10 replies to this topic

[flowerchild2]

I have a question about depth and table. I don't know if I want a wider table to make the ring look bigger or if I should go with more depth to give the ring more sparkle. Is there a general rule about that? Would a wider table make the ring look to flat?

Oh and what's better, a flat culet or a pointy one?

[TheRock]

Hi Flowerchild,

The answer to your question regarding table and depth is going to depend on the shape of the diamond you are choosing. Different shapes have different optimum criteria.

With regard to culet, most shapes that I know of would be better with no culet. Sometimes it’s referred to as a pointed culet.

Post the shape and size of the diamond and we'll try to help out a little more.

[flowerchild2]

Sorry! I want a round diamond I think. Maybe a princess cut, but I'm leaning toward round. I don't really know what size, but I'm thinking somewhere around 1 carat.

What's the deal with buying just under a carat. Is that really cheaper?? I've heard from three different friends that I should look for a diamond just slightly less than a carat.

[nightmare]

Hi Flowerchild,

yep - likely to be cheaper.....all the 'round numbers' hold a slight premium...certainly .5, 1, 1.5 and 2 carat are slightly more expensive than numbers close to thsose....rarity and all that. Dont expect it to be wildly cheaper though!

round diamond - as Jan points out a lot, you must see any diamond you're going to buy unles you really know your stuff. however, if you keep depth between about 59.5 and 61.5, and table between 53 and 57 you should be okay. As rock says, no cluet slightly better

cheers
Night

[jan]

No culet is definitely optimum on a round. It would be inaccurate to think that only 2 numbers is going to tell you how a stone looks. The most, that people give you on the numbers is only 4 average numbers which still tells you nothing visual, table, depth, crown angle and pavilion angle. It would be likened to someone giving you the dimensions of a house. Let's see this house is 40 feet by 50 feet. Now, do you know anything about what this house looks like from a couple of measurements?

There are 57 facets on a round brilliant with no culet, so do you really think 4 number averages will tell you how a stone really looks or sparkles. Definitely not !

Check out this info that we have on our site.

http://dbof.com/why-...-not-work-2.htm


You must really *see* the stone for sure to know how bright it will be. By *looking* at a diamond you can see how bright a stone is. Can't do that by just looking at a couple of numbers on a paper. Also when you look at the stone, you will be able to see the other features of the diamond like the clarity characteristics and how you like the color of the diamond. That way you can make adjustments in what pleases you.



Jan
www.dbof.com

[flowerchild2]

Jan you mentioned crown angle and pavilion angle. I've seen those terms but haven't a clue as to what they mean. And which 4 number averages aren't enough to tell what a diamond looks like? Are you talking the 4 C's here? Or something else?

If no culet is good for a round is it also good for a princess?

[barry]

Attached is a diagram that accompanys the Megascope Cut Analysis Report.

Crown angle is the measurement of the slope that begins from the Table (flat surface at the top of the diamond) to the midpoint or "girdle" of the stone.

Pavillion angle is the slope that then begins from the girdle and descends to the point or "culet" of the stone.

The interaction of Table size, Crown angle and height, and pavillion angle are critically important in determining the beauty of the stone.

Barry
www.superbcert.com

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[jan]

Hi Flower,
Many on the internet will tell you that you have to have 4 number averages to make an informed decision.

1. Table
2. total depth
3. crown angle
4. pavilion angle.


The problem with this information is that it is external measurements only and won't tell you how beautiful a diamond is.


The machines that measure these numbers vary from machine to machine as well as sometimes getting different numbers even on the same machine for the same stone.

Also take into account that these numbers are average numbers only.
For example, there are 8 crown angles and 8 pavilion angles on a round brilliant diamond. So you could have a stone for example that is measuring say 33.7-35.4 since they are all different on the angles and the machine will spit out a mathmatical average for the total of the 8.

Add to this that only 17 facetes are measured as well when there are 57 on a diamond and you can see that most of the information is missing anyway.

As we already know external measurements won't tell you how beautiful a stone is visually anyway. You need to *see* the diamond to tell that.

This is the internet trap with people that never look at diamonds, telling you which diamond to purchase by looking at a few numbers.

There are many ways to cut a beautiful diamond, they are not like mass produced TV's. All have their own individual charateristics. The cutters are like artists and each have their own interpetation.

Here is an example of the sarin that measures the 4 average numbers.

http://www.diamondbr...mages/S3004.jpg


Here is an example of a stone that we evaluated for one of our cutters recently. This stone based on the numbers is a 10 with 0 being the best and 10 being the worst. Yet this stone is as bright and beautiful as many stones that were a 0. See what I mean that you can't judge a diamond by numbers and external measurements only? This stone based on numbers is suppose to be a dog, yet it is as bright and beautiful as any stone that is at the top.



Beware of those that tell you to buy based on paper and numbers only!





Jan
www.dbof.com

[jan]

.!

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[flowerchild2]

That is a gorgeous stone! I see what you mean. I've looked a little online for stones, but definately want to buy one I can see. It's nice to know I don't have to buy into all the sales talk about "perfection." Thanks!

This is a scary thing to buy, and I can tell what I think is nice, but don't know if what I think is what everyone else thinks too. So when I hear all the things about crown angle and pavilion angle it worries me that I'm missing something. It's good to know that I don't have to become a gemologist to choose a nice ring!

[jan]

That is very true. I had a couple in yesterday, and although they came to us to purchase an ideal round hearts and arrows diamond, by looking at alot of diamonds she decided she wasn't really all that keen on purchasing a stone that shows a dark arrows symmetry. In fact , much to her surprise she actually liked the cushion shape better. This was all her preference from looking at many diamonds.



Jan
www.dbof.com