Diamond Melee Quality - Is This Worth It?

[Brownie22]

Original post - [URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/help-with-new-eternity-band-purchase-please.172718/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/help-with-new-eternity-band-purchase-please.172718/[/URL]

Can you wonderful PriceScopers please help me figure out if this is worth it?

There is $1,200 difference between the two quotes I'm looking at between IDJ and WhiteFlash for my new eternity ring. Can you please help me figure out if the WhiteFlash stones (which are smaller) are significantly better looking and worth the extra money? My Ering is 1.51 center, F color, SI1 clarity

IDJ - 10-pointers "PriceScope quality," F/G color, SI clarity

WhiteFlash - 8-pointers ACA diamond melee, F/G color, VS clarity

I imagine the price difference is even greater if I were to compare WhiteFlash against IDJ 8-pointers. I'm most concerned with getting the biggest bang for my buck in terms of quality (size is less important to me - I think I may even prefer 8-pointers). Is the difference in quality of these stones worth the extra money? Is there something much better about the WhiteFlash ACAs?


Thank you!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I'd choose the WF ring, personally. But I think I told you this on another thread, but I really like your current ring best. The way the diamonds are set prevent them from scratching your e-ring. You will have to wear a spacer band if you get a shared prong band where the diamond girdles are exposed.

 

[onedrop]

I agree with DS, I would choose the WF eternity band as well. The difference for me being that the ACAs are ideal cut stones. I am sure that the one from ID jewelry will be beautiful, but I like the idea of WF ACAs in an eternity band. However, I have the same concern as DS re: wearing a spacer ring. With either ring you will need wear a spacer or get a lower profile eternity band prevent the stones from your eternity band scratching the prongs in your engagement ring. Something to keep in mind.

 

[Brownie22]

diamondseeker2006 & onedrop - Thank you very much for your help and advice. As much as my wallet and husband would like me to be satisfied with my current ring, I am not. I know that my current set protects my Ering but when I look at it I can't seem to "get over" the features that bother me. As others have said - "first world problems"

I don't like the idea of a spacer but understand that my prongs are in jeopardy without one I'll have to decide what to do about the whole thing.

Thanks for the guidance on WF vs. IDJ - for the difference in price I wanted to get some opinions on whether I would be getting a better quality product before shelling out extra cash.

 

[onedrop]

You're welcome! If you do decide to go with WF (and maybe even IDJ) then maybe they can work with you to make sure that the eternity band has as low a profile as possible so that you don't have the prong issue. I know for sure that WF has created rings for people to avoid the prong scratching issue. Don't worry, I totally understand how you feel about your current eternity having *too much* metal, and like you, I don't relish the idea of a spacer. It's why I ended up not getting a shared prong eternity despite how beautiful they look!

 

[Karl_K]

The cut quality of melee differs over a huge range.
From dull to so-so to well cut to ideal cut.
I agree with Garry who uses the ideal-scope to select them.
At this size the visual difference of diamonds with great looking IS images and full on h&a ideal cut is going to be close to nothing if at all.
The difference between the common cut and ideal scope selected very well cut stones is very large.
There are a few cutters that are doing very well cut melee so it is not that hard to find.
That said it is comforting to know that a company has a reputation of using ideal cut h&a beautiful melee.
That is worth something to many people.
There is a price premium for that level of cutting and selection however.

 

[Karl_K]

I am curious how is "PriceScope quality," defined?
Have they said?

 

[Amys Bling]

I am curious how is "PriceScope quality," defined?
Have they said?

I think they give you better cut stones...

 

[jeweln]

I have bought from WF & IDJ and I like them both . recently I purchased 2 ctw diamond huggies (ten 20 pointers ) from IDJ which I absolutely love .the diamonds are so sparkly and fiery .at the same time I bought 1 ctw WF flower pendant ( seven 15 pointers )which is very beautiful ,the diamonds are crisp & white . when I compare them both ,I think in a size this small they both sparkle the same way,although the WF maybe a little clearer because they are VS clarity ( I requested SI1 clarity from IDJ ) .

 

[Gypsy]

Not worth it in my opinion.

I have seen IDJ's PS quality Melee and it is very similar to Tiffany and other high end retailer melee. BUT it is not hearts and arrows perfect melee where every.single.stone looks identical to the one next to it. I've owned that melee as well in a ring. For me, I don't like the way the hearts and arrows exact melee stares at me. Having several of them with the exact same face in a row is very... weird. Very stepford wives. Seriously each one looks exactly, in every single way, like the one next to it. IDJ's melee by contrast gives you very similar light return but avoids that look. You still get arrows but it's not as prominent.

For me, it's about relative light return, and balancing savings against relative . I would totally sacrifice a small amount of light return for that much cost savings. But also because I actually don't like the look of hearts and arrows melee in eternity bands and rings with a lot of melee over 5 points.

