Looking for feedback on OMC GIA Report

[oncrutchesrightnow]

LOL at “apologies for rounding down.”

Ok, trying to say something helpful… although the OMC might look small compared to the image you might have in your head of a 1.7 MRB, a three-stone will have plenty of bling.

 

[AL12]

Oh noooo-just remember that my 7 ct is a unicorn, never imagined I would own a stone this size dream for me! And, tbh, I love my little pear cluster dearly, too.

The 7 ct is a HRD M. I didn't send it to GIA because I wanted to get it on finger asap. I can't definitively stay what GIA would grade it as-an M/N/OP? I can tell you that the 7 ct shows more tint than the 4 ct. Not sure if it's because of the depth (14% depth difference) or the lack of fluoro.

I am curious-can you make out the faceting of the M with your naked eye? The facet pattern in the G/H cluster center is the one that is harder for me to (could totally be a function of cut versus color, though).

In terms of size, I definitely think the halo is throwing you off! Here's your radiant versus the OMC (I had to put in cushion bc there's no OMC option).

1ct Radiant (5.8×5.79×4.08) vs 1.7ct Cushion (7.37×6.82×4.96)

Compare 1 carat Radiant (5.8×5.79×4.08mm) vs 1.7 carat Cushion (7.37×6.82×4.96mm) on actual diamond size and finger coverage (31.9mm² vs 45.24mm²)

www.diamdb.com

Wow gotta love this group, doing the leg work for me. I wish this function also allowed for three stone imaging .

The facets on the stone are crystal clear, I can see the faceting very clearly without peering too close/squinting. It really is a beautifully cut and clear ring...

 

[AL12]

Here are some comparison pics… J (Gisele) on the left and N on the right. They are both beautiful to me and I love them both. They are both quite colorful and the difference in tone is subtle but it’s there (at least to my eyes… maybe I’m just seeing them with rose tinted glasses lol). It’s more obvious in person… hard to capture in a pic.

I'm in love, blurry pictures and all. This is so so helpful and your earlier description. It's making me waver. Lots to consider and lots of observation to do in the next few days. Do you have a name for N btw?

 

[AL12]

LOL at “apologies for rounding down.”

Ok, trying to say something helpful… although the OMC might look small compared to the image you might have in your head of a 1.7 MRB, a three-stone will have plenty of bling.

Every fraction of a ct should count! None should be left behind!

Thanks for your feedback, I really appreciate it. I am coming more to terms with the dimensions (i think). I wish I could somehow see how it would look as a three stone but of course the diamond won't lay flat on my finger without the holder and the holder does set it quite high on my finger therefore closer to my eyes.

 

[oldcutclubmember]

Every fraction of a ct should count! None should be left behind!

Thanks for your feedback, I really appreciate it. I am coming more to terms with the dimensions (i think). I wish I could somehow see how it would look as a three stone but of course the diamond won't lay flat on my finger without the holder and the holder does set it quite high on my finger therefore closer to my eyes.

Take the holder off of your finger and turn it verically and hold the holder between your fingers!

Like this


A lot of people have done paper cut outs lol. Cut out the side stones and put them next to your stone.

You can also order CZ melees on line of varying sizes to test out proportions too.

 

[AL12]

Take the holder off of your finger and turn it verically and hold the holder between your fingers!

Like this


A lot of people have done paper cut outs lol. Cut out the side stones and put them next to your stone.

You can also order CZ melees on line of varying sizes to test out proportions too.

So smart about turning it sideways! Definitely coming to terms about the dimensions, I mean I have to with my budget. I would definitely set it east west after looking at it 100 times. Still wavering on the color! But also realizing if I go higher in color then the size of the stone will significantly decrease as well.

 

[junebug17]

I don't have a whole lot to add @AL12 but I think it's a really beautiful stone! And yeah, sometimes something has to give...I was kind of hoping for a K but I wanted a larger stone so I went with an N to stay in budget. I also have an M, and I'm good with both. I'm so glad you're able to spend time with this diamond and check it out in different lighting; that's really the only way to know for sure if it will work for you. Good luck with your decision, I know there's a lot to consider when buying a diamond and it can be stressful!

