Neil's appraisal

[justginger]

To those old cut connoisseurs, congratulations on your sharp eyes! O/P was Neil's estimate, as some of you guessed. The clarity was as estimated, the cut and patterning excellent. The Sarin and ASET looked great (more green than red, as expected), the cutlet only off by 2%.

Now, I was hoping for M/N. Hum. Neil did say the price is still about 8k under realistic retail, so that's nice to know.

Another stone has presented itself. I do still love the face ting and performance of this one, just concerned about that color. I've not seen O/P in person.

And Neil was brilliant - very thorough and quick!

 

[Enerchi]

I'm glad you had it appraised. I foolishly thought otherwise, in terms of appraising, but it looks like the end result was worth the time, effort and relieved a lot of worry. Glad you listened to the wisdom of others (and not my stupid input! )

But are you now considering a different stone?

 

[Haven]

I thought your stone looked nice and warm! I wasn't going to say anything, though.

I still love the stone and can't wait to hear what you decide!

FWIW, I went from an EGL G to a GIA O-P and I absolutely adore my O-P. I think it's a very personal preference, of course, but I'm so happy I didn't pass on the stone just because of the color.

 

[Dreamer_D]

Hmmm. Is there no way to see it in person before the deal is sealed? It seems to tick many boxes -- great cut, size, and fair or even deal-worthy price. But color is an important variable.

And not to beat a dead horse but I think this does illustrate the whole rule of thumb of letting price help guide you towards a diamonds "true specs".

ETA: It could be an M-N per GIA. Or it could face up as an M-N. Neil's opinion is just one more piece of the puzzle, it is not the rule either.

 

[fridays_child]

Wow, good eyes people! Apparently I was way off, and you *can* tell color from photos Sorry it wasn't the color you wanted justginger, it does seem like a great deal. Tough decision for sure.

 

[SparklyOEC]

To those old cut connoisseurs, congratulations on your sharp eyes! O/P was Neil's estimate, as some of you guessed. The clarity was as estimated, the cut and patterning excellent. The Sarin and ASET looked great (more green than red, as expected), the cutlet only off by 2%.

Now, I was hoping for M/N. Hum. Neil did say the price is still about 8k under realistic retail, so that's nice to know.

Another stone has presented itself. I do still love the face ting and performance of this one, just concerned about that color. I've not seen O/P in person.

And Neil was brilliant - very thorough and quick!

I think you need to see the stone in person before making a decision ( I know that's part of your dilemma though); you may absolutely fall in love with it. Do you have a pic of the other stone you're considering?

 

[justginger]

After a lot of thought and soliciting more info from Neil, I have decided to proceed with this purchase.

As per Neil, it is an absolutely fantastic stone, lively and faces up quite white. He also casually mentioned that John Pollard was in the shop and loved the stone. Those opinions, in addition to the videos and photos I fell in love with, are enough for me to take a punt and commit.

The stone is being set as a solitaire in rose gold, fleur-de-lis detail on the basket (no, it's not a replica of your's Haven - I adore your's but feel uncomfortable copying anyone's unique custom setting), plain 2.5 mm cathedral shank. Very, very low set. Adam's bench is CAD and casting it in less than 5 days. Amazing. I'll post the CADs tomorrow.

 

[Haven]

I am so excited that you're getting this stone!!!! I CANNOT wait to see it set!

I think there is something very bewitching about my O-P, and I imagine you will find yours to be the same. The only negative is that I do spend quite a bit of time staring at it when nobody's watching. And I have been known to shoot video in strange public places. These stones can be quite distracting.

Your setting sounds beautiful. I'd be flattered if anyone ever chose to replicate it. It's not like I came up with the design without inspiration from other PSers' rings, anyway. It's certainly not that unique! I do think rose gold is absolutely amazing with an O-P. I can't wait to see it on your hand!

 

[armywife13]

Sounds like you will have a beautiful ring, congratulations! I can't wait to see the CADs.

 

[bright ice]

It sounds like you made a great decision. I think (hope) you will fall in love with it once you get it.

