Can ya help a girl out?

[chicagohills]

I received an antique diamond ring from my father that he inherited. The ring itself was not my style and much too small. (I wear a size 5!) After spending countless hours lurking on Pricescope, I decided to have the diamond taken out of the setting, and sent the diamond and the setting to BGD to have a pair of handmade bezel-set earrings made. I have no papers and no idea of the quality of diamond. Just by looking at it with my eagle eye, I estimated that the diamond was between .35 and .40. It's a pretty, sparkly little stone, looks eye clean and white! (I have no illusions that this stone is a premium, modern cut diamond.) Anyway, I was planning on buying a matched diamond from BGD and have it all done in-house. This was to be my birthday gift (March 2nd). This began back in February.

Fast Forward to April 3-

I asked my husband if had he heard anything as it had been quite a long time. He said he finally received an email from Jamie saying that they couldn't find a matching stone and asked if we wanted to have it shipped back to us. I'm the kind of person who needs answers so I called BGD up. Jamie was with a customer so I spoke with another woman on the phone who pulled the paperwork. Same answer. She said that none of the vendors have a matching diamond and she would ship it back. So, I'm thinking... is this such an awful and small diamond they can't be bothered to work with me? ... Is it even real? (It is real.) I'm politely not getting off the phone until I get a satisfactory answer so I get put on hold. Then a lady with an english accent gets on the phone and tells me that the depth is good on the diamond but the table proportions are unusual. FINALLY! Something I can work with! My interpretation of what's happening is that they don't want to work with this particular diamond because its proportions are inferior and they can't possibly find something that would even come close to a match.

We talk about my father giving it to me so it has sentimental value which is why I want to use it. Not sure what the alternative would be to do with this diamond... throw it the drawer with the rest of my poorly cut gemstones? I then ask if the best thing would be to have this made into a pendant. She agrees and I say that I will look at some of theirs. She offers to email some examples as well. Finally a crumb of decent customer service. I have to say, *this was a gift to me from my family. If I had spent money on it and sent it to them, I would have been made to feel very badly about this little diamond.*

It comes down to this: After much thought, I still want a pair of bezel earrings made with this diamond. But NOT by BGD. I'm hoping all you lovely ladies can help me out with the next step. I'll post what specs Jamie sent us via email; she did not include the color or clarity.

My husband purchased my engagement ring from GOG back in 2004, and I'm hoping Jonathan can help us out again. My husband has already composed an email for GOG. Here are the specs and a few photos of the little guy loose. Doesn't look too bad to me.

Table 68%
Depth 60.7%
Crown Angle 38.5
Pavilion Angle 42.7
Girdle: Very thin-thin
Carat Weight: 0.370ct









And just for kicks, I'll include pics of the other diamond ring my father gave me. Here's my wedding band, engagement ring, the other antique ring, and an anniversary band.

 

[Todd Gray]

As a diamond buyer / member of the trade, I have to say that I think it would be extremely challenging to locate a diamond to "match" a diamond with the proportions that you provide:

The total depth of 60.7% is pretty standard, but the 68% table is well beyond what most diamond cutters are producing these days, and the 38.5 degree crown angle is extremely steep / deep, as is the 42.7 degree pavilion angle, and then there is the very thin girdle...

When we sit down to try and match diamonds, we (trade members) usually do so from the perspective of not only trying to match up the diameter of the diamond, but also other factors of the diamond which dictate the volume of light return and the sparkle factor, such as the proportions - which in this case are going to be pretty difficult to find... honestly, as a buyer of ideal cut diamonds, I wouldn't even know where to begin searching for a diamond cut like this, and I'm not trying to offend you, simply stating a fact.

Brian Gavin is well recognized for his expertise in ideal cut diamonds, that is what he produces, that is what he sells... I'm sure that they made every effort possible to find something comparable for you to consider, but not surprisingly their search appears to have been futile.

