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Blue Nile Purchase: Questions and Observations

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tlwood99

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Jun 6, 2007
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I discovered this forum a little late (after my BN purchase, but within the 30 day return period) and have benefited greatly. I thought I was a perfectionist but geez... you guys...! Anyway thanks so much for all this great information! I have a few questions as I seek to confirm my purchase and a few observations which I hope will give back to this great information base.

First my stone: Round-Brilliant; 1.53ct., F VS1, no florescence, BN "Signature Ideal" cut, polish, symmetry; GCAL optical brilliance & symmetry both "excellent". Price paid $18.3k

Dimensions:

As per AGS: 7.39-7.45x4.58mm; table 55.2%; depth 61.7%; 34 degree crown angle; 41 degree pavilion angle; pointed culet; 15.1% crown; 1.8-3.8% girdle faceted; 43.3% pavilion; facets 49 and 80. plot shows a few needles on the outside edge, with a small linear cloud and a pinpoint on the table right of center.
As per GCAL: 7.38-7.44x4.57mm; table 56%; depth 61.6%; 33.9 degree crown angle; 41 degree pavilion angle; 0.4% culet; 15% crown; 1.9% girdle; 43.3% pavilion
Depending on which measurements you use, it rates 1.3 or 1.4 on the Holloway Cut Adviser, with excellent light and fire, but very good scintillation and spread.

Visually, to my untrained, inexperience eye, it looks beautiful. I had the audacity to take the diamond and compare side by side with other similarly-sized, similarly-graded ($30k!) Tiffany diamonds under Tiffany lamps and could not tell the difference.

My goal was to forgo size for size sake, and purchase an ideally-cut diamond with truly exceptional brilliance, fire, and scintillation, letting the size being determined by my budget of at or under $20k.

Question: 1. Did I achieve my goal? Should I do anything else, i.e., take it to a local gemologist for an opinion, or need I do anything else to accomplish/confirm my quest or should I just let it go and just enjoy it?

Observation: BN six prong setting is not comparable to Tiffany''s or Cartier''s (but comparable to that sold by Bailey, Banks and Biddle. The BN six prong setting is in my view, relative to T & C, crude looking. So I am sending the ring back to have the setting returned, and will likely purchase the superbcert Tiffany-replica, and then go through the probably terrifying process of having someone mount the diamond. I will let you know how harrowing that experience turns out to be!

Anyway, thanks in advance for your comments, observations, and suggestions.

Tom W.
 
The specs look fine, but you could have saved a bundle of cash if you were willing to drop to G or H colorwise and VS2 or an eyeclean SI1 clarity wise. The average person wouldn''t be able to see the color difference and eyeclean is eyeclean whether it''s a VS1 or an SI1.

But otherwise you did great I think!
 
Date: 6/8/2007 1:13:42 PM
Author:tlwood99
I discovered this forum a little late (after my BN purchase, but within the 30 day return period) and have benefited greatly. I thought I was a perfectionist but geez... you guys...!
I don''t know...I think you''re pretty much just fine. Only recent comments from Richard Sherwood here would have me also question as Neatfreak the VS1 vs VS2...and I''m still not sure, but...not sure I''d second guess yourself on this. If you do choose to use an appraiser...

a) choose a good one and
b) do it in this context...to try to minimize the harrowing-ness of the experience.

Congratulations on fine work.
 
Thanks NF and Ira:

I know I could have saved some money if I was willing to drop to a G or H, and a lower clarity grade, but then as my target was a Tiffany''s engagement ring, I feel I already did!

Besides, there is a mental aspect to all of this. More as to color than clarity, I really wanted "colorless" and while I know that it is all relative (i.e., E is to F as F is to G) I gain some value out of that. Buying a VS1 likewise, while perhaps overkill, gives me a certain degree of confidence that replaces what I might have hoped for if buying from a B&M store versus the internet. And then when I compare the savings with Tiffany''s--well I couldn''t be happier. My cost will end up right at $20k for what Tiffany''s would have charged $30k. So I am satisfied with the price, and if it were to go back, if anything from what I read (Mr. Sherwood in particular) I would go E over F and drop the clarity. But absent someone telling me this stone lacks something I will probably just keep it.

Thanks again!
 
I think you made a great choice!

I agree that colour matters too. I''ve got a 0.54 G pendant and a 1.07 E ring and the difference in colour is quite apparent, even though the pendant is much smaller.

If you take your diamond to an appraiser, he will praise your choice of colour and your future fiancee''s friends will exclaim that she has the whitest diamond they''ve ever seen.

People do notice.

(cos all the above happened to me
2.gif
)
 
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