The never ending search...

[mrssalvo]

I really love that setting too. I like DS that I just love the classic simple settings but their is a huge part of me drawn to settings like the one you posted. it''s gorgeous...

 

[Ellen]

What are the drawbacks of VG grade in symmetry?

From everything I''ve read, with the naked eye, none.



Who at JA can look at this and tell me if it''s completely eye clean?
Give Jim a call and ask him to look at the stone(s).



Will JA provide an Idealscope image?
That I''m not sure, ask Jim.


That setting is very pretty!

 

[MrsT]

I don''t want to start a new post so I hope someone will check in today to answer this issue.

I just finished reading tutorials on Clarity.

Can the stone below really be VS2?

JA139987: Many, many inclusions I don''t even know how to count them.
The cert is tricky to read becaue its posted horizontal but it you move the bar you can see the map.
http://www.jamesallen.com/diamond.asp?find=1&cid=130&item=139987

How can this be called a VS2?

Red flags go up when I see so many inclusions and then I start to question the integrity of the report.

Aren''t there paramaters as to how many inclustions a stone can have to be called a VS2?

(I vow to pick a stone by the end of this week!)

Mrs T

 

[Ellen]

Date: 9/18/2006 9:54:25 AM
Author: Mrs.T
I don''t want to start a new post so I hope someone will check in today to answer this issue.

I just finished reading tutorials on Clarity.

Can the stone below really be VS2?

JA139987: Many, many inclusions I don''t even know how to count them.
The cert is tricky to read becaue its posted horizontal but it you move the bar you can see the map.
http://www.jamesallen.com/diamond.asp?find=1&cid=130&item=139987

How can this be called a VS2?

Red flags go up when I see so many inclusions and then I start to question the integrity of the report.

Aren''t there paramaters as to how many inclustions a stone can have to be called a VS2?

(I vow to pick a stone by the end of this week!)

Mrs T

Hi Mrs.T!

Well, it has more to do with size, location, ability to be seen face up with a loupe. I have seen VS2''s that look like this. It''s graded by a very reputable lab, I would not be too worried. Just call Jim, and ask him to take a look.

 

[Ellen]

Did you talk to Jim? Any progress??

 

[MrsT]

Hi Ellen: Thanks so much for checking in. I posted a reply but it''s not here. Sorry to take so long to respond.

Yes, I''ve talked to Jim about a few of his diamonds and none of them are in-house. One has the wrong certificate and he''s getting it all sorted out and is going to call me back. He is a very nice person.
I''m not too thrilled that he can''t see the diamonds for himself and we have to rely on the pictures posted and the broker for an opinion on how it looks in real life. Some of those pictures look strange to me.

Another problem has come up and I would like an opinion if you don''t mind.

I''ve been searching my three favorite PS vendors as you well know. Shouldn''t I just stick with one at this point?
I feel really bad because the diamonds are not in-house. That means a lot of time must be spent by the vendor checking out these stones. In the meantime I''m checking out other stones with another vendor?

This doesn''t feel right. It was one thing when I did a cut search and one vendor had a possibility and another as well. But when it turned out they have to do all this work to get the details - I feel awful.

I also realized that one of the JA stones coincidentally is the same exact stone that WF has brought to my attention.
I didn''t realize it at first but it''s true. And, JA is more money. I know this is the exact stone because even the width and length/depth is exact.

Any suggestions how to proceed? It looks like what I''m looking for isn''t in-house at most of these places and I''m kind of nervous about the process of getting stones in. I will have to pay the insurance/shipping if they get the stone in and I don''t take it. If I do that a couple of times I could have paid for a plane ticket to Houston.

If I do get the courage to have a stone brought in for me, I will need to be very sure that it looks good on paper first and I will need some nudging from the experts here. Don''t you think?

Will this ever end?

Mrs T

 

[Ellen]

I understand how you''re feeling, but remember, this is their job, to find you a diamond. I don''t think you''ve done anything unreasonable, or have tied up their time too much. Lots of people have a few vendors working for them, I don''t think that is unreasonable.

