Solasfera cut

[skog]

First of all I am a long time lurker that has been trying to read every post I could read. I am looking to buy a e-ring. I like the look of the solasfera on good old gold. They said call for the price but the days they dont work are also the days that I dont work so i cant get a price to see it they are within my budget. Also I am sure with all the extra facets they will sparkle alot but will they be too busy and the sparkle take away from the flash and fire. I really like the way they peg the b-scope. Can anybody give a ball park price on what a .75ish stone the is f vs2 would cost. Also the stones are listed as H&A but the hearts in the pics are different colors halves sometimes (ie. one half is white and the other is grey) Is this because the camers is at a slight angle or is the stone not as nicely cut as they say. I also cannot get a sarin report to work for any of the solasfera stones. I assume this is because it is a branded stone and they dont want people to know how they cut it. Also is good old gold a honest dealer or have there been problems with them? Finally I have only found one setting that I really like and it is at blue nile. What kind of trouble would i run into if i bought a stone from good old gold and the setting from bluenile and took it to the locol B&M and asked them to set it.

Thanks
skog

 

[MissAva]

I would say that GOG has an excellent reputaion here on PS. I have not heard of anyone having problems with either GOG service or stones. As for the cut I belive that it has extra facets and that would be why the hearts appear different colors. If you cannot make the phone call I would suggest emailing them. THey have a reputaion for being promt and pleasent.

 

[belle]

solasfera does have extra facets. the pattern is similar to the traditional h&a, excpet that there are 10 hearts instead of the standard 8. some people really like the look, while others do not. as with all cuts, it is a personal decision.

 

[Maxine]

I was on GOG''s website today, and it said they weren''t having in store appts. this week...however, they were doing other contacts.....like email.....I know Jonathan posted here today...so maybe you should PM and e-mail him at the same time.......

 

[JD_MD]

I wouldn''t hesitate to work with GOG...Jonathan has been extremely helpful and understanding throughout my diamond search. He can also find you a Solasfera that may not be in his inventory since he has a good relationship with the designer and cutter of Solasfera.

I can''t give you an exact price on a Solasfera, but I have priced them myself in larger sizes and there is definitely a pricing premium above typical H&A stones. The pricing differential reflects both the loss of carat weight that occurs when a Solasfera is cut, as well as the added cost of paying a top notch cutter to spend the time needed to create the 91 facets and perfect symmetry. As a ROUGH estimate, the premium is about 20%, but it varies depending on the size, color etc.

I can also say having seen several Solasfera diamonds that the effect is many more smaller sparkles of light as opposed to fewer, larger "pops" that occur in a RB. The overall light output on a Solasfera is greater, but in a more subtle way. I personally prefer Solasferas only in sizes over 1.5 carats, because they seem a bit "busy" in smaller sizes...just my opinion though.

Hope that helps...

 

[belle]

Date: 7/18/2005 4:55:50 PM
Author: JD_MD
I can also say having seen several Solasfera diamonds that the effect is many more smaller sparkles of light as opposed to fewer, larger ''pops'' that occur in a RB. The overall light output on a Solasfera is greater, but in a more subtle way. I personally prefer Solasferas only in sizes over 1.5 carats, because they seem a bit ''busy'' in smaller sizes...just my opinion though.

Hope that helps...

i agree....more facets may have a better impact in the larger sized diamonds.

 

[SUPA IDEAL KID]

Skog,

You can''t go wrong with GOG and Solasfera. Jon and Tim at GOG will be able to help you find your E-Ring.

As far as the setting is concerned, I am sure you can simply show GOG the picture and they can get you similar or exactly the same.

If Blue Nile has it, I am certain you can get it elsewhere.

Let us know what you get. Post a pic!!!

 

[kenny]

Be conscious of the tendency to conform to what is simply more usual.

When I compared the Solasfera next to an H&A I was looking with little experience.
I haven't looked at tons of 58-facet diamonds, which would make anything different seem odd.

So for me all I had to do is decide between the two stones in sitting front of me.
What do I like better, the one on the left or the one on the right?
The Solasfera just looked better to me, a lot better.
Every other person I showed them to agreed immediately, they didn't have to think about it.

It is not better to drive on the left side of the street.
But it sure feels weird when you are used to driving on the right side.

Don't let what other people are used to influence you too much.
Decide for yourself.
After comparing them side-by-side if you prefer the H&A or think the 20% or so extra for a Solasfera is not worth it to you, then buy an H&A.

 

[Bartwick]

Responses to the original post have been interesting but haven''t addressed all of the questions posed. I recently purchased a Solasfera. My feeling is that there is a small premium over prices for similar 4C measures over prices on places such as bluenile.com. The premium may be about 5% or so but that''s a rough guess. I think it’s well worth it while buying better clarity is waste of money. You can use this to get a ballpark price for the stone you want. Alternatively, on the Solasfera website you can find a list of dealers. You can also call David So who designed the cut.

With my stone, I received the Sarin report, GIA, and Gemex report. There are so many measurements that go into a cut that the angles and what not in the Sarin report do not serve as full representation of the cut. The dealer even showed me two AGS 000 stones (neither Solasfera) of equal weight. One was beautiful, the other dull. The lessons being that there are many other factors to a cut.

I didn''t have the diamond dealer make my setting. The person who made the setting had to take very detailed measurements of the stone so I wouldn''t recommend buying a setting from someone who never looked at your stone. Furthermore, except for truly hand crafted and highly detailed settings, most settings can be copied by a competent jeweler. If you show a picture of the setting you want, your jeweler can most likely make the setting for you.

Hope this helps

 

[JROC]

I was in the same boat. I wanted to get a H&A diamond and them found out about the Solasfera diamond. When I saw the pictures and all the information on GOG I was almost sold. I read a lot of people opinions on here such as, better in 1ct + diamonds and in smaller ct weight diamond looks like broken glass. I was debating on two diamond, one an H&A (.93 D/VS1) and the other a Solasfera (.93 G/VS2), the Solasfera was about $300 - $400 more, not bad at all.

eventhough I never saw either of them in person I decided to go witht he H&A not the Solasfera. One reason is that I decided that the Solasfera while beautiful looked too busy. The more I compared the more I like the 58 facet cut more. I am definitly happy with my choice because to me it has a lot of Briliance and Fire - both VH and H-VH on the scintillation.

I think the price difference is minimal and I would say that if I was looking at a 1.25 ct + diamond I think I would have bought a Solasfera.

Here is a link with a picture of the H&A I purchased. https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/hello-from-a-newbie.32011/

 

[chil1]

I just compared two comparable diamonds, one a Solasfera and the other H&A AGS0.

To my limited knowledge, untrained eye, and lack of diamond intellect, I wouldn''t be able to tell the difference between these two diamonds other than maybe the smaller, busier sparkles. The virtual tool pretty much proves that there isn''t much difference so it makes me wonder how much weight I should even put into this tool. It seems to me that Solasfera is different, branded, and there is a premium for that look. Some may like it and pay more and some may not like it.

The Solasfera is on the left, H&A on the right.