Infinity Princess I1 Opinions

[London_Diamond]

I am a complete novice when it comes to selecting diamonds but through this forum have decided that a princess cut AGS0 would make the perfect stone for my ering.

I have viewed quite a few princess stones at B&M stores and was not overly impressed with the quality or the value offered. I stumbled upon this site and through it found high performance diamonds. The videos and photos show princess cuts on another level and after reading about the craftsmanship and quality I was sold on the Infinity brand.

The stone I have selected meets almost all my criteria. It is over 1ct, H in colour, AGS0, within budget, but it has I1 clarity. Ideally I wanted SI clarity but having read a number of posts about how good I1 diamonds can be, especially Infinty cut, I decided to view this one.

I contacted Wink Jones who has been excellent. He has advised that the stone is very eye cleanish and that you need to look VERY hard to see the inclusion. He has arranged to ship the diamond to London where I can view it at Dr Indira Marchants offices (Infinity''s UK distributor).

Being new to this I would appreciate any opinions and tips on what to look for and any questions to ask.

The diamond in question can be seen here

http://www.highperformancediamonds.com/index.php?page=view-id-diamond-infinity&id=669

Thanks in advance.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 10/11/2009 7:45:20 AM
Author:London_Diamond
I am a complete novice when it comes to selecting diamonds but through this forum have decided that a princess cut AGS0 would make the perfect stone for my ering.

I have viewed quite a few princess stones at B&M stores and was not overly impressed with the quality or the value offered. I stumbled upon this site and through it found high performance diamonds. The videos and photos show princess cuts on another level and after reading about the craftsmanship and quality I was sold on the Infinity brand.

The stone I have selected meets almost all my criteria. It is over 1ct, H in colour, AGS0, within budget, but it has I1 clarity. Ideally I wanted SI clarity but having read a number of posts about how good I1 diamonds can be, especially Infinty cut, I decided to view this one.

I contacted Wink Jones who has been excellent. He has advised that the stone is very eye cleanish and that you need to look VERY hard to see the inclusion. He has arranged to ship the diamond to London where I can view it at Dr Indira Marchants offices (Infinity's UK distributor).

Being new to this I would appreciate any opinions and tips on what to look for and any questions to ask.

The diamond in question can be seen here

http://www.highperformancediamonds.com/index.php?page=view-id-diamond-infinity&id=669

Thanks in advance.

Hi London diamond,

I have actually seen and louped an Infinity I1 in person and I must admit much to the amusement of the ring's owner who happens to be an expert, I had to have the inclusion pointed out to me! So I would say an Infinity I1 is definitely well worth taking the time to view. That looks like a beautiful diamond and Indira is a fantastic lady, you will get on so well with her! Ask her anything you want to know, she is a true expert and passionate about cut quality and making sure her clients are happy and I would suggest looking at the diamond without a loupe initially to see if you can view the inclusion, then loupe it. If you do this the other way round then it can be easier to find the inclusion as your eye knows where to go. See if you can view the diamond near a window where Indira sometimes meets her clients to see how it looks in plain daylight and also in dim lighting conditions, you will notice an Infinity does not die the moment you reduce the lighting, unlike some lesser cut Princess. Above all I would say keep an open mind with an Infinity I1, I would not have believed an I1 could be so clean due to very clever planning and cutting that goes into an Infinity if I had not seen one and had the chance to thoroughly inspect and loupe it with my own eyes.

 

[London_Diamond]

Many thansk Lorelei, I was hoping you''d comment as I''ve read about your I1 experiences

I am really looking forward to seeing the stone and will be following your tips.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 10/11/2009 8:08:07 AM
Author: London_Diamond
Many thansk Lorelei, I was hoping you'd comment as I've read about your I1 experiences

I am really looking forward to seeing the stone and will be following your tips.

Most welcome! I have 2 very clean I1's, you can find the inclusions if you know where to look but they aren't obtrusive. I have seen good I1's and I have seen bad ones but this Infinity really opened my eyes. The owner of this Infinity diamond asked me what clarity grade I thought it was, I looked at it with unaided eyes then louped it - thoroughly. I couldn't find a thing in this diamond even with the loupe and I thought it was a far higher clarity grade than it was and was amazed when I was told it was an I1! Only with careful direction was I finally able to find the inclusion with the loupe which was a centrally located crystal! So definitely give this one a chance and see what you think! I1's aren't created equal as you know but there is a good chance this one might fit the bill for you going by what Wink says.

