oldcutclubmember
Brilliant_Rock
- Joined
- Jul 28, 2013
- Messages
- 1,143
Our 10 year wedding anniversary is coming up in a couple of months. My original ER was a 2 ct vintage asscher set in a custom Single Stone setting. I have always been drawn to vintage/antique stones and style, and over the years, I have accumulated a few more antique stones including 2 OMCs. What I didn’t have was an OEC, other than in melees. So for my 10 year upgrade, I wanted a 4+ ct OEC or Transitional around 10mm in JKL range but was more flexible depending on the face up color. I started saving and thinking about an upgrade last summer and placed my ER on consignment with Grace. I would see potential stones come up here and there but nothing really caught my attention enough to seriously reach out to the vendor. They were either too big, too small, too spready, too tinted or way out of budget. The closest stone I saw in person and liked was an extremely white facing 5.03ct GIA N Transitional that Grace has. However, I really wanted to stay under the 5ct mark to avoid the big price jump and ideally, slightly chunkier facets. I told myself that I would consider it as a possibility if it was still available after my ER sold. I was not in a rush.
Here is the 5.03 N.
Then about 2 weeks ago, on a lovely Sunday night, I was browsing PS and clicked on the “Somebody’s Gotta Buy This Piece!” thread. I hadn’t been checking on this thread all that regularly lately because savvy PSers usually post very desirable, beautiful pieces with excellent prices. These pieces generally get snatched up within the hour, if not minutes, by not just active PSers but often lurkers and dealers. Since I was saving up for the upgrade, I had been trying to avoid smaller temptations by staying away from this thread. But that night, I clicked on it and saw that about 11 hours priorago, @lala646 had posted the most glorious 4.27 OEC in a Single Stone setting from TRR at an amazing price point. Apparently it had been on hold at some point during the day but was once again available when I came across the post. I immediately sent the link to @lulu_ma and @Mreader and started humming and hawing over the ring. I loved the setting and the size, and the numbers looked like it had potential, but the facets, the cut and the face up color would need to be further evaluated. Both @lulu_ma and @Mreader encouraged me to get it to at least see it in person. After reading the fine print that I would be able to return it in person to a nearby storefront for a tiny re-stocking fee, I bit the bullet and bought it.
After 2 agonizingly long days, the ring arrived and it was quite dirty! What I had thought were tarnished metal bits in the pictures were actually caked on grime and gunk! Before I could really study it for its light play and tint, I had to scrub and clean the ring. Once it was all cleaned up, I was able to really admire its beauty. It had the big contrasting chunky facets that I had been wanting, was lively and displayed gorgeous pastels.
The shank was a bit bent out of round and it was .25-.5 size too small but I shoved it on my ring finger (scratching my knuckle in the process) and tried to find as many different light sources as I could for the next few days. I took it to every room in the house, to work, the car and outdoors, trying to see it from every angle. I got to know its good sides and not as good sides. I took videos and pics and sent them to @lulu_ma, @Mreader and @Cerulean for their opinions. Even though I loved it, I wanted to make sure that the great price wasn’t clouding my judgment. Once I was confident that I wasn’t just being influenced by the “deal,” I knew it was a keeper.
A HUGE THANK YOU to @lala646, @lulu_ma, @Mreader and @Cerulean for helping me obtain the most serendipitous upgrade. I can’t believe I ended up with another platinum Single Stone ring after 10 years! I love the setting so much that I don’t see myself resetting for many years to come, if ever. I am delighted with all the details: the shell/fan shaped prongs, the cushion shape of the faux bezel, the hidden pave on the basket and donut, the delicate yet architectural gallery and the marvelous shoulders! I had imagined my upgrade in a simple solitaire so this ring is beyond what I had expected. The only thing that does bother me is that the stone is currently situated slightly askew in relation to the facet points. I am not sure if the stone was originally set that way or if has shifted over the years. I assume the prongs would need to be lifted to make the adjustment and I don’t think I want to mess with the prongs for the time being.
Here is the 5.03 N.
Then about 2 weeks ago, on a lovely Sunday night, I was browsing PS and clicked on the “Somebody’s Gotta Buy This Piece!” thread. I hadn’t been checking on this thread all that regularly lately because savvy PSers usually post very desirable, beautiful pieces with excellent prices. These pieces generally get snatched up within the hour, if not minutes, by not just active PSers but often lurkers and dealers. Since I was saving up for the upgrade, I had been trying to avoid smaller temptations by staying away from this thread. But that night, I clicked on it and saw that about 11 hours priorago, @lala646 had posted the most glorious 4.27 OEC in a Single Stone setting from TRR at an amazing price point. Apparently it had been on hold at some point during the day but was once again available when I came across the post. I immediately sent the link to @lulu_ma and @Mreader and started humming and hawing over the ring. I loved the setting and the size, and the numbers looked like it had potential, but the facets, the cut and the face up color would need to be further evaluated. Both @lulu_ma and @Mreader encouraged me to get it to at least see it in person. After reading the fine print that I would be able to return it in person to a nearby storefront for a tiny re-stocking fee, I bit the bullet and bought it.
After 2 agonizingly long days, the ring arrived and it was quite dirty! What I had thought were tarnished metal bits in the pictures were actually caked on grime and gunk! Before I could really study it for its light play and tint, I had to scrub and clean the ring. Once it was all cleaned up, I was able to really admire its beauty. It had the big contrasting chunky facets that I had been wanting, was lively and displayed gorgeous pastels.
The shank was a bit bent out of round and it was .25-.5 size too small but I shoved it on my ring finger (scratching my knuckle in the process) and tried to find as many different light sources as I could for the next few days. I took it to every room in the house, to work, the car and outdoors, trying to see it from every angle. I got to know its good sides and not as good sides. I took videos and pics and sent them to @lulu_ma, @Mreader and @Cerulean for their opinions. Even though I loved it, I wanted to make sure that the great price wasn’t clouding my judgment. Once I was confident that I wasn’t just being influenced by the “deal,” I knew it was a keeper.
A HUGE THANK YOU to @lala646, @lulu_ma, @Mreader and @Cerulean for helping me obtain the most serendipitous upgrade. I can’t believe I ended up with another platinum Single Stone ring after 10 years! I love the setting so much that I don’t see myself resetting for many years to come, if ever. I am delighted with all the details: the shell/fan shaped prongs, the cushion shape of the faux bezel, the hidden pave on the basket and donut, the delicate yet architectural gallery and the marvelous shoulders! I had imagined my upgrade in a simple solitaire so this ring is beyond what I had expected. The only thing that does bother me is that the stone is currently situated slightly askew in relation to the facet points. I am not sure if the stone was originally set that way or if has shifted over the years. I assume the prongs would need to be lifted to make the adjustment and I don’t think I want to mess with the prongs for the time being.
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