Do you feel PriceScope has changed what you want in jewelry significantly?

[Calliecake]

I ask this because it has changed my size expectations dramatically. 10 years ago I thought a two carat diamond was large and the perfect size. I no longer feel 3 carats is large enough. I'm interested to hear how others expectations in diamonds have changed. Has one of the four "C's" changed dramically for you?

 

[Dancing Fire]

If one of my liberal friends here loan me the $$$ I'll buy a G VS 3.5ct Octavia...

 

[Dancing Fire]

@Dancing Fire I'm assuming many of your liberal friends here would prefer to donate to worthy charities since your President doesn't seem to understand not everyone has a perfect life and sometimes people need help.

Exactly, That's why I need donations to buy a big Octavia.

 

[december-fire]

@Dancing Fire I'm assuming many of your liberal friends here would prefer to donate to worthy charities since your President doesn't seem to understand not everyone has a perfect life and sometimes people need help.

But if they donate to DF, then he can purchase the 3.5 G VS2 Octavia and then he'll have a perfect life.

Oh, and can I be next in life for donations?

 

[december-fire]

Exactly, That's why I need donations to buy a big Octavia.

Posting at same time! I understand you, DF.

 

[december-fire]

To answer the thread topic - Yes! PS has completely changed what I want in jewellery!
In a good way! Thanks, everyone!

I've learned so much reading PS.
Not just about diamonds, but also about setting styles and things to watch for, such as diamond bands eating away at e-ring prongs.

And vendors! Prior to PS, I wouldn't have learned about the wonderful vendors who offer quality products. I definitely would have been reluctant to purchase a diamond ring on-line! Not now.

 

[Platinum-blonde]

Before PS, I only knew what brick and mortar stores wanted me to know. I used to focus, mostly, on color and clarity. I always went for d vvs stones. Cut wasn't too important to me. I just got what appeared to be the stone, in my color/clarity perimeters, that sparkled the most.

After PS, cut became king. Then clairity. I have embraced warmer color. I now own J, K, and S-T stones. As before, carat is determined by my budget, after factoring in the other C's.

However, after possessing some super ideal stones, I have been bitten boy the OEC bug... thanks to PS. I now prefer them to super ideal.

I would have never bought any diamond or colored stone online, before PS. I don't think I could ever buy a colored stone at a B&M ever again. PS has totally changed me, but for the better. Thank you to everyone that has brought their expertise to the forum!

 

[Calliecake]

But if they donate to DF, then he can purchase the 3.5 G VS2 Octavia and then he'll have a perfect life.

Oh, and can I be next in life for donations?

Shoot I was hoping to delete my snarky comment. @Dancing Fire, You would need many many donations to get the beauty you are describing above.

@december-fire We need a PriceScope traveling ring!

 

[monarch64]

I really have never cared that much about diamonds (oh my GAWD, I know, I know!) but the men in my life thought it necessary to propose with one. Of THEIR choosing. Honestly the only way I'd ever accept one again is if it was a 4-5 carat step cut, set in something I chose, that a significant other and I paid for together. PS has never really changed my likes/dislikes; my life experiences have, though. My holy grail is and forever will be a big old EC emerald ring.

Sometimes I feel like PS takes some of the fun out of jewelry buying. I see people get SO WRAPPED UP in sourcing the perfect stones and settings, and analyzing things to the nth degree, and spending what seems like an exhorbitant amount of time on the site poring over every detail...I guess I prefer a bit more romance and less scientific precision with regard to the jewelry I enjoy wearing.

I would like to get more into colored stones eventually, having gained a bit of knowledge about them here. If you'd said "window" to me 15 years ago, I wouldn't have known what you were talking about. Oh, and anything other than "birthstones?" I had no clue about things like paraiba tourmalines, spinels, etc. So I am very thankful to PS for all the information posted here about all the wonderful and outside-the-box options in the world of colored gemstones.

