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Help with upgrading

Lschneids01

Rough_Rock
Joined
May 9, 2020
Messages
81
Hello. I got engaged in July of 2019. COVID hit so still no wedding yet. I’m 45, first wedding. We fell in love after two days and started searching for rings and didn’t do the best research. We wanted to pick it out together. I wanted to go with an online store like James Allen. But my fiancé wasn’t comfortable not seeing it in person first. So we went to a very reputable jewelry store close by that explained everything to us that we walked in not knowing. The only thing I didn’t know is there are lab grown diamonds vs earth. They sold me a beautiful Forevermark Color F flawless round diamond 1.01 carats. I chose an A Jaffe trellis solitaire 18k white gold setting that is 3.8mm at the top that tapers to 3.5mm at the bottom. I loved the thicker band on my long size 6.25 finger (at the time of purchase.) So now the dilemma is my fiancé and I think the 1.01 carat looks a little underwhelming on my large hands. Beautiful diamond that shines like the moon. But small. They have the upgrade policy where they take your current diamond and put the money it’s worth now to a new upgraded diamond for life policy. Problem is they only sell Forevermark , earth grade diamonds and don’t even sell lab grown. Because now I want to sacrifice the earth grown diamond and F color mine is for a bigger 1.5-2 carat lab grown diamond. I wish I knew the difference at the time we were buying cause I totally would have been fine with lab vs earth and gone bigger in carats. So what do I do? I can’t afford to upgrade to a larger Forevermark or mined diamond. What would be some options I could do or have to get my larger diamond? And I can’t even wear my ring anymore cause of the COVID weight and my fingers have got to be a size 7 by now so I think now is the time to do something if anything since I can’t even where my ring. Help please! Suggestion???
 
Joined
Apr 22, 2020
Messages
2,902
The way I see it, your options are as follows:

- inquire from your vendor if they have a buy back policy instead of the upgrade policy. If they do, depending on the % they offer that might be the most money you can recoup.

- try and sell the stone / setting yourself as a private seller (using loupetroop or something). You may need to be willing to sell the stone and the setting separately - the jewel. Luckily the 1ct size is an extremely popular one.

- go through a reputable consigner. This might cost you more in fees but it does mean things will happen quickly and easily.

- find out how much the lab diamond will cost you and see if it is something you can afford without selling this stone, if selling the stone is proving difficult or you’re not able to recoup much on it. If yes, then perhaps the solution is actually to just keep both - perhaps a simpler setting may be needed for the lab diamond and you may need to sell the setting of your current stone and set it in a different ring or pendant setting.

I would start by enquiring about buy back. If that seems fruitless, then you can try figuring out how to sell. A Jaffe is a designer setting, you don’t need to liquidate it for scrap. Don’t be afraid to sell the stone and setting separately. You can incentivise buyers by offering them a slight discount if they buy both.

Otherwise if you don’t want to keep this stone and buy another, you can look into a reset that will bulk out the appearance of the stone - eg a halo setting. Ask your jeweler if he will discount a new setting, if not, ask him for the original setting and try and sell that as an empty setting.
 

Lschneids01

Rough_Rock
Joined
May 9, 2020
Messages
81
The way I see it, your options are as follows:

- inquire from your vendor if they have a buy back policy instead of the upgrade policy. If they do, depending on the % they offer that might be the most money you can recoup.

- try and sell the stone / setting yourself as a private seller (using loupetroop or something). You may need to be willing to sell the stone and the setting separately - the jewel. Luckily the 1ct size is an extremely popular one.

- go through a reputable consigner. This might cost you more in fees but it does mean things will happen quickly and easily.

- find out how much the lab diamond will cost you and see if it is something you can afford without selling this stone, if selling the stone is proving difficult or you’re not able to recoup much on it. If yes, then perhaps the solution is actually to just keep both - perhaps a simpler setting may be needed for the lab diamond and you may need to sell the setting of your current stone and set it in a different ring or pendant setting.

I would start by enquiring about buy back. If that seems fruitless, then you can try figuring out how to sell. A Jaffe is a designer setting, you don’t need to liquidate it for scrap. Don’t be afraid to sell the stone and setting separately. You can incentivise buyers by offering them a slight discount if they buy both.

Otherwise if you don’t want to keep this stone and buy another, you can look into a reset that will bulk out the appearance of the stone - eg a halo setting. Ask your jeweler if he will discount a new setting, if not, ask him for the original setting and try and sell that as an empty setting.

Do you think if all fails with my local jeweler with the buyback, Would approaching WHite Flash be an option to see what they offer? I like their lifetime upgrade policy, their inventory is one of the larger I’ve seen, and prices are reasonable? Like you said I would have to see if my diamond would profit in their inventory for them to resell it and see if I could sell my A Jaffe setting separately or as a trade in for a setting from them to accommodate the new diamond’s size I get.
 
