Infinity D vs. Infinity O fight!

[AprilBaby]

I would 100% take the O as the D is too unclean to the mind for me. I can''t wait to hear what you think when you see them in person!

 

[rosskuhns]

Wow, I''m so glad, this sure got the opinions going!

to deepen the fun, here''s a vid link to the .8 diamond...

http://vidmails.com/popups/popUpPreview.php?v=NjYyODZlNmI5YTljN2FiOWM4NTI1MDdiNDY3NTE4NGFhZmRmYzRiNi53bXY=&uf=1

sorry it''s so long, hopefully it will work, here, I''ll try a tiny url, click on this: http://tinyurl.com/8tdd8p
Just worked for me.
Woah, that one looks great too...I can''t see any inclusions on the video.

For fun I put them thru Halloway Cut Advisor (what you see people refer to as the HCA for other newbies)
The D .8 got a 1.2
The O (Oh My Gosh) got a 1.5

*I was looking at the Idealscope on both of them, and the O looks "better"? Not as much leakage or is it just because the image is darker. I''m not too hip to what I''m looking at.

We''re both in our mid 30''s, professionals- she''s a professor and I doubt she''d have any tears regarding any derogatory comments, she''s a smart strong woman...heck, she''d probably start a study over it..but I''m going with the safe bet...after I tell her parents next week I''ll get her moms opinion

Both of the stones are at her parents now, they don''t know whats in the package. I''ll take my Nikon D40 too and try to get some pictures. No idea what Winks holder looks like, but we''ll see!


Ross

 

[jstarfireb]

You have the great advantage of being able to see the stones in person. Look closely at the D...if it's truly eye-clean from every angle at a close enough distance for you and everyone else who sees it to be satisfied, I'd get that one. Also, you've probably covered this already, but be sure to ask Wink if the I1 grade presents a durability issue.

If I noticed visible inclusions, I'd go for the O, but set it in a way that covers the sides of the stone with metal (a full bezel comes to mind just as an example; see what Wink can come up with). Color is most likely to show up from the sides, but as you can see in the video, the stone is dynamite face-up. I would also set it as a solitaire so as not to draw a contrast between the color of any sidestones or melee and the O.

Why do I favor the D as first pick? It's all in what the average observer can see. I think people will definitely notice the O color more than the I1 clarity of the D. But regardless of clarity grade, a stone that's not eye-clean is not mind-clean for me, plain and simple.

The strong blue fluor is a nice touch in either stone (I'm definitely a fluor girl), but it should probably help with the color as some others have mentioned.

Good luck! I'd love to see the final results.

ETA: Saw the video...that D looks beautifully clean from what I can see. D all the way!

 

[Paul-Antwerp]

You know, it is funny. Both stones that you have selected are the result of some weird market mechanisms in the past two years, and some co-incidence.

Around that time (beginning of 2007), prices of certain polished stones started rising more than we were used to, and also the medium cut-quality-stones became more expensive. As a result, we experienced rough becoming rapidly more expensive, even at a faster speed than the increase in polished. And while competition for good rough is always fierce, at that time it was unusually so.

We enjoy satisfying a wide range of color and clarity preferences in our traditional range of choices, but at this time our suppliers also forced us to accept lower colored and more fluorescent rough than we were accustomed to. If we would not accept, someone else would be happy to buy that parcel. Some of you know that we have always resold about half the rough in parcels we purchase as geometrically unsuitable to become Infinity. We make many friends in the district by offering rough they can easily convert into commercial princess cuts, 60/60 rounds and such. In the same way we used to sell lower colors and high fluorescence, even when geometrically suitable. But now we had these parcels with more crystals like this.

While under the supply pressures I have described we have tried out more of these lower colors (like that O) and more fluorescent ones (like both the D and the O) and were surprised ourselves by the result. My business-partner now proudly wears a L-color princess-cut, and it surprised the hell of a lot professionals at last JCK-show, some of whom even guessed F. And these are lifelong tradesmen and women.

Now, with the market-situation for rough being different, we will continue to produce these, because of the very favorable reaction of many consumers.

