sweetpea&babycorn
Brilliant_Rock
- Joined
- Nov 4, 2009
- Messages
- 1,085
Hi everyone! I finally have the chance and energy to share my HG upgrade that many of you helped with back in the winter. I'll share back story for this upgrade and if you're looking for the good stuff, scroll down 
I felt like I rushed through this upgrade a little bit (I am instant gratification's greatest fan), but I'm so glad I did because this stone is stunning, and I can't believe it's mine. I first contemplated this upgrade when I finished my medical fellowship and got my first real job at the ripe age of 35. The year leading up to that though, was one of the hardest of my life. I had no idea how hard it was balancing my career and being a mom, and the impact of the pandemic had me questioning my career path and my worth in the healthcare system. Then, my father in law, who was just one of the kindest people I ever knew, was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer. It felt like it came out of nowhere. Caring for someone you love so much versus caring for a patient in your hospital with the same condition are completely different in ways that words can't describe. He passed away in October, 14 months after his diagnosis. Looking back at the last year and half, and everything that happened, it's hard to believe we got through it.
I've always gone through life feeling like things that should be huge accomplishments are just a part of life. The need to celebrate my accomplishments never came as naturally to me as I think it should have (thanks childhood trauma). But this year felt really different. I busted my butt through training (college degree, masters degree, medical school, residency, and fellowship = 16 years), became a mom, was in the deepest trenches of taking care of a terminally ill loved one, and landed a job where I could actually achieve financial wellness and comfort. I think I finally started to see my worth and truly acknowledge my hard work. So I made the decision to go for the upgrade for me (with my husband's blessing, of course).
I never thought I would find my stone doing a simple search of "old mine diamond" on eBay. The diamond was initially set in a double halo in rose gold and was way over my budget. I thought the stone had so much potential that I wondered if they would sell it loose. I messaged the seller expecting them to say no, but they said yes (AHH!). Then came the hard part of tons of back and forth with messages, videos, and pictures; getting advice from members of this forum; and deciding whether it was my true HG. From the very wise folks here, I can now wholeheartedly agree that when you see something and your heart jumps, then trust your gut, and don't overthink it. I fell in love with the diamond as soon as I saw it, and kept going back to this one even while searching everywhere else for a better deal, or maybe something different that I could be happy with but maybe didn't feel like the one.
The seller was a dream to work with (maybe another sign that this stone was meant to be), and they sent it directly to David Klass, who patiently worked with me for 2 months to finalize the CADs. The final product is a beautiful milgrain bezel halo with a petal gallery motif in platinum with a mixed 14K RG and 18K YG shank with milgrain on the edges.
In every way this feels like a dream come true, and I'm going to enjoy the crap out of wearing this until I'm ready to pass it on to hopefully someone who would appreciate it as much as I do.
Finally, without further ado, here she is
Stone:
5.74 carat old mine brilliant
GIA N, SI1
10.89 x 10.83 x 7.00 mm
Setting:
DK two-tone (platinum head, peach gold [RG + YG] shank) milgrain bezel
Size 6.25 with sizing beads
Pictures and videos:
Diamond in the original setting:
Diamond loose:
Videos from the vendor:
Diamond in her lovely cozy home:
Videos in various lighting (second one was when we were at an AMAZING restaurant in Portland, Maine for our anniversary and husband's birthday called Central Provisions, I highly recommend you try if you're in that city!)
Thank you for allowing me to share this wonderful treasure, and thanks to all the PSers who helped in my journey. I am oh so very grateful!
I felt like I rushed through this upgrade a little bit (I am instant gratification's greatest fan), but I'm so glad I did because this stone is stunning, and I can't believe it's mine. I first contemplated this upgrade when I finished my medical fellowship and got my first real job at the ripe age of 35. The year leading up to that though, was one of the hardest of my life. I had no idea how hard it was balancing my career and being a mom, and the impact of the pandemic had me questioning my career path and my worth in the healthcare system. Then, my father in law, who was just one of the kindest people I ever knew, was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer. It felt like it came out of nowhere. Caring for someone you love so much versus caring for a patient in your hospital with the same condition are completely different in ways that words can't describe. He passed away in October, 14 months after his diagnosis. Looking back at the last year and half, and everything that happened, it's hard to believe we got through it.
I've always gone through life feeling like things that should be huge accomplishments are just a part of life. The need to celebrate my accomplishments never came as naturally to me as I think it should have (thanks childhood trauma). But this year felt really different. I busted my butt through training (college degree, masters degree, medical school, residency, and fellowship = 16 years), became a mom, was in the deepest trenches of taking care of a terminally ill loved one, and landed a job where I could actually achieve financial wellness and comfort. I think I finally started to see my worth and truly acknowledge my hard work. So I made the decision to go for the upgrade for me (with my husband's blessing, of course).
I never thought I would find my stone doing a simple search of "old mine diamond" on eBay. The diamond was initially set in a double halo in rose gold and was way over my budget. I thought the stone had so much potential that I wondered if they would sell it loose. I messaged the seller expecting them to say no, but they said yes (AHH!). Then came the hard part of tons of back and forth with messages, videos, and pictures; getting advice from members of this forum; and deciding whether it was my true HG. From the very wise folks here, I can now wholeheartedly agree that when you see something and your heart jumps, then trust your gut, and don't overthink it. I fell in love with the diamond as soon as I saw it, and kept going back to this one even while searching everywhere else for a better deal, or maybe something different that I could be happy with but maybe didn't feel like the one.
The seller was a dream to work with (maybe another sign that this stone was meant to be), and they sent it directly to David Klass, who patiently worked with me for 2 months to finalize the CADs. The final product is a beautiful milgrain bezel halo with a petal gallery motif in platinum with a mixed 14K RG and 18K YG shank with milgrain on the edges.
In every way this feels like a dream come true, and I'm going to enjoy the crap out of wearing this until I'm ready to pass it on to hopefully someone who would appreciate it as much as I do.
Finally, without further ado, here she is
Stone:
5.74 carat old mine brilliant
GIA N, SI1
10.89 x 10.83 x 7.00 mm
Setting:
DK two-tone (platinum head, peach gold [RG + YG] shank) milgrain bezel
Size 6.25 with sizing beads
Pictures and videos:
Diamond in the original setting:
Diamond loose:
Videos from the vendor:
Diamond in her lovely cozy home:
Videos in various lighting (second one was when we were at an AMAZING restaurant in Portland, Maine for our anniversary and husband's birthday called Central Provisions, I highly recommend you try if you're in that city!)
Thank you for allowing me to share this wonderful treasure, and thanks to all the PSers who helped in my journey. I am oh so very grateful!
300x240.png)