I need a serious OEC education!

[lin_ny]

ForteKitty - That is the appeal of a REAL antique diamond. It's lived a long life, it has personality, and imperfections. That's one thing I've been discussing with Grace re: OEC vs Trannys. OECs aren't perfect, can be a little wonky and I think that's why I'm so drawn to them. Trannys are beautiful in their own right, as are AVRs, but there's just SOMETHING about OECs! However, there will always be a teeeeeny bit of perfectionist in me. If the AVRs were comparable price-wise, I might consider one based on performance if I wasn't able to find an OEC. But since I'm just starting my search, I'm gonna look for a while before I completely give up. I'm still quite patient.

Edit: WAIT!!!! YOU ARE THE LUCKY WOMAN WITH THE 9.9MM OEC! Wowzers... I was gawking that thread a few weeks ago. Very, very impressive. Lucky ducky.

Double edit: Can you please use your amazing skills to find me a steal of a deal!?!?

 

[LJL]

Can I just say that I'm tickled that my search/stone is the reason for that video? It makes me pretty happy when I see that others have seen it yes, I am crazy.

I second giving Jon your specs and seeing what he can find either in a genuine OEC or what hes got coming down the pipeline as far as AVRs. It has worked well for many a PS'er

 

[lin_ny]

LGL - Girl, YOU FAMOUS! Well, your stone is anyway.

 

[Dreamer_D]

My old cut is slightly botoxed, but I like 'em that way. Lin have you actually seen any old cuts in person?

ETA: Actually, I prefer to think of my old cut as the women they used to put in nudie mags back in the 70s You know, drop dead gorgeous but with hairy armpits and all natural

 

[lin_ny]

Dreamer_D - That nudie mag comment made me snicker... maybe a bit too much.

Truthfully no, I haven't seen any old diamonds in person. I'm hoping to get in contact with a local antique diamond dealer soon and get a feel of them in person before I buy anything online. What's not to love though, seriously.

 

[Dreamer_D]

You need to see as many stones as you can in person! Photos and video do not at all convey the slight differences in flavour that exist. It is best to develop your own palat in person!

I have a personal preference for later old cuts with excellent symmetry and slightly longer lower halves (like my own) OR I like pre-1900s old cuts with cushions outlines and super skyscraper crowns and large culets (like TGals center stone in her ring, for example). But there are many other old cuts I have seen and owned that did not really do it for me. So get out there and see some in person if you can!

 

[madelise]

I can't wait to see what you come up with! I loveeeee the process (well, hated it while I was doing it for ME) of hunting for a needle in the haystack OEC. I love the ladies here that give amazing, amazing advice.

Dreamer gave me ridiculously detailed advice in my old RT thread, where she drew red lines everywhere to teach me all her knowledge. I also created a little "bookmarked" thread of other advice. Lemme fish:

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/antique-diamond-guide.176033/

HTH! You'll be an expert after all this : )

 

[LJL]

FWIW, I never saw an old cut in person before I bought my stone online - of course I had Jon's eyes working for me... but some places, you really just cant find them. I live in a "young" city... both in that its grown a lot recently and everyone who lives here is young/hipster. So there are no grandmas to trade in their stones. If you CAN see them, do... but at the same time, watching videos/looking at pics, you have a fair idea of the style your eyes prefer. Also beware that the old cuts you CAN see in person might suck, whereas at least the MRBs you see in the mall stores will be sparkly in that light. I think old cuts have their own special brand of suck in that a bad old cut can just look like a total mess whereas a badly-cut MRB will just look like everyone else's stone in your life

 

[ForteKitty]

I think old cuts have their own special brand of suck in that a bad old cut can just look like a total mess whereas a badly-cut MRB will just look like everyone else's stone in your life

SNORT! Yes, they can!!

Lin, where do you live? Maybe someone can recommend a local jeweler who carries old cuts so you can see them in person?

 

[madelise]

Her screen name says NY? A plethora of options to see old cuts! If you haven't seen them IRL, please do so! I was always in love with old cuts from all of JbEG's beautiful videos, but I couldn't get my SO on board. He thought MRBs were easier to choose, and better since they were cut to modern measurements of 'perfection'.

