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HELP! I am an old tomboy who has never worn rings!

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I love that twisted band... it really looks pretty on you! I tried on a thinner, Tacori version, and I thought it was a really pretty design. I really wasn''t expecting to like it as much as I did (I actually tried it on to see the head rather than the shank), but I liked the version I tried on and like the version you tried on. Beautiful style. I can''t wait to see pics of your setting and diamond when you get it!
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IDK about setting advice... (I''m sending my diamond to the designer to set).
 
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I assume JRD did obtain your ring size and hopefully the ring they are bringing from the other store is close - do you know your ring size? I''m not sure if they will charge for sizing, but it only took a few days for my ring once they had the setting. I''m lucky though, because my size is a perfect 6, and the ring didn''t need to be sized. Mine was shipped from Vatche because they didn''t have the style I wanted in the store.

When I bought my setting from them, they did not charge anything more on top of the price quoted to me for the actual setting. They removed my diamond from the old setting, so I did not purchase a diamond from them either. There was no charge for removing or setting the diamond.
 
Hi, Tara! I am very excited about your stone! I know it will be beautiful!

As for the setting, they should order it in your size. They definitely should not alter a sample ring for you. I''d get it in platinum with that little bit of price difference, if you like it. You certainly can let them set it as it sounds like they are a fine jewelry store, right? Before they do, ask them if it is insured while they set it. Then ask them to give you a realistic (not inflated) insurance appraisal so you can add a rider onto your homeowner policy. They may need a copy of the diamond cert to do that.

You are funny writing about that original ring! We are really glad you continued shopping because you did end up with one that was MUCH better than that first one!
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Hey Tulip,

The funny thing is my first official ring sizing came from Walmart! I wonder how many of our awesome posters can claim that....or admit it! he he

Actually I was in there and knew I needed to take the first steps, so I asked them if they had a sizer. They had 1/2 sizes and the jewelry stores I have been in seem to only have whole sizes.

I can''t remember the Walmart sizing. One jewelry store had me between 5 1/2 and 5 3/4. At JRD, a 5 was too difficult to get on, even though it did go on. They thought it was a 5 1/2, but I haven''t "officially" been sized in my mind.

When the other ring arrives at JRD tomorrow or the next, I will go in, try them on and officially do sizing. If the platinum doesn''t fit, I wil also ask them to order one in my size. I hope they have those capabilities. I have already started to consider that if they have to make it, it may not be ready for our ceremony. Not ideal, but I am not switching settings since I like this so much. It is a small ceremony, so I can always were a ring of my Mom if I need to.

Tara
 
Hi Tara!

I may have missed it, but who is the maker of the setting you are getting? It doesn''t take JRD that long to get a setting shipped to them, escpecially if they are aware of your Feb. 14 ceremony.
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Two years ago, I found Pricescope when I decided to change the yellow gold setting on my ring which I didn''t care for. I was able to see so many options here, and eventually googled Vatche. Then I found out JRD carried their line. When I went there to specifically compare the Royal Crown and the Royal X-prong, it turned out that the sales person helping me had never heard of the Royal X. So he called Vatche and had them ship one in, in my size. My sales person was Kim. He was very helpful, and I''m sure if they know your date they can make sure you''ve got your ring.

By the way, diamonds come in all sizes here at Pricescope - mine is approx. .75, and most likely it''s the biggest one I''m ever going to have . . . BUT I am enjoying buying myself some sweet sparklies (earrings, etc.) with the great information I''ve found here!
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Tulip,

The funny thing is I don''t know who the setting is by. Some obvious details escape me. Perhaps I was in shock that I loved the ring since it was so different than 99% of what I tried on.

I did call JRD today and they did receive the platinum setting from the other store. It is a size 6. My ring size is a 5 1/4.

Diamondseeker, in your previous post you recommended that I not get the sample ring. Does that have more to do with trying to stay away from sizing platinum, wear and tear, all of the above, etc????

My other concern is the sales person said they do not provide any insurance while the ring is being set. Would you recommend that I get it set somewhere else because of that?

Any thoughts would be most helpful. I live in Coral Springs, FL (Ft. Lauderdale/Boca area) if there is a better place to get it set.

Thanks again,

Tara
 
Just thinking about tomorrow.......bet your bottom dollars on tomorrow!

OK, I admit it...this old tomboy, turning girly as the days pass is excited and I keep singing this tune from Annie......I think.

My diamond is arriving from GOG TOMORROW that all of you fabulous folks helped me pick out!!!!
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I still find it amazing that I can go from absolute, blind ignorance to feeling so confident in the stone I picked out. That is all to PSs credit and the fine people who so generously help us rookies and pros alike.

I will share the diamond''s particulars and update you along the way...with pics once I get it set. The funny thing is I never really grasped fully what some of these measurements meant, but your posts helped me know enough to insure that the diamond was nice. What a difference a few days of education make!

