Hopefully my last post/question. Rate these diamonds?

[kanne]

Hi there

I just wanted to say that I have read your entire thread and I find it absolutely charming that you would go through so much trouble to get the "perfect" ring for your future fiance. There is one post about a motorboat going in circles on a lake that is hillarious (but not true..you have found a direction). You are doing GREAT!! And for what it''s worth, I''m glad you stayed away from the two tone or the yellow gold. You have gotten some really great advice.

My vote is also for the Pear with the Trillions.

Good luck!!!!!!

 

[solange]

There is one precaution I will mention about pear shapes. My original enagement ring was a 2 1/2 carat pear shape. It was more years ago than I care to remember. I now have grown children. There was little information around about diamonds except what your jeweler told you, and, of course he would never sell you anything but "the best." He said it looked much bigger than it was and in my ignorance I thought that was a great feature.

"The Best" in my case was probably not a great cut--to say the least--and was probably very thin at the point. To make a long story short, the point broke off. Fortunately this gave me the opportunity to upgrade to a better 3 carat pear which I still have. But it is not my original engagement ring and does not have the same sentimental attachment.

I still have the original husband though, and for our last Aniversary I received a card with a note,"Now go and buy yourself the most beautiful round engagement ring I always wanted you to have." I did. He never liked pear shapes and it was at my insistance that I got one as an engagement ring. I still think they are beautiful and elegant and different and I still wear mine and get many compliments.You have put so much of your heart into this and I think you will wind up with something gorgeous.

The one thing I would suggest, which seems to be true in most of the settings you selected, is to have the point of the stone well protected by the setting.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your sweet and lucky fiance. I am sure you and she and the kids will have a thrilling Holiday Season. Best of luck.

 

[Christmas Eve Proposer]

Date: 11/23/2004 4:54:28 PM
Author: kanne
Hi there

I just wanted to say that I have read your entire thread and I find it absolutely charming that you would go through so much trouble to get the 'perfect' ring for your future fiance. There is one post about a motorboat going in circles on a lake that is hillarious (but not true..you have found a direction). You are doing GREAT!! And for what it's worth, I'm glad you stayed away from the two tone or the yellow gold. You have gotten some really great advice.


My vote is also for the Pear with the Trillions.


Good luck!!!!!!

This thread may be long, but you have no idea...

My first post here: This place versus the Shane Company

My second post: What about Rings, Necklaces and Earrings?

And a couple more that I won't bore you with. It's been quite the journey!!

 

[Christmas Eve Proposer]

Date: 11/23/2004 5:39:31 PM
Author: solange
There is one precaution I will mention about pear shapes. My original enagement ring was a 2 1/2 carat pear shape. It was more years ago than I care to remember. I now have grown children. There was little information around about diamonds except what your jeweler told you, and, of course he would never sell you anything but ''the best.'' He said it looked much bigger than it was and in my ignorance I thought that was a great feature.


''The Best'' in my case was probably not a great cut--to say the least--and was probably very thin at the point. To make a long story short, the point broke off. Fortunately this gave me the opportunity to upgrade to a better 3 carat pear which I still have. But it is not my original engagement ring and does not have the same sentimental attachment.


I still have the original husband though, and for our last Aniversary I received a card with a note,''Now go and buy yourself the most beautiful round engagement ring I always wanted you to have.'' I did. He never liked pear shapes and it was at my insistance that I got one as an engagement ring. I still think they are beautiful and elegant and different and I still wear mine and get many compliments.You have put so much of your heart into this and I think you will wind up with something gorgeous.


The one thing I would suggest, which seems to be true in most of the settings you selected, is to have the point of the stone well protected by the setting.


Happy Thanksgiving to you and your sweet and lucky fiance. I am sure you and she and the kids will have a thrilling Holiday Season. Best of luck.

Thank you so much!!

And I''ll be sure to tell my jeweler that we want the point of the pear well-protected! (One of the rings Reena posted on the previous page has an example of a well protected pear point...I''ll use that as a reference).

 

[Christmas Eve Proposer]

Hello everyone...

Just a quick update...

Went and saw the stones...I passed on the 2 carat for sure because it''s got mineral deposits in it, although those can only be seen with a loop (It also had a couple of inclusions).