 

[Dandi]

I'm with Gypsy, and in that size I cannot tell a really glaring difference overall. I own ACA diamonds from WF, Signature cuts from BGD and 'excellent' cuts from IDJ, and honestly, for the money I am glad I went with IDJ for my eternity ring. For the extra $$$ for ACAs I wouldn't have been able to see enough of a difference, but of course that's just me.

If you're happy to swing the extra cash and know you'll be thrilled with the WF ring, go for it! It's a very important purchase overall.

 

[armywife13]

I don't think it is worth it. I have an eternity band with 20 pointers, of PS quality-which is excellent/ideal cut, eye clean SI, and F/G color. My ring sparkles like no other, I get compliments about it all the time.

 

[Brownie22]

onedrop, thank you, it's nice that you can see what's bothering me

Karl_K, thanks for the information. Sadly since I'm new to the PriceScope world and I am not very familiar with some of the terminology that you used. Are you saying that at the 8-point size, it's ok not to go with the WF ACA melee and that the IDJ should be sufficient? Truthfully, I'm not sure what "PriceScope quality" means but some members suggested I ask for it so that IDJ would know that I had a higher expectation than the standard customer. IDJ seemed to know what I meant and said "don't worry you'll definitely get PS quality stones."

Jewin, Gypsy, DandiAndi, thank you for letting me know about the comparisons between both. I was leaning toward WF but if IDJ is very good I might want to save the $1,200+. Gypsy, that stepford wives hearts and arrows you mentioned sound creepy!

armywife13, thank you for sharing that your IDJ stones sparkle, that is my biggest priority and concern. Do you have a post on your band?

I do like the more delicate setting at WF more than the bulkier version at IDJ. Does anyone know if IDJ does CADs or have an example of a more delicately set eternity band from them?

Thank you ALL for your help. I am so appreciative.

 

[armywife13]

I didn't start a thread, but I can post see pictures now for you so that you can get a feel for the quality. Unfortunately, they are iPhone pics, so they aren't the best.

Please excuse my swollen fingers in a few and my hubby's wedding band(I wear it when he goes to the field training and can't wear it).

 

[armywife13]

So apparently uploading them lowered the quality of the pics, sorry!

 

[Amys Bling]

I didn't start a thread, but I can post see pictures now for you so that you can get a feel for the quality. Unfortunately, they are iPhone pics, so they aren't the best.

Please excuse my swollen fingers in a few and my hubby's wedding band(I wear it when he goes to the field training and can't wear it).

beautiful!!!

 

[armywife13]

Thanks, Amy! I swear it looks better in real life

 

[slg47]

I am curious how is "PriceScope quality," defined?
Have they said?

I am also curious how it is defined!

 

[Brownie22]

armywife13 - What a BEAUTIFUL band! I love that you wear your husband's wedding ring while he is away. It really looks so nice with your eternity ring. I love those 20-pointers I'm so sad that size would overpower my ring I like how your ring has more of a scalloped look (prong closer to center) than some of the ones I tried on at IDJ, hopefully I could get something similar.

 

[Dreamer_D]

I suspect that the diamonds is not where you will see a difference in quality, but perhaps in the mount. There are many happy IDJ customers on PS, no doubt, but I do recall more than one thread where people have had quality issues with mounts or have been less happy. IDJ keeps their prices low in part by using stock mounts, which as a general rule, are not as fluid and pretty as ones cast in hours by WF or other jewelers of their business model.

Whether the difference in quality is worth the price, that is for you to decide.

 

[Dreamer_D]

armywife13 - What a BEAUTIFUL band! I love that you wear your husband's wedding ring while he is away. It really looks so nice with your eternity ring. I love those 20-pointers I'm so sad that size would overpower my ring I like how your ring has more of a scalloped look (prong closer to center) than some of the ones I tried on at IDJ, hopefully I could get something similar.

Easy solution. Don't wear the wb and e-ring together. Once you have been married a while you might even prefer the diamond-only band look, many of us do.

I learned a while ago that sometimes you cannot have *everything* you want in one ring or one set of rings. So it is better to have a few rings. Have a band that works awesome with your e-ring and won't overpower or damage it, and also have blingy band.

 

[Amys Bling]

I second DD with the multiple bands idea

 

[Brownie22]

Thank you for your thoughts Dreamer_D. I often envision my future self wearing just a blingy wedding band when I've been married for several years. I think that is such a classy look. My husband is traditional though so I think I may need to let some of those years pass before considering doing that. He really likes the whole wedding set to be on the left hand (and for now, I do too). Since he chose the engagement ring and spent a lot of money (by our standards) on it, it's important to me to wear it as a set for now. Down the line I could see that changing. Thank you also for your advice on the IDJ vs. WF mounts. It is definitely good to keep in mind. I just wish I could see the finished products of both rings and then decide!

