Which would you choose? Good price?

[dimatibagbenjamin]

Oh.

Totally forgot about the compare tool (might need to get some rest). I must have switched between sites hundreds of times at this point. Thank you, much, for this!

 

[distracts]

And just to add to the above, this is one i'm rather liking https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/princess-cut-loose-diamond-4152298.htm

However, the feathers seem to be located around the edges of the diamond - and they say to be wary of feathers in that location due to potential chippings? Especially since it's the area where pressure will be placed upon when setting in a ring. Or would this be something that shouldn't deter from this diamond? Thank you, folks!

I personally wouldn't worry about feathers in a VS1 or VS2 (or higher) clarity.

All the diamonds look like beautiful options. I'm partial to the biggest one because I know I can easily see that much of a size difference, but YMMV!

 

[tyty333]

So...looking at them/evaluating them took longer than I thought.

If you can narrow it down to 3 or so they can usually do pics of them together and hopefully a video.
You can also ask for their input (they'll be honest) since they have the stones in front of them.

This is my* thinking...
Eliminate the 1.511 G...its not gaining you much over the 1.524 G as far as specs/sparkle, its smaller, and is costing quite a bit more

I like the 1.524 for its overall looks/sparkle/price. Stones that have structural issues don't usually make the ACA line. I would ask them
specifically about the feather though for peace of mind. Most of us insure out stones/jewelry in case we do have an issue. You are
buying a princess with 4 corners. I think in the 10+ years I've been on PS, I've seen maybe two people with cracked corners. It's rare
but does happen hence the insurance.

The rest is down to what you/your GF prioritize...color, size?

H for size
E for color (this stone is not too close to square if you care, some people do)

Its really hard to pick apart ACA stones. WF takes care of most of the elimination process for you. The rest is just a matter of what
you prefer.

Good luck!

By the way, here is the difference between the 1.524 and the 1.75

1.52ct Princess (6.35×6.24×4.64) vs 1.75ct Princess (6.53×6.48×4.84)

Compare 1.52 carat Princess (6.35×6.24×4.64mm) vs 1.75 carat Princess (6.53×6.48×4.84mm) on actual diamond size and finger coverage (39.62mm² vs 42.31mm²)

www.diamdb.com

 

[kenny]

Lisa, you sound like a lovely lady - thank you for the message. I enjoyed reading it.



Thank you, too, Distracts and Karl_K for your thoughts.



Kenny, good news! Per your advice, i checked around and i might just be able to go the WF route! I’ll also look at the inscription as well as the inclusions to match the report per your recommendation. Luckily, i have a number of loupes available for a hobby of mine.

That said, I was hoping to get your thoughts on these i’m looking at:

Diamond | 1.605 ct E VS1 A CUT ABOVE® Princess Super Ideal Cut Diamond AGS Certified | 4123838

This Whiteflash A CUT ABOVE® super ideal cut hearts and arrows 1.605 carat E color VS1 clarity loose diamond is graded by the American Gem Society (AGS) Laboratories. | 4123838

www.whiteflash.com

Diamond | 1.605 ct E VS1 A CUT ABOVE® Princess Super Ideal Cut Diamond AGS Certified | 4123838

This Whiteflash A CUT ABOVE® super ideal cut hearts and arrows 1.605 carat E color VS1 clarity loose diamond is graded by the American Gem Society (AGS) Laboratories. | 4123838

www.whiteflash.com

Diamond | 1.511 ct G VS1 A CUT ABOVE® Princess Super Ideal Cut Diamond AGS Certified | 4460740

This Whiteflash A CUT ABOVE® super ideal cut hearts and arrows 1.511 carat G color VS1 clarity loose diamond is graded by the American Gem Society (AGS) Laboratories. | 4460740

www.whiteflash.com

Diamond | 1.517 ct G VS2 A CUT ABOVE® Princess Super Ideal Cut Diamond AGS Certified | 3765174

This Whiteflash A CUT ABOVE® super ideal cut hearts and arrows 1.517 carat G color VS2 clarity loose diamond is graded by the American Gem Society (AGS) Laboratories. | 3765174

www.whiteflash.com

i’m getting a better understanding when it comes to the figures and the details on the diamond and its certificate but when it comes to looking at these diamonds through the screen, it gets rather difficult. Or if you have any other ones you would recommend instead, would appreciate it!