OK, does Jim have ANY stone you''re REALLY interested in? If so, you might have that one brought in to have a look. If not, then you might pick who you want to go with and wait for them to find what you want, if you''re more comfortable that way. But I''m sure you realize that may take a while in this size.

If and when you find a stone with promise, of course we''d all be glad to help you decide if it''s one to be looked at!

And yes, it will end. Just remember, Good things come to those who wait.

 

[MrsT]

Thanks Ellen!

I''m at the point that I just want it over with. But I will try to hang on a bit longer.

Do you know anything about small tables? There is a stone at GOG that I keep going to but the small table bothers me because I think it will make the stone seem smaller. It''s just shy of 2.00 - 1.96 to be exact. Some have said to just wait for a full 2.00ct.

Mrs T

 

[Ellen]

Date: 9/21/2006 8:20:43 AM
Author: Mrs.T
Thanks Ellen!

I''m at the point that I just want it over with. But I will try to hang on a bit longer.

Do you know anything about small tables? There is a stone at GOG that I keep going to but the small table bothers me because I think it will make the stone seem smaller. It''s just shy of 2.00 - 1.96 to be exact. Some have said to just wait for a full 2.00ct.

Mrs T

You''re welcome!

I had a small tabled stone briefly (54), almost the same size stone as the one I have now, and a tad deeper, it didn''t really look much smaller in retrospect.

I personally would NOT pay to hit the 2 ct mark for something I don''t think visually you''re going to notice. I think that''s a great size, you''re getting the 2 ct look without paying for it, but that''s just me.

If you want to post the link, we could have a look, but that''s up to you.

 

[mrssalvo]

mrs. t I understand how your feeling. at some point I would probably narrow it down to working with one vendor but that''s just me. I agree with ellen that going with a 1.96 could really be a great thing b/c you avoid the price increase at 2 carat and you wouldn''t be able to tell a difference b/t the 1.96 and a 2. at all.

 

[Stone Hunter]

I agree with Ellen and Mrssalvo. They are very diamond savy!

At this point you may want to start looking at the mm size rather than the ct wt for comparisons. So 1.96ct may be just what you want in mm size! I didn''t see why you want to hit the 2ct mark. If nosey people ask you about your stone you could still say 2ct, and it wouldn''t be a lie. Many jewelry stores give a range.

I hate that the stones you like are not in house! Good luck finding exactly what you want.

 

[MrsT]

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/2379/

This is the stone with the small table. I kind of thought it should be less money than it is. But everything looks good.
Not my favorite angles but what do I know!! It''s also a little steep. Is this a case where it shouldn''t matter about the numbers, because the Gemex is so great?

I thought the small table would also make the diamond appear dark in the center. I haven''t seen enough diamonds to know this.


Thanks Mrs T

 

[Ellen]

OK, I had a look. Honestly, it's a little deeper than I'd want to go normally, but you're really not losing much diameter, you're still going to get the 2ct look. The symmetry is not quite what I was expecting either. However, the Gemex pretty much couldn't get any better, and IS looks good. And on top of that, it's got the coveted AGS000 cert.

At this point, I'd call Jon, ask him to be brutally honest about the stone, voice your concerns about the middle looking dark, and see what he says. If he doesn't say anything to steer you away, I'd bring it home and have a look. I know you don't want to spend a lot of money shipping stones, but when buying online, it can come with the territory. And you are buying a hard to find size. Look at it this way, you'd have to ship a lot of stones to spend what you're saving online.

I'd give Jon a call!

 

[mrssalvo]

Date: 9/21/2006 3:05:31 PM
Author: Ellen
OK, I had a look. Honestly, it''s a little deeper than I''d want to go nomally, but you''re really not losing much diameter, you''re still going to get the 2ct look. The symmetry is not quite what I was expecting either. However, the Gemex pretty much couldn''t get any better, and IS looks good. And on top of that, it''s got the coveted AGS000 cert.


At this point, I''d call Jon, ask him to be brutally honest about the stone, voice your concerns about the middle looking dark, and see what he says. If he doesn''t say anything to steer you away, I''d bring it home and have a look. I know you don''t want to spend a lot of money shipping stones, but when buying online, it can come with the territory. And you are buying a hard to find size. Look at it this way, you''d have to ship a lot of stones to spend what you''re saving online.