 

[yennyfire]

Yes. My tolerance for size has greatly increased...from 2 to 4 carats (gulp!) and I'd never heard of old cuts when I arrived here. I prefer them to modern cuts and have never looked back!

 

[YadaYadaYada]

My standards are higher after PS. It has made me much more critical though so in a sense ignorance is bliss but knowledge makes for more informed purchases.

 

[cflutist]

We bought my first diamond in 1979 back when there was no PS. My first 4 diamonds were all fancy shapes: two marquise, an oval, and a pear. PS introduced me to super ideals. My size expections have not changed but I was late to owning super ideal cut diamonds, both Crafted by Infinity. Had a 2.21 F-SI1 cut to order in 2014 and just recently purchased a 2.79 F-VS1. So I guess CUT has changed most dramatically for me.

 

[Arcadian]

Being here has allowed me to choose better colored gems, and taught me a lot about treatments. I would have never known there were so many without the colored stone community! It also broadened my horizons in terms of gem types. it made me poor too... would not trade that for the world!

In terms of diamonds, I've learned how cut plays a significant role.

 

[AprilBaby]

Yes, it seems I’m always wanting more and only high quality.

 

[Tekate]

Yes, absolutely, I have learned that a smaller weight stone can look larger than a poorly cut stone. I have learned to buy with discrimination but high quality.

 

[Maria D]

Pricescope, or more accurately, PS members, have almost completely taken away my cravings to own my own diamonds. I stumbled on DiamondTalk when I was thinking about getting a three stone "Past-Present-Future" diamond ring for my 15th wedding anniversary. Then I learned about the importance of cut and thought about getting the diamond in my solitaire engagement ring re-cut because I'm sentimental about it and couldn't see upgrading. Then I thought about just getting another solitaire (and keeping my original) because I tried on a 3 stone and it didn't do much for me. All the while I loved looking at everyone else's gorgeous sparklies. The 15th anniversary came and went. I started thinking about the 20th anniversary. I got banned from DT and came here more often. The carat size in Show Me the Ring kept getting bigger and bigger. Upgrades upon upgrades...SO MUCH BEAUTIFUL STUFF TO LOOK AT!

At some point I realized that I loved looking at these beautiful pieces of jewelry but didn't care enough about owning to fork up that kind of money. I liken it to enjoying looking at pictures of beautiful wild animals. I eventually decided on a 7 stone ring (1 ctw) from Blue Nile for my 25th anniversary. I'm done buying but am still very excited to look at all of your beauties!

 

[Austina]

Most definitely!

I don't think I'd have been brave enough to make a major diamond purchase online if I hadn't read about so many PSers doing it.

One thing it has made me realise is that whilst I'm happy to see and read about other people's amazing upgrades, there'd by very little point in me owning a whopper, because I simply wouldn't end up wearing it.

 

[MissGotRocks]

No, I really can't answer yes to this question. I came here because I was invited by someone and finally found what I had been missing - excellent cut! I much prefer quality over quantity so that didn't really change for me. I do remember when I first came here that .75 - 1.2 was the norm; 2 carats was really large. Obviously, those size numbers have grown through the years. Old cuts were something that you could occasionally find on ebay but everything on ebay was pretty taboo. It has been interesting to see how things have morphed through the years. People balance size with color/clarity and all sorts of cuts are highlighted. It remains interesting and there is always something new to learn and consider.

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

The discussions and substantive posts about optics and cut dynamics in regards to diamonds have been influential. In terms of color and clarity--I am as always. That said, the colored stone forum has been a highlight for me.

cheers--Sharon

 

[doberman]

I was always into rocks, and knew quite a bit, but PS taught me about custom ring designers.

 

[Bron357]

Finding Pricescope has entertained and enlightened me. I love seeing and reading about others jewellery and gems. I like to throw my thoughts or comments into the mix. It hasn’t changed my views or thoughts on what I love and prefer but it has given me a greater appreciation of what else matters to other people.

