Analysis Paralysis-poll

[Texas Leaguer]

Diamondseeker,
Just to be clear, we do not typically get into re-cutting customers' diamonds. We do however do custom cutting when a customer wants a particular size/color/clarity combination that we do not have in stock or in the pipeline.
Not sure if some of the vendors who do re-cutting may have raised their prices. That is a possibility. It is a time-consuming process for the vendor and there are some risks.

Having said that, modern tools and technologies offer a high degree of predictability today, and the factories that would be involved in such projects have the highest level of skill. As you might expect, there is a much higher level of predictability in re-cutting an existing stone than cutting from rough.

Nala,
I understand your hesitancy, and I'm sure most people here can empathize. A bird in the hand, as they say. I think the risks that concern you are very small, but they do exist. I am not sure how the vendors you have talked to handle that risk in terms of who is responsible for what. This is one of the thorny aspects of the process, and depending on the terms, can impact the prices quoted.

I will say that there is little to no risk of the stone performing worse in any lighting environment after being recut to ideal or especially super-ideal.

So you have to balance the joy you will experience in owning a precision cut diamond of top craftsmanship and light performance, against the cost and risk that may be involved.

An important thing to understand is that there is some reason why you do not fully love the diamond in its current state. Any visual deficit that it might have will not change. If it bothers you now, it will likely always bother you. If you get the diamond tuned up and perfected for light performance, it will always be at the top of the scale and you will be fully proud of it every time you look at it or show it to someone. It's really a very personal decision and there is no right or easy answer.

Good luck!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I am pretty sure BG sends them out of the country, too, as their cutting facility is not in the US. So that does factor into their pricing as well. I think your ring is beautiful, and if you are happy with the cut, I really wouldn’t spend the money. It’s more worth it to people who’ve had superideal cuts and just can’t adjust to a lesser cut. Only you can decide if having an ideal cut is important to you. A recut would help being able to sell it down the road if you tried to sell yourself, though.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

@Texas Leaguer Thank you for the clarification! I think I confused custom cutting with recutting! Sorry about that!

 

[nala]

Diamondseeker,
Just to be clear, we do not typically get into re-cutting customers' diamonds. We do however do custom cutting when a customer wants a particular size/color/clarity combination that we do not have in stock or in the pipeline.
Not sure if some of the vendors who do re-cutting may have raised their prices. That is a possibility. It is a time-consuming process for the vendor and there are some risks.



Having said that, modern tools and technologies offer a high degree of predictability today, and the factories that would be involved in such projects have the highest level of skill. As you might expect, there is a much higher level of predictability in re-cutting an existing stone than cutting from rough.

Nala,
I understand your hesitancy, and I'm sure most people here can empathize. A bird in the hand, as they say. I think the risks that concern you are very small, but they do exist. I am not sure how the vendors you have talked to handle that risk in terms of who is responsible for what. This is one of the thorny aspects of the process, and depending on the terms, can impact the prices quoted.

I will say that there is little to no risk of the stone performing worse in any lighting environment after being recut to ideal or especially super-ideal.

So you have to balance the joy you will experience in owning a precision cut diamond of top craftsmanship and light performance, against the cost and risk that may be involved.

An important thing to understand is that there is some reason why you do not fully love the diamond in its current state. Any visual deficit that it might have will not change. If it bothers you now, it will likely always bother you. If you get the diamond tuned up and perfected for light performance, it will always be at the top of the scale and you will be fully proud of it every time you look at it or show it to someone. It's really a very personal decision and there is no right or easy answer.

Good luck!

I really like the sound of this and I think it makes a lot of sense.

 

[HappyNewLife]

The rational side of me says to save two years' budget up and put $14,000 towards a significant size superideal upgrade. You'd never doubt your ring again and you'd be thrilled with the visual results.

The non-rational side of me, the impulsive side that basically is me every day would probably drop 7k now to upgrade the diamond NOW. I probably can't unsee in my mind now what the HCA and Idealscope showed me.

 

[motownmama]

I was worried going from 2.25 to 2.05 with my diamond that Brain Gavin recut, but I really do love how it came out!! I never looked back. (It might even have lost more weight than I'm remembering, but it did stay above 2ctw after).

 

[nala]

The rational side of me says to save two years' budget up and put $14,000 towards a significant size superideal upgrade. You'd never doubt your ring again and you'd be thrilled with the visual results.

