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My CBI Engagement Ring from HPD!!

CheeSauce

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Mar 22, 2019
Messages
114
My engagement ring came and I wanted to share with everyone!

So I have been lurking pricescope for awhile, back in early 2010 and then again more recently. I have done TONS of research over the years and so I was a bit afraid when it came time to buy my engagement ring. I wasn’t sure if my fiancé would be willing to do the research and I was afraid he would get ripped off at a brick and mortar! Well, it turns out, my fiancé HATES diamonds. Like, really hates them. He wanted nothing to do with diamonds and always wants to rant about how he hates them. But, he knew how much getting a good diamond meant to me. So, my boyfriend gave me a budget and said that I could handle it... perfect for me!

Initially, I reached out to Whiteflash since I was familiar with ACAs from my early research. I had a question and so I sent them a chat at 1 AM, not expecting anyone to respond. Surprisingly, I got a response from “Debi” in the middle of the night (it was even later for her) and she was really patient answering my random questions. She sent me a follow up email and I did not realize she was the CEO!! Answering my stupid questions in the middle of the night!! I was absolutely so impressed by Whiteflash.

Unfortunately, the stone I fell in love with at Whiteflash was not eye clean. Liza, who was the salesperson that helped me out, was very honest about that fact. I posted on pricescope asking for opinions and @gm89uk recommends a 1.22 G SI2 diamond from high performance diamonds (thank you @gm89uk for being the best person ever!) I had never heard of the company before and was a little suspect (I was mainly looking at either Whiteflash, Brian Gavin, or Good Old Gold.) To be honestly, I was a bit concerned because HPD’s photos and images looked less high quality/clear compared to Whiteflash. But, everyone told me that HPD was also a vendor with super ideal diamonds and I should feel comfortable checking them out.

So I emailed Wink about the diamond @gm89uk recommended and inquired whether the diamond was eye clean. He responded immediately saying he would send me a video the next day. He also put me in touch with Layla so she could answer my questions. When Wink sent me the video, I was immediately sold. I think I have seen the video over 100 times now. The arrows looked so clean and crisp... the inclusions nearly invisible. I immediately purchased the diamond.

In terms of the setting, I loved the vatche crown for many many years. I loved the sweeping, open lines. However, I wanted a thinner band. I saw many other suggestions online but some had a little gap between the engagement ring and the wedding band... I was way OCD about the gap!! I wanted to get both rings at the same time to avoid the gap... so Layla told me they could design a custom ring without the gap!

I sent her tons of photos and explained to her what sort of look I wanted. I asked her a lot of questions about what she felt would work best for my wedding band, which was going to be an eternity ring. Layla was able to work with the craftsmen to translate my vision into CADs. Initially, when I saw the CADs. I was unsure of some of the changes that differed from my example photos and asked Layla for new CADs more true to what I had sent her. However, after I saw the second round of CADs, I understood why Layla had made the suggestions. Her suggested changes in the original CADs elevated the ring and made it more beautiful and elegant than the inspiration photos I sent her. In addition, they were tailored to my diamond! In the end, I decided to go with the initial CADs.

Turn around time was as expected, about 7 weeks. Layla sent me photos of my ring when they were read and I was blow away! They looked perfect and Layla said she double checked to make sure there would be no gap between my wedding band and engagement ring.

However, the photos DID NOT prepare me at all for how beautiful the rings were in person. When I opened the box I was completely floored by how delicate and beautiful the rings were. They were so high quality! Also, the diamond sparkles like crazy!! I have NEVER seen a diamond that sparkles like that! Rainbows everywhere! Everyone has been completely shocked! Other people have told me that the diamond looks much larger than it is and have remarked on its light performance. The rings and diamonds were everything I could have ever dreamed!!

High performance diamonds really came through and delivered a ring even better than my vision. Layla’s design touches were so critical to making the ring the outstanding. The diamond blew my mind and now my family and friends are asking me to help them find a similar diamond. The only constructive criticism I would say is that I would have preferred more communication. I am a bit of a worry wart and hate uncertainty by nature. This was a HUGE purchase and made me very nervous. Therefore, I would have preferred a bit more proactive communication in terms of letting me know when I should expect my CADs or the status of the project. I often had to reach out after not hearing anything for a few day or weeks and waited another few days for a response. However, in the end, I did not need to worry so much because the ring was more beautiful than I could ever dream. I am looking forward to working with HPD on MANY more project (including one for my mom!)

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gm89uk

Brilliant_Rock
Premium
Joined
May 26, 2015
Messages
1,491
Thank you for your kind words. Amazing ring!
 

Todd Gray

Brilliant_Rock
Trade
Joined
Jan 20, 2009
Messages
1,299
Looks stunning! Congratulations!
 

hypermom

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Feb 19, 2013
Messages
473
I too love the vatche crown setting! Your engagement ring is beautiful. I really appreciate your review because I am currently completing an upgrade project with HPD. Yeah I learned early on to trust Layla’s experience and appreciated her changes and recommendations. So enjoy your rings!
 

JT123

Shiny_Rock
Joined
May 2, 2017
Messages
115
WOW Beautiful!! I heard so many wonderful things about HP diamonds. Congratulations!!!
 
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