Live long,

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Even though it would be a privilege to own one of Paul''s stones, I do not feel that I1 and O color are very desirable for an engagement ring. I prefer a balance of excellent cut with decent color and clarity. Going down to J color in a hearts and arrows cut is very nice in white metals, and you can find nice SI1 and SI2 clarity. I think you can go lower in color if the stone is antique or being set in an antique setting, though. Good Old Gold did have a H&A O color stone recently set in a yellow gold halo, and it was quite beautiful especially for a right hand ring.

So if I personally had to choose between these two, I''d either set the O in a yellow gold halo to enhance the color or get the D and never look at it up close! The poor clarity would really bother me, but I guess there are people that like it! (My guess is that the potential in-laws will choose the D especially if their eyesight is a little less precise than a young person''s!)

 

[Winks_Elf]

Personally, if I had to choose between the two, I would go for the O. Why? Because I am one of those people who actually looks for warmth in a stone. The combination of ideal cutting and warm color just makes me swoon! I'd set it in a two tone halo...yellow bezel around the center stone.

I pick diamonds the way I pick friends and homes...with warmth and character!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I just realized the ring I was referring to was Q color instead of O. But you can see what I meant by enhancing the color with the yellow halo:

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/5117

 

[swingirl]

The M I1 stone I have cut by Infinity (now in a pendant) would make a gorgeous ering for someone looking for that size and budget. When I put it on my finger next to my ACA WF eternity band it looks just great. An O is going to be 2 grades warmer and might be too warm for some (but not me). Here is a beautiful setting with a Q in yellow gold head. Q set in yellow gold

EDIT: We were looking at the same thing!! Isn't that a gorgeous ring?

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Date: 12/22/2008 4:28:07 PM
Author: swingirl
The M I1 stone I have cut by Infinity (now in a pendant) would make a gorgeous ering for someone looking for that size and budget. When I put it on my finger next to my ACA WF eternity band it looks just great. An O is going to be 2 grades warmer and might be too warm for some (but not me). Here is a beautiful setting with a Q in yellow gold head. Q set in yellow gold

EDIT: We were looking at the same thing!! Isn''t that a gorgeous ring?

Haha! Yes! It is a beautiful ring! Lower colors set right can be gorgeous! I just don''t see an O color set in a traditional platinum solitaire. I think people will notice the lower color.

 

[WinkHPD]

Date: 12/22/2008 4:02:15 PM
Author: diamondseeker2006
Even though it would be a privilege to own one of Paul''s stones, I do not feel that I1 and O color are very desirable for an engagement ring. I prefer a balance of excellent cut with decent color and clarity. Going down to J color in a hearts and arrows cut is very nice in white metals, and you can find nice SI1 and SI2 clarity. I think you can go lower in color if the stone is antique or being set in an antique setting, though. Good Old Gold did have a H&A O color stone recently set in a yellow gold halo, and it was quite beautiful especially for a right hand ring.

So if I personally had to choose between these two, I''d either set the O in a yellow gold halo to enhance the color or get the D and never look at it up close! The poor clarity would really bother me, but I guess there are people that like it! (My guess is that the potential in-laws will choose the D especially if their eyesight is a little less precise than a young person''s!)

I have pretty good eyes, and I can see nothing in this diamond with them. I honestly believe that if I sent it to GIA it would be an SI2. The fact that my eyes and his eyes might see entirely different things is why I sent both of the diamonds to him on approval. It is so hard to know without seeing the diamonds up close, and why so many wonderful diamonds are dismissed out of hand because of the paper.

It is also why Baskin and Robbins make 31 flavors, so that each person can choose the flavor that they like.

Wink

 

[swingirl]

I don''t take very good photos and after fumbling around with this stuff I put finger prints on everything. But here goes. Sorry, Wink, I couldn''t get the arrows to show up but his was more to show color.

The asscher is GIA graded H. The RB is AGS graded M (a very high M). It is all platinum and I took the photo inside.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I totally agree with Wink that this is all a matter of personal preference! In fact, a fun goal would be to have one stone of every color!

The problem, though, with the photos we see posted above is that they are reflecting the light used to take the picture and you cannot see the color differences in the stones. I can definitely see the difference between my F and H stones in natural light even though the H stones are much better cut.

