Missydebby's Review: Perry Cushion vs GOG AVC w/pics

[missydebby]

OK GUYS.... Now I'll finally give my 2 cents. (in a series of posts otherwise it's too crazy long )

DISCLAIMER: My real life experience with chunky cushions is almost nill. The only ones I've ever seen live are this Perry sourced E 1.01 and the two J AVC .41/.42 studs. So I make no sweeping pronouncements on all AVC's or all Perry cushions. Just giving you my experience of these little beauties I currently have in my hot little hands.

OTHER INTERESTING POINT: as a child of the computer age, I am proud to say that I did all of this online and by phone. When my parents asked me "wasn't that a bit risky?", I replied that I actually find it riskier to buy in a store. Why? The lighting, the choices, the prices... they are all set up to seduce you, spin you round, get you emotionally connected. Try on a ring - it's like taking a car for a test drive - once you have it on, it's harder to go away without buying. Online you can easily compare vendors, transparent prices, styles, policies, and get feedback. At the store, you're at the mercy of the moment. Anyhow, in short, my experience shows you can get extraordinary products, great service, great prices, exceptional policies without ever stepping foot into the lion's den.

AND NOW WITOUT FURTHER ADO...

POST ONE: COLOR
below is a photo I think captures pretty much the difference between the J AVC and the E Perry cushion



I am loving the bright whiteness of the E much more than the J of the AVC. It seems to my untrained eyes that there are many many more colors popping off the E than the J. I love how the colorlessness of the E is like a blank slate for all the color reflections. At any given moment I see colors ranging from hot reds & pinks and bright ice blues to every shade of soft pastel. It's outrageous. And I just also love how icy white and bright it is. It just pops like I'm wearing a tiny light bulb on my finger.

The J's are beautiful and alone (not next to the E) face up really white. I mean, if you look at them in my ears, your mind does not say "tinted" or even "soft white". They just look white. The difference to me is that I don't see as many colors shooting off them as from the E. Using an art analogy, if you put a whole array of colors on a white canvas, they are gonna show up differently than if you put the same array on a cream colored canvas.

Again, this is only my experience with these particular stones and I am simply a novice. This may not be the same experience that others have had and I'm really curious about what DreamerD, CCL, and others with gorgeous J's or lots of time and knowledge about cushions have to say.

NEXT POST: SHAPE AND DIMENSIONS OF THE AVC vs THE NON-BRANDED CHUNKY CUSHION

 

[missydebby]

ADMINS:

I hindsight, I think this thread is way better suited to Rocky Talky. Can you please move it over there for me?

Many many, thanks!!!

-Deb

 

[yssie]

Please keep going, missydebby, I'm interested in hearing more of your thoughts

 

[CharmyPoo]

Yeah .. hurry it up girl!! Impatient readers here

 

[SparklyOEC]

Ditto...hurry up girl...we're impatiently waiting.

 

[vbnet]

Good job on the photo! It nails the color!

 

[vbnet]

ARGH! Series of posts? You are such a tease young lady. We are all hyperventilating here waiting to see and hear some more and you are probably eating dinner - LOL

 

[heliotrope]

glad I'm not the only one hanging on this post!!

 

[CharmyPoo]

Refresh .. refresh .. refresh ... where did MissyDebby go?

 

[vbnet]

hmm, she IS visiting her family now, she's probably at dinner OR is fighing her learning curve w/ the apple computer. She better not be in a jewelry store.

 

[missydebby]

eh... eh... I don't hear so good in my old age...

what's that you say?

you want s'mores?

But I'm out of chocolate and graham crackers...

