Transitional cut round - advice please!

[Yardy930]

Hi all, thanks for reading and hopefully settling my nerves!

I purchased a ring from an auction (2.5 ct) and having viewed it, it looked a great colour with no visible inclusions at all. I went ahead and bought it with a view to having it reset, due to lockdown etc. this got delayed and thus, 5 months later I have finally been to see a jeweler. He told me it was a transitional cut diamond and I'm left quite confused as I was under the impression it was a round brilliant.

My question is whether the man on street would be able to tell the difference between my stone and a traditional RB? I just don't want a situation where someone calls out my (hopefully) soon to be fiancé and says that her ring isn't any good!!! If that is the case, I would likely have it reputable but would lose some size I'd imagine...

I have attached some photos for reference and also a video (if it uploaded correctly). They were taken in the setting sun so reflections are a little warm.

Thank you all, I appreciate your advice and input so much.

 

[kgizo]

Does your fiancé enjoy vintage pieces or does she want a MRB? Most people are going to congratulate her on the engagement and say “what a lovely ring”. If someone does know about diamonds they might discuss further and if they say it is a “transitional” that is not an insult, but could be confusing and upsetting if she wanted a MRB. Before you have the stone set consider sending it to GIA so you can have information regarding cut, color, etc. from a reliable lab.

 

[tyty333]

In my book, there is no "that stone isnt any good" because its a different cut. Transitional cuts usually have larger tables and
flatter crowns which it looks like your stone has. They favor white light over fire. Do you like the cut and the way it performs?

Will the person on the street be able to tell the difference? I think some will and some wont.

I think your stone/ring is charming and lovely. My advice, if you love it dont worry what other people think.

Edit...just realized that you are the person who bought it for your hopefully future spouse. I saw the female hand and thought you
picked it out for yourself. Was she expecting a round brilliant? I'm for staying in the box of what someone expects when buying
for someone else. Really depends on how much she knows/cares about her engagement ring.

 

[Yardy930]

Thanks for your responses and the kind words!

Luckily she has said that whatever I choose, she will love and thats she trusts my judgment which is great. My only real concern was that other people might judge her but honestly I love the stone and really like that it has some history and character behind it. I belive that TCs were hand cut which again adds some character.

I don't think the pictures do it justice as it is very sparkly and catches the light just perhaps slightly less than a RB would. Let's hope she likes it!

 

[kgizo]

Thanks for your responses and the kind words!

Luckily she has said that whatever I choose, she will love and thats she trusts my judgment which is great. My only real concern was that other people might judge her but honestly I love the stone and really like that it has some history and character behind it. I belive that TCs were hand cut which again adds some character.

I don't think the pictures do it justice as it is very sparkly and catches the light just perhaps slightly less than a RB would. Let's hope she likes it!

That’s great. You might need the GIA report for insurance purposes so look into that. You don’t want to keep setting and unsetting so if you need it do it when you take it out of it’s current setting. The setting it is in is lovely and many people like vintage settings so please don’t let anyone talk you into scrapping it. If you don’t have a channel to sell it check out loupetroop.com. It’s easy to post and no fees so many of us here use it. Best wishes on your proposal!

 

[Yardy930]

That’s great. You might need the GIA report for insurance purposes so look into that. You don’t want to keep setting and unsetting so if you need it do it when you take it out of it’s current setting. The setting it is in is lovely and many people like vintage settings so please don’t let anyone talk you into scrapping it. If you don’t have a channel to sell it check out loupetroop.com. It’s easy to post and no fees so many of us here use it. Best wishes on your proposal!

Amazing, thanks for the advice - I will be calling the jeweler later on to ask for a GIA report. As for the ring itself, I have designed a new setting so will be transferring the stone to that once the report etc is complete.

And thank you on the best wishes, I'm sure the proposal will go well!!

 

[flyingpig]

I could be wrong. But it appears to be a MRB with steep pavilion and relatively skinny arrows. Not a tranny

 

[Yardy930]

I could be wrong. But it appears to be a MRB with steep pavilion and relatively skinny arrows. Not a tranny

Agh don't do this to me!! Anyone else able to help verify or would more pictures help? Thanks

 

[nala]

Agh don't do this to me!! Anyone else able to help verify or would more pictures help? Thanks

What is your primary concern? It sounds like your sale is final so I don’t think people are comfortable commenting. I’ll tag @ForteKitty bc she is an old cut expert. My own two cents—I once had a stone with a cut like this and I did appreciate it bc I didn’t really know what to look for in a modern cut. When I upgraded to a better cut, I realized what I was missing out on. Edited to add: was this stone a great deal? Would you consider a recut to make it appear like a modern and so it could perform better? Btw, that setting is so cool— did you scrap it?

 

[LightBright]

To me, it looks like a 1940s “Early Modern Brilliant” or a 1950s “Modern Round Brilliant”, IMO the former. The diamond cut doesn’t quite match the era of the setting, which I think is from the 1930s or earlier. Yet the setting looks like it was made for the diamond, eg prongs seem to fit well. Interesting!

As someone else mentioned, you could sell the setting on Loupe Troop, it’s a popular antique style. I’d love to see a video of your ring in action! If your intended likes “vintage”, you might want to keep the diamond in the setting and see what she thinks. It’s unique and pretty and huge!

 

[ForteKitty]

The term "transitional cut" is so broad, it encompasses everything between a european, early American cut, and round brilliant. Personally, if someone says they are looking for a transitional cut, I'd automatically think early American or something more checkerboardy. This isn't it.

