Just got the ring, thoughts??

[malils]

Hi there,

I was hoping to get some honest opinions about the ring I just picked up. It was a custom made ring in Ontario, Canada. I just picked it up last week and am waiting to propose in May when we go on holidays.

I'm very happy with it, but am finding myself needing some assurance that I got a decent deal since this was a first time experience and I haven't been able to bounce anything off anyone but a few people at work.

The custom experience wasn't what I thought, I wasn't involved in the process like I thought I would be. Not a huge deal though. We met, I looked at diamonds and selected one that I liked; then I showed him some pics of what I had researched. Combinations of things I liked and she liked (from many conversations in the past). He took the info he gained from those conversations and photos and created this beauty in about 4 weeks. I left after my second visit discussing details and picking out a diamond and didn't go back until it was done 4 weeks later. Is this normal for some occasions?

It's very delicate and has a fairly low profile, two of the things I wanted. It turned out even better then I had imagined, so I am very happy with it. The other thing however, that I have been nervous about, is the fact that I was never given a GIA certificate or anything. The appraisal card I got has all of the details, but it has his name all over it, is this normal as well?

Other than the certificate and not seeing any drawings, the rest of the experience was great. He was very friendly and seemed to nail what I wanted right on the head. The diamond is perfectly eye clean and has a nice sparkle to it. The only flaw visible under a loupe is a small speck of black carbon, but without the loupe it's not noticeable. The rest of the diamond is pretty much flawless from what I've seen (and I've cracked open my magnifying macro lens).

Here are the specs from the appraisal:
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Custom engagement ring, 14kt white gold, weighs 3.1 grams, set with one princess cut diamond measuring approx. 4.26x4.00x3.29mm with a known weight of .50ct
Colour - G
Clarity - SI1
Cut - Very Good

Also set with 22 brilliant cut diamonds measuring approx. 1mm, each, with a known weight of .09ct.
Colour - GH
Clarity - VS
Cut - Very Good

Retail Replacement Value (NEW) - $4500.00 (Canadian)

*Gold Priced at $1300.00 per ounce U.S. and Canadian dollar at $.88 US.
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I paid $2750 for the ring altogether.

Was this a decent deal? I guess all in all, I'm happy with how it turned out, so that may be all that matters. But knowing I didn't overpay may help me feel even better. How accurate is the appraisal when it was done by his own appraiser?

 

[malils]

and a few more pics...

 

[tyty333]

The ring looks very pretty!

Did you buy a stone that has a GIA cert? If so, ask the jeweler for the cert. That simple.

The stone doesnt look all that low set to me but maybe it's just the pictures. Looks really pretty though.

 

[Asscherhalo_lover]

I like the setting very much, I think it suits the princess well. I can't comment on the quality of the princess since you don't have a GIA cert. You can't know if it's worth what you paid without knowing the grading from GIA. A jeweler can say it is whatever they want and there's no way of knowing if they're accurate without GIA (or AGS). Also the cut, it seems quite dark in the middle as opposed to bright throughout. Again people here usually judge a fancy cut using a tool called an ASET.

This stone for instance is the best of the best for a princess. One shade lower in color but it's AGS O which means ideal light performance. It's also quite larger face up than your stone which shows that yours is cut deep most likely just to hit the magic .50ct mark. It's also a VS1, you wouldn't see anything. http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/princess-cut-loose-diamond-3244880.htm

I'm not sure if you can return your stone or would want to buy from a US vendor but this would undoubtedly be a better performing diamond.

 

[mrs-b]

Hi malils

I agree with the other posters that the setting is lovely! It's difficult to judge a stone from photos alone, but it does seem to me that the diamond is very dark around the middle, which generally means that it's not reflecting light the way it should. If it were me, I'd replace the center stone with the one you've been linked to - but keep the setting, which is very attractive and looks to be well made.

Good luck!

 

[SparklySoprano]

This setting is divine! I really love it and the princess center, which I'm usually drawn to, looks spectacular!!! I'm not familiar with that cut in terms of performance, pricing, value, etc. so I'll let others comment on this stone. If it does turn out that another stone would be better, I would keep the setting. Although I do agree with a former post that it does seem to be set higher than lower. I wish you the best with your decision-making process.

 

[Siameseroo]

I can't comment on the quality of your diamond but the setting is gorgeous! Good luck with the proposal!

 

[Calliecake]

Very pretty ring! So feminine

 

[Rockinruby]

Very pretty setting for that cut. The design is wonderful!

 

[malils]

Thanks very much for the great responses, your feedback is greatly appreciated!

I always assumed I would get the GIA certificate with the paperwork; I mentioned It when I picked up the appraisal and he just said that would be all I need for the insurance. I'll call him and ask for it directly though. I guess it only makes sense to have it. If his shop ever goes down and I need an appraisal elsewhere, that would be needed (I assume).

As for the dark center, I think that's just my photos. I took these at night with very little light in the room. My light source is a ring light around the lens of the camera and the camera is about 1 to 2 cm away from the lens in some of those. It would make sense that the outside is lit up more than than the center.

I'll see if I can get some better shots tomorrow night. With some proper Lighting. To my somewhat amateur eye though, the diamond does look really nice. It has great sparkle and is nice and clean. He was never shy about letting me check out all the diamonds with the loupe. He even helped me locate some of the subtle flaws in other si1's he had available. Some were so miniscule they were hard to Spot. I did do a lot of shopping around before and in my price range this seemed like a great option.

Some retail jewellery stores were selling solitaire settings with diamonds that were I1 through i3 and less than a g in colour for about 500 more than I paid. That made me feel a little better at the time.

I will post some more pics when I get them and hopefully I'll be able to get my hands on a copy of the Certificate As Well.

and thanks for the great compliments as well, I do think he nailed my vision perfectly. the two key things he stuck too were low profile and delicate. He definitely hit delicate on the head. the sides are only 1.5mm I believe. Just slightly bigger than the 1mm brilliants. the twists flow very nicely I feel.

Thanks again! Will write more soon when I have more info.

 

[pregcurious]

I think your experience for custom setting is within the realm of reasonable, but there are many custom places that allow more involvement. I did my first custom setting with inspiration shots, and then just received the ring like you did. I did not like the ring, but I was inexperienced and didn't know exactly what to do. Since then, I only do custom settings with CADs, which allow me to see how the ring is actually being designed. I then give input and see how that changes the design until I am ready to have the ring cast.

The setting itself looks like it is well made and delicate. I do agree with the other posters that your stone looks like has a dark ring in the middle. I am not a diamond connoisseur, but I would get a GIA cert for diamonds of this size.

 

[MarionC]

It sounds as though the light ring on the camera and the close range are the issue.
Diamonds are such tricky dear things!

Can't wait to see more photos.

 

[Asscherhalo_lover]

Biggest red flag despite the "looking good to your eye" is the measurements. Your diamond only measures 4mm by about 4.25, it's "facing up" very small which means it's an overly deep stone. It doesn't LOOK like a .50ct princess. The one I linked is ideal cut for a princess and faces up about 4.4 by 4.3. That's a lot more surface area. You might have done better by what you saw in horrible chain stores but you still overpaid for a small facing maybe not so well performing stone IMHO. Even if you get the GIA cert all it will confirm is the color, clarity, and measurements. GIA does not give a cut quality grade for princess stones. You get that using other tools like ASET.

 

[momhappy]

I can't comment on quality either (except to say that I agree with the above post about facing up small, which doesn't necessarily relate to an issue of quality). If you're happy with it overall, then that's all that matters.