Here is a better color comparison in lighting that shows the colors more accurately. I think I''d love to have one of the O color stones to set in something like a James Meyer yellow gold setting!

http://goodoldgold.com/4Cs/Color/Tinted/

 

[swingirl]

I didn''t use a flash but you are right about photos being unreliable regarding color. I wish he''d open that box, look at them both and tell us what he thinks. It''s not often you get to compare 2 stones you are considering buying off the internet.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Date: 12/22/2008 5:56:10 PM
Author: swingirl
I didn''t use a flash but you are right about photos being unreliable regarding color. I wish he''d open that box, look at them both and tell us what he thinks. It''s not often you get to compare 2 stones you are considering buying off the internet.

I agree. It is a great opportunity for him to compare the two stones. It would be even better if he had an I-J color stone to compare along with them.

 

[glitterata]

I''m sure the D will be eye clean to Ross, his professor gal, and almost everyone. Why am I sure? Because Wink is an honest man who tells it like he sees it. He says it''s eye-clean to him, and he has great eyes and lots of experience looking at diamonds.

I''m also sure the D will be eye clean because Wink told me he could sometimes see the inclusions in my Infinity diamond, which is a little smaller, and which I can''t see anything in without a loupe, even though I have excellent near vision. So if Wink didn''t think mine was completely eye clean, but he thinks the D is, I would be willing to bet my diamond ring that Ross, the professor, and her parents won''t see the inclusions in the D.

Is an eye-clean I1 too low for an engagement ring? That''s a mind-clean question. It doesn''t sound as if Ross and his professor care what the grade is--they care how the thing looks. So I think it will be fine for them.

The O, on the other hand, will show some color. I bet most people will be able to tell that it''s a lower color. But the question is, will Ross & the professor mind the tint? Or will they like it?

The O will also look bigger than the D. Not a huge amount bigger, but perceptibly bigger. That might be a consideration.

Ross has made it clear that he doesn''t have "mind-clean," "mind-white" issues with the diamonds. He cares whether they look beautiful to him and the professor, not whether their specs might cause other people to disapprove. Anyway, nobody will know the specs unless they choose to tell them.

So at this point, it''s just a question of what their eyes choose when they see the stones in person.

I, for one, am enjoying the suspense, and can''t wait to find out.

 

[glitterata]

Oh, also: Yay Paul!!!! for cutting a wider range of diamonds for oddballs like me who prefer them.

Cut me a .70-.80 G-J with blindingly strong blue fluorescence that shows purple in daylight and a nice, eye-visible, transparent I1 crystal smack-dab under the middle of the table, okay?

Or a garnet inclusion. A garnet dodecahedron would be very nice.

Thanks!

 

[jstarfireb]

Date: 12/22/2008 6:30:41 PM
Author: glitterata
Oh, also: Yay Paul!!!! for cutting a wider range of diamonds for oddballs like me who prefer them.

Cut me a .70-.80 G-J with blindingly strong blue fluorescence that shows purple in daylight and a nice, eye-visible, transparent I1 crystal smack-dab under the middle of the table, okay?

Or a garnet inclusion. A garnet dodecahedron would be very nice.

Thanks!

Take away the inclusion and I''ll fight you for that diamond, glitterata!

 

[Fly Girl]

Date: 12/22/2008 6:30:41 PM
Author: glitterata
Oh, also: Yay Paul!!!! for cutting a wider range of diamonds for oddballs like me who prefer them.

Cut me a .70-.80 G-J with blindingly strong blue fluorescence that shows purple in daylight and a nice, eye-visible, transparent I1 crystal smack-dab under the middle of the table, okay?

Or a garnet inclusion. A garnet dodecahedron would be very nice.

Thanks!

Absolutely agree! After viewing his awesome Princess cuts, I''m becoming a fan of those, as well. I''d like a 0.80 to 0.99 L-P I1 Princess with Strong Blue Fluor, please. I''d love to mount it starset for a dreamy pendant.

 

[rosskuhns]

Hello all! Thanks for all the good points and thoughts.
Paul, that is an interesting history, I guess I''m the beneficiary of that hard buying time- I get an Infiinity diamond in a range I can afford.
To start, let me just say, both stones are simply beautiful. They sparkle and show much nicer than most of the other stones I''ve looked at.

Here''s my take on the stones:
Yes, there is definently a color difference in the stones.

