must decide today 3.5M OEC with heaps of photos

[hippi_pixi]

If i decide overnight we will have time to have the culet made little larger just enough that the culet is visible at viewing distance. and have it put into a gorgeous antique setting that we found.

GIA
Color: M
Clarity: VS1
Dimensions: 9.32 x 9.42 x 6.47mm
Cut grade: Fair (it was classified as an round brilliant so i assume that would have affected its official cut grade
Polish and Symmetry: Both Good
No fluoresence
Culet: Small
Girdle: very thin - thick

also there is a video here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uEG_02kL1Rw

bear in mind that our only other option at this point would beto get a smaller AVR now with the intention of upgrading when Jon gets something bigger cut.

 

[hippi_pixi]

more photos

 

[hippi_pixi]

the pictures show the setting we found. yes its incredibly old and beat up looking but i LOVE the design and it can be fixed up new again with claw prongs and i was told could potentially put little diamonds or even rose cuts in the little circles in the shoulders

 

[yssie]

Oh... yikes, not a fan at all. It's a sieve under the table and I don't think the patterning lends itself to a larger culet - the only thing in its favour IMO is size Personally I'd much rather have the smaller AVR.

What did you think, since you're the one who saw it in-person?

 

[hippi_pixi]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4rkP2m8Dos&feature=youtu.be

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywfY8plP4i8&feature=youtu.be

 

[hippi_pixi]

i've only had the opportunity to view OEC's in person for a week but i thought it had an even spread of brightness. would you mind having a look at the videos as well?

 

[two_little_birds]

I'm not a fan either... the table is really off center and I don't like that it's not round (for lack of better words to decribe the rough girdle edges).

But do you LOVE it?

Also, is there a reason you must decide today?

 

[hippi_pixi]

I've come to the us from australia to choose a stone and we're at the end of the trip. if i decide by tonight we will have time to have it set before we leave. you have to remember i'm not a photographer. i dont believe the table is off centre and it looked pretty round and symmetrical to me. according to the stats its only 0.1mm off round

 

[Mara]

so i really love the patterning on this stone, super love it. i wouldn't make the culet bigger.
and i really love that setting you found, that would be stunning.

but in the shots on your hand you can see your skin through some of the faceting...so it does look as though it's leaky. in the other thread though, the pics on your hand, it looks really uniformly lit up so in those pics though it does look like light performance is not lacking and it's very bright. it's not as though those pics (in real life viewing) show huge dark areas and/or transparency.

honestly, if YOU love it and how it performs, if you feel as though it's the right blend of pattern, light return, fire, etc, that's all that matters. it can be hard to scrutinize pics and stats online when it comes to old stones. if this is not totally floating your boat then pass on it, there's always another stone, it may take a while. i wouldn't go from this to a smaller AVR honestly but AVR's are totally not my thing.

also if it does leak a little, a more closed bottom setting would help that out vs a truly open pavilion. my 3c stone had a little bit of leakage on the edges and the new setting i have it in (the vintage one) closes that up so much better than my old setting did, i saw it the minute i opened the box. sometimes these old stones need a little help.

whatever you decide good luck!

 

[dianabarbara]

hippi pixi, I don't have technical advice, but I think that altogether you need to take a step back and chase away the anxiety to make a purchase you will be happy with.

I understand you now are in a rush, but I would advise you to take a step back, stop thinking in the under-pressure mode. take a bath or a stroll and focus on enjoying the company of your husband and the city. Then, with a fresh mind and heart, go back to this in a more serene way and feel what you need to feel.

Best of luck!

 

[two_little_birds]

IMO the videos show off the stone much better than the pictures. Were you able to see it in natural light or outdoors?

It's a very clean (VS1) stone, and I too like the overall patern. I can't comment on leakage, as I'm not pro a by any means.

 

[ruby59]

http://www.rubylane.com/item/514555-rl-724/3-28-Carat-Center-European

I saw this on Ruby Lane and thought I would post it. Nice size. Maybe the old cut experts could give their opinion.

 

[missy]

I agree with two little birds- the videos show off the stone in a more flattering light and probably way more true to life. Still pics don't do any justice to many of our stones. As Mara noted there looks to be some leakage but with old cuts that is not surprising and if it closes up in the setting problem solved. It looks pretty in the videos but ultimately *you* have to decide if it is pleasing to your eye and if it is something you will love wearing.

I also agree with Mara and would leave the culet just the way it is. I love the setting you chose!

 

[two_little_birds]

I also agree with Mara and would leave the culet just the way it is.

Yup, I'd leave it too!

 

[SB621]

Oh my gosh when I looked at the pictures I thought...I don't care for it at all and then I got nervous because I thought you will get a bunch of positive responses about it so I'm glad I'm not the only one who has issues with it. I would pass on this particular diamond. I like the size but the rest just doesn't do it for me.

I do love the setting though!

