I'm holding two Octavias that I'm deciding between

[kenny]

Kenny, you sold the generic asscher?????? I hope you got a good price for it, at least.

Yes, a VERY good price.

 

[kenny]

The G VS2 sounds good to me!...

+1

Also envious that you are getting an Octavia.

More are still for sale.
What are you waiting for?

You simply MUST keep up with the Kennys.

 

[kenny]

I would always pick the larger asscher. Perfect colour and clarity for me

Yeah, G VS2 is a sweet spot ... but this particular VS2 must be borderline SI1 with that large carbon spot.
I'll get a pic later that shows it off.

 

[kenny]

That's a difficult decision. Normally I would say go for the larger Octavia so you can really appreciate the Octavia pattern however would the carbon spot bother you even though you can only see it with a 10x loupe? Is it "mind" clean enough for you?

I always say get what your heart wants as long as you can comfortably afford it. However, is the 1.5 Octavia your dream stone? If it is go for it and if not the right one will come along. Or if the upgrade policy is good get the one you love most now and then when the "perfect" one does come along you can go for it then while enjoying the Octavia you choose for now.

Good advice.
Yes, 1.3 to 1.5 is about my sweet spot on size.
Much larger and I'd be self-conscious with the screaming blingosity of the Octavia cut.
Much smaller and my old eyes won't really make out the cut pattern I'm in love with.

 

[kenny]

Have you asked Jon when he might get more octavias?

Not to criticize Jonathan.
I love the unique cuts he sells ... but he does tend to say what a customer wants to hear.

IOW, a bird in the hand ...

 

[kenny]

It doesn't sound as if you really want the smaller one.

If the inclusions in the 1.51 don't bother you, and you are truly in love with the stone, do you have any other jewellery that you wouldn't mind selling, in order to fund this stone? Then, you could have the stone of your dreams and not feel financially guilty. I know exactly what you mean when you say you can afford it but shouldn't.

If the inclusions do bother you, and you have nothing you want to sell, then perhaps best wait for the inventories to refresh.

Good point.
Yes, I have a few carbon-units I should sell that could ultimately help me fund the 1.51.

Why keep stuff you'll never use after you get a noob you WILL use?

 

[kenny]

The larger one! So is Jon not cutting any more new, larger Octavia's anytime soon? So sorry to hear the 2.36 Octavia sold before you could sell your other asscher, though. Your old asscher was one of my faves on PS!

Yeah, my original 'plan'-'hope' was to sell my 2.26 asscher and buy the 2.38 Octavia.
During the year it took to sell my asscher the 2.38 Octavia sold.

Frankly the Octavia has such aggressive light performance that I think the 2.38 would have gotten me arrested for disturbing the peace.
1.3-1.5 may be just right ala Goldilocks and the 3 bears.

 

[kenny]

Help me understand how the larger stone doesn't visually appear larger than the smaller stone but the steps are more visible in it? I'm not following that? I'd have a hard time paying 70% more for a stone that doesn't visually appear larger.

Yes, the 1.51 appears larger than the 1.06, but not that much larger considering costing 70% more ... and CERTAINLY not 70% larger.
Pics are deceiving.
IRL the size difference is not as noticeable as the difference in the ability to notice the pattern.

The pic I posted may not help demonstrate this.
BTW, that pic is one pic taken of both side by side ... not two pics photoshopped together.
You'd really have to see them side by side in person to 'get' what I'm saying.

 

[arkieb1]

Jon doesn't cut Octavia's to my knowledge he should in theory be able to ring the company that does and ask if they have anything else or could cut more for him. I looked on the GOG site and there is a distinct lack of them to choose from.

 

[kenny]

Jon doesn't cut Octavia's to my knowledge he should in theory be able to ring the company that does and ask if they have anything else or could cut more for him. I looked on the GOG site and there is a distinct lack of them to choose from.

For Octavias I believe Jon buys rough, perhaps in consultation with KarlK, and sends it to Yorum in Israel, aka DiaGem on PS, to be cut.

I prefer to not order a custom-cut diamond from any vendor.
I prefer to select from what's posted online, already with a price.

Also, Octavias are hard to select rough for since Octavias inhale rough compared to other asschers.

 

[kenny]

Just a thought: Would it make much difference in price if you stay under 1.5 ct? Like maybe a 1.49 ct is only 50% more in price?

You seem to find the 1ct too small and might not feel good spending too much on the 1.5ct. Wait for an in-between size? Or tell Jon your specs and get him to cut one for you?

