A chance at a redo. Please help.

[nala]

Think to yourself. Do I NEED to stress out over this, or do I just WANT to stress out over this. Probably neither.

There will ALWAYS be a "better" stone. Take a break for a while. jmho

But, since you asked.…. I'd look into a recut. (The analysis is free and you are under no obligation to go thru with it). Then you'd still have YOUR stone (happy hubby) and it would be as beautifully cut as (or probably more than) that new one.

And as for losing trade up value with your jeweler … really? he wouldn't want to take a more well-cut stone into inventory?

Plus, if BGD recut it to their own standards, would you not also get trade-in opportunities with them?

I don’t find shopping stressful. Lol. I am excited by the possibilities. But that said, I want to get it right this time, hence why I’m looking for expert opinions. I am still looking into a recut even though that idea actually stresses me out more.

 

[valeria101]

So as much as I was leaning towards this diamond, this part I circled gave me cause to pause.

I see the reflection ... Not sure I can find fault with it (along the lines of: what doesn't make a stone dull, has the benefit of the doubt).

Q: does this diamond have an unusually thick girdle ? (I am not sure what the thin 'crescent' is about: table or girdle reflections... )

 

[nala]

I see the reflection ... Not sure I can find fault with it (along the lines of: what doesn't make a stone dull, has the benefit of the doubt).

Q: does this diamond have an unusually thick girdle ? (I am not sure what the thin 'crescent' is about: table or girdle reflections... )

Medium to slightly thick, faceted

 

[valeria101]

Medium to slightly thick, faceted

... this sounds OK to me, would not have expected to see its reflection as a streak (the again, there is magnifictaion).

Not sure I've heard of this being taken into account to include or exclude out of the standards * ...

__
Digressing ...
* A DiamCalc problem ! - & I do not have it anymore. Guessing: it would go away if the crown were steeper, all else equal, but, everythign else about the stone could get worse this way ... )

 

[nala]

... this sounds OK to me, would not have expected to see its reflection as a streak (the again, there is magnifictaion).

Not sure I've heard of this being taken into account to include or exclude out of the standards * ...

__
Digressing ...
* A DiamCalc problem ! - & I do not have it anymore. Guessing: it would go away if the crown were steeper, all else equal, but, everythign else about the stone could get worse this way ... )

I used to own a 1.43 that scored a 1.9 on hca and it had this same issue! That’s why I recognized it this time. My old diamond Also had a table this size. So I guess I’m learning. I

 

[nala]

So I wanted to post an update. I talked to Brian Gavin and they said my stone is a candidate but will not predict any outcomes until they have the stone. It turns out, they charge 550 per carat for my size stone, which totals 1210 for the recut. So, with Insurance and shipping, recertification, the cost amounts to 2000.

I spoke to Good old gold and they did provide me with an estimate if I do go with a recut through them. They think my stone could drop to a 2.08 worst case. They send their stones to Antwerp to recut and they quoted me 1760 for recut, plus 200 dollars to ship to Antwerp. Going this route with insurance and recertification would amount to 2800 or so.

I’m still waiting for my idealscope and for my jeweler to source me stones. Yesterday I visited an old jeweler that I hadn’t visited In years and told him about my plans. He said thatn crazy and that he didn’t recommend a recut. He said in his 25 years of experience, I should trust his opinion that i have a well cut stone. When I told him that sometimes I’m unhappy bc the diamond seems to look murky or dark in certain lighting, he said it’s bc my stone has brown undertones and that it seems that I am unhappy with the color and not the cut

 

[MissGotRocks]

To prove his point your jeweler should have offered up an ideal cut stone to compare yours with so that YOU could make the determination. Experience is a wonderful thing but if it is not broad based, it's not worth that much. It might not be cost effective to recut your stone but people can't just tell you to be happy with the stone. Happiness comes from within and is not something that can be dictated. I traded in an AGS0 stone a year ago for a Whiteflash ACA and while my former stone was really very nice, the comparison with the new stone was amazing to me. You could take the 2000-2800k and invest in a new stone with a company with a great upgrade policy and upgrade as funds permitted. In the meantime, you could try to sell your current stone and then apply those funds to an upgrade along with money that you are able to save. Diamonds can be a very frustrating commodity as you seldom get back your dollar for dollar investment without a great upgrade policy. There are ways to get there though but first I think you have to decide exactly what you are shooting for and then try to come up with a plan to make that happen.

