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I like an I1 but probably shouldn’t buy it... right?

My experience with the I1 that I've owned since 2004 and the SI2 I bought in 2009 or so is that with time, I've tended to care less and less about the eye-clean factor. The inclusions don't bother me, and I'm not "tired" of there being a couple of specks in there. What I appreciate is size, performance, and color. And *value*, since those inclusions allow me to have both more diamonds and larger diamonds at significantly less cost but they are all gorgeous. The inclusions can't be seen by anyone else when I'm wearing that jewelry. So, who cares. If I ever sell these diamonds, I'll try to steer them toward someone else who has exactly the same value-seeking mindset as me. I've sold enough used vehicles and used furniture and used horse tack to be bold enough to tell the tirekickers "Hey, you're right. Maybe this just isn't the right piece for you and you'll have to look elsewhere. But thanks for your inquiry. Have a nice day!" :lol:
 
pearaffair said:
Oh that’s a great example!! Is the inclusion a small dot near the centre?
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Yes, small dot near the centre, in the light blue reflection. From what I've read, this is the "worst" kind of I1 to have, a black carbon spot under the table. The way I look at it, the stone is kind of like me, great in many ways but with a really noticeable flaw. The stone is otherwise very clear and has the cut I love.

Interestingly, three jewelers have seen it (none graduate gemologists from GIA, though), and two judged it an SI2. The other said "that's a pretty nice high-colored I1 you've got there, where did you get it?"
 
I will leave it to the experts to weigh in if this will cause durability issues. But, I can share an experience that I had with a similar feather. I came a across a steal on a fancy light yellow stone (uncharted) in a beautiful setting at an estate sale. I almost passed because of the huge flaw, which is not noticeable in normal wear because of the cut and color. I couldn't get it out of my mind, so a few days later I went back and we negotiated a lower price and now I have a beutiful FLY ring! It was never intended as an everyday ring so durability wasn't a huge concern and the price was so low, there was no way I could replicate the ring for anywhere near what I paid.

Sometimes you just have to follow your heart - Best of luck!
 
For the thoughts on the feather, John Pollard made an excellent post about feathers. I personally find the "fear of feathers" to be vastly overblown. I have had diamonds brought into me for repair that were badly chipped and in two cases, the chips started about a quarter inch or slightly less from a fairly large feather. If feathers were even close to as dangerous as I frequently hear stated I would have expected the damage to spread to include the "weak spot" at the feather.

I am more concerned in an I1 with the unreported factors that should probably be reported on a Diamond grading report. Unreported haze that is not visible at 10X but which reduces the light performance of the diamond is a serious issue for me. Tints of brown and green, along with "milky" looking diamonds are becoming more and more prevalent, to the point where many suppliers now include "No BGM" (No Brown, Green, Milky)" on their listings to differentiate themselves from the vendors who are happy to offload their BGM diamonds on the unwary. These unmentioned issues cause massive price fluctuations which trap the uneducated with the seemingly cheap diamond that is actually overpriced.

I miss the days when I could occasionally grab a great looking CBI in an I1, when now even the SI diamonds are harder and harder for CBI to find in the quality they will accept, as the overall quality of the diamond crystals keeps falling further and further as mines age. This is especially true since new mines are not being found quickly enough to replace the loss from the older mines.

Wink
 
JMK said:
Yes, small dot near the centre, in the light blue reflection. From what I've read, this is the "worst" kind of I1 to have, a black carbon spot under the table. The way I look at it, the stone is kind of like me, great in many ways but with a really noticeable flaw. The stone is otherwise very clear and has the cut I love.

Interestingly, three jewelers have seen it (none graduate gemologists from GIA, though), and two judged it an SI2. The other said "that's a pretty nice high-colored I1 you've got there, where did you get it?"
Click to expand...

That is interesting and awesome!

Octo2005 said:
I will leave it to the experts to weigh in if this will cause durability issues. But, I can share an experience that I had with a similar feather. I came a across a steal on a fancy light yellow stone (uncharted) in a beautiful setting at an estate sale. I almost passed because of the huge flaw, which is not noticeable in normal wear because of the cut and color. I couldn't get it out of my mind, so a few days later I went back and we negotiated a lower price and now I have a beutiful FLY ring! It was never intended as an everyday ring so durability wasn't a huge concern and the price was so low, there was no way I could replicate the ring for anywhere near what I paid.

