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Help needed ! Cartier e-ring on Saturday

Frenchcut

Shiny_Rock
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Dec 1, 2010
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Hi all!

The time has come for me to get my e-ring, my fiance is ready to pull the trigger 8-)

We have already planned to Cartier on Saturday afternoon but I would like to know if some Pricescopers have any experience with their e-ring? I already own several of their pieces but I still wonder about their diamonds.

All their diamonds are GIA certified and on their documentation they specify that cut is the most important of the 4 C's - still their diamonds can be Excellent or Very Good cut. And the last time I went to check their different designs I noticed one of their Ballerine rings that looked kind of dull. I assumed it had not been cleaned properly but asked np question as I was not ready to buy that ring, and I can't stop thinking about it.

Of course I will be there with my fiance to pick the ring so I will make sure that it's extra-sparkly but it bothers me a bit that I may not end with an Excellent cut in case there is none available with the specs that I want (H VS1/VS2, 0.9 to 1.0 carat).

I will ask them to see the GIA report, but do you think I should worry in case I'm shown a Very Good cut ? I'm pretty confident that all their stones are hank picked and that they are extra picky when it comes to the quality of their stones but still...It bothers me a little that I won't be able to choose the stone myself. Has anyone ever heard of an disappointed buyer of a Cartier e-ring?

Thank you in advance for any advice you may give me, I know it may sound silly to worry about a Cartier engagement ring but I'm super picky with quite everything and don't want to have any 2nd thoughts :oops:
 

canuk-gal

Super_Ideal_Rock
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HI:

Before I went to Vegas for Spring break to look at Cartier rings IRL--I was in communication with Cartier who provided me a list of available inventory (set and loose stones) to consider. Inventory was located around the country but there was no issue about getting stones with "specific" criteria. Can you not do the same?

cheers--Sharon
 

diamondseeker2006

Super_Ideal_Rock
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If I were paying for the Cartier name, I would absolutely require that the diamond be GIA excellent cut (and same with Tiffany, etc.). Make that request up front and have them search until they find the specs you want. You need to call them so they have time to have rings shipped to the location you are going or else you may have nothing to look at with your specs.

We did have someone here one time who went to Cartier and I think Graaf and Tiffany's and found that ALL of them carried diamonds in their engagement rings that were not top cut quality. So you do absolutely be proactive and request the GIA excellent report. You sound like many of us, and I will tell you that it will bother you to end up with VG cut when you know that you'd rather have excellent. It is much easier to do this right the first time than have regrets later.
 

hearts-arrows_girl

Brilliant_Rock
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canuk-gal|1308166680|2946840 said:
Before I went to Vegas for Spring break to look at Cartier rings IRL--I was in communication with Cartier who provided me a list of available inventory (set and loose stones) to consider. Inventory was located around the country but there was no issue about getting stones with "specific" criteria. Can you not do the same? cheers--Sharon
Having Cartier check their entire inventory is a great idea. When I got my stone, (wasn't Cartier, though)I had the store check ALL available possibilities. I wouldn't want to pick my "once in a lifetime" Cartier purchase, from the few stones, one store has in stock.

My husband had a dental implant done in Beverly Hills, CA, so while he was in the chair, I went to Tiffany's, Cartier, and DeBeers. (a couple of times, he had to have rechecks) All of these stores, carried stones that were less than fantastic by PS standards. You have to go in there with your own knowledge and tastes. I saw 60%+ tables, 62+ depths, Good symmetry/polish. I also saw gorgeous stones, with beautiful cuts, but you have to sift through the stock. Seems these stores base their high standards on color and clarity, I think I color, VS clarity is the lowest they go. I'm not sure how low they go in Cut, but for sure Very Good.

Your trip to Cartier for your e-ring, should be a fabulous adventure. Make the most of it, by having a fun day and coming home with the best sparkly ring you can!!!! Can't wait to see pictures. If they let you, take some pictures of you picking out your ring! This will be a great memory for both of you.
 

Frenchcut

Shiny_Rock
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Thank you for your replies, I've seen their "set for you by Cartier" offer on their website but I was worried that my fiance will want to have the ring on Saturday. It will take 3 weeks to get the ring done if we go the "set for you" route...at least that's what they advertise on their website (I happen to be living in Paris, don't know if it's the same in the US?).

But since it may be safer I will talk to him right now about it!

