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BGD studs - opinions on settings and diamonds please!?

L

lusting

Rough_Rock
Joined
Mar 10, 2012
Messages
38
Hi all :wavey:

I am looking to get some small BGD studs for everyday wear. They will be a gift from my grandmother for me to wear as a lifetime thing so I want to make sure I make the right choice. Also I live in Australia so shipping back and forth to change things if I'm not happy could get very costly. I have delicate taste, small earlobes and an even smaller budget so have decided to go with ~0.5ctw (and am more than happy with this size). I have these diamonds on reserve and am wondering if anyone could ease my mind that they are a good choice?

http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamond_pair_comparisions/compared_diamond_details/AGS-104054434105/AGS-104058582105

I'm just a little unsure about the SI2, and I'm not really sure how to interpret the clarity diagram on the GIA report. Lesley said they are both eye-clean to their standards (from 8-10 inches) ,and confirmed that there are no black carbon spots (my biggest concern). I do want to be able to look at them up close without seeing obvious inclusions though. That being said, I have an SI1 engagement ring and have not been able to spot an inclusion even at close inspection. That was graded by GIA though, and I'm not sure if AGS are equivalent in their grading of clarity?

So do you think it's safe to go with this pair, or should I go for a pair of SI1's? Unfortunately they had a few pairs of SI1's that were similar in price but they are now on reserve. There is only very little wiggle room in the budget as I am already going over-budget. I'm just not sure on the visual difference between SI1 and SI2, especially at this size. If I have to though I will wait until a pair of SI1's come up again at around $500.

Also, I am going with the martini setting, and am heavily leaning towards the 'classic martini', but was wondering if anyone has opinions on those vs the cocktail martini setting? From the photos on the website the classic martini looks a little bulky but there isn't an equivalent photo of the cocktail martini so maybe it's just the angle/photography. Lesley has said that the classics are much more popular (though this may just be a function of the lower price?) and sit closer to the ear (which is what I want), but the photos still confuse me a bit. So if anyone has any personal experience with these settings that would be great. Thanks!
 
Hi lusting, nice to see yet another Aussie! :wavey:

If you're concerned about the clarity of the pair you have picked out, would you consider dropping the colour a titch? I have BGD 'I' colour stones in my engagament ring, and they are super white. My studs are an 'I' and a 'J', and when worn they are seriously white as well, no trace of colour when they are in my ear. BGD currently has a pair of 'I' VS2s on the website, if they are within budget they might be worth considering? Also I have classic martini settings and they are so comfy.

Good luck with whatever you choose! Oh, and pictures are mandatory :bigsmile:
 
I don't think SI2s are anything to worry about in this size. Lesley already said they are eye-clean and no one will look that close anyway.
 
Thanks for the quick replies ladies! Both very helpful. I agree no-one will look that closely...except me :Up_to_something:
Probably being a big baby, but I do want to be able to ogle them from closer to 8-10 inches. That being said, I'm pretty sure the only type of inclusion that would bother me is a carbon spot, if it's a clear inclusion I probably wouldn't care.

I would definitely go lower in colour with the Ideal cut, I literally just picked out the cheapest in their inventory at the time, which happened to be G's. Totally agree that is probably unnecessary. Lovely to hear you are happy with your I and J's, will have to muse on that one...maybe i should even wait until some H/I/J's come up in SI1's in a bit smaller size. Definitely something to think about.

And thanks for your thumbs up for the classic martini - makes me feel a lot better :)

PS. Yes pics with definitely be forth-coming!
 
I suspect BGD's inventory is low right now thanks to their black Friday sale, so waiting, if you can :wink2: might be a good idea.
 
VRBeauty|1355113975|3327311 said:
I suspect BGD's inventory is low right now thanks to their black Friday sale, so waiting, if you can :wink2: might be a good idea.
Click to expand...

Hmm yes good point. Unfortunately (well as unfortunate as it can be when someone says they want to buy you some jewellery ;) ) I found out I was in the market for some less than a week after the Black Friday sale! Bad timing. But yeah good thinking, I was hoping to get them very soon but the date I was hoping for has now passed because I couldn't make up my mind so I'm not in a rush anymore...
 
In that case, I'd probably recommend waiting for maybe H SI1 since you want it to be a forever pair!
 