The non-rational side of me, the impulsive side that basically is me every day would probably drop 7k now to upgrade the diamond NOW. I probably can't unsee in my mind now what the HCA and Idealscope showed me.

Like I said. It’s not a matter of when I have the money. Lol. I do. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be contemplating this first world issue. I’m trying to be prudent about this luxury. You know. Sort of set a limit in what otherwise would be a never ending game of making no compromises to bigger and better.

 

[nala]

I was worried going from 2.25 to 2.05 with my diamond that Brain Gavin recut, but I really do love how it came out!! I never looked back. (It might even have lost more weight than I'm remembering, but it did stay above 2ctw after).

Wow! Do you have a thread on this! I like what I’m hearing!

 

[LLJsmom]

If you HAVE to do something this year, Given the price of a recut and you aren’t losing much weight I would recut. If you can wait, I would save up for 2 years and upgrade in color and/or size.
If you recut with BGD, could you upgrade with them in the future? If you could that would push me toward a recut with them. A small decrease in size would not be noticeable if the recut would result in ridiculous edge to edge fire. I’ve seen a big CBI and that stone was ridiculous. Huge flashes and seriously multicolored fire everywhere. I would think a BGD would result in something similar. I would believe that a recut would result in a very noticeable improvement in performance. But you would have to believe it too in order to commit to it.

 

[nala]

If you HAVE to do something this year, Given the price of a recut and you aren’t losing much weight I would recut. If you can wait, I would save up for 2 years and upgrade in color and/or size.
If you recut with BGD, could you upgrade with them in the future? If you could that would push me toward a recut with them. A small decrease in size would not be noticeable if the recut would result in ridiculous edge to edge fire. I’ve seen a big CBI and that stone was ridiculous. Huge flashes and seriously multicolored fire everywhere. I would think a BGD would result in something similar. I would believe that a recut would result in a very noticeable improvement in performance. But you would have to believe it too in order to commit to it.

Again. This is not about saving up or not. It is a financial mind clean motive for me not to go beyond the amount I have set, bc I know it never ends and the prudent side of me knows I need to set a limit and stick to it.
But I do like the rationale you provided for a recut.

 

[doberman]

If you're satisfied with the diamond, and can't tell the difference between superidealdon't spend 7k or 2k to get another one or re-cut it. But this seems like a "mind clean" situation for you, in which case I'd go for the re-cut.

 

[msop04]

If there was a guarantee that my stone wouldn't end up worse, lol, some kind of freak slip of hand-- I would opt for recut. But I fear that what if it's not as pretty? Say what you will about a 5.6, but it's never been dull. It may go dark and murky in some lighting, but it's always shiny. On the other hand, I used to own a ring with a better hca. But I always thought it looked dull. When I compared my stone to an ideal Gia a few weeks ago, the ideal one looked meh.

Here is your answer... keep it as is. It's a beautiful ring, and I'd hate for you to have "recut remorse"!

 

[msop04]

If you're satisfied with the diamond, and can't tell the difference between superidealdon't spend 7k or 2k to get another one or re-cut it. But this seems like a "mind clean" situation for you, in which case I'd go for the re-cut.

Sometimes I wonder if the "mind clean" issue is because, as PS members, we're not supposed to like HCA 5 stones? ...but so what if you do??

 

[nala]

Sometimes I wonder if the "mind clean" issue is because, as PS members, we're not supposed to like HCA 5 stones? ...but so what if you do??

This. This is what I’m trying to gauge. Hubby thinks I drank the kool-aid. I posted a thread on poor scoring hca’s So that I could see for myself, but very few shared.

 

[sarahb]

Being in your shoes with your set of circumstances is such a tough decision. You agonize & literally drive yourself nuts trying to figure out every single nuance of the "what if's". (And to boot, the entire process is exhausting.) I too, had a GIA steep/deep purchased pre-PS. Once I found PS, I learned why it looked the way it did & learned about re-cuts.

For me the investment was totally worth it, the stone absolutely sings now, compared to before. My rationale was, if the recut did not satisfy, I would simply upgrade to an Ideal Cut. But the recut really amped that baby up....haven't looked back since. I'd go to recut, as it most likely will satisfy your need to have that stone look its best. I was right there, right where you are--& the recut did it for me: the return vs the amount spent was insane. IMHO of course. It'll just boil down to what YOU want, what will enhance your ring enjoyment the most. You'll get it figured out!