A 1.49 would be nice but those are hard enough to come by in the most-abundant cut, round.
Every diamond vendor and cutter wants to NOT cut at 0.99 or 1.49 ... and Octavias are already beyond rare.
Only four are for sale in the entire universe today.

I think if I told Jonathan I want a 1.49 Octavia he'd laugh me off the Internet.
He, like any businessman, is gonna try to NOT cut a 1.49.
Sure, if a 1.49 G VS happened to float by I'd probably grab it.

 

[arkieb1]

Jon doesn't cut Octavia's to my knowledge he should in theory be able to ring the company that does and ask if they have anything else or could cut more for him. I looked on the GOG site and there is a distinct lack of them to choose from.

For Octavias I believe Jon buys rough, perhaps in consultation with KarlK, and sends it to Yorum in Israel, aka DiaGem on PS, to be cut.

I prefer to not order a custom-cut diamond from any vendor.
I prefer to select from what's posted online, already with a price.

Also, Octavias are hard to select rough for since Octavias inhale rough compared to other asschers.

O.K got it. Hmmm, pity he isn't getting a few more in around the size you are looking for that way you don't have to commit to a set stone, it really isn't a big inventory to look through, unfortunately. I guess he doesn't want to have too many sitting in his inventory, because of the high cost of cutting them. Having said that there is a lot of diamond wastage cutting something like an AVC too....

 

[Dancing Fire]

[quote="kenny|1376172982|
The black carbon inclusion is in the larger Octavia just below 3 O'clock and half way between the center and the edge.
The way this pic is lit this carbon spot looks light gray but in person it looks solid jet black. and is quite visible multiple times in TWO side views. but I can have it set so those sides are against the metal of a tension setting.

[/quote]
Is it eye clean from top w/o a loupe?

 

[yennyfire]

Help me understand how the larger stone doesn't visually appear larger than the smaller stone but the steps are more visible in it? I'm not following that? I'd have a hard time paying 70% more for a stone that doesn't visually appear larger.

Yes, the 1.51 appears larger than the 1.06, but not that much larger considering costing 70% more ... and CERTAINLY not 70% larger.
Pics are deceiving.
IRL the size difference is not as noticeable as the difference in the ability to notice the pattern.

The pic I posted may not help demonstrate this.
BTW, that pic is one pic taken of both side by side ... not two pics photoshopped together.
You'd really have to see them side by side in person to 'get' what I'm saying.

Having seen the photo, I do prefer the one on the left, completely recognizing that one photo may or may not tell the whole story. Tough call Kenny...

 

[Sky56]

They're gorgeous, I can see why you want Octavia. I like the idea of you buying the larger one, if dealing with the inclusion works out for you with setting and "mind clean." If not, buying a larger one later.

 

[kenny]

Is it eye clean from top w/o a loupe?

To MY eyes the 1.51, with or without my glasses, is eye-clean.

But, to a younger person, probably not.
Resale value/desireability is a bit of a factor so ...

 

[kenny]

Here is another pic.
Unlike the previous pic where both diamonds were placed in salt and carefully leveled with a fancy flat Italian cake-frosting spreader , with the camera looking straight down (so both Octavias were pretty close to on-axis) these are both set on a piece of clear plexiglass so their culet and girdle are touching the plexiglas.
The camera was angled down to look at the 1.51 on axis.
Since the diamonds are the same cut but different weights that means the right one is a bit off-axis.

I guess I could have placed, and adjusted a zillion times, a dot of wax under the culet on the right.

 

[yennyfire]

Here is another pic.
Unlike the previous pic where both diamonds were placed in salt and leveled with a fancy flay Italian cake frosting spreader , with the camera looking straight down (so both Octavias were pretty close to on-axis) these are both set on a piece of clear plexiglass so their culet and girdle are touching the plexiglas.
The camera was angled down to look at the 1.51 on axis.
Since the diamonds are the same cut but different weights that means the right one is a bit off-axis.

I guess I could have placed, and adjusted a zillion times, a dot of wax under the culet on the right.

I still prefer the larger one, size not withstanding. I'd prefer it even if it were the smaller one. I'd have to cry about the 70% price jump though.

 

[kenny]

oh i am in love LOVE with the larger one, i love how the cut corners are nearly as long as the sides!

be still my heart

Niel, you've nailed it.
The larger Octavia does have longer/wider windmills.

Maybe it's that stop-sign geometry that is grabbing me by the huevos.


Again, the lack of perfect symmetry of the light and dark facets is the result of my imperfect environment and lighting, not the cut of the diamonds.

Before you complain, you try to assemble a perfectly even environmental set up and perfectly symmetrical lighting.

