money? We have looked at James allen, Excel, Abazias, ect.

In the perfect world, I would like to get an AGS graded ring as I can't see it before I purchase it online. If not, i wonder whom I could go to and is trustworthy to help me get a ring with a nice sparkle and brilliance.

Finally, I am wondering if I either need to get a smaller diamond or am going to have to spend a little more to get what we really want.

I am sorry for all the questions. Any help would be greatly appreciated. I thank you in advance!!!

Welcome!

I would suggest the following vendors who stock top cut Princess, all are extremely reputable, it just depends on which vendor has what you are looking for. You might need to go for lower colour and clarity specs to get that size for the budget but we will see what is out there.

www.highperformancediamonds.com

www.goodoldgold.com

www.briangavindiamonds.com all inventory isn't listed so would need to contact

www.niceice.com

www.whiteflash.com

www.exceldiamonds.com

www.jamesallen.com we can always go through this vendor who normally has a good selection of Princess also that aren't always cut to AGS0 standards but are nevertheless well cut.

 

[Kensato]

After doing some more research I am now thinking a minimum of $9,000 up to $9500. Here is one I found from Abazias
1692464206
1.7
H
VS1
Ideal
71.6
70
EX
EX
none
6.6x6.52x4.67
1.01
AGS
9401
9190 Cash
5405/Carat

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 7/12/2009 7:29:14 AM
Author: Kensato
After doing some more research I am now thinking a minimum of $9,000 up to $9500. Here is one I found from Abazias
1692464206
1.7
H
VS1
Ideal
71.6
70
EX
EX
none
6.6x6.52x4.67
1.01
AGS
9401
9190 Cash
5405/Carat

This one won't be an AGS0 with ex for polish and symmetry, it might be worth further investigation but I don't know if Abazias provide photos and ASET images which are essential. The Ideal cut description is probably vendor applied as the diamond is not AGS Ideal.

If you aren't familiar with ASET this page explains.

http://www.highperformancediamonds.com/index.php?page=education-performance

 

[stone-cold11]

WF seems to have access to similar stones, check with them if those are AGS Diamond Quality Document/Platinum reports or the other kind of report. If so, then if is worth a look to ask them to bring it in for a look to get ASET/IS image of the stone.

http://www.whiteflash.com/princess/Princess-cut-diamond-2129716.htm

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 7/12/2009 7:43:31 AM
Author: Stone-cold11
WF seems to have access to similar stones, check with them if those are AGS Diamond Quality Document/Platinum reports or the other kind of report. If so, then if is worth a look to ask them to bring it in for a look to get ASET/IS image of the stone.

http://www.whiteflash.com/princess/Princess-cut-diamond-2129716.htm

That one is facing up a bit small.

 

[stone-cold11]

Date: 7/12/2009 7:52:04 AM
Author: Lorelei

Date: 7/12/2009 7:43:31 AM

Author: Stone-cold11

WF seems to have access to similar stones, check with them if those are AGS Diamond Quality Document/Platinum reports or the other kind of report. If so, then if is worth a look to ask them to bring it in for a look to get ASET/IS image of the stone.

http://www.whiteflash.com/princess/Princess-cut-diamond-2129716.htm

That one is facing up a bit small.

And what is that suppose to mean? You know you can''t judge princess spread and performance based on just dimensions alone.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 7/12/2009 8:01:49 AM
Author: Stone-cold11

Date: 7/12/2009 7:52:04 AM
Author: Lorelei

Date: 7/12/2009 7:43:31 AM

Author: Stone-cold11

WF seems to have access to similar stones, check with them if those are AGS Diamond Quality Document/Platinum reports or the other kind of report. If so, then if is worth a look to ask them to bring it in for a look to get ASET/IS image of the stone.

http://www.whiteflash.com/princess/Princess-cut-diamond-2129716.htm

That one is facing up a bit small.

And what is that suppose to mean? You know you can't judge princess spread and performance based on just dimensions alone.

I would think you would know what that means, the diameter appeared to look small to me at 6.5mm so I compared the spread of similar weight diamonds and it appears the spread is small for the weight. Try the search tool above and compare others of 1.7 and you will see what I mean with the spread percentages and diameter sizes of the others.

Don't take it personally, I am pointing this out especially as it seems size is important to the OP's wife.

 

[stone-cold11]

Date: 7/12/2009 8:16:05 AM
Author: Lorelei

Date: 7/12/2009 8:01:49 AM
Author: Stone-cold11

Date: 7/12/2009 7:52:04 AM
Author: Lorelei

Date: 7/12/2009 7:43:31 AM
Author: Stone-cold11
WF seems to have access to similar stones, check with them if those are AGS Diamond Quality Document/Platinum reports or the other kind of report. If so, then if is worth a look to ask them to bring it in for a look to get ASET/IS image of the stone.

http://www.whiteflash.com/princess/Princess-cut-diamond-2129716.htm

That one is facing up a bit small.