 

[Yardy930]

Thanks for all the replies and interesting to hear it could be an Early RB...transitional seems to cover so many different cuts!

I have attached a link to a video of it although the lighting used isn't great - it has more fire and looks much whiter IRL. As soon as it is back from the jeweler I will take another one! Thanks again and if you view in highest quality of video settings it should help.

 

[Yardy930]

The term "transitional cut" is so broad, it encompasses everything between a european, early American cut, and round brilliant. Personally, if someone says they are looking for a transitional cut, I'd automatically think early American or something more checkerboardy. This isn't it.

Thanks ForteKitty, what do you think it might be then? Thanks a lot.

 

[Yardy930]

Photo from the auctioneer website also attached

 

[xxxxxx]

This doesn’t look like the traditional transitional that people talk about on pricescope.
This is a transitional for me

View this content on Instagram

View this content on Instagram

Or the left one in this video

View this content on Instagram

View this content on Instagram

Or this

Ultimately everybody can have their own opinion on what transitional is and not.
If your gf isn’t a diamond fanatic like most PSers she will probably love it either way.
To me it doesn’t look like a transitional or a mrb. But it still is a beautiful diamond and if you like it and your girlfriend likes it that is the most important thing. I love the setting it came in. Maybe you should leave it in the setting and then let her wear the diamond so she can see if she enjoys the performance in various situations. And then if she does start to not like some aspects of the Diamonds performance you can still have it recut and put into a more modern setting.
Your diamond reminded me of this beautiful heirloom diamond which was newly set into a Victor canera setting: https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/victor-canera-heirloom-reset.260870/#post-4842371

I just wouldn’t sell the diamond to your girlfriend as an “old cut antique”.

 

[Yardy930]

That could be a great plan and a good idea, thanks a lot. A quick question on recutting it (should she want to) - is there a rough estimate on how much size would be lost?

 

[xxxxxx]

That could be a great plan and a good idea, thanks a lot. A quick question on recutting it (should she want to) - is there a rough estimate on how much size would be lost?

Do you have a GIA or similiar report? You would have to show it to a cutter and he would give you an estimate. It also would depend in which direction you want to go. Just more chunky facets or arrows of a modern round brilliant The cutter would advise you in this regard. I have had a stone cut by Ashley from Southwest Diamond Cutters. But you could loose up to 0.5mm.
I bet your girlfriend will love the stone anyway so I would only keep it in mind if in the rare case she does voice concerns about the performance. I would let her decide on the new setting. Maybe she loves the vintage setting that the dimaond comes in (it is a very classic vintage setting). You can definitley sell the diamond and setting as a beautiful vintage ring to your girlfriend

 

[Yardy930]

I don't as yet although I have asked for the diamond to be graded and valued which should give some sort of clarity soon enough (pardon the pun). I will most likely leave it as it is for now, propose and then we can make a decision together on whether a re-cut is even needed but I really appreciate the advice and recommendation. I managed to dig out some other photos of the stone too in case anyone is still interested

 

[xxxxxx]

It’s really a beautiful ring! Please come back and tell us how the proposal went!

 

[diamondsR4eVR]

I don’t think the average person will know what type of cut it is they will just assume it’s a round brilliant. I have to say, I LOVE this ring! I love the setting and the stone. I have no idea what cut/era except that it’s round but still love it none the less.

 

[LightBright]

If you are getting it graded, please send it to the GIA for a GIA lab certificate. That will provide the most thorough grading.

I’m pretty sure this is a vintage diamond. The question is, was it cut in the 1940s or 1950s (or earlier).. I’m saying it’s vintage because of the cut style, which I’m pretty sure is Early Round Brilliant, and the girdle, which is really thin and bruted (frosted not polished and faceted). Even those things don’t definitively tell you a date. I’m puzzled by the diamond because like I said before, the stone seems to fit the setting perfectly, but the cut doesn’t match the 1930s Deco style. The side stones on the cathedral setting look like Old European Cuts to me, which is what I would expect to be in the center of a setting of that era.

Here is a post from PS user Tourmaline, who has an Early Round Brilliant that she set in a setting similar to yours. Her setting is new, yours is antique.
https://www.pricescope.com/communit...round-brilliant-diamond-in-a-new-ring.202967/

Recutting this stone will cause a drop in diameter and value. I wouldn’t ”start out” thinking that you might want to recut it. If you don’t like what you have, TBH, I would sell it as is. But now that you DO know what you have, your intended might be thrilled. It‘s a large vintage diamond in a gorgeous vintage platinum setting. You say it’s an appealing color and firey, all the better!

 

[Cerulean]

It looks a lot like my "early round brilliant" - it was described as a "vintage" cut, est. to be mid century, was M color...(mine was not as nice of a stone, FYI, and visible inclusions)...it was not quite a transitional, looks clearly different from an MRB - my stone is shallow, and doesn't have much fire. it has its own charm, but frankly the performance was a bit disappointing for me as i had my heart set on an a whiter OEC, and it was nothing like that.

it is a very pretty ring. you know your intended better than anyone. what she likes is more important than biddies on the street...who i doubt will have anything to say, but something nice. the setting is also gorgeous!

 

[flyingpig]

32ish crown angle
60+ table
41.4+ pavilion angle
80+ (maybe 85+) LGH

These are my guesses for the proportion if graded.