 

[missydebby]

POST TWO:

In Which Our Heroine Missydebby Attempts to Quantify and Qualify Her Thoughts in Terms of Shape and Facet Equivalencies

OR

Shapes, Outlines, Profiles, and Facets - A Love Story




Let's remind ourselves what we're workin with here. Below is a GOG beauty shot of one of J AVC's and a face on shot that I took. The stats: J .427 VS1 4.51 x 4.25 x 2.93mm Table 48.8% Large Cutlet





Man, does the AVC have a gorgeous plump look or what?!? Like a pin-up from the 40's: all curves and some junk in the trunk. What's interesting is that while it's plump and pillowy, it is also very very regular. You can see that it's been cut with specific parameters in mind. So it has this fascinating combination of both looking very soft and precise. And you can also see that it has that beautiful what-cha-ma-callit effect where you can see the cutlet reflected all over the place. Just breathtakingly gorgeous. Speaking of pillowy, here's a picture from the side, where you can see just how high it puffs up:



Funnily enough, while I'm totally liking that in the diamonds for earrings, for my personal taste, it's too puffy for me as a center stone for a ring. And that's because I'm a total nut when it comes to low profiles. Or maybe I should re-state that. I probably would never consider that an issue unless I was comparing it to the Perry/Leon cushion. But since I have a Perry/Leon cushion in my ring, let's talk about it's profile for a second:



As you can see, it's much flatter. Which I really like. Do I like it because it's already set by a master in a perfectly complementary ring? Could be. I mean the ring is so goshdurned perfect that it's impossible to imagine any element of it being different. But let me go onto something that can be a little more easily decided for me. And that's the Perry/Leon rectangular shape vs the square even shape of the AVC.

Stats again on the Perry/Leon Cushion: 1.01 E VS2 6.49 x 5.96 x 3.86 Table 61% Small Cutlet





I wanted a more rectangular center stone for my ring because of my inherited condition: Stubbious Fingerous Giant Knucle-itis. It seems that the rectangular AVCs all have these like long line cutlets, like the below 1.05 E SI1 6.39 x 5.82 x 3.83 (dang close to the P/L cushion's measurements)

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/6037/

I'm just not that into that center line. Whereas in the P/L cushion, there is a small pinpoint cutlet, out from which all the beautiful facets blossom. On top of that, I find the outline of the P/L cushion just beautiful: gorgeous rounded edges, beautiful parabola-like curves connecting to all four corners. And the facets are lovely. They don't come off as regular/as precise as the facets in the AVC. Which makes it come off a little more organic and a little more antique looking.

WHEW I better post this thing before my mom's Mac decides to eat it for dinner.

TOMORROW: A Comparison of Fire and Leakage

 

[CharmyPoo]

You know this really tells how much of this is personal preference and we can't really advise people of what is better for them. For me, I love the high crown and pillowy appearance - this is one of the things I absolutely love in both my colored gemstones and diamonds. I also love the precise facets - I couldn't find that before the AVCs were perfected. I kept looking for that precise cutting but couldn't find it.

 

[chicky monkey]

Debby,

I totally agree with your assessment of your Leon sourced stone thus far.

I know there are alot of AVC junkies here, and I myself shopped an AVC for my center stone. I found them all very similar, almost to the point of boring.

Most importantly, I specifically wanted an elongated stone and my personal preference is toward cushions with a more rectangular shape. Because of the way the AVCs are cut, they don't have rectangular stones very often if at all. I love how yours "puffs" at the sides. To me, that is what makes a cushion beautiful and different.

I realize AVCs are cut to specifics to maximize brilliance, and yet when I think of them I think science, man made, carbon copies and when I look at your Leon stone I think "art, earthy, natural beauty, unique, individual". And I think the application of your particular stone into your ring is perfect....a true work of art.

 

[yssie]

Ditto Charmy - this is a fascinating journal of just how much personal taste plays into choosing a stone!

 

[arjunajane]

Ditto Charmy - this is a fascinating journal of just how much personal taste plays into choosing a stone!

agree also. This is a good example of how someone's tastes and preferences are showing when comparing two styles of "antique-look" cushions.
However, due to the size and colour differences, the differences in settings and the fact that MissDebby is so very clearly in adoration of the LM ring, I think it is just that though - a personal account of preferences. Would MissDebby like the AVC better if it were set in the perfect Leon ring...?
There are too many variables for it to be an accurate comparison between the two cuts.

