Ring Concierge ring? Buying from Australia

[heyalexa]

Hi all,

First time poster here!
I've fallen absolutely in love with the below ring from Ring Concierge - The chloe ring.
Looking through as many websites as I can, nothing compares to the styles Ring Concierge have for me.
They are just gorgeous.

This is the ring i'm obsessed with, and to be honest haven't found anything else quite like it.
View media item 122574View media item 122575View media item 122576
Buying from Melbourne, Australia - my SO and I know it is of course risky buying something sight unseen!
So far the team at ring concierge have been lovely.

They have sent me brief details on 2 rings already in the budget - they actually have 2 in stock ready made.
Left is a 1.12 F VS2
Right is a 1.04 G SI1
Told the 1.04 has a spread bigger than a 1.5 CT and is eye clean.
Budget is $6,000 USD - $8,000 USD and both fit within this.



My big concern is buying this sight unseen and from reading everything on pricescope - would we be better buying a loose diamond online and setting it in Australia? Is
I haven't found anyone with a vibe/style like Ring Concierge other than Anton here in melbourne which is VERY expensive.

Has anyone worked with Ring Concierge or have one of their rings? or worked with them internationally?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

[david b]

I am missing the diamond's certificates, do you have them? I would never buy un certified by 3rd party diamond. The certificate tells a lot about a diamond.
As for the setting style, I think it is the best way to set Cushions, you get two significant advantages:

1) The prongs are at the sides opposed to the corners, the Cushion corners are rounded and it is risking to let the diamond move and fall.

2) When setting the prongs in the corners you actually losing the Cushion shape of the diamond, with this way of setting the rounded corners are clear and seen.

 

[leukolenos]

Have you read this thread?
https://www.pricescope.com/communit...ith-nicole-ring-concierge-based-in-ny.237126/

Personally I agree with most of the consensus on that thread, that she doesn’t add much if any value. People here will be more than willing to help you find a stone to maximize your budget and also help you select a custom vendor. It’s just a pave setting with NSEW prongs- very doable for any of the vendors usually suggested here.

 

[Bron357]

Hi from a fellow Aussie.
Firstly having any gem set here in Australia costs a lot more than in the US.
Secondly, my experience(s) is when you take your gem into your chosen Aussie jeweller you can expect “disparaging remarks” (because you didn’t buy it from them) AND they will take NO responsibility for damage to the stone during the setting process.
My advice, buy the diamond from a recommended US PS vendor AND choose a setting, or have one made, to the same design and have it set in the US.
With diamonds, and an appropriate lab report, you can be almost 100% certain how it will look/ perform in real life. And the quality of the cut it does make a huge difference. Diamonds are all about sparkle, a poor cut means less sparkle. In fact, many people put cut far above colour and clarity.
When buying overseas and having it shipped, don’t worry it’s safe and insured (I’ve bought a number of expensive jewellery pieces from overseas no trouble) be aware that you will pay GST of 10% upon importation.
The US vendor can complete paperwork to save you the extra 5% customs tax due to the US / Australia free trade agreement (so only 10% not 15%)
The GST is paid to the courier ie Fedex or UPS who for a fee does the importation for you, you get a phone call and I pay using my credit card.

 

[heyalexa]

I am missing the diamond's certificates, do you have them? I would never buy un certified by 3rd party diamond. The certificate tells a lot about a diamond.
As for the setting style, I think it is the best way to set Cushions, you get two significant advantages:

1) The prongs are at the sides opposed to the corners, the Cushion corners are rounded and it is risking to let the diamond move and fall.

2) When setting the prongs in the corners you actually losing the Cushion shape of the diamond, with this way of setting the rounded corners are clear and seen.

Thanks!
I am getting them, just waiting for them to be sent through. Yes of course wouldn’t be buying without them.
Will post as soon as I have them.

Yes I just love this setting for both those reasons and want it to look “cushiony” so to speak.

