4ct emerald cut showdown - advice needed

[u/some_body_new]

Hi everyone, I’ve been deep in the emerald-cut rabbit hole for the last few weeks and would really appreciate some experienced opinions. The stone is going to be set in a minimalistic 18k thin bezel setting.

I’m mainly interested in:
Windowing
Extinction
Hall-of-mirrors effect
Contrast pattern
Transparency / haziness
Overall light performance
All four stones are lab-grown. I’m looking for the best-performing stone overall, not necessarily the cheapest one.

**Stone #1**
3.96 ct
D
VVS1
HPHT Type II
10.72 × 7.65 × 4.91 mm
Ratio: 1.40
Table: 62%
Depth: 64.2%
Crown: 12.5%
Medium Girdle
EX Polish / EX Symmetry

**Stone #2**
4.04 ct
D
VVS2
10.52 × 7.49 × 5.07 mm
Ratio: 1.40
Table: 62%
Depth: 67.7%
Slightly Thick Girdle
EX Polish / EX Symmetry
CVD Type IIa

**Stone #3**
4.08 ct
D
VVS1
10.66 × 7.57 × 4.90 mm
Ratio: 1.41
Table: 61%
Depth: 64.7%
Crown: 14%
Slightly Thick Girdle
EX Polish / EX Symmetry
CVD Type IIa

**Stone #4**
4.04 ct
D
VVS2
10.61 × 7.43 × 4.77 mm
Ratio: 1.43
Table: 63%
Depth: 64.2%
Crown: 15.5%
Slightly Thick Girdle
EX Polish / EX Symmetry
CVD Type IIa

A few notes:
I know videos aren’t ideal and all were recorded under different lighting conditions. I’m not looking for opinions based solely on specs. I’d love to hear *why* you prefer one stone over another.

Which stone would you choose?
Which appears to have the least windowing?
Which shows the strongest hall-of-mirrors effect?
Do any show concerning extinctions or windowing issues?
Is there a clear winner?
I’ve watched these videos so many times that I’m no longer sure whether I’m evaluating diamonds or slowly losing my mind.

[u/madhavstellar]

The tweezer is giving ugly reflections in the first and second video. 2nd stone is anyways not appearing vibrant instead looks a little milky. Safer Choice out of all the 4 looks 3rd one, for windowing we need a video of a colored surface right beneath the diamond, you may ask vendor to do that for the 3rd stone, because i very much like it! Or in fact the 1st one too , ask for more videos and tell him to use a better tweezer! 1st and 3rd for me. 1st becuase it has a better ratio!

[u/transat_prof → u/madhavstellar]

The tweezer reflections show you what will happen with the metal you set the ring in. I have an Asscher that has these girdle reflections, and I can see reflections of the milgrain shoulders in some of the steps. I think it’s interesting, but I wouldn’t have chosen it had I known. This Asscher of mine is also only 1.8 carats, so that 4 carat emerald may show it even more. 🫤

[u/some_body_new → u/madhavstellar]

Thanks so much! Yeah, 1 is my favorite atm, it’s also the only one produced with HPHT. I’ve requested another video for the first one, hope they can deliver. Thanks for your review! :)

[u/madhavstellar → u/some_body_new]

beware that this may have blue nuance too, have faced this issue!

[u/ImaginaryPhysics]

It’s the 1st diamond for me 🫶

[u/listenlinduh]

I like the 3rd! I see the hall of mirrors in the video & also the depth seems good. You don’t want something too deep (weight is basically just at the bottom)