old cut ladies willing to help me look for a beauty?

[yssie]

Exploring my options. I was looking at lower colors and people have said "well why not look at old cut", typically i dont like them, but i think thats because a lot of them have that "kozabi?" effect

I love a big culet and am open to a fair amount of color.

Big culet + pav + complementary crown = kozibe. It's the internal reflection of the culet through the stone, so any stone with facets angled to reflect light internally and then outputted out the top to your eyes (a good thing) is going to also reflect other characteristics.

There is a fundamental disconnect here that I can't make sense of - you can't love one and dislike the other and want lots of precise and crisp light return, it's cause and effect.

Well if I'm not going to notice the facets at this size why not get a mrb? I can get a larger modern cut stone at this color range than I can a old cut, seems like. I found a 1.3 ct eye clean o for my buget

That was my POINT. You may be able to get a larger OEC for the money than MRB, but you need to see an OEC in whatever size so you know whether you like it or not.

Whether or not you see the faceting, the sparkle is different in an old cut than it is in an MRB. Some people like old cut sparkle (that would be me), some people like MRB sparkle. You need to know what "flavor" sparkle you prefer before buying something.

liz

This wasnt to you in general, it was to people who are saying I should go with old cuts if i want a color this low. but if i cant see specifically the facetting difference i dont know why i specifically should go this route, especially if low color MRB are actually extremely affordable

People are suggesting that you consider old cuts because they like them and wonder if you might too. They're suggesting that you investigate in-person because there's no way for us to know whether you *will see and appreciate* the differences in faceting and light return at your desired size, or whether you *will like* them, and that determines whether you *should choose* them...

I personally think you're barking up the wrong tree. You've explored pears, step cuts, ovals, MRBs, and now antiques, and so far I see little consistency in your preferences, but the one thing I'm sure of is that you don't care for what I'd call "wonk" and "character imperfections" and those are inevitable with true old cuts!

But... I don't think an MRB in any colour is going to make you happy either. Deliberately choosing a shape that you feel has "a million times less personality" than another type does not suggest a promising start.


Have you actually SEEN all of these shapes in-person in the sizes you're thinking of? Pear you've obviously got, but lower-coloured MRBs, OECs, step cuts, ovals...? Like athena said -- you need to see this stuff with your own eyes, and narrow the list with your own eyes, not pictures...

 

[Circe]

Exploring my options. I was looking at lower colors and people have said "well why not look at old cut", typically i dont like them, but i think thats because a lot of them have that "kozabi?" effect and just dont seem all that crisp. However, I will admit that .8 ct one of dreamers mom is really lovely, and if there was somthing like that out there, id really like it.

I have no idea where to look on ebay. basically id like someone to say "buy this stone" and then do it, i dont have the education to venture out on my own

For one of these, i was hoping to say around 2500 but its not harsh. color, dont care, clarity- eye clean.

What kind of thing could i hope to find? could you lovely ladies help a girl out?

+1 to Yssie's whole post.

I think the bolded sentence in your OP might be at the core of the problem. Nobody here can guarantee you'll like any given diamond. Even if it is the best, most objectively perfect stone in the world ... at the end of the day, it's your subjective taste that counts.

I really like your posts, and think you give other people great advice ... but when it comes to the ones where you need the advice, I feel like you caught so much flack in your original pear thread that now you're maybe a little defensive when it feels like people are psychoanalyzing you? We're not, dude. We all just want you to find something you adore. But to do it, you NEED that education, and that means you NEED to go out and see things in person. Still images just don't give you (if you'll pardon the expression) the full picture.

 

[Mara]

This is one I've had saved for a while:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/130786120040?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

It's a .95c GIA certified N VS1 for $2k. There's a return policy, pics are not that great, the diamond looks dirty (or maybe needs a polish but GIA cert says polish is good not poor), but it looks like it has potential. It does have kozibe though so if you don't like that, you might want to stick with a later OEC or transitional which won't traditionally have as much, if any.

ETA..if you want 'super crisp' again maybe stick with a later OEC or early tranny with really sharp faceting. Though some of my fave stones are the dreamier looking OEC's with a little blur to their facets. Just depends on what your eye prefers.

 

[mercoledi]

This is a long shot, but before Leon Mege relaunched his website, there was an old cut that was a very low color, maybe an O or P in a Leon halo setting for a very reasonable cost. I think at one point Maisie was considering it for her upgrade. I don't see it listed now, but it was a lovely stone in an incredible setting. I recently emailed Leon about another 'this used to be on your site' piece, and he got back to me within the hour, so maybe worth a try? If you want another halo that is.