I just read your post above mine nala, & decided to add this: IMHO, its not kool-aid, its visual and its real.

There IS a concrete difference in poor, good, excellent & ideal performing stones. We know this fact even if we haven't seen all these types of grades personally. In my recut journey, the change was dramatic to my eyes, & my stone wasn't originally a dog (E VS), it didn't look all that bad at all! The recut though, dramatically changed the look & performance of that stone. Significantly I'd say. Even tho it lost a bit of weight, the recut completely changed the dynamics of how it looks. And for a couple grand? Definitely worth it. Again, IMHO.

 

[msop04]

This. This is what I’m trying to gauge. Hubby thinks I drank the kool-aid. I posted a thread on poor scoring hca’s So that I could see for myself, but very few shared.

My first stone was a 2.7 on the HCA... but I still loved it. Although I can definitely see that my new stone is better cut, it would likely be panned by most here bc it's closer to 60/60. So, unless you've got an ACA or other branded super ideal, there will always be something to nit-pick, KWIM? If you love your stone (and it sounds like you do), then why not just keep it for a while? On the flipside, if it really bothers you, then bite the bullet and have it recut if buying a totally new stone is out of the question. But if you recut, will you start thinking about how the color or clarity could be better? <-- you can see where I'm going with this...

My gut tells me that you may just feel like I do sometimes... really itching for some new bling to be excited about. (I go though that a lot) I may be way off, but the way you are going back and forth with this debate really sounds like me when I'm itchin'!

 

[rockysalamander]

I've been following along and ponder. I think what I keep hearing is you put the HCA score aside and it keeps peaking out of you subconscious. I can be the same. Once I hit that point with a gem, especially something I see a lot of, its time for plan b. So, I think I would make a change to the diamond. Recut vs upgrade is really about the value of your risk tolerance. A new stone gives you something solid and tangible to move toward. To me, that means low risk maybe some reward as you get something mind clean. If you recut, there is smallish physical risk, but high psychological risk. So, you get more peformance as a reward. What's that worth to you? One other option to consider. Would your jeweller take your stone back as a cash sale? If so, you would have low risk going from a tangible diamond to a tangible handful of money, and still retain the potential reward of a superideal. You could take that money plus your additional funds and buy into a vendor like WF or HPD with generous upgrade policy. So, smaller amounts of money could make it bigger\whiter over time. I'd reuse your stunning setting, so keep the new stone in that spread range.

 

[nala]

Being in your shoes with your set of circumstances is such a tough decision. You agonize & literally drive yourself nuts trying to figure out every single nuance of the "what if's". (And to boot, the entire process is exhausting.) I too, had a GIA steep/deep purchased pre-PS. Once I found PS, I learned why it looked the way it did & learned about re-cuts.

For me the investment was totally worth it, the stone absolutely sings now, compared to before. My rationale was, if the recut did not satisfy, I would simply upgrade to an Ideal Cut. But the recut really amped that baby up....haven't looked back since. I'd go to recut, as it most likely will satisfy your need to have that stone look its best. I was right there, right where you are--& the recut did it for me: the return vs the amount spent was insane. IMHO of course. It'll just boil down to what YOU want, what will enhance your ring enjoyment the most. You'll get it figured out!

I just read your post above mine nala, & decided to add this: IMHO, its not kool-aid, its visual and its real.

There IS a concrete difference in poor, good, excellent & ideal performing stones. We know this fact even if we haven't seen all these types of grades personally. In my recut journey, the change was dramatic to my eyes, & my stone wasn't originally a dog (E VS), it didn't look all that bad at all! The recut though, dramatically changed the look & performance of that stone. Significantly I'd say. Even tho it lost a bit of weight, the recut completely changed the dynamics of how it looks. And for a couple grand? Definitely worth it. Again, IMHO.

Wow! Am going to search for your thread!

 

[nala]

My first stone was a 2.7 on the HCA... but I still loved it. Although I can definitely see that my new stone is better cut, it would likely be panned by most here bc it's closer to 60/60. So, unless you've got an ACA or other branded super ideal, there will always be something to nit-pick, KWIM? If you love your stone (and it sounds like you do), then why not just keep it for a while? On the flipside, if it really bothers you, then bite the bullet and have it recut if buying a totally new stone is out of the question. But if you recut, will you start thinking about how the color or clarity could be better? <-- you can see where I'm going with this...