Shape: Round
Carat Weight: 0.83ct
Color: H
Clarity: VS2
AGS Cut Grade: Ideal
est GIA Cut Grade: Excellent
AGS Light Performance: Ideal
Optical Symmetry: Superior
Polish: Ideal
Symmetry: Ideal
Fluorescence: Negligible
Girdle: 1.65%
Culet: None
Lab Report: AGS
Width: 6.09mm
Length: 6.12mm
Depth: 3.68mm
Table Percentage: 58.56%
Depth Percentage: 60.33%
Crown Ú: 33.84‹
Crown Depth: 13.94%
Pavilion Ú: 41.02‹
Pavilion Depth: 43.24%
Upper Girdle Ú: 41.26‹
Lower Girdle Ú: 42.21‹
 
Wonderful, Tara! I''m far from an expert on diamonds, but that one sure looks great!
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How''s the timetable working out for you with JRD? I can''t wait to see your pictures! Wish I could see the finished ring in person - I''m actually working an assignment right across the street from JRD!
 
That is so funny Tulip. Are you working near the Las Olas store?

I plan on going there on Thursday where I will make my decision on ordering a ring or resizing. They say they do some sodering technique, but based on recommendations, I will probably order one.

I also want to get resized and make sure there is room for finger swelling which I have read about in women and in the summer. Who would have thunk it???
 
Good for you, girly! You might as well get the ring made to fit.

I''m a RN and a postpartum doula, and I''ve been working an assignment with a mommy and twins in the Riverhouse Condo on Las Olas, which is just west and across the street from JR Dunn. It''s the tallest, curvy blue building if you are looking at the skyline.
 
Date: 1/8/2008 7:29:16 PM
Author: tara81662l
Just thinking about tomorrow.......bet your bottom dollars on tomorrow!

OK, I admit it...this old tomboy, turning girly as the days pass is excited and I keep singing this tune from Annie......I think.

My diamond is arriving from GOG TOMORROW that all of you fabulous folks helped me pick out!!!!
36.gif


I still find it amazing that I can go from absolute, blind ignorance to feeling so confident in the stone I picked out. That is all to PSs credit and the fine people who so generously help us rookies and pros alike.

I will share the diamond's particulars and update you along the way...with pics once I get it set. The funny thing is I never really grasped fully what some of these measurements meant, but your posts helped me know enough to insure that the diamond was nice. What a difference a few days of education make!

Shape: Round
Carat Weight: 0.83ct
Color: H
Clarity: VS2
AGS Cut Grade: Ideal
Click to expand...
Oh my God, Tara, your diamond is coming!!! How exciting. I've been reading your posts, and watching you evolve into a true diamond lover. I can't wait to see the finished product of all your hard work. Make sure you post lots of pictures! (Use the macro setting, no flash)
 
Yay!!! We can''t wait to see your diamond! Take some pictures for us!

Please do order your setting in your size and with the size head that fits your stone. It could be a disaster for them to try to resize that style. You deserve a new ring in YOUR size!
 
Thank you Junebug and for the recommendations on taking pictures. I have seen so many beautiful pictures of hand shots, I thought everyone must be using a millioin dollar camera!
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Of course now it is the mad dash until February 14th. We initially thought we would just do a quick civil ceremony at the courthouse. Granted, 20 years ago I would have wanted a wedding with some bells and whistles...maybe 25 years ago now that I think of it. But now I am just looking for a simple ceremony.

However, when I went to the courthouse, I just couldn''t get over the coldness of metal detectors, and feeling there is NO WAY I am going to get dressed up and go in there. I felt overdressed in my business clothes. So we switched the venue to our porch and backyard.

What is surprising me the most is how much you still have to do for such a small ceremony. But I have a wonderful guy who is great...even though he keeps trying to make this thing bigger!
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Funny that he is the one who wants to invite the world and I am thinking the magic number is around 12 people!
 
Greetings to Everyone,

It has been an amazing 5 days since my last post and I am suffering PS withdrawals! Well, I suppose I have a few other details to plan for our Valentine''s wedding aside from my ring! So I have buried in details from my "simple" ceremony.

A few interesting tidbits I wanted to pass on. Diamonseeker, I took your wonderful advice and ordered the ring in my size with the correct head size for the diamond. I had the jeweler look at the diamond and the seeting at J.R. Dunn to confirm what size should be ordered.

So I am less than 2 weeks away from getting a beautiful ring with a PS picked diamond! Now that is a winning combination.

One funny thing happened today. I got a call from the minister who is going to marry us. He said he hadn''t heard back from us so he assumed the vows he drafted for us were OK. I told him that in fact, we had been too busy to look at them again. He was quite calm and said OK. He then asked if he left at 10:15 do I think that was sufficient amount of time. I said that should be plenty. When I then asked him if it was OK if he received the final vows in a few weeks, he said he was confused.