Joined
Apr 22, 2020
Messages
2,902
Do you think if all fails with my local jeweler with the buyback, Would approaching WHite Flash be an option to see what they offer? I like their lifetime upgrade policy, their inventory is one of the larger I’ve seen, and prices are reasonable? Like you said I would have to see if my diamond would profit in their inventory for them to resell it and see if I could sell my A Jaffe setting separately or as a trade in for a setting from them to accommodate the new diamond’s size I get.

If you want a natural diamond, then approaching WF would be a good idea, though I’m unsure if they accept customer stones. If you plan to get a lab diamond, I wouldn’t go the WF route, as WF does not sell lab diamonds.
 

tyty333

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Dec 17, 2008
Messages
27,170
Can you post the report for your current stone? I think Bryan from WF posted info the other day about taking in trade-ins. Let me see if
I can find the thread.

Post #5
 

tyty333

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Dec 17, 2008
Messages
27,170
You also could talk to Jonathan at Distinctive Gems. He sales lab stones as well as mined stones so you might be able to do
a trade for a lab stone. I dont know what his policy is for taking a trade-in but it wont hurt to ask. He does have a pre-loved
section.


We also have a pre-loved section where you can list your stone for sale. Price needs to be set to make it worth wild over purchasing
at a vendor with return policies/safety guards etc.
 

Lschneids01

Rough_Rock
Joined
May 9, 2020
Messages
81
You also could talk to Jonathan at Distinctive Gems. He sales lab stones as well as mined stones so you might be able to do
a trade for a lab stone. I dont know what his policy is for taking a trade-in but it wont hurt to ask. He does have a pre-loved
section.


We also have a pre-loved section where you can list your stone for sale. Price needs to be set to make it worth wild over purchasing
at a vendor with return policies/safety guards etc.

@tyty333 Thank you so much. I read and researched the threads you gave me and it was great information exactly what I needed. Thank you again for your help!!
 

Lschneids01

Rough_Rock
Joined
May 9, 2020
Messages
81
Can you post the report for your current stone? I think Bryan from WF posted info the other day about taking in trade-ins. Let me see if
I can find the thread.

Post #5
Can you post the report for your current stone? I think Bryan from WF posted info the other day about taking in trade-ins. Let me see if
I can find the thread.

Post #5

@tyty333
Here is my grading report for my current diamond . It’s a Round Forevermark 1.00 ct weight, Color F, Cut-Very good, Polish and Symmetry- Excellent, Clarity- SI2, Fluorescence- None,
Measurements- 6.20-6.25 x 4.01mm

Table- 55.1%
Depth-64.4%
Crown Angle-38.1%
Pavilion Angle-40.0%
 
Last edited:

daisygrl

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Dec 30, 2019
Messages
1,002
Hello. I got engaged in July of 2019. COVID hit so still no wedding yet. I’m 45, first wedding. We fell in love after two days and started searching for rings and didn’t do the best research. We wanted to pick it out together. I wanted to go with an online store like James Allen. But my fiancé wasn’t comfortable not seeing it in person first. So we went to a very reputable jewelry store close by that explained everything to us that we walked in not knowing. The only thing I didn’t know is there are lab grown diamonds vs earth. They sold me a beautiful Forevermark Color F flawless round diamond 1.01 carats. I chose an A Jaffe trellis solitaire 18k white gold setting that is 3.8mm at the top that tapers to 3.5mm at the bottom. I loved the thicker band on my long size 6.25 finger (at the time of purchase.) So now the dilemma is my fiancé and I think the 1.01 carat looks a little underwhelming on my large hands. Beautiful diamond that shines like the moon. But small. They have the upgrade policy where they take your current diamond and put the money it’s worth now to a new upgraded diamond for life policy. Problem is they only sell Forevermark , earth grade diamonds and don’t even sell lab grown. Because now I want to sacrifice the earth grown diamond and F color mine is for a bigger 1.5-2 carat lab grown diamond. I wish I knew the difference at the time we were buying cause I totally would have been fine with lab vs earth and gone bigger in carats. So what do I do? I can’t afford to upgrade to a larger Forevermark or mined diamond. What would be some options I could do or have to get my larger diamond? And I can’t even wear my ring anymore cause of the COVID weight and my fingers have got to be a size 7 by now so I think now is the time to do something if anything since I can’t even where my ring. Help please! Suggestion???

I am afraid that it might be hard to trade-in "a very good cut" stone that you currently have as most vendors prefer "excellent" cut but it does not hurt to ask. Have you thought of changing a setting and using a halo or a double halo around your stone to make it appear bigger for a bigger finger coverage?
 
