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Upgrading my 5.08 RB ct to 8-10 ct EC, need help selecting

teslagirl1234

teslagirl1234

Brilliant_Rock
Trade
Joined
Aug 30, 2017
Messages
503
Hi Everyone!

I am considering upgrading my 5.08 J VS1 Round Brilliant to a larger Emerald cut.

I found these I am interested in:

https://www.yadavjewelry.com/natura...onds/signature_ideal-cut/vvs1-clarity/j-color

https://www.bluenile.com/diamond-details/LD16054606 (same stone but would likely buy from BN as my 5.08 is from there).

and

www.jamesallen.com

10.03 Carat emerald diamond

This emerald cut 10.03 carat J color vs2 clarity has a diamond grading report from GIA
www.jamesallen.com www.jamesallen.com

https://www.bluenile.com/diamond-details/LD16316301 (same stone as JA).

The 10.03 is larger and I would totally love the largest stone I can afford under $200k or so, but quality is key for me as my round brilliant was extremely sparkly. I know almost nothing about Emerald cuts so really need help.

Upgrade can also wait for the perfect stone. I color would be preferred as I think emerald cuts show color more than round. I do want the ring to look substantially larger than 5.08 round so thinking 8 ct+ ideally. I’m ok with fluorescence and find it to be neat!

Here is the stone to upgrade I currently have:

https://www.bluenile.com/build-your-own-ring/diamond-details/LD09156343

Open to preowned without trade at really, really amazing price.

Thank you for helping!!
 
While I am not an expert - the 10.03 has too many visible black carbon spots scattered throughout for me. The 8 looks much cleaner.

I will leave the dimensions for someone else to weigh in on.
 
Just between these two, the 8 carat one looks to have a better cut. I also think you'd be able to see the inclusions in the 10 carat one sometimes - I don't know if that would bother you.
 
What I'd do if I wanted to spend up to $200k on an emerald cut is contact David at Diamonds by Lauren and have him pick one out for you. He has a good eye for emerald cuts.
 
distracts said:
What I'd do if I wanted to spend up to $200k on an emerald cut is contact David at Diamonds by Lauren and have him pick one out for you. He has a good eye for emerald cuts.
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I agree. My concern about the 10ct is that it has a lot of extinction, so when it is face up there are a lot of areas that are "blacking out"
 
Woohoo big jump! Ignore me if you’ve done this already but you mention you love how sparkly your round is — Can you take an emerald cut for a test drive b/c they play with the light so differently.
 
distracts said:
What I'd do if I wanted to spend up to $200k on an emerald cut is contact David at Diamonds by Lauren and have him pick one out for you. He has a good eye for emerald cuts.
Click to expand...

Don't they have lab grown? Looking for natural diamond. Plus I wanted to use upgrade policy at Blue Nile. Otherwise I will sell my ring for likely nothing.
 
bludiva said:
Woohoo big jump! Ignore me if you’ve done this already but you mention you love how sparkly your round is — Can you take an emerald cut for a test drive b/c they play with the light so differently.
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Good point. How would I do that though? If I do upgrade, I will loose my stone. Can't get it back once they ship but if I don't love the EC can return for credit to select another stone.
 
teslagirl1234 said:
Good point. How would I do that though? If I do upgrade, I will loose my stone. Can't get it back once they ship but if I don't love the EC can return for credit to select another stone.
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i'd start with viewing at a local jeweler, consider purchasing a simulant...won't be exactly the same but will have that watery/hall of mirrors character, see if there is a way to hold one for a deposit or make a returnable purchase? it's a big purchase you should be 1000% happy with it in the end. =D
 
teslagirl1234 said:
Don't they have lab grown? Looking for natural diamond. Plus I wanted to use upgrade policy at Blue Nile. Otherwise I will sell my ring for likely nothing.
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Oh no not at all, they specialized in natural diamonds and fancy color diamonds first and foremost and have for almost 2 decades. It was just in the last few months that they got labs. :) David is great and has an amazing eye!
 
Any thoughts on lab grown diamonds vs natural? I had another maybe bad idea, to get a lab grown emerald, say 5 ct, then upgrade it later to larger natural diamond one. And keep 5 ct ring. But it's a lot to spend that way. And would I think rather have one, perfect, huge, natural diamond ring.
 
teslagirl1234 said:
Any thoughts on lab grown diamonds vs natural? I had another maybe bad idea, to get a lab grown emerald, say 5 ct, then upgrade it later to larger natural diamond one. And keep 5 ct ring. But it's a lot to spend that way. And would I think rather have one, perfect, huge, natural diamond ring.
Click to expand...

Just my opinion, but if you have the budget, I'd go for natural. Nothing wrong with trying a lab stone though.
 
Just my 2 cents...Todd at niceice.com is very seasoned and knowledgeable. He can definitely help you vet a gorgeous stone from blue nile. Plus he is a really nice guy.
 
teslagirl1234 said:
Don't they have lab grown? Looking for natural diamond. Plus I wanted to use upgrade policy at Blue Nile. Otherwise I will sell my ring for likely nothing.
Click to expand...

They do both.

I get the upgrade thing, I do, but it won't be worth it if you get a stone that doesn't perform well.
 
Emerald cuts do not sparkle like round ones. Your round diamond is beautiful. Please consider getting a second diamond rather than trading it in. The 8ct one looks nice. The 10ct one has lots of black carbon spots, so it would be a solid no for me.

My original engagement ring had an emerald cut stone. I traded it in toward a round solitaire and enjoyed that until I found an old mine cut antique cluster that I love, so I sold the round brilliant. Within a couple of years, I missed having a solitaire, so I got an old European cut (round) one and I’m thrilled to have both it and the cluster. When I want to wear an emerald cut, I wear an aquamarine. It’s nice to have multiple rings.
 
