Many questions on diamond purchase - pls help!!

[kelvin.tan]

1) Has anyone here purchased a Whiteflash "A Cut Above" diamond and found it to be disappointing in terms of brilliance? Has there been any unhappy Whiteflash customers or horror stories about them? Any negative vibes about "A Cut Above" diamonds? Is it really at a premium quality?

2) Also, how important are the dimensions of a diamond? Is there a noticeable difference between "Excellent" and "Very Good" for symmetry and polishing?

3) Does the thickness of a diamond''s girdle matter? Is "Thin", "Medium" or "Thick" better? Is it noticeable and does it affect the sparkle?

4) White gold vs. platinum setting - which is recommended? I heard white gold is cheaper but needs regular maintenance and scratches easily - so is platinum worth the premium it commands?

5) Where can I find an independent diamond appraiser in Hong Kong? Can the appraisal be done after the diamond has been set into the ring?

Thank you for your help!

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 12/11/2008 8:36:06 AM
Author:kelvin.tan
1) Has anyone here purchased a Whiteflash 'A Cut Above' diamond and found it to be disappointing in terms of brilliance? Has there been any unhappy Whiteflash customers or horror stories about them? Any negative vibes about 'A Cut Above' diamonds? Is it really at a premium quality? I can't recall any horror stories concerning ACA in all the time I have been here, WF have many happy clients but you can try a search to read of others experiences with them.
2) Also, how important are the dimensions of a diamond? Is there a noticeable difference between 'Excellent' and 'Very Good' for symmetry and polishing? The proportions of a diamond are crucial for optimum visual performance. As to ex/ vg for polish and symmetry it is said that the naked untrained eye will not see any difference, however top cut stones such as ACA have Ideal as part of the package and finish of the diamond.

3) Does the thickness of a diamond's girdle matter? Is 'Thin', 'Medium' or 'Thick' better? Is it noticeable and does it affect the sparkle? Girdles, avoid extremes such as thin to thick etc, good ranges are thin to medium, thin to slightly thick etc. If you are considering a top cut diamond then the girdle will usually fall into a good range anyway.

4) White gold vs. platinum setting - which is recommended? I heard white gold is cheaper but needs regular maintenance and scratches easily - so is platinum worth the premium it commands? This depends, I have WG pieces I have had for many years which have never needed any maintenance, it is of course cheaper than platinum but it depends on what you prefer. I don't have any platinum to give you an opinion but it does seem to be a popular choice.

5) Where can I find an independent diamond appraiser in Hong Kong? Can the appraisal be done after the diamond has been set into the ring? Someone might know of an appraiser in HK you can use, if you buy from WF an appraisal will be included with the purchase which you can use for insurance. You can have an appraisal done with a set diamond certainly depending on what type of appraisal you want, it is preferable apparently to do so with a loose diamond, but it can be done.

Thank you for your help!

 

[bgray]

Date: 12/11/2008 8:36:06 AM
Author:kelvin.tan
1) Has anyone here purchased a Whiteflash 'A Cut Above' diamond and found it to be disappointing in terms of brilliance? Has there been any unhappy Whiteflash customers or horror stories about them? Any negative vibes about 'A Cut Above' diamonds? Is it really at a premium quality?

2) Also, how important are the dimensions of a diamond? Is there a noticeable difference between 'Excellent' and 'Very Good' for symmetry and polishing?

3) Does the thickness of a diamond's girdle matter? Is 'Thin', 'Medium' or 'Thick' better? Is it noticeable and does it affect the sparkle?

4) White gold vs. platinum setting - which is recommended? I heard white gold is cheaper but needs regular maintenance and scratches easily - so is platinum worth the premium it commands?

5) Where can I find an independent diamond appraiser in Hong Kong? Can the appraisal be done after the diamond has been set into the ring?

Thank you for your help!

1)I have not bought an ACA stone but have never seen anything negative posted
2)Dimensions are part of the cut quality so yes, they are important. no to noticeable difference but with ACA as Lorelei said--ideal
3)again with ACA they will be fairly "ideal" the main issue with a girdle: too thick -hides weight, too thin easier to chip
4)platinum is the "gold" standard but WG is fine. White gold is not as white. platinum is worth the premium in my opinion
5) no idea but with Whiteflash and their well-earned reputation, you dont need to waste your money on one. I bought a 5 carat stone from them and didnt bother. I have since had it appraised for updated insurance coverage and all was absolutely as it should have been

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 12/11/2008 8:44:39 AM
Author: bgray

Date: 12/11/2008 8:36:06 AM
Author:kelvin.tan
1) Has anyone here purchased a Whiteflash ''A Cut Above'' diamond and found it to be disappointing in terms of brilliance? Has there been any unhappy Whiteflash customers or horror stories about them? Any negative vibes about ''A Cut Above'' diamonds? Is it really at a premium quality?

2) Also, how important are the dimensions of a diamond? Is there a noticeable difference between ''Excellent'' and ''Very Good'' for symmetry and polishing?

3) Does the thickness of a diamond''s girdle matter? Is ''Thin'', ''Medium'' or ''Thick'' better? Is it noticeable and does it affect the sparkle?

4) White gold vs. platinum setting - which is recommended? I heard white gold is cheaper but needs regular maintenance and scratches easily - so is platinum worth the premium it commands?

5) Where can I find an independent diamond appraiser in Hong Kong? Can the appraisal be done after the diamond has been set into the ring?

