Passion cut diamond, yay or nay?

[freewheelinrose]

Hello all! I'm new to PriceScope and I'm hoping that ya'll can help me. I have been trying to find the best deal for a diamond out there. I'd prefer to shop locally within my state of NC and in my search I found a round cut diamond with extra facets that is indeed very brilliant but I don't know if I'm just buying into the hype. This diamond wasn't pushed on me, I found it myself and was attracted to the sparkle it gave off. I have scoured the internet for reviews of this diamond but they are practically non-existent and I was hoping to find some help here. Before joining and posting this I read some reviews of other ~80(+) faceted diamonds and the general consensus was to go with the round brilliant cut instead of a fancy and proprietary cut like the Passion Cut diamond but I'm wondering if maybe, just maybe this diamond cut is superior to the normal RB...

Please let me know of any advice out there!

Thanks so much!

 

[yssie]

Really depends what you mean by superior


In general (meaning, there are lots of other considerations) smaller facets = smaller "virtual facets" = smaller, faster twinkles and quick sparkles of white light, fewer big, bold flashes of white and coloured light.

A regular modern RB has 57 facets. A specialty cut that has more facets means that the average facet size is reduced (smaller facets). Also to consider is stone size - a larger stone with 57 facets has larger facets than a smaller stone with 57 facets.. a larger stone with 80+ facets may look to have "similar performance" in many ways to a smaller stone with 57 facets, because the facets are objectively similar in size - though again, there will be distinctions because facet alignment differs.

There is a bias on PS toward chunky-type stones with big, bold outputs. It doesn't mean this is your preference - if you like the twinkly, splintery look more than the large, chunky-facet look of an OEC say, then these stones may be right up your alley! They do usually have a hefty premium though, so that is something you'll have to factor into your planning.

If you like the twinkly, splintery sparkles but can't stomach the premium you might have your vendors investigate RBs with very long lgfs and poorer optical symmetry, both those factors will contribute to lowering avg facet size.

 

[freewheelinrose]

Thanks for such a prompt reply yessi! That helped me consider it in a more objective way than before and gives me a concrete difference to focus on which will definitely be something I think about the next time I compare standard RB and Passion cut diamonds....

I still welcome anyone else who might have personal experience with buying a round diamond with a greater than normal facet count, especially if it is a Passion cut....if anyone cares to delve into what the visual difference is between increasing the facets on the pavilion vs the girdle vs any other conceivable section I'd be very interested.

Thanks again ya'll!

 

[Lorelei]

Thanks for such a prompt reply yessi! That helped me consider it in a more objective way than before and gives me a concrete difference to focus on which will definitely be something I think about the next time I compare standard RB and Passion cut diamonds....

I still welcome anyone else who might have personal experience with buying a round diamond with a greater than normal facet count, especially if it is a Passion cut....if anyone cares to delve into what the visual difference is between increasing the facets on the pavilion vs the girdle vs any other conceivable section I'd be very interested.

Thanks again ya'll!

Yssie did a fantastic post ( she does that a lot!!)

Here is more info on the Passion Cut diamond for you, it does appear that this stone is graded by IGI labs which are said to be less strict on grading in some cases than AGS or GIA, so that is something to consider.

http://www.passion-cut.com/main.asp?cat=site&sel_nav1=12

Someone might pop up that owns or has seen a Passion Cut, there is also an extra faceted cut available called The Solasfera, if you are interested in seeing that for comparison purposes, I can post a video for you.

 

[Lula]

What carat weight are you looking to buy? I'm asking this because in diamonds under 1 carat, the extra facets may contribute to a "busy" sparkly appearance with lots of small white flashes at the expense of larger flashes of fire. In larger diamonds, the extra facets may enhance the performance of the stone, since larger diamonds have more "room," for lack of a better word, to accommodate both the smaller flashes generated by the additional facets while maintaining the larger colored flashes.

Another thing to consider is that diamonds with extra facets look especially lovely under spotlighting which favors their particular type of sparkle/flash. But they don't look as dynamic under "normal" day-to-day" lighting. So unless you spend a lot of time under spotlights, you may be disappointed in how the stone looks the rest of the time.

 

[freewheelinrose]

Thanks to both Lorelei and Luna for your responses! I think that I may go with the normal round brilliant...

Please look for my new post on the topic of finding a reasonable setting! Thanks again y'all. I really appreciate the help, this site is so useful!

 

[Lorelei]

Thanks to both Lorelei and Luna for your responses! I think that I may go with the normal round brilliant...