Sometimes you just have to follow your heart - Best of luck!
Click to expand...

So true! Sometimes it makes sense to break the rules!

Wink said:
For the thoughts on the feather, John Pollard made an excellent post about feathers. I personally find the "fear of feathers" to be vastly overblown. I have had diamonds brought into me for repair that were badly chipped and in two cases, the chips started about a quarter inch or slightly less from a fairly large feather. If feathers were even close to as dangerous as I frequently hear stated I would have expected the damage to spread to include the "weak spot" at the feather.

I am more concerned in an I1 with the unreported factors that should probably be reported on a Diamond grading report. Unreported haze that is not visible at 10X but which reduces the light performance of the diamond is a serious issue for me. Tints of brown and green, along with "milky" looking diamonds are becoming more and more prevalent, to the point where many suppliers now include "No BGM" (No Brown, Green, Milky)" on their listings to differentiate themselves from the vendors who are happy to offload their BGM diamonds on the unwary. These unmentioned issues cause massive price fluctuations which trap the uneducated with the seemingly cheap diamond that is actually overpriced.

I miss the days when I could occasionally grab a great looking CBI in an I1, when now even the SI diamonds are harder and harder for CBI to find in the quality they will accept, as the overall quality of the diamond crystals keeps falling further and further as mines age. This is especially true since new mines are not being found quickly enough to replace the loss from the older mines.

Wink
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Very interesting! How does one spot the haze?
 
Wink said:
I miss the days when I could occasionally grab a great looking CBI in an I1, when now even the SI diamonds are harder and harder for CBI to find in the quality they will accept, as the overall quality of the diamond crystals keeps falling further and further as mines age. This is especially true since new mines are not being found quickly enough to replace the loss from the older mines.

Wink
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@Wink I really enjoy reading your posts! I remember seeing outstanding CBI I1s posted here in the past! I consider myself very fortunate to own 2 CBI SI1s! It’s sad to know that New mines are not being found quickly enough. We should hold onto our old SIs and Is!
 
Aw boo. But there is always another one around the corner. TRR gets a lot of vintage rings in...the nice thing is their return policy is good, you're just out the $25 shipping. I've ordered from there a couple of times and found the images to be true to life, but ended up returning most things for various reasons.
 
bludiva said:
Aw boo. But there is always another one around the corner. TRR gets a lot of vintage rings in...the nice thing is their return policy is good, you're just out the $25 shipping. I've ordered from there a couple of times and found the images to be true to life, but ended up returning most things for various reasons.
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Haha well I might’ve been out a lot more because I live in Canada ;)

The washed out photos and the degradation (?) of the metal might have been problems. It just wasn’t meant to be! But you guys helped me learn a lot about I1 stones!
 
@pearaffair I have been following your journey for a while now and while I understand why you liked this vintage ring, try not to regret that it sold because I don't think it is what you really want. Based on what I have seen, you want an ideal cut solitaire and preferably a large stone. If you can concentrate on that and maybe start saving toward that, I think it will serve you well. Perhaps, invest in a "starter" diamond with a vendor with a great upgrade policy and start upgrading it every year or as frequently as possible. At the end you know what you want best but those are my personal observations :)
 
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SimoneDi said:
@pearaffair I have been following your journey for a while now and while I understand why you liked this vintage ring, try not to regret that it sold because I don't think it is what you really want. Based on what I have seen, you want an ideal cut solitaire and preferably a large stone. If you can concentrate on that and maybe start saving toward that, I think it will serve you well. Perhaps, invest in a "starter" diamond with a vendor with a great upgrade policy and start upgrading it every year or as frequently as possible. At the end you know what you want best but those are my personal observations :)
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Hi! I really appreciate you weighing in! And I think you’re right - if I had REALLY wanted it, I would’ve bought it! I also change my mind A LOT about what I want, so the idea of spending $6k on a “maybe” was a bit crazy for me ;)
Also the pain of returning such an expensive item (the worrying, wondering, waiting!) would’ve been a bit much on my plate.

You’re also making me realize that I haven’t shared some antique acquisitions... maybe I can try and make a thread in SMTB :D

Haven’t had much time to take gorgeous pics, #momlife! But you’re motivating me!
 
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