I''d give Jon a call!

I agree with everything ellen said. Jon will be completely honest with you and give you his opinion as well as addressing your concerns. I definitley think it may be worth a look if Jon gives it a thumbs up.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I can say that Jonathan has been totally honest with me..to the point of recommending a less expensive stone than I might have bought! But I just wanted to chime in and say that a stone in the 1.9 range is a fantastic opportunity! Gosh, to think of all those months I looked for one in the 1.4 range for the great value of getting just under 1.5!!! Then I ended up with 1.6, Lol! But if I upgraded again, I''d be surely looking at just under 2 cts. I am going to admit being OCD on numbers, but I honestly and truly think that AGS0 stones are pretty sure bets 99.9% of the time. You have to be more careful with the GIA Excellents, but like Ellen, I found a great one!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

PS: The helium report says the table is 54.1, so it is not really extraordinarily small.

 

[MrsT]

I am very close to making a choice.
I will either spend more than I wanted for the 2.00ct or lower the carat weight to 1.75. The price of the 1.75 allows me more money for the setting.

So now I''m scrambling to know the price of the setting! Thank goodness I have been working on that. I have three different settings I''ve been researching but I have some questions on the eternity styles.

I''ve been pouring over the photo''s of the eternity style sets. There are a few ways to go. I''ve always leaned towards the 5 stone sets in 15 - 20 points for the comfort level.
Now I love the look of the full eternity for both rings but using smaller size stones. I prefer 3/4 around.

So I''m thinking, to save money, can I get away with wearing a 1.75ct with large hands and ring size of 8?

I''ve been to the stores and looked at them but I always felt I should go larger but I never saw that size stone set in a ring like I''m describing here.

Would 8 - 10 point stones in the eternity bands look right with a 1.75ct center?

Would that also be fine with a 2.00ct center?

I think 2 -3 pts looks great on so many of your rings, but I don''t think it will be good for me.

I know I''m all over the place here. I''ve gone from 2.00ct down to 1.75ct. It''s just nuts. These are things I have to think about in order to make the best decision.

Mrs T

 

[mrssalvo]

mrs t, diamondseeker just ordered a memoire band with 10 pointers to wear with her 1.6 stone so I think 10 pointers would be fine with a 1.75 or 2.0. I might even do 10 pointers with my 1.5. I think kaleigh has .18''s with her 2.2 center stone. I would suggest getting the stone size you want and then trying to find the size eternity band you like best. At least that''s what I''m doing

 

[Mara]

Mrs T it''s a tough decision!! For me 1.75c is not big enough for a size 8 finger if you are looking for SIZE. But I can totally see the idea of pairing a 1.75c with a blingy eternity band to really add some extra oomph. So if saving a few thousand for a blingy wedding band with a 1.75c makes sense, I say go for it. I love that look of course and think that a solitaire does benefit from that extra sparkle in something like a 2ctw shared prong or something similar.

 

[MrsT]

I''m so glad to hear your opinions.

Mrs Salvo: Memoire doesn''t make a full eternity semi-mount or a 3/4. They are mostly 1/2 way around. I think that can look like a full eternity. I''m pricing a 9 stone band with an 8 stone semi-mount. Do you know any manufacturers that do 3/4 in 10 point stones? SP doesn''t seem to have that size.

Mara: Can I tell you the difference between the 1.75 and 2.00 is about 8k!

Thanks so much. It really helps to hear from you.

Mrs T

 

[mrssalvo]

Date: 9/25/2006 1:10:55 PM
Author: Mrs.T

Mrs Salvo: Memoire doesn''t make a full eternity semi-mount or a 3/4. They are mostly 1/2 way around. I think that can look like a full eternity. I''m pricing a 9 stone band with an 8 stone semi-mount. Do you know any manufacturers that do 3/4 in 10 point stones? SP doesn''t seem to have that size.


