Where to find the best emerald cuts?

[dk168]

I can only comment based on my own personal experience when I was looking to get a 1ct+ EC.

L/W ratio is very much a personal preference, in that some prefer chubby ECs like the Krupp, whereas others prefer skinny ones like Princess Grace's (I prefer the latter to the former).

Although I am a fan of step cuts, I am not a fan of Asscher in diamonds.

Again, for the shoulders, some prefer the look of bigger shoulders than others. I personally prefer sizable shoulders than just a hint of one. I am not a fan of sizable step cuts without shoulders, as in a large baguette!

Can't comment on light returns etc., as I am not an expert. I only know what I like and dislike in ECs when I see them in person.

My advice would be to go and window-shop at high end stores to see as many ECs as you can before making a purchase, to decide what you like and dislike.

High end antique shops are great as they tend to have more ECs and old cuts such as OECs and OMCs than shops that sell new pieces.

Also keep an eye on jewellery auctions. I regularly browse the online catalogues of jewellery auctions from the likes of Christies - for inspirations as well as aspirations.

Enjoy your EC journey, and I look forward to seeing the end result.

DK

 

[Big Fat Facets]

he seems rather transparent. he will indicate the price of the stone and then his fee is a small percentage of that diamond's price.

if you find a stone on any diamond website, he can call it in. i prefer approaching it that way because i know best what i like rather than trying to convey it to someone else

if you stay in d-e color range and vs1 clarity then your options for antique or antique style cuts, might be, even more limited.

from what you've posted, it sounds like modern emerald is what you favor.

i no longer wear round brilliants as they never "wowed" me. i haven't for some time. i went a few years, not wearing any diamonds, preferring to spend resources on "practical things" whilst just learning what i like. the forum has been overwhelmingly helpful in that endeavor.

after delving into ideal old cut style and emerald cut, i totally get what all the "fuss" is about.

 

[dk168]

@Big Fat Facets MRBs don't do it for me either, not in rings, however, I was not going to say no when my mother finally decided to give me her 1.96ct stone!!!

DK

 

[Big Fat Facets]

@dk168 but what your mother gifted to you is considered a "family stone" ... of course, you are not to refuse ... and you've placed it into a show stopper of a cuff!

if i was gifted a round brilliant family stone, i'd likely have it recut into an oec ...

 

[dk168]

@dk168 but what your mother gifted to you is considered a "family stone" ... of course, you are not to refuse ... and you've placed it into a show stopper of a cuff!

if i was gifted a round brilliant family stone, i'd likely have it recut into an oec ...

Ooo, it has never crossed my mind to have it re-cut, too late now!

DK

 

[SandyK]

I love your collection and am super excited for your project @RunningwithScissors !

I had the chance to see one of Brian's signature ECs in person and it was gorgeous - I took videos on my iPhone that I will try to dig out. The sad thing about step cuts is that they face up so much smaller than rounds, but Brian explained that his signature emeralds face up larger than a regular EC, so if you go the BG route you might be able to get away with a somewhat smaller carat weight but the same visual appearance.

I was also looking for a 3ct stone, but Brian did not have any in that size and a custom cut would have been out of my budget. I ended up getting a 3ct, F color, VS2 stone from IDJ that I originally saw on the Adiamor website -- Yekutiel took ASET and Idealscope images for me and confirmed that it had killer light performance, and he and Joanna were definitely right - I LOVE my stone. I can't make a direct comparison to the BG emerald I saw since I never compared them side by side, but I recall the facets on Brian's emeralds were a little fatter. To my memory, my current EC is just as bright and lively as the BG one I saw and I don't have any regrets about going the generic route.

 

[Diamond Girl 21]

Question #1: What are the differences between an Antique Emerald Cut and a modern one?

When I compare photos of the two online, here are the differences I notice (but tell me if I'm wrong and please add additional difference to the list.)

1. The antiques appear to have large culets; the moderns appear to have no culets.
2. The antiques appear to have longer shoulders (is that what you call the corners, shoulders?)
3. There seem to be a lot of square antiques (at least on the GemConcepts website.)

What else? Are the crowns puffier or higher like in other older cuts? Is there any difference in fire in general between the antique and modern cut?

