5kish budget, GOG AVC on hold

[Stari]

I currently own a 1.75 princess solitaire. Unfortunately, it was shattered several years ago. I'm ready to replace my broken, lifeless and once loved diamond.

I spoke with someone at Good Old Gold. They suggested I take advantage of their trade up policy. I can spend 5k now and get something around 1 ct. I can trade up until I reach the size I want to be at.

I would love to put my new diamond in a halo to give it more presence. Unfortunately, I can't do that because the halo would not fit the next time I trade up, which will probably be in about 6 months. The person at GOG suggested I can use my current simple Tiffany setting for now.

One of the reasons I'm considering GOG is because I'm not knowledgeable and the way I understand it... every avc is a good choice and I cant go wrong.

Here is the avc diamond I placed on hold. I'm hoping the experts here will confirm that I'm on the right path or offer up other suggestions.

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/7745/

Thanks so much!

 

[susimoo]

Stari

I didn't want to read your post and run. I am off to do the school run (in Australia , I am not from USA) but when I come back I will tell you about my very happy GOG upgrade experience. Oh and I did mine with a L colour AVC too. I loved it . Will be back later with details of how and what I did to get to my current 1.7 RB H & A from GOG. All legal of course.

 

[Stari]

Stari

I didn't want to read your post and run. I am off to do the school run (in Australia , I am not from USA) but when I come back I will tell you about my very happy GOG upgrade experience. Oh and I did mine with a L colour AVC too. I loved it . Will be back later with details of how and what I did to get to my current 1.7 RB H & A from GOG. All legal of course.

Thank you Susimo! I look forward to reading about your experience. Good luck at school.

Stari

 

[Dreamer_D]

Stari what is your eventual desired size? And what timeline are you looking at for upgrading?

 

[packrat]

Oooo that's lovely! What I would do if you're going to trade up in such a short period of time is just stick it in a plain prong temp setting. I think they can accommodate a bit of a size increase, like it might fit 7.0 to 7.5mm stone or something, so that's one plus there, and then once you get to your final stone, put it in a halo if that's what you like!

 

[Stari]

Stari what is your eventual desired size? And what timeline are you looking at for upgrading?

Hi Dreamer- I'd like to upgrade in 6 months. (I'm really tired of my shattered stone) I feel that my current 1.75 ct doesn't look big enough on my size 6 finger. I'd love to get over 2 ct but avcs are over 20k at that size so I'm not sure how big of a diamond I will get.

 

[Stari]

Oooo that's lovely! What I would do if you're going to trade up in such a short period of time is just stick it in a plain prong temp setting. I think they can accommodate a bit of a size increase, like it might fit 7.0 to 7.5mm stone or something, so that's one plus there, and then once you get to your final stone, put it in a halo if that's what you like!

Packrat- That's what I was thinking! thank you!

Stari

 

[susimoo]

Hi Strari

I haven't forgotten about you!! I am freelance and several jobs appeared today from nowhere.

I will type up a reply as soon as I can.

 

[Stari]

Hi Strari

I haven't forgotten about you!! I am freelance and several jobs appeared today from nowhere.

I will type up a reply as soon as I can.

Susimo- No worries! I look forward to hearing about your experience when you have the time.

Stari

 

[susimoo]

I'm back!! Apologies! It has been a busy week.

Well I will keep this as short as I can.

I had a 1 carat RB that I was happy with until I found Pricecope. I realised it was not as well cut as it should have been. So I contacted a few PS vendors to see what could be done. It was then that I connect with Jonathan.
We discussed what I wanted to achieve and we agreed that I would consign my diamond and once it sold, buy a GOG Hearts and Arrows RB.

So that is what I did. Then after wearing a diamond simulant in my old setting for 4 months (which I hated!) I decided to buy a temporary diamond from Jonathan, on the understanding that when my RB sold I would trade it back in and use the funds from both to get a larger diamond.

I bought a beautiful 1.43 L/VS2 AVC, which I adored.

When my original sold, I traded the AVC back in (this is the short version because I also, at one point had a 1.22 J/SI1 GOG RB ) and got my (current ) 1.7 I/VS2 RB H & A>

Upgrading was simple. Just send the diamond back, get the original price back and add extra funds to achieve your next upgrade.
So I would implore you not to spend a lot on settings, unless it fits your upgrade, then it is really throwing money away. You only get scrap value back. If I was to do it all again, that is the only thing I would change.

I would go for the diamond that makes you go the most and put it in the cheapest 4 or 6 claw setting. Then once you are achieve your preferred size, buy the setting of your dreams. This is what I did and I am delighted.

Good luck I cannot wait to see ehat you get!