The 1.7 is not bad...Again, it doesn''t have any inclusions that I can see without a loop.


Here is my problem...And try to be honest...

I ***think*** I can get a better deal here, online, but don''t like the hassle. PLUS, I want to support this jeweler who''s been so kind to me. I simply like the idea of buying local, for obvious reasons.

But...(And here is my basic question)...

I had hoped that when I saw one of those two stones, I would make my decision on the spot and be done with all this. But, I didn''t, and that upset me. And I don''t know if it''s because I''m being too anal or not (And I am a VERY anal person!!!). Like I told my jeweler, I can''t see the inclusions on the 1.7 with my naked eye, but I''ll ***know*** they are there (On is a scratch looking thing that goes diagnal across the stone) and not having much experience looking at stones, I don''t know what''s "Acceptable" with this kind of stone and what''s not??

In other words...I''m worried about Buyer''s Remorce concerning this stone. But, don''t know if I should be.

My instinct is this...

Go online, up my budget on the stone to about 8500-9000, spend about 1000.00 on the setting and then give my jeweler 500 bucks for his trouble and then ask him to set my eventual choice and be "My Jeweler".

Can anyone tell me...Do you think the 500 bucks, plus whatever it costs to set the stone, sounds like something that would be a fair deal for my jeweler??

And...

Do we think that if I spend that much on the stone online, that I can count on being "Blown Away" by it when I see it? (Again...I''m running out of time here, and can''t easily inspect a lot of stones by sending them back and forth...Which has always been my major concern with buying online).

Thanks for any help...Again. And I''m sorry for the trouble.

 

[Christmas Eve Proposer]

Oh...Here are the stats on the 1.7 that is "OK" in my very limited opinion...



EGL...

1.71 carat

$7700.00

Pear Brilliant

10.45 x 6.74 x 4.43

G

SI2

Depth: 65.8
Table: 52.00
Crown: 18.00
Pavilion: 43.80
Girdle: Thin to Medium Faceted
Culet: None

Polish: Good
Symmetry: Good

Florecence: None

 

[valeria101]

Date: 11/28/2004 88:26 AM
Author: Christmas Eve Proposer

Do we think that if I spend that much on the stone online, that I can count on being ''Blown Away'' by it when I see it ?

No...

Numbers on a computer screen do not look like diamonds, and there is always a chance that your expectations about the real thing grow too much with all the theory.

For example... you said you would be ok. with an "eye clean" Si2 in the beggining of this thread. Now, that does not seem to be the case anymore. Is it so ?

What are "mineral deposits" ? Whatever they are, would they show badly once the diamond is set? How about the inclusions in the 1.7cts piece?

 

[Christmas Eve Proposer]

Hi Ana,

Yeah, I know I said that I would be fine with an "Eye Clean" stone. Thus by concern that I'm being too anal!! I am thinking that I just need to stop that crap and MOVE!!

The inclusions on the 1.7 are not that bad...I literally can't see them with my naked eye (I couldn't even see the mineral deposits, as I call them...Maybe they're called "Black specs"?? on the 2.0, but they're so easily seen with the loop that I worry that stone is just too cheesey!!!)

As a matter of fact, I've already told him no way on the 2.0...He's sending it back. I decided on the spot that I couldn't live with it in good conscience.

I can't see the inclusions on the 1.7, but my eyes really suck!! Plus, my lack of experience in being ABLE to see them worries me. My jeweler pointed-out a white one that he could see with his naked eye...And I looked, and looked, and looked and couldn't pick it up. I think I finially saw it with the loop.


And here is something else that's got me thinking...

He's got an F (Round). It is the reason I decided I couldn't go any lower than an F. It, sitting beside any other color, from G-J, just BLOWS THEM AWAY!

But...

I found out it's got "Florecence". And maybe that's why I liked it so much? I guess the florecence makes them look "Whiter"?? So now I've that that worrying me because the 2.0 that's rated an F doesn't look as white. And really...This 1.7 that's rated G looks about the same as the 2.0 F.


See if this makes any sense (And the reason I think I'm being too anal about all this)...

