What to look for in a transitional cut?

[wildcat03]

My SO and I have been discussing rings and stones. I love the flashes of light you get from old cuts, and I've seen some transitional cuts that have appealed to me. I'm just not sure what to look for in them. Is it just visual appeal? (I do have a particular stone in mind, but don't want to post it as we are not quite ready to buy and I don't want to call attention to it). I love the colored light performance of older cuts, so that is what most appeals to me. Thanks for your help!

 

[tyty333]

Is it returnable so that you can order it and look at it to see if it performs the way you like?

 

[wildcat03]

Is it returnable so that you can order it and look at it to see if it performs the way you like?

Yes. The vendor who has the stone is well-regarding on pricescope and it is returnable for a refund. Just wondering if there is anything specific I should be using to screen or weed out stones.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Visual beauty. That's the bottom line with old cuts. I believe you have to see them in your hand and in your own lighting environments to know if it is the one. My philosophy is, if you are in love with the stone, then it is the one. If you have doubts, you need to return it and look at some more. I looked at maybe 5-6 AVRs (newly cut OECs) before I decided on the one that was for me. You might be lucky on your first try, but the more you see, the more you will appreciate nuances in different stones and be able to refine your preferences.

 

[wildcat03]

Thanks, diamondseeker! This confirms what I thought. I'm torn between a transitional cut and a MRB (although I do love AVRs as well!) but I love the idea of having something different than everyone else. I think that's achievable either by picking an ideal cut MRB or a transitional cut, but I just love the colored light performance of old cuts.

I'd marry this guy at city hall tomorrow with a ring pop, so having something beautiful to go along with it is totally a bonus - but a really nice one.

 

[HeartingDiamonds]

Awww, hooray for ring pops - I think that is so sweet

For transitionals, I like to look for the checkerboard pattern although a healthy number of them do not display that.

Having said that, I think that you are absolutely on the right track by deciding that you should be judging the stone based on how it looks to YOU, and not by the paper it comes with. Old cuts have this quality that is simply hard to capture in photos and even in words.

If the stone looks like a knock-out to you, then I say you have found a winner!

I wish you lots of luck in your search, and thank you for giving another old cut a chance at another lifetime of love and happiness

 

[LondonGal]

I'm in the UK - what's a ring pop?

I had no idea what a tranny was until I saw mine in a window. It was love at first sight and I found this site researching after the jeweller explained the stone to me. Since then I've looked at hundreds of stones of all ages and the old cuts are definitely for me. As you've noticed, those flashes are so appealing, and the fire... Just wow.

I'm sure if you get it you will waste as many hours looking at the fire and flashes as I have with mine

Good luck

 

[ponder]

I'm in the UK - what's a ring pop?

I had no idea what a tranny was until I saw mine in a window. It was love at first sight and I found this site researching after the jeweller explained the stone to me. Since then I've looked at hundreds of stones of all ages and the old cuts are definitely for me. As you've noticed, those flashes are so appealing, and the fire... Just wow.

I'm sure if you get it you will waste as many hours looking at the fire and flashes as I have with mine

Good luck

Candy lollipop in the shape of a large diamond ring. Comes in lots of flavors.

 

[ericad]

Ooooh, Transitionals are my favorite!

What I personally like to see is very good light return with contrast that is constantly moving when the diamond is in motion. No consistently dark areas, or obvious areas of windowing/leakage. A facet pattern that picks up lots of surrounding colors (like a kaleidoscope), and not too large of a table (I personally like them under 55%). Transitionals have the potential to be more brilliant than their OEC counterparts, which can help with face up color, so look for a diamond that appears very bright and lively in pics and videos.

Good luck with your tranny - I hope you love it! They are such a wonderful and unique cut, and it's fairly hard to come by really nice ones since they were only being cut for a relatively short period of time. I love that I can see the evolution from OEC to RB in a single stone.

I just love them!

 

[wildcat03]

Thanks for the advice everyone. It's going to be a little bit of a slow process so we have lots of time to look and find a stone that I love. I love the idea of owning a stone that has been meaningful to someone else. My SO is also a history buff (although more WWII and the like) so I think he likes the idea as well.

 

[elizabethtwrs]

Thanks for the advice everyone. It's going to be a little bit of a slow process so we have lots of time to look and find a stone that I love. I love the idea of owning a stone that has been meaningful to someone else. My SO is also a history buff (although more WWII and the like) so I think he likes the idea as well.

Good luck with your search! Are you able to see a tranny and OEC in person to determine your preferences? I've been looking at OECs/trannies for the past few months too and i think ultimately it will be a personal decision to see how you prefer the faceting of one over another and how they flash fire. I haven't seen any stones in person but am hoping to be able to do so soon, which hopefully will help me narrow down my search!

 

[Phanie]

Trannies are so cool.
My next Grail a cute tranny and a light brown mrb!.
I have a great source close by and it makes waiting for funds really hard.
With old cuts, you have to see it in person. I loved a stone really bad 4.2 ct OEC/OMC and when I saw it it was just meh to me.I was so sad that I did not like it more.
You really have to see the stone. I fell in love with mine and I believe it is the best OEC I have ever seen but on paper or its numbers are just not good (HCA 5.4 I THINK ) but it is amazing IRL!
Be prepared to look and one will just steal your heart.
Just be sure to not look at stones that are not in your budget.

 

[quaddio]

For transitionals, I like to look for the checkerboard pattern although a healthy number of them do not display that.

Checkerboard ++