 

[Dreamer_D]

I have owned an I1 (recently sold it to my BIL for his e-ring!) and although I could see the inclusions easiy with a loup, I could not see it at all with the naked eye! I think if you are not mentally bothered by an I1 -- knowing it is there doesn''t bother you -- then it is a great deal if you can find an eye clean stone!

I notice that Wink called it "eye cleanish". Just be sure that it meets your persoanl criteria before you go thorugh the hassel of havign it sent over! It is possible to find I1''s that are indisputably eye clean.

 

[elle_chris]

Is this ring for "you" or your girlfriend?

If you are the lady and have no hangups with I1 clarity, and the stone is eye clean, that''s great.

If you''re the guy, I''d make sure your girlfriend is ok with an I1 diamond.

 

[WinkHPD]

Date: 10/11/2009 6:30:09 PM
Author: dreamer_dachsie
I have owned an I1 (recently sold it to my BIL for his e-ring!) and although I could see the inclusions easiy with a loup, I could not see it at all with the naked eye! I think if you are not mentally bothered by an I1 -- knowing it is there doesn''t bother you -- then it is a great deal if you can find an eye clean stone!

I notice that Wink called it ''eye cleanish''. Just be sure that it meets your persoanl criteria before you go thorugh the hassel of havign it sent over! It is possible to find I1''s that are indisputably eye clean.

The diamond has already started its journey.

I called it eye cleanish because if I squint just right and twist my nose a little I can see the inclusion under very close inspection. At a normal viewing distance I can not.

Of course, this does not mean that our OP will not be able to see it if he has extremely good vision, just that I believe it will be difficult for him.

Wink

 

[London_Diamond]

The ring is for my girlfriend. TBH she is more focused on the look and sparkle of the stone and I''m more interested in the paperwork.

I have bought her diamond jewelery in the past which I now know to be lacking in quality (in those days I had never even heard of the 4 C''s!!) and even today she still loves to wear it.

I''m confident that if this diamond has no eye visible inclusions she''ll be blown away.

Another big comfort factor for me is the lifetime trade up option that Infinity provides through their authorised dealers. If my girlfriend is unhappy about the I1 then I can always upgrade with little loss on my original purchase. Hopefully it won''t come to that

 

[London_Diamond]

Date: 10/11/2009 11:34:16 PM
Author: Wink

Date: 10/11/2009 6:30:09 PM

Author: dreamer_dachsie

I have owned an I1 (recently sold it to my BIL for his e-ring!) and although I could see the inclusions easiy with a loup, I could not see it at all with the naked eye! I think if you are not mentally bothered by an I1 -- knowing it is there doesn''t bother you -- then it is a great deal if you can find an eye clean stone!


I notice that Wink called it ''eye cleanish''. Just be sure that it meets your persoanl criteria before you go thorugh the hassel of havign it sent over! It is possible to find I1''s that are indisputably eye clean.

The diamond has already started its journey.


I called it eye cleanish because if I squint just right and twist my nose a little I can see the inclusion under very close inspection. At a normal viewing distance I can not.


Of course, this does not mean that our OP will not be able to see it if he has extremely good vision, just that I believe it will be difficult for him.


Wink

Wink,

I''m looking forward to seeing it!

 

[Lorelei]

I will be watching this thread, I am really interested to hear what you think when you see it!

 

[glitterata]

I own two round Infinities that Wink called "eye-cleanish." In one of them I can''t see the inclusions at all without a loupe. In the other I can sometimes see something in some lighting, or at least I THINK I can. But I really doubt anybody else could see it without putting their nose up against my hand.

I bet your Infinity will be clean and beautiful.

 

[London_Diamond]

Well I had my viewing yesterday.

Before I comment I would like to thank Wink Jones and Indira Marchant who have both been fantastic. If anybody is thinking of dealing with them they should not hesitate, a knowledgeable and professional service is guaranteed!