I think the only way I would be happy is if I could sit down and look at about 100 stones...1.6 - 2.0 carat, F-G, SI1-SI2, $8000-$9000...All at internet prices.

I suspect that's asking too much.

 

[valeria101]

Yeah... what you say about fluorescence makes sense. And I understand better what you mean about the 2 carat now that you mention the inclusions were tinted.

You are right to demans more choice (perhaps not 100 stones, but a dozen or so should make sense, right ?). I really don''t think the jeweler will be too happy to provide. It is not unusual to call in 5-6 stones to choose from, but such service does not come by default. If your jeweler would provide at a cost is yet another question.

No idea where the 100 strong sample could be lined up though, unless you decide to take a diamond grading course or get to work with diamonds somehow.

 

[reena]

CEP, i would pass on the 1.7 if your jeweler said it has an eye-visible inclusion running right across the face of the stone. if you''re worrying about inclusions now my strong suggestion is to either up your budget or go down in size and stick with a truly eyeclean SI1 or a VS2.

also i if you purchase the stone and setting online i would not have your jeweler set the stone. that''s silly. have the online vendor do it. i understand your desire to give the jeweler business, but i don''t think setting the stone you bought online in the setting you bought online is really going to appease him for losing a $10,000 sale. plus it''s just plain silly to do it that way, IMO. (not to mention that the way you''re going you''re probably going to be QUITE tight on time.)

 

[Christmas Eve Proposer]

It's not across the face of the stone, it's off-set to the right...About 1 O'Clock. It's a white inclusion...Or a cloud. And I couldn't see it after 15 minutes of looking for it. And, I couldn't even see it with a loop!! (When I could see others).

 

[reena]

but your jeweler said it was eye-visible?

 

[Christmas Eve Proposer]

Yes...But like I said...I just can''t see it. It''s more visible with light behind it...I think I caught a glance of it then, but not under normal circumstances.

I''ve been able to pick-up other inclusions with my eye, but I just couldn''t see this one...Even with glasses. You guys probably could, but I''m going on the assumption that novices, like the vast majority of people, can''t.

 

[solange]

Your jeweler may be a lovely man but he obviously does not have access to the stones you want and you are wasting his time as well as yours.

Your best bet would be to call one of the vendors at Pricescope, Lesley at Whiteflash, Mark at engagement rings direct, Jonathan at GOG, etc.,explain what you want and have them suggest the best stone in your range and go into detail about the stone over the phone with them instead of going back and forth from your jeweler.They do not want to send out stones that will likely come back so I think they try their best to select the best stone for your requirements.

I bought a large stone from Lesley at Whiteflash. I bought the first stone she recommended and then spoke to Brian the cutter about the details of the stone. I also got a sarin and other information.

I had them send it to an appraiser where I could see it. As to inclusions, if the stone is eye clean and you do not want to pay for a much smaller stone in the VS1 category, you have to make a compromise somewhere. One of my rings has an I1 imperfection. It is a small straight white line on the side of the stone and although I know it is there, no one else who looks at the ring would ever notice it. It belonged to my mother.

If you want F or G color, VS1 and good cut you will have to compromise on size or price.

I think you are giving yourself a lot of grief because, within certain parameters, one stone will be as lovely as another. I think your best bet would be to speak with one of the highly regarded Pricescope vendors, let them guide you as to what compromises you have to make to get the best looking stone for your money and just give your jeweler a gift for his time if you feel obligated. Seeing 100 stones will only cause more confusion than you are already having and there are a limited amount of stones anyone will bring in. Each time they bring in a stone for you it costs shipping back and forth. Also Christmas is coming and most vendors are very busy. You've looked enough to have an idea of what you want and what is important to you.
Best of luck.

 

[goldengirl]

Date: 11/28/2004 12

5:11 PM
Author: solange
Your jeweler may be a lovely man but he obviously does not have access to the stones you want and you are wasting his time as well as yours.

Your best bet would be to call one of the vendors at Pricescope, Lesley at Whiteflash, Mark at engagement rings direct, Jonathan at GOG, etc.,explain what you want and have them suggest the best stone in your range and go into detail about the stone ove rthe phone with them as to details instead of going back and forth from your jeweler.They do not want to send out stones that will likely come back so i think they try their best to select the best stone for your requirements.

