Bought a BIG blue nuance for planned recut to OEC/transitional...!

[evergreen]

So, I just did A Big Professional Thing (pats self on the back), thus lowering my resistance when I stumbled across this 4.01ct J VVS2 blue nuance LGD. Assuming I like the color, I plan to have it recut to a transitional/OEC. It is already deep with a fairly poofy crown for a MRB, so I am optimistic it will do well in recutting; if it loses a mm or a full ct I will still be happy with the size.

Diamonds

With Clarity redefines your online experience of shopping for engagement rings, wedding rings & fine jewelry by blending expertise with sustainability. Design your own jewelry with lab-grown or natural diamonds and gemstones.

www.withclarity.com

Question for y'all, though, while I wait: Is there much variability in the specific tint of a blue-nuance LGD? I want to try to make this stone look light blue-purple -- my favorite color -- and while I have seen other blurple-er LGDs, this one hit a sweet spot for size and price. Does it look fairly blue, and not so much grey or blue-green, to you? Monitors being what they are...! I think I will likely set it in rose gold to try to bring out more purple tones... choices are white or rose, since I don't wear yellow.

I'm planning to treat it as a lightly-saturated blue stone and to highlight its blue-ness with a variegated blue-and-white diamond/sapphire halo! Maybe a mixed-cut halo, with rounds and pears? Kinda... floral? If you have seen any examples of a really huge halo/cluster ring - since this center will, I imagine, end up 9-10mm - I would love to see them!

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

Don't see a problem, other than why not buy a stone already cut?
But to highlight the blue consider a contrasting color - yellow sapphires.
Do some mock ups and choose?
BTW the link no longer works.

 

[evergreen]

@Garry H (Cut Nut) Ah drat re: link! They deactivated it since I made the post (... Posted immediately after buying and checked the link before submitting the post, so must be it takes a few minutes for them to acknowledge and take the stone off inventory!). I have the cert but not on my phone, will try to upload. Not being able to access the spinning video is a bummer though.

Yup, I'll try mockups! Yellow isn't my jam -- really, no warm colors are. I could get yellow-tinted (...subtly) diamonds for the halo, though, I/J range? Hoping a halo with some blue/purple in it will enhance, rather than compete with or downplay, the blue, but you're right, color theory says I might be pressing my luck!

 

[evergreen]

Oh and - a 4ct, or 3.5ct, transitional with blue nuance isn't something I've stumbled across, hence the plan to recut. It might be something I could get custom, but I imagine we'd be talking 2x the cost. Which would be a better option if this diamond explodes on the wheel, I'm just hoping that by going with higher clarity (a tiny clear crystal under the table) I'll be ok.

 

[yssie]

I'm planning to treat it as a lightly-saturated blue stone and to highlight its blue-ness with a variegated blue-and-white diamond/sapphire halo! Maybe a mixed-cut halo, with rounds and pears? Kinda... floral? If you have seen any examples of a really huge halo/cluster ring - since this center will, I imagine, end up 9-10mm - I would love to see them!

Congratulations on your Big Professional Thing!! And I LOVE your idea of treating it like a light blue and haloing with sapphires!! Only thing I’d add is for the diamonds - you might consider single cuts, to blend a bit more with the OEC light return flavour

Edit - not a huge stone in a single halo but super pretty and floral and I have to share!

 

[DejaWiz]

Here is the link to your diamond's video!

Loupe360

loupe360.com

And the grading report:

Verify Your Report

Ensure authenticity & accuracy of your report here. Verify your gemstone report online for complete confidence in your precious investments.

www.igi.org

BRAVO!!!

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

Looks nice - no sign of graining.
Would probably get GIA Light Blue if it was natural.

 

[diamondyes]

Oh m’y gosh i am going to love seeing this!

Who is doing the cutting?

 

[oncrutchesrightnow]

Awesome diamond

 

[AllAboardTheBlingTrain]

I LOVE the idea of setting it with blue sapphires and white diamonds to bring out the blue! I think a mix of both will give you the blue-boost you’re looking for while still looking cohesive. I picture a halo of white round diamonds, and an outer halo of pear shaped blue sapphire; in WG

 

[foxinsox]

Congratulations on your Big Professional Thing! I love that colour and am excited to see this as an OEC/transitional.

 

[Rfisher]

I'm planning to treat it as a lightly-saturated blue stone and to highlight its blue-ness with a variegated blue-and-white diamond/sapphire halo! Maybe a mixed-cut halo, with rounds and pears? Kinda... floral?

Can wait to see where this takes you!!

 

[Tonks]

Oh, congrats on your Big Professional Thing! And on your new diamond.

I can’t wait to see how you set it. I am not the best person for color theory so take this with a grain of salt. Would you consider a target type setting with sapphires as a halo? (Biased b/c I love that style but also wondering if it would bring out the blue).