 

[heyalexa]

Have you read this thread?
https://www.pricescope.com/communit...ith-nicole-ring-concierge-based-in-ny.237126/

Personally I agree with most of the consensus on that thread, that she doesn’t add much if any value. People here will be more than willing to help you find a stone to maximize your budget and also help you select a custom vendor. It’s just a pave setting with NSEW prongs- very doable for any of the vendors usually suggested here.

Hi!
Yes I have read it but it didn’t seem very helpful in anyone actually having worked with Nicole/ring concierge - would love to hear from someone who has!

While I think other vendors could create the ring, i haven’t seen anything similar - would love some recommendations.
I don’t know if it’s just me but all the vendors work I look at seems much more... clunky? And not as subtle as the work of ring concierge.

I also love that the stones have more spread than usual (more finger coverage) but still look very sparkly!

Will do some more looking around!

 

[heyalexa]

Hi from a fellow Aussie.
Firstly having any gem set here in Australia costs a lot more than in the US.
Secondly, my experience(s) is when you take your gem into your chosen Aussie jeweller you can expect “disparaging remarks” (because you didn’t buy it from them) AND they will take NO responsibility for damage to the stone during the setting process.
My advice, buy the diamond from a recommended US PS vendor AND choose a setting, or have one made, to the same design and have it set in the US.
With diamonds, and an appropriate lab report, you can be almost 100% certain how it will look/ perform in real life. And the quality of the cut it does make a huge difference. Diamonds are all about sparkle, a poor cut means less sparkle. In fact, many people put cut far above colour and clarity.
When buying overseas and having it shipped, don’t worry it’s safe and insured (I’ve bought a number of expensive jewellery pieces from overseas no trouble) be aware that you will pay GST of 10% upon importation.
The US vendor can complete paperwork to save you the extra 5% customs tax due to the US / Australia free trade agreement (so only 10% not 15%)
The GST is paid to the courier ie Fedex or UPS who for a fee does the importation for you, you get a phone call and I pay using my credit card.

Hi,
Thank you!
Yes I’ve read lots about all the Australian jewellers and their not so happy to work with you attitude. It’s also crazy to see how much more bang for your buck you can get from overseas.

Yes, noted all of your other advice, thank you

 

[rockysalamander]

See what we can find/recommend for you. If will take a bit of your time, but even if you buy something from her, we can help you narrow the kind of stone you like. Cushions come in a range of types (antique, modern-crushed iced, modern-crisp facets) and ratios.

Do antique cushion cuts appeal?
https://www.augustvintageinc.net/co...vs2-august-vintage-cushion-brilliant-74114082

This cushion is very pretty and they do great pave settings.
http://www.diamondsbylauren.com/ind...ond-101ct-g-si2-cushion-cut-diamond-gia-r7647

 

[leukolenos]

Hi!
Yes I have read it but it didn’t seem very helpful in anyone actually having worked with Nicole/ring concierge - would love to hear from someone who has!

While I think other vendors could create the ring, i haven’t seen anything similar - would love some recommendations.
I don’t know if it’s just me but all the vendors work I look at seems much more... clunky? And not as subtle as the work of ring concierge.

I also love that the stones have more spread than usual (more finger coverage) but still look very sparkly!

Will do some more looking around!

I’m not sure that anyone here has worked with here since as mentioned above, most of the posters here are a discerning group (and it sounds like you are too!) so for us, she doesn’t add value since we can find our own nice stones and know excellent vendors who are more than capable of creating that setting.

It’s a beautiful pave setting, but the prongs are just oriented differently.

Here’s is a thread of a recent ring by David Klass (who is surprisingly affordable! He’s making a ring for me now)- it has a thin pave shank like you are wanting and shows his lovely prongs.
https://www.pricescope.com/communit...t-vintage-cushion-ring-by-david-klass.240006/
All of his settings are custom so you would show him a picture of what you want and he would tweak it to your liking.

