How come nobody talks about Solasferas

[sn618]

Other than PS and GOG, I rarely see anybody else discuss Solasferas diamonds. I am leaning towards purchasing a 2ct Solasferas, but the only reviews I see are from GOG's youtube. I would love to read some additional material from other jewelers if they are there. Also, how come only GOG sells Solasferas?

 

[Gypsy]

There are other retailers that do. You can go on their website and look for the list of retailers that carry their line.

I'm not a huge fan of extra facet rounds. Especially if they are under 1.5 carats. I just don't appreciate the faceting when they are smaller than that, they look too busy for my taste. Plus they have a nice upcharge for the brand, and frankly most people want to maximize size or color, and to do that they are going to stick to 'generic' stones instead of branded cuts.

 

[Gypsy]

At 2 carats from GOG and around 24k this would BY FAR be my choice: http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/9865/ not the Solasfera.

Have them make a video for you comparing the above stone to the Solasfera they have at I color and SI2 clarity.

Or if your budget is around 32 K then the H SI1 clarity Solasfera to http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/9648/ . Then compare for yourself.

 

[Jumpin_Jacks]

Seems like OMC/OEC and the vintage style cuts are more favored or fashionable on PriceScope with more people looking for those chunky facet look for a new purchase or replacing their MRB. Solasferas seem on the opposite end of the spectrum with the very splintery and flashy facets. I really like Good Old Gold's video comparing OMC, MRB, and Solasfera. Different strokes for different folks, just seems like the chunkier facets are trending more on this board.

 

[Gypsy]

Well. You COULD call it a trend.

And it is to an extent. But it isn't because of a trend that I am recommending it to you.

I can see why you'd think so. But let me put it into perspective for you.

I've been on this board since 2005. That's 8 years.
I'm not alone. The majority of the 'helpers' on this board have a lot of years on here.

So what does that mean? That means that some of us have owned or do own a number of diamonds. Which means we've shopped for diamonds a few times. We are also diamond fans. We've spent countless hours in stores. Online. Staring at diamonds. We have get togethers where we all bring in our hoards (and we have hoards) and compare and contrast them.

We have studied diamonds to the point of obsession.

To give you an analogy. Say you go on a car forum. And you see what you see is a trend for certain type of car on there. Let's say... you see that many of the posters with experience with a number of different cars, transmissions, performance types of cars are recommending the same thing. Now... is that a trend? Or is that experience? And should you listen to it? Well, yes. When someone with experience says: check this out before you buy. Then you probably should investigate what they say, sine you are making a large purchase and they may have knowledge or experience that helps you make a decision.


Faceting is a matter of personal preference. So your opinion matters, of course. But most people who have seen the performance of variety of stones IN PERSON prefer the way larger facets deliver light. So that might be worth investigating further before you spend over $20k of your money.

And that's all I am saying Have GOG make you a video where there are only two stones compared head to head. AVR and Solasfera. Doesn't cost you anything, they'll do it for free.

The point of diamonds is light return. Faceting is the way that light return is expressed.

Many of us who have seen extra facet diamonds can tell you that the splintery performance is very busy and doesn't appeal to the majority. Your own post is about the scarcity of information on these cuts. If they had broad appeal, then you would see more people buying them and posting about it.

You are buying this for someone else. I'm just saying that you might want to explore your options at GOG further before you decide. And that you can do that free of charge with a video. And, if you are sneaky, you might find a way to have your lady view the video and tell you which SHE prefers. Since she will be the one wearing it.

And that's all I am saying. Not because of a trend, but because of experience.

 

[delight]

Solasfera has pretty strict dealerships with selected vendors. Good Old Gold happens to be one of them and a pretty rare vendor that offers that kind of services in terms of videos and visualization. I doubt you would find useful material about the Solasfera from any other vendor apart from Good Old Gold. So, dig through their videos. I am sure you can come to your own conclusion about the stones.

 

[TC1987]

I like H&A with big fat arrows. On those GOG preference exercises, I pick big checkerboards, so I presume I also prefer high contrast black/white patterning. The Solasfera doesn't have that. It's kind of the opposite of the blocky look.

I have an OEC diamond already. I've had it since 1993, lol, before the Internet. I like those new high-performance antique cuts,but not enough to trade my "perfect" H&A in.

 

[dk168]

Never heard of it, probably because I am into ECs and step cuts, and don't pay much attention to RBs, however, I do now after reading up on GOG's tutorial, another thing learnt about diamonds today.

DK

 

[Rhea]

I've always loved old cuts. I own one round brilliant and it was sold as a transitional cut. There was no return policy and it was my engagement ring so I'm SOL. I have no interest in the splintery look that any modern diamond gives off so Solasferas aren't for me. They do photograph nicely though! I'm sure if you posted your requirements here many would be happy to look for you.

 

[pyramid]

Way back when Solasferas came out, they were chosen by few who liked that look, there was also a centillion cut with 100
facets and I remember experts saying you did not get more sparkle only a more busier look and most of them did not prefer
them and said to look at the 57 facet brilliant cut as the standard and best. The old cuts were also discussed
back then with the many experts who used to be on the boards saying then, that you would not get a good look in
todays electric lighting and they were best for dim lit areas like restaurant, also then all the technology was rife and we
were told they were lumpy cuts or poor symmetry and most of all only the low colors were left as the wealthy who owned
the better colors had mostly had them recut for the better light return and fashion at the time. I remember experts who
were jewellers saying they couldn't sell the old cut stones they had as no one wanted them and the antique 'thing' wasn't in and people did not want to buy a second hand diamond. I know now that all diamonds could be second hand. However GOG did come out with the Isee2 brand at that time which came with a certificate stating how big the rough crystal was before it was cut, and was a guarantee that the diamond was cut from a new crystal and was not a blood diamond as it traced it to the mine. These diamonds had every facet measured and were very technically correct.

Then Hollywood stars started getting old cut diamonds and so the trend began. I have loved diamonds for years since back in early eighties and always saw the traditional brilliant cut alongside emerald, oval, radiant, marquise, then princess then trilliant and trillion. I made the decision
to go with h & a round brilliant as I felt it had best staying power. I have some small old cuts which I like also but wanted my main
stone to be more traditional (in my time). Now with the old cut in the technically correct is a bit out with some saying they want personality and an old cut with some wonk. So now Jewellers can sell the stones they couldn't sell back then.

Each person has to buy what they want for themself not go with what people with more experience have I feel, this is not a car with a better transmission. Trends will go in and out, just like clothes fashions and you need to decided what you want to keep, but there again on this forum many trade in their engagement stones and buy a new stone which they feel they can still call their engagement ring whereas for most people this would not be the norm. It is up to the individual. I would never sell my diamond but many do.

If you can change your diamond multiple times then it doesn't matter apart from financially so go with the trend you like, otherwise make up your own mind. I believe there is a poster here Ame who has had two Solasferas and it is obviously the diamond cut she prefers.

 

[WillyDiamond]

Well. You COULD call it a trend.

And it is to an extent. But it isn't because of a trend that I am recommending it to you.

I can see why you'd think so. But let me put it into perspective for you.

I've been on this board since 2005. That's 8 years.
I'm not alone. The majority of the 'helpers' on this board have a lot of years on here.

So what does that mean? That means that some of us have owned or do own a number of diamonds. Which means we've shopped for diamonds a few times. We are also diamond fans. We've spent countless hours in stores. Online. Staring at diamonds. We have get togethers where we all bring in our hoards (and we have hoards) and compare and contrast them.

We have studied diamonds to the point of obsession.

To give you an analogy. Say you go on a car forum. And you see what you see is a trend for certain type of car on there. Let's say... you see that many of the posters with experience with a number of different cars, transmissions, performance types of cars are recommending the same thing. Now... is that a trend? Or is that experience? And should you listen to it? Well, yes. When someone with experience says: check this out before you buy. Then you probably should investigate what they say, sine you are making a large purchase and they may have knowledge or experience that helps you make a decision.


Faceting is a matter of personal preference. So your opinion matters, of course. But most people who have seen the performance of variety of stones IN PERSON prefer the way larger facets deliver light. So that might be worth investigating further before you spend over $20k of your money.

And that's all I am saying Have GOG make you a video where there are only two stones compared head to head. AVR and Solasfera. Doesn't cost you anything, they'll do it for free.

The point of diamonds is light return. Faceting is the way that light return is expressed.

Many of us who have seen extra facet diamonds can tell you that the splintery performance is very busy and doesn't appeal to the majority. Your own post is about the scarcity of information on these cuts. If they had broad appeal, then you would see more people buying them and posting about it.

You are buying this for someone else. I'm just saying that you might want to explore your options at GOG further before you decide. And that you can do that free of charge with a video. And, if you are sneaky, you might find a way to have your lady view the video and tell you which SHE prefers. Since she will be the one wearing it.

And that's all I am saying. Not because of a trend, but because of experience.

Gypsy, what a great post!!!!!!

 

[pyramid]

The Hearts and Arrows is really a technically correct diamond. In other words any diamond with perfect symetry in the brilliant cut style will have perfect arrows and the hearts part shows the 3 dimensional optical symetry of the stone and needs more attention from the cutter to make sure it is optically symetrical. The hearts only cannot be seen when the stone is set only whilst loose although there as optical differences which can be seen with a trained eye as one of gog's videos show.

I picked H & A as that was a trend that reached out to me. I would advise an excellent symetry cut to someone else though and not a H & A any more than an old cut or Solasfera. I really feel it is up to the individual to make this YOUR choice of diamond regardless of the trends unless you are that type of person who wants what is in fashion at the time.

 

[pyramid]

Well. You COULD call it a trend.

And it is to an extent. But it isn't because of a trend that I am recommending it to you.

I can see why you'd think so. But let me put it into perspective for you.

I've been on this board since 2005. That's 8 years.
I'm not alone. The majority of the 'helpers' on this board have a lot of years on here.

So what does that mean? That means that some of us have owned or do own a number of diamonds. Which means we've shopped for diamonds a few times. We are also diamond fans. We've spent countless hours in stores. Online. Staring at diamonds. We have get togethers where we all bring in our hoards (and we have hoards) and compare and contrast them.

We have studied diamonds to the point of obsession.

To give you an analogy. Say you go on a car forum. And you see what you see is a trend for certain type of car on there. Let's say... you see that many of the posters with experience with a number of different cars, transmissions, performance types of cars are recommending the same thing. Now... is that a trend? Or is that experience? And should you listen to it? Well, yes. When someone with experience says: check this out before you buy. Then you probably should investigate what they say, sine you are making a large purchase and they may have knowledge or experience that helps you make a decision.


Faceting is a matter of personal preference. So your opinion matters, of course. But most people who have seen the performance of variety of stones IN PERSON prefer the way larger facets deliver light. So that might be worth investigating further before you spend over $20k of your money.

And that's all I am saying Have GOG make you a video where there are only two stones compared head to head. AVR and Solasfera. Doesn't cost you anything, they'll do it for free.

The point of diamonds is light return. Faceting is the way that light return is expressed.

Many of us who have seen extra facet diamonds can tell you that the splintery performance is very busy and doesn't appeal to the majority. Your own post is about the scarcity of information on these cuts. If they had broad appeal, then you would see more people buying them and posting about it.

You are buying this for someone else. I'm just saying that you might want to explore your options at GOG further before you decide. And that you can do that free of charge with a video. And, if you are sneaky, you might find a way to have your lady view the video and tell you which SHE prefers. Since she will be the one wearing it.

And that's all I am saying. Not because of a trend, but because of experience.

Gypsy, what a great post!!!!!!

The most important piece of advice is this is a DIAMOND forum with people who live and breath diamonds, this is not real life and these people all back each other up when a differing opinion occurs. The best thing you can do is make your own mind up, read read and read again and think and live a bit in the real world well a lot and then buy. You will get the best prices online and the best diamond with doing your research but remember you may pay more than you bargained because you may up your specs and become a bit obsessed like us all here. I think and I did not do it, but the best you can do is reasearch, buy here and then never come back otherwise you will be drawn in and become like everyone who thinks they ARE right about diamonds. When we really only have a little perspective in the world, not even from every country or every expert. Oh and there are only about one twentieth of the experts that used to be here back in 2002 and the other diamond boards on the internet have either closed down or are not up to much compared to the history or archive on here. I was told by a young person one day that the boards are all history now as people text and make contacts that way now and therefore find out on their phones where to best shop online or off.

 

[Jumpin_Jacks]

Hi Gypsy, and thanks for explaining trend vs experience. I probably should've used "direction" and experience based on options. And totall agree, Solasfera is a specific look that has a pretty small market/fan base. Pricescope definitely runs along the upper Pro-Sumer to Expert perspective and I've learned so much about diamonds and beyond the MRB's 90% of brick and mortars store sell out there. I find myself browsing the AVR page on GOG and contemplating a new purchase with those

 

[pyramid]

Look back at some old threads. Everyone but everyone bought Princess Cut and then the new X cut princess, then everone bought H & A diamonds. Now everyone buys old cut. When Hollywood changes it will all change again. ALL settings now have pave diamond remember when everyone wanted a tiffany plain gold setting and Barry at Excel diamonds had the most Tiffany looking one and then the X prong came in and everyone got Dvache as rumour was Dvache made them for Tiffany, then the Dvache Royal Crown was order of the day, not a diamond in a setting in sight. Buy what pleases you because old cut diamonds will go out of fashion again just like Solasfera is hardly heard of now.


Oh and as one of the diamond experts used to say:-


Nuff said. (that was Iceman, never see him on boards now and most of the experts even from last year have gone now too).
There is much more bickering on these boards now though and most of the more prolific writers with good education and life experiences have gone. Pricescope lost many of the great ones when the change over was, never really understood what that was about, was it computer programmes not working or did some find out something the rest of us don't know about.

 

[dk168]

Don't follow trends in diamonds or otherwise, and have not planned to part with my EC that I bought to celebrate my 40th birthday as it has sentimental values, however, I may re-set it to give it a better setting that it currently deserves.

DK

 

[pyramid]

Old cut stones veer towards fire, more colored light. Light coming in from side of diamond, candlelight, hanging lamps of old days gone by.

Brilliant cut veers towards more white light. Light coming from top of diamond, overhead lights.


I have read that Tiffany prefers white light over colored not sure about others like Graff, Cartier etc. Do remember experts saying though that old cuts were cut before introduction of electric lighting and this was what caused a change in cutting style. It is not a prosumer more upper class diamond preference it is simply an old time diamond versus a more modern one. Even going further back, there was the Table Cut, the Mazzarin, the Rose Cut, then only the Old Mine Cut and only this century came the Old European Cut or in great britain, the Old English Cut Brilliant which was seen as a better cut than the Old European Cut by experts and took much
longer to cut. An Old poster from Wales, called Bagpuss on here had a beautiful 2 carat Old English Brilliant and everyone loved it and said how much better it looked than the OEC. I believe it was an I color also.

 

[pyramid]

http://www.allaboutgemstones.com/diamond_cutting_history.html



[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/old-english-vs-old-european-cuts.84138/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/old-english-vs-old-european-cuts.84138/[/URL]

 

[arkieb1]

A few people on here have Solasferas, Kenny comes to mind, and there is a female member that has owned 2 of them (I think she upgraded to a larger one) and a few others will smaller ones. They look glorious in larger sizes because that is when they become marginally less splintery to look at and you can fully appreciate the extra facets.

I like large ones in the videos, but I like radiants and crushed ice disco ball cushions and that fine fast scintillation pattern as well as golden oldies with bigger chunky flashes of sparkle. Unlike others its not either/or for me, I can appreciate both for something unique.

Modern Round Brilliants in the real world are still the best selling diamonds by far. Pricescope probably gives an over representation of the amount of people actually purchasing Old Cuts and unique cuts compared to the "real world" because the members here on average are much more diamond savvy that the average person and frequently have worked their way through owning a number of diamond.....

 

[pyramid]

Chart in above link.



Don't know if this chart has been posted already (if yes, please excuse the double post!) but I thought it might be helpful.

ETA: Also came across this:

"It has been suggested (Tillander, 1995) that the term Old English Cut be reserved for the beautiful round brilliants cut in England during the late 1700s and mid 1800s. At the time, London was a center for extremely fine diamond cutting.


The term Old European Cut should be used for the less fine, more haphazardly cut round brilliants from the other major cutting centers of the 19th century. Cutting these stones was less labor intensive and preserved more of the original weight of the rough crystal.


The English cutters were not able to compete with the less costly, readily available Old European stones. Faced with public indifference to cut quality, production of Old English Cuts dwindled toward the middle part of the 19th century.


As an aside, later in the century the tradition of the Old English Cuts inspired the work of Henry Morse and later Marcel Tolkowsky which led to the American Ideal Cut and today's modern ideal cuts." (Art Anderson, Bijoux Extraordinaire, Ltd)

 

[kenny]

I've had a Solasfera round and an ACA round for almost 10 years.
Their weights are 0.82 and 0.83, VVS1 and VS1.

They both look equally spectacular.

 

[JulieN]

I think part of what drives PS preferences is for cuts that photograph well. Now its not that Solasferas don't photograph well, but they photograph maybe about the same, or just slightly less well than a regular round. And then since GOG is the only vendor talked about on PS who carries them, you're just more limited in selection and price.

 

[Mayk]

I had a 5 stone Solasfera made.. it's stunning.. but the diamonds are .33 -.35... They are harder to photograph.. I have no idea why and I also DO NOT have made skills.. which could be part of the problem.

 

[Rhino]

You are buying this for someone else. I'm just saying that you might want to explore your options at GOG further before you decide. And that you can do that free of charge with a video. And, if you are sneaky, you might find a way to have your lady view the video and tell you which SHE prefers. Since she will be the one wearing it.

This is good when you can do it. We've had some people ask me to leave out the commentary purposely for that reason and we're happy to accommodate upon request.

Just an FYI ... Good input here from all but always bear in mind there lots of personal opinion. What others think are too busy others will think is just fine and there are many we'll show Solasfera's to that are .50ct and prefer them over H&A.

There are some who've said the same about standard AGS Ideal Cuts and even Hearts & Arrows when comparing to AVR's as well as when comparing Star129's to Solasfera's. At the end of the day it's all about what your fiancé likes most and nobody can determine what it is she'll like most except for her... OR YOU if you are going to make the pick on your own. Quite frankly they're all beautiful except with differing personalities.

Kind regards,
Jonathan

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I had Jonathan make a video one time with ideal cuts, an AVR, and a Solasfera, so you may have seen the one he made for me! I think what I want to say is, you cannot go wrong with any of them, because they are all outstanding stones! So MUCH depends on the taste of the recipent...does she like very traditional jewelry or very contemporary? Does she have any antique style jewelry or like antiques in general? If so, she might like an AVR. I started out with a GOG hearts and arrows round, and then I decided to change my stone. I won't bore you with the long journey, but I did decide on an AVR in the end. I still love all of the other stones mentioned, but the AVR just appealed to me because I love well cut stones and I love OEC's. So it was the right combination for me. And I have very little idea of what celebrities wear, so my decision wasn't based on trends. There was just a short supply of larger AVR's and it took a long time for me to decide to upgrade to a stone that he had in his inventory as I had been looking for a smaller stone originally. If your gf really likes modern designs, then she might really love the Solasfera. I certainly think it would be an outstanding choice and few people would have stones that compare to it. But do consider her tastes first and foremost! Good luck!

 

[sn618]

Thank you for all the great input. The explanations regarding micro trends within the board as well as the views on the macro historic level are very interesting. I guess I just have some contemplating. Every time I see the GOG YouTube videos with the Solasferas, it seems to be incredibly brighter than the diamonds that they compare it with. However, it also made me wonder why a diamond so superior in brilliance, fire, and sparkle as the videos say, why isn't everybody flocking to them. This thread has given me a lot to think about.

It seems that the safe bet may be for an H&A, where the facets aren't super high up there, but it still maintains good light performance. There also seems to be more vendors out there. I definitely would like to work with GOG if possible, as the plethora of information really makes me more comfortable with the process. I am currently comparing diamonds from Solomon Brothers and from GOG. I can definitely get more bang for my buck (approximately one grade level in clarity) by going with SB, but I really like the information that GOG provides. I'm hoping that they can work with me a bit on the price to narrow the gap. In the interim, I'll continue to read and try to understand more about this complex world of diamonds. Your input so far has been rather invaluable. Now to go crazy with the decision for H&A vs Solasfera...

 

[Gypsy]

Is there some reason you can't share videos with your lady and see what she prefers? I really think that's the best way to go.

 

[Dreamer_D]

What attract you to the solasfera?

It sounds like you are attracted to the really fast scintillation. Its most obvious in high spotlight. Most people don't spend a lot of time in that lighting! So think about the lighting you spend most time in, and then judge the diamond mostly based on how it will look then. Also, think about how you want to enjoy your stone. Do you want to look at it up close? Do you want it to catch other people's eyes?

I suspect in normal lighting, the difference between a solasfera and regular MRB may not be as apparent... but that is something to consider as well. Seeing them in person is your best bet.

ETA: As to your original Q -- I talk about what is ASKED about. And not many people ask about this cut!

 

[kenny]

Under light that is soft and even (producing no dispersion fire) a Solasfera is a tiny bit brighter than standard ideal-cut round.
Living with both for almost 10 years I can confirm this.

Reason: The Idealscope image for the Solasfera is solid blood-red for 100% light return, like the 8-Star but without the painting and digging.
All of the best-cut standard rounds have some 'contrast' leakage, if there is no painting or digging.
Solasferas have no leakage, not even leakage with a pretty name.
In the below pics the standard fine Ideal cut on left, Solasfera on right.
Notice all of the triangular white contrast leakages areas on left diamond.

Again IMO they are both equally beautiful and fiery under spotlighting.
With 10 sections instead of 8 the Solasfera has 25% more flashes but each is 25% smaller so that's could be seen as a wash.
But in soft light the Solasfera is definitely brighter and whiter, and that is reasonable to me because Solasferas don't let any light leak out the bottom.

 

[gregchang35]

I've had a Solasfera round and an ACA round for almost 10 years.
Their weights are 0.82 and 0.83, VVS1 and VS1.

They both look equally spectacular.

So, i am assuming that you no longer have them?