Thank you.

Here's what I'd do.
If it's an ACA from WF I'd not waste my time comparing cut details.
I'd just pick the combination of color, clarity, carat weight and price that I prefer.
I'd just buy it ASAP, since specific diamonds recommended here often get bought up by lurker, making the original poster miss out.

One possibility (which I have done) ... buy 2 or 3, live with them for a few days, see them in all different lighting situations, keeep one and return the rest.
I think you'll have to pay for round trip shipping on the ones you return.
For me, considering the size of the purchase and my desire to get the best, shipping is a small price to pay.
YMMV.

Of course all ACAs are not exactly identical, IMO they are all so good that I'm sure I would never see the difference.
It's kind of like someone giving you a hundred bucks, but offering six $100 bills, and you picking the "best one" based on its serial number.

Again I'm not competent to get into the cut parameters of Princess Cuts.
@Karl_K is IMO the best qualified to comment; he has an amazing level of expertise.

Congratulations. I'm very glad you've found a way to get a princess cut graded AGS 0 from what I consider to be among the best diamond vendors, if not the best.

 

[Karl_K]

Again I'm not competent to get into the cut parameters of Princess Cuts.
@Karl_K is IMO the best qualified to comment; he has an amazing level of expertise.

Trying to explain what goes into the cutting parameters of a top of the line princess cut would take a book.
AGS gives you some starting points but it will take trial and error to nail down the minute details that they can not possibly give you when someone is trying to cut them.
I look at advanced images(ASET mainly) and video.
I also like a slight chamfer on the corners for added safety when being set.
The majority of them will have an ags report unless they miss on id/id symmetry or polish.

 

[MissGotRocks]

You are right, but for the price of the stones folks are talking about here, I wouldn't consider a purchase without a cert.

GIA might be more widely recognized, but AGS is the gold standard in terms of assessing cut quality. I would urge you to go to www.Whiteflash.com to read about their super ideal cut diamonds. They make diamond buying very transparent for even a novice. Any jeweler should be able to show their diamonds under magnification so that you could identify major inclusions and compare them to the grading report. If they can’t do that or are unwilling to do so, run! As you know, diamonds are very expensive and should never be purchased haphazardly. The internet has boosted the knowledge base many times over and as always, an educated consumer is the best consumer.

 

[Ibrakeforpossums]

I personally wouldn't worry about feathers in a VS1 or VS2 (or higher) clarity.

All the diamonds look like beautiful options. I'm partial to the biggest one because I know I can easily see that much of a size difference, but YMMV!

distracts, this is fabulous!

 

[dimatibagbenjamin]

Thanks for all the responses, folks! I've gone through them multiple times to be sure i'm absorbing them. I'll respond better in a bit!

@tyty333 I really appreciate you spending time looking through the prospects. I've taken into account all your points and will do so as you recommend. Though as i'm still figuring out the logistics of it all, i need (a) backup/s in case i can't push through with WF. This is one such diamond i'm looking at (same rock as this posting): https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/princess-cut/1.50-carat-h-color-if-clarity-sku-11737466

with this being its ASET:


Could i possibly get your thoughts on it especially vis-a-vis the 3 you prefer from the ones i shared up top from WF? From my understanding, it's not the easiest to compare it to AGS graded and even more so for ACA's that was posted above but there are quite a bit of material on the rock so i'm trying to approximate.

I guess mostly I'm trying to predict how my girlfriend will like the H color in the years to come, seeing it everyday (for hopefully the rest of our lives), and if it will become more apparent to her or not. My only basis is that i've seen the H side-by-side to other higher colors and i can see the difference. So was hoping also for some real life perspective and experience living with various colors.

Thank you much.

