Computer/diamond question

[justginger]

As I have been umming about which setting to choose, I would really like to be able to see what my diamond, with a halo and without, would look like in terms of finger coverage. I went shopping in the city this weekend to try to find comparable sized stones to try on, but it was a dismal failure. One jeweler all but accused me of wanting to see their settings to copy them (and wouldn''t even take one out of a case for me to try on!).

So - I know other people have managed to do it before, but I need to be told (in simple terms) how I can create a "stone" with my mm dimensions in Paint or one of those other applications. Then I can just print them out and paste them on my finger for comparison sake. I''ve been searching through PS for other threads that mentions doing this (and I *know* a lovely PSer posted the exact instructions somewhere!), but no luck so far.

Thanks in advance for any help.

 

[oldminer]

You can get open source software which mimics Adobe Photoshop for free. The name of this program is Gimp. Do a google for Gimp and download it. With a bit of practice you can create a circle or concentric rings of various millimeter diameters. Gimp has an ability to measure angles and to measure distances. Once you get the relationship of what you draw to what prints out, you can easily make adjustments. Gimp is a very good competitor to Jasc or Adobe, but the price is right.

 

[Diamond Explorer]

Ditto on Gimp. Its quite good, and I use it sometimes on my desk-top. I have many friends that are tech people and ask why I just don''t download a pirated version of Photoshop (a legit version costs more than I am willing to spend. While, I doesn''t really bother me when people use pirated software for personal use, I use the software for business, and it would be quite wrong to use un-licensd software for professional use, so, I use gimp when I need to for simple graphic design and photo-editing. It works pretty well, and satisfies both my conscience and my budget. Good luck!

 

[Todd Gray]

Date: 8/10/2009 7:20:20 AM
Author:justginger
One jeweler all but accused me of wanting to see their settings to copy them (and wouldn''t even take one out of a case for me to try on!).

Wow! That''s "impressive" customer service!

 

[justginger]

Thanks so much, David and Jonathan. The download is going now, so it''s only a matter of time til I figure it out (I hope - and if all else fails, only a matter of time til my partner gets home and sorts it out for me!).

And yes, Todd - the service was less than stellar. When I couldn''t manage to work up a lie to the question, "You''re buying your stone elsewhere?" she actually told me that she needed to devote her time to "people who might actually buy something."

I guess she thinks this will be my only fine jewelry purchase in my whole life. Needless to say, that company won''t see a return visit from me!

 

[Todd Gray]

Date: 8/11/2009 8:30:13 AM
Author: justginger
Thanks so much, David and Jonathan. The download is going now, so it''s only a matter of time til I figure it out (I hope - and if all else fails, only a matter of time til my partner gets home and sorts it out for me!).

And yes, Todd - the service was less than stellar. When I couldn''t manage to work up a lie to the question, ''You''re buying your stone elsewhere?'' she actually told me that she needed to devote her time to ''people who might actually buy something.''

I guess she thinks this will be my only fine jewelry purchase in my whole life. Needless to say, that company won''t see a return visit from me!

And yet the obvious concept here is that the troll behind the counter could have focused on trying to earn your business for the setting by asking about the diamond you intend to purchase elsewhere, pulling something of similar size out of the vault and placing it on settings to show you how it would look on your hand.

When we had a traditional brick and mortar jewelry store, people walked in every day with jewelry they purchased else where and we could have knocked most of them over with a feather when we offered to polish and clean their jewelry while they were shopping "so that your jewelry will look as nice as ours again" and they would often comment that the jewelry store who sold them the piece charges a small fee to polish their jewelry! We were stunned because our approach was pretty simple, be helpful, be remembered. I know that we''re not alone in our approach to customer service, there is a jeweler somewhere in your town who will be smart enough to look upon your adventure as an opportunity for them to earn your future business...