Surprisingly, I''d say most people would not notice it unless you compare it to the other stone, then the color shows. Or look at the side or bottom.
I actually think the O color has more fire and brilliance, but that might be a fact of it''s larger size and I''m partial to warmer colors. (hmm, do warmer colors show more pizzaz?)
The D is eye clean; there are some clear tear drops you can see under the loupe, but it faces up very well.


Time for a VISA commercial satire-
FedEx the Diamonds to her parents house: $45
Two beautiful Crafted by Infinity Diamonds: $5,586
Asking for an opinion from her parents on which stone? Useless.

It''s amazing how hard it was to get a time with just them together without her! Just to set the stage, both of her parents are professors too. We did Christmas at her grandparents in Rhode Island, huge family, then back to her parents in PA for our own gift time on sunday.
I finally got them downstairs together while she was in the shower, and told them I planned to ask her to marry me and if they were comfortable with that and well, said some other things and then I started to choke up a bit...her mom got all teared up and said thank you for asking, and yes, they were happy that I made her so happy. Her dad, a very strong man, apparently got, as my dad calls it, "blinkyy eyed" too. I then showed them the stones and well, they were too emotional to be of much help. There just wasn''t time to get into it all an there was still too much emotion.

I''ve pretty much got this week off, so I''m going to take them down to a friends jeweler who does custom settings and see get some opinion and thoughts from him. Maybe he has some different input or thoughts on them, he''s supposed to be a very nice gentlemen.


My opinion? Well, you can tell the O .93 is a bigger stone, and I''d go for that one in a heartbeat if it was a gold setting....however, in the silver setting I''m pretty sure she''ll want (it would work well with the tiffany sterling flex bracelet I gave her for christmas

), I think the D .80 is the stone I prefer. I imagine a classic solitaire setting with open sides for "the professor" but we''ll decide that together.

Sure, ideally an Infinity D SI1 .93 would be the best of both these stones, but that is miles out of my budget, which I''m going over already, but that''s fine, she''s well worth it. I do love her and we fit very well together in so many ways.

Now to figure out how/when to ask her...

*I thought of asking her and showing both stones, but I think she''d get way into it, she is a researcher and there''d probably be a spreadsheet involved...
with Winks great Infinity upgrade policy, I can always go bigger!

R

 

[WinkHPD]

Date: 12/30/2008 5:13:18 PM
Author: rosskuhns

FedEx the Diamonds to her parents house: $45
Two beautiful Crafted by Infinity Diamonds: $5,586
Asking for an opinion from her parents on which stone? Useless.

Been home sick today, feeling very punk.

Laughed very hard at this, feel much better.

Thank you!

Wink

 

[oldmancoyote]

Date: 12/30/2008 6:42:56 PM
Author: Wink

Date: 12/30/2008 5:13:18 PM
Author: rosskuhns

FedEx the Diamonds to her parents house: $45
Two beautiful Crafted by Infinity Diamonds: $5,586
Asking for an opinion from her parents on which stone? Useless.

Been home sick today, feeling very punk.

Laughed very hard at this, feel much better.

Thank you!

Wink

+1 (minus the sick part - hope you get better for the new year, Wink!)

Ross - I''m sure someone has posted this link before, but take a look at an idea for setting the O... http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/5117

OK - GOG''s stone is a Q, and it has a lot of other diamonds in the pave setting, but the general idea may work for you as well?

Also - are you sure about a silver setting? Silver is very soft and - unless you use germanium in the alloy - it tarnishes quite easily. Or do you mean silver-coloured metal (white gold, palladium or platinum)?

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Since she is the one who will be wearing the stone, I really think she is the one who needs to see them! I can see that there would be strong preferences both ways on these two stones if you asked a number of people.

(Hope you''ll be better soon, Wink!)

 

[Fly Girl]

Thanks for the update. I''ve been wondering how this project was proceeding for you.

I think you should show her the diamonds. Let her have fun with her spreadsheets!

I''d love to see which one she chooses.

 

[glitterata]

I agree--these are so different that the Professor should have a chance to see them and think about which she would prefer. I bet she''d enjoy it.

How great that you have a good relationship with your future in-laws.