That said - I didn't think that was what you were trying to necessarily achieve MissDebby, so please don't think I am criticizing! I realize you are just giving us your impressions, and as I said in your other thread I'm sure the information will come in handy for future shoppers. I just think it is worth mentioning the impact of variables and tastes in this comparison / review thread.

I hope you continue to love your ring for a long time, and enjoy your earrings

 

[yssie]

In looking at your pics again, I have to say I'm really surprised by how much less tint your J cushion seems to show compared to the E - here's my E vs J comparison (different shape obviously) the E is 0.79c.. apparently size and shape really do matter

 

[rosetta]

Great stuff debby!

Tell me, do you know the crown angles of both of your stones?

 

[CharmyPoo]

I came back to oogle again and share some additional thoughts. There has been comments that AVCs look too generic - I wonder if it is bcause we see so many on here and ach one is similar. However, I actually find that each one looks a bit different. Anyways, in the real world, the AVCs won't look generic at all - I can guarantee that very few if any of your friends will have anything like it.

 

[SparklyOEC]

This is an excellent review. As some others have mentioned, it demonstrates personal preference for cut, color and shape. I think you've done a great job in sharing your real life perspective/preferences with each cut, MD. What's truly important is that you love and enjoy your ring and earrings. Just my 2 cents.

 

[missydebby]

Ditto Charmy - this is a fascinating journal of just how much personal taste plays into choosing a stone!

agree also. This is a good example of how someone's tastes and preferences are showing when comparing two styles of "antique-look" cushions.
However, due to the size and colour differences, the differences in settings and the fact that MissDebby is so very clearly in adoration of the LM ring, I think it is just that though - a personal account of preferences. Would MissDebby like the AVC better if it were set in the perfect Leon ring...?
There are too many variables for it to be an accurate comparison between the two cuts.

No criticism taken, my beautiful Arjunanjane! This is a great point that I slightly alluded to. See, Leon makes all his rings customized to fit the center stone. So since I can't see my stone IRL in anything other than in the ring, I can' t be fully objective... and I feel positive that had I gotten an AVC in the ring, I'd be just as satisfied, you know?

And this goes out to CCL (if he's lurking) but I can also see a bit of self preservation in my review. I love both stones and there's a part of me that wants to defend both and like them best just how I have them. In other words, how disappointing would it be to have both types of cushion and want them switched? I actually considered this when purchasing, cause I didn't want to sabotage my happiness if I totally preferred one over the other.

The other important factor is that they aren't the same size. I'm gonna address that in the FIRE post because I am curious for all y'alls input as to how much the size of the stone would influence that, especially in comparison.

 

[missydebby]

I came back to oogle again and share some additional thoughts. There has been comments that AVCs look too generic - I wonder if it is bcause we see so many on here and ach one is similar. However, I actually find that each one looks a bit different. Anyways, in the real world, the AVCs won't look generic at all - I can guarantee that very few if any of your friends will have anything like it.

Great insight. I think we are liable to feel that way because we see so many images one after another. I can tell you that when I compare my stud next to the ring, the ring's cushion feels more antique-y because, for lack of a better way to say it, it looks less perfect. Is that a plus or a minus?!?

 

[missydebby]

You know this really tells how much of this is personal preference and we can't really advise people of what is better for them. For me, I love the high crown and pillowy appearance - this is one of the things I absolutely love in both my colored gemstones and diamonds. I also love the precise facets - I couldn't find that before the AVCs were perfected. I kept looking for that precise cutting but couldn't find it.

Totally right on Charms. That's really why I wanted to do this post. Like it's a reference for people looking for antique cushions. One person's gonna look at this and be immediately drawn to the P/L cushion and others to the AVC. At the very least, it might help them identify better what elements they want in their diamond.

 

[missydebby]

Great stuff debby!

