shape
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Help finding 3-4 carat oval

aftereffects15

Rough_Rock
Joined
Jul 1, 2013
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95
Happy new year everyone!!

My boyfriend and I decided on this setting https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1HcHgWY67M&feature=youtu.be for engagement ring and I would really appreciate any help finding the right center stone. Is there any HCA equivalent for oval?

I saw this stone posted earlier http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/oval-cut/4.20-carat-h-color-vs1-clarity-sku-722786 and it's beautiful but I'm worried 4.2 carats is just too big for that setting (my ring size is 6.5 if that makes a difference). Are my fears grounded or is that the best one?

Do any of these look good:
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/oval-cut/3.02-carat-f-color-vs1-clarity-sku-814333

http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/oval-cut/3.02-carat-f-color-vvs1-clarity-sku-814394

https://enchanteddiamonds.com/diamonds/view/O325-LWUF81 (Idealscope: https://enchanteddiamonds.com/diamonds/image/medium/Oval/GIA-Certified-3-25-Carat-G-Color-VS1-Clarity-Diamond-LWUF81_IDL.jpg ASET: https://enchanteddiamonds.com//diamonds/image/medium/Oval/GIA-Certified-3-25-Carat-G-Color-VS1-Clarity-Diamond-LWUF81_AST.jpg) I hope they don't mind direct links to their images :/

I'm waiting to hear back from Josh at enchanted diamonds for a few more options there. When I was looking for a round stone they had better deals on the same diamonds compared to JA and their customer support is great. Any other sites I should take a look at?

This was the only stone in my range from GOG:
http://www.goodoldgold.com/ecommerce/3ct-h-si1-oval-diamond.html and I'm a little worried about the clarity

I'd like to optimize on cut and pretty flexible as to color/clarity (obviously I'd like a good deal but there doesn't seem to be much inventory and happy to go better on color and/or clarity to get the most sparkles even if it costs more). Is staying above H and VS2 reasonable or are ovals more prone to showing color/inclusions than MRB?

Sorry about the length of the post and thank you guys so much in advance!
 

Gypsy

Super_Ideal_Rock
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Messages
40,225
JA 4.2 carat is underwhelming.
JA 3.02 F VS is just okay.

JA 3.02 F VVS is the best of the ones you chose. I'll look some more for you.

ED 3.25 is underwhelming as well.

Not liking the GOG stone either.

No HCA equivalent. It's all faceting and light return.

This one has some promise:
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/oval-cut/3.02-carat-d-color-vs2-clarity-sku-812486
And maybe this one (though not as much as the D):
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/oval-cut/3.01-carat-f-color-vs2-clarity-sku-812158

So add those two to the F VVS at JA ( http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/oval-cut/3.02-carat-f-color-vvs1-clarity-sku-814394 ) and get an ASET of all three.

I'll look at other vendors for you too.
 

Gypsy

Super_Ideal_Rock
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Messages
40,225
Diamonds at ED worth your time. I do with they had one consistent ASET set up. It makes it very hard to compare ASETs when there are 4 types of ASET set ups.

https://enchanteddiamonds.com/diamonds/view/Oval/GIA-Certified-3-19-Carat-H-Color-VS1-Clarity-Diamond-77N86L
https://enchanteddiamonds.com/diamonds/view/Oval/GIA-Certified-3-01-Carat-E-Color-VS2-Clarity-Diamond-Q7439P (ignore the vendor's cut score, it's meaningless, the ASET is strong enough coupled with the photo and the video to warrant strong consideration)
https://enchanteddiamonds.com/diamonds/view/Oval/GIA-Certified-3-01-Carat-G-Color-VVS1-Clarity-Diamond-JQRUY7
https://enchanteddiamonds.com/diamonds/view/Oval/GIA-Certified-3-02-Carat-H-Color-VS1-Clarity-Diamond-EP3QTB
 

Gypsy

Super_Ideal_Rock
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40,225
Remember with ovals to compare dimensions not weight.
 

aftereffects15

Rough_Rock
Joined
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Messages
95
Wow, thank you so much. I was totally off the mark =)

Just asked JA for ASETs for those ovals, will post as soon as I get them

Is the med flour in the D stone something to worry about? Will they be able to tell me if it makes the diamond looks hazy?

Really appreciate your help!
 

Gypsy

Super_Ideal_Rock
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Messages
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aftereffects15|1451710426|3969525 said:
Wow, thank you so much. I was totally off the mark =)

Just asked JA for ASETs for those ovals, will post as soon as I get them

Is the med flour in the D stone something to worry about? Will they be able to tell me if it makes the diamond looks hazy?

Really appreciate your help!


