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#JOTW A 5ct OEC Finds a New Home and Some TLC

prs

Brilliant_Rock
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Dec 26, 2017
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1,883
After many long months DW’s quest for her 40th wedding anniversary upgrade is finally over. It was the beautiful and talented Amy Phillips at David Klass who found it for us! Amy knew we were looking for an OEC as David had been helping us with our search. She was meeting with one of her Jeweler customers and discovered he had just gotten in a 5ct OEC, so she grabbed it for us! =)2

The OEC was 5.22ct and had just about everything DW was looking for in an OEC, except a visible flower petal pattern under the table. The diamond was pretty beat up with chips on the girdle, and a number of bruises on the crown facets. In talking with David he felt one of his diamond cutter friends would be able to take care of these issues for us while making sure the weight didn’t fall below 5.0ct. This actually turned into quite an adventure for DW as David and his cutter allowed us to follow along in person thru each cutting stage of the rehab as her diamond was restored to its former glory. There were a few twists and turns along the way particularly when we got to the flower petal pattern, but I won’t bore you with them now. The end result was fantastic, and at 5.05ct with a clearly visible flower petal pattern, all our expectations were exceeded. Needless to say DW is in love! :love:

That first time we saw our OEC, David took us upstairs to meet one of his diamond cutter friends. He kindly put the stone on his Sarine and ran a report for us. These Sarine scans are a miracle of modern science, and we were able to keep a scan copy after each stage of the rehab process. I can share more about this later if anyone is interested. Here's that original scan.

Sarine 5.22ct 2020-09-22 1.jpg

I had read that old cuts were not as precise as today’s diamonds, but I didn’t expect almost 3 degrees variation in crown angle and 1.4 deg in the pavilion!!! If you take a close look at the facet diagram you will see some of the table corners don’t meet. It looks like someone had polished the top off this stone sometime in the past, likely to remove table chips. This can be seen on my “before” photo that also shows the girdle chip at 6:00 with another flea bite at 1:00.

5.22ct OEC 1.jpg

Despite its wonky proportions this OEC was incredibly beautiful. Back in the day the craftsman who cut it by eye sure as heck knew what he was doing! We considered not touching it, but David said we definitely needed to stabilize the wafer thin girdle. We decided to go ahead with the rehab, but make sure we left all that wonderful wonkiness in place.

On the day the rehab was finished I was able to take a rather poor video. We had to retreat to a dark corner of David’s office because this diamond sparkles and reflects so much light it’s unbelievable. I checked later and with its 36.5, 40.2 proportions our OEC scores 1.4 on the HCA. :dance:


Amy had a photo taken before she sent the diamond to GIA. Note the corner table Kozibe at 11:00. With the right light, and at a certain angle, I can sometimes see a Kozibe reflection in all eight bezel facets, but for the life of me I cannot capture them in a photo.

5.05ct OEC Unset 100.jpg

I had read that OECs can pick up colors from their surroundings and this one is no exception. I have not been able to take a photo that doesn’t pick up color. Here are a few “colorful” hand shots.

5.05ct OEC 101.jpg 5.05ct OEC 102.jpg 5.05ct OEC 104.jpg
5.05Ct OEC Distance 100.jpg 5.05ct OEC Distance 102.jpg 5.05ct OEC Distance 104.jpg
 

prs

Brilliant_Rock
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Joined
Dec 26, 2017
Messages
1,883
This photo shows the high crown typical of OECs and a glimpse of the fabulous DKJ setting.

5.05ct OEC Crown 100.jpg

Once her diamond adventure was over DW started to look for her “holy grail” setting. She must have looked at dozens of websites and hundreds of settings. It was here on PS that she found her inspiration, a design by the fabulous @mrs-b

Insp 1A.JPG

We first asked Amy to exactly copy mrs-b’s design, because why mess with perfection? However when DW received the wax she couldn’t see the setting because it was almost completely hidden under her diamond. It took a couple of CAD attempts before we were able to increase the size of the bottom donut sufficiently to make the gallery visible, while staying true to the beauty of the original design. Here’s the DKJ video.