Photo of an antique emerald cut from GemConcepts site:



@Matthews1127 @Big Fat Facets @dk168 @Mayk @lissyflo

Jonathan of Distinctive Gem put out a video comparing the styles. That may help you decide on your preference. I thought both styles were lovely.

 

[RunningwithScissors]

I love your collection and am super excited for your project @RunningwithScissors !

I had the chance to see one of Brian's signature ECs in person and it was gorgeous - I took videos on my iPhone that I will try to dig out. The sad thing about step cuts is that they face up so much smaller than rounds, but Brian explained that his signature emeralds face up larger than a regular EC, so if you go the BG route you might be able to get away with a somewhat smaller carat weight but the same visual appearance.

I was also looking for a 3ct stone, but Brian did not have any in that size and a custom cut would have been out of my budget. I ended up getting a 3ct, F color, VS2 stone from IDJ that I originally saw on the Adiamor website -- Yekutiel took ASET and Idealscope images for me and confirmed that it had killer light performance, and he and Joanna were definitely right - I LOVE my stone. I can't make a direct comparison to the BG emerald I saw since I never compared them side by side, but I recall the facets on Brian's emeralds were a little fatter. To my memory, my current EC is just as bright and lively as the BG one I saw and I don't have any regrets about going the generic route.

Thank you, that info is very helpful! Is the diamond in your avatar the 3 ct one you mention? I peeked at your threads and see that you also have or had a 4 ct one too. Both beautiful diamonds. I really like the length of the corners in your 4 ct H SI post, they are perfect, not too long, not to short.

Thanks again!

 

[RunningwithScissors]

Jonathan of Distinctive Gem put out a video comparing the styles. That may help you decide on your preference. I thought both styles were lovely.

Great, that sounds very helpful. I'll go hunt for it! Thanks!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I didn't read all the replies, but every emerald cut diamond is different unlike round brilliants which can be very close to identical (as in hearts and arrows ideal cuts). It takes a lot of looking to find one you love. I would be afraid of custom cuts because I have to see the finished stone before paying a lot of money. I personally do not like BG's design.

I like more than one kind of EC, personally. I love a great modern cut and a great antique cut. But I want a beautifully cut stone in whatever style. I don't like overly elongated or too squatty. @Big Fat Facets diamond is a beautiful example of a well cut modern EC. An unbranded modern EC will be the best buy, probably, but it just takes a lot of searching. I see you've been given lots of resources which will be very helpful!

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

This is a good thread.

cheers--Sharon

 

[RunningwithScissors]

I didn't read all the replies, but every emerald cut diamond is different unlike round brilliants which can be very close to identical (as in hearts and arrows ideal cuts). It takes a lot of looking to find one you love. I would be afraid of custom cuts because I have to see the finished stone before paying a lot of money. I personally do not like BG's design.

I like more than one kind of EC, personally. I love a great modern cut and a great antique cut. But I want a beautifully cut stone in whatever style. I don't like overly elongated or too squatty. @Big Fat Facets diamond is a beautiful example of a well cut modern EC. An unbranded modern EC will be the best buy, probably, but it just takes a lot of searching. I see you've been given lots of resources which will be very helpful!

Thanks Diamondseeker! Can you describe what you don't like about BG's ECs? It helps me train my eyes when knowledgable people like yourself point out subtleties in cut.

Very good point about being careful with going the custom cut route. I'm so accustomed to RBs that I forget how large differences can be between ECs.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Hers looks like it has nice bright light return all over. Some step cuts you can see through to your fingers because the cut isn't good. If you tilt any of them, you might see through to the finger some. But let me look and see if I have any good pictures saved!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

One thing you can do is look at the high end brands for their emerald cuts. Here's an example of an outstanding Cartier emerald cut that has windmills that meet in the center like an asscher, except this stone is rectangular. See how bright all the facets appear? Beautiful cut. I like a smaller table on an emerald cut, also. My cut off is about 65% but prefer lower.

 

[RunningwithScissors]

Thank you @diamondseeker2006 . That is a beautifully cut diamond!

What happens when a table gets above your cut off point? Less fire? Or less light return in general?

Do you have any opinions on depth or crown height?

I found this thread that has been closed for awhile about parameters in different cuts. They seem more forgiving about the table (but I'd rather have more stringent guidelines at least as a starting point.)

Guidance by parameters. Initial screening tools.