 

[Cerulean]

I will say I wouldn’t get an M hoping that you will see it as a white diamond. M is visibly tinted no matter what (which is why I like them) even if they can be very bright compared to a poorly cut, higher color stone

Either you like the tint or you don’t! Let us know what you think. If it doesn’t work out at least you’ve learned more about your preferences and will be 1 step closer to finding your stone

 

[Cerulean]

Another PSer loved the Marielle and it looks like Old World Diamonds made a lovely version with OMCs

Thread '2.28ct 3 Stone Old Mine Cut Diamond Engagement Ring Made By Old World Diamonds'
https://www.pricescope.com/communit...ement-ring-made-by-old-world-diamonds.274871/

 

[AL12]

I don't have a whole lot to add @AL12 but I think it's a really beautiful stone! And yeah, sometimes something has to give...I was kind of hoping for a K but I wanted a larger stone so I went with an N to stay in budget. I also have an M, and I'm good with both. I'm so glad you're able to spend time with this diamond and check it out in different lighting; that's really the only way to know for sure if it will work for you. Good luck with your decision, I know there's a lot to consider when buying a diamond and it can be stressful!

Thanks for sharing your personal journey and what you ended up deciding. I'll need the luck, I'm still pretty undecided and I've had the diamond for the whole weekend already! The diamond is absolutely beautiful...so at least I am not worried there. I'm still really am stuck on the color.

 

[Cerulean]

What was your gut response to the color? Honestly? Are you trying to make yourself like it because it checks other boxes?

To me, color is the first thing you see with a stone. Yes we regale the importance of cut, and it is important, but we aren’t always scrutinizing facet patterns.

Color however is obvious from afar and no matter what IMO. There is nothing wrong with not liking body color even if many people like it.

 

[AL12]

I will say I wouldn’t get an M hoping that you will see it as a white diamond. M is visibly tinted no matter what (which is why I like them) even if they can be very bright compared to a poorly cut, higher color stone

Either you like the tint or you don’t! Let us know what you think. If it doesn’t work out at least you’ve learned more about your preferences and will be 1 step closer to finding your stone

After staring at the M this whole weekend, you're absolutely right. Every word in your first paragraph is true. It IS visibly tinted, there is no getting around that. It IS very bright... it's a well cut and very clear stone--just so pretty!

Thanks for following up to see where I'm at with this stone. I'm still very much torn due to the color! What I know is, when the stone looks white, that's when I love it the most. When it looks tinted, I do appreciate it and it's extremely pretty, but I don't think it's "love". It's kind of like if you have a favorite shirt and you like it so much that you get it in another color. You'll probably have one color you prefer over the other, but you still like both.

Another weird thing is that when I'm not looking at the diamond, I definitely start leaning towards returning it thinking I might be happier with a higher color or at the minimum feeling like I need to look at higher color OMCs first. Then when I open up the box to look at it again, I start wavering hard because it's just so pretty . I'm not really sure what that means, but I have a few more days to sort it out!

Another PSer loved the Marielle and it looks like Old World Diamonds made a lovely version with OMCs

Thread '2.28ct 3 Stone Old Mine Cut Diamond Engagement Ring Made By Old World Diamonds'
https://www.pricescope.com/communit...ement-ring-made-by-old-world-diamonds.274871/

Oooh she posted! Yes I had been following her journey closely as she almost went with a questionable vendor that I first posted about on PS. Also her end result was partly why I decided to start communication with Adam since I knew she also was on a budget!

 

[AL12]

What was your gut response to the color? Honestly? Are you trying to make yourself like it because it checks other boxes?

To me, color is the first thing you see with a stone. Yes we regale the importance of cut, and it is important, but we aren’t always scrutinizing facet patterns.

