I'm shopping for an engagement ring Online ( ebay ) ... I'm of course looking at a certified stone, I've bought a diamond before & am familiar with the color & clarity grades with which I'd be content, but cut is something I've had trouble finding great comfort with, I'm aware of the 'bow-tie' effect marquise cuts exhibit, & how a bad cut can dampen the diamonds sparkle, & so I'm asking...
What are good Depth & table percentages for a Marquise cut diamond?
How does Length & width effect the bow-tie effect? What are optimal ratio's?
If there's an 'optimal' Depth & table combination, what is it?
[url="http://images.marketworks.com/fullView.asp?id=192983786&fc=0&img=http://www.diamondfloor.com/external/img_scl.lib.php?db=1&imgp=a64c622eb472e854bd1a97f724d32805&img=325249"][url]http://images.marketworks.com/fullView.asp...2805&img=325249[/url][/url]
Here's a stone I'm eye'ing, it's a large stone for it's weight, & thus, I'm worried it may be cut too shallow? Although, the depth & table falls into what I read is an acceptable range 52-65% Table, 58-65% depth.
What do you guys think of this stone?
It's at the limit of my budget. at 1900$
Talon Ferguson.
0
Marquise Cut Specs.
Started by talonferguson, Dec 06 2006 02:52 PM
6 replies to this topic
#2
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Gold
Posted 07 December 2006 - 08:15 AM
Bump... If someone could help me out with their opinion ( of said diamond, & of good marquise dimensions ) I'd very much appreciate it.
#3
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Sapphire
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Posted 07 December 2006 - 08:46 AM
Sorry, It's the holiday season and anyone in the jewelry business is swamped. I've been so busy loading new diamonds on our website... Anyway. Here's what I know.
Okay, first of all with the fancy shapes, there is no "ideal". The best way to get a nice diamond is to contact a dealer you trust so you can get a beautifully cut diamond. That can be an online dealer or one at a jewelry store in your town. You'd be surprised how competitive the local jewelry stores have become on price.
Now, all pears, ovals and marquise cuts have some bow tie. It's the nature of the shape and how it is faceted. What you want to avoid is an ugly cut diamond where that's all you see. This "bow tie" is going to show up more in photos by the way.
The GIA issues reports, it does not "certify". GIA is the gold standard in reports. But given your budget, you'd need to be somewhere in the neighborhood of a half carat give or take. (I have no price list in my hand) It's unlikely that you'll get one with a report because a report would cost too much relative to the price of the diamond. So you have to be especially careful.
You never compromise on cut. That you can see with your eyes or a good dealer who actually has the stone in his/her posession can see that. You can give on color or clarity. But again, finding a good SI2 or I1 takes a person who knows how to find one. A well cut stone will look whiter.
Here are some examples. All of these are outside your budget (some by a whole lot) but they are just for the purposes of showing you different shapes, colors, clarity ratings within the marquise definition.
1.50ct/D/SI2/11.76 x 5.58 x 3.87mm
1.09ct/I/SI1/10.72 x 5.10 x 3.34mm
1.26ct E/SI2 /10.87 x 5.54 x 3.56 mm
Do you see the strong blue fluorescence?
1.53ct D/SI2/6.57 x 5.72 x 4.20 mm
I love the fat shape of this one.
All of these have different percent depths, table sizes etc. But they have one thing in common, they are all well cut. What I'm saying is don't shop by numbers and make sure the diamond in the photo is what is being sold. Often on ebay, they are not showing photos of the actual diamond. Tread VERY carefully when shopping diamonds on that venue. We sell there and sometimes other seller's have used our photos to sell their diamonds.
I hope that helps
Okay, first of all with the fancy shapes, there is no "ideal". The best way to get a nice diamond is to contact a dealer you trust so you can get a beautifully cut diamond. That can be an online dealer or one at a jewelry store in your town. You'd be surprised how competitive the local jewelry stores have become on price.
Now, all pears, ovals and marquise cuts have some bow tie. It's the nature of the shape and how it is faceted. What you want to avoid is an ugly cut diamond where that's all you see. This "bow tie" is going to show up more in photos by the way.
The GIA issues reports, it does not "certify". GIA is the gold standard in reports. But given your budget, you'd need to be somewhere in the neighborhood of a half carat give or take. (I have no price list in my hand) It's unlikely that you'll get one with a report because a report would cost too much relative to the price of the diamond. So you have to be especially careful.
You never compromise on cut. That you can see with your eyes or a good dealer who actually has the stone in his/her posession can see that. You can give on color or clarity. But again, finding a good SI2 or I1 takes a person who knows how to find one. A well cut stone will look whiter.