I will then call them tomorrow to make an appointment, and you are also right that I should not settle for less than an Excellent cut!
 

Frenchcut

Shiny_Rock
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I've just talked to my fiance, he thinks that's a good idea! I will call them to see if I need to make an appointment this Saturday...I'm so excited :D
 

hearts-arrows_girl

Brilliant_Rock
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That is sooo exciting! I am sure they can at least call local Cartiers, near the one you are visiting, and bring in the stones you like. Be firm, don't let them sell you anything less well cut than you really want. Don't be worried about what the sales lady thinks, take as much time as you need. (she may push for a quick sale, but you need to make a slow, careful, informed decision) Sometimes during the excitement of the moment, it is easy to settle and not hold out for the perfect stone. If they don't have something that would suit you, be prepared to wait til they do. What's a few weeks compared to the rest of your life. Shopping for your e-ring is much more complicated than picking out random jewelry, take your time. Good luck! I will be waiting on Sat, for your post. Bring a macro lens camera!!!
 

Frenchcut

Shiny_Rock
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280
Don't worry, I've been waiting for 10 months, so it wouldn't be a problem to wait for a few more weeks if it means I've found my dream ring!

I think I already know enough thanks to all of you Pricescopers to make the right choice and above all I won't take the risk to choose a less than perfect stone (by perfect I mean perfect by my own personal standard, I know that there is no such thing as a perfect diamond :) ). I would definitely wait 6 more months rather than buy a ring that doesn't make my heart sing.

And of course you'll get a detailed review of what should be the experience of a lifetime ;-)
 

hearts-arrows_girl

Brilliant_Rock
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Frenchcut|1308171731|2946900 said:
I think I already know enough thanks to all of you Pricescopers to make the right choice and above all I won't take the risk to choose a less than perfect stone (by perfect I mean perfect by my own personal standard, I know that there is no such thing as a perfect diamond :) ). I would definitely wait 6 more months rather than buy a ring that doesn't make my heart sing.
And of course you'll get a detailed review of what should be the experience of a lifetime ;-)
I love that! I agree, perfect to YOU, is the way to go!!!! You sound soooo grounded and prepared! Good luck Saturday!!!! :appl:
 

canuk-gal

Super_Ideal_Rock
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HI:

Let us know how it turns out! How exciting!

cheers--Sharon
 

Amys Bling

Super_Ideal_Rock
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I think it's smart to wait a few more weeks to get the stone you want.
 

Frenchcut

Shiny_Rock
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Sorry for the long post, but I know some of you may not understand my decision so I decided to explain how it happened:

We went to the mother store on Rue de la Paix in Paris (it’s the street that leads to the famous Place Vendome). I wasn’t especially impressed with the store as I had already been there for a ring, but it’s definitely a very nice place to spend some time :D
We explained to the saleslady what we were looking for:
simple platinum setting, stone in the 0.9 carat range, Color and clarity - anything would do as I knew they don’t go below H and VS2 - finger size 6 - budget: 11K$ (before tax)
She soon came back from their inventory with 3 rings, none of which within our criteria:
- 1.03 carat F color (didn’t ask the price, obviously to expensive)
- 0.71 carat F color (setting with pave, but center stone too small)
- One much bigger stone (didn’t care to ask the size, no way we could afford it!)
I tried the 1.03 ct ring to check the finger coverage (looked nice) and we came back to our initial request for a 0.9 stone, stating that we didn’t need the color to be in the D-F range as I feel it’s too icy and I like it a little bit warmer. She told us she wasn’t sure there was anything available with these characteristics and launched a search on her computer: only one ring was available, a 0.9 ct H VVS2 but it was located in Monaco + it was a size 4.5. She told us it was too small to be resized size 6, they would have to reset the stone :shock:
One good surprise though, as it was quoted below 10.6 K$ before tax and only 150 $ more than what we were quoted for a similar ring in December 2010. We were told that they were about to increase their prices on 1st July, and I guess that their current prices must have been updated early in 2011 before all these crazy increases on rough diamonds! Good news :)

She then asked us if we knew about “Set for you by Cartier”. We answered positively and she proposed to look for loose stones in their inventory. It meant we would have to wait 3-4 weeks for the ring to be made but would give us the choice of the stone!
Unfortunately we were not very successful as only 2 stones showed up when she eventually managed to log in the database (it took two salespeople to help her!):
- 0.9 carat H color VVS1 – quoted 10 600$
- 0.9 carat G color VVS2 – quoted slightly above 11 200$
They have no stock left at all, it was expected given the evolution of the diamond market since the start of the year but still a bit disappointing. Not much too choose from :???:

That’s when I asked her about the cut. After a while she managed to find the cut grade in her system and both stones were graded Very Good (GIA certs)…I must admit I was a bit disappointed that they had no Excellent stone available.
I didn’t ask for the details of the certificate as I basically had no choice: if I wanted a Cartier engagement ring and to beat the price increase (in less than two weeks!) I had to choose one of these two stones and I thought their certificates wouldn’t help me. If one or both were good I would get one of them and be happy, if both not that good I knew I would still get the one of them but wouldn’t be so happy.

So I made my choice: it’s a ring I’m getting, not a certificate! I’m getting the G colored stone and I’m pretty certain it will be very sparkly. Once the ring was ordered we were brought a glass of pink champagne to celebrate!

The ring should be ready in 3-4 weeks –countdown has started!
 

CharmyPoo

Ideal_Rock
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Congrats.

I am a bit surprised .. I think where I would have landed was to forgo a cartier ring.
 

canuk-gal

Super_Ideal_Rock
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HI:

Awesome! Which setting did you choose? Please come back with hand pictures or I'll come to Paris looking for you! :D :halo: :cheeky:

cheers--Sharon
 

Frenchcut

Shiny_Rock
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I chose the 1895 setting - it's so simple and classy - and my camera is ready to shoot pictures as soon as the ring is home :D
 

diamondseeker2006

Super_Ideal_Rock
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Will they bring in the diamond for you to see before they set it? I think that would be essential to see it before making a final decision especially since it is not excellent cut.
 

Frenchcut

Shiny_Rock
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No, there was no possibility I could put an option on the stone until they could show it to me. Their system in Paris only allows to select a stone and buy it :???:

It may be possible on bigger stone (above 2 carat?) but with only three stones available in 0.9 range in France and the certainty that the new stones that will arrive in their inventory July will be much more expensive I had to make a decision today.

I may not get the best cut diamond but what really matters in the end is that it sparkles like crazy (and I'm sure it will). And I love to know that my ring will have been made especially for me by Cartier, it will make it even more unique in my eyes 8-)
 

canuk-gal

Super_Ideal_Rock
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Frenchcut|1308424446|2949074 said:
I chose the 1895 setting - it's so simple and classy - and my camera is ready to shoot pictures as soon as the ring is home :D


Ohhh I loved this setting. Total yum--I cannot wait to see the pictures!

cheers--Sharon
 

diamondseeker2006

Super_Ideal_Rock
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I certainly understand the appeal of a Cartier ring and I do not think the price is too inflated considering. And I understand that you had no choice. However, I do not agree with Cartier doing things that way. They could have you pay the amount of the lower priced stone and have both stones sent to that location to choose from, effectively freezing the price of the stones until you had seen them and chosen one. It blows my mind that they expect someone to pay $11,000 for a diamond ring they have not seen. That said, I am sure it will be very pretty and that you will love your new ring!
 

Frenchcut

Shiny_Rock
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They certainly know that they will find a buyer quite easily for a 11k$ ring (before tax) and also they are very proud of what they sell as a matter of fact.

My understanding is that they would see it as a weakness to have to justify of the quality of their diamonds to their customers (at least in France, their approach may be different in other countries to accomodate local customers). It's Cartier and they will never admit some of their rings may be less beautiful, all they are going to say is that they hand pick each diamond and have their own criteria to select the best in the VG/Ex cut grades.

I really hesitated for a long time (several months) between Cartier and online retailers like WF/BGD as I know the latter also propose top quality stones but I must admit I'm in love with the brand (I already own several rings and a necklace). And it made me feel more secure to know that in case I there's something wrong with my ring (whether I need to polish it, or notice the stone is getting loose...) I can go to the place where it was crafted within 60 minutes.
 

motownmama

Ideal_Rock
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I LOVE that setting!!!!!!!!! Good luck! I'm sure you'll love it!
 