Color however is obvious from afar and no matter what IMO. There is nothing wrong with not liking body color even if many people like it.

Because warmer stones are so chameleon like, I think that's what's making me most confused. When it is at its whitest, I am in love. When the tint is really coming through, I feel partly that it's a very pretty pastel and antique-y at its finest but also concerned about liking the tint I'm seeing and if it will bother me in the future.

 

[Cerulean]

After staring at the M this whole weekend, you're absolutely right. Every word in your first paragraph is true. It IS visibly tinted, there is no getting around that. It IS very bright... it's a well cut and very clear stone--just so pretty!

Thanks for following up to see where I'm at with this stone. I'm still very much torn due to the color! What I know is, when the stone looks white, that's when I love it the most. When it looks tinted, I do appreciate it and it's extremely pretty, but I don't think it's "love". It's kind of like if you have a favorite shirt and you like it so much that you get it in another color. You'll probably have one color you prefer over the other, but you still like both.

Another weird thing is that when I'm not looking at the diamond, I definitely start leaning towards returning it thinking I might be happier with a higher color or at the minimum feeling like I need to look at higher color OMCs first. Then when I open up the box to look at it again, I start wavering hard because it's just so pretty . I'm not really sure what that means, but I have a few more days to sort it out!



Oooh she posted! Yes I had been following her journey closely as she almost went with a questionable vendor that I first posted about on PS. Also her end result was partly why I decided to start communication with Adam since I knew she also was on a budget!

I think your analogy is really spot on and I think says a lot about how you feel. Ideally you like the stone at it’s worst!

I felt uncertain about my stone initially too, the cut and size. It doesn’t have the perfect edge to edge brightness that many PSers seek (and I get why, having seen antiques like this IRL, they are very special)

But to me, I just loved it. Some of the flaws actually made it more charming to me and I couldn’t bear the idea of letting it go.

So, follow your heart IMO. There are always more stones, it just might take patience!

 

[AL12]

I think your analogy is really spot on and I think says a lot about how you feel. Ideally you like the stone at it’s worst!

I felt uncertain about my stone initially too, the cut and size. It doesn’t have the perfect edge to edge brightness that many PSers seek (and I get why, having seen antiques like this IRL, they are very special)

But to me, I just loved it. Some of the flaws actually made it more charming to me and I couldn’t bear the idea of letting it go.

So, follow your heart IMO. There are always more stones, it just might take patience!

Keep the personal feelings and thoughts during your journey coming! They help me during this decision phase (something my husband hates doing is hashing and re-hashing... he doesn't understand why it's either a) i like it or b) i don't like it )

If I let this one go..... I know I'll be SO sad to see it go. But am also always reminded by this group what you said about being patient and that there are always more stones

 

[lulu_ma]

@AL12 Is there any way you can see the M next to a GIA K within your return window? Even if the stone is a bit smaller, I think you will then get a strong sense if the M is right for you.

I found quickly this one on the OWD website. It's a GIA K little less than a carat.

Old World Diamonds » Diamond

The World's Largest Collection of Antique Diamonds

oldworlddiamonds.com

 

[AllAboardTheBlingTrain]

Since you said you’re inviting thoughts about colour and personal journey with old cuts, here goes:

In general I’m not really a colour sensitive person. My personal sweet spot is H-J, with I being the colour I generally tend towards, all else being equal. To my eye, I colour looks pretty much white all the time, good enough that I’ll opt for an I colour to max value. My halo studs are I colour MRBs and I’ve always found them nice and white.

When the old cut bug bit me, it started out with a large heirloom OEC I was going to use as an ering with my ex. That OEC was an estimated ST IIRC, uncerted, but it was really yellow - so yellow that it looked almost fancy light in most lighting, and I ADORED it in that lighting. Sometimes though, it would look almost white in that chameleon like ability that old cuts have - never bright white, but a creamy ivoryish colour. I’ll be honest, I never loved it when it was that colour, but I grew to say that okay, since it looks like that only 10% of the time and 90% of the time it looks like a colour I’d never be able to afford in that size and cut, I can live with it. I waffled for a LONG time with that decision though. My thought was that since I was planning on doing a RHR anyway that would be a higher colour and therefore would face up even whiter in that specific kind of lighting that was killing the beauty of my ering, I could always ditch my ER for those occasions if it ever bothered me that much.