Last edited:

Lschneids01

Rough_Rock
Joined
May 9, 2020
Messages
81
I am afraid that it might be hard to trade-in "a very good cut" stone that you currently have as most vendors prefer "excellent" cut but it does not hurt to ask. Have you thought of changing a setting and using a halo or a double halo around your stone to make it appear bigger for a bigger finger coverage?
@daisygirl hi yes I was actually looking at halo setting online earlier today. I have a round diamond but don’t like a round halo shape around a round diamond. I like more of a square shape or a halo that’s edges are slanted to make it look more square. I’m in love with an octagon shape halo that I can put a round diamond in. Thank you for reassurance that this could be a good option for me as well.
 

daisygrl

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Dec 30, 2019
Messages
1,002
@daisygirl hi yes I was actually looking at halo setting online earlier today. I have a round diamond but don’t like a round halo shape around a round diamond. I like more of a square shape or a halo that’s edges are slanted to make it look more square. I’m in love with an octagon shape halo that I can put a round diamond in. Thank you for reassurance that this could be a good option for me as well.

I really like these two... but unsure whether a setting would not be more expensive than the stone itself (due to all the melee). But it would definitely solve the size problem. Screen Shot 2021-07-29 at 7.58.38 PM.png Screen Shot 2021-07-29 at 7.59.10 PM.png
 

Lschneids01

Rough_Rock
Joined
May 9, 2020
Messages
81
I really like these two... but unsure whether a setting would not be more expensive than the stone itself (due to all the melee). But it would definitely solve the size problem. Screen Shot 2021-07-29 at 7.58.38 PM.png Screen Shot 2021-07-29 at 7.59.10 PM.png

@daisygrl oh yes they are gorgeous! Especially the second one with the octagon shape. Where did you find them?? I might have to go with a single halo instead of a double to help with cost. I saw a handful of halo settings I liked on James Allen. My setting I own currently was an A Jaffe that cost $1,180 so if I could sell it I can brake even with the new halo one.
 

Lschneids01

Rough_Rock
Joined
May 9, 2020
Messages
81


@tyty333
Here is my grading report for my current diamond . It’s a Round Forevermark 1.00 ct weight, Color F, Cut-Very good, Polish and Symmetry- Excellent, Clarity- SI2, Fluorescence- None,
Measurements- 6.20-6.25 x 4.01mm

Table- 55.1%
Depth-64.4%
Crown Angle-38.1%
Pavilion Angle-40.0%

And yes I know already after looking into it further, with these numbers my diamond shines beautifuly but it looks smaller than it should for its carat weight-1.0. And that was my fiancé and I’s concern that the diamond size looked underwhelming. But I had no idea until I found this website about calculating the specs and measurements to see if the diamond is shallow, etc. Now I know you live and you learn.
 

tyty333

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Dec 17, 2008
Messages
27,170
@daisygrl oh yes they are gorgeous! Especially the second one with the octagon shape. Where did you find them?? I might have to go with a single halo instead of a double to help with cost. I saw a handful of halo settings I liked on James Allen. My setting I own currently was an A Jaffe that cost $1,180 so if I could sell it I can brake even with the new halo one.

Unfortunately, settings dont hold their value (like most things dont). At least yours is a branded setting. You can shoot for
70% of what you paid and hope to get 50%+. If you can get 50%, I would consider that a good deal for you. Sorry, I know that
sounds low. Just trying to help manage expectations.

A lot of us on Pricescope got married with not-quite-our-dream-ring. Many of us upgraded on our 5, 10, or 25+ anniversaries.
Its something to look forward to if things don't work out at the moment...plus it gives time for research, more dreaming, and
most importantly, saving more money in order to get what we really want. Let me know if we can help

Edit...here is the loupetroop link for settings
 

Lschneids01

Rough_Rock
Joined
May 9, 2020
Messages
81
Unfortunately, settings dont hold their value (like most things dont). At least yours is a branded setting. You can shoot for
70% of what you paid and hope to get 50%+. If you can get 50%, I would consider that a good deal for you. Sorry, I know that
sounds low. Just trying to help manage expectations.

A lot of us on Pricescope got married with not-quite-our-dream-ring. Many of us upgraded on our 5, 10, or 25+ anniversaries.
Its something to look forward to if things don't work out at the moment...plus it gives time for research, more dreaming, and
most importantly, saving more money in order to get what we really want. Let me know if we can help

Edit...here is the loupetroop link for settings

@tyty333 thank you so much. This was very very helpful. I will do my research and thank you for the Link to loupetroop. It was so helpful. And I definitely will be checking out the settings or trying to sell mine if I go that route. Much appreciated!!
 
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