shape
carat
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#JOTW Introducing Vivian, the custom cut 4.2 I VVS2 ACA!

Tonks

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Dec 27, 2017
Messages
1,490
Our 20th anniversary is this year, and my husband told me some time ago he wanted to upgrade my engagement ring to celebrate. I did what any research nerd would do. Years of diamond research!

https://www.pricescope.com/communit...journey-…-from-a-research-perspective.277780/


The very long story of how I decided on cut, color, clarity, size, and ultimately, an ACA is in that thread.

Once we decided, we placed our order to custom cut an ACA with Whiteflash. While custom cutting is a bit daunting, all the WF guarantees apply to custom cuts. There are standards their ACAs have to meet, so no matter what the diamond’s specifics, you know it will have amazing light performance. It was also important to us that we have flexibility for future upgrades, and an ACA that is custom cut is upgradable just like any other ACA. You can even upgrade to another custom cut in the future.

Based on the available rough, WF guaranteed minimums for size, color, and clarity. They predicted our rough would yield 4 to 4.05 carats, I color, and VS1.

Six weeks later, Becca (my WF sales rep, and possibly fairy godmother) called. She said, “I have good news and bad news.” At that I seriously almost had a heart attack. I ran through all the bad news possibilities in my mind in about two nanoseconds. Was it down a color? A clarity? Did it somehow not make AGS Ideal? ACK!!!!!!

Then Becca said, “the bad news is that while it’s back from GIA, they forgot to inscribe the GIA number on it, so it will need to go back.”

Wait, what? This I could deal with.

Becca continued and explained that while GIA had inscribed “A Cut Above” and the ACA logo, they just forgot to inscribe the GIA number. That they actually did it with a whole batch of stones.

And then she got to the good news.

“Are you ready for this? It finished as a VVS2. AND….it’s 4.20 carats. I was like, I have to call her to tell her.”

Friends. I cannot really describe hearing that except to tell you my brain short-circuited. It took a minute of Becca repeating herself for it to sink in.

We paid for a 4–4.05 carat I, VS1. And we won the custom cutting lottery and ended up with a 4.20 I, VVS2. WF’s custom cutting policies are such that you don’t have to pay the difference. I am STILL pinching myself. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would end up with a stone with these specs. I told Becca prior to cutting that I really adore chunky arrows and would love it if the stone could have LGFs in the 75-76 range. She told me that WF can’t cut to those specific requests, and that the stone would fall somewhere in their ACA specifications. So you can imagine, I was overjoyed to see that both the GIA report and the Sarin showed lower girdle facets of 75. Becca sent me a peek of the stone on her hand, and I wanted to do a small dance. Chunky arrows and rainbows galore!

Here are the advanced images from WF.

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The stone on Becca’s hand.
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Tonks

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Dec 27, 2017
Messages
1,490
The stone made her way back to GIA, and we got an updated report that reflected she’d been inscribed. She also has the new AGS Ideal Report.


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Then it was on to setting. I chose the Vatche U113 because I fell in love with the classic Tiffany six prong look. After agonizing over what type of prongs, I finally decided to keep the look consistent with the classic Tiffany setting and to go for tabs. I had some very specific requests, though, and I am so impressed with how it turned out. Hung, WF’s master jeweler, set my stone. He got it just right.
  • The prongs are exactly what I hoped for—Tiffany inspired tabs, ever so slightly softened at the corners. Thank you to @yssie for helping me translate that wish into an annotated photo to send to WF!
  • I asked that the prongs not protrude from the girdle and that they be as delicate as possible, and they are, in fact, FAR more delicate and precise than the settings I saw at Tiffany when I was looking. In real life all I see from the top view is the gorgeous diamond, and that was the goal.
  • It was also important to me that the setting be comfortable and that the prongs not catch on anything, and it is fantastic in that regard. It is smooth and nothing has caught so much as a tiny fuzz.
  • Height—The height is great as well. I had asked for the low side of medium, as this is already a tall stone. It is really impressive how the WF bench was able to find the height here. It is high enough that it shows the stone off, yet low enough that it is easy to wear.
  • I asked that the prongs be close to the diamond on the pavilion side—didn’t want a lot of space between the prongs and the stone. The result is perfect. The prongs skim right up the sides of the stone.

There is really nothing that can prepare you for unboxing a diamond like this. When I opened the ring box, my husband and I both gasped. (Seriously, I nearly had to pick him up off the floor.) This stone is really very special, and I’m not just saying that because she’s mine. It is spectacular.

Her name is Vivian. Which means alive. Because she truly seems alive. She’s changeable and really invites you to stare. She grabs colors from the environment and throws them back, but always manages to be white. She turns into a dancing glitter show under LED lighting (yes, I ran out to a local store with my favorite lighting so I could see). Outside she is a shower of rainbows, and in direct sunlight watch out! She’s blinding.

