$10K to go from I to H?

[Dee*Jay]

Date: 5/13/2006 11:50:20 PM
Author: decodelighted
I can help but keep thinking that some of this 'windowing' you're seeing are just facets reflecting light back and 'flattening' so that the whole facet 'lights' up briefly?


Does that describe it ... 'cause 'windowing' is being able to see through the stone, right? But you're describing something different ... something that probably exists to some extent in every fancy cut.


In other words -- ya might be fighting something that isn't fixable (at least in fancy cuts with facets like that -- w/o the extra tight symmetry of Round Brilliants)

Deco - You're exactly right! The "problem" on the ends isn't windowing because you can't see through the stone. It's that the flat facets relect wide flashes of light rather than the more "crushed glass" brilliancy that's in other parts of the stone. I used to notice this too in my original pear on the wide end.

And yes, the rest of you are all 110% correct. I am driving myself crazy over something that probably isn't fixable. I will see what the other two jewelers I visited yesterday come up with and if there is no better stone available for some *reasonable* about of $, well, I will get over my insanity and move on. To be perfect honest I LOVED LOVED LOVED the stone from the time I got it in December up until the moment I started looking for a new setting, so I don't know what previously dormant synapses in my brain decided to fire that day that hadn't fired to that point - LOL!

As for the setting... The instant I finally either get a new stone or get over my craziness with this one I am going to get the setting changed, and when that is all done, I am going to CALL IT A DAY!

I had two front runners setting-wise until yesterday (either get much bigger pears or have Dimend Scaasi plunk the stone into the setting he has that's similar to the Tiffany Legacy with the graduated side stones)... but then I saw two settings yesterday that also got me thinking. One was the most delicate row of micro-pave that I've ever seen (not sure they could even put a 3 ct stone on that band, they might have to make it wider), and the other was a halo that was made of teeny tiny baguettes with itsy bitsy rounds at strategic points where the halo had to "bend." I saw this on a round stone, but I'm sure they could make it for my oval.

See--I really do have a *problem*!!! And no matter which setting I get I will always be wandering around gazing in jewelry store windows thinking there might be something better out there that I just don't know about!

I can't believe you kind PSer's stick with me through all this. If I were you I'll say get some psychological help and let us know when the new ring's all done!!!

 

[Mara]

DJ my only thing left to add here since I don''t know anything about ovals is that I just am a little worried that you may get a new oval thinking it will be ''better'' and then what if you have buyers remorse and miss your old stone? You mentioned a few times just how in love you are with your stone 99% of the time, so I just would caution to not make any hasty decisions trying to ''do better'' ... if that makes sense. Sometimes you don''t know what you got til it''s gone!!

 

[FireGoddess]

I do agree with windowshopper that a delicate halo/vintagey setting could look amazing. The settings you just described sound very similar - did you see them at a store or online?

 

[decodelighted]

I don't think you're crazy at all DeeJay... but I DON'T think a new Oval is gonna help ANYTHING!!

I'd suggest ...

a) try a new setting of your existing Oval FIRST. Maybe even just seeing it set in something that ACTUALLY fits would help ALOT (I kinda think seeing it all wacky in that wrong, too-small setting is discouraging you more about the stone that is the stone itself's fault ... the jewelers are seeing past this to the beauty of the stone itself -- but you're just seeing "WRONG"!). When stones are set "wrong" they ABSOLUTELY don't show themselves to their full beauty. And that one is SET SOSOSOSO Wrong!

b) if "seeing the stone" in something different doesn't do the trick (AND DO DO DO DO DO somehow arrange this before contracting for a custom made setting -- so you can rule out the stone as the problem) maybe, in your heart of hearts you're an H&A Ideal Cut ROUND BRILLIANT GIRL. You might NEED to see edge to edge sparkle consistant throughout the stone for it to "Feel Right" to you. Fancies are NEVER EVER EVER gonna do that. (IMHO

) They just don't "work" that way. (Maybe princesses can approach the level of symmetry as an H&A Round Brilliant??)

Hope you find relief soon! (And us by proxy

)

 

[Dee*Jay]

Date: 5/14/2006 3:57:17 PM
Author: decodelighted

Hope you find relief soon! (And us by proxy

)

Ha Ha! I feel like I'm torturing you folks right along with myself!!!

Seriously, I will come to my senses soon (one way or another) so just bear with me a little while longer...

Firegoddess, I've seen some settings on line and some in person. And I wish there was one consistent thing about them that grabbed me because then at least I would know what I was working toward.

And Mara, what you say about not knowing what you've got until it's gone scares the hell out of me!!! What if I do indeed fork over god only knows how much $$$ for a new stone only to decide that I don't like it any better than this one? Then what? ANOTHER new oval? A different shape? Maybe I'll decide that a ruby would somehow be better??? I just don't know... But that's why I've decided that if the ovals that the two jewelers I'm dealing with now come up with aren't TRULY better to my eye, than I will keep the one I have. (And I really do mean that -- I HOPE!!!)

 

[aljdewey]

I''m confused. If you''re stone is a 1A cut now, how can you improve on that?

Keep in mind that I''m not well versed in fancies at ALL, so maybe I''m missing something obvious...and if so, this will be good learning opp. for me.

 

[Dee*Jay]

Al - There is a particular feature of the faceting that is unappealing to me. I've found that ovals look different depending on how they're cut, so one 1A could look very different than another 1A, or even a 1B, etc.

Sooooo.... what I'm trying to do is find a different oval that has a faceting pattern that is more appealing to my eye. But if I can't do that within a reasonable budget I'm going to stick with the stone that I have and try to ignore the thing that bugs me. '

By the way, one thing I've discovered during the course of this little adventure is that keeping the stone clean clean clean makes all the difference in the world. Before, I would scrub it up once a week or so, but lately (since I've been taking it around to different jewelers to talk about a trade) I've been cleaning it every morning and WOW! What a different that makes!