 

[lovedogs]

LOVE the color and the idea of getting it recut. I'm super excited to see this come together !!!

 

[evergreen]

Here is the link to your diamond's video!

Loupe360

loupe360.com

And the grading report:

Verify Your Report

Ensure authenticity & accuracy of your report here. Verify your gemstone report online for complete confidence in your precious investments.

www.igi.org

BRAVO!!!

WHEW diamond sleuth!! Great finding. I'm psyched about the Ukrainian origin, too, being that half my genes are from thereabouts as well. I'm planning to approach Southwest about the recut, since they've done a few really beautiful ones!

I'm going to spend some down time next week making scale PowerPoint mockups (as is my tradition with new stones ). If you've seen any settings which enhance boron blue, send them my way! @yssie that ring is TDF. Sapphires (Yogo, maybe, for the periwinkle?), diamonds, I was even wondering about spinel since it can have a similar greyed out tone. I don't think my answer is going to be something super saturated, which might wash out the diamond by comparison... I have a periwinkle sapphire bezeled in rose gold and love the combination (and it highlighted the stone well, too!).

Thinking out loud but it's pleasant indeed to mull over!

 

[Rfisher]

Hearing ‘mixed cut’ and ‘yogos’ as possibilities made me think of these, as they are tiny, and it’s not like you are looking to beef up real estate for a small center stone.



Fun project!!

 

[Tonks]

Here is the link to your diamond's video!

Loupe360

loupe360.com

And the grading report:

Verify Your Report

Ensure authenticity & accuracy of your report here. Verify your gemstone report online for complete confidence in your precious investments.

www.igi.org

BRAVO!!!

Omg how do you find the country of origin? That is so cool!

 

[Mooshi]

I love this project! I set a lighter blue sapphire in a rose gold setting and it just popped so that's my vote. What about opals for the halo?

 

[yssie]

WHEW diamond sleuth!! Great finding. I'm psyched about the Ukrainian origin, too, being that half my genes are from thereabouts as well. I'm planning to approach Southwest about the recut, since they've done a few really beautiful ones!

I'm going to spend some down time next week making scale PowerPoint mockups (as is my tradition with new stones ). If you've seen any settings which enhance boron blue, send them my way! @yssie that ring is TDF. Sapphires (Yogo, maybe, for the periwinkle?), diamonds, I was even wondering about spinel since it can have a similar greyed out tone. I don't think my answer is going to be something super saturated, which might wash out the diamond by comparison... I have a periwinkle sapphire bezeled in rose gold and love the combination (and it highlighted the stone well, too!).

Thinking out loud but it's pleasant indeed to mull over!

So... I've got a piece with white diamonds, light blue sapphires, and darker blue sapphires. And very light blue moonstones. It's nothing at all like what you're looking to do. But the "shades of white and blue" theme, honestly, I love it more every time I see it

I'd worry about spinel. Bue spinel is so unsaturated to begin with. Getting melee size stones to read any amount of blue - let alone in matched fashion - it kinda sounds like an impossible ask. You've got so many options with sapphires though! Would you consider a double halo sort of thing - tiny inner halo with white diamonds to really play up the blue, outer floral extravaganza in shades of blue and white?

My shades of blue piece. I went with single cut diamond melee and full cut sapphire melee on the inside to try to "even out" the sapphire and diamond melee sparkle types a bit. The outer border has full cut diamond melee and the difference in performance is very visible IRL - the full cut melee look like bright white dots. A double halo that outlines your diamond with teeny tiny high-colour full cut white diamonds, as #BrightWhiteDot as possible, I'm thinking that could really bring out the blue in your new stone...

 

[evergreen]

I love this project! I set a lighter blue sapphire in a rose gold setting and it just popped so that's my vote. What about opals for the halo?

Yay, I'm glad your experience with lighter blue sapphire in RG was also positive!! I'm nervous about opals - they need more respect than I usually grant my rings but I'll see how it goes when I start making mockups!

So... I've got a piece with white diamonds, light blue sapphires, and darker blue sapphires. And very light blue moonstones. It's nothing at all like what you're looking to do. But the "shades of white and blue" theme, honestly, I love it more every time I see it

I'd worry about spinel. Bue spinel is so unsaturated to begin with. Getting melee size stones to read any amount of blue - let alone in matched fashion - it kinda sounds like an impossible ask. You've got so many options with sapphires though! Would you consider a double halo sort of thing - tiny inner halo with white diamonds to really play up the blue, outer floral extravaganza in shades of blue and white?

