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I found a playground! My very own old cut playground!

GemFever

GemFever

Ideal_Rock
Trade
Joined
Nov 28, 2011
Messages
2,419
Hey guys!

I decided to peel my eyes away from the computer and see if I can find a decent estate jewelry shop within a reasonable driving distance. And I found one! It's Jangiques, in Maryland. I was secretly hoping they would have some french cuts, but no luck. Still, the owners were very friendly and let me play around with their diamonds. I didn't take down exact specs since I can afford none of this stuff, but I thought I'd share pics.

The big OEC was I believe 2.42ct. They said it was K-L, but I'm thinking a bit warmer. But the tint was brownish more than yellow, which I liked. Kind of cafe au lait. In daylight (they practically forced me to step out on the street and look at it in daylight, unaccompanied!) it looks white. I wish I remembered the price. I just noted that the prices were not "deals" but not outrageous either.

I'll post the 2.42 pics first, then a pics of a couple other rings I tired on.

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And the two other rings I took pics of.

One was a humongous three stone. Not a look I could pull off, that's for sure. Maybe if the center stone remained the same size (1.4) but the sides were smaller, it could work. But blingly!!! And in yellow gold, just how I like it :lickout:



The other was a transitional I guess. The table was huge (compared to what I'm used to). It looked pretty good under the special lighting, but I wonder what would happen to it in other lighting environments.



It was a fun trip. I got to see a bunch of vintage eternity bands, very fine and detailed, very sparkly. All in white metal, so bummer for me. Though if it's mostly bling and diamond, maybe I could mix metal colors some day. In the really small stones, I liked single cuts better for eternity. They look more chill somehow... very mirror-like. I should have taken pics. Maybe I'll just have to go back for that :naughty:

Cheers!

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And another, bigger, playground! Solovey Jewelers in Virginia. Tons of pretty stuff, very nice people, but steep prices. They had a french cut band! A whopping $6800 (could go down to $6400 the nice lady said, but added sympathetically "though that probably isn't much help, is it." She was right, regrettably). Another fun visit. Good to try on all the things I see online.

frenchies!

frenchies <3

baguettes...

rounds in YG, half-eternity. Maybe a look for the future

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I actually really like that 3 stone! :love: And the french cut band as well of course. Sigh...if only I were rich...but it is nice to dream!
 
Nice!!!!! (All of it.)

liz
 
Xiriah -- It is nice to daydream about jewelry... and set goals for the future :rodent: That's what this visit to the shops was good for, honing my tastes, making sure I don't spend time and money on something I don't really want. And that I don't overlook something that I don't yet know I want :lol: Like a dainty eternity with fine milgrain and single cuts. Somehow they never quite grabbed me from the photos, but IRL they are lovely. Something for my future jewels list!

I'll attach a bigger pic of the 3-stone for ya 8-)


Libby -- Thanks!

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mmmm! :lickout: That three stone is VERY enticing!!! And it looks incredible on your hand- what great finger coverage!!

... and yet you were able to resist it... I am humbled by your restraint! ;))
 
Haha Enerchi, thanks! Honestly, my bank account resisted for me, and I don't have a credit card with a limit that would go high enough! ;))

But mostly, what's helping is my absolute crazy concentration on french cuts. *I must have them.* It's terrible ::)
 
its funny, when you find something you simply MUST POSSESS... how single focused you can become!!

Those are some amazing rings you were able to try on! Ah, the joy of 'playing' in someones jewelry playground! Its like heaven :praise:
 
Enerchi|1359161656|3363799 said:
its funny, when you find something you simply MUST POSSESS... how single focused you can become!!
Click to expand...

My gosh, YES! Everything is on hold... potential upgrade plans are out the window, some colored stones projects are out the window... (for now). I just want a some decently sized french cuts in my budget... it's all I want, promise! :bigsmile:

But seriously, if anyone who reads this happens to know where I can get some 3-4mm frenchies, maybe 4-5 stones, under $3K, please let me know... JbEG has a beautiful 7-stone parcel for over $4K. Israel Rose has an eternity for over $4K... but I don't want a whole eternity and it's not my size really. I just want a few stones that are big enough to really enjoy the facets... pretty please? 8)
 
Your playgrounds look like a lot of fun! And you have my sympathy on the french-cut bug ... once you've been bitten, I'm afraid there is no cure.