 

[nala]

To prove his point your jeweler should have offered up an ideal cut stone to compare yours with so that YOU could make the determination. Experience is a wonderful thing but if it is not broad based, it's not worth that much. It might not be cost effective to recut your stone but people can't just tell you to be happy with the stone. Happiness comes from within and is not something that can be dictated. I traded in an AGS0 stone a year ago for a Whiteflash ACA and while my former stone was really very nice, the comparison with the new stone was amazing to me. You could take the 2000-2800k and invest in a new stone with a company with a great upgrade policy and upgrade as funds permitted. In the meantime, you could try to sell your current stone and then apply those funds to an upgrade along with money that you are able to save. Diamonds can be a very frustrating commodity as you seldom get back your dollar for dollar investment without a great upgrade policy. There are ways to get there though but first I think you have to decide exactly what you are shooting for and then try to come up with a plan to make that happen.

That is the process that I'm going through right now. Comparing all my options. Though your comment about your trade really intrigues me. You used to own an AGS0--which is supposed to be the top of the line when it comes to cut, right? At what point did you realiz that it was not making you happy? What characteristics bothered you? Also, How many other ACA's or AGS's diamonds did you sort through to know that the one you chose was superior? How did you finally know?

 

[MissGotRocks]

Here is the thread on the upgrade. It is long but skim through and see if any of it resonates with you. There are some picture of comparisons of old and new too. I shot for a specific color/clarity/cut specs combo and waited awhile for it to come around. If I upgraded again, I don't know that I would have to be that stringent with my wants but I felt that combo would get me where I wanted to be. It did not disappoint. Read when you have time and let me know if you have more specific questions. I will be happy to try to help you in any way I can.
https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/mgr-did-what-traded-her-diamond.228242/

 

[nala]

Here is the thread on the upgrade. It is long but skim through and see if any of it resonates with you. There are some picture of comparisons of old and new too. I shot for a specific color/clarity/cut specs combo and waited awhile for it to come around. If I upgraded again, I don't know that I would have to be that stringent with my wants but I felt that combo would get me where I wanted to be. It did not disappoint. Read when you have time and let me know if you have more specific questions. I will be happy to try to help you in any way I can.
https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/mgr-did-what-traded-her-diamond.228242/

So I just read through your thread. I'm on winter break still, so I have lots of time to devote to my diamond obsession! Lol. Wow. So my take-away is that your journey was a long one and that you made the choice yourself! I'm quite the opposite. I tend to seek immediate gratification and at this point, don't entirely trust me knowledge yet. In the end, however, you are ecstatic about your trade and I will need al, the patience to have a similar outcome. I want to add that what particularly resonated with me is that what got the ball rolling was that you knew that you had the possibility of doing it. I think that is where I am now.

 

[Alexiszoe]

Selling your diamond, as @MissGotRocks said, can be frustrating and you rarely get your money back.

My 3 carat super ideal cut (backed by a great vendor trade up policy) was sold at around a 30% loss after consignment fees, cost for a new appraisal etc. I was lucky though - it sold within 4 months. I have seen some very lovely stones languish on loupetroop and on consignment for a year or two. Selling it is a mixture of the right pricing, medium and demand, nor is it immediate. The price hit you take would be bigger than a recut, but also frees you up to choose vendors with a better upgrade policy. Ultimately it depends on what you want to achieve long term with your ering, and what are you willing / not willing to put up with in order to get there. I know it's quite the dilemma, but hopefully whatever you choose you would be happy with the outcome

 

[nala]

Selling your diamond, as @MissGotRocks said, can be frustrating and you rarely get your money back.

My 3 carat super ideal was sold at around a 30% loss after consignment fees, cost for a new appraisal etc. I was lucky though - it sold within 4 months. I have seen some very lovely stones languish on loupetroop and on consignment for a year or two. Selling it is a mixture of the right pricing, medium and demand, nor is it immediate. The price hit you take would be bigger than a recut, but also frees you up to choose vendors with a better upgrade policy. Ultimately it depends on what you want to achieve long term with your ering, and what are you willing / not willing to put up with in order to get there. I know it's quite the dilemma, but hopefully whatever you choose you would be happy with the outcome

Thank you. I did get some quotes on selling it or consigning it, but those options seem the least attractive to me right now. Hopefully I won't have to go that route because I'm ok with spending a bit more on this first world dilemma, but not ok with spending double!