 

[Dancing Fire]

Is it eye clean from top w/o a loupe?

To MY eyes the 1.51, with or without my glasses, is eye-clean.

But, to a younger person, probably not.
Resale value/desireability is a bit of a factor so ...

Haa,Haa...more of a "mind clean" thing...

why worry about resale value??...when you can always upgrade!..

 

[kenny]

DF, I don't recall.
Do YOU have a nice diamond?

 

[kenny]

KarlK and Jonathan of GOG, I welcome and I request your input here.

I think you can post, now that I've requested it.

Please feel free to say anything.

 

[Dancing Fire]

DF, I don't recall.
Do YOU have a nice diamond?

No!... I hope to one of these days.. I'm trying to borrow $35k from any PSer whom is willing to loan me the $$$...

 

[Dancing Fire]

Kenny...Performance wise, does both stone look the same to your eyes?

 

[justginger]

I much prefer the larger stone. Subjectively, I like the longer windmills - it looks more like an Octavia to me than the smaller one. This is of course a silly thought, as they are clearly both Octavias; I just associate the more even 8 sides with the cut for some reason. Add in my preference of size, and it's the clear winner to me.

Is it worth 70% more? To me, yes. I prefer what it looks like at least 70% more than the other stone. Only you can determine that for yourself. Surely there have been cases where there is no clear appearance of the basis of a substantial price difference and you've still deemed it "worth it." In FCDs, it would equate to a missing modifying word on a GIA doc, despite the appearance perhaps being nearly identical to another, much cheaper, stone that HAD been given the modifier. Or provenance, in the case of Argyle. Or even the colour being of natural origin, when a very similar colour could be produced through irradiation. Sometimes despite a smallish visual "pay off," a large price difference is acceptable.

 

[gregchang35]

The G VS2 sounds good to me!...

+1
some funds t
Also envious that you are getting an Octavia.

More are still for sale.
What are you waiting for?

You simply MUST keep up with the Kennys.

I am waiting for some US funds to come into my account from a trusted PS'er who just so happen to get a really NICE windfall.
Unfortunately, it has not cleared, YET! Something about the PS'er not making up his mind about what he truly wants to do with his funds....Some ppl are just so disrespectful of MY needs!

So, KENNY- pls deposit into my account NOW, and then i will be able to keep up with the Kennys!!!!

Actually, now that I have seen photos and your comments, i think you should wait for another stone. However, considering that i am still in the US, you can purchase the smaller and cheaper one and ship it to me, instead of transferring the funds into my US account. I will make it easier for you, i don't even need for it to be set... Just the stone is good enough for me. Note that i have chosen the smaller one so that it will still leave you with enough funds for your stone of choice!!!!!

 

[ClassyRocks]

Definitely the larger one. There are no questions in my mind!

 

[Dreamer_D]

I much prefer the larger one and not only because of the size.

The cut is spectacular and really sets it apart as unique. I think it is worth 70% more. Or, put another way, I think its worth selling a couple eensie weensie FCDs for

 

[Enerchi]

My eyes are also old --- not sure what age yours are, but mine have been in use for QUITE A WHILE now!! lol - but looking at the 2 stones side by side - MY GAWD, they are both gorgeous!! You have quite the challenge to decide what's best in your own mind/budget as to which to keep, but I'm still keeping my 'life is too short' philosophy going, and suggesting do not compromise on size -

with an Octavia - oh baby, SIZE MATTERS! (which you know but I could NOT resist posting!)

If you are still not sure, are there any further Octavia's due to be cut? Can you request one from GOG? I'm not sure how that process works. I do hope that both Jonathan and KarlK do chime in and advise you...

(Advice from lil ole Enerchi --- GET IT!! you'll be a far better person... you'll be adored by the masses, you'll help little old ladies cross the street, people will flock to you from afar--- GET IT!! Subliminal enough for you, Kenny?? hahaha!)

 

[Karl_K]

Kenny go with your heart one will speak to you just a little more.

The area under the table is hard/impossible to photograph like it looks in person.
You tilt it a fraction of a degree and the look changes yet the eye is very good a lining it up in person.

For the record Yoram sources rough and cuts them.
Jon sells them.
I collect a design fee.

Finding suitable rough is the hang up.
It uses the entire rough there is no top stone possible so in order to be able to cut them for the price we sell them for Yoram has to find rough that would not cut a top but has enough good material to cut an Octavia and that is properly priced for cutting only one stone.
If Yoram used rough that could have been cut with a top stone we would have to charge around %25+ more.
They also have a very high cutting cost well beyond h&a rounds and other step cuts.