hoorray
Ideal_Rock
- Joined
- May 16, 2003
- Messages
- 2,798
I got my new earrings this weekend! They look great and sparkle like crazy! From some reason, I can''t seem to get anything but white blurs with my camera, (I think the macro function may not be working), so I''ve attached the picture the setter sent. They don''t show off the stones, but the martini settings look great.
They are from Dirt Cheap Diamonds. Jim Schultz was great to work with. We sent the stones to Rich Sherwood, who did a bang-up appraisal job, and really made the ultimate purchase recommendation for me. My assumption was that he knew what to look for more than I do. I’ve never bought SI2’s before, so wanted the expert opinion. (Plus, it made hubby, the gifter, more comfortable.)
Specs:
Stone 1 stone 2
ctw .57 .572
color G G
Clarity SI2 SI2
Table 56 56
Depth 61 61.4
Crown angle 34.6 34.5
Pavilion angle 40.6 40.9
Polish/symmetry ex/ex ex/vg
Certification GIA GIA
Flour none none
Diameter 5.36 – 5.39 5.34 – 5.39
H&A yes close
HCA .7 X X X VG 1.5 X X VG VG
Impressions / lessons:
I was really anal about how well matched they were, having had a pair once that visibly didn’t match. They are twins -- I can''t tell them apart. I can’t figure out which is which spec-wise. I guess I’ll have to take them in and look at the inscriptions.
I can’t find the inclusions. Maybe it’s my 46 year old eyes, but Rich agreed that SI2 is great for earrings, and it doesn''t impact their performance.
As you may remember, I struggled with size. They look great on my small earlobes. They are a little bigger than I originally had in mind, but they aren’t overly large, and I don’t think I will outgrow them if shrinkage sets in. A little smaller would have been ok too. I think the range is fairly broad that works in my case, having worn a million different cz sizes trying to figure it out. But – the real thing looks much bigger than my larger CZs since they show up so much more!
I can see some color face up when compared to my E colored e-ring stone, but on my ears, no one will EVER say – hmmmmm…..is that a tinge of yellow I see? (If they do, I’ll tell them it’s a reflection of my *lovely* blond hair.) I would have like a little fluoresce, but couldn’t find good matching stones with any, and the G faces up very white. I’m color picky, and am glad I went with G rather than the H and I’s I looked at. Most likely no one but me will ever notice.
They have tons of white light and less fire. They are opposite from my e-ring which has tons of fire, and less white light. This surprised me, but they look great, so I’m happy. Next to the czs that I was wearing as a size tester, the difference is blinding and obvious.
I fretted about what type of backs, and am very happy with the Guardian (aka La Pousette) backs. They are a little tricky, but very doable, and feel secure. I don’t sleep in them, so don’t have the patience for the screwbacks every morning.
I looked at stones from several vendors. Only about 50% were responsive and sent me enough info to be able to make a good decision. That surprised me, since their business is differentiated by customer service among other things.
So that is the end of my earring saga! I’ve achieved my diamond goals for 2004 (they were modest). Now I guess I have to start thinking about that 20th anniversary! (but it’s still a ways out – I might need a trinket here and there before then.)
They are from Dirt Cheap Diamonds. Jim Schultz was great to work with. We sent the stones to Rich Sherwood, who did a bang-up appraisal job, and really made the ultimate purchase recommendation for me. My assumption was that he knew what to look for more than I do. I’ve never bought SI2’s before, so wanted the expert opinion. (Plus, it made hubby, the gifter, more comfortable.)
Specs:
Stone 1 stone 2
ctw .57 .572
color G G
Clarity SI2 SI2
Table 56 56
Depth 61 61.4
Crown angle 34.6 34.5
Pavilion angle 40.6 40.9
Polish/symmetry ex/ex ex/vg
Certification GIA GIA
Flour none none
Diameter 5.36 – 5.39 5.34 – 5.39
H&A yes close
HCA .7 X X X VG 1.5 X X VG VG
Impressions / lessons:
I was really anal about how well matched they were, having had a pair once that visibly didn’t match. They are twins -- I can''t tell them apart. I can’t figure out which is which spec-wise. I guess I’ll have to take them in and look at the inscriptions.
I can’t find the inclusions. Maybe it’s my 46 year old eyes, but Rich agreed that SI2 is great for earrings, and it doesn''t impact their performance.
As you may remember, I struggled with size. They look great on my small earlobes. They are a little bigger than I originally had in mind, but they aren’t overly large, and I don’t think I will outgrow them if shrinkage sets in. A little smaller would have been ok too. I think the range is fairly broad that works in my case, having worn a million different cz sizes trying to figure it out. But – the real thing looks much bigger than my larger CZs since they show up so much more!
I can see some color face up when compared to my E colored e-ring stone, but on my ears, no one will EVER say – hmmmmm…..is that a tinge of yellow I see? (If they do, I’ll tell them it’s a reflection of my *lovely* blond hair.) I would have like a little fluoresce, but couldn’t find good matching stones with any, and the G faces up very white. I’m color picky, and am glad I went with G rather than the H and I’s I looked at. Most likely no one but me will ever notice.
They have tons of white light and less fire. They are opposite from my e-ring which has tons of fire, and less white light. This surprised me, but they look great, so I’m happy. Next to the czs that I was wearing as a size tester, the difference is blinding and obvious.
I fretted about what type of backs, and am very happy with the Guardian (aka La Pousette) backs. They are a little tricky, but very doable, and feel secure. I don’t sleep in them, so don’t have the patience for the screwbacks every morning.
I looked at stones from several vendors. Only about 50% were responsive and sent me enough info to be able to make a good decision. That surprised me, since their business is differentiated by customer service among other things.
So that is the end of my earring saga! I’ve achieved my diamond goals for 2004 (they were modest). Now I guess I have to start thinking about that 20th anniversary! (but it’s still a ways out – I might need a trinket here and there before then.)
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