The first time we went to see old cuts in person, SO was blown away. He's not a diamond/jewelry person at all, and he LOVED them. If you get a chance to see them, even if its a few hours drive away, please give yourself the pleasure!

 

[lin_ny]

Dreamer_D - I really would love to see some stuff in person - I should actually call that dealer I know and make an appt. I just feel bad wasting her time you know, if my bf isn't really to pull the trigger on something just yet!

madelise - I'm excited that you're excited for me!! I've already had such an amazing, truly invaluable experience here. Just awesome!! Thanks for the link. I will definitely be checking that out and reading it from beginning to end!

My username is so deceiving! haha. The underscore was just an afterthought when my 'usual' username was taken so I split it up into two. Lots of people think I'm from NY. Oops.

ETA: I WISH I was close to NYC. Never been. Maybe one day. : )

LJL - I kinda feel the same way about my city (Edmonton). I feel sheltered. We have a large ageing population but a huge university/young hipsterish community too. EVERYONE I know has a RB diamond. With the exception of a few girls with a princess cut. Nearly everyone has a prong-set solitaire too! So trying to shop for an antique diamond and a custom bezel setting... it's nearly impossible where I live!

ForteKitty - I'm in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. AKA place that you can't get anything unique.

 

[ariel144]

ForteKitty - That is the appeal of a REAL antique diamond. It's lived a long life, it has personality, and imperfections. That's one thing I've been discussing with Grace re: OEC vs Trannys. OECs aren't perfect, can be a little wonky and I think that's why I'm so drawn to them. Trannys are beautiful in their own right, as are AVRs, but there's just SOMETHING about OECs! However, there will always be a teeeeeny bit of perfectionist in me. If the AVRs were comparable price-wise, I might consider one based on performance if I wasn't able to find an OEC. But since I'm just starting my search, I'm gonna look for a while before I completely give up. I'm still quite patient.

Edit: WAIT!!!! YOU ARE THE LUCKY WOMAN WITH THE 9.9MM OEC! Wowzers... I was gawking that thread a few weeks ago. Very, very impressive. Lucky ducky.

Double edit: Can you please use your amazing skills to find me a steal of a deal!?!?

On a very limited budget I would definitely NOT try to find a stone on ebay. Insurance on shipping stones back and forth can eat up a budget very quickly. Therefore you need to purchase a proven performer and I would highly suggest you splurge a little and get this AVC on GOG or an OEC /AVR. FK's wowzer is an L color, which most newbies wouldn't even look at a color that low. In a WELL CUT stone though they can be quite lovely.

You want to have a diamond that will dazzle. And your "steal of a deal" diamond could end up being a real dud. It takes a lot of time, money, education, and effort to find a great antique stone and that is why Jon at GOG started cutting his own that have the faceting of an antique cushion or round. Hopefully you can find a J color which in a well cut stone will face up icy white as in the thread i'm posting below.

Higher color and clarity does NOT make a better diamond. CUT IS KING! NOT color. Here is a very nice J color antique cushion on GOG.

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/9736/

I hope this helps with your education. good luck!

5c J antique cushion set in halo

[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/leon-mege-antique-cushion.140739/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/leon-mege-antique-cushion.140739/[/URL]

on page 3 she tells her story:


Post by Thouarella » 14 Apr 2010 12:54
Thanks for all the lovely comments everyone!

It''s our 5th wedding anniversary, hence the 5 carat stone Image

Laila - thanks for adding it to the cushion thread.

jgny:
The dimensions are 9.95 x 9.61 x 6.71mm And I believe the OMC style stones face up smaller as well given their high crowns (someone correct me if I''m wrong on this). But I looked at a bunch and I vastly preferred the OMCs to the modern brilliants, plus I think this way the 5 carat isn''t too enormous (vs say a 5 carat RB).

We bought this stone from Leon just before he launched his diamond concierge service, so I don''t know if they will provide additional details now, but basically he sent me photos of the stone from all angles, set and unset and on a black and white background. No ASETs. It was rather a leap of faith to buy it without looking at it in person and without ASETs etc but at the end of the day we decided to trust his eye and we had just fallen in love with the faceting of the stone.

