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Recutting an OMC stone for better symmetry and polish

M

mufjp

Rough_Rock
Joined
Aug 26, 2012
Messages
22
After having considered many different options for an engagement ring for my gf on a college student budget, I'm now seriously considering an old mine cut stone inspired by the following posts:

[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/1-6-ct-omc-from-owd-in-rg-by-lm.176760/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/1-6-ct-omc-from-owd-in-rg-by-lm.176760/[/URL]
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/show-me-your-avc-avoec-diamonds.123446/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/show-me-your-avc-avoec-diamonds.123446/[/URL]

Now.. if I had the money I would definitely go with the gog's AVC--but being a college student, I want to recreate something similar to the AVC-look on a budget. I've browsed Old World Diamonds' inventory and they seem to have some ~1 carat OMC stones at 2-3K price point. My gf happens to like warmth in diamonds and we're willing to go very low in letters for size,, i.e. M, N, O) --however, these stones seem to have rather so-so stats as can be expected--most of them are rated as "good" symmetry and "good" polish.

I don't know if I see these stones in person, I might like them as they are.. but after reading about AVC's all across ideal optical performance etc, I was wondering if these stones can be recut so that even though they may not reach the idal level, the symmetry/polish can be brought up to excellent level. Has anybody tried this? I know recutting inherently has risk of fracture etc but I've also heard those cases are few and far between--so it's a risk I'm willing to take.

Can anybody chime in and tell me whether I'm thinking this right? --I would love to hear people's opinions, success stories, and recommendations for reputable diamond cutters who may specialize in antique diamond cuts.

Thanks in advance! :wavey:
 
Hi!

I'd advise against recutting an OMC so drastically. AVCs and OMCs are quite different... at least the typical OMC. There are some vintage cushions out there are look kind of like AVCs, but my impression is that they are not too common. Most OMCs are a little more rounded, more wonky, have more facets under the table.

Anyway, without making this too long, I'd say that you will lose way too much weight re-cutting an OMC into an AVC. Not to mention that AVCs are Good Old Gold's branded cut, so I'm not sure you *can* actually get someone to do that cut.

My advice would be to just take your time and look for a nice OMC, with good proportions. By the way, a cut and polish grade of "good" are pretty nice for old cuts. I doubt you will find a true old cut graded as "Excellent," even if the stone is, in real life, quite excellent. I would contact Adam at OWD and ask for a nicely proportioned OMC in your budget.

Good luck in your search!
 
mufjp,

Find an OMC you love with your own eyes and don't worry too much about what the cert says about symmetry and polish. Using the standards that are important with modern-cut diamonds would be like judging an antique car based on today's car standards. Appreciate the old cuts for what they are.

liz
 
If you can find a stone with potential, you could certainly send it to Single Stone in CA. I'm getting a later OEC tweaked by their master cutter. It is soo much better.They've done it for Kelpie and two sanguinehearts on PS and there may be others I just don't know about. I also think that just about any of the vendors on here who deal with old stones, will put together a few to choose from based on your budget.They always have things coming in that might be just perfect not listed. "Good" is good for old stones. I was just bugged a weensy bit about some non-performance in one little area of my stone. It's amazing what just a polish could do too. And recuts can run $250-$450 per carat depending on where you go. I would say clarity is the one thing I'd have a hard time going below SI 1. And H-M, especially with fluorescence, is my sweet spot. Did you check Jewels by Erica Grace and look at OWD's jewelry portion of their site?
 
Polish and symmetry are not what make a diamond sparkle. You don't need to recut a diamond with good polish. Just find a true old cut that looks pretty to your eyes. Or else contact a company specializing in modern cut stones. Engagement Rings Direct has many options.

A recut is NOT the best way to maximize your budget.
 
Dreamer_D|1363744114|3409173 said:
Polish and symmetry are not what make a diamond sparkle. You don't need to recut a diamond with good polish. Just find a true old cut that looks pretty to your eyes. Or else contact a company specializing in modern cut stones. Engagement Rings Direct has many options.

A recut is NOT the best way to maximize your budget.
Click to expand...

I'd agree with this. Old cuts don't go by the same rules are modern cut stones.

If you explore the site a little more, you will find that lots of PSers have found beautiful truly old cut stones for great deals through the second hand market, especially eBay. If you're open to it, you could find a beautiful stone as well and avoid the headache of finding a diamond that has the right specs to make it a good recut option. If you could post your budget and what you're looking for, you'd get tons of help! OWD is a great place to start. If you are open to the second hand market you can also consider JbEG, Ruby Lane, Loupe Troop, and Diamond Bistro.
 
Thank you all for your valuable insight! :)

So, I guess the consensus is that recutting is not the way to go. So, I have a budget of $1500 for the stone--how should I spend it? :confused:
I'd like to get a stone sized about ~6mm. After having looked at dozens of diamonds on OWD, I realized that many of their 1 carat stones face up same as 0.8 carat stones and so on, due to variable depths and proportions. Some have very shallow depth below 60, and some have depth approaching 80.. is there an ideal depth I should be looking for? I understand there's not a hard and fast rule in regards to the ideals but what do you prefer in terms of proportions, cutlet size, table, depth etc if YOU were the one shopping?

Also, most OMC stones have very thin girdles--is that the norm? My gf doesn't like the look of a full bezel setting, but wouldn't it be prone to chipping? I wanted to get a setting similar to this:

[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/1-6-ct-omc-from-owd-in-rg-by-lm.176760/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/1-6-ct-omc-from-owd-in-rg-by-lm.176760/[/URL]

What do you think of the following stones, btw?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/121081659164

http://www.oldworlddiamonds.com/detail.php?ID=13&SHAPE=C

I would also appreciate if you guys could recommend me a stone worth buying on eBay, owd etc

Thank you so much for reading and any inputs in advance!!
 
The ebay one looks higher color but you can't tell too much from those photos. I would need a report, a money back guarantee return policy, etc. If you're new at this, I would trust a dealer who deals in old stones. Give OWD a budget and see what he comes up.
 
mufjp,

Give Adam a call. Just today, I got in a gorgeous .81 ct. M/VS2 that measures 5.96 x 5.65 and it was right at $1200. This was an old mine cut. I didn't look at OECs but I think there's a better selection of those.

In the OMCs, I sorted by price then started looking at anything under my budget. If there wasn't a photo, I didn't bother. I figured out pretty quickly that I wanted relatively heavy, so I looked for the heavier ones in my price range. I looked at dimensions and ruled out anything that was small for the weight and anything lower clarity than SI2. I also didn't look at really low colors, but this M really has relatively little tint. I'm amazed. The depth of the ones I chose was in the mid 60s.

I told Adam my three choices and described what I wanted and told him my budget. He was going to do a video of those three diamonds plus any others he might have that fit, but he ended up doing a video of just one of the diamonds, the one of my three choices that he thought was the nicest. I was tickled pink that it was the lowest priced of the three. The highest priced was almost $1900 but it wasn't much larger than the one I got. It was more nearly square/round.

I am having my diamond set in a setting that will protect the girdle. It's not a bezel, but it gives the impression of a bezel. The cert on my diamond shows nothing on the plot but a bunch of "flea bites" in the girdle. You may want to consider a setting that does protect the girdle. These older stones are more susceptible to girdle damage.

(Just glanced at the OECs and I didn't see anything in the OEC in your price range that tickled my fancy.)

liz
 
Actually, they have 4 or 5 good ones in your price range. I couldn't help myself :oops: on that one, that setting is rare and beautiful.
 
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