Thank you for your help!

1)I have not bought an ACAs tone but have never seen anything negative posted
2)Dimensions are part of the cut quality so yes. no to noticeable difference but with ACA as Lorelei said--ideal
3)again with ACA they will be fairly ''ideal'' the main issue with a girdle: too thick -hides weight, too thin easier to chip
4)platinum is the ''gold'' standard but WG is fine. White gold is not as white. platinum is worth the premium in my opinion
5) no idea but with Whiteflasha dn their well-earned reputation, you dont need to waste your money on one. I bought a 5 carat stone from them and didnt bother. I have since had it appriased for updated insurance coverage and all was absolutely as it should have been

........

...............

 

[bgray]

Date: 12/11/2008 8:45:36 AM
Author: Lorelei

Date: 12/11/2008 8:44:39 AM
Author: bgray

Date: 12/11/2008 8:36:06 AM
Author:kelvin.tan
1) Has anyone here purchased a Whiteflash ''A Cut Above'' diamond and found it to be disappointing in terms of brilliance? Has there been any unhappy Whiteflash customers or horror stories about them? Any negative vibes about ''A Cut Above'' diamonds? Is it really at a premium quality?

2) Also, how important are the dimensions of a diamond? Is there a noticeable difference between ''Excellent'' and ''Very Good'' for symmetry and polishing?

3) Does the thickness of a diamond''s girdle matter? Is ''Thin'', ''Medium'' or ''Thick'' better? Is it noticeable and does it affect the sparkle?

4) White gold vs. platinum setting - which is recommended? I heard white gold is cheaper but needs regular maintenance and scratches easily - so is platinum worth the premium it commands?

5) Where can I find an independent diamond appraiser in Hong Kong? Can the appraisal be done after the diamond has been set into the ring?

Thank you for your help!

1)I have not bought an ACAs tone but have never seen anything negative posted
2)Dimensions are part of the cut quality so yes. no to noticeable difference but with ACA as Lorelei said--ideal
3)again with ACA they will be fairly ''ideal'' the main issue with a girdle: too thick -hides weight, too thin easier to chip
4)platinum is the ''gold'' standard but WG is fine. White gold is not as white. platinum is worth the premium in my opinion
5) no idea but with Whiteflasha dn their well-earned reputation, you dont need to waste your money on one. I bought a 5 carat stone from them and didnt bother. I have since had it appriased for updated insurance coverage and all was absolutely as it should have been

........

...............

but i do

it!

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 12/11/2008 8:47:20 AM
Author: bgray

Date: 12/11/2008 8:45:36 AM
Author: Lorelei

Date: 12/11/2008 8:44:39 AM
Author: bgray

Date: 12/11/2008 8:36:06 AM
Author:kelvin.tan
1) Has anyone here purchased a Whiteflash ''A Cut Above'' diamond and found it to be disappointing in terms of brilliance? Has there been any unhappy Whiteflash customers or horror stories about them? Any negative vibes about ''A Cut Above'' diamonds? Is it really at a premium quality?

2) Also, how important are the dimensions of a diamond? Is there a noticeable difference between ''Excellent'' and ''Very Good'' for symmetry and polishing?

3) Does the thickness of a diamond''s girdle matter? Is ''Thin'', ''Medium'' or ''Thick'' better? Is it noticeable and does it affect the sparkle?

4) White gold vs. platinum setting - which is recommended? I heard white gold is cheaper but needs regular maintenance and scratches easily - so is platinum worth the premium it commands?

5) Where can I find an independent diamond appraiser in Hong Kong? Can the appraisal be done after the diamond has been set into the ring?

Thank you for your help!

1)I have not bought an ACAs tone but have never seen anything negative posted
2)Dimensions are part of the cut quality so yes. no to noticeable difference but with ACA as Lorelei said--ideal
3)again with ACA they will be fairly ''ideal'' the main issue with a girdle: too thick -hides weight, too thin easier to chip
4)platinum is the ''gold'' standard but WG is fine. White gold is not as white. platinum is worth the premium in my opinion
5) no idea but with Whiteflasha dn their well-earned reputation, you dont need to waste your money on one. I bought a 5 carat stone from them and didnt bother. I have since had it appriased for updated insurance coverage and all was absolutely as it should have been

........

...............

but i do

it!

That crackling sound you heard was my head whipping round breaking the sound barrier when I saw that tid bit about your 5 carater!!!!

 

[bgray]

i truly onlyy mentioned it because i think its good for people to know that people spend significant amounts of money with the many wonderful vendors associated with Pricescope and that does go a long way to validating their reputation and credibility. Not that spending $500 isnt important too it is--but when someone in a foreign country is feeling nervous about sending his hard earned money across the world its probably nice for them to know they are dealing with an up and up company.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 12/11/2008 8:54:15 AM
Author: bgray

i truly onlyy mentioned it because i think its good for people to know that people spend significant amounts of money with the many wonderful vendors associated with Pricescope and that does go a long way to validating their reputation and credibility. Not that spending $500 isnt important too it is--but when someone in a foreign country is feeling nervous about sending his hard earned money across the world its probably nice for them to know they are dealing with an up and up company.

Absolutely! With regulars like yourself it DOES help to give confidence! Especially when it is someone who isn''t in the USA, it can help to give real peace of mind which is an important part of the process!