Easing my nerves or Damn another Tiffany''s question

[thatdude]

Date: 3/21/2006 12:19:21 AM
Author: kaleigh
Why not call Jonathon at GOG tomorrow and see what he can find for you. I would also give Wink a call too. www.winkjones.com They will take great care of you. Good luck!!

Calling today may be a little too soon, but I will surely continure my research.

 

[WinkHPD]

I want to thank all the people who recommended me to our supplicant, but although I would love to help him with a diamond there is a jeweler in DC who could make it easy for him to actually see and compare the incredible stones that Paul cuts.

If you would email [email protected] he will be happy to show you the AGS 0 princess cuts that Paul makes. They are fantastic diamonds and VERY worthy of your consideration. Since you have so much time before you need the diamond it would even be possible to custom cut a diamond for you if you wished.

Wink

 

[mrssalvo]

Date: 3/21/2006 1:45:13 PM
Author: Wink


If you would email [email protected] he will be happy to show you the AGS 0 princess cuts that Paul makes. They are fantastic diamonds and VERY worthy of your consideration. Since you have so much time before you need the diamond it would even be possible to custom cut a diamond for you if you wished.


Wink

ooo, Wink, you''re right. I had forgotten about Bill being right there in thatdudes neck of the woods.I have never worked with Bill at Icemine but he does pop in here from time to time and we''ve seen some of the rings he''s put together. I would definitely take advantage of having a local PS vendor and you so lucky there happpens to be one who has the kind of stones you''re looking for. Good luck..

wow..a custom cut diamond...(where''s that drool icon)

 

[thatdude]

WINK, et. al. : Thanks a lot for the help. I will give Bill an email. You mentioned custom cut diamonds . . . please explain. I don''t know if an engagment ring is the right time for me to show my creative sensibilities.

 

[WinkHPD]

Date: 3/21/2006 1:58:00 PM
Author: thatdude
WINK, et. al. : Thanks a lot for the help. I will give Bill an email. You mentioned custom cut diamonds . . . please explain. I don''t know if an engagment ring is the right time for me to show my creative sensibilities.

Sorry for confusing the issue, I just meant that if Bill does not have what you want in size and quality available there is time for Paul to find the rough and cut you what you want. Definitely NOT recommending that you get creative in diamond shapes...

Wink

 

[thatdude]

Wink: whew that''s a relief -- I thought you wanted me to perfect the "thatdude" cut in the next few months. Considering I barely received an S(astisfactory) in 6 years of mandatory grammar school art, thats probably not a good idea.

 

[thatdude]

WINK: Sent Bill an email. I dropped your name. Thanks.

 

[thatdude]

So this all leads to the next question -- finding the actual ring. Is the create your own method expensive? Do you think a brick and mortar jeweler would be able to copy one of these Van Cleef styles, http://www.vancleef-arpels.com/en/ , specifically one of the curved models, e.g. the acanthe or acanthe two row. Does anyone have any comments on that style of ring?

 

[thatdude]

Does anyone have any feelings on Blue Nile -- I am just checking around and their name comes up a lot on the generic site searches.

 

[WinkHPD]

There are many jewelers that will be happy to help you create your own style of ring, including the gentleman I sent you to yesterday. Blue Nile is one of the big Internet players and probably does not do too much truly custom design (I could be wrong here, I have not been to look) but they will have an incredible selection of rings and designers for you to choose from if you desire.

There are incredible resources available to you on the net, your job is to do your homework. Many of the vendors here you can do searches on and get tons of material on in just a few minutes. I suspect you can find a LOT of comments on Blue Nile here if you do a search.

Wink

 

[thatdude]

Wink: I am sure you are correct. I need to do a little research. I just hadnt seen anyone recommend Blue Nile as a source of diamonds. This leads me to believe that they may be like the GAP of diamond sellers.

 

[firebirdgold]

Date: 3/22/2006 12:17:18 PM
Author: thatdude
Wink: I am sure you are correct. I need to do a little research. I just hadnt seen anyone recommend Blue Nile as a source of diamonds. This leads me to believe that they may be like the GAP of diamond sellers.

LOL! That''s the perfect description! Well, the Gap and the Bannana Republic combined. They do sell some beautiful diamonds under their signature collection. I''ve also heard good things about the quality of their settings. Gap has good quality clothes too.

Blue nile defines the virtual company. They have no inventory, there are no people there who can pick up the diamond in question and give you an opinon. It''s a company started and run by business people not jewelers.

That said, there have been plenty of PSers who have been very happy with their Blue Nile purchases.

