laughinggravy
Shiny_Rock
- Joined
- Aug 21, 2003
- Messages
- 173
Hi one and all,
just gotta share.
Well guys I have just had the best afternoon at Infinity Diamonds, Antwerp. I have to say I don't know what impressed me more, the kindness of Paul and his very cool partner Lieve who spent three hours on us, or the fabulous cut of their inventory. Ok.... the kindness was very touching, but the diamonds just blow you away.
Through Pricescope - thank you thank you, I saw a post from Paul of Antwerp and thought: "Cool, someone down the road who puts cut right at the top of their list." So I contacted him at his company to talk stud earrings for later in the year. He was great, very responsive and helpful. So I'm thinking: "That's nice, but what you would hope for."
Then a young pal of mine from work, a very sweet young woman, told me she'd got engaged..... (fanfare).... and that they were window shopping for a ring (modest budget). So I asked her if she knew how important cut was. You know exactly how is, you're itching to tell and try to make sure they don't buy frozen spit but you don't want to intrude and maybe they LIKE frozen spit.
I told her about Infinity and suggested we go along......so we did: the young couple and I. I met them in the Diamond district, boggle eyed with window shopping the same ole, same ole: okayish stones at mega bucks, blah stones and lots of downright blaaaargh stones, all in exactly the same settings.
The poor guy was frazzled and she was looking tired and blue. Not an enjoyable experience for them.
And then we met Paul, who took us up stairs into what used to be de-Beers principal sorting room for all their rough that passed through Antwerp.
He started with the young couple when it was clear they didn't have much idea. And he went right the way through the four Cs, asking them to use their own eyes when comparing all the stones he put before them - never telling them, but like all great teachers, getting them to see in a new way. And we were just stunned by the quality. I guess if you had spent an afternoon looking at branded HoF or 8 Stars, for example, you'll know what I mean. It's a really wild experience to have the great fortune to see and compare so many AGS-0 stones all with such precise cuts. Each one the result of a team of cutters who have frequent pit stops to talk over each stone and it's particular cutting needs. Boy does it show.
During some of this time I chatted to his partner Lieve who was such a lovely lady full of interesting stories about her various experiences and she told me that other people in the trade in Antwerp could not comprehend why Infinity placed cut as number one and didn't try to max out the size of the rough.
So my young friends left, all high and illuminated from within - such a lovely thing to see all that despondency vanish. I was so grateful to Paul. They chose three little, perfect stones and got the names of two designers from Leive and went away with an afternoon they'll never forget and which'll make their ring much more special. Awwwww.
Then they bought out the slightly bigger diamonds for me (my dh is kind enough to be wanting to buy me a diamond - over Summer - for my 40th this November). And in the bunch were some AGS-0 Princesses. Gasp. I couldn't agree more with the Queen Mum (no I'm not nuts, it's a poster who wrote a thread on this exact subject in March).
I am no Princess girl but as soon as I saw them, they just had three, I knew I could stop looking!
The first grading reports from the AGS for Princess cuts were printed last week and these were three of the first ever AGS-0 Princess cuts in the world.
And I'm going to get one. I tried to describe it for my husband and mother, but no can do. They are like nothing you've seen. But if you are after a Princess, you have to check them out. You need to check out their rounds too. But their Princesses were even more memorable, I think because a perfectly cut Princess is such rare animal. The rounds they put against my ears (yeah the service was really that considerate!!!) were also breath taking. .7s.... wow! Those would be studs to die for. I waaant them aaalllll!!!!
So honestly guys if you're reading this in the UK, or a trainable distance from Belgium, and you're thinking: "superlative cut automatically = the US", hop on a Eurostar. Have a nice weekend break in Antwerp which is an attractive city with some fabulous medieval architecture and go see Paul and Lieve.
And finally, noooooo, I'm not in any way connected to them. I'm just a very delighted customer who wants to support a small business swimming against the stream and the 'get-as-much-out-of-the-rough-as-you-can' mediocrity.
I can't wait to go back with dh.
Abi
Hey, sorry so long
Well guys I have just had the best afternoon at Infinity Diamonds, Antwerp. I have to say I don't know what impressed me more, the kindness of Paul and his very cool partner Lieve who spent three hours on us, or the fabulous cut of their inventory. Ok.... the kindness was very touching, but the diamonds just blow you away.
Through Pricescope - thank you thank you, I saw a post from Paul of Antwerp and thought: "Cool, someone down the road who puts cut right at the top of their list." So I contacted him at his company to talk stud earrings for later in the year. He was great, very responsive and helpful. So I'm thinking: "That's nice, but what you would hope for."
Then a young pal of mine from work, a very sweet young woman, told me she'd got engaged..... (fanfare).... and that they were window shopping for a ring (modest budget). So I asked her if she knew how important cut was. You know exactly how is, you're itching to tell and try to make sure they don't buy frozen spit but you don't want to intrude and maybe they LIKE frozen spit.
I told her about Infinity and suggested we go along......so we did: the young couple and I. I met them in the Diamond district, boggle eyed with window shopping the same ole, same ole: okayish stones at mega bucks, blah stones and lots of downright blaaaargh stones, all in exactly the same settings.
And then we met Paul, who took us up stairs into what used to be de-Beers principal sorting room for all their rough that passed through Antwerp.
He started with the young couple when it was clear they didn't have much idea. And he went right the way through the four Cs, asking them to use their own eyes when comparing all the stones he put before them - never telling them, but like all great teachers, getting them to see in a new way. And we were just stunned by the quality. I guess if you had spent an afternoon looking at branded HoF or 8 Stars, for example, you'll know what I mean. It's a really wild experience to have the great fortune to see and compare so many AGS-0 stones all with such precise cuts. Each one the result of a team of cutters who have frequent pit stops to talk over each stone and it's particular cutting needs. Boy does it show.
During some of this time I chatted to his partner Lieve who was such a lovely lady full of interesting stories about her various experiences and she told me that other people in the trade in Antwerp could not comprehend why Infinity placed cut as number one and didn't try to max out the size of the rough.
So my young friends left, all high and illuminated from within - such a lovely thing to see all that despondency vanish. I was so grateful to Paul. They chose three little, perfect stones and got the names of two designers from Leive and went away with an afternoon they'll never forget and which'll make their ring much more special. Awwwww.
Then they bought out the slightly bigger diamonds for me (my dh is kind enough to be wanting to buy me a diamond - over Summer - for my 40th this November). And in the bunch were some AGS-0 Princesses. Gasp. I couldn't agree more with the Queen Mum (no I'm not nuts, it's a poster who wrote a thread on this exact subject in March).
I am no Princess girl but as soon as I saw them, they just had three, I knew I could stop looking!
And I'm going to get one. I tried to describe it for my husband and mother, but no can do. They are like nothing you've seen. But if you are after a Princess, you have to check them out. You need to check out their rounds too. But their Princesses were even more memorable, I think because a perfectly cut Princess is such rare animal. The rounds they put against my ears (yeah the service was really that considerate!!!) were also breath taking. .7s.... wow! Those would be studs to die for. I waaant them aaalllll!!!!
So honestly guys if you're reading this in the UK, or a trainable distance from Belgium, and you're thinking: "superlative cut automatically = the US", hop on a Eurostar. Have a nice weekend break in Antwerp which is an attractive city with some fabulous medieval architecture and go see Paul and Lieve.
And finally, noooooo, I'm not in any way connected to them. I'm just a very delighted customer who wants to support a small business swimming against the stream and the 'get-as-much-out-of-the-rough-as-you-can' mediocrity.
I can't wait to go back with dh.
Abi
Hey, sorry so long
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