The studio lighting in the video is so bright it tends to wash out the diamond, but it does show the setting in all its perfection.

Our diamond came back from GIA with an O-P color grade. This wasn’t a surprise because when David first looked at the diamond thru the pavilion he told us it would likely be an N or maybe an O. He did say it faced up whiter than any warm, Cape color diamond he had ever seen. I’m thinking the almost ideal OEC cut proportions helped a lot here.

My setting photos do show much more clearly the warmth of this stone.

5.05ct OEC Setting 106.jpg 5.05ct OEC Setting 105.jpg 5.05ct OEC Setting 107.jpg
 

Dmndsr4evr11

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Dec 9, 2018
Messages
1,490
After many long months DW’s quest for her 40th wedding anniversary upgrade is finally over. It was the beautiful and talented Amy Phillips at David Klass who found it for us! Amy knew we were looking for an OEC as David had been helping us with our search. She was meeting with one of her Jeweler customers and discovered he had just gotten in a 5ct OEC, so she grabbed it for us! =)2

The OEC was 5.22ct and had just about everything DW was looking for in an OEC, except a visible flower petal pattern under the table. The diamond was pretty beat up with chips on the girdle, and a number of bruises on the crown facets. In talking with David he felt one of his diamond cutter friends would be able to take care of these issues for us while making sure the weight didn’t fall below 5.0ct. This actually turned into quite an adventure for DW as David and his cutter allowed us to follow along in person thru each cutting stage of the rehab as her diamond was restored to its former glory. There were a few twists and turns along the way particularly when we got to the flower petal pattern, but I won’t bore you with them now. The end result was fantastic, and at 5.05ct with a clearly visible flower petal pattern, all our expectations were exceeded. Needless to say DW is in love! :love:

That first time we saw our OEC, David took us upstairs to meet one of his diamond cutter friends. He kindly put the stone on his Sarine and ran a report for us. These Sarine scans are a miracle of modern science, and we were able to keep a scan copy after each stage of the rehab process. I can share more about this later if anyone is interested. Here's that original scan.

Sarine 5.22ct 2020-09-22 1.jpg

I had read that old cuts were not as precise as today’s diamonds, but I didn’t expect almost 3 degrees variation in crown angle and 1.4 deg in the pavilion!!! If you take a close look at the facet diagram you will see some of the table corners don’t meet. It looks like someone had polished the top off this stone sometime in the past, likely to remove table chips. This can be seen on my “before” photo that also shows the girdle chip at 6:00 with another flea bite at 1:00.

5.22ct OEC 1.jpg

Despite its wonky proportions this OEC was incredibly beautiful. Back in the day the craftsman who cut it by eye sure as heck knew what he was doing! We considered not touching it, but David said we definitely needed to stabilize the wafer thin girdle. We decided to go ahead with the rehab, but make sure we left all that wonderful wonkiness in place.

On the day the rehab was finished I was able to take a rather poor video. We had to retreat to a dark corner of David’s office because this diamond sparkles and reflects so much light it’s unbelievable. I checked later and with its 36.5, 40.2 proportions our OEC scores 1.4 on the HCA. :dance:


Amy had a photo taken before she sent the diamond to GIA. Note the corner table Kozibe at 11:00. With the right light, and at a certain angle, I can sometimes see a Kozibe reflection in all eight bezel facets, but for the life of me I cannot capture them in a photo.

5.05ct OEC Unset 100.jpg

I had read that OECs can pick up colors from their surroundings and this one is no exception. I have not been able to take a photo that doesn’t pick up color. Here are a few “colorful” hand shots.

5.05ct OEC 101.jpg 5.05ct OEC 102.jpg 5.05ct OEC 104.jpg
5.05Ct OEC Distance 100.jpg 5.05ct OEC Distance 102.jpg 5.05ct OEC Distance 104.jpg

WOW!! She is a BEAUTY!! Loved hearing your journey in making this fabulous ring possible. Congrats on your 40th anniversary!!
 