I then figured out he was on his way to our home because he thought our wedding was today!!! Yikes! I am so glad he called. He would have thought we were the nuttiest couple if he walked into our home. I would have been in sweats and he would see appliances in our living room as we are in the last stages of a kitchen remodel.

So he is back on track for February 14th. I called my sweetie and told him I was glad he was not going to stand me up at the alter and be a no show at his own wedding today. We got a good laugh over that one.

Hope all is well with everyone and thanks for your continued support.

Tara
 
Hi Tara -

I''m so glad everything is working out well with your ring! I can''t wait to see pictures.
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Grumble, Grumble, Darn, Darn, Darn
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So I have been off concentrating on wedding details for February 14th.....small little things like completing a kitchen remodel that was supposed to be done 6 weeks ago and I just had to throw in 13 novacane shots, a root canal and a couple of crowns just to keep it interesting. Lesson learned...there is no such thing as "upgrading at the dentist." If you have two separate appointments and they have a cancellation and ask if you want to do everything at once...JUST SAY NO!!!
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Anyway....I figured the next time I would be connecting with all of you fine folks would be to show you pictures of my wonderful diamond. Well, I do have a diamond, but I am not so sure it is wonderful. My setting came in that I had made for me by J.R. Dunn. Thanks again to Diamondseeker who suggested that I get one made for me, instead of resizing larger ones they had in stock. I love it.

I went in today and took my GOG diamond in to get mounted. It looked great to the eye on the setting. Then myself and a gemologist that has been helping me began to look for the laser mark they put on the girdle. When I took a few tries at it, I said a few times "what are all those black specks on it?" And when I looked from the side, (even with the naked eye), I saw what looked like 50+ very small bubbles or somethng. Is it possible those are just light reflections of some kind from the prongs or the tiny 1/3 carat round diamonds on the setting?

I then compared my mounted stone to one they had in the store. Their''s was a GIA stone that was S1 and I in color. My stone which is a H AGS stone looked noticeably darker than the one they showed me. She also looked perplexed when she looked at it over and over in addition to her repeated attempts to clean it off.

In the end she said she would not have rated it VS2 and the color seemed to be off. She also said she was so surprised because AGS stones are usually so clean.

Maybe I am ignorant but I really did not think she was trying to "sell" me a diamond. It was mounted and I was supposed to be the blushing bride-to-be, putting it on...saying how much I loved it and thanking them for their wonderful help.

So I left with a feeling of slight panic because I couldn''t remember when I bought it. Turns out it was Jan 4th so I am in the 30 day timeframe. I also had a wonderul conversation with Johnathon, the owner of GOG when I got home. He said it is possible that the gentleman who mounted it did not do a good job of cleaning it up. He suggested I take it to an appraiser or independent gemologist, along with all of the paper work and photos they took of the diamond. He even went and pulled up the photos and paperwork of the diamond and commented again how nice of a stone it is.

So tonight, I am feeling a bit deflated becasue I was so confident going into this stage of the game. Now I am in a "protect the investment" mode. I told GOG I am very happy with them, but my confidence (minus someone else looking at it) has a dent in it. I also need to act fast to confirm it is a great diamond or not which is not somthing I expected to still be on my plate. If it does turn out that something is wrong with it, I would even invest more money if I needed to get something else although the inventory still may be low.

Anyway, that is my update which is why I started off with "grumble, grumble". I am trying to keep it in perspective though. I clearly recognize that me looking into a diamond with or without great tools doesn''t mean a whole lot since this is not my area of expertise. So now I need to find someone who has those skills in my area...Coral Springs, FL. In looking in the yellow pages, the only gemologist or appraiser I see listed is a gentleman who''s add says GIA Graduate Gemologist and Full Gemological Lab, Appraisals while you wait. Does that sound like it will do the trick?

Tara
 
Tara, are you anywhere close to Sarasota?
 
I can''t speak to the black speck issues, but it is normal for a well-cut stone to appear "darkish" in sunlight and in jewelry store light. Mine gets darker, but more fiery in jewelry store lighting. In the daylight, it''s like an experiment I saw in a science class once - if you turn on a flashlight and shine it at people, then right behind you, you turn on the overhead projector light, the flashlight will look dark, even though it''s just as bright as it was before. It''s shining out light, but can''t compete with the projector/sun. That''s what happens with a diamond. In poorly-cut stones, where the light leaks through, you mostly see the body color all the time, so you don''t notice this as much. I don''t think that "looking darker" means that your diamond''s color grading was off. Looking yellower, yes, that may be a cause for alarm. If you go to the "knowledge" link above, though, you''ll find information about well-cut diamonds looking "dark" in certain lighting.
 