 

[hippi_pixi]

i was happy with it in person but i'm having a hard time now. i would think most if not all OECs have leakage to some extent so the question is, is it too much? i'm thinking maybe i just take extremely unflattering photos. the video is probably more true to life and was taken in standard office lighting. i stopped in NY diamond district to have a look at others but found the strong jewellery store lighting made it too difficult to judge anything.

in terms of the culet its not visible to the naked eye... only under loupe and then just barely i didn't want to make it huge but just visible to the naked eye.

 

[GemFever]

Hippi, so sorry that you're having a hard time zeroing in on your OEC while you are on your trip. How many days do you have left, are you leaving NYC tonight?

Regarding this particular stone -- it's not a faceting pattern I'm used to, so I'm not sure what to say. The photos don't grab me (though the photo in the other thread did...), but maybe it's just the angles from which they are taken. The vids look nice. Is the table centered IRL?

I'm not sure if this is something you may be interested in, but if the size is great, the color is great, the price is great... buy it, wear it for a while, see if you're completely in love or not. If not, can it maybe get a facelift from one of the expert cutters at some point in the future? Maybe put off adding a bigger culet until then too. That might still be cheaper then going the AVR route. I dunno, maybe this isn't the best idea... just brainstorming. I can imagine you're feeling the pressure right now to find "the one" if your trip is coming to an end.

 

[two_little_birds]

i was happy with it in person but i'm having a hard time now

Why do you think that is? If you're having doubts already then that's not a good sign.

in terms of the culet its not visible to the naked eye... only under loupe and then just barely i didn't want to make it huge but just visible to the naked eye.

I can make out the cutlet in the video (just barely), so again wouldn't touch it. I would prefer to keep a stone in it's true form.

 

[GemFever]

I wanted to add that it's natural to have *some* doubts, especially about such a big purchase. I had an OEC that GOG sourced for me, it was gorgeous. But when I first got it (unset), I also had pangs of doubt -- how good of a performer was etc, did the facets light up the right way, etc. The stone grows on you especially once its set and sitting on your finger. In my experience, when a stone is in a good setting, it really begins to "sing."

Can you go back and look at the stone again?

 

[Dreamer_D]

so i really love the patterning on this stone, super love it. i wouldn't make the culet bigger.
and i really love that setting you found, that would be stunning.

but in the shots on your hand you can see your skin through some of the faceting...so it does look as though it's leaky. in the other thread though, the pics on your hand, it looks really uniformly lit up so in those pics though it does look like light performance is not lacking and it's very bright. it's not as though those pics (in real life viewing) show huge dark areas and/or transparency.

honestly, if YOU love it and how it performs, if you feel as though it's the right blend of pattern, light return, fire, etc, that's all that matters...

I agree with all of this.

I think it is showing some negative effects of being a weensy bit deep. But I recall that in some of the photos of Charmypoo's new diamond it showed a similar effect. But in person and in motion you cannot at all detect any leakage under the table. I suspect that could be the case with this diamond because a) the table is SO small and b) the pavilion mains are longer, meaning the areas of Leakage are very very small in real life. You are seeing it in person so are the best judge of whether the optics are acceptable to you. Of course, if you have not seen a truly exceptionally cut old cut, then there is nothing to compare. Have you compared this diamond to an AVR? That would give a good sense of what "perfect" optics can look like. There are antiques out there with truly exceptional cuts that don't have under-table leakage. But they are hard to track down.

Over all, I don't vote reject an I don't vote keep. This is one where you are the only one who can make the call. And I think either call is valid!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Just curious, did you see AVR's and what did you think of them (not in comparison to this stone or anything, just in general)?

The key for me regarding this stone is, were you in love with it when you saw it? Will the fact that it is not round and has some leakage in the center bother you? And is the price so great that the imperfections can be ignored? These are questions I would ask myself. I might could deal with more issues as long as I loved the stone and the price was great. If the price is more retail, I would be less likely to settle. Does it have a trade-in option?

My tagline on here for years was, "When in doubt, don't." I have to use that all the time myself. I tried to settle on an AVR that was not in my favored color range, and the people here who know me well reminded me of my tagline and warned me that I probably wouldn't be happy. So I am still waiting on the right stone. I believe it is worth waiting for one that is perfect!

 

[Dreamer_D]

i was happy with it in person but i'm having a hard time now. i would think most if not all OECs have leakage to some extent so the question is, is it too much?

I think you are right about most classic OECs having some leakage. Only you can decide if its too much! As I said, I don't think its "too much" automatically. I would consider that to be a low to moderate amount of leakage, and the videos are promising for the activeness of the under-table facets.

Are you in love with the diamond?

 

[Mara]

I also would ask why you are having doubts now, is it the comments from the ladies here? Because your eyes are the most important, you have seen this stone in person.

