Loving the diamond - how long does it take you?

[SandyinAnaheim]

I do also think perhaps my thinking may be a bit sophomoric and one day I can be a big kid like the rest of you and be able to look at the pieces vs. the whole.

I don't think so at all. For many people, making a big diamond purchase is a once in a lifetime event. Buying and then setting a stone you're not enamored with feels like a less than optimal plan.

My fiancé proposed and I wanted a ring now. I saw a lovely 1.5 ct 3ctw I VVS2 GIA XXX platinum ring on Costco.com and ordered it. The instant I opened the box, I felt disappointment wash over me like a tidal wave. The center was an I and the melee were F/G, and they contrasted with the grayness of the center stone beautifully. That poor diamond was drab and lifeless. I wanted to love it, but I couldn't get it to sparkle in any light. It went back after 3 days.

That incident is what started my journey into learning about diamonds. I was confused, I thought a GIA XXX was a guarantee that the stone would be beautiful and full of life, but alas, it doesn't mean anything near that. I wanted to understand why that stone was so gray to avoid that happening again.

I went to dozens of jewelers in Orange and LA counties and called dozens more, and nothing made me swoon. I started to learn that the biggest difference between "excellent" diamonds is their cut, and that difference alone makes it look like a glowing moonbeam on your hand, or a lifeless lump of crystal. So I set out to find the best cut I could find and after a few months of hunting I found Wink at CBI. I told him what was non-negotiable to me (eagle eye vision and mind clean issues) and what factors had a little wiggle room. In 10 minutes he offered me 4 stones, I chose two to look at via video and in less than 24 hours I had found THE ONE.

The video he sent me confirmed what the pedigree promised. Sight unseen I had him and Melissa design settings with side stones for the ER and WB. When it arrived and my fiancé opened the box, we were both stunned by the perfection that arrived. In person, in no store I ever went to, did I see a diamond even in the neighborhood of what I now wear. It's like a million minute mirrors reflecting everything around me. It glows and gleams and looks like a light on my hand. People come across rooms to ask about it. I can't take my eyes off it and am filled with pleasure gazing upon it, musing frequently over what a perfect symbol this gorgeous creation is for my union with the love of my life. I look at it and I can't BELIEVE this beautiful and amazing creation is on my hand, is mine!

I would hope that's something everyone should feel about their engagement ring and I wish you felt that.

Some people may not love their possessions or feel guilty for doing so. But I have been through difficult periods in my life where I have had nothing but the clothing on my back. For me, I not only love some of my possessions, I value them as gifts that I can use while I'm here and will have to leave behind when I go. I feel lucky indeed to own these few perfect diamonds, and love and enjoy them every single day, many many times a day. Every time I see the ring, it gives me a flush of guilty humbling warmth, like seeing a very beautiful stranger for the first time, and I thank God for having my fiancé, who made it possible. I see this as a very good thing. I hope you find it too.

 

[OoohShiny]

It's like a million minute mirrors reflecting everything around me. It glows and gleams and looks like a light on my hand. People come across rooms to ask about it.

Your rings look amazing in your pictures but it's only now I've seen a CBI diamond in real life that I am not surprised people come to ask about it! Just one is sparkly as anything, so a couple of bands of them must be dazzling!

 

[MarionC]

So very true, you can also fall out of love, it happens especially as you learn and become more educated but it has to do more with feelings. To my my newest love is almost always my biggest love but there are the memories with the old ones, those I never part with. Hmm, that makes me think we are not monogamous for sure when it comes to loving diamonds.)

Great post. I even have love affairs from afar with stones I've bought and returned as I've become more educated. I visit them from time to time to see if they are still available.
Oddly, my first ACA was love at first sight, but the inclusion meant we might have a fight down the road, so we didn't stay together. I traded her in on a bigger higher grade model with a very pretty face. We are staying together for now, but for some unfathomable reason, she is not the ACA love of my life. I say oddly, because
who knew that 2 ACA's could evoke such different emotional responses?!
and that the smaller one would be "it".

What's THAT all about? .... Mysterious.

 

[SandyinAnaheim]

Just one is sparkly as anything, so a couple of bands of them must be dazzling!

Yep, can you blame me for being in love with my rings instantly? And I've yet to capture any image that does them justice.

 

[OoohShiny]

Do you have a SMTB thread on those beauties yet?

If not, you need to create one with lots of spotlight and sun/under a tree pictures

 

[SandyinAnaheim]

No, not yet. I had camera leakage issues, got a new camera but haven't learned to use it, my MIL passed away 3 weeks ago, working double time because my assistant quit....it's been hectic! But I will start working on it and writing up the story. Thank you for asking!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Much like Dreamer, I think I usually love the finished pieces most. I started out here with H&A diamonds and did love their beauty. But along the way, I became interested in old style cuts such as AVR's and AVC's and their antique counterparts. I've always loved antique style rings, and these stones just made more sense to go in them. I can honestly say I do love these stones loose. I'll add that I also love asschers, emerald cuts, and French cuts as well.

But, I still remember the feeling I had when I first saw my favorite Van Craeynest setting. It was one of the most beautiful things I had ever seen, and I loved it. I also love my other jewelry that is finely crafted such as pieces by Victor Canera and Beaudry. My focus now is collecting heirloom worthy pieces, so I try to be patient and buy fewer things that I really love.