Looking for $3500 Budget Princess Cut. Also EGL vs. GIA Questions.

Hey Alex.  Thanks for the kind words about the site.  EGL Europe is a total fraud.  The 2.5 grades I mention on the site is referring to EGL NY and LA.
Why don’t you tell me your budget and what you hope to get, and I’ll help you find the best stone.

Here’s my take on what you discussed:

As (think) I mentioned on my site, there’s no shortcuts when buying diamonds.  Diamond dealers know diamonds, so they know when they buy a stone, they’re buying the stone and not a piece of paper.  If an EGL H VS2 is cheaper than an equivalent GIA stone, it’s because the stone is simply worth less.  (Smart) Diamond dealers don’t price diamonds rigidly based on color, clarity and size.  They look at the diamond and offer the correct price for each individual stone.

My point in regurgitating that is to drive home the point that there are no shortcuts when buying diamonds.  You might respond, “well, if that’s the case, then what’s the difference?  So I’ll pay less and get the EGL, it’s the same price as the same stone certified by GIA that has a lower color and clarity.” But that’s not correct.  Simply put, GIA certified diamonds sell better than EGLs.  If a diamond manufacturer takes a stone and certifies it EGL, there’s a always a reason.  Maybe it got an unlucky grade from GIA, or maybe they feel with the way this particular diamond has its inclusions, they feel it will get a really big upgrade in clarity.  There’s always a reason, and the reason is always to the dealers benefit and not yours.

So it’s definitely better to buy GIA.  This way you know what you’re buying is exactly what you’re buying.  That’s the key.

I really appreciate your willingness to help me out with the affiliate commission. I do have affiliate agreements with BN and JA. I always recommend JA for two reasons.  1) they have actual magnified photos of most of their inventory.  This allows you to go down in clarity — with confidence.  2) I have inside information that their profit margin is notably smaller than BN’s.

Regarding my brokering services, it’s usually not worth it for me or the client if the budget is in your range.  You might end up saving a small amount of money, but for that small difference, I’d rather you have the full online retail experience of excellent service, long evaluation periods, fancy jewelry box, etc.

That being said, I’ll pick a few stones I think would be great for you from JA’s inventory.  I’m going to assume you want a white gold ring and not plat.  So lets assume your ring will cost around 400, leaving 3100 for the rock.

https://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/I-SI2-Premium-Cut-Princess-Diamond-1251749.asp (SI2, but pic looks totally clean)
https://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/I-SI1-Ideal-Cut-Princess-Diamond-1240771.asp
https://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/H-SI1-Premium-Cut-Princess-Diamond-1087319.asp (the pics a little out of focus, but if the SI1 was eye-visible, I’m pretty sure it still would be visible even in the blurry shot)
https://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/H-VS2-Ideal-Cut-Princess-Diamond-1256341.asp (No pic or cert, but it’s H VS2, so odds it’s eye visible are REALLY low.  Also, it’s a tiny bit smaller than the others, but for an HVS2, it’s a bargain because it’s a 96 pointer.  The cheapest full 1 ct H VS2 on JA is 3650).

Take a look at those and let me know what you think.  I can tell you the ones with the pics are definitely eye clean (just for clarity’s sake – when I say “eye clean” I mean looking at the diamond face-up – I can’t predict how it’ll look from the side).  The one without, by virtue of it being a VS2, is almost certainly eye clean as well.  As far as color goes, I color on a solitaire in white gold will certainly look white.

I’ll try to hit your questions one by one:

1) SI2 GIA issue: GIA gemologists aren’t diamond dealers, they’re technicians.  A diamond dealer looks at a diamond, and based on his knowledge of the current market, is able to estimate what the proper value of the stone is.  A gemologist simply records the physical characteristics of the diamond.  So it’s not uncommon for an SI2 to look nicer than an SI1.  If the SI2 is all on the girdle, and the SI1 is black and smack dab in the middle of the table, the SI2 is a better stone.   So the SI2 is there somewhere in the 1.10 ct stone.  It’s just either so spread out that it’s become impossible to see in that photo, or it’s located under a corner where you couldn’t see it from a face-up perspective, or it’s an inclusion that’s translucent.

2) Viewing color on the VL: You can ignore color differences on the virtual loupe.  You can’t really see color from that face up perspective.  I’ve seen F colors that look yellow on the VL, and I’ve seen G colors that look greenish.  JA doesn’t own their inventory.  What makes them different from Blue Nile is that they only work with vendors within walking distance of their offices in the diamond district in Manhattan.  This allows them more control over their listings.  They train each vendor how to take the photos, and they loan them the equipment.  The problem is that some of the vendors really invest time and effort into the pics, and some don’t.  But anyway, ignore the color.  You can’t judge color face up.  Especially not in a picture.

