Q&A: Looking for 1 Ct. Asscher, Radiant, or Emerald Cut Diamond for Custom Setting

I had posted a comment in the Asscher diamond section, which seems to have disappeared after I “replied” to correct an error in the posting. Not sure if it was vaporized into the vast internet, so I thought I would send it this way too.

I’ve come across a diamond that seems too good to be true. The specs are as follows:

Price: $4,400

Carats: 1.03

Color: F

Clarity: VVS2

% Depth: 70.1

% Table: 72

Polish: Good

Symmetry: Good

Ratio: 1.044

Cut: Premium

Given my searching, this seems a low price for the size, color, clarity and cut. Is it due to the table and/or depth? Would you consider this stone a good buy? It has a GIA certificate.

Thanks for your help

The diamond I’m considering has no fluorescence according to the description. Unfortunately, the website I found this diamond on (1diamondsource.com) does not allow you to see the GIA certificate online. You must contact them first and request a copy via email. I have done this, and will let you know once it is received. Do you happen to know anything about this company? Are they trustworthy?

Thank you again for all your assistance!

I am always concerned when buying anything online, especially something as meaningful and expensive as this! Actually, I’m feeling a little overwhelmed by the whole deal, and was wondering if you wouldn’t mind helping a little more?

My fiance and I are just starting to consider putting a ring together (there’s no rush to purchase anything, as we don’t mind waiting and/or having time to save more). I’ve come across this setting: http://www.custom-celtic.com/celt-maureen.htm which I love. It’s custom-made, so I’d like to have something akin to the first photo (but in all WG, and with a prong setting for the stone, as in the 2nd and 3rd photos attached).

As to the stone, I obviously want to get the best stone for my money. I’m interested in the Asscher, cut but would also consider an Emerald or Radiant cut, if some amazing deal was out there. For that setting, would you recommend one of these cuts over another? I do want to make sure the stone doesn’t get “lost” in the setting, or seems dull because it doesn’t get enough light (as it would with a traditional solitaire prong setting, say).

I’d also like it to be around 1 carat, as I understand that “off” sizes (say, .96 or 1.02 ct) are often cheaper than those that fall right on a mark. And bigger is always okay, too, as long as it stays within our budget! The setting will likely cost around $500 – $700, so I’d like to spend no more than $4500 – $5000 for the stone. But, again, if you knew of something fantastic for, say, $5300 or $5500, I would certainly consider it.

Thank you again!

Both stones look nice, and yes, you are right… I suppose the shape is completely a personal thing. In fact, I think I might need to go somewhere and look at some stones in person, to really get a feel for which shape(s) I like best. I wanted to consider the radiant because in all the articles I’ve read, people say you get great fire for your money. Looking at the pictures of the stones you sent, though, I have to say that I am drawn more to the emerald than the radiant. From the image, the radiant stone just doesn’t look very…. well, radiant. It looks almost cloudy, in comparison to the crispness of the emerald cut. Is that due to the excellent vs. very good cuts of the stones?

I’m also a little concerned about considering H color or VS2 clarity. Those seem low to me (when initially looking at Asschers, I was told by a GIA graduate to not consider less than G/VVS2 for those stones). Are there different parameters when looking at Emerald and Radiant? I am concerned about getting a stone that is clean to the eye, and I did notice that the Emerald, for example, seems to have a mark in the middle of the stone, just up from center. The radiant seems eye clean, but again… is the cloudiness of the stone hiding things?

I’m really not trying to nit-pick (I promise!), and I thank you again for all your help – it is most appreciated!

We went and saw some diamonds in person , and we both definitely liked the emerald cut much more than any others. I also realized that bigger stones look amazing on my hand (lol), so I went back to JA’s website and expanded our search – and budget – and found these four stones, one of which is the emerald you originally recommended. Out of these four, though, which one would you say is the best value for the money? I will admit that I am head-over-heels for the first one (oh my goodness, the cut is amazing!), but it’s a lot of money, and I want to make sure it’s worth what they’re asking.

1. https://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/G-VS1-Ideal-Cut-Emerald-Diamond-1380024.asp

2. https://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/F-VS1-Ideal-Cut-Emerald-Diamond-1189578.asp (would the one step up in color be worth the $50? It seems to me the awesome cut of the first one makes it a better choice.)

3. https://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/F-VS1-Ideal-Cut-Emerald-Diamond-863755.asp

4. https://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/H-VS2-Ideal-Cut-Emerald-Diamond-1465240.asp

Thank you again!

PS. I have been talking with JA re: a possible custom setting and made sure to mention your referral to their site. Is there anything else I need to do, to make sure you get credit for any purchase we might make?

In doing one final search of James Allen (while waiting for some information on the 1.31 stone – https://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/G-VS1-Ideal-Cut-Emerald-Diamond-1380024.asp – as you can see, it’s on hold), I came across this stone –

https://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/H-VVS1-Very-Good-Cut-Emerald-Diamond-1488219.asp

This new stone is $1,000 less than the 1.31, has a better clarity rating, and is slightly larger. The only downside is it’s one color grade down. Despite that, I would think this is actually a better stone, no? You had originally recommended an H color emerald, so I believe this stone would be just as nice color-wise to the naked eye as the 1.31 G (especially as it’s going to be a solitaire, the color won’t be super obvious, right?).

It’s come down to these two, so any advice you could give on which one to go with would be – as always – appreciated.

…….

I was feeling overwhelmed, and decided to call James Allen regarding the stones I had on hold. I spoke to a lovely woman, who answered all my questions, and suggested we submit them for a gemologist’s review. I’m so glad I did! Even against two larger stones, with better ratings, the stone you originally recommended – the 1.15 H VS2 emerald – was the hands-down winner (not only in terms of price, but also sparkle, cut, and overall appearance). With such a glowing recommendation, we bit the bullet, bought the diamond, and are now anxiously awaiting its arrival!

I just wanted to say thank you, thank you, thank you, for all your help and patience. I don’t know if we would have found James Allen if not for your website, and I have a sneaking suspicion that I’ve just managed to get the diamond of my dreams for literally $2,230 less than we would have paid for the same size and quality stone at our local store 🙂

I’ll email you again when it arrives (with a picture, if you’d like).

Review is done!

Also, I did tell the customer service rep. that you referred us to JA when I purchased it – I hope that was enough to get you credit (since I did it over the phone and not via computer).

Oh. My. Goodness! The diamond arrived today and it is stunning. It sparkles so beautifully and neither my fiance nor I can see a single imperfection, despite the VS2 rating. It’s perfect, and we really can’t thank you enough for your help in locating it.