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Are Old European Cuts less expensive than Round Brilliant?

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bethn8

Rough_Rock
Joined
Jan 27, 2017
Messages
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I am looking for a 1.5-1.75 carat round diamond for my e-ring. The jewelers we visited said Old European Cuts are less expensive because they are less sparkly, but they tend to not be certified. One jeweler was able to show us one, side by side with a round brilliant. It looked good, and was much less expensive than the round brilliant, but was not certified. I do not feel comfortable buying a diamond that is not certified and I feel discouraged by the lack of certified options online. If OECs tend to be less expensive, I will continue to seek out a source because I do like the way they look. Thanks.
 
Re: Are Old European Cuts less expensive than Round Brillian

Look at the old cut specialists like Jewels By Grace, Old World Diamonds or Love Affair Diamonds and you will find pretty much all of their diamonds are GIA or AGS certified. Or you could try the newly cut antiques with ideal optics from Good Old Gold or Victor Canera but I'm pretty sure you won't get those premium branded cuts for lower prices than a ideal cut MRB.
 
Re: Are Old European Cuts less expensive than Round Brillian

HI Bethn8,
As a general rule, Old European Brilliant ( GIA's classification of the shape) trade off the same wholesale price list as rounds.
This list is higher than the lists used for Cushion, Oval, Marquise, Princess, Emerald Cut, etc.
But for that to be the case, the OEC would need to have a GIA report of the same grade as the round. If an OEC and an RBC have the same GIA grade, they tend to trade at very similar prices.

When shopping for an OEC you'll find both real antique stones, as well as modern reproductions.
Many of the older stones are less symmetrical, and may have chipping, and or abrasions.
IMO that should lessen the price- but in fact, there's buyers that want the stone to have evidence of it's age.
We work closely with Yoram, and there's times he actually polishes a stone to look like it's been beaten up for 75 years:)

Whoever told you OEC are, as a rule, less sparkly is either misinformed, or attempting to misinform you...sorry. OEC's can be super sparkly in a way that some people find MORE attractive than the sparkle of a modern RBC.

DO you want a stone that looks old?
 
 
Re: Are Old European Cuts less expensive than Round Brillian

There's no rule because a number of factors influence price, and the factors are not the same for the two cuts. For example, low color (KLM range) OECs are considered desirable, but low color RBs will sell at a discount.

Overall though, I think OECs are more expensive. There are two kinds of OEC that will be more expensive than their RB counterparts. One is the true antique with a very desirable look. Antique cutters had different tools to work with, and by modern standards they may be charming or just bad. Many of the best stones were recut into crummy RBs a long time ago, and for those that survive, supply is low and demand is high.

The other are the modern OECs cut to extreme precision (similar to what would be called a super ideal H&A if it were a RB). These are more expensive than the super ideal RBs. You can confirm this by visiting sites that sell both, like Good Old Gold.
 
Re: Are Old European Cuts less expensive than Round Brillian

Thank you for the replies. I just spoke with a few more jewelers in Boston and now I am even more confused because they all insist that OECs sell at lower prices than modern brilliant.

I just posted the following under a new post but I'll post here with more detail:

Hi everyone,

I am diamond hunting for a round cut for my e-ring. Here are the specs I am considering:

Carat: 1.5+
Color: As low as I
Clarity: As low as SI1
Cut: Excellent-Very Good

I'd like to stay under $8000 for the diamond.

Would I be likely to find an Old European Cut diamond with these specs? Would I want to make sure an OEC meets these specs or do they need to be judged based on different criteria? Do you still use the GIA cut rating scale on OECs? Most of the ones I've come across are low color and aren't GIA certified. Why are OECs low color? Is the color less noticeable? The jewelers I've visited in Boston all tell me they sell OECs at a lower price than modern brilliant cuts, but they can't show me one that is certified. I like the way they look but I'm not sure if I should judge them differently than modern brilliant, and if so, how do I know what good specs are for one? I also don't understand why all the jewelers in Boston are telling me they sell OECs for less than modern brilliant. When asked they say it is because OECs are not in as high of demand. They offer to get them certified at my expense, but I'm not even sure if I'd be comparing apples to apples (OEC v modern brilliant). The OECs on the websites suggested above are selling at MUCH higher prices than the jewelers in Boston are quoting. For example, I just spoke to a jeweler who had a 1.61 carat that he guessed was color J and SI1. He quoted me $4900. Was he just completely wrong on the specs? Is the cut quality on OECs poor?