This was the first time I''d seen an infinity cut stone in the flesh and I can truly say I was amazed. This stone was a glitter bomb! It sparkled like crazy and even in dimmer light still displayed fire and scintillation.

Wink described the diamond as very eye cleanish and this call was absolutely spot on. When I first saw the stone I could not see the inclusion, possibly due to the dazzling nature of the cut.

Under the loupe the inclusions were very visible as expected. The first inclusion was a black carbon spot and the second a cloud.

Once I knew where to look my eyes were automatically drawn to the inclusions. Ironically the carbon spot was completely masked by the ideal cut but the cloud was not. On very close inspection I could see a tiny white crescent, almost like the very tip of the little finger nail in the near centre of the stone.

Initially I did not think of this as being too much of an issue and actually put down a deposit to secure the stone.

However I spent the evening talking to family and friends and the general consensus was that while my girlfriend may not currently know a great deal about diamonds she would undoubtedly use the web to research ideal cut stones. Inevitably this would lead to her learning about plot maps and inclusions and I did not want to risk her finding the single visible inclusion and ruining what was otherwise a perfect diamond.

I informed Indira of my decision this morning and she has been superb. I am 100% sold on the infinity brand and she is working on sourcing me a new stone. What is even more amazing is she copied Paul Slegers in and within a short while I had a response from him discussing the current inventory levels and stock of roughs! Fantastic customer service.

I have accepted that to find an eye clean infinity will probably require an increase in budget and possibly involve a compromise in perhaps colour or carat, but I am confident that with team Infinty''s help I will find my stone.

 

[Laila619]

Sorry that one didn''t work, but I''m sure you will find an even better Infinity. Good luck!

 

[stone-cold11]

Good luck.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 10/29/2009 4:34:28 PM
Author: London_Diamond
Well I had my viewing yesterday.

Before I comment I would like to thank Wink Jones and Indira Marchant who have both been fantastic. If anybody is thinking of dealing with them they should not hesitate, a knowledgeable and professional service is guaranteed!

This was the first time I''d seen an infinity cut stone in the flesh and I can truly say I was amazed. This stone was a glitter bomb! It sparkled like crazy and even in dimmer light still displayed fire and scintillation.

Wink described the diamond as very eye cleanish and this call was absolutely spot on. When I first saw the stone I could not see the inclusion, possibly due to the dazzling nature of the cut.

Under the loupe the inclusions were very visible as expected. The first inclusion was a black carbon spot and the second a cloud.

Once I knew where to look my eyes were automatically drawn to the inclusions. Ironically the carbon spot was completely masked by the ideal cut but the cloud was not. On very close inspection I could see a tiny white crescent, almost like the very tip of the little finger nail in the near centre of the stone.

Initially I did not think of this as being too much of an issue and actually put down a deposit to secure the stone.

However I spent the evening talking to family and friends and the general consensus was that while my girlfriend may not currently know a great deal about diamonds she would undoubtedly use the web to research ideal cut stones. Inevitably this would lead to her learning about plot maps and inclusions and I did not want to risk her finding the single visible inclusion and ruining what was otherwise a perfect diamond.

I informed Indira of my decision this morning and she has been superb. I am 100% sold on the infinity brand and she is working on sourcing me a new stone. What is even more amazing is she copied Paul Slegers in and within a short while I had a response from him discussing the current inventory levels and stock of roughs! Fantastic customer service.

I have accepted that to find an eye clean infinity will probably require an increase in budget and possibly involve a compromise in perhaps colour or carat, but I am confident that with team Infinty''s help I will find my stone.

So glad you loved the Infinity, they ARE amazing aren''t they?? Indira is a wonderful lady and I am not surprised that she, Wink and Paul are going out of their way to help you!!!

Please do report back when you have made some progress in finding another diamond!

 

[Lula]

I'm glad to hear you're going with an Infinity Princess. When I saw the Infinity Princess cut in person a few weeks ago, I was also blown away by the sparkle and fire. Ditto Lorelei -- please keep us posted on your progress, and please, please, remember to post some pictures on the Show Me the Ring forum on PS. We need to see more finished rings set with Infinity princess cut stones on SMTR!