Diamond NooB needs help pleazzzzzzz

[Small]

I do like the one Paul has offered you but I'm not a fan of the high clarity VVS...but that's me...I think it's over kill. I'm a big fan of SI clarity but I think on a round diamond D is a bit much to pay for. I have a D color on my marquise which warrants that color because it is a fancy and not such a great cut for brilliance.
If I had to choose between the SI and VVS...I'd probably choose Paul's infinity. How is the price difference? And shipping overseas from WF will probably be a mess eh? That's something to consider.
If you feel comfortable with the diamond Paul sent you...I'd say you should go for it! I just keep hearing so many good things about Paul and his infinity diamonds that I don't think you'll be disappointed. I'll get mine probably towards the end of the week so I can give you first hand knowledge about the infinity but from what I've seen on the pictures, IS, and such...mine was a winner!

ETA: I'm not liking that IGI certed diamond. I don't think that's as good as the SI D or the infinity

 

[Razza]

Yh, that D SI1, hmmmm, D is definitely overkill, but it''s pretty cheap, however, shipping and more importantly, taxes will kill me. I''m not gonna buy from WF. The one Paul offered, i agree, VVS2 is overkill, but then again, color=F, so not that much overkill in the color department, lol. He offered me a good price on the diamond, i think, i have to run some more comparisons, but from what i have seen in Europe, it''s a very good price. And 0.42 is a nice size, imo. And from what i hear on this forum, his diamonds should be very good. I''ll go and see him soon, nothing beats a real viewing. And i am looking forward to hear what u think of ur new diamond

So far, i''m very tempted to go for the Infinity one.

 

[Stephan]

We could go the same day, I also have to pick up one diamond, perhaps next week...

 

[Razza]

i see, yh, i''m not sure yet when i will go visit Paul Slegers, might be next week, but i''m not sure yet. But when i know for sure, and if it''s next week, i''ll post here

 

[Shay37]

Date: 3/14/2006 12:49:55 PM
Author: Razza
i see, could u perhaps tell me what it is that tells u the cut is better? Cause i''m still a noob, any info would be appreciated.

As far as the cut between the D SI1 and the F VVS2, flip a coin. They are both superideal. They will both knock your socks off. I think VVS2 is a little higher clarity than I would worry about, but If I got a good deal on it, I would not care that it was a little high. Go see it. I think it will be worth your trip, and you won''t have those high taxes to worry about for the F as opposed to the one from WF.

shay

 

[hilbake]

The diamond from Infinity looks nice. It scores a 1.2 on the HCA anyway. EX EX EX VG

And that is a great size for living in europe. Actually, being in Belgium myself, I hardly ever notice women with diamond rings like the e-rings in the US. Women often just wear a wedding band, or an e-ring with small diamonds in it.

I''ll be interested to see how it works out with Paul because (when the time comes) I might need to get in touch with him. Not anytime soon, though! And my budget would probably be the same as yours.

In any case, hope it works out & you have to post pics!

 

[Razza]

@shay37: yh, it''s the taxes that make WF impossible to go with, or at least not any cheaper than buying over here. I still think Paul has made me a great deal, so i''m pretty sure i''ll go see him next week, and most likely buy the F VVS2.

@hilbake: thnx for running it through HCA, didn''t even think about that yet, that sure is a nice score. And i''ll definitely post here about my dealings with Paul, so far i''m more than pleased with the way he has communicated with me. And of course, i will post the stone here. As for the ring, i still need to figure out what ring to get/have made. Might go for custom, not sure yet, so difficult. I must say that the Niwaka bridal "waterlily" ring is very nice, but even if i could afford it, they won''t deliver in Europe anyway. Might see if i can get a jeweler to make it for me, but i don''t know any reputable ones in the Netherlands or Belgium, i want to make sure the stone is set "perfectly" and the ring looks as it should. If anyone knows any great jewelers for custom rings in the Netherlands or Belgium, please let me know. And thnx all for the help so far

 

[f0rbidden]

I know everyone has thier own opinions about this, but i just bought a D/VVS2 and i wouldn''t have bought a lesser color or clarity, but would have sacrificed size to keep within my budget.

This is a personal thing. I know next to nothing about round diamonds - but I believe Paul is a very trustworthy source - he is looking at the diamond and can tell you about it - now you have to take the long drive or train ride to Antwerp to visit it :O)

after all, it''s your eyes that are the best judge, right?

 

[cardesigner]

A fellow newbie dutchman on pricescope

I definitely recommend Infinity, which is where I got my stone. Ironically, it was cheaper shipping it from Belgium to the US and on to Japan?! My fiancee will just wear the ring back to Europe. Also wanted a Niwaka setting and ended up getting a custom ring made. Unfortunately for you I can only recommend someone in Tokyo, since I didn''t get it made in Holland...

 

[Razza]

@forbidden: yh, i agree, i think i''ll mail Paul today and set up an appointment

@cardesigner: wow, that''s weird, paying for shipping twice, but it ends up cheaper. Didn''t u have to pay any taxes? Well, not an option for me anyway. I''m curious, that jeweler that made u the ring, who was it and how much did u pay, in euro''s please, lol. I hope someone knows a great one in the Netherlands or Belgium.

