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Are ACA''s that much better than well cut non H&A stones?

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stepcutgirl

stepcutgirl

Brilliant_Rock
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I am considering two three stone designs. One would be from WF and have ACA''s as the side stones. The other would be from another vendor that I really WANT to work with but I do not think these would be H&A stones but I have been told they will be very well cut stones. The price between both is similar and WF has been fantastic to me...so I don''t have any issue whatsoever working with them. I just have a connection and really really like the other vendor. Just wondering if ACA''s are truly that much more sparkly and full of life than well cut stones?
 
Will the vendor you like allow you to source your own H&A diamonds?

What size stones are we talking about here. The difference between H&A and non H&A becomes less apparent with smaller size diamonds.
 
Yes, I can source my own stones but i think the cost of doing that myself would be more than if they do it. The cost difference in me sourcing them myself is $860. The side stones would be .25ct each.
 
By non-aca, if you mean "near-H&A" then no, they''re not sparklier/livelier/better unless you need the mindclean aspect of knowing it''s H&A. If by non-aca you mean "who knows", then quite possibly - though you can certainly have a brilliant, lively, sparkly stone with no pattern whatsoever.


So, what do you mean by "better"?




What H&A truly means:
https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/h-a-or-idealscope.139014/
 
Depends a lot on the quality of the ''other'' non-H&A stones. ''Well cut'' by whose definition?
 
Date: 4/13/2010 2:01:05 PM
Author: stepcutgirl
Yes, I can source my own stones but i think the cost of doing that myself would be more than if they do it. The cost difference in me sourcing them myself is $860. The side stones would be .25ct each.
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Speak to your jeweler about their selection criteria, I think at that size it may not be worth the trouble of sourcing ACAs as side stones.
 

Who is the vendor? Do they have a proven track record of sourcing diamonds?


At the .25 mark I think if you just ask them to find you premium grade then you should be fine. You cannot get certed stones in that size, but any jewler can access top quality mellee versus the common commercial grade mellee.

 
The other jeweler is JbEG. I really like them, really want to work with them. I don't believe they would use junk by any means. However...WF has offered a great price and that includes ACA'a.

Sometimes i hate choices.

ETA-I'm not fully sure I know what I mean by better. I've never had any diamond jewelry so I'm not sure on how much aca's differ from non aca's...but i know they are aca's for a reason.
 
I think the difference between premium quality melee and ACA melee is probably pretty small. But sometimes it is a mind clean issue and it''s nice to know the small stones have the little arrows in them! But with JbEG, you''ll definitely get quality stones.

So it sounds like one of those mind clean things that you just have to decide what''s best for you, make a decision, and then don''t second-guess yourself.
 
Date: 4/13/2010 6:40:54 PM
Author: sarap333
I think the difference between premium quality melee and ACA melee is probably pretty small. But sometimes it is a mind clean issue and it''s nice to know the small stones have the little arrows in them! But with JbEG, you''ll definitely get quality stones.

So it sounds like one of those mind clean things that you just have to decide what''s best for you, make a decision, and then don''t second-guess yourself.
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dITTO.

I would trust JGeb to source premium quality melee.

What is the style of the ring? Do you think one vendor will execute better than the other?

JBeg probably does a much lower volume than WF, you would get more attention to detail from them...
 
Date: 4/13/2010 2:01:05 PM
Author: stepcutgirl
Yes, I can source my own stones but i think the cost of doing that myself would be more than if they do it. The cost difference in me sourcing them myself is $860. The side stones would be .25ct each.
Click to expand...
With .25, if you can get some sort of near H&A, they should look great. ACAs aren''t required.
 
Date: 4/13/2010 6:40:54 PM
Author: sarap333
I think the difference between premium quality melee and ACA melee is probably pretty small. But sometimes it is a mind clean issue and it''s nice to know the small stones have the little arrows in them! But with JbEG, you''ll definitely get quality stones.

So it sounds like one of those mind clean things that you just have to decide what''s best for you, make a decision, and then don''t second-guess yourself.
Click to expand...
Is .25 considered melee? lol Years ago here in PS, I was given a stick pin with a H&A .10 diamond and the non-H&A stones in my Roberto Coin look about the same. I just went and checked and under regular lighting, I definetly cannot see the arrows in the .10. Only can see them under my viewer. (and I have standard 20/20 vision.)
 
I think "melee" is just any smaller diamond that is not certed?? What the heck is the definition anyways??
 
Date: 4/13/2010 7:16:12 PM
Author: dreamer_d
I think 'melee' is just any smaller diamond that is not certed?? What the heck is the definition anyways??
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I always thought of melee as mini decorative diamonds (lol). I just googled and found one site that said the size ranges .001-.18. Sounds about right.

ETA - and the term "smaller" can be debatable as we all have our different concept of what is small. Some think 1 ct is small. (not me, though. . .that is a HUGE diamond to me)
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Date: 4/13/2010 6:54:46 PM
Author: dreamer_d
Date: 4/13/2010 6:40:54 PM

Author: sarap333

I think the difference between premium quality melee and ACA melee is probably pretty small. But sometimes it is a mind clean issue and it''s nice to know the small stones have the little arrows in them! But with JbEG, you''ll definitely get quality stones.