I bought a large stone from Lesley at Whiteflash. I bought the first stone she recommended and then spoke to Brian the cutter about the details of he stone. i also got a sarin and other information.


I had them send it to an appraiser where I could see it. As to inclusions if the stone is eye clean and you do not want to pay for a much smaller stone in the VS1 category, you have to make a compromise somewhere. One of my rings has an I1 imperfection. It is a small straight white line on the side of the stone and although I know it is there, no one else who looks at the ring would ever notice it.

If you want G color, VS1 and good cut you will have to compromise on size.


I think you are giving yourself a lot of grief because, within certain parameters, one stone will be as lovely as another. I think your best bet would be to speak with one of the highly regarded Pricescope vendors, let them guide you as to what compromises you have to make to get the best looking stone for your money and just give your jeweler a gift for his time if you feel obligated. Seeing 100 stones will only cause more confusion than you are already having and there are a limited amount of stones anyone will bring in. Each time they bring in a stone for you it costs shipping backand forth. Also Christmas is coming and most vendors are very busy. You''ve looked enough to havean idea of what ou want and what is important to you.

Best of luck.

This is excellent advice.

 

[Christmas Eve Proposer]

I''m working with Jonathon at Good Old Gold...He and his people have been nice to me. I just emailed his guy, Tim again.

Here''s where I''m heading now (I feel like I''m giving up, and that bothers me, but I am running out of time. I''m worried about buying online, but I trust all you guys and that makes me feel better)...


10,000 total on stone and ring.

Carat: 1.6 to 1.8

Color: F or G if I need too

Clarity: SI1 or SI2 if I need too

Platinum setting...Probably a standard Tiffany style. Although, I would like to add something. Please tell me...What do you guys really think abou this one (It''s got the "Something different" I''m looking for)...



Link

Again...PLEASE give me your honest opinions? If it''s hidious or whatever, please let me know??


Cost Gold: $272.80 (Which seems SO "Cheap" for a ring...Please convince me this kind of low price is NOT denote a "Cheap" product???)

Platinum: $863.70


Also...If I go with this, what kind of wedding ring will be needed? ie: Does it "Need" to match??

 

[Christmas Eve Proposer]

Oh...And one basic question...

If I go with Good Old Gold (Or one of the other vendors here), do I get the same kind of deal as using the search feature here?

In other words, is it the best of both worlds? Or, do I pay an upcharge by having them look for me, instead of just finding my own stone through the search engine??

 

[Christmas Eve Proposer]

And yet another favor...

Please tell me what you think of this stone...It's from Abazias...The same people that have the setting I like.

Link

$9289.00 on PriceScope Search (And can you tell me...Is that the price I'll pay with a credit card? The reason I ask is that when you go to their site from the Price Scope link, where the price is $9289.00, the "Price" is $9504 but the "Cash Price" is $9290.00...The same as the "PriceScope" price)

Stock number: 7250464

Shape: Pear

Carat weight: 1.62

Color: F

Clarity: SI1

Depth %: 60.2

Table %: 58

Symetry: Very Good

Polish: Very Good

Girdle: M F

Culet: NO

Fluorescence: NON

Measurements: 10.39-6.74-4.06


Union Diamonds, Dirt Cheap Diamonds and White Flash have the same stone.

And...One last kind of stupid question...

Is it a must for me to bring this in and then take it to an appraiser? Or, can I risk it, and just order it online??

 

[orbaya]

I know nothing about pears except their shape lol! Can''t help you in saying if that is a good stone or not.

However, of course you can risk it and just purchase the stone. It is recemended to have an independant appraiser look at the diamond to make sure you are actually getting what you paid for. You can purchase the stone and check it over yourself and if you are happy...great! Check out the store''s return policy so that if you aren''t satisfied, you can return it for a full refund. Also, if you think you may want to upgrade later on, check out the policy on that as well.

As others have said, don''t worry too much about the jeweler you have been working with. It is wonderful that you want to be loyal to him due to him being a local business and he''s provided great service. However, if he can''t offer what you are looking for around your budget, then you have a right to go elsewhere. I can''t imagine you would want compromise the quality of the diamond or not get what your heart is set on just because he is a good jeweler. You certainly don''t want to get a diamond that you won''t be happy with down the road. As a retailer, he has done all he could for you but as they say, "you win some, you lose some"....unfortunately that is the nature of the beast in the sales world. However, it sounds as though you have found a wonderful jeweler to make future purchases from in the future which is great! I don''t recemend buying a setting and stone online and have him set it. IMO, I think that might be awkward for him so have the place you purchase from set it. I just don''t think it would be a good idea to bring everything in to him to set...I don''t think he would view it as a "thank you" for all he did for you.

Well, good luck with everything!

 

[Hest88]

Hi CEP. Hope you had a lovely Thanksgiving!

#1 - No one can tell if the stone will wow you or not. Have you ever seen a stone that wows you? One of my problems is that I don''t know how good your eye is, so it''s quite possible that you''ll never see a pear that wows you even if you''re shown the finest specimen. If so, then it''s best that you place your trust in a professional and assume that if they say it''s a great stone your GF and her friends will think so as well. I''m a complete dolt when it comes to pottery and china. You can put a fine 18th century Wedgewood next to something an 8th grader made in pottery class and both will affect me similarly. So, if after looking at all these rocks and you really haven''t been able to tell a profound difference, it''s just possible that you never will.

#2 - The Abazias stones looks fine, but we don''t have near the stats we need to judge. If I were you, I''d call Abazias, or Whiteflash, or GOG, and give them the GIA cert number. Then, they can first tell you if they think it may be a good one and what their price would be. Then, if they like it and you agree to the price, they may charge you shipping to bring the stone in (WF charges $35 I think) to eyeball it and do further tests. THEN, if they say it''s great, and after you (and we!) see the results of the test and agree, then you can get it set and you''d be done.

 

[solange]

My experience with Whiteflash was excellent and I am sure the other recommended dealers mentioned will do the same. They all enjoy good reputations and are not looking for dissatisfied customers.

Lesley spoke to the dealer who assured her it was eye clean and a gorgeous stone with Ideal proportions. She said that if it came in and they did not feel it was up to their expectations, they would not charge me for calling it in. However, the dealer had the stone in hand and fully described it to her. If I did not want it after they had called it in and they thought it was acceptable, they would charge me $50.

Brian called me when the stone came in and said it was a winner. I said I was willing to pay more if he thought I should buy a better stone because the stone was well below my price limit and i was concerned about the SI2. But he said there was no need to spend more since this stone was beautiful and it is hard to get an Ideal cut,perfectly eye clean SI in this size. The price was great.

Whiteflash arranged to have the stone sent to an appraiser where I saw it and it appraised extremely well. Then Whiteflash arranged to have the stone sent back to them for setting. Since the stone is 4.10 I chose the custom tiffany setting they have for about $1000 (priced according to the size of the stone).

It was the easiest transaction I ever made.The only work I did was to make a trip to the appraiser not far from my home to see the stone. Brian sent me a picture of the stone in the setting. I felt it was set too high but, since the setting was made for my stone size, he had no trouble lowering it and sent me another picture in a few hours. They then sent it to their appraiser to make certain that the stone was undamaged by the setting and was the same stone. I received a written appraisal with the stone stating the value.

I did not pay Whiteflash anything until I approved the final photo. My husband wired them the money and I received the ring the next morning. I am sure the other recommended Pricescope vendors will do the same for you and they also have settings. Brian of Whiteflash has designed settings for several very satisfied customers here. They have a custom jeweler,Mr. Le, who makes the rings.

You really have to focus on what you want and then speak to one of the vendors who will do all the rest for you. it ismuch easier than running back and forth from your jeweler. Most vendors give a Pricescope discount if you ask.

 

[Christmas Eve Proposer]

Date: 11/28/2004 3:45:32 PM
Author: Hest88
Hi CEP. Hope you had a lovely Thanksgiving!


#1 - No one can tell if the stone will wow you or not. Have you ever seen a stone that wows you? One of my problems is that I don''t know how good your eye is, so it''s quite possible that you''ll never see a pear that wows you even if you''re shown the finest specimen. If so, then it''s best that you place your trust in a professional and assume that if they say it''s a great stone your GF and her friends will think so as well. I''m a complete dolt when it comes to pottery and china. You can put a fine 18th century Wedgewood next to something an 8th grader made in pottery class and both will affect me similarly. So, if after looking at all these rocks and you really haven''t been able to tell a profound difference, it''s just possible that you never will.

This is my basic problem...I don''t have an eye for these things.

I''m thinkin of having the stone called-in tomorrow. I''ll probably go see my jeweler again on Wednesday and see the 1.7 in the setting. When I don''t buy, I assume he''ll get the hint...We''ll see...

 

[Christmas Eve Proposer]

What do you all think of this setting?

Honest opinions only! No hurt feelings. But, I do know that Susanne likes "Different" things, so the gold is a bonus...Maybe we can do this...Let''s assume the gold isn''t there? Maybe just comment on the setting as if it was plain platinum??

 

[Christmas Eve Proposer]

Date: 11/28/2004 2:25:49 PM
Author: Christmas Eve Proposer
I'm working with Jonathon at Good Old Gold...He and his people have been nice to me. I just emailed his guy, Tim again.


Here's where I'm heading now (I feel like I'm giving up, and that bothers me, but I am running out of time. I'm worried about buying online, but I trust all you guys and that makes me feel better)...



10,000 total on stone and ring.


Carat: 1.6 to 1.8


Color: F or G if I need too


Clarity: SI1 or SI2 if I need too


Platinum setting...Probably a standard Tiffany style. Although, I would like to add something. Please tell me...What do you guys really think abou this one (It's got the 'Something different' I'm looking for)...




Link

Again...PLEASE give me your honest opinions? If it's hidious or whatever, please let me know??



Cost Gold: $272.80 (Which seems SO 'Cheap' for a ring...Please convince me this kind of low price is NOT denote a 'Cheap' product???)


Platinum: $863.70



Also...If I go with this, what kind of wedding ring will be needed? ie: Does it 'Need' to match??

Well...Isn't this interesting...

Just for fun, I punched this item number into Google and found this same setting for 162.50 (Gold)...

Link

And in platimun for 659.10...

Link


And oddly enough, here is the same setting, from Abazias for 192.00...

Link

 

[reena]

no offense CEP, but i personally don''t like that setting, whether two-tone or not. i think it looks kind of cheap. sorry. but you asked for honesty!

 

[fortheloveofdiamonds]

I don''t like the setting. But that is just me, you gf might like it...but I don''t like the two-toned look. I''d rather have a smaller stone and a beautiful band than an ugly band and a large stone.

 

[Christmas Eve Proposer]

Date: 11/28/2004 6

3:47 PM
Author: reena
no offense CEP, but i personally don''t like that setting, whether two-tone or not. i think it looks kind of cheap. sorry. but you asked for honesty!

That''s what I wanted to hear!! It''s OUT!!!


Now for yet ANOTHER favor...Steer me to a platinum, simple, yet with something "Different" setting?

And, if this helps, the only thing I don''t really like is one that looks old or antiquy.

 

[Christmas Eve Proposer]

Date: 11/23/2004 12:33

5 PM
Author: reena

Reena,

Can you tell me where you got these images? Is it somewhere I can go and put a pear stone into many setting so I can get an idea of what they look like?

 

[Christmas Eve Proposer]

Everyone....

I just got real happy!! I found that Trillion setting with the price. And it''s only 1600!!! Definately within budget! And it features the "Something Different" I''m looking for...Those side stones!!

Here it is with a 1.7...

Here is the diamond...

Link

Stock number: LD00219380

Carat weight: 1.70

Cut: Very Good

Color: F

Clarity: SI2

Depth %: 60.9%
Table %: 64%

Symmetry: Good

Polish: Good

Girdle: Slightly thick to very thick, faceted

Culet: None

Fluorescence: None

Measurements: 9.93x6.76x4.12 mm

Length/width ratio: 1.47



Total cost on the stone is $8,741.00 on their standard site...I''m assumming I can get that down a bit if I search through PriceScope...Hopefully right at, or below 10 grand!!


Opinions??

 

[Hest88]

That''s not a bad one at all! Good job!