 

[tyty333]

The Aset image on the H/IF is very good. Also looks to have some nice contrast. One of the big differences between this H/IF is
that it is a 4 main and the WF stones are all 2 mains. 4 mains (chevrons) tend to have smaller sparkles (but more) and 2 mains
tend towards bigger sparkles (than the 4 mains, but fewer). Again, a matter of personal preference.

From the WF page

Princess Cut Diamonds: Your Ultimate Diamond Buying Guide

Dive into the world of Princess Cut Diamonds with our in-depth buying guide. Understand cut quality, pricing, and where to find your perfect diamond.

www.whiteflash.com

 

[dimatibagbenjamin]

Ah, yes! I forgot to include that but i did notice the 4 chevron and bezel corner as opposed to WF's 2 chevron french - smaller vs bigger sparkles.

This H IF would be about USD1,200 more expensive than the 1.52 G VS2 (https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/princess-cut-loose-diamond-4152298.htm) . It would be safe to say that the latter is a better (safer bet?) value prop because of the what the ACA Rating represents (that can only be surmised with the info we have with the JA link)?

 

[Wink]

You are right, but for the price of the stones folks are talking about here, I wouldn't consider a purchase without a cert.

I believe that for buying on the internet, you are totally correct about needing a report. Preferably from one of the two top tier labs, Gia and AGS.

It was not always this way.

When I joined the industry and got my GIA Graduate Gemologist degree back in 1975, diamond grading reports were relatively rare. Sure, large important stones had them, but the average diamond sold in jewelry stores did not.

Being out in the wilderness of Boise, Idaho I found this to be a problem. I would call dealers in New York and order in some diamonds of various color and clarity combinations and 95% of the time, when they arrived I disagreed with the grading of the diamonds, often by more than one color or clarity grade, or both. I would call and fight for better pricing to match what I believed to be the actual color and clarity grades of the diamonds I had received. When pricing was not appropriately dropped, I sent the diamonds back and looked for a different supplier. Needless to say, I went through a LOT of suppliers back then. Frankly, shipping expenses were killing me, and shipping via Registered Mail was slow. Today we take FedEx and UPS for granted, back then they did not yet exist.

My solution to this was to start buying only diamonds with GIA diamond grading reports. (AGS would not come to be for many years.) Prices were always higher than unpapered diamonds, but this was a function of the grades being much more consistent with the reality of what the diamond's color and clarity grades should be, not the inflated color and clarity grades some vendors thought they could fool the rubes with.

Over time, diamond grading reports became more and more common, especially in the late 70's when the investment craze caused prices to go through the roof, only to come crashing down in the Spring of 1980.

By the time the internet became commerce legal, I believe it was in May or June of 1992, but I may be off by a year or three, I had two wide file cabinet drawers full of diamond grading reports that were never taken home with the diamonds I had sold over the years. I always presented the reports when I was showing the diamonds, but a majority of my clients did not care enough to want to take the paperwork home.

In my community I was regarded as a diamond expert and my grading was completely accepted as correct. In all of my years of selling on the internet, and with the strength of my reputation, I have never sold a diamond without a diamond grading report and doubt my ability to do so. Every diamond, starting around a quarter carat and certainly above a half carat is sold with a report. Some of the reports had no real value, such as the EGL which is now so discredited that Rap no longer allows them on its trading platform.

At this time, the two top tier labs are Gia and AGS. There are others of varying degrees of acceptance and I strongly believe that IGI and GCal will become stronger and eventually take their places with our current to leaders.

I firmly believe the difficulty of distinction between Lab grown diamonds and natural grown diamonds reinforces the need for quality reports for the protection of the seller and the buyer.

 

[dimatibagbenjamin]

Thanks, @distracts! Practical.

@kenny , appreciate the thoughts - unfortunately, where i am won’t allow for that kind of process so i’m trying my darndest to assess via just the internet. And although WF is an option now, i’ve yet to finalize the process apparently. Fingers crossed! Thanks again!

@MissGotRocks , working on that education bit and per response i’m getting here seems to boost that bit by bit.

Thanks again, @tyty333 !