Larger melee (0.2 - 0.25) -- WF/BGD vs IDJ

[CircularBrilliant]

Hi Everyone,

I have seen a few posts discussing whether there is a significant difference between ideal-cut melee from WF/BGD and "PS-quality" melee from IDJ, but most seem to have been focused on slightly smaller stones. I've started lusting after a pair of huggies thanks to the many beautiful reveals on PS, and am torn between the cost savings I am sure I could get going with IDJ and the peace of mind I'd have with WF/BGD melee. It seems like the overall consensus is that there is not a significant difference at the smaller sizes. At a larger size (say 0.2-0.25 ct stones), would the difference in cut and clarity be much more noticeable than at a smaller 0.1-0.15 size? I imagine the price difference is even greater for the larger sizes, and am trying to figure out if this is something worth spending the extra on (and taking time to save more for).

Thanks in advance!

 

[LLJsmom]

Great question!! I hope people who have bought from both WF and IDJ will share their opinions. I will need to know for future projects.

 

[Gypsy]

I've bought from both.

I'm not a hearts and arrows melee fanatic, so take this with a grain of salt. Too many hearts and arrows stones all together and they start looking like Stepford Wives for some reason. All happy and staring up at me with the exact same personality. It's creepy.

That's probably just me though.

And these will be on your ears so they won't have that staring problem (yes, I realize I sound crazy).

ANYWAY. I bought my MIL huggies from IDJ, and specified "PS quality stones" eyeclean and H or better. And I have owned two pieces with perfect hearts and arrows melee from BGD personally, all my melee from BGD has been F/G VS.

While the IDJ jewelry earrings have GORGEOUS stones (my MIL doesn't clean the earrings as often as she could, but they sparkle like mad even dirty so ... great quality stones), they do not have the perfect identical hearts and arrows melee my BGD pieces have had.

But like I said, I actually prefer that and don't need perfect hearts and arrows on each and every stone as long as the cut quality gives off fabulous light return.

So it's up to you. Do you need the precision patterning of hearts and arrows melee? If so... go for BGD. If you don't... save money with IDJ.

Just as an FYI though. My next project that I want fabulous melee on I will be going with Wink, most likely. I want a band with 7 twenty pointers. And he can get you whatever you want too, and fabulous hearts and arrow melee and give you Sarins for each stone of that size if you request it. And he's just wonderful to work with (as great as Brian, and that's high praise from me as Brian and Lesley are some of my favorite people).

So that might something for you to explore.

No matter who you go for, you'll get something gorgeous.

What I see when there are too many hearts and arrow stones looking up at me:

 

[move1986]

I am also interested to see the differences in picture if can. Thanks

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I have only gotten WF pieces like this, but if I were to order from IDJ, I would be much more specific than "PS quality" because there are people who have been unhappy with it. I would specify color (probably G), VS clarity, and excellent cut. The price difference is partly due to IDJ using SI clarity..and that range certainly includes SI2. I wouldn't consider that on larger stones. I'd personally order from WF for this size .2-.25, but I absolutely would get VS2 clarity if ordering this size from IDJ because you are more likely to be able to see the inclusions in the lower SI stones.

 

[NonieMarie]

As said, it depends on whether you are willing to spend substantially more for H&A ideal cut stones. I have a 20pt eternity, .40ctw bezel studs and a 4.20ctw (10pt stones) tennis bracelet, all from IDJ. All the diamond are totally eye clean (a loupe is needed to see anything), bright white and sparkle like crazy. Before I bought my earrings I bought another pair from BGD. They were .25ctw, their special ideal cut and H color. I did not see any extra sparkle, imho, and the color wasn't noticeable when on but when held it was there. I returned and went bigger were IDJ. With IDJ, if you lower the clarity, just be sure to ask for si1 if vs is too much of a premium.

 

[NonieMarie]

Here are some photos

 

[LLJsmom]

Thanks for all your thoughts everyone! Very helpful.

 

[CircularBrilliant]

Thanks!

Gypsy: Your comment about the stepford wives cracked me up! I don't see why a sea of smiling faces would put you off, though
NonieMarie: Your pieces are beautiful!
diamondseeker2006: Thanks for chiming in--that makes sense that the price difference is likely largely due to the difference in clarity of the stones. Also, thanks for that wonderful thread you did showing the WF huggie comparisons--so helpful!

I think my big question is whether the performance really is the same. Before PS, I had no idea how important cut was. I bought my first pair of studs from BGD and got jackets to go with them. I'm continuously amazed at how sparkly even the little stones on my jackets are (especially when I compare it to the melee I have in my pre-PS purchases). I'm convinced it's due to the cutting, and haven't been able to get a good sense of whether non-h&a stones can compare.

 

[Laila619]

I've never ordered anything with melee from WF or BGD, but I have a diamond band with "PS quality" diamonds from IDJ and the stones sparkle like crazy and are icy white. So I was very happy with the quality of their melee.

 

[thecat]

From what I read, the only concern with IDJ PS quality is on the clarity of the stones, not so much the performance.

 

[Gypsy]

I'm a fancy girl at heart. I don't really care for any standardized facet patterns. It's just a quirk But it's the reason that I generally prefer fancies.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

In terms of round brilliant melee, I decided that I could have no regrets going with the best cut melee. Paying for WF pieces was worth it to me to know I had heirloom quality. Oh, and I am glad you found my huggie thread helpful!

There are other jewelry items that I might prefer true antiques that wouldn't necessarily have perfect cut. But for staple diamond jewelry pieces, I think it is worth getting the best quality possible. I have gradually replaced old things with worse quality stones for better quality because it bugged me! I'd rather save longer and get few nice things than a lot of mediocre things, which was what I did in the past.

 

[CircularBrilliant]

In terms of round brilliant melee, I decided that I could have no regrets going with the best cut melee. Paying for WF pieces was worth it to me to know I had heirloom quality. Oh, and I am glad you found my huggie thread helpful!

There are other jewelry items that I might prefer true antiques that wouldn't necessarily have perfect cut. But for staple diamond jewelry pieces, I think it is worth getting the best quality possible. I have gradually replaced old things with worse quality stones for better quality because it bugged me! I'd rather save longer and get few nice things than a lot of mediocre things, which was what I did in the past.

diamondseeker, I was looking through some other threads, and noticed you commented on one that (at the time) you didn't think you could justify the large premium for the ACAs on huggies. Do you mind sharing what changed your mind? [sorry if it sounds like I'm creepily stalking you, I swear just noticed it as I was paging through another thread I'm very interested in your thoughts since they seem similar to mine--the price difference from looking through the threads seems huge, and I really can't get a sense of whether it's worth it]