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Choosing between these 2 large OECs - more pics

anne_h

anne_h

Brilliant_Rock
Premium
Joined
Jun 13, 2005
Messages
1,046
Hi,

Still having trouble deciding. Both are still on hold with respective vendors. Here are more pics in case it helps elicit more feedback. Any advice welcome!

All stone stats/details are in my original thread here:
https://www.pricescope.com/communit...de-down-to-these-2-help-me-choose-oec.162278/

More pics on #1 (I took the handshots last week when I saw the stone in person):

3.71.jpg

By the window:
By_window.jpg

Under that jeweler's lighting (UV lamp):
Looking_white.jpg
Party_of_3.jpg
 
And here is #2 (pics from vendor, I forgot to take shots when I saw it in person):

391_faceup.jpg

392_on_finger.jpg

This one is offround so I don't love the idea of it in my original dream setting (bezel). I think this one would call for a halo.
 
The faceting in the off round is TDF!! :love: :love: :love: If you don't want it I do!!! :lol: I agree that it would probably call for a halo though, and that doesn't sound like your dream come true. Could you be happy with a halo? If not I think that you know which stone you really want......Best wishes! I am :mrgreen: with envy!!
 
My vote is for #1. I prefer rounds over more "cushion-y" shapes, so I'm biased. I agree with Christina that the faceting on that round looks gorgeous!

Does #2 have a sizable chip on its girdle? It looks like a chunk is missing around the 1 o'clock position, but maybe that's just the pic?

Lovely dilemma to have, by the way!!
 
I can see why you are having such a hard time deciding! Normally I would go with stone 2 due to the faceting pattern but
I am loving the way stone 1 looks on your fingers. It looks nice and brite, very white and very large! It is bigger than
stone 2.

I wish you had shots of stone 2 on your finger.
 
A) Add me to the list of people who love the faceting pattern on stone 2.

B) Actually, a bezel would be the perfect setting for stone 2 - it's not wildly irregular, and a skillfully constructed bezel can give the illusion of perfect symmetry! Much better than prongs can, IMO.
 
Yes, there is a large chip on the girdle of stone #2.

Also just realized the second handshot for #1 is WRONG - that pic shows a different (whiter) stone. My bad. And PS won't let me edit the post anymore to fix it.

Anne
 
I can see your dilemma, these are both gorgeous stones! I think I like the round better but I would really want to know what type of setting your putting it in because that could change my mind... When you say you want a bezel setting, will it just be a simple solitaire or something more elaborate?
 
I think a bezel would look great on diamond #2. I can't tell if it's due to photography differences but that one is standing out more to me. either way, they are both beautiful.
 
I would choose #2 hands down.

However, that's because: A) I'm not really a fan of round stones, and B) I LOVE cushions, especially old mine-type cushions.

You said that you prefer the round shape in your other thread, so that would be an important factor in my decision if I were you. May I ask--since you prefer rounds, what is it that's drawing you to #2? What stands out about it to you? Maybe that will help you make your decision.

Good luck! This is an awesome dilemma to have!
 
Hi everyone,

Thanks for all the feedback.

Some people were asking more about my dream setting - it's an antique-style bezel with french-cut sidestones.

I prefer the shape, size and facet pattern of #1. BUT - it is much warmer and also not as good a deal as far as price and grading is concerned.

#2 is an option because it's so white! And I do find it lively, although I don't "love" its offround shape. Also, it is better-priced for what it is. BTW, I think I would be fine to put it in a halo (as I feel it would need, that's just how it feels to me), even though it was not my original plan.

This is so hard. I really just want to make a final decision.

Thanks for any other ideas/suggestions.

Anne
 
They are both lovely, but I prefer the crisp, beautiful facets of #2. But I'm biased since I have a cushion and, after having a round for years, I generally prefer non-round shapes.

I'm sure you've already considered this, but sometimes a setting can camouflage a somewhat "wonky" shape. My cushion had an outline that I was somewhat worried about - it was noticeably wonky in person, unset. However, I was shocked at the improvement in overall balance once it was set (with French cut sidestones as well, actually - but prongs instead of bezel. linky). I think #2 would look amazing in a French cut setting.

Have you decided who will be designing the setting? If so, maybe they could offer opinions as to how the shape of #2 would impact the overall look.
 
Assuming number 2 is eye clean to your standards I like it better. I like its faceting and color. I thin it would look great in a bezel set EW.
 
you mentioned that you liked that #1 looked bigger on your finger as well, but if your considering the halo for #2 that will really increase the spread as well.