Ps here are some of my threads.

[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/finally-my-rings.137197/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/finally-my-rings.137197/[/URL]

[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/my-luscious-l-vs2-1-43-avc.146762/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/my-luscious-l-vs2-1-43-avc.146762/[/URL]

[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/my-new-victor-canera-masterpiece-emilya-halo-meets-gog-h-a.172697/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/my-new-victor-canera-masterpiece-emilya-halo-meets-gog-h-a.172697/[/URL]

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I think the trade-in idea is a great one! The only thing I would do differently is wait 6 months and do the first purchase then (since you say you can trase up that soon), because I don't think it is worth all the trouble to buy now and trade up in just 6 months. I'd buy in 6 months and then wait a year or two to save and then do a larger trade-up. I think you'll be paying some shipping costs to return diamonds and possibly setting costs each time until you buy a setting from GOG.

 

[Stari]

I think the trade-in idea is a great one! The only thing I would do differently is wait 6 months and do the first purchase then (since you say you can trase up that soon), because I don't think it is worth all the trouble to buy now and trade up in just 6 months. I'd buy in 6 months and then wait a year or two to save and then do a larger trade-up. I think you'll be paying some shipping costs to return diamonds and possibly setting costs each time until you buy a setting from GOG.

Hi Diamondseeker!

Your suggestion makes perfect sense. You're correct I will lose a little $$$ each time I upgrade and have it reset (and hubby promised 6 months)... But I've already waited 3 years! Every time I look at my shattered diamond it makes me sad. It used to be pretty and sparkly! And a shattered diamond is a really bad symbol of love between husband and wife, right? Haha. I appreciate your input! I like friends who give good advice! I'm still going to justify my purchase by saying I already waited 3 years.

Take care!
Stari

 

[Stari]

I'm back!! Apologies! It has been a busy week.

Well I will keep this as short as I can.

I had a 1 carat RB that I was happy with until I found Pricecope. I realised it was not as well cut as it should have been. So I contacted a few PS vendors to see what could be done. It was then that I connect with Jonathan.
We discussed what I wanted to achieve and we agreed that I would consign my diamond and once it sold, buy a GOG Hearts and Arrows RB.

So that is what I did. Then after wearing a diamond simulant in my old setting for 4 months (which I hated!) I decided to buy a temporary diamond from Jonathan, on the understanding that when my RB sold I would trade it back in and use the funds from both to get a larger diamond.

I bought a beautiful 1.43 L/VS2 AVC, which I adored.

When my original sold, I traded the AVC back in (this is the short version because I also, at one point had a 1.22 J/SI1 GOG RB ) and got my (current ) 1.7 I/VS2 RB H & A>

Upgrading was simple. Just send the diamond back, get the original price back and add extra funds to achieve your next upgrade.
So I would implore you not to spend a lot on settings, unless it fits your upgrade, then it is really throwing money away. You only get scrap value back. If I was to do it all again, that is the only thing I would change.

I would go for the diamond that makes you go the most and put it in the cheapest 4 or 6 claw setting. Then once you are achieve your preferred size, buy the setting of your dreams. This is what I did and I am delighted.

Good luck I cannot wait to see ehat you get!

Ps here are some of my threads.

[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/finally-my-rings.137197/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/finally-my-rings.137197/[/URL]

[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/my-luscious-l-vs2-1-43-avc.146762/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/my-luscious-l-vs2-1-43-avc.146762/[/URL]

[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/my-new-victor-canera-masterpiece-emilya-halo-meets-gog-h-a.172697/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/my-new-victor-canera-masterpiece-emilya-halo-meets-gog-h-a.172697/[/URL]

No apologies necessary! Yes, not spending money on a setting is good advice. GOG should be able to use my current Tiffany style setting, they just might need to put a new head on it.

Marie said that even though I'm dropping down in size, I will love the new diamond because my old diamond has no life to it. I can't wait to see the avc sparkle!

Did you feel there was a huge size difference in the 1.43 to the 1.7?

I'll read all your other threads when I get from work. I have to go teach preschoolers how to speak English.

Thank you so much for sharing your story!
Stari

 

[susimoo]

Hope the English lesson went well!!

I loved the AVC. The flash of pastels was like nothing I had ever seen before. I also received lots of compliments as it really was an eye catcher.

The difference between my 1.43 AVC and 1.7 RB was considerable. However, at no stage did I ever think of my AVC as small. It was always a ball of light, so looked full , bright and BIG !

I say go for it. Why wait. Life is too short! When it comes to jewellery I only ever regret what I don't do, not what I do!!!

