Asscher X-prong from Whiteflash experiences if interested...

Well the Asscher has been set – in the platinum Vatche X-prong – and shipped to me here in London from Whiteflash. I thought I would put together a quick overview of the ring and my experience to help any others who come in here looking for answers like I did – I only ended up posting a couple of times in one thread but I read a lot and it really helped out. Thanks so much. Post will be quite long, but think might help people interested in:
• Asschers
• Vatche X-prong
• Whiteflash
• Buying from the US into the UK (including shipping, customs, nervousness, customer service etc)
• Sizing ring when keeping it a secret!

Background:
Girlfriend knows nothing about this. A number of people say that she should be involved to avoid disappointment etc but for me it needs to be a secret and I need to choose something she loves to show that I know her and love her. Just how I approach it! Diamond shape was chosen based on what I think she’ll like and what I know I like – I knew she roughly preferred princess over round but also likes something a little unique. And we both enjoy art-deco and modern design so this seemed the best idea (and I love them)

Diamond:
Asscher Cut Style (GIA = Cut Cornered Square Step Cut)
Carat: 1.03
Colour: H
Clarity: VS1
Depth: 68.8%
Table: 63%
Crown Height: 14.1%
Fluorescence: Faint
Symmetry: Excellent
Polish: Excellent
Measurements: 5.62 x 5.48 x 3.77 (GIA)
Girdle: Med – Slightly Thick
Source: Bought in to Whiteflash upon their suggestion

Ring:
Vatche X-prong
Platinum
Size: 4.5
Source: Set at Whiteflash after sourced from Vatche

Diamond experience:
The diamond “numbered up” well for me except the colour, as I had originally intended to stay at F or G. Most interesting to me from the GIA was the Cut Cornered Square Step Cut description:
• 5 steps in the pavilion
• Slightly deeper cut corners than a lot of the Square Emerald one’s I had seen.

Bob at Whiteflash bought this one in for me and photographed, idealscoped and Sarin’d it within the space of a few days. Bob was incredibly helpful and knowledgeable and just the right amount of “pushy” – I say this because it’s actually easier to have someone push you along when making big decisions like this. Friendly and genuine guy and in the end an easy job I imagine – one stone to get in, instant decision and then sourced the standard ring through them. I believe the skill and professionalism shown on these “straightforward” jobs says as much about them as when they have to organise very complex jobs. It was effortless really.
I really liked the images I saw – I had not done bucketloads of research and looking like some do but knew I liked the look of it. After a couple of helpful folks on here suggested it was pretty good (and were quite specific rather than general “is lovely” comments, which was great) I decided I wanted the diamond and shifted to setting decisions. Decision for me was based on:
• Good outer shape – quite octagonal but not outrageously so
• Good windmill pattern
• Higher number of steps
• Symmetry of pattern internally

Ring experience:
Again, looked around here and a lot on the net for various styles that I liked and that had me decide on the platinum Lucida-style/Vatche X-prong. I liked the modern simplicity of it and thought it would strike a chord against the older style of the diamond. I originally intended to have the loose diamond shipped to London and have Daniel Prince or similar set it in a “Lucida-style” ring but in the end given the links of Vatche to Tiffanys (whose original inspired my interest) thought I might as well all have it done through Whiteflash. (Note that there are various heated discussions here about if X-prong = Lucida. I will simply say that I was told unequivocally it was by the person who should know).
As I said, is all a secret from girlfriend so had to work out ring sizing and the only ring she has is a Trinity ring (six rings of three different golds intertwined) that she never takes off! So did the whole “can I play with your ring its fun I don’t have one” thing which seemed to work! Noted where it fit on my little finger in a similar way to where she wears it and had a jeweller try different ring sizes on me to determine it (UK I = US4.5 by the way).

Delivery:
Whiteflash did not have the required X-prong in stock (note they stock some of them for faster delivery times) and I was under a certain amount of time pressure (less than 3 weeks to have it in hand in the UK from when I agreed on the diamond). Bob had Vatche agree to a 2-3 week delivery to them for setting and then over-delivered by having it in my hand today (2.5 weeks basically) with 5 days to spare.

Customs:
Customs into the UK ended up costing me 19% of the UK amount that I had paid for the ring (I imagine this was VAT plus 2-odd% import duty but not sure – could have just been VAT only on a less favourable exchange rate). Note that the ad-valorem penalty taxes the EU put in place are currently suspended so the 34% tax horror stories just don’t apply at the moment. And the whole thing is dramatically cheaper overall than something equivalent here in the UK would have been, not to mention a thousand times easier.

Impressions of ring:
I haven’t looked at it in all lights yet but I love it. The Asscher is brilliant at alternating between a pool of light and little flashes. And the ring is beautifully proportioned and so much more delicate than you think. Having trouble working out how to hide it from GF for the next 2 weeks though.
One thing I will stress to people is remember how dainty and small these things really are! If you haven’t been and looked at a ring for a while and you’ve been focussed on emailed and internet pictures its easy to forget these are often well over 10x magnification! I am not suggesting at all that the 1.03 carat Asscher is smaller than it should be or I thought (although I do realise they “face-up” smaller than 1 carat rounds) but the remember the real size and don’t get super caught up in tiny details at 30x magnification.

So that was a stupidly long post but thought if people on the lookout for anything similar wanted someone else’s experiences then it may help.

Photos of diamond, idealscope and setting to follow. Hand shots not possible yet unless you want it jammed on my ugly little finger!

Thanks all.

(*•.¸(`*•.¸¸.•*´)¸.•*)
¨`•.¸ *belle*¸.• ´¨
(¸.•*(¸.•*´ `*•.¸)*•.¸)

(*•.¸(`*•.¸¸.•*´)¸.•*)
¨`•.¸ *belle*¸.• ´¨
(¸.•*(¸.•*´ `*•.¸)*•.¸)

____________________________
Piece of cake and a candle.
**ng gift**

........... Karl has joined the diamond trade and is now posting as Karl_K

"There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio,
Than are dreamt of in your philosophy."
-William Shakespeare

____________________________
Piece of cake and a candle.
**ng gift**

-----------------------------
A deal is only a deal if you are getting exactly what you want.

____________________________
Piece of cake and a candle.
**ng gift**

-----------------------------
A deal is only a deal if you are getting exactly what you want.

Date: 5/31/2005 12:40:44 PM
Author: nzguy
Proposal? Oh damn, thats right - knew there was a reason for this...

Well we are leaving London in 4 days to bum around Italy for the rest of the year so am intending to do something (unsure exactly what yet) in Florence when we get there in 2 weeks time. Trying to plan at the moment though! Love the Villa San Michele there but dinner and a suite there is about the same cost as the ring! Well, not quite but still...
Basically thinking nice private garden somewhere around there for 'the act' followed by a great authentic Italian dinner. Actually looking at some of the villas and wineries in Chianti around Florence...

(*•.¸(`*•.¸¸.•*´)¸.•*)
¨`•.¸ *belle*¸.• ´¨
(¸.•*(¸.•*´ `*•.¸)*•.¸)

______________________________
"You kept making all the stops?"
"Well, people kept ringing the bell!"
**ls gift**

________________________________

Michelle

AKA Stretch4

I intend to live forever... so far, so good.