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The chunky arrows give this stone such a fantastic personality. She’s clearly a precision cut modern brilliant—you can see her arrows in almost every light. Yet the size of those arrows and her facets in general give her a tiny bit of OEC flavor, which I just love.


On our walk this evening.
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As for color, while she does reflect environmental color like crazy, she manages to stay bright white. This may say as much about my lack of color sensitivity as anything else, but I truly do not see a color difference between this stone and my CBI studs, which are AGS Gs.


With my CBI studs (AGS Gs).
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Tonks

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Dec 27, 2017
Messages
1,490
I’ve never had a stone with clarity this high, and it may make me a high-clarity convert. You can really gaze into it with a feeling that nothing gets in the way. It feels very pure and clean.

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The size really was a shock at first. Vivian is bigger than I had anticipated. And she is not a shy personality! She is sassy and bold. I love it, truly. Here’s a perspective shot—I really like the size on my hand.

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Overall I am so thankful that I did so much research. This ring feels incredibly mind clean, and I have a sense of peace about the whole thing.


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On a funny note, while I have named her Vivian, my children (teenagers) have strong feelings that her name should be either Mary Jane (because she’s 4.20) or Dwayne (as in The Rock). I’m calling her Vivian but I won’t lie—they’ve got me hearing Tom Patty’s “Mary Jane’s Last Dance.”

A HUGE thank you to Becca at Whiteflash. She was truly fantastic through this entire process. She gave us the info we needed to decide on a stone, space to make the decision, and support once we committed to the process.

And finally, I would be remiss not to thank all the wonderful PSers who held my hand and provided advice through this process. (One asked me the status of “our ring” at one point, and honestly, this feels like a group project). Thank you to @mrs-b @RunningwithScissors @yssie sie @LLJsmom and @diamondseeker2006 . You are all treasures.
 

Cerulean

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Sep 13, 2019
Messages
5,077
Holy smokes. Absolutely stunning and what a boon with specs like that! It was so fun watching your journey. I ogled every pic you shared and loved the level of detail and thoughtfulness that went into it. You clearly wound up with your dream ring but it was not by happenstance!

Honestly, I have to say, this stone and setting is making me yearn for an MRB in ways I didn’t know were possible! :lol: I see what you mean about those chunky arrows and OEC vibes! And those tabs are perfect - I love a good tab prong!

Congrats on your gorgeous upgrade. Enjoy her for many years to come!
 

HS4S_2

Brilliant_Rock
Premium
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May 23, 2017
Messages
1,852
Ohhh my goodness! Beautiful. Beautiful. Beautiful. It looks perfect on you!
 

rcjtraveler

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
May 29, 2018
Messages
1,045
Wow, wow, wow!!! Vivian is gorgeous and looks beautiful on you. Enjoy and wear her in good health!!
 

Tonks

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Dec 27, 2017
Messages
1,490
A few more photos!


I call this one, “Where’s Waldo, But With A Diamond.”
This stone picks up color from the environment like you wouldn’t believe.
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The profile is so clean. I just love the setting.
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Trying with my HPD eternity (3 carats, 0.17 stones). I think it will need a spacer so this was just for a quick photo.
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From the side—spacer will be needed.
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I can use my VC single cut band as a spacer, but I’m going to have to get used to Vivian on her own before I add this much extra bling!
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MiniMinerva

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Mar 3, 2021
Messages
353
Oh my goodness! What a dream! I’ve been away from PS for a while so will have to catch up on reading about your journey. Congrats! And I love her name. Vivian is truly vivacious!
 

Tonks

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Dec 27, 2017
Messages
1,490
A few more.


Goal prongs that I sent to WF on top, Vivian’s prongs on the bottom. They did a FANTASTIC job on these prongs!
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Vivian on the left, Tiffany 3 carat on the right. I thought it was an interesting comparison. The U113 is really an amazing setting. I am super happy with the profile.
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Sarin of the stone. I asked for it since GIA rounds and I wanted to know the numbers as they would have been on the old AGS reports. They also got me an advanced Sarin, which was super cool.
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Lisa Loves Shiny

Ideal_Rock
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4,687
So beautiful and looks great with the 6 prongs.
 

SapphireBomb

Shiny_Rock
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Dec 15, 2021
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Congratulations Vivian is absolutely breathtaking!!!!
 

MissGotRocks

Super_Ideal_Rock
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Jun 23, 2005
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16,269
Wow - turned out so well! What a boost to the order as well. I was a bit afraid it would be too big but it looks perfect on your hand! Congrats on your anniversary and such a glorious diamond to celebrate it. I love an ACA and yours is glorious!
 

diamondseeker2006

Super_Ideal_Rock
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Jan 11, 2006
Messages
58,547
Yayyyy!!! I was just checking in here to see if you had posted yet!!! What a fantastic, perfectly cut diamond!:kiss2: I love the bonus in size and clarity!

