The Diamond is in! I get to see it in -- two weeks?

[EZ]

Two Weeks???

According to the FedEx tracking number the diamond made it to Atlanta this morning. I, on the other hand, am hundreds of miles away!

Why is this is great news for me?

Due to the nature of our long distance relationship I have had the stone sent to my sweetie in Atlanta. She gets to pick it up this morning and I'll get to see it when I visit the weekend of August 13. Having proposed on July 4th with a CZ promise ring it will be so nice for her to see an actual diamond that is all hers. I have asked her to take pictures but, ahem, there is a reason she is not shooting magazine covers for TIME (tm).

I am just about as good a photographer so I cannot promise anything...

The folks at Whiteflash have been great to deal with so far. They worked with me on the viewing time and extended it so that we can both have a chance to look at it before making up our mind. Jamie, Lesley, Denise, Sandi, and Vera have all been helpful and shared information freely without any pressure. They answered even my silliest questions without a hint of talking down to me. I would not hesitate to recommend dealing with them or the other i-tailers that I have spoken with on this journey. My advice to anyone questioning an internet deal would be to talk with as many vendors as possible. You will probably find one that makes you feel comfortable and in tune with what you want. If not you will still gain valuable experience in discussing and explaining what you want so that you can deal with an B&M if you so choose.

My fiancé is now looking at settings. At first she wanted something very simple, she is not much into bling. I on the other hand have been pointing her to some of the custom jewelers that have been shared on this forum. I think she is starting to see that she can get "simple" and elegant and different without having to get flashy. Even something that seems inconsequential, like a touch of engraving, or a bit of a ridgeline can really add to the overall effect. More than that, I think she is starting to have some fun with it! Now when I ask her about the setting the answer has shifted from "whatever" to "Well I like the xyz on that one..."

 

[EZ]

Her comment on the phone just now, "Wow!"

Hot off the digital press are a couple of first looks. She said that she could not get a picture outside because the glare and reflection just overpowered the poor automatic digital camera's brain. Whiteout in the middle of the summer.

So, can anyone give us advice on taking great pictures like the ones in the gallery? I am guessing that manual settings and tripods might be in order. ??? She has a pretty nice camera (Sony something or other) so with the right hints we should be able to get something better than these...

 

[EZ]

Almost visible...

 

[belle]

hey! that''s a good pic!

outside in filtered light will work very well....try finding just a bit of shade. turn the flash off.
of course a tripod would be great, but it is not necessary. if there is an automatic timer on the camera, use that so there is no extra movement caused by pushing the button.
for close ups, find the macro setting.
i''m sure you''ll come up with some good pics!
can''t wait to see them!

 

[EZ]

Thanks Belle, I''ll pass that on. Here''s one more of the "before" shots. She called just before going to work to apologize for the quality but i think they are good also. I let her know that they were almost as pretty as she is.

 

[valeria101]

Can''t decide what is more impresisve - the diamond or the way you handled the story! Making this ring does sound as happy as one may ever imagine. Congratulations... most sincerely

 

[MissAva]

Nice pictures for a nice stone, very nice. What sort of setting is she thinking about putting her stone in?

 

[Kaleigh]

What a beautiful stone!!!!!

 

[belle]

you''re welcome

that''s a nice looking rock!

can you tell us more about it?

 

[EZ]

Sorry for the delay - here is an update. This weekend I flew out to Atlanta and we went to look at settings at Solomon Brothers. They had quite a display based on other jewelers we had been to. Colleen wanted me to see the Vatche X-prong and Royal Crown settings in person. I liked them both but I liked the RC just a bit better. She agreed but then made me pick out the metal.

Hmmm.... I hate decisions like that. What if I pick wrong?

So after looking at them with and without plain bands and channel set bands I finally leaned toward gold. Platinum is indeed pretty but there was just something that looked better about the gold. When a diamond wedding band was added the platinum just looked way to busy while the gold still had an elegance to it. I really really hope she didn't secretly want platinum.

Okay, so here are some specs: It is Whiteflash ACA of 1 carat with pretty good numbers. The photos still aren't that great. Using a Sony Powershot this is what I could come up with. I have not figured out how to post multiple pics so bear with me...

Edited to add link and credit WF -- cts

 

[EZ]

Arrows...

It is really hard to get good alignment withiyt the right gear.

 

[blueroses]

Holy moly!!!! GORGEOUS STONE!!!! Can you post a pic of the setting you mean?

Congrats!!

 

[EZ]

The "Handshot"

 

[EZ]

Date: 8/16/2005 7:41:49 PM
Author: blueroses
Holy moly!!!! GORGEOUS STONE!!!! Can you post a pic of the setting you mean?

Congrats!!

Sure thing! It is just a stock Vatche setting (922). The actual setting was just ordered and they said it will be a few weeks before it gets in. However, for ''educational purposes'' here is a shot from the Vatche web site.

I would like to add a personal touch to it if doable. Would it be possible for a jeweler to set a melee on each shoulder? Maybe under each side of the basket? Maybe something else would help to set it apart and really set it off? She says she doesn''t like lots of bling but I saw how she was looking at the channel set version... Or, once it is cast is it just too hard to retrofit?

Also, I have another thread going on mounting orientation. Any ideas are appreciated!