what should I look for?

[cujo1]

Hello again, I am new to this site. I was looking for a princess cut diamond. I have been reading alot lately on diamonds, so I know the first thing I have to pick is the cut. I am looking to spend around 3000-4200 on the diamond. Can you tell me what exactly I should look for to make sure it is an eye clean diamond. Meaning like what color can I go down to with the clarity. Also with the ratios and everything? Please help, if you can give me any advice and what diamond you would look for where you can get the best for your money. Thanks so much

 

[coatimundi_org]

For a princess, I would look at Whiteflash.com and GoodoldGold.com. Whiteflash has "A Cut Above" princess cuts that are cut for maximum sparkle--very high quality.
GoodoldGold hand selects their stones for beautiful cut and sparkle. That's where I'd start looking.

Those vendors take the guesswork out of choosing a stone.

Color and clarity are different--a matter of preference. For clarity, make sure the stone is eyeclean. VS2 VS1 will be eyeclean. You can also find many SI1 eyeclean stones. WF and GOG will be able to tell you if a stone is eyeclean.

For your price range, you may want to consider going down in color. Are you sensitive to color? A well cut princess will face up very white. I'd go into a store and look at a range of colors to see if you notice the difference before purchasing online(if that's what you choose to do).

Hope this helps!
Good LUck!!

 

[Allison D.]

Cujo, fancies are really hard to evaluate by the numbers alone; they really do have to be seen.

If you''d prefer to narrow the field a bit, you might consider looking at AGS0 princess stones. They aren''t the only nice princess stones available, but AGS is the only lab presently grading princess stones for light return, so it''s a safe place to start.

Color and clarity tolerances are really driven by individual tolerances. I recently looked at a .63 J princess stone that was very well cut, and I wasn''t disturbed by the body color. Others might be; it depends on your personal tolerances for color and clarity.

The best way to narrow down what works best for you would be to locate a jeweler who either has or can get in a few lower color AGS0 princess stones in your desired size range. This will help you determine what your own personal tolerances are.

If you want to expand your options beyond AGS0 princess stones, I''d suggest investing in an Idealscope. These help you assess potential light leakage in stones and might be a way to help you narrow the field as well.

Best of luck to you.

 

[kcoursolle]

I would start looking for stones that have a great cut, to ensure a beautiful sparkle. AGS triple zeros are usually well-cut and an easy way to start looking.

As far as color/clarity goes, I would try to get an eye-clean SI1 in order to save money. Why pay for a difference that isn''t noticeable? For color I would try looking at some stones in person and seeing how much warmth you can tolerate.

 

[cujo1]

Ok, I have another question. When you go for an ideal cut in princess cut, or a little below that, is that noticeable to the naked eye?

 

[Gypsy]

Date: 3/20/2008 3:37:27 PM
Author: cujo1
Ok, I have another question. When you go for an ideal cut in princess cut, or a little below that, is that noticeable to the naked eye?

I don''t think I understand the question.

CUT is the most important factor in determining whether or not a diamond looks bright, beautiful, sparkles, shines, has scintillation and light return. So, yes, compromising on cut can affect visual performance. If you are asking if the difference between a ''near'' ideal and an ''ideal'' stone is noticable to the named eye. I think the answer is that "it depends on the eye.''

 

[marcy]

I think if you compared an ideal cut with the next cut down (near ideal?) you''d see a difference. If you didn''t compare them side by side you''d think the near ideal was terrific. I think a G is a great overall color without paying the extra money for colorless but some people are more sensitive to color than others.

 

[cujo1]

Well hello again! I just went to an diamond special at a near by my house, and I looked at an ideal princess cut, and compared it to another good cut, and WOW, there is such a big difference. They were actually the same size diamond, but the ideal looked so much bigger! Also I decided to def. go with an internet diamond from whiteflash becuase the diamond that was pretty much the same diamond I am looking at is almost 4000 more in the store! I also looked at different color gradings, and especially with the ideal diamond, I am didn''t know if finding an I color would be yellowy, and it isn''t at all. I couldn''t tell the difference. So just wanting to thank you guys for helping me out and giving me advice. Hopefully this can help others as well.