Frenchcut

Shiny_Rock
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I've just retrieved the GIA certificate, I didn't want to look at it at first but you convinced me that I would be crazy no too. Here's what it says:

Carat weight: 0.9
Color grade: G
Clarity grade: VVS2
Cut grade: Very Good
Polish: VG
Symmetry: VG
Fluo: none

Table 56%
Depth: 60.1%
Crown angle: 33%
Crown Height: 14%
Pavilion angle: 40.6%
Pavilion depth: 42.5%
Girdle: medium to slightly thick, faceted

I put the figures in the HCA and got a 0.7 visual performance! I'm pretty relieved, I was starting having doubts about my decision.

Do you reckon this diamond should look good based on the above figures?
 

CharmyPoo

Ideal_Rock
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One of the key things to remember is that the sparkle of a diamond is determined by its cut. Cut is indicated by the "grading". I guess I never saw these mass produced rings as unique since there are so many of them. But each one is made unique by their owner.
 

Frenchcut

Shiny_Rock
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I understand that not everybody like branded rings but Cartier doesn't "mass produce" and what I meant by unique was that the diamond in the ring is unique (correct me if my understanding is not correct but there are no 2 diamonds that are exactly the same...?).
 

diamondseeker2006

Super_Ideal_Rock
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Can you give us the diameter of the diamond? It doesn't look bad from the numbers. Ideally, you'd want 34-35 for the crown angle, but it could be a lot worse than this one is. But I want to make sure what size it faces up.
 

Christina...

Ideal_Rock
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You are correct, just like snowflakes there are no 2 diamonds exactly the same! ;-) I'm sure that you will love your ering! I wish that your experience with Cartier had gone a bit differently. Are you sure though that you will be happier with a ring from Cartier with only a very good cut than you would be from a Tiffanys ring with an excellent cut? It seems that having an excellent cut was the most important aspect to you and there are many more wonderful vendors out there that could offer you a superior stone. Perhaps you could still find your perfect diamond from another source and then add a cartiers diamond wedding band?

I'm sure that you will be happy no matter what you chose. It's an exciting time and you should enjoy every moment of it. Can't wait to see pics!! :lickout:

I'm wondering, the stone in Monaco, the H VVS2, did they ever tell you what the cut on that stone was? I apologize if you stated this and I missed it. I know that when your in the moment and so much information and different stone options are being presented, it can be difficult to keep it all straight, I'm hoping that you didn't overlook a stone that may perform better....
 

bee*

Super_Ideal_Rock
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It does worry me a little that they expect you to pay so much without ever seeing the ring. I have a Tiffany Lucida and I'd emailed them before I travelled to NY to see could they order me in some different sizes and specs so I could compare and contrast what I liked. I wouldn't have felt comfortable paying prior to seeing them as there were differences between the different rings. I'm sure you'll adore it when you see it but I do find it strange that they expect you to pay without seeing the diamond. I know it can be different in Europe (I'm in Ireland) as they don't seem to hold much stock in the stores so it may be harder to order in diamonds.
 

Frenchcut

Shiny_Rock
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280
@ Diamondseeker2006: it faces up 6,24x6,28 (depth is 3,76)

@Christina...: they basically told me that the cut grade for their diamonds was Very Good most of the time and that Ex cut was seen mostly on bigger stones. I know you're all going to think that's crazy and there's no reason for not choosing Ex grade for smaller stones and I must say I agree with you.
Still, I had to make a choice and I felt that with the latest price increases I felt like I would not end up with a significantly bigger stone in the G VVS range (don't forget that living in France means that when ordering online overseas I have to pay 3% fee to my bank+19,6% VAT+2% import Tax+shipping and insurance).

@Bee*: It bothered me too that I could not see the stones but I think it's a cultural thing as French customers usually don't know much about diamonds so do no request such things as being shown the diamond or even the certificate...I had to insist to know the cut grade and see the GIA certificate, the saleslady was suprised I requested it!
 

Lula

Ideal_Rock
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Congratulations! Please come back and post photos when you receive the ring. I'm impressed with how you balanced your desire for a Cartier ring with your price/quality considerations. You got a beautiful setting, and what appears to be (from the HCA and the lab report numbers) a nice VG cut diamond in a hard-to-find carat weight.

I know many people here are not fans of Tiffany or Cartier brands, but those two companies have quite a storied history and are legendary in the jewelry world, so I can understand why having the real thing is important to people.

Each of us places a different priority on brand, quality, cut quality, setting design, color, clarity, carat weight, and, in the end, all that matters is how you prioritize those things. Vive la différence :)
 
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