Sprinkles&Stones

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
May 19, 2020
Messages
1,992
Truly one of the most beautifully cut OEC’s. The re-cutting added even more life and glory to this spectacular stone. You are so lucky! Thank you for sharing all the info about the process and the stunning photos. Please continue to share more pics! Swoon, my heart !
 

Dmndsr4evr11

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Dec 9, 2018
Messages
1,490
This photo shows the high crown typical of OECs and a glimpse of the fabulous DKJ setting.

5.05ct OEC Crown 100.jpg

Once her diamond adventure was over DW started to look for her “holy grail” setting. She must have looked at dozens of websites and hundreds of settings. It was here on PS that she found her inspiration, a design by the fabulous @mrs-b

Insp 1A.JPG

We first asked Amy to exactly copy mrs-b’s design, because why mess with perfection? However when DW received the wax she couldn’t see the setting because it was almost completely hidden under her diamond. It took a couple of CAD attempts before we were able to increase the size of the bottom donut sufficiently to make the gallery visible, while staying true to the beauty of the original design. Here’s the DKJ video.


The studio lighting in the video is so bright it tends to wash out the diamond, but it does show the setting in all its perfection.

Our diamond came back from GIA with an O-P color grade. This wasn’t a surprise because when David first looked at the diamond thru the pavilion he told us it would likely be an N or maybe an O. He did say it faced up whiter than any warm, Cape color diamond he had ever seen. I’m thinking the almost ideal OEC cut proportions helped a lot here.

My setting photos do show much more clearly the warmth of this stone.

5.05ct OEC Setting 106.jpg 5.05ct OEC Setting 105.jpg 5.05ct OEC Setting 107.jpg

❤️❤️❤️
 

LLJsmom

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Oct 24, 2012
Messages
12,631
Congratulations on finding the right OEC for you and your DW. It looks beautiful and bright and huge. DK did a lovely job on the setting. It showcases the gorgeous stone perfectly.
 
Last edited:

mrs-b

Super_Ideal_Rock
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Aug 18, 2013
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11,542
Now THAT'S a ring!

Congratulations, @prs - I'm so glad I could be of any assistance in the creation of such a beautiful jewel! May your DW wear in good health always and may you have many, many more wonderful years!

<3
 

dk168

Super_Ideal_Rock
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Gorgeous, thanks for sharing!

DK :kiss2:
 
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muesli

Shiny_Rock
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Sep 11, 2018
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OMG what a ring!!! Soooo glorious! Thank you for sharing with all of us! :)
 
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Aurora26

Shiny_Rock
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Apr 24, 2020
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So pretty, HUGE, and white! Congratulations.
 
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Rfisher

Ideal_Rock
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Oct 19, 2013
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Dang that’s gorgeous! :love:
Congrats on your search proving fruitful for you and your wife.
I would love to hear the details of the transformation, when you choose to do so. And to hear how this final result (what a beauty) differs (or not) from what you originally thought you wanted. :)
 

Polyhex

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Sep 18, 2003
Messages
550
Oh my word IT'S GORGEOUS!!!!!

I am so, so happy for you and your dear wife! I love that the cutter kept so much of the personality of the original stone, just with an improved facet pattern and restoring it to glory. This stone, and your journey, is very similar to my own dearly loved diamond. My OEC was also recut, wound up at 5.03, and is a low N or a high OP. I feel like these stones are such tremendous values, I would take a spectacularly cut OP OEC over a colorless super-ideal every time, and your money goes sooo much further with the OP OEC.

Our diamond came back from GIA with an O-P color grade. This wasn’t a surprise because when David first looked at the diamond thru the pavilion he told us it would likely be an N or maybe an O. He did say it faced up whiter than any warm, Cape color diamond he had ever seen. I’m thinking the almost ideal OEC cut proportions helped a lot here.