 

[MissGotRocks]

So I just read through your thread. I'm on winter break still, so I have lots of time to devote to my diamond obsession! Lol. Wow. So my take-away is that your journey was a long one and that you made the choice yourself! I'm quite the opposite. I tend to seek immediate gratification and at this point, don't entirely trust me knowledge yet. In the end, however, you are ecstatic about your trade and I will need al, the patience to have a similar outcome. I want to add that what particularly resonated with me is that what got the ball rolling was that you knew that you had the possibility of doing it. I think that is where I am now.

We have seen your diamond in many different settings and it is lovely - not a dog of a stone by any stretch of the imagination. The problem comes in when you learn and see the difference. There are many here on PS that don't opt for the super ideal option but rather focus on size or color or whatever floats their boat. There is really no right or wrong answer to this - what works for one doesn't work for the other. I was just really motivated to have a super ideal cut stone and while the jeweler I dealt with had some stones that were nicely cut they were not to that level. Over time and as prices increased, they had fewer and fewer AGS0 stones but opted to sell the GIA stones only. Course that provides a larger base in terms of cut to reach the GIAXXX designation. I think the truth is that most diamond shoppers are looking for a nice, sparkly stone and aren't as knowledgeable as the PS crowd is. I did tell him though several years back that shoppers of all kinds were getting more savvy and googled large purchases and that of course brings folks here or to vendors that do sell the ideal cut stones. He felt that his offerings were well cut enough; I knew better. I am always leary of someone that poo-poos what you are interested in because they don't carry it. Generally a big red flag!

When you are dealing with any purchase of thousands of dollars, immediate gratification really has to be the last consideration made. It is too easy to jump at something and make an expensive mistake. When the opportunity to possibly trade the stone in came about, I knew it had my name all over it if it could be worked out between myself and WF. It was not a negligible amount of money but it was something that was that important to me. A year later, I still do not regret the money spent for one moment as I have loved and appreciated the new stone that much. Diamonds are luxuries though and money spent has to be weighed against other things in life.

You can see in the picture between my old stone and the new one there is a dark area or almost an extra facet looking place in the stone. Yet, in IS images you couldn't see that but I just knew it could be better. The rest of the world would have thought I was crazy but when I saw those images, I knew I wasn't crazy - ha! It was a small thing but it validated to me what I had been seeing. Anal people stare at their diamonds all day - normal people just put them on and wear and enjoy them! Unfortunately, I fall into the anal category!

My best advice is to focus on what you really want in terms of cut, size, etc. If you aren't comfortable with your knowledge base, keep reading and expanding that before making a decision. If at all possible, don't spend more money with a vendor that can't provide you with the level of cut precision that you want or would want down the road. You may in the end decide to be very happy with the stone you have as well. You have upgraded settings many times so it may be that the setting is more important to you than the stone. We are all different and one size doesn't fit all.

 

[nala]

We have seen your diamond in many different settings and it is lovely - not a dog of a stone by any stretch of the imagination. The problem comes in when you learn and see the difference. There are many here on PS that don't opt for the super ideal option but rather focus on size or color or whatever floats their boat. There is really no right or wrong answer to this - what works for one doesn't work for the other. I was just really motivated to have a super ideal cut stone and while the jeweler I dealt with had some stones that were nicely cut they were not to that level. Over time and as prices increased, they had fewer and fewer AGS0 stones but opted to sell the GIA stones only. Course that provides a larger base in terms of cut to reach the GIAXXX designation. I think the truth is that most diamond shoppers are looking for a nice, sparkly stone and aren't as knowledgeable as the PS crowd is. I did tell him though several years back that shoppers of all kinds were getting more savvy and googled large purchases and that of course brings folks here or to vendors that do sell the ideal cut stones. He felt that his offerings were well cut enough; I knew better. I am always leary of someone that poo-poos what you are interested in because they don't carry it. Generally a big red flag!

When you are dealing with any purchase of thousands of dollars, immediate gratification really has to be the last consideration made. It is too easy to jump at something and make an expensive mistake. When the opportunity to possibly trade the stone in came about, I knew it had my name all over it if it could be worked out between myself and WF. It was not a negligible amount of money but it was something that was that important to me. A year later, I still do not regret the money spent for one moment as I have loved and appreciated the new stone that much. Diamonds are luxuries though and money spent has to be weighed against other things in life.

You can see in the picture between my old stone and the new one there is a dark area or almost an extra facet looking place in the stone. Yet, in IS images you couldn't see that but I just knew it could be better. The rest of the world would have thought I was crazy but when I saw those images, I knew I wasn't crazy - ha! It was a small thing but it validated to me what I had been seeing. Anal people stare at their diamonds all day - normal people just put them on and wear and enjoy them! Unfortunately, I fall into the anal category!