My e-ring is an Emerald cut. I love step cuts, but I would never call them "sparkly' in a MRB sense.
 
distracts said:
What I'd do if I wanted to spend up to $200k on an emerald cut is contact David at Diamonds by Lauren and have him pick one out for you. He has a good eye for emerald cuts.
Click to expand...

Respectfully, I wouldn’t recommend him for this. I’ve contacted him twice over the years - once for a pretty large asscher and once for a pretty large EC. I gave him lots of advance notice, was reasonable in what I was looking for (in the case of the asscher he might have even had it in stock, though didn’t bother to pull it), and both times he ignored what I asked for and showed me stones that didn’t meet my specs at all. In the second case he had the dealer for one of the stones I was looking at hanging out in the same room, but didn‘t identify him as the dealer (the guy said something that made it apparent towards the end of my appointment - awkward), and in the second case the stones were about 8-10k higher than similar ones elsewhere. I found what I was looking for both times with other PS vendors, who were great.
 
Tourmaline said:
Emerald cuts do not sparkle like round ones. Your round diamond is beautiful. Please consider getting a second diamond rather than trading it in. The 8ct one looks nice. The 10ct one has lots of black carbon spots, so it would be a solid no for me.

My original engagement ring had an emerald cut stone. I traded it in toward a round solitaire and enjoyed that until I found an old mine cut antique cluster that I love, so I sold the round brilliant. Within a couple of years, I missed having a solitaire, so I got an old European cut (round) one and I’m thrilled to have both it and the cluster. When I want to wear an emerald cut, I wear an aquamarine. It’s nice to have multiple rings.
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That might really be a great idea. I only like Emerald cuts in larger size so might be a while before I buy a 2nd. I do love the round in 6 prong.
66033642-41C6-4BA5-8DAC-5DF8E5148961.jpeg9F462FB5-4232-4FCD-A7BF-C781564736B9.jpeg
 
sunandsky said:
Respectfully, I wouldn’t recommend him for this. I’ve contacted him twice over the years - once for a pretty large asscher and once for a pretty large EC. I gave him lots of advance notice, was reasonable in what I was looking for (in the case of the asscher he might have even had it in stock, though didn’t bother to pull it), and both times he ignored what I asked for and showed me stones that didn’t meet my specs at all. In the second case he had the dealer for one of the stones I was looking at hanging out in the same room, but didn‘t identify him as the dealer (the guy said something that made it apparent towards the end of my appointment - awkward), and in the second case the stones were about 8-10k higher than similar ones elsewhere. I found what I was looking for both times with other PS vendors, who were great.
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Do you want to share what vendors you used and would recommend, then?
 
CBCA0FB3-E017-4F8F-89A7-972BD9B831FF.png2F86403F-F277-4FE5-BB36-D68FCF0E4C31.png

5FD56FCF-DB67-4A42-BEFC-E4043B8CEA69.png


I found an ASET online of the 8 ct. Any thoughts?
 
Diamond Girl 21 said:
Check to see if @Rhino of Distinctive Gem vets stones from Blue Nile. It would be great if one of the experts weigh in.
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+1 I was going to recommend the same — and ask OP to take my advice with a grain of newbie salt — so I’m glad there’s someone more legit to back me up! If it must be from Blue Nile, Jon’s concierge service might be your best bet.

I agree with the others that the inclusions on the ~10ct are not so hot (although I do like the ratio!). I can only see the still photo of the ~8ct for whatever reason, and am not a huge fan of the contrast pattern based on that one pic.
 
teslagirl1234 said:
CBCA0FB3-E017-4F8F-89A7-972BD9B831FF.png2F86403F-F277-4FE5-BB36-D68FCF0E4C31.png

5FD56FCF-DB67-4A42-BEFC-E4043B8CEA69.png


I found an ASET online of the 8 ct. Any thoughts?
Click to expand...

I am far from a pro, as I mentioned (and I wasn’t able to view the video), but hopefully some more seasoned folks will weigh in. In the meantime — this ASET does not look super appealing to me. I may be way off base, but my immediate observations:

Quite a bit of leakage (and not just at corners/windmills, which I think is typically more acceptable than at the center?). Lot of green, not a ton red (and I’m guessing, based on your current MRB, that you’d like this EC to light up like a Polish church). Not a stellar/even distribution of contrast (blue), or at least not what I think I’d personally prefer. Also not much in the way of complete “frames,” it seems to me?
 
teslagirl1234 said:
Any thoughts on lab grown diamonds vs natural? I had another maybe bad idea, to get a lab grown emerald, say 5 ct, then upgrade it later to larger natural diamond one. And keep 5 ct ring. But it's a lot to spend that way. And would I think rather have one, perfect, huge, natural diamond ring.
Click to expand...

I would consider this simply bc an emerald cut is so radically different from MRB and doesn’t “sparkle”. But I’m a multiple ring wearer so it depends on what you think you would wear!
 
Have you tried on a stone with 10ct dimensions yet? It may not be the look you think it will, especially going from a brilliant to step cut.

I'd suggest hiring someone you can view and handle diamonds in person with before committing to a purchase.
 
sprinklesparkles said:
Have you tried on a stone with 10ct dimensions yet? It may not be the look you think it will, especially going from a brilliant to step cut.

I'd suggest hiring someone you can view and handle diamonds in person with before committing to a purchase.
Click to expand...

Yes just tried on and love a large EC. It is still very bright with nice flashes of light. Tried 7 ct center with emerald trapezoids 2.73 total, almost 10 ct total combo. Really liked the look and looked more regal and way larger than my 5.08. The 8 ct is reserved for 2 days so need to make decision.
 
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