Please look for my new post on the topic of finding a reasonable setting! Thanks again y'all. I really appreciate the help, this site is so useful!

Here is a video which compares a top cut hearts and arrows diamond to a Solasfera. Although I don't know how the Passion Cut and Solasfera compare, the video does show the differences between the traditional round brilliant and extra faceted cut.

http://www.vimeo.com/8786292

 

[kenny]

We have one of each round, standard and extra-facets.
Below is a pic of our 91-facet Solasfera, next to our Whiteflash A Cut Above, which has the usual 57 facets.
Both are superbly cut and weigh 82 and 83 points.
After living with them for years IMHO both are equally "beautiful" and have equal light performance that is up there with the best of the best of the best!

The DO have a different look; the 91-facet Solasfera is on the right.
Diamonds with more facets have more (but smaller) flashes of light.
So in terms of total amount of light return you could say it's a wash - assuming equally good proportions.

Some say the rounds with more than the usual 57 facets look busy.
I'd be careful about that statement because for one it sounds negative and two, I suspect it is a view held by people who just got used to the standard 57-facet round look.

Different is not bad; it's just different and not what people are used to.
In fact, some people like the Radiant cut which could be argued looks much more busy than a Solasfera of the same weight.
"Busy" is kind of a negative value judgement.



Instead of the number of facets I'd evaluate the cut quality.
Plug the proportions into the HCA.
The Solasfera scores a 1.0.

https://www.pricescope.com/tools/hca

If the passion cut scores under 2.0 I'd get Idealscope pic and compare them to the reference chart.
If it scores over 2.0 I would not buy one.

https://www.pricescope.com/tools/ideal-scope

http://www.ideal-scope.com/1.using_reference_chart.asp

 

[Lula]

Kenny is right -- I should not have used the term "busy." I was actually trying to find an old thread (from 2008 or 2009 maybe?) where there is a discussion of the effect of extra faceting on smaller stones. If I remember right, there are some images generated by diamond software that show the effect of the extra facets on the "virtual facets." I do remember that the take-home message was that extra faceting may have a detrimental effect on a smaller stone's ability to produce fire/larger flashes, but that in larger stones the extra facets are thought to improve the stone's appearance ????? But I cannot for the life of me find the thread.

To the OP, you can see from Kenny's photos that both cutting styles produce beautiful diamonds. It does come down to personal preference. Just make sure you look at the stone in all lighting conditions to make sure the cutting appeals to you.

 

[yssie]

We have one of each round, standard and extra-facets.
Below is a pic of our 91-facet Solasfera, next to our Whiteflash A Cut Above, which has the usual 57 facets.
Both are superbly cut and weigh 82 and 83 points.
After living with them for years IMHO both are equally "beautiful" and have equal light performance that is up there with the best of the best of the best!

The DO have a different look; the 91-facet Solasfera is on the right.
Diamonds with more facets have more (but smaller) flashes of light.
So in terms of total amount of light return you could say it's a wash - assuming equally good proportions.

Some say the rounds with more than the usual 57 facets look busy.
I'd be careful about that statement because for one it sounds negative and two, I suspect it is a view held by people who just got used to the standard 57-facet round look.

Different is not bad; it's just different and not what people are used to.
In fact, some people like the Radiant cut which could be argued looks much more busy than a Solasfera of the same weight.
"Busy" is kind of a negative value judgement.

Instead of the number of facets I'd evaluate the cut quality.
Plug the proportions into the HCA.
The Solasfera scores a 1.0.

https://www.pricescope.com/tools/hca

If the passion cut scores under 2.0 I'd get Idealscope pic and compare them to the reference chart.
If it scores over 2.0 I would not buy one.

https://www.pricescope.com/tools/ideal-scope

http://www.ideal-scope.com/1.using_reference_chart.asp

I don't think so. I do agree that on PS there is a definite bias toward chunky cuts that leave little room for "busy" (by comparison to the standard 57f modern RB) light return, but that doesn't make the judgment of "busy" natively negative.
It is what it is, and whilst they may have similar "total light output", however you want to measure that, a solasfera and a regular 57f RB of the same sized that have identical HCA scores will look and perform very differently because of those extra facets - which the OP sounds to prefer, so 'busier' stones for him it is! Both your stones look gorgeous Kenny, in their their different ways


Pic - top is traditional wireframe, bottom is solasfera, from this thread [URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/88-cut-diamond-vs-h-a.27702/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/88-cut-diamond-vs-h-a.27702/[/URL]