Whiteflash 2.51 princess - seems like a low price?

[vchao]

Hi all,

I found a 2.51 I VS1 princess on Whiteflash that seems to be very good, but I don''t understand why it is priced at below $19,000. Can anyone clue me into what aspect(s) of the stone brings the price down?

http://www.whiteflash.com/diamonds/Diamond_Details.aspx?idNo=2027415#

This stone seems to be very good to me (an amateur) because:
- it is 4 stars on Whiteflash with a GIA cert
- has a nice ASET image (a lot of red, some green and blue, and very little black)
- the numbers look good according to the ACA princess cut chart and the PS knowledge base (Depth 72.5, Table 70, no fluro, no culet, VG/VG)
- there are very few inclusions on the GIA clarity representation and the 40x picture
- I like the carat weight and I like that it is close to 1.0 length:width ratio (I prefer square)

I don''t see why this stone is priced so low, what factor(s) is bringing the price down? I can only note a couple questionable points (as an amateur):
- The ASET image is maybe too red, and not symmetric. Please look at it let me know what you think.
- The Sarin report shows a crown angle range of 18.7 - 28.8. That seems like a large range? Can anyone comment on how this large range affects the stone''s performance or quality?
- Can you find another aspect that is not favorable?

Thanks for the help everyone! I love this forum!
Chao

 

[jstarfireb]

I think the I color is what''s keeping the price nice and low. In my experience buying a princess cut from WF, I found a HUGE price difference between H and I color, and I ended up with the I (only 1ct though). I think I color is a fabulous way to save a ton of cash, because a well-cut I princess will face up nicely white.

That ASET looks pretty nice! It''s a good amount of red (a liiiiiittle lacking in the contrast arena, but I''m not sure if that will make a visual difference). And I wouldn''t be surprised if the asymmetry of the image is just due to tilt of the stone in the picture, since the symmetry is VG.

I think it''s a winner. Reserve it so some lurker doesn''t grab it out from under you! Well-cut princesses of this size are few and far between.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 4/15/2009 1:55:40 AM
Author: jstarfireb
I think the I color is what's keeping the price nice and low. In my experience buying a princess cut from WF, I found a HUGE price difference between H and I color, and I ended up with the I (only 1ct though). I think I color is a fabulous way to save a ton of cash, because a well-cut I princess will face up nicely white.

That ASET looks pretty nice! It's a good amount of red (a liiiiiittle lacking in the contrast arena, but I'm not sure if that will make a visual difference). And I wouldn't be surprised if the asymmetry of the image is just due to tilt of the stone in the picture, since the symmetry is VG.

I think it's a winner. Reserve it so some lurker doesn't grab it out from under you! Well-cut princesses of this size are few and far between.

Ditto Jstar, it is a great diamond - maybe not THE greatest for cut but no slouch! The crown angle variance should be ok as it is a result of averages, Sarin can vary anyway so I would be more concerned with how the diamond looks as a whole - and it looks good.

 

[Imdanny]

Will someone correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't princess cuts less per carat than RB's?

Also, it is the hand picked collection, not the ACA branded collection.

So those two things might have something to do with the price. Is the price comparable to similar stones? The price doesn't seem out of line to me.

 

[stone-cold11]

Date: 4/15/2009 5:15:45 AM
Author: Imdanny
Will someone correct me if I''m wrong, but aren''t princess cuts less per carat than RB''s?

Also, it is the hand picked collection, not the ACA branded collection.

So those two things might have something to do with the price. Is the price comparable to similar stones? The price doesn''t seem out of line to me.

Agree, not really low compared to similar GIA Princess cuts.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 4/15/2009 5:15:45 AM
Author: Imdanny
Will someone correct me if I''m wrong, but aren''t princess cuts less per carat than RB''s?

Also, it is the hand picked collection, not the ACA branded collection.

So those two things might have something to do with the price. Is the price comparable to similar stones? The price doesn''t seem out of line to me.

Yes the price is fine and is in the region of similar.

 

[vchao]

Hi everyone,

Thanks for the kind and extremely useful advice!

One more question on this stone. The spread is -14%. Can someone tell me what that means for princess cuts?

Thanks,
Chao

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 4/15/2009 6:58:13 AM
Author: vchao
Hi everyone,

Thanks for the kind and extremely useful advice!

One more question on this stone. The spread is -14%. Can someone tell me what that means for princess cuts?

Thanks,
Chao

This just means according to the suggested spread or diameter measurements for the carat weight and shape, that this diamond scores - 14% or might face up a bit smaller for the weight.

 

[jstarfireb]

I wouldn''t worry too much about the slightly decreased spread. Spread in princess cuts is complicated but is in part related to the depth, and 72.5% is not all that deep. I think the light return will help to make up for that. Some of the best performing princesses out there have greater depths (75-78 or so) but look larger than expected due to the corner-to-corner light return.

 

[LadyBlue]

I think that''s a beautiful stone, maybe the reason that the cost it is not to high, is because is an I color and a princess cut.


Good luck