 

[CanuckAB]

As a diamond buyer / member of the trade, I have to say that I think it would be extremely challenging to locate a diamond to "match" a diamond with the proportions that you provide:

The total depth of 60.7% is pretty standard, but the 68% table is well beyond what most diamond cutters are producing these days, and the 38.5 degree crown angle is extremely steep / deep, as is the 42.7 degree pavilion angle, and then there is the very thin girdle...

When we sit down to try and match diamonds, we (trade members) usually do so from the perspective of not only trying to match up the diameter of the diamond, but also other factors of the diamond which dictate the volume of light return and the sparkle factor, such as the proportions - which in this case are going to be pretty difficult to find... honestly, as a buyer of ideal cut diamonds, I wouldn't even know where to begin searching for a diamond cut like this, and I'm not trying to offend you, simply stating a fact.

Brian Gavin is well recognized for his expertise in ideal cut diamonds, that is what he produces, that is what he sells... I'm sure that they made every effort possible to find something comparable for you to consider, but not surprisingly their search appears to have been futile.

I was just about to say something like this. I too received an older diamond, my mom's e-ring stone, around .3c from 1950. I went the pendant route and had it placed in a rose gold setting. This might be your best option as a mismatched pair of diamonds may not look great as earrings.

 

[WinkHPD]

Surprisingly there are a few candidates out there, but I can not know which are of interest until after you have told us your dimensions as obviously this diamond you have will have the spread of a much smaller diamond. When I searched only for 66 - 69 % tables and 60 - 61.5 depth, and poor to fair GIA cut grade I found nearly 100 stones, but of all colors and clarities in the .25 to .40 size range.

I will need diameter measurements to cut down the possibles.

I fully understand that this is not a normal Pricescope diamond, but as a sentimental old man I also fully appreciate that this is a family treasure that you wish to honor and augment with as close a mate as you can find for personal reasons.

Wink

P.S. I admit to extreme surprise that these stones were listed on Rap. I did not know that anyone was still cutting them.

 

[Gypsy]

Call Wink, he can help you.

I do think the pendant idea is the best one though.

 

[loves_chicagohills]

Hey Wink! I'm PM'ing you -- I'd like for you to please help us find a mate so that chicagohills can finally enjoy her stone. Thanks in advance for your help!

 

[Rhea]

Hey Wink! I'm PM'ing you -- I'd like for you to please help us find a mate so that chicagohills can finally enjoy her stone. Thanks in advance for your help!

There is no PM function here. Wink's website information is located in his signature at the bottom of his post and his phone number and email address will be located on his website. For ease, http://www.highperformancediamonds.com/index.php?page=contact,, 800-524-7904, [email protected].

 

[WinkHPD]

Hey Wink! I'm PM'ing you -- I'd like for you to please help us find a mate so that chicagohills can finally enjoy her stone. Thanks in advance for your help!

LOL, as Rhea noted, there is no "private messaging system" here, but obviously, your post refers to "Public Messaging".

Please contact me via my website so that I can indeed help you to find this "unfindable" diamond.

My sick inner self hears the beginnings of a bad song parody,

To find the unfindable diamond,
To dream that it's really out there,
(Need time to come up with more lyrics, sung to the tune of The impossible dream from The man of La Mancha)

Wink

 

[loves_chicagohills]

Thanks guys!

(never seen a forum that didn't have a PM function...)

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Thanks guys!

(never seen a forum that didn't have a PM function...)

There was one years ago, but there were numerous problems with it (people being harrassed by non-PS vendors, for example), so they removed that function.

I just wanted to say that I also had a family stone that was poorly cut, but I sent it to BG to have it recut. It was a carat so there was enough there to recut and still have a decent size stone. It came out to be .80 and excellent cut. I don't think that would be an option with a stone your size, but I don't think BG was trying to insult you at all. I do personally think a pendant is a better idea with a family stone, because buying a second poorly cut diamond is kind of a painful thought. Plus that stone doesn't have great measurements for studs. But that's just my opinion!