Now for obvious reasons that ER didn’t work out, but the love for old cuts was strong, and I decided to buy a pair of OEC stud earrings to scratch that itch. These are an estimated OP, so also very low, but they do face up whiter - much whiter. I’m a light brown colour (my foundation is Mac NC39 if that helps you picture), my hair is a dark brown, so the creamy warm white colour is complementary to my colouring and it would probably pull a lot of yellow/brown from me anyway, and the OECs throw off such intense coloured flashes that as studs in my ears, even though they’re almost always creamy white and occasionally brighter white, they’re a colour I can live with because I love the faceting and I’m not looking at it obsessively to clock the colour change. But I know that I couldn’t live with that colour as a ring because it would drive me nuts that they’re a colour I am only ok with 75% of the time and a colour I love 25% of the time.

I don’t know if that helps but… hopefully?

 

[junebug17]

Thanks for sharing your personal journey and what you ended up deciding. I'll need the luck, I'm still pretty undecided and I've had the diamond for the whole weekend already! The diamond is absolutely beautiful...so at least I am not worried there. I'm still really am stuck on the color.

Totally understand @AL12, and yes, M is definitely going to have a tint, I hope I didn't imply otherwise in my post! Sounds like you have to figure out how often you see a stronger tint and if that will keep you from enjoying the diamond. I guess I'm just not that color sensitive and I can live with it but I totally get that others can't, and nothing wrong with that!

 

[AL12]

@AL12 Is there any way you can see the M next to a GIA K within your return window? Even if the stone is a bit smaller, I think you will then get a strong sense if the M is right for you.

I found quickly this one on the OWD website. It's a GIA K little less than a carat.

Old World Diamonds » Diamond

The World's Largest Collection of Antique Diamonds

oldworlddiamonds.com

I think I might do that since the shipping process was so easy, I'll reach out to Adam in a bit to see if we can work that out. Thanks for the suggestion!

I think seeing something in a smaller ct size (but higher color) will help too for the comparison!

 

[AL12]

Since you said you’re inviting thoughts about colour and personal journey with old cuts, here goes:

In general I’m not really a colour sensitive person. My personal sweet spot is H-J, with I being the colour I generally tend towards, all else being equal. To my eye, I colour looks pretty much white all the time, good enough that I’ll opt for an I colour to max value. My halo studs are I colour MRBs and I’ve always found them nice and white.

When the old cut bug bit me, it started out with a large heirloom OEC I was going to use as an ering with my ex. That OEC was an estimated ST IIRC, uncerted, but it was really yellow - so yellow that it looked almost fancy light in most lighting, and I ADORED it in that lighting. Sometimes though, it would look almost white in that chameleon like ability that old cuts have - never bright white, but a creamy ivoryish colour. I’ll be honest, I never loved it when it was that colour, but I grew to say that okay, since it looks like that only 10% of the time and 90% of the time it looks like a colour I’d never be able to afford in that size and cut, I can live with it. I waffled for a LONG time with that decision though. My thought was that since I was planning on doing a RHR anyway that would be a higher colour and therefore would face up even whiter in that specific kind of lighting that was killing the beauty of my ering, I could always ditch my ER for those occasions if it ever bothered me that much.

Now for obvious reasons that ER didn’t work out, but the love for old cuts was strong, and I decided to buy a pair of OEC stud earrings to scratch that itch. These are an estimated OP, so also very low, but they do face up whiter - much whiter. I’m a light brown colour (my foundation is Mac NC39 if that helps you picture), my hair is a dark brown, so the creamy warm white colour is complementary to my colouring and it would probably pull a lot of yellow/brown from me anyway, and the OECs throw off such intense coloured flashes that as studs in my ears, even though they’re almost always creamy white and occasionally brighter white, they’re a colour I can live with because I love the faceting and I’m not looking at it obsessively to clock the colour change. But I know that I couldn’t live with that colour as a ring because it would drive me nuts that they’re a colour I am only ok with 75% of the time and a colour I love 25% of the time.

