A wonderful dilemma to have

[KirstLWA]

So on my search for a tennis bracelet, I came across some little light blue argyle diamonds. Size 0.032pts. I could purchase enough to make a 3/4 u prong eternity out of them. I've always loved blues and I can see the colour in them unset but wonder if this will be the case when they are set.

I have around $10k AUD to spend and my options are:

Light blue diamond eternity ring - very appealing to me as they are argyle diamonds
6-7ct diamond tennis bracelet
1.5ct rb diamond (this will cost more likely $13k)

Can you help me decide where the smart money is. I can't decide which way to go.

Any advice would be welcome.

 

[yssie]

Oh my goodness what a wonderful set of options!!! Have you seen the melee in-person?

Me, I'd take those baby blues without a second thought white diamond tennis bracelets and single larger stones are always going to be available to you... a parcel of enough sufficiently-matched Argyle blues to make a band sounds like a rare and exciting opportunity! You'd know how special those stones are even if the colour is only notable on very very close inspection or under specific lighting conditions once set.
I've found that very faint colour can be highlighted by adjacent white diamonds - perhaps a white melee band in the same style would be the ticket...

 

[KirstLWA]

Thanks Yssie, definitely understand how precious those blues are, hence them tripping me up! Yes, have seen them and couldn't believe my luck

And your thoughts are the same as mine! I can always buy a tennis bracelet or larger stone down the track but those blues are limited!

Thanks for your thoughts!

 

[KKJohnson]

I agree! Blues have my vote

 

[KirstLWA]

Thanks!

Do you think a u prong style would be the best way to set them into a ring - for retaining the colour and being able to admire them?

White gold or platinum?

Thanks again!

 

[yssie]

What size are they? You listed them as 0.032pts in your original post - - perhaps you meant ~3pts each, or 0.32ctw, or even 0.032ctw (micrpave size)?

In any of those cases I don't know that you will have many setting options, to be honest - those are small stones and the U-prong design require stones of a certain minimum size to "fill out" the negative space. I think you'll want to ask your jeweller... perhaps someone with experience at the bench will see this thread and provide an educated opinion.

Do you have any photos you can share?

 

[KirstLWA]

Yes, 3 points each stone. I'd have around half a carat in a ring.

They've shown me a 3 point u prong band which works well.

I'll post photos when I get them, hopefully tomorrow!

 

[foxinsox]

Another vote for matched Argyle blues here - they sound glorious!!

 

[KirstLWA]

They'll be a nice match with the pinks I managed to get a couple of years ago as they're the same size! This is now a halo ring with cushion centre, 3pt pink middle halo then 1pt white outer halo!

 

[bmfang]

Matched Argyle Blues!!!!!

 

[valeria101]

If the ring with the blues also has some white diamonds - the blue should be aparent at least as much as against white paper etc.

In principle: colour on a pave field

2c

 

[yssie]

Yes, 3 points each stone. I'd have around half a carat in a ring.

That sounds lovely! And goodness, you already have Argyle pinks

 

[autumngems]

Cant wait to see them

 

[diamondseeker2006]

For $10k, I'd absolutely choose the tennis bracelet or single diamond. I can't wrap my head around $10k for 3 point diamonds in a band that probably won't appear very blue. You already have nice pinks for a band, so I'd definitely choose the latter two options for $10k.

 

[MollyMalone]

I understand that you may be unwilling to spend the money to have GIA assess the light blue diamonds & the jeweler himself apparently hasn't yet seen the need to do so (from your earlier post on Saturday on the Colored Stones forum)

* * * I've found some fancy light blue round diamonds from a reputable jeweler who says they are argyle stones but doesn't have the paperwork as he has had them for a long time. He has many other certified colored stones.
They are 0.032 in size and are around $800 each. I would be buying 13 of them for a u prong half eternity ring.
My question is, how small would Gia certify stones? I'd like to ask them to be certified so I know exactly what I'm buying but don't know if Gia cert such small stones!
Any advice is appreciated!
Thanks!

But I would be very leery about sinking $10Gs into 0.416 ctw of what's being touted as Argyle blues, but which have no paperwork whatsoever, let alone independent lab reports. In fact, I wouldn't do it, especially if their purported provenance was a key reason, as it appears to be for you, for their allure.