I know I just saw a half-band somewhere, listed around 2000 EU ... they might be open to negotiation. I'll see if I can poke my sieve of a brain to figure out where. In the meantime, maybe inquire with this lady as to price? http://www.diamondbroker.ie/jewellery/french-cut-bands
 
Thanks Circe! I will look around the site you linked to to see if there is any chance it'll be within my range. Don't want to waste the lady's time otherwise ;))

That opal ring with the french cuts... the owner took it off the market :(( I am half-way between regretting that I returned it, and trying to be reasonable. Just gotta wait till Intergem in February, wait about a month, paaaatiently. Patience ≠ my strong suit.
 
That 3 stone really is lovely. It's making me want to keep the OEC pendant I just listed! :errrr: It would look great set in a 3 stone ring with 0.65-1ct each sides someday... :Up_to_something:

I've been trying to stay off eBay these days, but even when I used to look all the time I rarely saw french cuts. There was one time I saw a rather large single french cut (I think it was around 0.65ct?) I kick myself for not buying it! It was in an auction for around $600-something and it ended with a couple of bids for less than $800 I think. There was one other time I saw a ring on Rubylane with a single french cut set into the center. It was from the Retro period, rose gold, shaped like a bow and some synthetic rubies set at the bottom. I forgot how much it was (under $1000 definitely) but I passed up on it too. :blackeye:

Good luck with your search!
 
Xiriah, Thanks! A ~.65 french cut? That would blow my mind! You didn't happen to save a pic, did you?
 
GemFever|1359231334|3364222 said:
Xiriah, Thanks! A ~.65 french cut? That would blow my mind! You didn't happen to save a pic, did you?
Click to expand...

Unfortunately, I didn't. :(( But the pics they had were a kind of unflattering. I can't remember if it was GIA certified as well. I think it faced up ~5mm. I kick myself for not buying it! But I thought it was a bit overpriced at the time. I realize now that french cuts are very hard to come across.
 
I am so impressed with you! It sounds like you made a day of it, and decided to go antique jewelry-ing to coin a phrase. I would love to do that - really and truly - but until you wrote this thread, it never dawned on me that this is something one could do! Good for you for seeing what you like and what looks good on you first hand.

Do you think the Jantiques is the same one that is on ebay, or is that a different store?
 
Xiriah|1359240534|3364303 said:
GemFever|1359231334|3364222 said:
Xiriah, Thanks! A ~.65 french cut? That would blow my mind! You didn't happen to save a pic, did you?
Click to expand...

Unfortunately, I didn't. :(( But the pics they had were a kind of unflattering. I can't remember if it was GIA certified as well. I think it faced up ~5mm. I kick myself for not buying it! But I thought it was a bit overpriced at the time. I realize now that french cuts are very hard to come across.
Click to expand...

The other day as I was running through the jewelry district, I saw what looked like a TWO CARAT french cut center-stone. I didn't have time to poke my head in, but, man, do I need to make the time to see what its details are.

I tracked down the one I'd remembered seeing - different site, same dealer (who must have some awesome SEO tricks). It's a 7-stone, which may be closer to an eternity than you want, but figured it couldn't hurt to post: http://www.perfectring.ie/Wedding-R...Kinsale_Cork_-Platinum-Wedding-Ring-2293.aspx

Re: the opal ring, I think you made the right call in returning it for what s/he was asking, considering the condition. It's a pity s/he didn't let the auction run, but better to keep looking than KNOW you overpaid, right?
 
Circe, please pics if you end up going back to check out that big frenchie! Is this in the NYC diamond district?

I'll post a pic of something I came across on ebay. Doesn't it look kind of french-like? It's a step cut, looks like it has one giant step in the middle.



As for the opal... it's a tough one. Technically, there were 16 decently sized pretty stones there. I think the damage may have been fixable, at least mostly. But, it was impossible to know the condition of the corners on those stones... And, I'd need to consider the costs of having a ring custom-made with the stones. So I guess... I might as well go for the Israel Rose ring, if I'm willing to spend that kind of money. And I'm not, not yet. Sigh. Maybe I should step away from the whole frenchie idea for a while. Not good to get too obsessed.

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P.S. Thanks for the link! I inquired about prices, and they aren't cheap. Europe is expensive! Not as expensive as McLean, Virginia ($6.5K for a skinny eternity band), but way over NYC.
 
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