Square Diamond Needed - Princess vs Asscher vs Radiant?

[LondonAndy]

Hi All

I have tried searching for this answer and appreciate that its very subjective but please bear with me...

I'm looking for a c.1.5+ ct 'square' stone for a solitaire engagement ring - Unfortunately I cannot afford perfection so will be happy with a colour down to G/H and a clarity down to VS2 (+ good cut / proportions etc)... Budget c$10/12.5k but flexibility up or down for a good stone.

The problem that I'm having is trying to determine the best 'square' stone for my money - my partner to be has not indicated a preference and left the door open for me to choose...

It may appear a stupid question but I'm getting lost in terms of the options open to me...

- Give my colour & clarity options would any of the stone look clearer/cleaner than others given the different cuts
- I've found large price variances when trying to compare similar size stones, similar colour, clarity, good proportions, good cut etc. I cannot appear to find a consistent pattern ie sometime for similar characteristics Princess is most expensive and a few carat points higher Asscher is more expensive for what appears equally good stones at different size levels
- Would any of the stones be better set on there own vs mounted with other supporting diamonds (as looking for solitaire only)
- Do any of them have more fire / sparkle

If these questions are too open let me know and I will try to firm things up a little more

One final point - I'm based in London and looking for a good supplier &/or setter so any recommendations would be greatly appreciated - Equally happy to fly out to the US if it makes sense in terms of price / choice etc

Thanks for you help in advance

LondonAndy

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Hi! So much of this decision would depend on personal preference! I like more classic diamond styles and would favor asscher and square cushions over princess or radiant.

Good Old Gold in NY is a very good source of asschers and cushion diamonds. The best thing to do is to tell them what you are looking for, and they can source some stones for you and take a video for you to look at. They also have some specialty square cuts like Princess of hearts and the Octavia Asscher. You can see the shapes and do a search here:

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamondSearch.php

(Oh, and if you do a cushion search, click advanced search and then August Vintage. That will bring up antique style cushions and some will be square and some more elongated. They may not have any with your specs, though. Lots of other choices there, though!)

 

[shihtzulover]

Are you sure that she doesn't have a particular preference? Has she seen all of the different types of stones? I'm just asking, because a lot of women prefer one strongly over the others.

Good luck with whichever type of stone that you choose!

 

[Sheherizaad]

For finger coverage AND just a solitaire, I think Cushion's give you the most bang for your buck. I definitely got a bigger carat size and bigger "face" in cushion's than I did in rounds, etc. Also, it depends on her taste. Does she like (or have a preference) for sharp or smooth corners? Because that will determine which stone you get...

 

[kenny]

They all have a very different look, not just in pics but in the way they handle the light in person.
You need to get out and see them for yourself, live not just in pics.
Since the 3 cuts look so different, I suspect one will immediately speak to you more than the other two.

If you compared one of each of the same weight, the Asscher would look the smallest face up because it is so deep and bulky in a side view.
The Asscher's larger facets reveal inclusions and body color more than a Radiant or Princess would.
These three things mean in an Asscher you want to go up in carat size, color and clarity - IOW price.
It is also very difficult to find a well cut one.

All this would seem to make Asschers less desirable.
But it is my favorite cut by far.
When you find a good one you will see a mesmerizing 3-D hall of mirrors effect when you rock it back and forth slowly.
This effect is not visible in videos since it depends on seeing it with two eyes.
It's a stereo-vision thing.

A few years ago I bought a fabulous Asscher from Good Old Gold.
Later I bought one of the Octavia Asschers from Good Old Gold; it is a fireball of light performance rivaling the best-cut rounds, an astonishing feat of diamond design by the genius, Karl K.
http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamondResults.php?shape=4&resultsColumns=268435471

Here's a pic of both of our Asschers, side by side so you can see how the Octavia Asscher compares to a well-cut standard Asscher.
Left is 2.26 ct. Right is the 1.34 ct Octavia.

 

[Trekkie]

I have to agree with the others who have said personal preference is key. Personally, princesses don't do it for me, these days every second girl seems to be getting engaged with a princess. However, it's a very modern look, stylish look and I can see why it appeals to so many. Because this cut is so popular, there are far too many poorly cut princesses out there. Good thing you popped in at PS where cut is king!

I think white radiants are quite meh but I love cwlgi's yellow radiant. It's just so oomph!

Asschers on the other hand... There's something just so understated and classy about the asscher. As Kenny has pointed out, they do face up smaller than most square cuts and good colour and clarity is essential as they show absolutely *everything*. Unless they're diamond connoisseurs her girlfriends won't be terribly impressed by asschers as they're not the run of the mill diamond cut - don't know how much that means to you, just thought I'd throw that out there - but asschers are just so unbelievably stunning, in an elegant, understated sort of way.

As someone else mentioned, cushions are also an option. IMHO, these are prettiest in slightly warmer tones (J-K-L) which is great because warmer tones are cheaper, so you can get more bling for your buck! Unlike the asscher, this cut is more forgiving of flaws and inclusions, so it's not unheard of to find a completely eye-clean SI1 1.5ct cushion, as long as you work with a respected vendor.

Personally, I'd go for the cushion, but YMMV. Living in London does make it a bit trickier as most PS vendors are based in the US, but it's not impossible, seeing as we have many PS users based in the UK. I would suggest you visit Hatton Garden to have a look at what appeals to you in person - what appeals in a picture might not always work in person. Don't let those old fogeys in HG con you into buying anything - PS vendor prices are way better than theirs! Once you've decided on a cut, approach a vendor who would be comfortable with sending a stone to an independent appraiser in the UK, so that you can get an unbiased opinion on the stone while deciding if this is the stone for you. I think in this instance you would only pay a deposit and shipping fees, and only pay the balance if the stone appeals to you.

Good luck with the hunt and let us know what you decide to get!

 

[jstarfireb]

It all comes down to personal preference. For me, princess was it. I like the sharp corners that you don't seem to find in any other stone (radiants and Asschers have clipped corners, and cushions have rounded corners). I like the little pinfire sparkles. I like that there's a reputable lab that has worked to define ideal cut quality in princesses. No shape other than rounds and princesses are graded on cut quality.

Radiants aren't my cup of tea, as I'm not a big fan of the "watery" or "glassy" appearance that they tend to have, and they are known to bring out body color. Asschers are intriguing, but I prefer brilliant cuts over step cuts because of the sparkle factor. They're also small for their weight (but so are princesses), and they're pretty unforgiving when it comes to color and clarity.

The exception in my mind is that radiants seem to be awesome for fancy colored diamonds. They bring out the color nicely and don't look glassy like they tend to do with white diamonds.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Kenny, those are two killer stones.

 

[kenny]

 

[jstarfireb]

As for UK vendors, I'm sure some PSers who live there can chime in, but I've heard very good things about Dr. Indira Marchant, who has an office in London:
http://www.designsbyindigo.co.uk/contact_us.html

 

[Gypsy]

As an asscher owner... I vote cushion. Modern square cushion.

 

[jstarfireb]

Oh yeah, Gypsy's reply reminded me...if you're interested in cushions, modern and antique ones are also completely different looks. I'm more of a fan of modern ones, but not the ones that look like radiants...I'm taking about the 8 pavilion main ones and such.

 

[Gypsy]

Oh yeah, Gypsy's reply reminded me...if you're interested in cushions, modern and antique ones are also completely different looks. I'm more of a fan of modern ones, but not the ones that look like radiants...I'm taking about the 8 pavilion main ones and such.

Exactly the type I prefer as well. Good luck!