So it sounds like one of those mind clean things that you just have to decide what''s best for you, make a decision, and then don''t second-guess yourself.
Click to expand...

dITTO.


I would trust JGeb to source premium quality melee.


What is the style of the ring? Do you think one vendor will execute better than the other?


JBeg probably does a much lower volume than WF, you would get more attention to detail from them...
Click to expand...
I''m not super certain on the style. I am considering a semi bezel three stone and a prong set. I like it when the middle stone sits up a little higher than the two side stones and the sides almost look tucked under the center stone. I debated back and forth over pear side stones and rounds. The aca''s attracted me to the rounds...because I thought those would add more sparkle than pears. Is that true?
 
If the price is the same, I really need a reason why I would go with a vendor that has "lesser" quality in the product. I would want to know what the price difference is going to - ie. better service, better metal, bigger size, etc. Now, I put "lesser" in brackets because there maybe something more to the JBEG stones that we don''t know about - perhaps they are really unique and have character or they are OECs. I think JBEG is wonderful but I am taking the emotion out of it and trying to think logically.
 
Date: 4/13/2010 7:45:07 PM
Author: CharmyPoo
If the price is the same, I really need a reason why I would go with a vendor that has ''lesser'' quality in the product. I would want to know what the price difference is going to - ie. better service, better metal, bigger size, etc. Now, I put ''lesser'' in brackets because there maybe something more to the JBEG stones that we don''t know about - perhaps they are really unique and have character or they are OECs. I think JBEG is wonderful but I am taking the emotion out of it and trying to think logically.
Click to expand...
The price difference is a little hard to figure out. I asked for palladium for the metal...that is what I got the quote from JbEG for however WF charges more for palladium, so since I am allergic to nickel they quoted me using wg with palladium for the alloy. The cost difference is JBEG''s quote is $300.00 more.

So while I like that WF found a way to get me the metal I can wear for a lesser amount than palladium it will then require a custom wedding band with that same alloy to keep the allergy issue at bay.
 
bump
 
I recently compared a pair of earrings with ACA stones in about a 10 point size to a pair that was non ACA and saw no difference. I have a thread about it somewhere on here. Anyways, I looked in all sort of lighting and my husband also looked and we just couldn''t tell the difference. Sometimes you just get a good vibe from someone and in this case I don''t think you''ll see a difference, but you have to figure out if knowing they aren''t ACA will bug you. In my case it was a no-brainer since I just didn''t see anything different (kind of like how I don''t care if a stone is more clear if I can''t see a difference).
 
Well have you tried on rings with rounds versus pears? I personally think rounds is WAY better unless the center is huge, like 2ct plus. And even then I favour rounds because yes, the sparkle factor is much greater. I have posted before about my preference for the type of three stone you describe, where the sides are slightly tucked under. Rebfaerythinker has a rings like that, and the WF Troi Brillent is a ring like that too, as is the BGD open gallery accented.
 
ACAs are branded H&A stones. So, yes, you could get melee from JBEG that look just as nice, and ones that may not be as optically "perfect" but to the naked eye are just as gorgeous. ACAs just happen to be a no-brainer, like, say, if you want an mp3 player it can be a no-brainer for some to just buy an iPod.

I don''t know JBEG''s track record with round brilliants. I trust their eye with older stones, but I suspect they know their way around decent melee too. It''s quite possible they''ll get nice H&As too.

As to your decisions. Yeah, RB will just be sparklier than pears. Depending on your design, I do like that "leaf" effect of pear sidestones, but if sparkle is the main thing, then I''d go for RBs.
 
Thanks winternight, dreamer and hest. I took a look at that thread and it''s a cool eye opener. I think I''m a little paranoid about getting the best with this purchase because not only will it be my first real diamond piece but my ering! I know .25 ct stones aren''t huge but they are side stones...and the same size as my sisters main stone! I have checked her ring out ten ways from sunday and while the size is not large...her''s is not well cut at all and I am leery of a dud sitting next to my prized hard worked for sapphire.

I do trust JbEG but I needed to hear some one telling me that as well. Also, I am now even more confused by the quote I have gotten from WF and knowing that those will be aca''s and a custom made metal. Ugh...but JbEG will be the metal I originally wanted and I just love them. In the end I bet which metal I get won''t make much of a difference except that I think the WF custom blend will mean I will have to use them and that for my wedding band. I feel so confused.
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https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/under-1ct-diamonds.25028/

That thread is diamonds under 1ct. I think there are some ACAs .25ct or so in there. There is a half bezel ring with about a .58ct center and small ACAs channel set, for certain. It''s a custom Whiteflash ring. Sorry, I don''t know what page it''s on, and the entire thread is 42 pages or so.
 
Hate to throw a wrench into this...but if this is going to be your e-ring and you''re planning a 3-stone, I''d suggest you also think about the w-ring at the same time. For a 3-stone you could easily get into a situation where you have a gap between the two rings, or have one sit annoyingly lower than the other. You might not care--which is fine--but if you might care it wouldn''t hurt to look in terms of how the entire set will be and not just the e-ring.
 
I do like the Wring though I read in threads on here that it causes more of a gap than a trellis setting. I am keeping in mind gap sizes. I don''t mind a small gap...but I don''t want a large one.
 
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