Check out the stones rocky suggested above and help decide whether you want a modern or antique style cushion.

 

[heyalexa]

Back again!
I have the GIA of the 1.04 CT G SI1 stone (ruled out the other stone from the budget)
including setting I've been quote $6,400
(I believe the setting is around $2,500 of this price)

The appeal of this stone for me is how much bigger it faces up for a 1.04 ct
Measurements are 7.26x6.40x2.95m

However do not want to not want to give up all my sparkle!
I know this is a very shallow diamond.
I have larger fingers.. approx size 7.5 so a bigger looking diamond is ideal for me.
(no please don't suggest a halo its not my style sorry)
I guess what has attracted me to ring concierge in the first place is that i feel like you can get real bang for your buck?

To me this diamond looks beautiful.

VIDEO:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1QWJFKX2taRTmsJe0EkVFgo93qx8541rN



My preference is a cushion brilliant diamond but also love antique cushions and how pillowy they look.
However because of their chunky style from my research getting a diamond that faces up bigger than it is is near impossible.
Not a fan of crushed iced cushions.
Ratio i like the look of 1.1

I'd absolutely love to see what you can all recommend.
And would love some feedback on the GIA report and overall choices.

Total budget is $6,500 USD including setting
(we know about having to pay another 10% GST on top of this)

Would be open to similar settings as well if anyone has anything close to this.

Thank you so much everyone for your interest and advice.
xx

 

[heyalexa]

Link to GIA report if easier:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=17W9R4eT9cgeLp_W3HkezOF8nOHg2ZqSM

 

[Bron357]

Just one little issue with a setting like that. The corner edges of the diamond aren’t protected at all. While diamonds have the highest hardness rating, that’s an “abrasive scale” not physical hardness in reference to a bump / knock against something.
Diamonds can and do chip, especially on the girdle edge if hit against something.

 

[rocks]

I love that setting....but another problem is that they exaggerate any asymmetry in the stone (happened with a sapphire...gorgeous unset and wonky in the custom pave mounting.....lesson learned).

 

[Snowdrop13]

Can you get an ASET of the stone? It is very shallow and it would be good to assess the light return.

 

[Octo2005]

Just one little issue with a setting like that. The corner edges of the diamond aren’t protected at all. While diamonds have the highest hardness rating, that’s an “abrasive scale” not physical hardness in reference to a bump / knock against something.
Diamonds can and do chip, especially on the girdle edge if hit against something.

@Bron357 makes a great point and I think that for an everyday ring, having the corners exposed like they are - will lead to a chipped girdle.

 

[Octo2005]

This is a very shallow stone with a large table and a large culet, which will arrear as a dark spot in the center when looking at the stone face on as seen in some of the video shots. I was also surprised to see from the GIA report that this is a cushion brilliant - I am not seeing some of the bigger flashes tin the video that I would expect from the 8 main facets. @Snowdrop13 mentioned an ASET, do you know if one is available?

 

[Skhii]

DanniiD worked with Ring Concierge and loves her ring. She chose Nicole's signature antique setting though. I think it was beautifully done.
https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/old-european-diamond-purchase-help.236822/

 

[tyty333]

You definitely need an aset for that stone. I love the setting but I don't think it is a good setting for that stone. Part of the girdle on that stone is
thin and if you look on the back side of the stone its already got an "extra facet" possibly where its already taken a hit (and cracked). I hate to
say this but feel like it that stone in that setting could be a mistake. Put it in a setting that protects its girdle and it may be fine. The other option
is to take it (or have it sent) to an appraiser and have the girdle evaluated to see if the "thin area" is a problem.

In the video I see some nice facets around the outside of the stone but I am worried about under the
table. Did not see any flashes in that area but could be the lighting in the video. Really need an aset.

Any recommendations we make are not going to be that big . I feel your pain with the larger fingers (size 7 here).