I took some pics yesterday of a few of my OEC's all together for comparison's sake and in a few of them my 3c+ shows what I would probably viewed solely by pics call center darkness or a bit of leakage, but in person that's not how it looks AT ALL. In other pics, my 1.5c looks like is overall very dark and gray but again that's not the case, and in other pics that stone is the one that lights up super uniformly where others don't. So pictures CAN be deceiving sometimes with these old stones, I think it's harder to make a bad stone look GOOD because you can't make dark areas light head on viewing, but you can easily make a good stone look bad IMO, with head or camera obstruction, a bad angle, etc.

If you were happy with it in person then we can only offer 'caveats' but I really think you should go with whatever you have in your heart about the decision. Don't talk yourself into it by any means, but don't let people here talk you out of it either.

 

[Circe]

I actually really like it. But I'm a fan of high crowns and long LGH. I think you get the best of both worlds - fire of an older cut, scintillation of an MRB. Oddly, I didn't like them in photos until I saw how they performed IRL.

I will also say ... I don't know who took the first few photos, the vendor or you, but they don't show the stone's beauty as nicely as the last three. Love the high crown, love how it faces up.

But like a few others have said ... do YOU love it? Because that is the ONLY thing that matters. On this trip you saw plenty of more traditionally cut stones, but for some reason, this is the one that stood out to you. You have taken the trip of a lifetime - I bet every lady here envies the opportunity to hit all the country's best dealers! Is your response to the stone heartfelt emotion, or the pressure of the last day? Dunno - but I'd ask, were you happier when you first saw it, or more relieved at the whole marathon being a success?

 

[sweetpea&babycorn]

I actually really like it. But I'm a fan of high crowns and long LGH. I think you get the best of both worlds - fire of an older cut, scintillation of an MRB. Oddly, I didn't like them in photos until I saw how they performed IRL.

I will also say ... I don't know who took the first few photos, the vendor or you, but they don't show the stone's beauty as nicely as the last three. Love the high crown, love how it faces up.

But like a few others have said ... do YOU love it? Because that is the ONLY thing that matters. On this trip you saw plenty of more traditionally cut stones, but for some reason, this is the one that stood out to you. You have taken the trip of a lifetime - I bet every lady here envies the opportunity to hit all the country's best dealers! Is your response to the stone heartfelt emotion, or the pressure of the last day? Dunno - but I'd ask, were you happier when you first saw it, or more relieved at the whole marathon being a success?

Ditto this. I think it's a lovely stone. The facets look great to me, and I like the broader sparkles. The beauty and challenge of OECs is that each will have their own personality and will fit to each viewer's tastes differently. My only concern with this stone is how warm it is. To me, there is an almost brown tint to it, but it could be the lighting. Were you looking for a warmer cut OEC?

 

[yennyfire]

As other wise people have said, only YOU can decide if this is the stone for you or not. I agree with the others that the photos you posted aren't super flattering, but the video is pretty nice. I don't remember which thread I said it in, but you don't walk around with a loupe looking at your stone. You may view it from 3 inches away if you're anal like most PS's, but rarely do we see magnified views of our stones. If it performs to your satisfaction at eye level (i.e. with your nose practically touching the stone), then I say go for it.

If you are having doubts about it, pass for now. The good news is that you've met with all of these vendors, so they now have a pretty good sense of what appeals to you and what doesn't. So, they can work with you while you're home to find the perfect stone for you.

 

[madelise]

I know firsthand how hard it is to take photos of a diamond. I am no pro like our resident veteran PS'ers. Your photos make it look dark, but it's obvious in the video that it isn't so. I love the patterning.

And I absolutely your setting! Where did you find it? I love the little hearts!

 

[hippi_pixi]

wow who knew one stone could be so divisive. i had pretty much decided on the stone and wanted to post macro shots on here for confirmation. so i went back in to see it and i was taking macro shots on my iphone with an cheap olloclip macro lens. maybe that was a big mistake. I had to take a break from this cos i found the first few comments shockingly harsh.

the stone faces up a lovely white and has an even spread of light return so i still think its the one. the facet patterning is not what i was originally looking for but i think that could be just nitpicking

We have our engagement party in 6 weeks and we already have 2 weddings booked for this year in India and in Australia. So i think i will go ahead with this. if for some reason the facet patterning bothers me ill have to revisit this again in a few years.

The stone is actually 3.50 M VVS2 with GIA cert at 28K do you think this is a reasonable price? Its from Adam at OWD I'm not aware that he has an upgrade policy but he has said if i do get back to Australia and decide its not the one i can return it

 

[hippi_pixi]

madelise i think i would have saved a lot of heartache today if i had not posted my macro shots and just went ahead with the stone. i keep rewatching the videos and trying to remind myself of what i saw in person.

Adam had the setting lying around and its pretty beat up but its perfect and hes having it fixed up and set for me by thursday

 

[dianabarbara]

hippi pixi, I won't comment on the price, because I don't know enough about it, but I am happy you made a choice.
This stone is beautiful, and it's very evident in the videos. You will love it!