3) Cut quality on the VL:  Also, it’s a factor of the photo quality.  Even if the photo quality was consistent, you still wouldn’t be able to judge cut quality from a static photo.  A video might be better, but I still cant see it showing of the stone correctly.
4) JA’s cut grades:  I’m not sure what their parameters are for their different cut grades.  To be honest, I pretty much ignore them.  In rounds, I have seen plenty of stones that were graded “excellent” in cut by the GIA (btw, GIA only gives cut grades to rounds, unfortunately) but had only a “premium” JA grade.  I’ve seen the same thing with AGS 000 stones only receiving Premium and not Ideal from JA, even though an AGS 000 is pretty much how the industry defines the word “ideal.”  I’ve seen the inverse happen, too. I’ve seen JA “ideal” stones that have VG cut grade from GIA, or less than 000 from AGS.  Their cut grades in Princess cuts are even more suspect.  There’s no universal agreement about Princess cut parameters in the industry.  Different cutters have their different opinions.  The basic rule of thumb is to be as close to 70/70 (depth/table percentage) as possible.  Up to 75% depth will look great in terms of light return.  Going lower to 70% depth will usually mean a larger stone (since the diamonds weight is distributed more in length and width versus the depth.  That’s why it’s important that you review the L and W of each of the diamonds I suggested.  It’s more important than the weight.  Your eye can’t see weight, it can only see dimensions.  So don’t be tempted by the 1.10 just because it’s 1.10.  Check the dimensions.

Cut is also less important for Princess Cuts because PCs weren’t created for light return (as opposed to rounds). They were created because they are the highest yield diamond cut – meaning, when you take a piece of rough and polish it into a PC, the yield is usually 80-90%.  As opposed to rounds where the yield is closer to 40%.
5) JA not posting photos:  It’s all up to the vendor and how efficient they are.  Not related to JA themselves at all.

6) My Pick: I like the 1.01 I SI1.  I know in my articles I said not to pay attention too much to Polish and Symmetry. That’s true.  I wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between Ex or VG Polish or symmetry even with my experience (just to remind you of my gemologist vs. diamond dealer discussion above – a gemologist couldn’t tell the difference, but since it makes no difference to the VALUE of the diamond, diamond dealers don’t care about it).  BUT, in order to get an Ex/Ex on a princess cut, you have to try REALLY hard.  They’re very uncommon.  If you find one, you know it’s from a manufacturer who specializes in fine makes.  You don’t get an Ex/Ex on a PC by happenstance.  So the fact that they invested the time to get the Ex/Ex tells me that they care about make, which means they’re going to invest more resources to the cut proportions as well.  Someone who tries to get Ex/Ex cares more about quality than yield, is what I’m trying to say.

I don’t like the SI2 on this one.  It’s big and on the corner which means it could break off (seen it happen before) – ESPECIALLY if you’re thinking of resetting it.  That’s when it’s most likely to chip.

You know, that’s a really really tough call.  They both look great.  Even though it’s counter intuitive, I still think I would go with the I SI1 because of what I said before about the Ex/Ex.  While H VVS2 is a significant upgrade over I SI1, I don’t think you’d be able to actually SEE any difference.  The H VVS2 definitely has a prettier certificate, but you’re buying the diamond, not a cert.  I’m hesitant, though, because I can’t /guarantee/ the I SI1 will look nicer.  It’s just a hunch.

Here’s a different perspective:
The rap price for 1 ct I SI1 is 4000/ct.  The rap price for 1ct H VVS2 is 5600/ct.  So your two prices are about -21% rap for the I SI1, and -40% rap for the H VVS2.  So there are two ways to look at this: 1) the H VVS2 is a ridiculously good deal.  Relative to each stones rap price, the H VVS2 is a much better price.  or 2) The I SI1 is a premium make, and therefore it’s priced as such.

I tend to lean towards perspective #1.  While the I SI1 might be a premium make, I’m not sure it’s worth the massive difference in price.

I’m sorry, but I think I just made your decision harder, not easier!

A (a day later): You’ve chosen wisely!  Yes, I get reports of sales ridiculously fast. They don’t give private info, but I do get to see what was sold, and so unless someone else landed on JA from my site and bought the very same H VVS2, I’m guessing it was you!

Stay in touch and let me know how it is when it arrives.  And, I’m always looking for additions to my “Success Stories” section — so please keep that in mind if you would be so kind!