My understanding is the reasons are two-fold. One, the spectacular cut which is returning all the light to your eyes. However, this is not the only reason because a perfectly cut OP OEC will face up a lot lighter than a super-ideal modern brilliant OP. The second reason is that the wide, geometric facets are basically mirrors reflecting your surroundings, to a much greater degree than splintery modern brilliants. If you had an OP-tinted wall mirror, you wouldn't see the tint, you would just see the mirror.

Congratulations!!
 

737liz

Brilliant_Rock
Premium
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Oct 18, 2015
Messages
690
@prs I think all of us would LOVE a step by step, leave no detail out, photo heavy explanation of the recut journey. It is a fantastic ring. Thank you for sharing.
 

Kim N

Ideal_Rock
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Oct 6, 2005
Messages
6,388
@prs I think all of us would LOVE a step by step, leave no detail out, photo heavy explanation of the recut journey. It is a fantastic ring. Thank you for sharing.

This exactly--please share more! @prs it is just glorious. I met you and your DW briefly in the middle of one of the cutting stages and thought already that it was one of the most beautiful diamonds I'd ever seen. It seems to be even more so now and looks magnificent on her finger.
 

foxinsox

Ideal_Rock
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Jul 18, 2015
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Wow! That’s definitely worth the wait and effort searching. Congratulations on a beautiful upgrade and setting!
 
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Tartansparkles

Brilliant_Rock
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Stunning in every detail from the stone through to the setting. Congrats to you both.
 
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Ally T

Ideal_Rock
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Oct 24, 2012
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This is the mother of ALL rings!!! :kiss2:

I love your journey & the details are super interesting to read through, so thanks for sharing. I wish my husband would indulge me like this, but he's tight. That diamond is dreamy - what a character!

Your wife must be completely blown away & congratulations on 40 years,
 

caf

Brilliant_Rock
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Gorgeous. More photos please!
 
Last edited:
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AprilBaby

Super_Ideal_Rock
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Beautiful stone and I adore the setting!
 
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yssie

Super_Ideal_Rock
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A very happy 40th anniversary!!

Your celebration stone is beautiful :love: I do love a large vintage diamond with a touch of warmth :cool2: What a bit of luck that Amy ran into the perfect stone-to-be!!

@mrs-b Has exquisite taste. It’d be tough to go wrong taking inspiration from her pieces ::)

Edited to fix typos!
 
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maryjane04

Brilliant_Rock
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Nov 21, 2013
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Happy anniversary!! And what a journey it has been to find the diamond, recutting it and the amazing setting to put her in. I would love to hear more details about the whole process so please share!
 
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whitewave

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Wow. Just wow.
 
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diamondseeker2006

Super_Ideal_Rock
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So happy you ended up with a stone you love! Doing a rehab on an antique stone to make it even more beautiful and safe from chipping is an excellent idea! I am sure your wife is thrilled!
 
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maita13

Brilliant_Rock
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Magnificent, fab, gorge!!

Oh, and yuuge! LOVE!!
 
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Mrs_Strizzle

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Happy anniversary to the two of you! 40 years is quite an accomplishment. Here's to 40 more!

I welcome your DW to the O-P OEC club! Hers is absolutely beautiful. How exciting to have given the OEC a face-lift. It never would have occurred to me to have it recut until recently reading @Polyhex thread about hers. Both turned out breath taking!
 
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DAF

Brilliant_Rock
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I absolutely LOVE the side view of the ring on your hand. It's beautiful, enjoy it.
 
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canuk-gal

Super_Ideal_Rock
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HI:

Your wife has an amazing collection of jewellery. Congrats on your anniversary and this lovely gift.

cheers--Sharon
 
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lulu_ma

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Congratulations on your 40th wedding anniversary-that's one stunning ring to commemorate it!
 
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ItsMainelyYou

Ideal_Rock
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:shock: :shock: Storytime! Storytime!:love::love:
Happy Anniversary:bigsmile:
I want to hear more on the recut journey!
Gorgeous, just gorgeous.
 
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joelly

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Gorgeous humongous beautiful ring!!!!
Happy Anniversary!!!!!
 
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