I don’t know if that helps but… hopefully?

Thank you! I know it takes time for everyone to write out all these posts and I don't take it for granted.

I also never considered myself color sensitive either! Choosing an H to get a larger size on my e-ring (after learning so much on PS) was not a difficult choice for me. I had many friends who needed to be in that DEF colorless range. I thought I was doing a great compromise by being open to J/K old cuts, but realizing that in the world of old cuts it's a different ball game.

I'm definitely obsessing over the color changes in all lighting situations, which I do think is normal to help me decide. When it's not the color that I *love*, I wouldn't say I hate it though. It's more of being unsure and almost uneasy of how I feel about being the owner of stone when it's that color and on my hand and if it will bother me in the long run.

Good point, about the color complementing my skin tone. Warm toned make-up and clothing colors look best on me and also what I gravitate towards hence my desire to slowly change all my jewelry pieces to YG (eventually I intend to change the setting for my e-ring to YG as well once I decide how I want it to be set). So I know the warm stone is matching my skin tone at the least.

Everything is helpful right now! I love to talk out my decision making process

 

[AL12]

Totally understand @AL12, and yes, M is definitely going to have a tint, I hope I didn't imply otherwise in my post! Sounds like you have to figure out how often you see a stronger tint and if that will keep you from enjoying the diamond. I guess I'm just not that color sensitive and I can live with it but I totally get that others can't, and nothing wrong with that!

You didn't lead me astray in any way in your last post! Yes, trying to be honest with what my personal preference is as I continue to decide. Definitely from this experience I have an even greater appreciation for the beauty of warm old cuts and how pretty they are but just need to make sure it's color for me. If I won the lotto there would be no hesitation to take one of each please!

 

[marymm]

FWIW if you are still stuck/wavering on the color, in my experience that's really the whole ball of wax -- yes, it's a beautiful diamond, but I don't think it is your beautiful diamond -- I suggest you return it for refund -- and then take some time to decide whether you want to keep searching now for a smaller whiter old cut within your budget, or whether you keep looking but only at vendors who offer installment plans in case that affords you a diamond in the size and color you really prefer, or whether you put search on hold in order to save up more and start looking in another year. Last option, only if upgrade is available through the vendor (is it OWD?) in written form, go ahead and keep the diamond knowing you may well choose to upgrade in the future. Just my two cents.

 

[oldcutclubmember]

After staring at the M this whole weekend, you're absolutely right. Every word in your first paragraph is true. It IS visibly tinted, there is no getting around that. It IS very bright... it's a well cut and very clear stone--just so pretty!

Thanks for following up to see where I'm at with this stone. I'm still very much torn due to the color! What I know is, when the stone looks white, that's when I love it the most. When it looks tinted, I do appreciate it and it's extremely pretty, but I don't think it's "love". It's kind of like if you have a favorite shirt and you like it so much that you get it in another color. You'll probably have one color you prefer over the other, but you still like both.

Another weird thing is that when I'm not looking at the diamond, I definitely start leaning towards returning it thinking I might be happier with a higher color or at the minimum feeling like I need to look at higher color OMCs first. Then when I open up the box to look at it again, I start wavering hard because it's just so pretty . I'm not really sure what that means, but I have a few more days to sort it out!



Oooh she posted! Yes I had been following her journey closely as she almost went with a questionable vendor that I first posted about on PS. Also her end result was partly why I decided to start communication with Adam since I knew she also was on a budget!

