LOGR question

[hoofbeats95]

I''m watching a setting on ebay right now. I don''t have much hope that I will get it, but fingers crossed.

I have 2 questions. How many really upgrade to VS diamonds? Mine will cost just over $200 for the upgrade. I don''t know if it''s worth it?

2nd - how many upgrade to 18K gold? If you upgrade to VS do you upgrade the gold as well as he suggests? Or have some just upgraded the gold? It''s much more affordable.

When you want to do upgrades, do you do the math and send that amount as payment or request a total from him including the upgrades?

Ok - maybe that was more than 2 questions, but I have a few days to think on it and would rather ask now. TIA!

 

[T L]

Date: 1/22/2009 9:33:38 AM
Author:hoofbeats95
I''m watching a setting on ebay right now. I don''t have much hope that I will get it, but fingers crossed.

I have 2 questions. How many really upgrade to VS diamonds? Mine will cost just over $200 for the upgrade. I don''t know if it''s worth it?

2nd - how many upgrade to 18K gold? If you upgrade to VS do you upgrade the gold as well as he suggests? Or have some just upgraded the gold? It''s much more affordable.

When you want to do upgrades, do you do the math and send that amount as payment or request a total from him including the upgrades?

Ok - maybe that was more than 2 questions, but I have a few days to think on it and would rather ask now. TIA!

I always upgrade the diamonds, but not the gold. Unless I wanted my gold to look more yellow, you have allergies to 14K, or I need a softer metal for a particular fragile stone, I don''t think it''s worth it. If you''re getting white gold especially, I would leave it as 14K. However, the diamond difference, at least in my settings, is noticable. If you win the setting on auction, I think you''re more likely to get I-clarity as well.

When you win the auction, or even do BIN, you just email him through the ebay auction link in your listing and ask him how much to upgrade diamonds, gold, sizing. Just give him the specifics of what you want. He''ll come back with a price quote. I''ve checked his math for the diamond upgrade, and he rounds to the neraest dollar, but it is $249/ct to upgrade.

 

[hoofbeats95]

Thanks TL. Are you implying that if I win an auction as opposed to BIN then I will get a lower quality diamond than the auction specifies? That''s crappy. So if I win an auction and pay for VS will I really get VS or will I end up with SI?

 

[T L]

Date: 1/22/2009 9:54:10 AM
Author: hoofbeats95
Thanks TL. Are you implying that if I win an auction as opposed to BIN then I will get a lower quality diamond than the auction specifies? That''s crappy. So if I win an auction and pay for VS will I really get VS or will I end up with SI?

Well, when I have won auctions, and if I win the auction near the BIN price and I upgrade the diamonds, they''re very nice. I can''t vouch that they''re VS (you would need to take it to a gemologist to verify), but they sparkle and are full cut. The ring with the SI diamonds I have are single cut, and although they sparkle, I really like full cut stones better. Now, the one scenario I never tested was this. If you win the auction at a really super low price, and you upgrade, will the diamonds really be that nice??? All the auctions I''ve won were near the BIN price after the auction ended.

Many people are very happy with their SI diamonds in their LOGR''s. My point is that you might be taking a chance if you keep the default diamonds, especially if you win an auction and it ends up being a very low price. I think the full cut stones are really pretty. Well, you always have the option of returning it, and he does give a 30 day money back guarantee.

 

[LD]

I have had a slightly different experience from TL. I have bought a couple of settings at the BIN price without upgrading anything, one was great, the other was awful (and went back). I then bought a couple more and upgraded the diamonds (but not the gold). In one, the diamonds were gorgeous and in the other, well, mmmmm, still not what I''d expect from a VS diamond!

I agree with TL that the more you pay the more you seem to get but upgrading the diamonds does add to the cost and there seem to be a couple of other Ebay sellers that have equally nice semi-mounts (judging from the few reviews I''ve seen on here) but don''t need the cost of upgrading added on. I think it''s a bit of a lottery!

 

[T L]

LD,
I should mention that my last mounting I just returned had upgraded diamonds (the one in the thread I posted the other day about returning it). I wasn''t very happy with the diamonds on the top, and along the gallery, but the shank ones were nice(????). I also thought the casting was a bit rougher than my other settings, but I''m willing to forgive certain things because, afterall, these are inexpensive settings for the most part. If it were a Leon, well, it had better be 99% perfect.

Therefore, like you said, it does seem to be a bit of a lottery, in which I''ve been mostly fortunate. The three settings I do have with upgraded diamonds are really beautiful, and even the millgraining was nice. I would pay a heck of a lot more money to get the same quality somewhere else.

 

[Brown.Eyed.Girl]

Hoofbeats, I''ve bought one setting from LOGR, and I have another (the same one but in a different size) on the way. For mine, I didn''t upgrade the gold or the diamonds. I usually never upgrade gold on any ebay setting - I''m fine with 14 kt. white gold, plus no allergies, etc. The diamonds on my first LOGR are pretty sparkly - overall, I''m happy with it. I''m not sure if they would be even sparklier if they were VS (probably yes) but honestly, I''m fine with it. From what I''ve heard, it seems that if you don''t upgrade diamonds, you can get a mixed bag - either good or decent diamonds, or gray and bad quality ones. If you upgrade, it seems your chances of getting nicer diamonds are vastly increased.

 

[shinyrocks]

Well, did you win it?

 

[hoofbeats95]

No. I got cold feet. Once I added up the price of the auction and the price to upgrade the diamonds. . . well there''s a setting at my local jewler that I love and it''s not much more. But they hold different shape stones. So I think I need to get a stone first and go that way.