Which ASET image for cushion cut is the best?

[nycsusiewho]

Hello,
I'm trying to decide between two cushion-cut diamonds. Attaching their ASET images here and am wondering if people can give their opinions on both. Here are my thoughts:

ASET 1: I'm partial to this diamond because it has a slight higher crown (13.4% v. 12.4%) which I am hoping will give it more fire. But should I be concerned about the two very dark rays extending out from the center? Does that suggest light leakage or darkness? And what about the center that's green? Is that a problem?



ASET 2: This looks like it has more red and the red extends all the way to the edge. It seems like it would perform better to me - do people agree or are the two close enough that they will probably perform the same?



Hoping for some reassurance that the first one is still very good (mainly bc of the higher crown angle), but as I'm on the fence, I can go in either direction Thank you!

 

[ac117]

I'm partial to the second stone bc of how much more red it has in the ASET but even these light return images don't tell the entire story for fancy cuts. Do you have videos?

 

[ashjade]

I agree with @ac117
Just from the image, aset 2 would have my vote, especially since the red is also in the main center. Personally, I feel like that is one of the most important parts for brightness.

 

[Lorelei]

Hi Susie,

The second ASET looks best but as ac says, they don't tell the whole story, have you seen both in person? Do you have any other images or videos for these? It looks like there's some leakage and obstruction going on in the middle of #1, as can be seen from the ASET, the diamond is showing more green than red which basically means it's showing reflected light return rather than direct ( red) and as you are aware, red is what you want. The slightly higher crown could cause increased fire but it's not as straightforward as that unfortunately, I think if you could get more info on both such as photos or a video ideally as I mentioned before, that would help.

 

[nycsusiewho]

Here is a link to the first one:

https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/cushion-cut/2.12-carat-h-color-vs2-clarity-sku-4315497

And here's a link to the second one (the one with more red in the ASET):

https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/cushion-cut/2.01-carat-h-color-vs1-clarity-sku-4849660

Can you tell from the videos how they will look in person? Would be grateful for any thoughts.

 

[nycsusiewho]

This is the ASET and link to the third stone I'm considering.



https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/cushion-cut/2.01-carat-h-color-vvs2-clarity-sku-4584408

The ASET contains more blue/black than I'm used to seeing so I'm not sure how well it will perform compared to the first two, even though it does have a lot more red than green. It is also about 0.2-0.3 mm smaller than the first two stones and I'm not convinced that the better cut (if it is in fact a better cut) will make up for the size difference. What do people think? Which one would you pick for yourself? Thanks for all the helpful responses so far!

 

[ashjade]

I still like the second one best, personally.

 

[blueMA]

The second one will probably give you bigger flashes of light and look brighter in person.

 

[Lorelei]

This is the ASET and link to the third stone I'm considering.



https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/cushion-cut/2.01-carat-h-color-vvs2-clarity-sku-4584408

The ASET contains more blue/black than I'm used to seeing so I'm not sure how well it will perform compared to the first two, even though it does have a lot more red than green. It is also about 0.2-0.3 mm smaller than the first two stones and I'm not convinced that the better cut (if it is in fact a better cut) will make up for the size difference. What do people think? Which one would you pick for yourself? Thanks for all the helpful responses so far!

This stone has a nice distribution of red but it is showing obstruction and possible leakage in the centre. I'd ask one of the gemologists to compare the original second diamond and this one so they can describe any performance nuances to you and how each would look in normal viewing conditions, other than that. we'd be guessing really.