And what is that suppose to mean? You know you can''t judge princess spread and performance based on just dimensions alone.

I would think you would know what that means, the diameter appeared to look small to me at 6.5mm so I compared the spread of similar weight diamonds and it appears the spread is small for the weight. Try the search tool above and compare others of 1.7 and you will see what I mean with the spread percentages and diameter sizes of the others.

Don''t take it personally, I am pointing this out especially as it seems size is important to the OP''s wife.

Still, that does not say anything about the cut of the stone.

This stone is even smaller face up. http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/5817/

You can go spreadier and look nice too or dead, just no way to tell unless there is an ASET/IS image. And we are talking about what? A difference of less than 0.1mm, so I don''t think that is really any significance between this WF stone and the one chosen by OP from Abazias.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 7/12/2009 1:19:51 PM
Author: Stone-cold11

Date: 7/12/2009 8:16:05 AM
Author: Lorelei

Date: 7/12/2009 8:01:49 AM
Author: Stone-cold11

Date: 7/12/2009 7:52:04 AM
Author: Lorelei

Date: 7/12/2009 7:43:31 AM
Author: Stone-cold11
WF seems to have access to similar stones, check with them if those are AGS Diamond Quality Document/Platinum reports or the other kind of report. If so, then if is worth a look to ask them to bring it in for a look to get ASET/IS image of the stone.

http://www.whiteflash.com/princess/Princess-cut-diamond-2129716.htm

That one is facing up a bit small.

And what is that suppose to mean? You know you can't judge princess spread and performance based on just dimensions alone.

I would think you would know what that means, the diameter appeared to look small to me at 6.5mm so I compared the spread of similar weight diamonds and it appears the spread is small for the weight. Try the search tool above and compare others of 1.7 and you will see what I mean with the spread percentages and diameter sizes of the others.

Don't take it personally, I am pointing this out especially as it seems size is important to the OP's wife.

Still, that does not say anything about the cut of the stone.

This stone is even smaller face up. http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/5817/

You can go spreadier and look nice too or dead, just no way to tell unless there is an ASET/IS image. And we are talking about what? A difference of less than 0.1mm, so I don't think that is really any significance between this WF stone and the one chosen by OP from Abazias.

Sure, but it will look a bit small for the weight and as the OP wants as much size as possible from what I gather, another diamond with a bit more spread for the weight could be a better choice.

 

[Kensato]

Much thanks for the feedback. My gut is to go to one of the online dealers often mentioned here and get some help. I have read alot about an ideal cut for a princess diamond and thought that the table needed to be 62-68%, the depth 75-64% and the depth should be greater than the table. . The part that confuses me is that it seems like often these things don''t really matter. I have been told by a number of dealers that you have to really look at the diamond. That is the real hard part about buying a diamond online. Should I go more by the numbers or by what the dealer tells me the brilliance of the ring would be? Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Thanks again for all your help!

 

[Sharon101]

Date: 7/12/2009 1:24:49 PM
Author: Lorelei

Date: 7/12/2009 1:19:51 PM
Author: Stone-cold11

Date: 7/12/2009 8:16:05 AM
Author: Lorelei

Date: 7/12/2009 8:01:49 AM
Author: Stone-cold11

Date: 7/12/2009 7:52:04 AM
Author: Lorelei

Date: 7/12/2009 7:43:31 AM
Author: Stone-cold11
WF seems to have access to similar stones, check with them if those are AGS Diamond Quality Document/Platinum reports or the other kind of report. If so, then if is worth a look to ask them to bring it in for a look to get ASET/IS image of the stone.

http://www.whiteflash.com/princess/Princess-cut-diamond-2129716.htm

That one is facing up a bit small.

And what is that suppose to mean? You know you can''t judge princess spread and performance based on just dimensions alone.

I would think you would know what that means, the diameter appeared to look small to me at 6.5mm so I compared the spread of similar weight diamonds and it appears the spread is small for the weight. Try the search tool above and compare others of 1.7 and you will see what I mean with the spread percentages and diameter sizes of the others.

Don''t take it personally, I am pointing this out especially as it seems size is important to the OP''s wife.

Still, that does not say anything about the cut of the stone.

This stone is even smaller face up. http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/5817/

You can go spreadier and look nice too or dead, just no way to tell unless there is an ASET/IS image. And we are talking about what? A difference of less than 0.1mm, so I don''t think that is really any significance between this WF stone and the one chosen by OP from Abazias.

Sure, but it will look a bit small for the weight and as the OP wants as much size as possible from what I gather, another diamond with a bit more spread for the weight could be a better choice.