Agree with Cerulean that really, the first thing that one sees even from a few feet away, or even at arms length is the size and the color. You don’t really see the faceting until you bring your hand closer to your face. So while the “brightness” of a stone will be affected by the faceting and the cut, with “color”, it is what it is. I think I said in a previous post that I would never describe my N as “white.” It’s definitely a bright stone but not a white stone. It’s perfectly fine NOT to be ok with a tinted stone. I was uncertain about the N and ultimately I decided that I did NOT want go down as far as an N for the setting I had in mind originally. I only kept it because I fell in love with the stone itself even though it wasn’t going to be used in that ring. Similarly, I know you have a specific setting and a “look” in mind. If a stone as tinted as this is not the “look” you had in mind, it’s ok to let it go. Your budget is a lot of money and the decision should not be made hastily.

However, I do think you would need to once again reevaluate your priority between size and color if you do let it go. Unless you go with an uncerted stone, from a vendor/auction/prelove without a return policy, it’s highly unlikely that you will find a stone above 1.5ct in the color range you want for this price, no matter how patient you are. The fact of the matter is that Adam’s inspection period is actually quite generous even for a retailer so it’s unlikely that you’ll have a similar opportunity to inspect for so long in person and return. Also it is much harder to find a genuine old cut stone that is as bright and pretty as this stone and I think you already know that from having looking at 100s of listings.

 

[oldcutclubmember]

I think I might do that since the shipping process was so easy, I'll reach out to Adam in a bit to see if we can work that out. Thanks for the suggestion!

I think seeing something in a smaller ct size (but higher color) will help too for the comparison!

This is a good idea! I would actually ask if he has some higher colored OMCs that are not listed on the website. It’s possible that he has even a better candidate for the comparison.

 

[AL12]

FWIW if you are still stuck/wavering on the color, in my experience that's really the whole ball of wax -- yes, it's a beautiful diamond, but I don't think it is your beautiful diamond -- I suggest you return it for refund -- and then take some time to decide whether you want to keep searching now for a smaller whiter old cut within your budget, or whether you keep looking but only at vendors who offer installment plans in case that affords you a diamond in the size and color you really prefer, or whether you put search on hold in order to save up more and start looking in another year. Last option, only if upgrade is available through the vendor (is it OWD?) in written form, go ahead and keep the diamond knowing you may well choose to upgrade in the future. Just my two cents.

Really great and practical advice. Again when I step away from the stone, my practical side leans the way you mentioned and I've even considered some of the options you've mentioned. Then when I look at the diamond again, I feel immediately. So I will take it out again and after 15 minutes of moving it around in different lighting, feelings of doubt creep in again.

I'll really struggle with "if I let a unicorn go", but need to keep reminding myself that this won't be the end all-be all if I do. I do think there is still a chance that at the end of my journey I will end up with an M or similar color after all.... but maybe I feel too rushed to make that definitive commitment at this time? This is the first time I've seriously been able to inspect an OMC IRL, I only saw a few in passing once with another vendor but was focused in a different direction at the time that I abandoned.

I did ask about upgrade in my original email (OWD) but forgot to follow up. I do know they don't do payment plan. I'm also maybe weird in that I have the funds and more, but I somehow feel less guilty if I spread the payment around over time so our account doesn't take one big hit at once (anyone else?! ). My husband says I have issues with guilt

 

[AL12]

This is a good idea! I would actually ask if he has some higher colored OMCs that are not listed on the website. It’s possible that he has even a better candidate for the comparison.

Just messaged him not too long again and sent @lulu_ma ' suggested link but also asked that if he has another higher color and would make sense for my budget, that would be the most helpful for comparison!

 

[lulu_ma]

Really great and practical advice. Again when I step away from the stone, my practical side leans the way you mentioned and I've even considered some of the options you've mentioned. Then when I look at the diamond again, I feel immediately. So I will take it out again and after 15 minutes of moving it around in different lighting, feelings of doubt creep in again.