 

[Travelgal]

Unrelated, but I LOVE your "other" antique ring. It's fabulous.

 

[WillyDiamond]

That "English" sounding lady on the phone you reference is most likely Lesley. I have bought from BGD a few times, and will continue to do so. Their customer service is excellent and bottom line........Lesley is a real gem! (Pun intended)

 

[MissGotRocks]

It would be very difficult to find a stone of that size with those specs. As others have said, they are not typically cut in that fashion. If not a pendant, would you consider another ring or bracelet to set that stone in? Sometimes the 'shine' comes from the sentimental value of the stone and with those specs, I'd rather have it shine on its own than to try and pair it with something similar.

 

[pyramid]

I would want the diamond in a pendant because if the other earring stone matched it, I would forget which one was
the original sentimental diamond. I would want to focus on that diamond alone. I get attached to my diamonds, meaning
I feel they are now mine. If it was sentimental the fact it was poorly cut would not bother me and I would not want to change it in anyway. I would want to look at the stone with my eyes and see it the same way the person who gave it to me saw it.
I would just buy other diamonds if I was concentrating on the cut. If it was a very large stone and had monetary worth that would be different and I would get it improved with a re-cut.

 

[pyramid]

If I wanted more carat weight. I would give Wink the length, width & depth of the stone and see if he could get me another
matching one, then I would get them both set in a pendant but have one of them surrounded with a bezel or some other
decoration so that I knew that one (or the other one left without decoration) was the sentimental one.

 

[texaskj]

+1 Pyramid, I was thinking the same thing the whole way through this thread.

 

[hogster]

I have only just asked for reviews on BGD and all have come back positive. I have also been dealing with Jamie and she always seemed helpful and responds very quick either by private msg or email so seems strange you were treated very different?

Pendant seems like a good idea, best of luck what ever you do.

 

[MissGotRocks]

I'm guessing it wasn't the messenger but rather the message that wasn't taken very well. However, their response is truly understandable given the task they were presented.

 

[makemepretty]

I guess I don't understand why it would be so hard to find a companion for your diamond for earrings. If it's similar size(diameter), in a bezel, why does it matter if all the other measurements aren't exact? On the ears, who will be able to tell? Sitting in a jewelry box, next to each other, yes, but on your ears? I've seen ladies post two different color diamonds on their ears. Don't get a pendant if you want earrings. Hold out for someone who can help you do earrings. There are literally thousands of diamond sellers and jewelers. One of them has to be able to find something suitable that you can put in bezels that will be pleasing to the eye. No, they probably can't find you an EXACT match but your earrings could be something unique and special to you.

This is a diamond board that pretty much uses the same vendors repeatedly. That doesn't mean there aren't other ones out there.

I would not use BGD either, it sounded like you were pulling teeth to get any answers from them. Almost like it wasn't worth their time. I'm not a vendor or a diamond expert but I've owned enough jewelry to know that it doesn't have to be perfect to be beautiful.

 

[pyramid]

Brian Gavin Diamonds are like a boutique type of diamond dealer, they sell ideal cut stones and cut diamonds to their
design. This diamond was different mainly because it had a 70% table and probably the symmetry and polish would not
be to the standards that a new BGD stone would be. They were just the wrong vendor for this type of diamond.
Ebay would be good except you would not be able to control the table % so a data base such as the one Wink keyed into
would be the best bet. BGD could have probably typed into that same database but this is not their type of business.
Sort of like buying a nice no name handbag from someone selling only Louis Vutton. Wink is working on a broader spectrum
and would be willing to source something different from what he normally sells but BGD are set up to cut and market their
own brand.

 

[pyramid]

Would like to say, it was good of Brian Gavin Diamonds to measure the diamond and give the poster the specs for
it as they didn't have to do that. This way it is easier for someone like Wink to find a matching stone without having
it in hand. The original poster mentioned they didn't give her color and clarity but Brian Gavin Diamonds don't give
that for their own stones either, it is labs like AGS which grade for that. Just saying so that new people know this.