I know everyone keeps mentioning how much larger #1 is but I really don't see it in the hand shots, maybe because of the hand size difference of the 2 models? You are going to have amazing coverage either way! *sigh* so green!! :lickout:
 
I agree with a lot of others that #2 is better. I had a round for a few years and I am very partial to other cut sontes. I agree that a halo or bezel setting would definitely alter the view of this stone once it's set if this is what you are worried about but I think it's a beautiful stone. I wish a stone that large was in my budget, I'm very :mrgreen: with envy! :bigsmile:
 
So it seems that you want a round stone, but one that is not too warm. If I were you, I would probably hold off until I found something closer to my dream stone. I think either stone will look great in the setting you describe, but you have to be happy with it and it seems like neither of these stones is "perfect" for you.

Let us know what you end up deciding!
 
anne_h|1308764320|2952087 said:
Hi everyone,

Thanks for all the feedback.

Some people were asking more about my dream setting - it's an antique-style bezel with french-cut sidestones.

I prefer the shape, size and facet pattern of #1. BUT - it is much warmer and also not as good a deal as far as price and grading is concerned.

#2 is an option because it's so white! And I do find it lively, although I don't "love" its offround shape. Also, it is better-priced for what it is. BTW, I think I would be fine to put it in a halo (as I feel it would need, that's just how it feels to me), even though it was not my original plan.

This is so hard. I really just want to make a final decision.

Thanks for any other ideas/suggestions.

Anne
Click to expand...
It sounds to me like you really want a round OEC and #1 just isn't the right one for you.

I don't think it would be wise for you to purchase #2 just because it's whiter and a better deal, especially since this is a stone you plan to wear. If I were you I would wait until the right stone came along, it just doesn't seem like either of these stones is exactly what you want. It really doesn't sound like you love either of these stones, so why buy one of them?
 
I LOVE #2. The faceting of the second is TDF and I like the off round cushion shape personally.
 
Noob here but going to throw out my opinion. I am buying a stone that looks very similar to #1. In a still photo, I love love love the #2. It has the gorgeous Kozibe effect going on, the facets are just divine, and it looks gorgeous. BUT when I was deciding between my diamond and another one quite similar to yours, what really helped me make the decision was the way mine looked when it moves. It just has a beautiful dance of flash and fire off it's facets and it is far more lovely than you'd have guessed on its still shots. The one I liked that resembled your second stone was very pretty. It just wasn't, in the end, an eyecatcher the way mine was, and it didn't call my name the way I thought it would. I know a lot of people here advise on falling in love with your stone, and that is what happened to me, but had I only been judging based on still photos, I'd have gotten a different one.

Since you have seen both in person, which one calls to you and says it wants to be yours? If neither really does, claiming themselves to be Mr. Right Now stone instead of Mr. Right, then I agree maybe you should keep searching and go ahead and release both of these back to the vendor. Good luck with your decision :twirl:
 
Well, I have made my decision and it is...

Number #2!! (the cushiony shaped OEC)

I decided to go with this one since it's so white (IMO anyways). I didn't come across very many higher-colored stones during my search for OECs in this weight category and my particular budget. I can live with the SI2 grading and am okay with the white crystal in the table. In the end, the offround shape works too, DH and I decided it makes the stone unique. It sort of fits how we see ourselves (a little "off", lol).

The other stone was gorgeous too, and the dealer and I did work out a sensible pricepoint in the end, but I felt I was likely to eventually regret the warmth (for me).

#2 does have a noticeable flaw in the girdle, I keep calling it a large chip, but the GIA cert labels it as 'indented natural'. The dealer will try to have it polished out, he feels it can be done without risk or needing to recert.

And for the setting, I've been planning on... Victor Canera! And he has been stellar to work with so far. His prompt communication and frank and helpful style are amazing! I am seriously impressed. I will post more on that journey later. My original love was the Sophia bezel with tapered frenchcut side stones (for a round stone), but I think stone #2 calls for a halo, so we'll probably go that route (Emilya). The more I learn about handforged, the more I love it, so I definitely have to go in that direction.

Thank you everyone for your advice and opinions on these stones. I was honestly stuck for several days and could not move forward to a decision. I spent literally hours looking at pics, videos, certs, reviewing posts here, weighing pros and cons, etc. I got behind on my real job work! lol I decided I really wanted to choose between these two stones vs looking more (which could have also been an option), as I've been for a few months already and felt it tends to take awhile for options to come onto the market. Also, I was concerned about further price increases.