The biggest leap of faith in buying a diamond on the Internet is the belief that you stand a better than average chance of getting a diamond which is totally right for you, your eyes and your wallet. There are many strangely shaped diamonds which can possibly perform well and look okay, but for...

www.pricescope.com

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I don't have a huge amount of pictures, but here are a few.

kimber318's ring has a modern emerald cut with good light return:


Another modern one:



A beautiful antique stone from Van Cleef
:



My personal preference is not for a tall, skinny stone. I kind of like the ratio to be between 1.3 and 1.4. I also like for the corners to have room for prongs.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Thank you @diamondseeker2006 . That is a beautifully cut diamond!

What happens when a table gets above your cut off point? Less fire? Or less light return in general?

Do you have any opinions on depth or crown height?

I found this thread that has been closed for awhile about parameters in different cuts. They seem more forgiving about the table (but I'd rather have more stringent guidelines at least as a starting point.)

Guidance by parameters. Initial screening tools.

The biggest leap of faith in buying a diamond on the Internet is the belief that you stand a better than average chance of getting a diamond which is totally right for you, your eyes and your wallet. There are many strangely shaped diamonds which can possibly perform well and look okay, but for...

www.pricescope.com

I wouldn't want a stone that was terribly deep because it can make the stone face up smaller and have other issues. You can't search emerald cuts with numbers at all. Antique stone will have different numbers than those. My rectangular antique asscher, for example, has a 50 table and 70 depth. The advantage of a smaller table is the beautiful crown. I really hate step cuts with large tables and flat tops. So even in modern stones, I like 60-65%.

See how pretty the top of the stone is with a decent crown and smaller table?

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Here's a variety with some better cut than others. I like 1, 4, 8, 14, 18. Some aren't facing forward so I can tell about all of them.

33 Emerald Cut Engagement Rings To Fall In Love With

If you are a lover of clean lines, this cut is sure to make you swoon—plus it makes fingers appear long and lean. Here, 32 emerald cut bling rings to swoon over.

www.harpersbazaar.com

 

[diamondseeker2006]

If you look at this page of stones, you can tell that some have nice even light return and little of the black reflection.

All Diamonds - Magnified in 360° HD | JamesAllen.com | Page 2

James Allen offers a wide selection of GIA, IGI and AGS certified conflict-free loose diamonds, all viewable in 360° HD. Take the guesswork out of buying a diamond. | Page 2

www.jamesallen.com

Some that look nice to me (can't see the table measurements, though):

https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/emerald-cut/3.03-carat-d-color-vvs1-clarity-sku-8121677 ( nice crown; looks a little tilted so not worried about the small amount of black)

3.51 Carat emerald diamond

This emerald cut 3.51 carat D color vs1 clarity has a diamond grading report from GIA

www.jamesallen.com

 

[RunningwithScissors]

If you look at this page of stones, you can tell that some have nice even light return and little of the black reflection.

All Diamonds - Magnified in 360° HD | JamesAllen.com | Page 2

James Allen offers a wide selection of GIA, IGI and AGS certified conflict-free loose diamonds, all viewable in 360° HD. Take the guesswork out of buying a diamond. | Page 2

www.jamesallen.com

Some that look nice to me (can't see the table measurements, though):

https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/emerald-cut/3.03-carat-d-color-vvs1-clarity-sku-8121677 ( nice crown; looks a little tilted so not worried about the small amount of black)

3.51 Carat emerald diamond

This emerald cut 3.51 carat D color vs1 clarity has a diamond grading report from GIA

www.jamesallen.com

Thanks, this is helpful.

I like the L/W ratio of both those second two stones. I find myself gravitating to "medium" L/W ratios from about 1.35 - 1.4 and not liking ones shorter or longer than that. My favs seem to be 1.36 - 1.38 range.

Yes, I don't want ones with too many or too clumped together dark areas.

I remember hearing to look for step cuts that have alternating on/off steps as I move the stone around (I assume to make it looks like its twinkling.) Do you agree with this? Or do you look for primarily "on" steps throughout?

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Thanks, this is helpful.

I like the L/W ratio of both those second two stones. I find myself gravitating to "medium" L/W ratios from about 1.35 - 1.4 and not liking ones shorter or longer than that. My favs seem to be 1.36 - 1.38 range.

Yes, I don't want ones with too many or too clumped together dark areas.