Usually medium is not enough to be of concern. But there is no harm in asking and I definitely would just for peace of mind. Never hurts to check!
 

aftereffects15

Rough_Rock
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95
JamesAllen is saying they can't get ASETs of those ovals since those diamonds are not in the NY office :confused:

The representative (via chat) said that it's always been the case but aren't most of their diamonds not in house? Should I just discount the JA stones since there's no ASET?
 

Rhino

Ideal_Rock
Trade
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Messages
6,340
Hi aftereffects (as in Adobe?)

That particular oval you listed from us was here and we had scanned in the data however we have access to considerably more we can inspect and video for you.

Kind regards,
Jonathan
 

aftereffects15

Rough_Rock
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Jonathan -

That is very kind of you! I would love to see any ovals in that range(ish) that you guys recommend if it's not too much of a hassle.
 

diamondseeker2006

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
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aftereffects15|1451766721|3969745 said:
Jonathan -

That is very kind of you! I would love to see any ovals in that range(ish) that you guys recommend if it's not too much of a hassle.

GOG is excellent at finding well cut fancy shape diamonds. They can access many of the stones you see on other sites. Then they can compare them, do the ASET images, and take a comparision video for you. I think that is the best way to buy a diamond via long distance.

JA is owned by a diamond supplier. They have diamonds listed at cutting factories in other countries. While they have some in NY, they also have many that are not there. You will find many diamonds are listed by multiple vendors for that reason. They just call them in when a customer wants to consider buying the stone.
 

Gypsy

Super_Ideal_Rock
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Yeah. I would not buy an Oval online without an ASET. Work with GOG.
 

aftereffects15

Rough_Rock
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Thank you for suggesting GoG, they've been a pleasure to work with.

They called in 5 stones for me:
1)http://www.goodoldgold.com/ecommerce/3ct-g-vs2-oval-diamond.html
2) http://www.goodoldgold.com/ecommerce/3ct-e-vs2-oval-diamond.html
3)http://www.goodoldgold.com/ecommerce/3.3ct-g-vs1-oval-diamond.html
4) http://www.goodoldgold.com/ecommerce/3.35ct-d-vs2-oval-diamond.html
5) http://www.goodoldgold.com/ecommerce/3.5ct-e-vs1-oval-diamond.html

and made 2 videos:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCc4NDk-I-A&feature=youtu.be (left stone is #3, middle is #2, right is #1; in the individual portion it's #1 followed by #2 followed by #3)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BohmgI0ZPbg&feature=youtu.be (left is stone #5, right is stone #4; in the individual portion it's #4 followed by #5)

What do you guys think? They're beautiful (I love the sparkles) but I'm concerned about the bowties, is that just in my head? Maybe my expectations are just off since I was previously looking at MRB. Which is your favorite? Is it worth looking at more? I'm happy to wait a while for a fantastic stone to come to the market if these aren't great. I would really appreciate any feedback, you guys give such fantastic advice and insights.
 

Gypsy

Super_Ideal_Rock
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Which ones does GOG prefer? They have the stones in hand. So let's start with their preferences first.
 

Gypsy

Super_Ideal_Rock
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I don't really like any of them. *Ducks*.

They are all a bit underwelming under the table for me. If I had to chose, I'd pick the E.
 

aftereffects15

Rough_Rock
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Hahaha I kind of felt the same way but wasn't sure if I was missing something.

What do you think I should do next? Happy to wait for a better one to come into the market or ask them to expand the search criteria (are S1s ok in an oval of that size?) or bump the budget up (currently said $90k which seemed like enough). If one of the diamonds from other sites looked particularly promising they said they'd be able to call it in from the supplier for analysis as long as we paid for it up front, are there any that it's worth doing that for?
 

Gypsy

Super_Ideal_Rock
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aftereffects15|1454084309|3983570 said:
Hahaha I kind of felt the same way but wasn't sure if I was missing something.

What do you think I should do next? Happy to wait for a better one to come into the market or ask them to expand the search criteria (are S1s ok in an oval of that size?) or bump the budget up (currently said $90k which seemed like enough). If one of the diamonds from other sites looked particularly promising they said they'd be able to call it in from the supplier for analysis as long as we paid for it up front, are there any that it's worth doing that for?


1) Yes, waiting isn't a bad idea.
2) yes, in an oval eyeclean SI1 is possible.
3) what would the return policy be on the stone you paid for upfront? If they made a video of it and you didn't like it, would you be able to get your money back ASAP?
4) Contact Brilliantly Engaged and see what they can come up with.

I'd hold off on bumping the budget. BUT I would tell them that if there was a stone that they REALLY felt was WORTH increasing the budget, they should tell you and let you decide.
 