Thanks DS that's what I will do. Feel much more comfortable with that idea :)
 
Just another update after I talked to BGD again (Jamie this time). Well apparently they don't tend to carry diamonds less than around 0.3 carat each, the smaller ones around 0.2-0.25 carat were brought in specifically for the holiday season, so what they have in that range now is all they will have for some time. He assured me that at that size (4mm in diameter) I would need a loupe to see the inclusions in the SI2 stone. So that was very comforting.

However I also realised from the reports that the SI1 diamond in the pair I have reserved is included in 2 other matched pairs in the inventory, both of which are also SI1. So because my pair is on reserve, so are both of the other pairs. I though they had been reserved by someone else! It is only $16 extra to get one of the pairs of SI1's, so even though I am totally breaking the bank with this purchase I'm leaning heavily towards just going with one of them for the peace of mind. I do trust the input from Lesley and Jamie, and really have to give a shout out for their service (as many have before), but I think it's probably worth it just to reduce my stress levels while I wait for them to arrive!
 
Go for it! :appl:
 
Don't feel too bad about missing the Black Friday sale. I checked their inventory during the sale and it was only after that I saw them list the ~0.25ct diamonds. (If they had them up during the sale I would've pounced on a pair of G SI1-2s!) :naughty:

I have a pair of ~0.5ct studs from BGD in four prong settings. Both are Js and one is an SI1 and the other is an SI2. I honestly can't tell which is which even with my loupe! They're both totally eye clean. I was looking at their inventory and they have a couple of better matched pairs available. One is a pair of 0.27ct each G SI2s and another is a pair of 0.24ct each G SI1s. If these are going to be a forever pair, then I think it's worth it to spend a little extra for just the right set.

I was worried about the 4-prong settings before I bought them but Denise reassured me that they sit low (I've had some 4-prong earrings that sit waaay too high.) She was right! They sit perfect to my ears. I'm pretty sure the classic martini settings should be fine, but I think they'll be willing to change them for you if they're too high...? Also, ask them if they can do claw prongs (if you like claw prongs) because they look fab even with small diamonds.
 
Thanks Xiriah, I requested the claw prongs and she said that would be fine :)

Well someone swooped in and bought one of the alternative pairs I was looking at, not sure how that happened they must have swapped out the stone that would have been part of my pair for another. So there is one pair of G SI1's left. They are also a better match for carat size and slightly better matched in dimensions. However there is one thing that I forgot to ask Lesley about. One of the inclusions is a cavity, which I haven't come across before. It appears to be on the underside of the stone close to the edge - so probably nothing to worry about? I did a bit of a search but couldn't find any clear information. Here is the stone with report http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamonds/diamond-details/0.240-g-si1-round-diamond-ags-104059709076#!prettyPhoto[gallery2]/1/

Thoughts on cavities as inclusions?
 
Just in case someone is reading this in future, from my further reading it appears that cavities on the pavilion aren't such a concern, however if anyone had a more informed opinion that would be great. I only have a few more hours to make my decision :)
 
I would never buy a larger stone with a cavity, but it has to be pretty tiny on a stone this size. I would not worry about it for earrings. I think G SI1 is a wonderful choice!!! :appl:
 
Thanks DS yeah the cavity was very small so probably not a real concern. I spoke to Jamie and he said it was fine and not a durability risk so that was good. However in a stroke of good luck, the other G SI1 stone that I had wanted to pair with my original G SI1 came back onto the inventory...their system must have been updating or something when I spoke to Lesley this morning. I asked Jamie his opinion on which one I should pick between the 2 and he agreed the new one was a better match for my stone so I got him to switch that one in for me, paid the invoice, and now just have to withstand the wait for these babies! I'm really happy with the G SI1's, and I probably go them on a bit better price because both stones are 0.24 carat rather than 0.25.

Thanks for all your help everyone, it has really helped to hash it out here. Will come back with pics when I receive them :)
 
Congrats on the purchase! :appl: I agree with DS that the cavity most likely won't be an issue in a stone that size. One of diamonds in my studs (0.23ct or so) has some feathers under the pavilion. I usually don't like feathers, but since I know the feathers are teeny tiny I didn't think twice about it before I made the purchase. I'm also glad you went with the claw prongs. You're going to love them! They look delicate and I just adore mine.
 
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