 

[Dreamer_D]

Cut is king with old cuts and new, and if the diamond is the size you want and the cut you want - both rare features -- then bending on color seems fair Haven's O/P is silvery like Adam says this one is, and it faces up a beautiful color.

I hope you love it!

 

[GemFever]

The only negative is that I do spend quite a bit of time staring at it when nobody's watching. And I have been known to shoot video in strange public places. These stones can be quite distracting.

heh, too true!!

justginger: congrats!!! sounds like it will be an awesome stone. Can't wait for your pics. Cheers!

 

[fridays_child]

After a lot of thought and soliciting more info from Neil, I have decided to proceed with this purchase.

As per Neil, it is an absolutely fantastic stone, lively and faces up quite white. He also casually mentioned that John Pollard was in the shop and loved the stone. Those opinions, in addition to the videos and photos I fell in love with, are enough for me to take a punt and commit.

The stone is being set as a solitaire in rose gold, fleur-de-lis detail on the basket (no, it's not a replica of your's Haven - I adore your's but feel uncomfortable copying anyone's unique custom setting), plain 2.5 mm cathedral shank. Very, very low set. Adam's bench is CAD and casting it in less than 5 days. Amazing. I'll post the CADs tomorrow.

Wow, it sounds like you got an amazing stone at an AMAZING price! I am super excited for you, even almost as excited as I am to get my own finished ring Youf setting sounds like it will be really beautiful. I can't wait to see the outcome. Congratulations!

 

[ZahraLeyla]

justginger, as you know, my stone is a GIA O/P. I have zillions of pictures of it set and unset if you're interested, and since we're both in the same place, I'd be more than happy to meet up with you and let you have a play with it if that makes things easier. The only caveat I would add is that old cuts of the same colour seem to have a wide range of 'face up' looks, so what my stone does face up may not be exactly what yours does.

Let me know, and I will try and organise something off PS for you.

 

[SparklyOEC]

After a lot of thought and soliciting more info from Neil, I have decided to proceed with this purchase.

As per Neil, it is an absolutely fantastic stone, lively and faces up quite white. He also casually mentioned that John Pollard was in the shop and loved the stone. Those opinions, in addition to the videos and photos I fell in love with, are enough for me to take a punt and commit.

The stone is being set as a solitaire in rose gold, fleur-de-lis detail on the basket (no, it's not a replica of your's Haven - I adore your's but feel uncomfortable copying anyone's unique custom setting), plain 2.5 mm cathedral shank. Very, very low set. Adam's bench is CAD and casting it in less than 5 days. Amazing. I'll post the CADs tomorrow.

Awesome! Can't wait to see.

 

[onedrop]

Congrats on the choice!!

 

[Chloegal]

Wow, you must be thrilled now that you have pulled the trigger. It did seem to have your name on it and I`m sure it will be even better when you see it irl.

The appraiser would have given you a very honest opinion as to it`s `looks` and you can be confident now that it`s all good.

 

[justginger]

Gah, this search has really highlighted how truly indecisive I am!

The setting choice has changed. Due to both timing issues, and the comfort of the jeweler to execute the design perfectly, we've decided to set it in a plain platinum solitaire. A Boston Jeff. I've always LOVED his ring, so that's certainly not a compromise on my part - but it is massively different to the rose gold, more ornate style I was picturing. It's a blessing though, as my intention for the ring is to have something sturdy and simple, which the rose gold setting would NOT have been. I feel very comfortable going forward with this revised, simpler design, and so does the jeweler. Thank goodness...he's the one who really counts when you're trying to churn through CADS/cast/setting in the matter of about 3 days now.

Zahra, I missed your previous generous offer to meet up. I'd love to have a play with your ring if possible! I know they're all different, but it would be nice to have a general idea of what to expect. I've actually got a very open weekend - it's our last before we go away so I cleared my entire schedule for the inevitable laundry, packing, last minute shopping. Do you want me to maybe put an ad on DB so you can contact me via email?