Before we decided on this one, we''d taken a look at stones at our local B&Ms, one who specialises in OMCs and another who flew in 5 stones from their sightholders in Israel. I''d also contacted all of the cushion specialists mentioned on this forum and gotten a stone flown out to me, though ultimately we decided not to go with that one. It is REALLY difficult to find a stone with the requirements we had (>5 carats, OMC or 8 pavillion mains, large culet, near 1:1 aspect ratio, eyeclean) and there were very few responses to our request both online and at the B&Ms. It was basically between this stone and the one that was flown out to us. Jon at GoodOldGood had offered to get an AVC cut but the prices of rough had gone up so much at the end of last year/beginning of this one, plus we didn''t want to have to wait!

So at the end of the day and after months of searching we decided to go ahead with Leon''s stone and I just love it. The J doesn''t bother me at all and mostly it looks icy white and I only notice a tiny bit of warmth very occasionally from certain angles (my e-ring is an E and there is a very slight difference but really not very much).

Leon did mention that now he''s set up this diamond concierge service that he''d rather find a good stone for his clients. He''ll still set stones from other dealers but I get the feeling that he preferred for us to buy a stone from him. Good thing we liked his stone best anyway.

 

[jerichosmom]

This is a long-shot but you can also scour Craigslist. There was a very pretty OEC .90 ct for $1000 in a YG setting this week. Unfortunately it was snapped up immediately before I could see it in person but I could tell by the pictures that it was nicely cut. I find the people on CL are usually very uneducated about old cuts and are just trying to sell an inherited piece quickly and cheaply.

 

[lin_ny]

ariel144 - Thanks for the suggestions. Although I love the AVC, I'm hoping for a round because I love the faceting and they face-up larger. I'm gonna keep a close eye on the GOG website for sure.

jerichosmom - I've perused the local classifieds. I don't really know it would be a great idea for me to buy something there though, just because I'm so new to this and really don't feel comfortable enough with what I know. I think I might be able to swing e-bay just because my purchases can be protected with paypal and most places allow returns. If I bought from a classified and got scammed, I'd be totally screwed. Ultimately, a trusted vendor will probably be the smartest place for me to do business because of my total newbie-ness.

 

[lin_ny]

Opinions? I don't think I'll buy either of these, just opinion-seeking!

1.05 ct J-K VVS2 OEC (I haven't seen this clarity in OECs yet... can this even be true?) set in white gold. $3500.



.91 ct M-N VS1 OEC set in platinum. $2500.


If I did buy, I'd sell the setting. Not sure how big of a pain that is or if I could sell to any jeweler?

ETA: I want a rose gold bezel set solitaire... is it true that I might be able to get away with a warmer colour grade with the rose gold?

 

[Dreamer_D]

Are you trying to educate your eyes with those images or are you actually considering an ebay buy? I don't like either of thise for price mostly, especially the first which is likely under 1ct. On ebay you need to ask diameter measurements. And you cannot trust clarity or color "grading" on ebay.

 

[lin_ny]

Are you trying to educate your eyes with those images or are you actually considering an ebay buy? I don't like either of thise for price mostly, especially the first which is likely under 1ct. On ebay you need to ask diameter measurements. And you cannot trust clarity or color "grading" on ebay.

Well mostly trying to educate myself. Apparently the measurements on that first stone are 6.51x6.50 (just forgot to post them).

What I guess I'm trying to figure out is what a 'fair' price would be for a .9-1ct OEC... It seems 'retail' is $3-5,000ish, where there's some on ebay around $2k and up. I'd obviously like to get a great deal but I want to buy from a trusted place as well.

 

[lin_ny]

GIA certified .9 K VS1 for $2500
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1C4hh-DhRdU

Thoughts? I wish the video was longer... but it looks really, really pretty to me!

 

[Dreamer_D]

Ask for a longer video if you want one

I can't tell much from the vid. You have pics?

 

[bunnycat]

If you could, ask for a slightly longer video and ask them to move it around a little more slowly, IMO. Moving it around really fast like that isn't going to give you a good idea of the pattern on it. That, combined with a few stills might be helpful. Good luck!

 

[lin_ny]

Thanks for the suggestions. That was one of the things that really bothered me, was that I couldn't see the facet pattern at all in the video. I've asked for a longer, slower video with some additional pictures. Fingers crossed.

If it's a nice diamond, is it a good price for the size and other specs?