Mrs T

mrs. t, memoire does make a full eternity semimount. i believer you are right that they don''t make a 3/4 but they do make 5, 7, or 9 stones I believe. here''s a pic of the full eternity from Pearlmans site.

 

[mrssalvo]

here''s a picture that dee*jay took of some of the memoire eternity bands that pearlmans carries:.

 

[Mara]

wow $8k! you could get a serious eternity band for that ! hehee.

i like the idea of doing a classic solitaire for the 1.75 and then a 2-3ctw eternity ring aka with 10 pointers that can also stand on it''s own.

 

[MrsT]

Thanks for the pictures! I just love the low profile of the Memore designs.

Very close to making a decision. Hope I don''t chicken out.

Are H-SI1 stones o.k. for the stones on the eternity band?

Mrs T

 

[mrssalvo]

H-SI1 stones would be fine with me for an eternity band..

 

[MrsT]

I just took an important step. I put a diamond on hold today!

After looking at some very lovely diamonds at other PS vendors, I made my decision. I''m just tired of searching at this point.
I think my choice is a good one.

Next, I told DH that I needed a check - he said: " oh good!"

Now we''ll see if I can pull the trigger.
If I do not loose my nerve, the one I picked will be the WF ACA. As much as I absolutely loved my conversations with Jim at James Allen, I could not resist the pedigree of the ACA. I hope I will not be disappointed.

I think some of the ladies on the board have eternity style bands and mountings made by WF. I''m thinking of having one made with the 10 pt. accent stones.
Do they have a low profile? Meaning: Do they sit low on the finger?

Is the WF design hard to keep clean becasue the gallery is closed? Thats the inside of the shank.

Is the standard prongs o.k. or should they be modifyed?

I''m really getting excited now!!!

Mrs T

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Mrs. T, congrats on your stone!!! As MrsS told you, I did just order a Memoire band. It is beautifully made. I love the 10 point stones, but I''ll have to be honest and tell you that I personally would not like an e-ring and wedding band both with 10 point stones. I think it would be a little over the top on the bling scale for me! I am wearing my stone in a plain solitaire setting. I chose not to get full eternity wedding band because I was worried about banging the stones and prongs when I grab door handles and things like that. I tried on a 9 stone, but I could tell that a 7 stone would totally cover the top and side of my ring finger which is about 5 1/4. So that''s what I went with.

I''ll be very interested to see what you decide!!!

 

[Stone Hunter]

So COOL that you have almost made a choice!!! It is just so hard. Please post photos and your take on the diamond when you look at it.

 

[MrsT]

Hello

DiamondSeeker: I think you make a good point. There is no right or wrong solution. It''s a personal taste issue. I want the final product to be in good taste and I don''t want to over power the center stone with too much bling from the bands. I can be a bit of a "bling-hog". I''ve drooled over all the beautiful eternity sets on Mara''s post. While 2-3pt accent stones look great on all those lovely hands, I just don''t think it will work for me.

I''ll probably get my stone and bring it with me to shop for a setting. That will be the best way to judge the most flattering size/style for me.

WF will make a 3/4 for me. What''s really nice about them is they use ACA accent stones. I''m just not so sure about the styling of the ring. How can I get some owners of WF eternities to help me with questions on the way they''ve designed this type of setting? Should I post a seperate question?


Stone Hunter: Your screen name brings to mind: After this upgrade, I probably won''t be hunting for stones for a long, long, time.

You''d think I''d be happy about it at this point. Well maybe I''ll help my kids shop for diamonds when the time comes. I can hear them now: "No thanks Mom!"

Can''t wait to get to the point where I can post pictures.

Mrs T

 

[mrssalvo]

mrs t. I think the best thing to do is to go and try on settings to see what you like on your hand. I just went to a local store the other day and was surprised that one of the styles I loved online pictures of, i didn' love nearly as much on and another style I loved, when I put it on, it just felt right so you really will be able to get a much better idea with an in person shopping trip. I agree with DS that 10 pointers on both the e-ring and wedding band might be a lot for a 1.75 stone. the center will probably blend in a bit but it will be blindingly sparkley

. have you considered doing a 3 stone ring for the e-ring and pairing that with an eternity band?