Gypsy

Super_Ideal_Rock
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It's okay. No real bowtie. It's not wowing me, but it's got that going for it.
 

aftereffects15

Rough_Rock
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Jul 1, 2013
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95
Thank you again for all the input! Finding an oval is so tricky

Do you have any examples of wow ovals? Is the one in this video good? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1HcHgWY67M I like how it has more defined sparkles/facets (not sure if it's that's the right language to describe it)

My ring size is a little under 4.5 instead of 6.5 (fiance proposed with a temporary ring which is a little big :lol: ) so maybe expanding the search to 2.5-3 carat range would make sense
 

Gypsy

Super_Ideal_Rock
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Messages
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I don't see the head on view. GOG said they can call in others for you. Let me see if I can find anything worth a second glance.
 

Gypsy

Super_Ideal_Rock
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aftereffects15

Rough_Rock
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You're a lifesaver Gypsy! Thank you for everything you do for this community.

They said:

"Two out of the five diamonds that you sent me are available in the U.S. The 3.11ct G FL, 3.041ct G VVS2 and the 4.21ct F VS2 are all out of the country. For the ones that are not in the U.S the return policy depends on the supplier. Some do not offer a return policy and others do with a shipping charge."

They're asking me to put down another shipping deposit with them to look at more diamonds :/ I had emailed them back to tell them the latest one was my favorite out of everything they'd shown and definitely an option (and to ask about the ones you suggested), then they replied back 2 days later to say it had sold (totally understandable) and then today said "Since the 3ct F VS2 that I last brought in was an absolute winner we would have to charge another shipping deposit if you want to continue with having us ship in diamonds. " Not sure if it's worth it, even though it will be a shame to give up the shipping deposit (they have done a lot of work in bringing the diamonds in, they were just not overwhelming and I don't want to buy a "pretty good" diamond).

I'll try BrilliantlyEngaged and see if they have any suggestions and maybe b2cjewels will be able to make a video of the one you liked. Thank you again for guiding me through this process
 

Gypsy

Super_Ideal_Rock
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If you need me, just page me. And I'll keep checking back on this thread for progress.

With the amount of money you are spending I wouldn't want to settle either. If you have the time, then just wait till one is the right fit for you. :wavey:
 

aftereffects15

Rough_Rock
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=)

What's the appropriate way to page somebody on the forum? I couldn't find private messaging. Either way, I'll keep this thread updated.

Do you have a second favorite from the ones you listed? In the 3.11, are the half ovals on the top and bottom (i'm sure there's a term for it) detrimental or just personal preference?
 

Gypsy

Super_Ideal_Rock
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You can just start a new post titled "Gypsy". Other's have.

That said, those facets if they flash are a positive, and I think they will. Obviously a video would be most helpful to determine that.
 

aftereffects15

Rough_Rock
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Messages
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Wow, I am super impressed with ERD so far. They've been replying very fast, didn't require any security deposit, and found a very reasonably priced one (and encouraged asking the PS community!). What do you guys think of this one?

screen_shot_2016-02-11_at_8.png
325evs2.jpg
325b.jpg
325a.jpg

From them:

I have what I believe should be a top contender for your review, this selection has a one of a kind Facet structure and pattern that is almost extinct from the cutting facilities in the current market, it is of course an 8 main pavilion faceted Oval but also please look at the top of the chart which showcases the change of rotation of those facets from the top as they move to meet the pavilion facets..... based on my personality and experience this selection is completely captivating and enthralling with absolutely no bow tie effect and amazing brilliance and scintillation and if you feel this is a worth candidate for you then please post it on the PS thread as I'd love to hear what the critics think.....?


------

(I'm not sure what they mean by top of the chart, maybe the attachment failed to load, my email has been having issues lately)
I'm a little worried the faceting brightness (wish I had better vocabulary to describe these things..) might be only around the horizontal area, is that valid from the picture?
 

Gypsy

Super_Ideal_Rock
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Messages
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I disagree. It has a nice amount of green. More than many of the gog choices. And less.White overall. And its chubby. Will they make you a video?
 

aftereffects15

Rough_Rock
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Thank you for replying diamondseeker! I didn't really love the 3 carat E when they showed it to me :/ I don't think I like the half ovals on the top and bottom flashing with just the horizontal, makes it feel unsymmetrical somehow.

What does chubby mean in a diamond? more width than height? I'll ask for a video from them.

B2C wasn't able to get a video but were super nice and took lots of photos of the 3.11 diamond:

7976286_-_image5.jpg
7976286_-_image7.jpg
7976286_-_image6.jpg
7976286_-_image4.jpg
7976286_-_image3.jpg
7976286_-_image2.jpg
7976286_-_image1.jpg

wdyt? do all [well-cut] oval diamonds have more concentration of flashes around the horizontal/bow tie area?
 
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