Lorelei, I think you give the best advice, and if you say it faces up small, then I dont have to even bother comparing for myself to verify that! I think its a very considerate point that you made which no doubt will help many reading this thread. Anyone stretching their budget to the max will not want to go to all the effort of buying a 1.7 carat for it to look like a smaller stone.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 7/13/2009 1:22:05 AM
Author: Kensato
Much thanks for the feedback. My gut is to go to one of the online dealers often mentioned here and get some help. I have read alot about an ideal cut for a princess diamond and thought that the table needed to be 62-68%, the depth 75-64% and the depth should be greater than the table. . The part that confuses me is that it seems like often these things don't really matter. I have been told by a number of dealers that you have to really look at the diamond. That is the real hard part about buying a diamond online. Should I go more by the numbers or by what the dealer tells me the brilliance of the ring would be? Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Thanks again for all your help!

You can't really go by numbers so much, you can use them as a guide in order to eliminate the lesser performers but images are what matter. It is a balance, you want a great performer but also one which doesn't have extreme proportions, a diamond which is hiding weight in other areas, one with a huge table, shallow crown and so on. That is where ASET and detailed photos are particularly useful and if you can get those so much the better. Some of the top cut Princess have similar diameters and I have no issue with those, but in Princess where we don't know much I am cautious, same as I am with ones which are spready.

Sharon, if we had images and a diamond was known to be a super cut then no worries ( it could be), the one in question could be a good stone albeit sometimes these can be a little small in the diameter for my preference - if it was a beautiful brand or known diamond where we had images then it might be different, the one above has an AGS report but no way to know how well it is cut without more info.

Ken, here is one I found which might suit you

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/I-VS2-Ideal-Cut-Princess-Diamond-1224711.asp

 

[Kensato]

Thanks again. I am calling James Allen today. Are any of you online as a dealer? I would be inclined to go with some of you whom seem to post quite often and give such good advise.

 

[stone-cold11]

Nope, vendors are not allowed to hawk their wares in PS forum. Or even comment about other vendors wares.

 

[jstarfireb]

Nice looking rock, Lorelei!

If you''re interested in that stone, ask JA for an Idealscope. I can tell you all about I color in a princess if you''d like (that''s what mine is). Bottom line: in an ideal cut, it''s a great deal.

Kensato, none of us who responded to this thread are dealers. However, the reps from James Allen, Whiteflash, Good Old Gold, High Performance Diamonds, Nice Ice, Excel Diamonds, and quite a few other vendors post here all the time! All of these are great vendors that you can trust to give you their take on a particular stone.

 

[Kensato]

Thanks for this link Lorelei. It really helped me to understand what this ASET thing is. I really appreciate all your help. I wish had more to offer all of you that are offering me advise, but due to my obvious lack of knowledge, I want to just say that you all very much.

 

[Kensato]

Is there anything other images or pictures I need to request other than an ASET or Idealscope from the dealers?

 

[jstarfireb]

Date: 7/13/2009 9:10:16 PM
Author: Kensato
Is there anything other images or pictures I need to request other than an ASET or Idealscope from the dealers?

Well, JA will only provide an IS, not ASET, so that's what you want to ask for. Also, for any diamonds of SI clarity, ask the vendor if they're eye-clean. This doesn't really apply to your VS2 (very few people can see a VS2 inclusion), but you can ask if you want!

Also, JA will hold up to 3 diamonds for you and get the IS for them to compare. I'll comb through their site and see if they have anything else worth looking at (I bet Lorelei already did, but can't hurt to have another pair of eyes looking at it!).

ETA: Found you a few more possibilities. Unfortunately, there's not a lot within your desired specs...either the color or the size probably has to give a little. The possible exception is this one:
1.70 G/VS2 - there's something a bit "off" to me about the center reflection pattern that I can't put my finger on, but perhaps it's just the angle of the photo. An IS would help here.

The one Lorelei suggested was I color...here are some more Is:
1.75 I/VS1 - juuuuuuust over budget, but great spread and looks well-cut. For this one you would also want to make sure the "very thin" area of the girdle isn't located at a corner where it could pose a durability risk.
1.72 I/VS1 - cut looks good except for some reason the center facet pattern isn't coming through at the bottom; the stone may be tilted in the picture, or it may not be symmetrically cut. An IS would help a lot here.

Going a tad smaller we have these options:
1.59 I/VS1 - a bit off-square, which you may or may not perceive with the naked eye...would that bother you? Some of the others are too, for that matter...take note of the dimensions and L:W ratio.
1.58 G/VS2 - faces up considerably smaller than above though
1.60 F/VS2 - perhaps too much leakage in the middle; an IS would help here
1.61 H/VS1