Regarding the specs, I have read on previous threads about some polishing compound being not completely cleaned off stones when they are set / cleaned professionally. Apparently this will not simply rub off. It could maybe be that? At any rate, having purchased from an awesome dealer who stands by his stuff, you can rest assured that it will all work out! Good luck!
 
Greetings All

Well. it looks like I am back in the diamond hunt and my wedding is on Feb 14th. Yikes, not what I was expecting, but it happens.

As you may know, I purchased a wonderful AGS idela .833 stone. It passed all of the cut quality tests and was really great on paper. I got it set last Friday and the gemologist at the store took a look at it after it was set. She was very perplexed and finally said she would have never given it a VS2 rating.

On the advice of the vendor, I took it to an appraiser who said the cut was wonderful, and without taking a breath, he said, this is not a VS2 stone. So although it is a wonderful stone on paper, my confidence is gone and I can''t keep it. Especially knowing if I really set out to get an SI1 stone with similar dimensions, it could have been larger.

The vendor has been awesome however, it means this diamond buying stuff is back on my plate when I thought I was done. It must be a sign that I was missing you great folks and needed to be more connected!!!

So I hope you are ready for round 2!!!!!

Tara
 
Tara, I'd just let Jonathan find you another stone. Yours must have been one of those borderline VS2-Si1 stones. That can happen on color or clarity and we see it happen from time to time. Sometimes the color is better than the cert, as in the case of my stone which came from GOG, too. You're usually safe with VS2, but you do need to know that diamonds are graded from the top, and you sometimes can see inclusions from the side. What was your diamond budget again?

I really hate it that you are having all this extra stress, though!
 
Jonathan has been awesome and the best case scenario would be for him to find me another. My original budget was $3500 which got me the .833 ideal cut AGS stone. I am now considering a higher budget...perhaps up to $5000, but only if it increases the size and most of everything else stays in tact.

I am still on the fence with SI1 stones. I really liked the idea of having a VS2 stone and still don''t have my arms around if having an ideal or great cut lets you go down in clarity without too much of an issue.

Hmmm, so much to learn and so little time to do it!
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Tara
 
Tara, I would stick with VS2 if the last stone bothered you. I looked back at the magnified images of that stone and it was really hard to see inclusions. I think it would be terrific to have $5000 to work with! But what size head did you order for that ring?
 
Yikes.

Diamondseeker, I shoud know the head size but I don''t unless it is in my paperwork somewhere.

I took the diamond to JRD to let the gemologist look at it when I decided to buy a platinum band. He said the head on the ring was perfect and he wouldn''t change it. Of course, I don''t know what that size was.

In speaking with the JRD gemologist and the appraiser today, both thought there would be no problem to accommodate up to a carat stone.

Please let me know if I need to go back and check the head size to be sure.

Thank you for your selections above. I will take a look at them. Honestly I am feeling a bit whooped emotionally right now. So many other wedding and work details I am juggling but I know I have to get back into this process again.
 
Thanks Diamondseeker,

Although I prefer a VS2 stone, I don''t think an SI1 would bother me. I am only bothered when I think I have a VS2 and it is really a SI1. I was quite happy in ignorance with my old diamond!
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The shopper in me just can''t live with a purchase that falls a bit short of what I thought I was getting. No fault of anyone, but I need to fix it.

So my budget keeps creeping up. $5000 and less is better, but would entertain mid 5s for the best stone i can get in cut and a larger stone.

I would like to get a new one in the next 2 or 3 days, preferably from GOG unless there is some dramatic difference that GOG can''t match. Wedding on Feb 14 is coming fast! Yikes!
 
Tara, searching for SI1 stones at GOG yields a couple nice looking possibilities. Of course, you will have to ask them whether the stones are eye-clean, but the inclusions in these look pretty small in the magnified view.
0.81 H SI1 $3,412.71
0.95 H SI1 $4,920.39

Another G VS2:
0.81 G VS2 $3,992.62

Good luck on the wedding planning and stone search!
 
Greetings Everyone,

Well, my posts are thinning out as I am juggling multiple things on my plate as we move closer to our wedding on Feb 14th.

Of course the biggest one is I returned my stone to GOG and Jonathan was a dream to work with. I lost my confidence in the other one but got back in the saddle and purchased onther one. I went from .83, G, VS2 to a .95, H, SI1. I stuck with a great cut given what I learned here on PS! Given that my other one was potentially borderline SI1 anyway, it didn''t bother me to get an SI1 as long as I know what am getting.

Here is the link to the diamond. It is also eyeclean and should arrive tomorrow in time for the big day.

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/3819/

Thanks everyone for helping me through my hiccup and to the GOG team for supporting my panic moments! Maybe now this old tomboy can move onto some hand shots!!!
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Looks gorgeous! Congrats!
I''m glad that GOG came through for you and that you were able to take such a nice jump in carat size ... As they say, everything happens for a reason, right?
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