Thank you to everyone for your kind words and shared excitement. I imagine you can all sympathize when I say that no one in my real life is very good to talk to about these things (minus one real life PSer, of course)! It's lovely to have so many people involved in such a huge purchase for me.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Oh, Ginger! How perfect to meet with Zahra! And what a funny coincidence it is for you both to end up with O-P diamonds!

I am so glad you sent the stone to Neil to evaluate. I just think it is essential on ungraded stones worth more than a few thousand dollars.

Why not set it in a temp setting for now rather than rush? You have access to Mike Robinson or anyone else for that matter, and I really think seeing the stone for awhile might help you make the best choice on the setting.

 

[justginger]

You know, DS, Adam's bench prices are so reasonable that even in platinum and made from scratch, it still is cheap enough for me to consider it fairly temporary. I've been quoted $1200-1400, and it's a great 10 x 10, so if I choose a more elaborate setting (like from Mike) later on, that setting can easily be used again for a calibrated CS. I don't know - it seems to me that price isn't far off a stock setting, plus setting costs?

 

[diamondseeker2006]

No, it could be set in a wg setting for $300 or so. I don't personally like colored stones in solitaire settings, so I wouldn't want to plan to reuse a platinum setting for that. I'd save the money for the permanent setting.

 

[justginger]

Ahh...that cheap?! I remember getting a stock setting with two tiny baguettes in it, and set with a princess center stone, from my family jeweler in 2004 and it was nearly a thousand dollars!

Honestly though, I think this plain setting will be its forever home. I just needed a mental check to not get ahead of myself and get too complicated. I already have an ornate Leon halo and I NEED something solid and durable for a stone this large. I want to be able to wear in often, comfortably, including at work where I am in and out of gloves. I can't imagine squeezing the likes of Zahra's ring into a latex glove!

Thanks so much for the suggestion and thought-provoking though. If I hadn't been eyeballing the Boston Jeff for years already, I would go the temp setting route. As it is, I am excited to see it in this setting and anticipate leaving it there for either a) ever or b) a very, very long time.

 

[Dreamer_D]

Ginger how wide and thick will your shank be for this new solitaire? Durability to me means a 2.3mm minimum width shank with a goodly depth/height as well.

 

[justginger]

D, it will be 2.3-2.5mm, but there has been no mention of depth. I'll ask Adam when I hear from him next. What depth would you suggest?

 

[bright ice]

D, it will be 2.3-2.5mm, but there has been no mention of depth. I'll ask Adam when I hear from him next. What depth would you suggest?

Any news on your setting from Adam yet? I can't wait to see it

 

[justginger]

I spoke with Adam on Tuesday morning. At that point the ring had been cast and the finishing/polishing/setting would be taking place over Tuesday and Wednesday morning. It needs to be popped in the mail on Wednesday afternoon/evening to be overnighted to my parents. Then they'll bring it to me, with me first laying eyes on it on Saturday afternoon.

I'm so excited to see it!! I feel like this:

It's hard to sit still.

It's somewhat overshadowing my excitement for our 5 week holiday, so I'm glad I'll get it right at the very beginning. Once I get all oohey-gooey over it, I can start having fun on the trip!

 

[fridays_child]

Love the running smiley guy.

That was really fast! And perfect timing for your trip. It's funny how these things can kind of take over every day life Glad you get your ring before holiday, I am also looking forward to seeing it!

 

[Dreamer_D]

D, it will be 2.3-2.5mm, but there has been no mention of depth. I'll ask Adam when I hear from him next. What depth would you suggest?

Obviously its too late, but with that width you are really fine with a standard depth, seems most rings are about 1.5mm or thicker, which is fine. With a ring that is 2mm wide or less than a depth of 1.8 -2mm might be more desirable, to allow enough strength and durability.

 

[ZahraLeyla]

justginger, are you still in Perth, or have you left already? Sorry, I missed your reply to my original post and I haven't had a chance to peruse PS much this week.

Anyway, sounds like you won't need my assistance anymore, with your expedited timeframe. How exciting for you!

Re: ornate settings - as perfectly executed as this design is, there's no way I could get this setting in and out of latex gloves all day. Absolutely no way. If that's your requirement, I think the setting you have chosen will be perfect.