 

[Karl_K]

Karl_K, thanks for the information. Sadly since I'm new to the PriceScope world and I am not very familiar with some of the terminology that you used. Are you saying that at the 8-point size, it's ok not to go with the WF ACA melee and that the IDJ should be sufficient? Truthfully, I'm not sure what "PriceScope quality" means but some members suggested I ask for it so that IDJ would know that I had a higher expectation than the standard customer. IDJ seemed to know what I meant and said "don't worry you'll definitely get PS quality stones."

Not having seen the stones or is/aset images of the IDJ stones I cant comment on the relative quality.
I can only answer in general like above.
It looks like several people who have both have answered. I would listen to them.
Have you asked them to define "Pricescope quality" ?

 

[Brownie22]

Karl_K, I haven't specifically asked them what PS quality means but I will try to do that. I did ask them for a quote for diamonds that match the WF quality (8-pointers, F/G color, VS clarity and ideal cut) now the spread between the two rings is only $775 instead of $1,200. I don't know if IDJ's "ideal" cut is different than the PS Quality cut or if the increase in price is just from bumping the clarity to VS.

For everyone that mentioned I would need a spacer do you think a band link this would do a sufficient job?

http://www.etsy.com/listing/93856417/rose-gold-ultra-thin-almost-all-around?ref=v1_other_1

Thank you!

 

[onedrop]

brownie: I really like that spacer you posted. It could probably work, but you have to decide whether you like the look of the spacer also having diamonds in it. Most spacers that I have seen people wearing are plain and very, very thin so that it's barely visible between the engagement ring and the eternity band. Something like this:http://www.etsy.com/listing/8181258...earch_type=handmade&ga_facet=handmade/jewelry

So it looks like you have a few decisions to make: 1) Do you want to pay the additional $775 for the WF ACA melee or go with the IDJ "PS quality" melee? 2) Decide what kind of prongs you want to set the stones. 3) Type of spacer, although this could be avoided (maybe) depending upon the design of the eternity band.

Given that other PSers have been really happy with the IDJ "PS quality" melee, then perhaps that is the way to go? Only concern there, which you mentioned, is the mount used to set the stones and whether you'd be happy with that.

 

[Brownie22]

brownie: I really like that spacer you posted. It could probably work, but you have to decide whether you like the look of the spacer also having diamonds in it. Most spacers that I have seen people wearing are plain and very, very thin so that it's barely visible between the engagement ring and the eternity band. Something like this:http://www.etsy.com/listing/8181258...earch_type=handmade&ga_facet=handmade/jewelry

So it looks like you have a few decisions to make: 1) Do you want to pay the additional $775 for the WF ACA melee or go with the IDJ "PS quality" melee? 2) Decide what kind of prongs you want to set the stones. 3) Type of spacer, although this could be avoided (maybe) depending upon the design of the eternity band.

Given that other PSers have been really happy with the IDJ "PS quality" melee, then perhaps that is the way to go? Only concern there, which you mentioned, is the mount used to set the stones and whether you'd be happy with that.

onedrop, I was just going over the same things that I need to decide. As far as the melee I think I'm at the point where they'll both look beautiful. My larger concern now is the mount/setting. WF told me the height will be 2.3mm-2.5mm but IDJ can't confirm if they can go that low. They said they will make it under 3mm, as low as possible, and it will be what I want but just can't confirm the exact height. I'm just a little nervous. 2.5mm is the max height I want and while it sounds like IDJ might be able to do that, they won't know until they make it. I'm trying to decide if it's worth the $775 to me to have the guarantee of the height

Thanks for the links to the spacer, I like that one as well! Maybe a plain one would be nice. I'll have to do a search for posts on rings with spacers to get an idea of what I want.

Thanks again!

 

[Brownie22]

Also, for those that were curious this is how they explaind "PS quality stones:

"the increase in price is for Ideal cuts and thats all we stock. With our pricescopers we make sure they are all naked eye clean if its SI but since you are getting VS it will be 100% naked eye clean."

I think it just means that they check each SI stone to make sure it's eye clean?

 

[armywife13]

I believe you are correct. They made sure that each of my diamonds were eye clean, my SI diamonds are eye clean up until 3 inches. To me, that is adequate...though eventually I am going to trade in for 25-30 pointers, so at that point I will probably specify that I would like a higher level of clarity since the the diamonds are larger.

 

[Enerchi]

Hi Brownie,
I have .12 stones in F/G colour, SI clarity from IDJ in my 1/2 eternity band and they sparkle like crazy! I made it clear I was a PSer and Luann assured me they would be perfectly eye clean. Here are some photos: