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I am so excited!! BG Recut

P

prettypaper01

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Aug 3, 2021
Messages
185
Thank you to those of you who followed the saga regarding my recent “upgrade” (link here: https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/rb-help-please-looks-good.269311/ ). Long story short - my husband and I were sold an uncertified diamond at a B+M over 10 years ago that was wildly misrepresented. We recently sent it in to GIA and came to find that our “Ideal / J / SI1” was actually a VG / O-P / I1. Literally the only accurate information we received upon purchase was the carat weight :(

Needless to say, we were very very disappointed. Frustrated is an understatement. After submitting to various jewelers for upgrades or consignments were offered close to nothing for it and quickly realized that in order to upgrade we needed to do it through the same B+M jeweler who has a 100% lifetime upgrade policy.

After finding the only stone in a virtual inventory they had access to that was within the PS recommended ranges + good HCA (but no ASET / IS etc.) we negotiated price and finally walked away with it on my hand. I appreciate those in the community that contributed kind words of encouragement; you guys are awesome!

It has always been a dream of mine to own a super ideal (BG, WF ACA…) and while the new stone was definitely much whiter and larger (GIA XXX, high J, 2.14 vs the VG 1.72 O-P), I was seeing leakage that I never saw in my original stone…

I reached out to BG and shipped it off to get evaluated for a potential recut just to see what would happen… and got the most incredible news today!! In regards to weight, angles and projected face up mm I truly I feel like it was fate finding this diamond! In 6 weeks I will *potentially* have my forever super ideal, it doesn’t seem real!

See current (L) and projected (R) stats. Thank you all for letting me share!



BG P.png
 
That's really exciting! I can't wait to see it when you get it back.
 
A super ideal with minimal loss in weight and diameter--that is fantastic news!
 
Very excited to hear about this!
 
That’s a very promising recut projection^^ Hope you get the “new” stone soon!

I also hope give a make over to my wife’s two stones, but they are much smaller that we may have to drop in face up size too much, so~May be not an option for us, but glad to see successful stories:)

*I do wonder if Brian is the only recut expert to go to btw.
 
I can certainly understand your excitement! Can't wait to see pictures when finished. Did he give you a timeline for the recut?
 
Double E said:
That’s a very promising recut projection^^ Hope you get the “new” stone soon!

I also hope give a make over to my wife’s two stones, but they are much smaller that we may have to drop in face up size too much, so~May be not an option for us, but glad to see successful stories:)

*I do wonder if Brian is the only recut expert to go to btw.
Click to expand...

Thank you! BG was the only option for me personally. I would have also considered WF if that was a service they provided (which they don't). Even if WF offered it I would most likely still have chosen BG. Since we are projected to keep it above the 2 carat mark I won't be upgrading and this will be my "forever" diamond and I am 100% confident that I am in good hands.

Have you had your wife's diamonds evaluated? I was shocked at the estimated minimum size loss - perhaps you might get lucky too?
 
prettypaper01 said:
Thank you! BG was the only option for me personally. I would have also considered WF if that was a service they provided (which they don't). Even if WF offered it I would most likely still have chosen BG. Since we are projected to keep it above the 2 carat mark I won't be upgrading and this will be my "forever" diamond and I am 100% confident that I am in good hands.

Have you had your wife's diamonds evaluated? I was shocked at the estimated minimum size loss - perhaps you might get lucky too?
Click to expand...

You’ll definitely get back something you’ll treasure for life, no doubt~

That’s when I was looking for anniversary gift that I had looked into recutting. I didn’t really send our diamond out for evaluation due to the size, which was smaller than a ct., and the proportions just didn’t make it a good candidate for recut. I finally bought her a BGD signature 0.92ct, not big by any means but we love it~
 
Great news - looking forward to your update when you receive the recut diamond!!
 
Double E said:
You’ll definitely get back something you’ll treasure for life, no doubt~

That’s when I was looking for anniversary gift that I had looked into recutting. I didn’t really send our diamond out for evaluation due to the size, which was smaller than a ct., and the proportions just didn’t make it a good candidate for recut. I finally bought her a BGD signature 0.92ct, not big by any means but we love it~
Click to expand...

What an amazing anniversary gift! I'm sure it is gorgeous!
 
Double E said:
Sure but worth it:)

Curious if Brian told you if he expect it to be his signature line or black?
Click to expand...

If it qualifies to be eligible for BG branding, it would be defaulted to signature since it is J in color (a "high" GIA graded J). The Black collection only goes down to G in color for carat weights under 3.
 
I can't wait to see the result!! All those tiny changes you published and it'll be really, come on, the same size. Seems more like magic than science. CAN'T WAIT.
 
prettypaper01 said:
It has always been a dream of mine to own a super ideal (BG, WF ACA…) and while the new stone was definitely much whiter and larger (GIA XXX, high J, 2.14 vs the VG 1.72 O-P), I was seeing leakage that I never saw in my original stone…
Click to expand...
Wait... Back up. What?

This is impossible. Your current stone is not "leaking".

A recut is risky. A recut of a large stone... The risk is small, yes, but there is risk. Of losing the entire stone.

In your shoes I would be doing a LOT more homework to understand precisely what it is about your current stone that you don't like. Whatever that is, I guarantee it is not "leakage". You want to ensure that any recut actually changes whatever it is you don't care for... Reward must be worth the risk. Understand that the proposed recut will not alter the look and behaviour of your stone in any significant way. Because you're starting with quite a nice stone, and improvements in optical symmetry can't inform dramatic or transformative changes in light return - for that you need meaningful proportions adjustments. Of course, it might still be worth it to you for mind-clean reasons.

If you decide to go ahead make sure you've insured the stone with a provider who will cover it during recut. I haven't looked through your threads so apologies if you've already taken care of this, but it's worth mentioning just in case.
 
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Double E said:
That’s a very promising recut projection^^ Hope you get the “new” stone soon!

I also hope give a make over to my wife’s two stones, but they are much smaller that we may have to drop in face up size too much, so~May be not an option for us, but glad to see successful stories:)

*I do wonder if Brian is the only recut expert to go to btw.
Click to expand...

Hi @Double E -

I had a recut by Brian (fabulous!) and a recut by Good Old Gold in New York (also fabulous!). I would recommend both of them highly and equally. Both are well known vendors here on PS. Their prices, tho, are roughly the same as I recall. My recut by Brian Gavin was similar to @prettypaper01's, in that I lost a substantial amount of ctw (a bit over 10%), but virtually nothing in diameter. So visually, it ended up looking larger, as ideal cut diamonds tend to do.

My Good Old Gold recut cost me both ctw and diameter - due to the issues inherent in the original stone - but was also worth it. Consequently, I'm a big fan of recuts - IF you have a viable diamond. Not all are, due to the shape of the original stone and also the placement and form of the inclusions, which can make recutting unsafe. Worth looking into, tho.

Good luck!

And @prettypaper01 - looking forward very much to seeing how your recut turns out! I think it will be a STUNNER!
 
yssie said:
Wait... Back up. What?

This is impossible. Your current stone is not "leaking".

A recut is risky. A recut of a large stone... The risk is small, yes, but there is risk. Of losing the entire stone.

In your shoes I would be doing a LOT more homework to understand precisely what it is about your current stone that you don't like. Whatever that is, I guarantee it is not "leakage". You want to ensure that any recut actually changes whatever it is you don't care for... Reward must be worth the risk. Understand that the proposed recut will not alter the look and behaviour of your stone in any significant way. Because you're starting with quite a nice stone, and improvements in optical symmetry can't inform dramatic or transformative changes in light return - for that you need meaningful proportions adjustments. Of course, it might still be worth it to you for mind-clean reasons.

If you decide to go ahead make sure you've insured the stone with a provider who will cover it during recut. I haven't looked through your threads so apologies if you've already taken care of this, but it's worth mentioning just in case.
Click to expand...

Hello Yssie, thank you for your concern and perspective. Your opinion is very much appreciated! I 100% agree with you that a recut is very risky. I am content with that and my stone is fully insured against damage, loss, breakage etc. through JM. At this point I am coming from a place where I have very little to lose (and possibly much to gain) from this recut.

I have zero emotional attachment to the diamond - my pre upgrade stone is another story. It had Blue F that I didn’t care for, and was wildly mis represented making it virtually worthless to anyone but us (I did love that little yellow fireball). In order to upgrade we ultimately were stuck between a rock and a hard place with the original BM store that sold it to us in that we paid market value at the time for something we didn’t actually receive, and they honor a 100% lifetime upgrade policy. After reaching out to countless jewelers, resellers and researching pre loved sites, ultimately we settled for the only diamond we could find with PS specs, good HCA and made the upgrade so that we did in fact have a diamond that was actually “worth” what we paid.

The new diamond, while looking MUCH better on paper in terms of grading, HCA etc. has issues that I am not happy with. While it is my dream size, color (the high GIA J is sooooo much whiter than my previous O-P) the cut falls short for me. The arrows were much more pronounced in my pre upgrade diamond. I can really only see maybe 2 at a time and they aren’t crisp…

As for leakage - I will try to explain although it is difficult. I understand looking at the ASET and IS that it isn’t apparent, but from an angle (not straight on) a lot of light was coming through. I understand that “a lot” is subjective, but for me, it was enough that I wasn’t happy with it. Whether I am at my computer and it’s light from my monitor, or from other super bright light sources, there is light entering the stone that is affecting it’s performance. My previous diamond did not have this problem. Will a recut alleviate some of this? Maybe, maybe not.

I have spent the last 3 months researching recuts and BG in general. After many, many emails, we sent it in for evaluation to see if it was a good candidate and what our options were. The minimal size loss was a surprise and the final push we needed to pull the trigger. The deal breaker. BGs recut pricing is very reasonable and the potential RIO is ultimately worth the risk for us. I will consider any improvement a win (a large improvement an even bigger win).


Only time will tell. And I’m fine with that :)
 
There are two reasons to do a recut -
1. You want to change something about the way that your stone plays with light, and/or
2. You want a mind-clean stone and a recut achieves that.

I can’t tell if you’re looking for #2 or #2 and #1. I don’t understand what you mean regarding light coming through at an angle, but I will say that in general your recut is extremely unlikely to achieve #1.
But talk to BG about this specifically, because if he understands your problems with current light return, he could recommend proportions changes that really do solve both #1. Perhaps a slightly larger loss in diameter would be worth that to you. Perhaps not.
 
yssie said:
There are two reasons to do a recut -
1. You want to change something about the way that your stone plays with light, and/or
2. You want a mind-clean stone and a recut achieves that.

I can’t tell if you’re looking for #2 or #2 and #1. I don’t understand what you mean regarding light coming through at an angle, but I will say that in general your recut is extremely unlikely to achieve #1.
But talk to BG about this specifically, because if he understands your problems with current light return, he could recommend proportions changes that really do solve both #1. Perhaps a slightly larger loss in diameter would be worth that to you. Perhaps not.
Click to expand...

I am putting my faith in BGs hands, as he is the expert. Weight loss is not a front running determining factor; the minimum size loss is simply an unexpected bonus here. These are his projected stats to maximize the cut and advised me that although small tweaks it “will make ALL the difference” in performance. I am happy with that
 
Recut goals:

1) Crisp, visible arrows.

2) AGS 0 grading

2) Light performance improvement

If any / all of these can be achieved I will be a happy camper
 
prettypaper01 said:
Recut goals:

1) Crisp, visible arrows.

2) AGS 0 grading

2) Light performance improvement

If any / all of these can be achieved I will be a happy camper
Click to expand...

Just to weigh in on this - while your current stone as-is seems like a nice stone, it's what I'd call 'messy'. Its arrows and hearts are uneven and poorly formed, so a re-cut, if nothing else, will give you a nicer visual symmetry that is visible to the naked eye.

Since light return is based on a complicated relationship of precise angles, facets that are uneven or out of balance will never give you that stellar light return you're craving. In that sense, you're not currently getting all you could from your diamond and a re-cut (done by the right cutter) should give you that.

My guess is that you're going to be wowed. I know I was with both of mine, and I'm hoping for the same experience for you! When is your stone due back, @prettypaper01? I know a bunch of us will be keeping our eyes peeled for the final result!

Also - having not read your previous threads...have you given any thought to a setting? Or are you staying with your original setting?
 
mrs-b said:
Just to weigh in on this - while your current stone as-is seems like a nice stone, it's what I'd call 'messy'. Its arrows and hearts are uneven and poorly formed, so a re-cut, if nothing else, will give you a nicer visual symmetry that is visible to the naked eye.

Since light return is based on a complicated relationship of precise angles, facets that are uneven or out of balance will never give you that stellar light return you're craving. In that sense, you're not currently getting all you could from your diamond and a re-cut (done by the right cutter) should give you that.

My guess is that you're going to be wowed. I know I was with both of mine, and I'm hoping for the same experience for you! When is your stone due back, @prettypaper01? I know a bunch of us will be keeping our eyes peeled for the final result!

Also - having not read your previous threads...have you given any thought to a setting? Or are you staying with your original setting?
Click to expand...

Thank you Mrs-B - yes. "Messy" is a great word. While only scoring a GIA VG my first diamond was not messy, and I really miss the crisp arrows. I am confident with BG's skills. I truly believe that for the minimal cost I will see an improvement. And if anything happens along the way, well that is what insurance is for :)

I was told that it would take 6+ weeks. I love my minimal, 6 prong "temp" setting and will most likely have it reset back into it. Although I have been tempted by @knarffy 's gorgeous BG solitaire...
 
mrs-b said:
Just to weigh in on this - while your current stone as-is seems like a nice stone, it's what I'd call 'messy'. Its arrows and hearts are uneven and poorly formed, so a re-cut, if nothing else, will give you a nicer visual symmetry that is visible to the naked eye.

Since light return is based on a complicated relationship of precise angles, facets that are uneven or out of balance will never give you that stellar light return you're craving. In that sense, you're not currently getting all you could from your diamond and a re-cut (done by the right cutter) should give you that.

My guess is that you're going to be wowed. I know I was with both of mine, and I'm hoping for the same experience for you! When is your stone due back, @prettypaper01? I know a bunch of us will be keeping our eyes peeled for the final result!

Also - having not read your previous threads...have you given any thought to a setting? Or are you staying with your original setting?
Click to expand...

mrs-b I would love to see your recut(s) - I am trying to find posts... do you have any links you wouldn't mind sharing? Thank you!
 
prettypaper01 said:
Thank you to those of you who followed the saga regarding my recent “upgrade” (link here: https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/rb-help-please-looks-good.269311/ ). Long story short - my husband and I were sold an uncertified diamond at a B+M over 10 years ago that was wildly misrepresented. We recently sent it in to GIA and came to find that our “Ideal / J / SI1” was actually a VG / O-P / I1. Literally the only accurate information we received upon purchase was the carat weight :(

Needless to say, we were very very disappointed. Frustrated is an understatement. After submitting to various jewelers for upgrades or consignments were offered close to nothing for it and quickly realized that in order to upgrade we needed to do it through the same B+M jeweler who has a 100% lifetime upgrade policy.

After finding the only stone in a virtual inventory they had access to that was within the PS recommended ranges + good HCA (but no ASET / IS etc.) we negotiated price and finally walked away with it on my hand. I appreciate those in the community that contributed kind words of encouragement; you guys are awesome!

It has always been a dream of mine to own a super ideal (BG, WF ACA…) and while the new stone was definitely much whiter and larger (GIA XXX, high J, 2.14 vs the VG 1.72 O-P), I was seeing leakage that I never saw in my original stone…

I reached out to BG and shipped it off to get evaluated for a potential recut just to see what would happen… and got the most incredible news today!! In regards to weight, angles and projected face up mm I truly I feel like it was fate finding this diamond! In 6 weeks I will *potentially* have my forever super ideal, it doesn’t seem real!

See current (L) and projected (R) stats. Thank you all for letting me share!



BG P.png
Click to expand...

IMNSHO the most important data points in your table are:
CA Before-After.png
PA Before-After.png

BG's plan is to significantly reduce the variation in both your Crown and Pavilion angles. Also, the CA/PA combination will be much closer to ideal.

Essentially you are taking your diamond from a Blue Nile to a Super Ideal. Anyone who argues against this should also be arguing against anyone purchasing a Whitflash ACA. =)2
 
Can’t wait to see your recut. I own a lot of BG stones, and they are all stunning.
 
Hoping to have an update soon...it's been 10 weeks and I have yet to get a solid update (other than "making progress") to when it will be finished :(
 
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