FYI, My diamond will be in a 14K rose gold setting with a shared prong diamond band. For the wedding band I'd like a white gold shared prong diamond band.

Thank you!
 
Re: Are Old European Cuts less expensive than Round Brillian

Beth- one problem we've seen many consumers face is conflicting information from local jewelers, as compared to what they find here.
With OEC's you're going to find answers all over the place- because they're harder to find than "regular" diamonds. A common story is that when a seller can't find or source a given item they may try to get the consumer to believe locating on is impossible or try to knock the product by saying it's not popular, etc....

My take on why you'll find many more "off color" antique stones as compared to new ones is that over the years, most of the higher color antiques were re-cut to modern- which made less financial sense with an L color as compared to a D.

IN terms of pricing.....
a "jewelers guess J/SI1" can easily be an M/I1 if GIA graded it. For this reason, you simply can't use a dealer's assessment to price shop against stones legitimately graded by GIA
 
Re: Are Old European Cuts less expensive than Round Brillian

I don't know why the jewelers you've visited are saying what they're saying about OEC's except to tell you there are many many stories here of the misinformation people have gotten from jewelry store personnel. Your story may just be another one of those. Or it may be specific to Boston, I don't know. I've been on PS long enough to have seen that PS'ers tend to be ahead of the curve, whatever it is. PS was early on buying online, H & A's, halos, cushions and OEC's. OEC's are incredibly popular here so it's likely that OEC's are now becoming more popular than they were. Maybe that hasn't hit Boston yet or maybe the people you've been speaking to don't know what they're talking about. It could be either one.

Now for the bad news. I don't think your budget is enough to get a certified 1.5 I SI1 round that is well cut. I checked Old World Diamonds (who I just bought an OEC from and highly recommend) for OEC's and Whiteflash for MRB's (I bought my 1.5 I SI1 MRB from and also highly recommend) and there isn't anything at 1.5 I SI1 for less than $8000 that's worth looking at. If someone is offering you a stone at that size, color and clarity, my guess is it's either poorly cut or uncertified and likely lower than an I in color and lower than SI1 in clarity. If you want to stay under $8000, you're going to need to compromise on something and the one thing you shouldn't compromise on is cut.

If you want an OEC, you should go to the vendors already mentioned in this thread who specialize in OEC's and can guide you to the right stone for your budget. Your chances of getting a great OEC from the people you've been dealing with sound slim.
 
Re: Are Old European Cuts less expensive than Round Brillian

rainwood|1485553765|4120814 said:
I don't know why the jewelers you've visited are saying what they're saying about OEC's except to tell you there are many many stories here of the misinformation people have gotten from jewelry store personnel. Your story may just be another one of those. Or it may be specific to Boston, I don't know. I've been on PS long enough to have seen that PS'ers tend to be ahead of the curve, whatever it is. PS was early on buying online, H & A's, halos, cushions and OEC's. OEC's are incredibly popular here so it's likely that OEC's are now becoming more popular than they were. Maybe that hasn't hit Boston yet or maybe the people you've been speaking to don't know what they're talking about. It could be either one.

Now for the bad news. I don't think your budget is enough to get a certified 1.5 I SI1 round that is well cut. I checked Old World Diamonds (who I just bought an OEC from and highly recommend) for OEC's and Whiteflash for MRB's (I bought my 1.5 I SI1 MRB from and also highly recommend) and there isn't anything at 1.5 I SI1 for less than $8000 that's worth looking at. If someone is offering you a stone at that size, color and clarity, my guess is it's either poorly cut or uncertified and likely lower than an I in color and lower than SI1 in clarity. If you want to stay under $8000, you're going to need to compromise on something and the one thing you shouldn't compromise on is cut.

If you want an OEC, you should go to the vendors already mentioned in this thread who specialize in OEC's and can guide you to the right stone for your budget. Your chances of getting a great OEC from the people you've been dealing with sound slim.
Click to expand...

Totally agree here. If you are looking for an OEC, I'd stick with the vendors mentioned.
 
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