Your description of the stones also has me wondering. It's been some years since I laid my eyes on a packet of various pink and "blue" Argyle diamonds. But if by "light blue," you mean a pale baby blue, that's not how I would describe any of the paler "blue" Argyles in that packet; they were gray-blue (and not very attractive imo, so I was having a hard time understanding all the fuss about them

)

 

[yssie]

I did not realize the stones had no paperwork whatsoever authenticating pedigree.

I don’t know if it’s reasonable to expect Argyle melee to have paperwork? It certainly seems like there ought to be something more authoritative than any jeweller’s “because I said so”.

 

[MollyMalone]

I did not realize the stones had no paperwork whatsoever authenticating pedigree.

I don’t know if it’s reasonable to expect Argyle melee to have paperwork? It certainly seems like there ought to be something more authoritative than any jeweller’s “because I said so”.

Australian Trade member ADN (alas, he hasn't posted here in quite awhile) said that melee is sold with an Argyle lot number:
https://www.pricescope.com/communit...y-1-1-5-2-point-diamonds.219368/#post-3986091
https://www.pricescope.com/communit...s-much-as-white-diamonds.217927/#post-3959987

The merchant in this thread didn't have a GIA report (or one from Argyle) for the 0.05 Argyle, but there was a lot number for the stone & the Argyle mine confirmed for the interested customer that particular lot consisted of stones like the one he was considering:
https://www.pricescope.com/communit...onds-without-an-argyle-colour-grading.206418/

 

[KirstLWA]

They've got the lot number just no certification.

Colour is subjective isn't it. One person might prefer a certain colour over another. They're called fancy light blue for the colour.

This jeweler has been around for many many many years and is well respected! They couldn't afford to be dodgy and sell something misrepresented.

 

[yssie]

Ah, thank you for the additional information and clarification re. lot# @MollyMalone, @KirstLWA

Colour is subjective! As is desire. I think there are always two considerations with any diamond purchase: what can be visually observed in practice and what is “mind-clean”. There are no right or wrong ways to prioritise those - for some people having a piece that is mind-clean in some way(s) is more important than whether or not those distictive assets are visually notable, for others what can be seen with the eyes is most important... you’ve got people responding with all sorts of priorities on this thread!

For me personally, in your position, having a suite of Argyle blues to match my Argyle pinks would be a “mind-clean” coup that would be tough to eclipse. The reality of whether the colour is observable is much less important to me... But I certainly understand the opposing perspective - why pay a substantial extra for something your eyes won’t appreciate commensurately?

Wonderful dilemma indeed - you really can’t go wrong!!

 

[MollyMalone]

They've got the lot number just no certification.
Colour is subjective isn't it. One person might prefer a certain colour over another. They're called fancy light blue for the colour.
This jeweler has been around for many many many years and is well respected! They couldn't afford to be dodgy and sell something misrepresented.

Ah, I assumed (based on your post in the other thread, including his statement indicating the stones had been languishing in his inventory for a long time) that the jeweler had nothing that would be evidence they came from the Argyle mine. Sorry it didn't occur to me to ask on Saturday, when I posted the GIA fee schedule for fancy colored diamonds, if there were lot numbers.

Yes, of course, we all don't share the same preferences! But since I apparently didn't make plain that the palest of the blue Argyles I saw were not Fancy Light Blue, let me expand on my previous comment. All the Argyles in the packet I viewed had Argyle certificates, like this:

You'll see that Argyle doesn't use GIA terminology, like Light Fancy Blue, for its color classifications; they use their own grades, like 2PR. Nor do Argyle's color grades align with GIA's -- and the paler, more drab (BL1) Argyles I saw definitely would not "pass" as Light Fancy Blue as I know it. For a concrete example of what I mean, see this Leibish listing, which includes links to both the Argyle Certificate (BL1 color grade) & the GIA report (Fancy Gray-Blue) for this 0.15 ct. Argyle:
https://www.leibish.com/blue-diamonds/fancy-gray-blue-round-24210

So this is why I was concerned that what you'd described as light blue really are not Argyles.

 

[valeria101]

I would take Argyle certification without GIA.

2c

Not sure what the range of blue colours came out of Argyle ! Certainly not a single one.