My shades of blue piece. I went with single cut diamond melee and full cut sapphire melee on the inside to try to "even out" the sapphire and diamond melee sparkle types a bit. The outer border has full cut diamond melee and the difference in performance is very visible IRL - the full cut melee look like bright white dots. A double halo that outlines your diamond with teeny tiny high-colour full cut white diamonds, as #BrightWhiteDot as possible, I'm thinking that could really bring out the blue in your new stone...

Ahhh, Yssie, Hall of Fame obviously. I love the idea of mixed sizes and colors; I had wanted a giant cluster, like a MOUND of diamonds on the finger, but I'm not sure how big I'll be able to get the stones and not have it exceed finger width. Working with a size 6.5+ or 7.5 depending. So, yeah, if the melee are small I'll have to go more saturated. I like the sparkle of spinel - sapphire just isn't as lively - but the options will be more limited.

@Rfisher I love those Yogos!! I'm hoping that tone will work with the blue in the stone; dying to see it in person so I can figure out how much green/grey/purple we're dealing with in the body color.

 

[yssie]

I’m super curious how the blue nuance reads IRL, really looking forward to your thoughts! Closest I’ve ever gotten to a blue diamond is fluorescence

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

I think vivid blue sapphires will make the blueish diamond appear more colorless.

 

[evergreen]

I made a BUNCH of mockups on a plane (wonder what the guy sitting next to me was thinking, ha, I hope it was that I am a fabulous jewelry designer with exquisite taste and incredible PowerPoint skills ), but I have to find time+Internet to get those up here!

Meanwhile, Sako posted this on his Instagram, and this is totally along the lines of what I'm going for! Gotta figure out colors and scale, though.

 

[evergreen]

HERE WE GO. The center is a screenshot from the video @DejaWiz sleuthed!

Left to right, saturation; lower left is white. The "blue" rows are two different tones of blue, both somewhat desaturated (greenish blue in the middle, a more purplish blue above).


Lower left and lower right are "inverses" of each other - the R puts blue stones close to the center, the L puts yellow ("warmish diamonds") close to the center. Obviously, the top one is full-diamond plus some little blue buddies right at the edge. I think this also happens to be the style of the Sako ring. (Halos will not be Saturn-ring flat; they will be angled, but it's hard to do that in PPT )

It is not, based on these images, obvious to me which will bring out the color in the center blue the best. I might be too literal in the way my eyes interpret color - obviously, the center stone is exactly the same color in all of the images, and I'm not sure whether that would reflect real behaviour!

Here's the same simple halo mocks but smaller:


What do you think? Would other images be helpful?

 

[evergreen]

Did this one too. Mixed-color small-scale halo, but varied the color of the metal (head only, vs head and band). I feel like the white metal works BETTER... even though I had expected rose to be contrasty and help out with highlighting the blue color.

 

[Rfisher]

Fun mock-ups!


As an aside to the recutting the stone…..
Years back wasn’t Yoram cutting some old cushions in a pattern to accentuate body color - parallel to cutting other old cushions in a different pattern to disguise body color?
I wonder if the avenue exists of different patterns for transitional/OEC in that same way?


Eta: the one I like best probably isn’t feasible with the center stone size. But I’d lean towards white stones next to the center and then colors outside. It’ll be extremely interesting to see your thoughts if the center stone color shifts and the sapphires shifting as well. And how they play.

 

[evergreen]

Eta: the one I like best probably isn’t feasible with the center stone size.

Which one do you mean? Of course, I don't know quite what size it'll be; these are mocked up as a 9.5mm center and a 2mm thick band on a size 6.5 (ish, ha, the potential for measurement error and inaccuracies is decently high...!).

Your point about cutting for color (vs light return - I think those are kinda the two "competing interests" as long as we aren't talking see-thru stones) is really interesting. I think of transitional cuts, which is what I was planning for, as being really good at hiding body tint; they're shallow, the light paths are short, I would expect it would minimize tint. I don't know ANYTHING about an old-cut style which would "maximize" body tint; my O/P cushion hides it pretty well, even. I don't like chaotic/crushed-ice, though, and i think that's the best for highlighting tint... feels like a nonstarter in an old(-style) cut, though.

If anyone remembers more about Yoram's journey to increase body tint thru old-cut style cutting, I would LOVE to learn more! I didn't figure out the jackpot of search terms...

 

[Rfisher]

Oh gosh no - I certainly wasn’t meaning to go for crushed ice pattern for your project!

 

[evergreen]

@Rfisher Oh no, I didn't think that I just have this (artificial?) dichotomy in my head that

crushed ice = long light ray travel distance = enhanced body color = less light return
and
precision patterning = more light return = shorter ray travel = less body color

And I am struggling to figure out where in that chain one might create the conditions for both patterned flashes and longer ray travel! I don't remember Yoram's screenname; I hope he or someone else with cutting expertise might stumble across this.

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

Bottom left white diamonds in my opinion makes it look blue-er