I remember hearing to look for step cuts that have alternating on/off steps as I move the stone around (I assume to make it looks like its twinkling.) Do you agree with this? Or do you look for primarily "on" steps throughout?

Definitely stones move and will reflect light wherever the light hits the facets. In the still pics, I do like to see all facets reflecting light with a lack of uneven sized facets that are dark or have leakage. You pretty much can narrow them down that way, but then you need to see the stone in a ring holder on your hand to see how the stone performs when moving.

I agree on the ratios you like, too.

 

[SandyK]

Thank you, that info is very helpful! Is the diamond in your avatar the 3 ct one you mention? I peeked at your threads and see that you also have or had a 4 ct one too. Both beautiful diamonds. I really like the length of the corners in your 4 ct H SI post, they are perfect, not too long, not to short.

Thanks again!

Thank you! The one in my avatar is still the 4 ct EC that I sold - I still need to set my 3 ct, hopefully soon! Here is the 3 ct for reference - it has a better ASET than the 4 ct did, and now that I've seen both I can definitely tell the difference in performance (the 4 ct did not have much red in the ASET).

And I definitely get what @diamondseeker2006 is saying about BG's design, I don't know how I would describe it, but they do seem to have a little less personality to me.

 

[RunningwithScissors]

Gorgeous diamond @SandyK ! I love the proportions of it. Do you know what the L/W ratio is? To my eye those corners are perfectly sized too.

 

[ALH]

@RunningwithScissors hi! I got engaged last December and I’m not exaggerating when I tell you my now fiancé and I spent 100+ hours researching and looking at ECs over a six month period (overkill, I know). We were looking in the 3-4 carat range and I ended up with a 4.04 carat with traps. Are you still looking for EC advice? I see the thread activity has died down a little and I didn’t want to bombard you with a lengthy post if you have all the info you are looking for

 

[SandyK]

@ALH ummm I think everyone is going to demand to see lots and lots of pictures of your ring!!!

@RunningwithScissors so sorry! I missed this - my GIA cert is in my office at work and I'm working remotely, so I don't have the L/W ratio at the moment. But I'll update here the next time I have a chance to grab the cert!

 

[LLJsmom]

This is the prettiest antique asscher I have ever seen
.

Here is a very pretty antique asscher that I passed on several years ago. H, 3+ carats.


finding antique step cuts that fit my taste has been very hard. For me, I know very quickly whether I love a step cut. It either speaks to me or not. I hope you can see lots IRL. Or lots of videos would help.

 

[diamondsR4eVR]

My dream stone! Happy hunting!

 

[ALH]

I love your collection and am super excited for your project @RunningwithScissors !

I had the chance to see one of Brian's signature ECs in person and it was gorgeous - I took videos on my iPhone that I will try to dig out. The sad thing about step cuts is that they face up so much smaller than rounds, but Brian explained that his signature emeralds face up larger than a regular EC, so if you go the BG route you might be able to get away with a somewhat smaller carat weight but the same visual appearance.

I was also looking for a 3ct stone, but Brian did not have any in that size and a custom cut would have been out of my budget. I ended up getting a 3ct, F color, VS2 stone from IDJ that I originally saw on the Adiamor website -- Yekutiel took ASET and Idealscope images for me and confirmed that it had killer light performance, and he and Joanna were definitely right - I LOVE my stone. I can't make a direct comparison to the BG emerald I saw since I never compared them side by side, but I recall the facets on Brian's emeralds were a little fatter. To my memory, my current EC is just as bright and lively as the BG one I saw and I don't have any regrets about going the generic route.

My EC is from IDJ as well! Yekutiel has an eye for amazing ECs. I did resize how many mediocre ECs I had seen at other jewelers until I saw the amazingly cut ones Yekutiel brought in for us.

 

[diamondsR4eVR]

My EC is from IDJ as well! Yekutiel has an eye for amazing ECs. I did resize how many mediocre ECs I had seen at other jewelers until I saw the amazingly cut ones Yekutiel brought in for us.

I’d love to see more pics of your gorgeous ring and stone.

 

[ALH]

I’d love to see more pics of your gorgeous ring and stone.

Autocorrect got the best of me on my last comment - oops! I meant to say I didn’t realize how many poorly or averagely cut ECs there were until we saw some really beautifully cut ones from Yekutiel at IDJ. I’ll post pictures tonight/tomorrow