Thank you again. I will of course post the final product once it's compete!

Anne

PS - This dream upgrade project is a gift from DH, made possible by a somewhat unexpected financial event. I have found the stone hunt process itself pretty stressful, but as more decisions get made and we progress, I am getting more excited!
 
I know what you mean, but the GIA cert says Old European Brilliant. I am assuming maybe it was an early cut one (?)

Anne
 
Big congrats Anne, glad to see you finally found your stone, it's just gorgeous!
Can't wait to see the final result, I have no doubt Victor will work his usual magic ;))
 
Congrats Anne :appl:

Can't wait to see what you and Victor decide on! You couldn't really have gone wrong with either choice ::)
 
Hi Anne:

I'm not sure how to contact you separately but I am on the hunt for an OEC and I saw this and see that you picked your beautiful OEC! It is truly magnificent! I was wondering how you thought the color was of the OEC round? You said warm.. but in the photos it looked white. I am having trouble deciding between and H and a much lower color but they do seem very very warm and I'm not sure how it will look bezel. Thanks so much.
 
The stone does look to be beautiful! Is this an upgrade to your oec ring or is this in addition to? Seems like the sizes are pretty similar to me - just wondering!

I'm sure the ring will be gorgeous - those facets are very mesmerizing!
 
Emeraldcutlover|1343581154|3242508 said:
Hi Anne:

I'm not sure how to contact you separately but I am on the hunt for an OEC and I saw this and see that you picked your beautiful OEC! It is truly magnificent! I was wondering how you thought the color was of the OEC round? You said warm.. but in the photos it looked white. I am having trouble deciding between and H and a much lower color but they do seem very very warm and I'm not sure how it will look bezel. Thanks so much.
Click to expand...

Not Anne but in the body of this post I think she said she posted the wrong pictures for the round stone. I think the one posted was much whiter than the original stone.
 
Thx MissGotRocks! I reread and see that now... I wonder what it was?? Thank you though... Much appreciated.
 
MissGotRocks|1343597467|3242618 said:
Emeraldcutlover|1343581154|3242508 said:
Hi Anne:

I'm not sure how to contact you separately but I am on the hunt for an OEC and I saw this and see that you picked your beautiful OEC! It is truly magnificent! I was wondering how you thought the color was of the OEC round? You said warm.. but in the photos it looked white. I am having trouble deciding between and H and a much lower color but they do seem very very warm and I'm not sure how it will look bezel. Thanks so much.
Click to expand...

Not Anne but in the body of this post I think she said she posted the wrong pictures for the round stone. I think the one posted was much whiter than the original stone.
Click to expand...

The ONLY wrong pic. for the round stone was the second picture...1st and 3rd pictures are THE Stone she was considering, which still look white to me for an EGL K color stone.


Post by anne_h » 22 Jun 2011 15:07
Yes, there is a large chip on the girdle of stone #2.

Also just realized the second handshot for #1 is WRONG - that pic shows a different (whiter) stone. My bad. And PS won't let me edit the post anymore to fix it.

Anne
 
ariel144|1344010374|3245397 said:
The ONLY wrong pic. for the round stone was the second picture...1st and 3rd pictures are THE Stone she was considering, which still look white to me for an EGL K color stone.
Click to expand...

Ariel is correct. Handshots #1 & #3 show the actual round OEC I was considering (EGL K VS2). Only handshot #2 was wrong, that was a different stone altogether. I don't know its specs, other than it was whiter.

As far as Emeraldcutlover's question about warmth, yes, the EGL K stone was warm. Under the UV lamp it looked okay, but in daylight and office lighting, it looked quite warm. Almost like ginger ale. Or pale ginger ale. I was worried it would bother me. The vendor and I agreed GIA would probably grade that stone as M SI1 (they had another GIA M stone onsite to compare to, it was very similar).

So now I know that is just too warm for me. But this is very personal. I know some ladies here have set warmer stones in rose gold and had some success with that in terms of helping the stone appear whiter.

I hope this helps. Feel free to ask anything else. :)

BTW, for posterity's sake, here is the link to my completed ring: https://www.pricescope.com/communit...ct-oec-victor-canera-split-shank-halo.168492/ Also, I never did get my chosen stone repolished for the indented natural. The vendor was not 100% confident about insurance coverage and having to recert or not, so I just decided to leave the stone as-is.

Anne
 
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