As most people know, I love the Vatche U-113, and wow did Whiteflash nail those prongs!!! I can honestly say they could not be any better! :appl:

It truly is a fabulous ring, and you already have the perfect bands to wear with it! I think it is a great size and certainly is a forever size...no upgrades needed!

Sorry for all the exclamation points :lol:...I can't help but be excited for you!
(makes me want one, though!)
 

lovedogs

Super_Ideal_Rock
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Jul 31, 2014
Messages
18,024
OH MY GOD those specs, those arrows!!!! Killing me from every. Angle. She is perfect, truly. Congrats a million times!!!!! This is seriously #JOTW material!!!
 

Mrsz1ppy

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Feb 23, 2012
Messages
1,297
I was so excited to check Vivian out, and she does not disappoint! The proportions are perfectly in line with your hand. The setting—perfection—the stone—perfection. And how wonderful to get the bonus size and clarity.

I learned so much from your process. Thank you for taking the time to document your research and reflections. It certainly paid off!
 

lulu_ma

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Sep 9, 2020
Messages
4,082
Oh-she's a stunner! It's a like a diamond fairytale!

(gah-I don't know how to get rid of all this extra text)

https://giphy.com/embed/uBQNLeszLtiNO" width="100%" height="100%" style="position:absolute" frameBorder="0" class="giphy-embed" allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p><a href="
">via GIPHY</a></p>
 

m-2-b

Ideal_Rock
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Mar 1, 2011
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4,036
Congrats on your new ACA--wear it in good health! :appl:

Welcome to the ACA club! :wavey:
 

Tonks

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Dec 27, 2017
Messages
1,490
I almost forgot—meant to add this to help with the research perspective.

Since I did percent finger coverage analysis of so many solitaires, I want to add Vivian. The size is an interesting question. My true finger size is a 6.5 where a ring sits (can actually be smaller when I’m cold), but Vivian is a 6.75 because I swell, especially at the knuckle. So I’ll give numbers for both.

Vivian (4.20, 10.43 mm diameter) 61% finger coverage on a size 6.75 (17.1 mm ring diameter). Size 6.5 is 61.7% finger coverage (16.9 mm ring diameter).

I am still gobsmacked by how finger size affects our perception of size of stones, and so glad I thought to do the percent coverage analysis. Hope that can be helpful to someone else!

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Star gazer

Shiny_Rock
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Nov 11, 2021
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441
It's beautiful, and beautiful ON you!!! Congrats!!!
 

SandyK

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Apr 9, 2016
Messages
697
OMGOSHHHHHHHH DEAD!!!!!!!!! :kiss2::kiss2:

Will attempt a better response later lol, having some end of the week drinks haha. But this is UNREAL and I am so very happy for you!!!
 

Bonfire

Ideal_Rock
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Feb 22, 2014
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4,232
Tonks I have enjoyed your informative journey to this stone and setting. Thank you for taking us along on this ride with you. What a spectacular diamond! Congratulations on your 20th and here’s to the next 20.
 

WhoaNelly

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Sep 7, 2013
Messages
403
Glorious! Love the story behind Vivian as well. Happy anniversary!
 

oncrutchesrightnow

Ideal_Rock
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Apr 17, 2006
Messages
2,635
Mmmm so pretty. And everything is top notch. The stone, the setting, the process. More pics!
 
Joined
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What an absolutely gorgeous ring! Everything about it is perfect!!! Congratulations!
 

mrs-b

Super_Ideal_Rock
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Aug 18, 2013
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11,542
@Tonks -

THERE SHE IS!!

As I occasionally say on PS - but only regarding the very best pieces - she is a stone cold beauty. Her color flashes are breathtaking, and her proportions on your finger are just perfect.

I swear, the cleanliness is evident even in photos! I know that can't really be possible (can it??), but there is just a sense, looking at her, of looking into a crystal clear pool of water; nothing coming between the eye and that amazing faceting!

And speaking of faceting.....

A true 75% LGF! And I mean 'true' as opposed to the 75% LGF you see so often on GIA certs, which you know could actually be anything from 73 - 77%. This ring REALLY benefits from that number; those chunkier arrows are divine.

Tonks, I am so genuinely happy for you. I love this setting and the ring as a whole, and Vivian is a VERY white looking 'I'!! You've truly found a needle in a haystack and your hard work has all paid off!

And I will concede - she is not "our" ring. But the joy she brings is truly shared by all of us who followed your journey and who wish you every good thing.

Congratulations, my friend. And congratulations on 20 happy years; may you have many, many more. <3
 
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Slickk

Ideal_Rock
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Jan 3, 2013
Messages
4,926
It’s just perfect! Happy anniversary! What a beautiful and clean diamond, amazing really. Love the setting. It looks just delicious on you!!
 

MamaBear

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Jan 25, 2020
Messages
1,145
VIVIAN. IS. FABULOUS! Truly breathtaking.
 

Christinak

Shiny_Rock
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Jun 2, 2016
Messages
442
Oh my what an amazing ring! Wow
 
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