 

[canuk-gal]

Date: 12/30/2008 5:13:18 PM
Author: rosskuhns

Time for a VISA commercial satire-
FedEx the Diamonds to her parents house: $45
Two beautiful Crafted by Infinity Diamonds: $5,586
Asking for an opinion from her parents on which stone? Useless.

HI:

HA! What happens if she sees them both...and cannot decide? Or wants a two stone ring????

.

cheers--Sharon

 

[stone-cold11]

Agreed, let her choose...

Wink, take care.

 

[rosskuhns]

Yes, I did see that Q, however, after having consulted one of her good friends, she is of the opinion (as am I) that she is more of the traditional solitaire setting or similar. As her mom said to me when I asked her which one, "she is very particular". Hmmm, peer pressure works on me, I may have to just pick one to place in the holder when I ask and show her the other one and try for a "blink" reaction on her...otherwise she is capable of delving into it so deeply that a decision will be a long way out

oldmancoyote (I love your avatar!), yes, I just meant a silver colored metal. I say this because she wears on her right hand a silver colored ring with small diamonds built into the band. She was previously married, which is a really sad story. After getting married, he went back to give his dissertation and got very sick the night before, hospital said it was pneumonia, well, he kept getting sick now and then, on their honeymoon etc, and to cut out all the misdiagnosis'', it turned out to be lung cancer and he was gone in not too many months. Non-smoker, just one of those things.
I guess you don''t expect to be a widow in your early 30''s, but she is an amazingly strong woman and has dealt with it, moved forward, and is an all together person. I''d like this ring to be silver to help match the other one she wears and perhaps in a small way, do a little tribute, if that makes any sense. Like the two of us, they will be different but alike in some ways. Okay, that made me "blinkey" just to think of the sad story again.

Ross

Get better Wink!!!

*I tried to take some pictures of them with my Nikon D40 with the smaller lens but could not get it to take, even on the M (macro) setting. Ah, I just thought, maybe I need to do a manual focus. (?)

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 12/31/2008 9:52:21 AM
Author: rosskuhns
Yes, I did see that Q, however, after having consulted one of her good friends, she is of the opinion (as am I) that she is more of the traditional solitaire setting or similar. As her mom said to me when I asked her which one, ''she is very particular''. Hmmm, peer pressure works on me, I may have to just pick one to place in the holder when I ask and show her the other one and try for a ''blink'' reaction on her...otherwise she is capable of delving into it so deeply that a decision will be a long way out

oldmancoyote (I love your avatar!), yes, I just meant a silver colored metal. I say this because she wears on her right hand a silver colored ring with small diamonds built into the band. She was previously married, which is a really sad story. After getting married, he went back to give his dissertation and got very sick the night before, hospital said it was pneumonia, well, he kept getting sick now and then, on their honeymoon etc, and to cut out all the misdiagnosis'', it turned out to be lung cancer and he was gone in not too many months. Non-smoker, just one of those things.
I guess you don''t expect to be a widow in your early 30''s, but she is an amazingly strong woman and has dealt with it, moved forward, and is an all together person. I''d like this ring to be silver to help match the other one she wears and perhaps in a small way, do a little tribute, if that makes any sense. Like the two of us, they will be different but alike in some ways. Okay, that made me ''blinkey'' just to think of the sad story again.

Ross

Get better Wink!!!

*I tried to take some pictures of them with my Nikon D40 with the smaller lens but could not get it to take, even on the M (macro) setting. Ah, I just thought, maybe I need to do a manual focus. (?)

Ross, you are a wonderful man!

And Winkie, I hope you feel better soon!

 

[coatimundi_org]

Date: 12/31/2008 9:52:21 AM
Author: rosskuhns
I guess you don't expect to be a widow in your early 30's, but she is an amazingly strong woman and has dealt with it, moved forward, and is an all together person. I'd like this ring to be silver to help match the other one she wears and perhaps in a small way, do a little tribute, if that makes any sense. Like the two of us, they will be different but alike in some ways. Okay, that made me 'blinkey' just to think of the sad story again.

Ross


Get better Wink!!!

Ross--you are amazing. I just teared up reading this post. Wow--you are both so lucky. I cannot wait to see the finished ring!


(still love that O!)

 

[glitterata]

Oh, how sad about her first husband!

And how lovely that she now has you.