My best advice is to focus on what you really want in terms of cut, size, etc. If you aren't comfortable with your knowledge base, keep reading and expanding that before making a decision. If at all possible, don't spend more money with a vendor that can't provide you with the level of cut precision that you want or would want down the road. You may in the end decide to be very happy with the stone you have as well. You have upgraded settings many times so it may be that the setting is more important to you than the stone. We are all different and one size doesn't fit all.

Thank you for your thoughtful reply!!

 

[valeria101]

he said it’s bc my stone has brown undertones and that it seems that I am unhappy with the color and not the cut

Can you check this ? The history of this stone's colour grading - having been under-estimated versus its eventual GIA grade, makes me think it might have a cold colour tint.

The cut may not be dissapointing in any way except for not providing enough contrast to wash off the subtle body colour ...

2c

 

[nala]

Can you check this ? The history of this stone's colour grading - having been under-estimated versus its eventual GIA grade, makes me think it might have a cold colour tint.

The cut may not be dissapointing in any way except for not providing enough contrast to wash off the subtle body colour ...

2c

Here are my ideal scope pictures. They suck. Why do I see pink and not bright red? Did I do this right?

 

[HappyNewLife]

have you reached out to whiteflash for an estimate? They may buy the diamond from you and then you can get an ACA. This is what I did and they gave me much more for it than most people I reached out to.

 

[nala]

have you reached out to whiteflash for an estimate? They may buy the diamond from you and then you can get an ACA. This is what I did and they gave me much more for it than most people I reached out to.

I did!!! But I would make more on consignment through good old gold’s estimate.

 

[valeria101]

Here are my ideal scope pictures. They suck. Why do I see pink and not bright red? Did I do this right?

I am not sure they suck: I see white & red(-ish). The IS red is RED in models generated after scans, not in photos. Photos are more true to nature, of course.

Would expect the areas that are white under the IS to show the diamond's body colour more in real life - pictures are terrible, methinks ... Cameras' white balance tramples over these faint shades like nothing.

Not sure what to sugest ... I'd need to have the diamond culet up on a very white background (white balance correction patches sure are properly white !). Next best is a side-view of the crown (since the pavilion seems masked in your setting), in decent daylight, against a stark white background, IHMO. I mean all this for you to look at - taking pictures is too much of a chore & not likely to tell me much ... ,-( (to others, perhaps).

Your jeweler may have well been able to tell at a glance, after looking at zillions of diamond throughout a career. He might want to demonstrate this, perhaps by comparing with a stone of similar brlliance (comparable amout of white under IS, if not necessarily in the same pattern), comparable GIA colour grade & different tint, with a D/E as benchmark ... I doubt this sort of comparison is possible nearly as well with pictures, although some try (@Rhino ) - often with diamonds with much stronger body colour.

2c

 

[nala]

I am not sure they suck: I see white & red(-ish). The IS red is RED in models generated after scans, not in photos. Photos are more true to nature, of course.

Would expect the areas that are white under the IS to show the diamond's body colour more in real life - pictures are terrible, methinks ... Cameras' white balance tramples over these faint shades like nothing.

Not sure what to sugest ... I'd need to have the diamond culet up on a very white background (white balance correction patches sure are properly white !). Next best is a side-view of the crown (since the pavilion seems masked in your setting), in decent daylight, against a stark white background, IHMO. I mean all this for you to look at - taking pictures is too much of a chore & not likely to tell me much ... ,-( (to others, perhaps).

Your jeweler may have well been able to tell at a glance, after looking at zillions of diamond throughout a career. He might want to demonstrate this, perhaps by comparing with a stone of similar brlliance (comparable amout of white under IS, if not necessarily in the same pattern), comparable GIA colour grade & different tint, with a D/E as benchmark ... I doubt this sort of comparison is possible nearly as well with pictures, although some try (@Rhino ) - often with diamonds with much stronger body colour.

2c

First, thanks again for your input. I especially bolded the part that really hits me. I think that the white part is definitely where I see darkness/tint/ murkiness even. I think the recut would hopefully fix this if I choose that route.

 

[Rhino]

First, thanks again for your input. I especially bolded the part that really hits me. I think that the white part is definitely where I see darkness/tint/ murkiness even. I think the recut would hopefully fix this if I choose that route.

Proper recut should take care of that.

 

[nala]

Proper recut should take care of that.

That great to know! Do you have any idea where I would lose the weight? I’ve always wanted a small table but I doubt that Is possible while still retaining a 2.0 carat weight