 

[thatdude]

Ok I have been reading a little and I just realized that I will need to set aside money for a "setting" (the ring itself, right?). Is there a money ratio that I should try to match? That is, if I spend 8K on a stone do I need to spend at least 2K on the setting? Is is closer to 70/30, 60/40?

One more question about custom rings,

 

[Small]

I would say spend the majority of your money on the stone but I really guess it depends on what kind of setting you want to go with. But there is no ratio...you can do what you want. I think most people would agree that getting the best diamond will make whatever setting you get that much better. Good luck!

 

[thatdude]

Here are a couple of pictures that Bill at Icemine sent:

The following two Infinity princess cuts fit your preferred specifications:

1) 1.25ct / F / VS1 / AGS-0 / $10,625 / More info at this link:
http://www.elmyrservices.com/stone.asp?id=907BDD07681BD0072ECDEBEF6794EF91




2) 1.15ct / F / VS1 / AGS-1 / $8,328 / More info at this link:
http://www.elmyrservices.com/stonepreview.php?id=846238dc345946c1be584e8c2ec23fba&cid=2






They both look nice -- now the next question, what exactly am I looking for/at? Since I am such a novice, I just picked the best cut possible AGS 0 and went from there.


A word about Bill: He seems like a pretty nice gentlemen -- returns all of his emails promptly even after I told him I would probably not purchase before August, recommended that I wait for a new batch of AGS 0 princess cuts, told me just to stop by if I get the chance -- although he has some stake in the process, I can appreciate his positive attitude.

 

[JulieN]

thatdude, you linked the same stone twice

 

[Pixie]

Dude, have you considered getting a simple setting (white gold temporary setting or something) for the diamond you choose and letting your soon-to-be fiance choose the setting? My husband actually proposed without a diamond or a ring (he was very creative though and proposed with a beautiful letter, wine, dozens of roses, and a night at the ritz carlton). I''m glad that we went shopping for a ring together because if I have to wear something for the rest of my life, I wanted some input and I wanted to make sure that it reflected my style. I think it would be a big surprise to get the ring, and it shows that you''re being considerate of her tastes. Not all women are like me though, and some don''t care what the ring looks like, but I know there are plenty out there that would prefer to have a say, at least in the setting. If you know exactly what she wants, by all means get her dream ring for her. I''m only saying this if you''re not sure...

 

[thatdude]

Date: 3/23/2006 2:25:11 AM
Author: JulieN
thatdude, you linked the same stone twice

No, they are two separate stones . . . unless the two different URLs lead me to the same page, which I do not think they do.

 

[ljmorgan]

thatdude,

I would still recommend checking out Blue Nile for diamonds. If you know what you are looking for, you can find it at a great price. Some people have called Blue Nile overpriced but we did not find that to be the case at all. We purchased a 1.10 carat AGS 000 stone G color stone from them last month at a great price. When we took it to Martin Fuller last week (a very reputable independent appraiser in Washington, DC) and after examining our stone, he couldn''t believe the deal we got for the quality. He said "well I guess this shows that there are still deals to be had." So in your diamond hunting, I would still consider Blue Nile for sure!

I would also recommend picking a setting that you like, and then taking a picture of it to Quest Jewelers (http://www.questjewelers.com). They will make anything for you, and will also set the diamond.

Good luck!

 

[thatdude]

LJMORGAN: Thanks for the advice, that was my next question -- how to find a good appraiser? This gentleman worked well for you? And EVERYTHING I hear about Quest sounds great. I will probably make a visit to their store when I visit Icemine. Your ASG 000, is that a round stone or do they have the ASG 0 princesses as well? I am limited by the fact that the GF wants a princess.

 

[Gemklctr]

I may be a little late to this, and don''t know where you are in DC Metro, but Ed Czarnetsky at IGS, Inc. in Vienna works with quite a few attorneys from major law firms in DC. If your firm is local, you might want to ask around to see if anyone knows them (Ed and his son Ed), particularly if you want online prices through a local dealer. My experience with Quest so far has been great too.

 

[ljmorgan]

Yes I would definitely recommend Martin Fuller. If you do a search on his name here on Pricescope, you''ll read a ton of great things. He IS a bit pricier than other appraisers, but he is very well respected. We had the appraisal done after our initial design meeting with quest, and then took the diamond back to quest. After the entire ring is done, it will be sent back to Martin Fuller for a final value appraisal that we can use to insure the ring.

Yes my AGS 000 is a round stone. I honestly don''t know much about princesses, so I can''t really offer any advice there!

 

[diamond_quester]

thatdude, do you know that your gf loves the non-Tiffany princess cut? The reason I ask is that I personally think the Lucida cut from Tiffany and the real princess cut are very different. For myself and the few friends who know the difference, we usually love one or the other, not always both.