Here are some examples. All of these are outside your budget (some by a whole lot) but they are just for the purposes of showing you different shapes, colors, clarity ratings within the marquise definition.
1.50ct/D/SI2/11.76 x 5.58 x 3.87mm
1.09ct/I/SI1/10.72 x 5.10 x 3.34mm
1.26ct E/SI2 /10.87 x 5.54 x 3.56 mm
Do you see the strong blue fluorescence?
1.53ct D/SI2/6.57 x 5.72 x 4.20 mm
I love the fat shape of this one.
All of these have different percent depths, table sizes etc. But they have one thing in common, they are all well cut. What I'm saying is don't shop by numbers and make sure the diamond in the photo is what is being sold. Often on ebay, they are not showing photos of the actual diamond. Tread VERY carefully when shopping diamonds on that venue. We sell there and sometimes other seller's have used our photos to sell their diamonds.
I hope that helps
[url]http://diamondsbylauren.com[/url] - Fancy colored diamonds and colorless diamonds.
#4
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Gold
Posted 07 December 2006 - 08:57 AM
Thanks for your post! Any comment on the stone I linked? It's priced at 1915$.
I found the proportion tables for marquise on this site & the stone is in fact a 1A on the AGA tables.
That's a great example of flourescense, until now I hadnt seen so noticeable a gleem, it's actually very pretty, in that stone at least.
Does the price seem right for the stone I'm eye'ing?
[url="http://images.marketworks.com/fullView.asp?id=192983786&fc=0&img=http://www.diamondfloor.com/external/img_scl.lib.php?db=1&imgp=a64c622eb472e854bd1a97f724d32805&img=325249"]My Diamond.[/url] 1915$
Ebay seller: Jewelry47 ( seems large & reputable. )
I found the proportion tables for marquise on this site & the stone is in fact a 1A on the AGA tables.
That's a great example of flourescense, until now I hadnt seen so noticeable a gleem, it's actually very pretty, in that stone at least.
Does the price seem right for the stone I'm eye'ing?
[url="http://images.marketworks.com/fullView.asp?id=192983786&fc=0&img=http://www.diamondfloor.com/external/img_scl.lib.php?db=1&imgp=a64c622eb472e854bd1a97f724d32805&img=325249"]My Diamond.[/url] 1915$
Ebay seller: Jewelry47 ( seems large & reputable. )
#5
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Sapphire
- Gender:Female
- Interests:Fancy Colored Diamonds, UNC College Basketball, Running
Posted 07 December 2006 - 09:56 AM
GIA is the report you would want.
If a stone is graded by another lab, it's going to be a grade or two below what GIA would grade it as. So while it looks like you're getting a deal....
You might want to keep looking.
If it's size you want, it can be done. But you want to know what you're getting since prices hinge so much on color and clarity.
If a stone is graded by another lab, it's going to be a grade or two below what GIA would grade it as. So while it looks like you're getting a deal....
You might want to keep looking.
If it's size you want, it can be done. But you want to know what you're getting since prices hinge so much on color and clarity.
[url]http://diamondsbylauren.com[/url] - Fancy colored diamonds and colorless diamonds.
#6
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Ideal Diamond
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Posted 07 December 2006 - 12:19 PM
Hi Talon!
One thing I'd look for is actual photos.
Although there are photos on the auctions you're looking at, the photos are NOT of the actual diamonds.
It's easy to figure this out because all the photos for a princess cut ( for example) are the same.
I'd also think that such photos should be clearly labeled as "Sample photos"
The lack of such information is deceptive in my opinion.
You can get a pretty nice looking 3/4 marquise for $2000
One thing I'd look for is actual photos.
Although there are photos on the auctions you're looking at, the photos are NOT of the actual diamonds.
It's easy to figure this out because all the photos for a princess cut ( for example) are the same.
I'd also think that such photos should be clearly labeled as "Sample photos"
The lack of such information is deceptive in my opinion.
You can get a pretty nice looking 3/4 marquise for $2000
#7
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Gold
Posted 07 December 2006 - 04:05 PM
Thanks David,
yes I noticed the pictures are all identical, & frankly, not even the most flattering pictures they could have put up. I'd call it more lazy than deceptive. But at least they put the EGL Cert up there...
I've decided I will buy the stone. The cuts look good & everything else is to my liking. My girlfriend's a lil one, so it should look pretty regal on her little fingers. Thank you everyone for your advice.
yes I noticed the pictures are all identical, & frankly, not even the most flattering pictures they could have put up. I'd call it more lazy than deceptive. But at least they put the EGL Cert up there...
I've decided I will buy the stone. The cuts look good & everything else is to my liking. My girlfriend's a lil one, so it should look pretty regal on her little fingers. Thank you everyone for your advice.