 

[cardesigner]

Date: 3/16/2006 9:54:40 AM
Author: Razza
@forbidden: yh, i agree, i think i''ll mail Paul today and set up an appointment


@cardesigner: wow, that''s weird, paying for shipping twice, but it ends up cheaper. Didn''t u have to pay any taxes? Well, not an option for me anyway. I''m curious, that jeweler that made u the ring, who was it and how much did u pay, in euro''s please, lol. I hope someone knows a great one in the Netherlands or Belgium.

Welcome to globalization! We visited Paul to choose our stone, but had an impossible time deciding between them since they were all brilliant. We ended up choosing a .525/VS1/F for a bit more than $2300. Keep in mind that they are not a retailer, and you won''t be able to just walk out of the building stone in hand. It was easier for both of us to go through one of his vendors (Icemine in my case) who handle the retail side of things. In Japan I only had to pay 5% VAT compared to ~20% or so in Holland and there were no additional duties to be paid.

We had a local metalsmith here in Tokyo make our ring out of platinum for 110,000 yen (about 800 euro at today''s exchange rate.) A similar ring with this size stone at Niwaka would have cost 2.5 times as much and wouldn''t have had the sentimental value of picking out the stone and having the setting custom made.

 

[Razza]

i see, that's great that u were able to do it like that. Hmmm, 800 euro for the ring, might be cheaper in the Netherlands, at least i hope it is, although i might be able and willing to pay 800 for a copy of a Niwaka ring. I guess going for white gold instead of platinum will save quite a bit, not even sure if i prefer platinum over white gold, since white gold should be a more comfortable wear, but yh, platinum is more durable, not my biggest problem at the moment though, first i really need to find a good adress for a custom ring. And i must say, that ring of urs looks very very nice indeed. I'm still thinking about the Niwaka bridal waterlily setting, i really like it a lot, just not sure yet about the rest of the ring. And i totally agree on sentimental value of picking out a diamond plus having a ring custom made, it's the biggest reason why i want to do it like that as well.

 

[Small]

Razza...I love that setting! It''s beautiful

I havne''t received my ring yet but did hear from my appraiser...he''s said its beautiful! I''ll post pics when I get it and leave you a reply of the location so you can view it for yourself. I hope you find the infinity to be as beautiful as everyone is saying

 

[Razza]

i''m glad u think it''s a beautiful setting, i really would like to have a ring custom made based on this one, i don''t think it''s that difficult, considering the shape and all. I''ll be waiting for ur pics. I sent Paul an email, i''ll prob go see him next week.

 

[Razza]

Well, i just got home from a long trip, went to Belgium to see Paul today. But it sure was worth it, he showed me a couple of stones, explained a lot about them, a very nice experience indeed, having someone explain things to you in person. I couldn''t have asked for a friendlier reception than i received by both Paul and his associate, Lieve. To cut to the chase, i bought the F, VVS2 . It looks beautiful. It''s "only" 0.42, but i like that, cause it''s going in a custom made Niwaka replica, i think Niwaka rings aren''t meant to have larger stones set in them, design wise, wouldn''t look as nice imo. Not like i could have afforded a bigger stone, lol. Well, i can''t show pics of the stone, since it''s at a metalsmith now, i''ll prob have the ring in about 2 to 3 weeks, i''ll take pics then and post them

 

[Small]

Wow...congrats! Aren''t his stones amazing? I just got mine today

and was going to look for your thread to give you the heads up that I''ll be posting pictures soon in "show me the ring" section. I can''t wait to see yours...sounds wonderful!!!!

 

[Razza]

niceeeeeeee, can''t wait to see ur pics, i''ll be sure to check the "show me the ring" section

*and i can''t wait to get my hands on my own ring, which is kinda funny, since i never took any sort of interest in jewelry, but this is a bit different, lol*
Oh, and yes, his diamonds are stunning, not like i have a lot to compare with, just looked at stores with stones already set in rings, but still, i thought his stones were very very nice. And i love the fact i have an AGS cert with it. *actually, i have two certs from AGS, an "old" one and one with the new test standards

*

 

[Small]

You won''t be disappointed with the end product that I promise

My pictures are posted! I can''t wait to see yours! Congrats again on such a wonderful purchase

 

[Razza]

well, i just saw ur ring+stone, sweeeeeeeeeeeeet, so beautiful, and ur so lucky to get such a good deal on the stone, although i must say i''m very very happy on my own deal

Ahhhhhh, i wanna post my own pics now, just a couple weeks of waiting left, lol.

 

[Razza]

hmm, okay, just one more question. I''m a bit worried about the width of the band. I spoke with the metalsmith today and asked about the width of the band. He said 3,5mm would be necessary. I know my girl likes a thin band, however, not sure how thin, maybe just not thick. My question is, is 3,5mm sorta thin or is it considered thick? Should i ask the metalsmith for a thinner band? Or should i just trust his judgement on what is possible for the design? I already posted a pic before, but this one is much more detailed, maybe someone can comment on the width of the band based on this picture. Thnx again