I'll really struggle with "if I let a unicorn go", but need to keep reminding myself that this won't be the end all-be all if I do. I do think there is still a chance that at the end of my journey I will end up with an M or similar color after all.... but maybe I feel too rushed to make that definitive commitment at this time? This is the first time I've seriously been able to inspect an OMC IRL, I only saw a few in passing once with another vendor but was focused in a different direction at the time that I abandoned.

I did ask about upgrade in my original email (OWD) but forgot to follow up. I do know they don't do payment plan. I'm also maybe weird in that I have the funds and more, but I somehow feel less guilty if I spread the payment around over time so our account doesn't take one big hit at once (anyone else?! ). My husband says I have issues with guilt

Haha! I had issues with guilt last year, too. I got over that feeling real quick though

 

[Rfisher]

Since trade up program with OWD is being mentioned
Even with verbal or written backup
I wouldn’t, myself, put too many eggs in that basket.
Policies change. Written or not.
Grandfathered (I wish I knew a better term to use) policies are of course always a possibility. But I wouldn’t count on it.

Past history with threads on this same subject, some with this vendor, is where I’m coming from.

 

[Cerulean]

Since trade up program with OWD is being mentioned
Even with verbal or written backup
I wouldn’t, myself, put too many eggs in that basket.
Policies change. Written or not.
Grandfathered (I wish I knew a better term to use) policies are of course always a possibility. But I wouldn’t count on it.

Past history with threads on this same subject, some with this vendor, is where I’m coming from.

Correct. I did not get an iron clad upgrade policy. I think it is case by case

 

[AL12]

Agree with Cerulean that really, the first thing that one sees even from a few feet away, or even at arms length is the size and the color. You don’t really see the faceting until you bring your hand closer to your face. So while the “brightness” of a stone will be affected by the faceting and the cut, with “color”, it is what it is. I think I said in a previous post that I would never describe my N as “white.” It’s definitely a bright stone but not a white stone. It’s perfectly fine NOT to be ok with a tinted stone. I was uncertain about the N and ultimately I decided that I did NOT want go down as far as an N for the setting I had in mind originally. I only kept it because I fell in love with the stone itself even though it wasn’t going to be used in that ring. Similarly, I know you have a specific setting and a “look” in mind. If a stone as tinted as this is not the “look” you had in mind, it’s ok to let it go. Your budget is a lot of money and the decision should not be made hastily.

However, I do think you would need to once again reevaluate your priority between size and color if you do let it go. Unless you go with an uncerted stone, from a vendor/auction/prelove without a return policy, it’s highly unlikely that you will find a stone above 1.5ct in the color range you want for this price, no matter how patient you are. The fact of the matter is that Adam’s inspection period is actually quite generous even for a retailer so it’s unlikely that you’ll have a similar opportunity to inspect for so long in person and return. Also it is much harder to find a genuine old cut stone that is as bright and pretty as this stone and I think you already know that from having looking at 100s of listings.

Yes, agree with all your points. I think the similarity is that you liked the N enough to keep it but you had a budget where you could also accommodate purchasing a higher color stone as well. Alas, I can only choose one so I don't know which it will be.

Completely agree that I'm not looking for above 1.5ct if I go with higher color. I was hoping for 1.4 at best?? Is that even realistic? Still waiting on a reply to my email from Adam. Now that I've seen a 1.71 though and have just come to terms with the dimensions IRL, I know I need to be prepared for a reality check at the size decrease if I go this route (6.25 finger but was considering maybe getting a 6.5 this time around cause I'm only getting older).

"Also it is much harder to find a genuine old cut stone that is as bright and pretty as this stone and I think you already know that from having looking at 100s of listings."

What you said here is causing a lot of my hesitation. Also from reading @Cerulean 's journey, she said that so many of the OMCs she saw in person were "dead". Everytime I look at this stone, there is nothing in its performance that I find lacking, it's very pleasing to my eye.

@Muluver sorry if this is my 10th reiteration of this question. For Gisele, do you see any tint at all? I only have my H for comparison and seeing as as a J is two steps down, I'm curious to know.