My gut tells me that you may just feel like I do sometimes... really itching for some new bling to be excited about. (I go though that a lot) I may be way off, but the way you are going back and forth with this debate really sounds like me when I'm itchin'!

Lol. You might be on to something...

 

[nala]

If you're satisfied with the diamond, and can't tell the difference between superidealdon't spend 7k or 2k to get another one or re-cut it. But this seems like a "mind clean" situation for you, in which case I'd go for the re-cut.

I wouldn't say that I can't tell the difference, rather, the difference was subtle Bc I didn't get to observe under all lighting conditions-- just jewelers.

 

[doberman]

Sometimes I wonder if the "mind clean" issue is because, as PS members, we're not supposed to like HCA 5 stones?

That's exactly it. Sometimes a little knowledge can create dissatisfaction where none existed before. Comparison is the thief of joy. There's always something better out there but at some point it's healthier to love what you have.

 

[AprilBaby]

After reading it all and getting WF perspective I change my mind. My first thought was; you love it, it’s a mind thing, leave it alone.now I think; get the recut, you won’t lose much, see if BG will allow an upgrade later if something bothers you. Win win

 

[thecat]

Would re-cutting void your upgrade policy with your current jeweler? Would whoever you recut with allow an upgrade? I get that you set a limit for financial mind cleanliness so you might not upgrade once it's a super ideal. However, one cannot discount possible small upgrades in color/clarity/etc if the upgrade amount is small enough to keep the overall amount spent on the diamond mind clean financially for you.

 

[nala]

Would re-cutting void your upgrade policy with your current jeweler? Would whoever you recut with allow an upgrade? I get that you set a limit for financial mind cleanliness so you might not upgrade once it's a super ideal. However, one cannot discount possible small upgrades in color/clarity/etc if the upgrade amount is small enough to keep the overall amount spent on the diamond mind clean financially for you.

I’m beginning to think it might not a problem bc he is so busy that I doubt he will remember my specs. Lol. That is part of the problem with my upgrade. He is stalling on bringing new stones and I have to wonder why. He claims he is going to give me full credit for my stone, but it’s been like 3 weeks and he still hasn’t sourced any. Today he told me he would have them by next Tuesday but I’m not holding my breath.

 

[thecat]

I’m beginning to think it might not a problem bc he is so busy that I doubt he will remember my specs. Lol. That is part of the problem with my upgrade. He is stalling on bringing new stones and I have to wonder why. He claims he is going to give me full credit for my stone, but it’s been like 3 weeks and he still hasn’t sourced any. Today he told me he would have them by next Tuesday but I’m not holding my breath.

I see three possibilities. There might not be suitable superideals/ideals since Christmas and New Year just passed (Xmas and New Year proposals). He was too busy or he cannot afford to have cash tied up in inventory which will most probably happen when your current one goes back to him in trade. Does he carry much stock?

 

[yssie]

@nala it seems like you prefer halo ring settings? If you do recut and the reduction in diameter isn’t large, most likely you won’t even notice given that the edge-to-edge of your setting face-up will be either the same or, proportionally, insignificantly smaller Just another thought

I do think jeweller’s spotlights probably make the worst environment for comparisons of this sort. If they’ll let you walk around the store with the stone you could try taking it to a window, into a back room with fluorescents, see how you feel...

 

[nala]

I see three possibilities. There might not be suitable superideals/ideals since Christmas and New Year just passed (Xmas and New Year proposals). He was too busy or he cannot afford to have cash tied up in inventory which will most probably happen when your current one goes back to him in trade. Does he carry much stock?

Perhaps I’m suspicious bc he has another jewelry shop in the heart of the jewelry district and I’ve heard him tell other customers that he can source diamonds in an couple of days.

 

[nala]

@nala it seems like you prefer halo ring settings? If you do recut and the reduction in diameter isn’t large, most likely you won’t even notice given that the edge-to-edge of your setting face-up will be either the same or, proportionally, insignificantly smaller Just another thought

I do think jeweller’s spotlights probably make the worst environment for comparisons of this sort. If they’ll let you walk around the store with the stone you could try taking it to a window, into a back room with fluorescents, see how you feel...

I hear you! I am terrible at gauging size to begin with, that I really don’t think losing a few millimeters will be obvious to me and especially with my halo! Part of me wants to go ahead and start the recut process but am giving my jeweler until Tuesday to see my other options.

 

[nala]

So this is the stone he brought in

 

[nala]

My idealscope says it’s ideal