 

[mrssalvo]

here''s my .02..

Diamond - I''d get the diamond from Bill, if you see something on Bluenile, email it to Bill, he can probably call it in if it''s a virtual stone.

setting- Quest Jewelers

Appraiser- Martin Fuller

You are lucky you have such great people local

 

[thatdude]

Date: 3/23/2006 12:56:20 PM
Author: diamond_quester
thatdude, do you know that your gf loves the non-Tiffany princess cut?

Using my eavesdropping techniques, I heard princess cut. I have no clue how she feels about Tiffany's in general. I assumed they were sort of the same thing before, but now I realize that I do not know a lot.

 

[thatdude]

Thanks for everyone''s help. Although I still have a far way to go, I feel a lot better about the whole "internet" thing and glad that I have some reputable/skilled people in my area.

 

[Small]

Date: 3/23/2006 12:58:48 PM
Author: mrssalvo
here''s my .02..

Diamond - I''d get the diamond from Bill, if you see something on Bluenile, email it to Bill, he can probably call it in if it''s a virtual stone.

setting- Quest Jewelers

Appraiser- Martin Fuller

You are lucky you have such great people local

I agree with this! I did business with Wink and got a round infinity cut by Paul (who cuts the AGS 0 Princesses that you will look at with Bill) and my round is stunning

. I really can''t say enough good things about it. You won''t be disappointed when you see the beauties that Paul (crafted by Infinity) cuts...I know there are other people here that will back that up. Wink is a great guy and if he recommended Paul''s princess cuts and Bill for you to work with I''d trust him and stay with Bill. Lucky you...it''s all local and when you are ready you will be able to see them in person

Good luck and don''t forget to keep us informed when you do purchase!

 

[Melinda]

Hey thatdude,


Welcome. I was originally set on a Tiffany, but after a little research and perserverence on PS I have to say that the service and stones at GOG are just as stellar. I HIGHLY recommmend to anyone in the market for a diamond.

Everyone there is just wonderful. They really take the time to find the perfect stone for you. I got my oval there, and I swear I went there every weekend for 2 mos. in a row and tried on 600 rings, and they never made us feel rushed or pressured. We were always greeted by name with the same smiling service. Kristen is gorgeous and sweet, Jonathan is wonderful and bought us pizza one time we were there, and Tim was great.

If you want to find an unbelievable stone and want to take your time making a serious choice, I''d go GOG anyday.

 

[thatdude]

bump

 

[kenny]

Thatdude
One thing you can do that wouldn't cost anything or take much time (for what you will learn) is go to a local B&M to look at loose stones.
Insist on loose stones because a stone may pick up the color of the mounting, or make it hard to see what you are looking for.
I'd also insist they all have GIA reports to compare apples to apples.

Unless you are Bill Gates you have to make compromises.
Every stone is a compromise of 4 things, size, clarity, color and cut.

Size seems easy to understand - till you get into spread, which is diameter for weight.
Cut is the most difficult to understand and most overlooked, yet the most important in my opinion.

You need to start getting a feel for what combo of size, color and clarity your $11,000 will get you.
Since you are here on Pricescope you will be insisting on the best cut, or else we will toilet paper your house.

Call and make an appointment.
Tell them you want to see loose diamonds of several clarities side by side.
Also, you want to see several colors side by side.

Ranked from the most expensive colors are: D E F G H I J K L M N . . .(there is no A B or C)
Place the loose stones face down on a white card side by side and look at them through the side - this will show the color better.
You may decide you can't see enough difference to justify the cost and would prefer to go with an H, I J, K because it will give you a larger stone or one with better clarity for your $11,000.
Or you may decide if you are low-color man who doesn't mind paying the premium for the D, E and F stones.

BTW try to compare stones of similar size.
You will see more color in a 2 carat H than a 1/2 carat H because you are looking through more colored material.

Same with clarity.
Ranked from the most expensive are: F IF VVS1 VVS2 VS1 VS2 SI1 SI2 SI3 I1 I2
If your reaction is, "Why pay more for higher clarity if you can't see the difference with the naked eye?" you will be focusing on stones in the VS2 SI1 range.
Or you may just like the idea of a more pure stone and want to stay up in the VVS range.
There are no right or wrong decisions here.
It is all about YOUR comfort zone.

Find a local B&M that already has a large collection of loose stones on hand.
I think it would be rude to have them go through the expense of calling them in as you are not ready to buy.

Again, for $11,000, you may end up with a 2-carat K SI3, or a half carat D, IF.
Either one is perfect for you if you select it AFTER getting eductated.