Tell me, do you know the crown angles of both of your stones?

Only on the AVC : 41.1%

 

[missydebby]

Debby,

I totally agree with your assessment of your Leon sourced stone thus far.

I know there are alot of AVC junkies here, and I myself shopped an AVC for my center stone. I found them all very similar, almost to the point of boring.

Most importantly, I specifically wanted an elongated stone and my personal preference is toward cushions with a more rectangular shape. Because of the way the AVCs are cut, they don't have rectangular stones very often if at all. I love how yours "puffs" at the sides. To me, that is what makes a cushion beautiful and different.

I realize AVCs are cut to specifics to maximize brilliance, and yet when I think of them I think science, man made, carbon copies and when I look at your Leon stone I think "art, earthy, natural beauty, unique, individual". And I think the application of your particular stone into your ring is perfect....a true work of art.

Thanks. My terrible analogy:

The AVC is Marilyn Monroe: all gorgeous curves... no trouble fillin out that bathing suit...all come hither

The P/L is (the younger non-anorexic looking) Angelina Jolie: sleeker curves... mezmerizing...dashing

 

[vbnet]

When I first got wind of cushions and decided to get one, I had NO IDEA it was like starting all over. When someone wants a diamond, they first start with a shape. When you say cushion, - whoaa! whole 'nother bag of worms. So many types, and as we have beat over and over the numbers almost mean nothing. Someone, either your trusted vendor, or your setter, or yourself has to see it and have a feel for what it is you like. imho.

 

[CharmyPoo]

I swear I can spell but my E is sticking and I notice that so many of my posts have a missing E typo.

 

[vbnet]

Debby,

I totally agree with your assessment of your Leon sourced stone thus far.

I know there are alot of AVC junkies here, and I myself shopped an AVC for my center stone. I found them all very similar, almost to the point of boring.

Most importantly, I specifically wanted an elongated stone and my personal preference is toward cushions with a more rectangular shape. Because of the way the AVCs are cut, they don't have rectangular stones very often if at all. I love how yours "puffs" at the sides. To me, that is what makes a cushion beautiful and different.

I realize AVCs are cut to specifics to maximize brilliance, and yet when I think of them I think science, man made, carbon copies and when I look at your Leon stone I think "art, earthy, natural beauty, unique, individual". And I think the application of your particular stone into your ring is perfect....a true work of art.

Thanks. My terrible analogy:

The AVC is Marilyn Monroe: all gorgeous curves... no trouble fillin out that bathing suit...all come hither

The P/L is (the younger non-anorexic looking) Angelina Jolie: sleeker curves... mezmerizing...dashing

If only my Perry-sourced cushion could turn ME into Angelina Jolie. Wish he'd work on that.

 

[betty6333]

Gotta tell you, I like them both!!!

 

[iota15]

I came back to oogle again and share some additional thoughts. There has been comments that AVCs look too generic - I wonder if it is bcause we see so many on here and ach one is similar. However, I actually find that each one looks a bit different. Anyways, in the real world, the AVCs won't look generic at all - I can guarantee that very few if any of your friends will have anything like it.

I love this particular Leon's stone's look as well the other chunky cushions obtained by ERD, GOG and Perry - likely from the same source. I think MissyDebby hit the nail on the head when she said, the Leon looks a little more organic and a little more antique. The "organic" nature of the non-AVC cut is what really appeals to me.

I wouldn't say the AVC's are generic as much as I would say they look a bit static, due to the preciseness of their faceting (which I understand is exactly what you were looking for, Charmy). For me, I plan to get a chunky at some point - but I would be looking for a more organic, antique look. I like that they're cut in the modern age because their optics are still great (in general). From the ones I've called in, they still have a lot of red in the Asets and I like the lower crown. I'm looking in the two carat range and at that size, the puffiness of the AVC is simply just to puffy for my taste for a ring.

Thank you so much for the reviews, Missy. I can't wait to hear what else you have to say.