 

[Phoenix]

Absolutely! I'm now a cut snob!

I love superideal cut modern diamonds now. Cut perception has def changed, though MRB's will always remain top of my list. As has my perception of how big my e-ring should be; mind you though, my real life social circle & where I now live has had a massive influence on this too.

That I saw pics of VCA pieces on the designer bling thread has started my love affair for VCA. I was already aware of VCA, and had peered at their window displays; but my passion truly started only when I saw pics of the Perlee Clover bangle and the Lotus ring on said thread. I also found the VCA section on another forum and that's fuelled my passion significantly.

What hasn't changed: my love for larger EC's, my preference for higher colours and clarities, my love for cornflower blue sapphires, my love for Cartier pave bracelets (wanted the pave WG & ceramic one for literally years!!).

Old cuts: now this is a funny one. I've always loved them and now I want the modern-cut OEC's and cushions too. I love the romance and the provenance that go with old cuts; but I think I'd like one of each - a real old one for the provenance and history and a modern one or two for optical performance.

Now, my love for pearls has waned; but am not sure why.

 

[lalala]

Uh, yes. I actually found this site a few years ago and played around with the HCA tool. Not really knowing what I was doing or looking for. Then I noticed the community tab a couple months ago and well... now I'm down a rabbit hole and have three projects in the works . I also never knew what an old cut (anything) was. I find them fascinating and plan on owning one in the future as a RHR or pendant.

 

[kenny]

Yes, absolutely.

 

[lilmosun]

- It made me hate a few of my larger rings -- because the bad cuts keep staring at me. I am now happier with smaller well-cut stones over large ones.
- PS introduced me to a whole new world of colored stones that I wasn't aware of and reputable on-line vendors.

While I love reading and looking at what others have, I tend not to want things that are just out of my budget. So PS definitely cured me of any immediate thoughts of buying that larger diamond now that I know about ideal cuts and what they cost I still haven't been tempted by designer jewelry for the same reason. I still love wearing necklaces with glass beads as I couldn't afford ones with real gemstones. For awhile it made me a snob but I've learned to go back to some of the pieces I once loved and enjoy them again. Just because they aren't "the best" doesn't mean they aren't pretty

 

[missy]

PS hasn't changed me into being the diamond size ho that I am as I think I was always like that once I became interested in jewelry. That fault (IMO) is with my dh (boyfriend at the time) who used to buy me bling as gifts. He made me into the bling fanatic that I am.

However PS re-introduced me to old cuts. I always loved my grandmother's old cut ER and when my dh found PS for me (haha see it is all his fault lol) when I was interested in resetting my ER I found old cuts again and I was hooked. So for that reason PS changed my ER preference from MRB (which wasn't my choice anyway) to OEC. And I never looked back.

But I always liked big diamonds once I started getting into jewelry so cannot blame PS for that.

 

[valeria101]

.

Yes ... I would not care for diamonds if not for the history of the art of cutting them. Now, I need a token !

 

[athenaworth]

Oh absolutely! I used to spend hours staring at the jewelry at Costco when I was a kid imagining the day I'd be able to buy something from them, now my tastes have changed so much and I've been so exposed to big ass pieces that I barely hesitate when I go to Costco now

 

[mochiko42]

I didn't obsess over or collect gems and jewelry before PS. Now I do. My wallet is much lighter as a result, lol! But some painful experiences have taught me that life is too short, why not enjoy it (so long as you don't go into debt)!

 

[Alexiszoe]

Prior to PS (and actually DT - which was a forum right before PS) all I had in mind was a round diamond. I had seen my aunt's magnificent massive pear diamond growing up, but didn't even consider other shapes.

Cue 14 years down the road. I am better educated and loving other shapes, including old cuts. I know much better what my color tolerance levels are depending on shapes - e.g. an I color emerald-cut is divine, but my sweet spot for pears and ovals is a G.