 

[kyoung05]

In case you haven't already seen a video of the stone, it was one of the ones I was recently considering and this video shows the stone compared to 2 other AVCs - http://vimeo.com/43312735

I ultimately decided to go with the middle stone as I like that shape the best, but they were all gorgeous. Moreover, if you haven't seen an AVC in real life, be prepared - I think you'll be really impressed. As others have previously mentioned, they are fireballs and so full of life.

 

[Dreamer_D]

Well, my thinking is to get the bigger stone now and put the remainder on a 0% credit card if you really really know you will have the funds then, or if you have savings you plan to liquidate. I don't suggest such a thing in most situations, and of course you will need to make your own choice knowing your own financial situation, but with diamond prices generally going up if they change at all, I say get what you want the first time.

I upgraded to get to my current ring and can tell you I did not really love and enjoy each of my upgrade stones. Because it was not what Ireally wanted I was not able to really enjoy them and basically just spent my time thinking about the diamond being something else, what I really did want. I also found temporary settings inpeded my ability to enjoy my diamond. So my 2c is do it all at once and do it right.

 

[Stari]

Hope the English lesson went well!!

I loved the AVC. The flash of pastels was like nothing I had ever seen before. I also received lots of compliments as it really was an eye catcher.

The difference between my 1.43 AVC and 1.7 RB was considerable. However, at no stage did I ever think of my AVC as small. It was always a ball of light, so looked full , bright and BIG !

I say go for it. Why wait. Life is too short! When it comes to jewellery I only ever regret what I don't do, not what I do!!!

Yes, the English lessons went well... Except that I sat in bubble gum! That's what happens when you work with preschoolers.

I've sent the $$$ to GOG. Now I have to mail them my current ring... wait for it to get set... wait for them to send it back... I think it be a few weeks.

Flashes of pastels?! I can't wait to see that. Would you have been comfortable with an even lower color avc?

I read all of your posts! I would also consider changing to a round if you get more for the money. Like you did! I do love the rounds that look like flower petals in the middle... I think those are OECs.

Stari

 

[Stari]

In case you haven't already seen a video of the stone, it was one of the ones I was recently considering and this video shows the stone compared to 2 other AVCs - http://vimeo.com/43312735

I ultimately decided to go with the middle stone as I like that shape the best, but they were all gorgeous. Moreover, if you haven't seen an AVC in real life, be prepared - I think you'll be really impressed. As others have previously mentioned, they are fireballs and so full of life.

You have good taste! Thank so much for the link to the video! You're the best!

No, I have not seen an avc. I can't wait! Of course anything would be an improvement over what I have.

Did you get your diamond yet? Is it in setting? I'd love to see it.

Stari

 

[Stari]

Well, my thinking is to get the bigger stone now and put the remainder on a 0% credit card if you really really know you will have the funds then, or if you have savings you plan to liquidate. I don't suggest such a thing in most situations, and of course you will need to make your own choice knowing your own financial situation, but with diamond prices generally going up if they change at all, I say get what you want the first time.

I upgraded to get to my current ring and can tell you I did not really love and enjoy each of my upgrade stones. Because it was not what Ireally wanted I was not able to really enjoy them and basically just spent my time thinking about the diamond being something else, what I really did want. I also found temporary settings inpeded my ability to enjoy my diamond. So my 2c is do it all at once and do it right.

Hmmm, I never thought about a 0% credit card. Hubby and I are both working new jobs and making more money. So, upgrading in 6 months shouldn't be a problem... But you've given me something to think about.

I can understand the distress it causes when you don't have the diamond and setting you want. I can't decide if I'm currently upgrading or down grading! I'm losing .75 of a ct but gaining a diamond that actually sparkles. Hubby will not understand my distress of having a temporary stone and a temporary setting!

I appreciate your input Dreamer. I really do!

Stari

 

[kyoung05]

In case you haven't already seen a video of the stone, it was one of the ones I was recently considering and this video shows the stone compared to 2 other AVCs - http://vimeo.com/43312735

I ultimately decided to go with the middle stone as I like that shape the best, but they were all gorgeous. Moreover, if you haven't seen an AVC in real life, be prepared - I think you'll be really impressed. As others have previously mentioned, they are fireballs and so full of life.

You have good taste! Thank so much for the link to the video! You're the best!

No, I have not seen an avc. I can't wait! Of course anything would be an improvement over what I have.

Did you get your diamond yet? Is it in setting? I'd love to see it.

Stari

Yes, I did receive it - and it is amazing - my fiance can't stop staring at it!

I started a thread in SMTB: https://www.pricescope.com/communit...r-canera-alaria.177940/#post-3252184#p3252184