My Dream Ring: 8.1mm European Cut Diamond

[CharmyPoo]

Beautiful! I know this ring .. I have been watching that auction for a while and now I am kicking myself for not going for it. LOL! I am glad it is with a great home.

 

[Enerchi]

Welcome, George, to PS!!!

Its a stunning diamond, Dreamer! You must be so pleased to have found your Holy Grail Congrats - enjoy that beauty and we're always happy to have a TON more pics - like, maybe some more macros, a few florals, some fire... just throwin' that out there!!

 

[stargurl78]

Wow that is gorgeous and big and beautiful Dreamer! Do you plan to keep George in that setting? I'm a sucker for 8-prong settings and I love the octagonal shape

I vote that you keep the Aurora since this ring doesn't give that same "band" of bling that the 3-stone did, you might miss that... Not trying to be a bad influence or anything

 

[tigian]

Looks fab on you, Dreamer! What a great find...it was meant to be!

 

[junebug17]

Congratulations on a wonderful find Dreamer, it's a gorgeous stone and beautiful setting!

 

[TravelingGal]

Well,I'm partial to octagon settings, so I think it's very pretty.

It's not at all what I thought you'd end up with though! I thought high crowns, small table, bubble facets, early shape was your dream stone! But as you said, this is much closer to the MRB. So since you separated the three stones and sold the sides, are you still keeping the 7mm?

Wear it in good health! If you keep this one forever, I'll be impressed. But it's certainly keeper material!

 

[dani13]

DREAMER!!! So happy for you that you found "the one!!" It's absolutely GORGEOUS!!! Wear it in much happiness & good health always, my friend!!!!

 

[MrsM]

Dreamer:

Absolutely love love love the stone and the entire ring. So happy that you found your dream ring...Enjoy!

 

[motownmama]

NICE!!! Are you selling the other ring then?

 

[justginger]

I'm so happy for you, D - it's such a lovely feeling to have found THE ONE. She looks right at home on your finger!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Oh, my! You were right...this is my dream diamond along with the others you referenced! I came very close to buying jjc's ring but I was worried that it would be too small at 1.4 cts.

I'm sorry, I am happy for all those who enjoy wonky because they are lucky at the wide selection of stones at maybe better prices. But to find an excellent cut old stone, well, that is perfect...at least to you and me!

Dreamer, the funny thing is, in relation to our size issues, this stone just doesn't yell..hey, I am huge...look at me! It says... I am large, beautiful, and elegant, and I am not too big. The setting seems to have the same quality as the stone, and I love it! I am glad you searched until you were satisfied, because it was worth it. Now if you ever find an even better one, please email me because I may want this one!

 

[natascha]

Oh beautiful! And I absolutely love the setting. So hard to find that quality today.

So tell us more about George's light play

 

[Dreamer_D]

Gorgeous stone! Wear it in great health! I'm so happy you have found your love!!! Are you going to keep the setting as is? 1.8 carats high color and great clarity! What more can you ask for! Can I ask what you paid (ballpark? or at least a range)?

I am keeping the setting as it is, I love the specs. I paid more than I would usually pay on ebay because of the cut quality, but still a good amount below retail. If you can even find a diamond cut like this retail. I have not seen one at OWD or JBEG in years.

 

[Dreamer_D]

It is perfection! The cut is amazing and the setting is beautiful. It is an instant perfect antique ring, no fuss needed deciding on settings and such since it is in such a gorgeous true antique setting. Plus, the setting provides some awesome oomph in finger coverage!

I am so happy for you that you found a diamond and ring that combines all of your wants and needs. it is truly the best of both worlds, great chunkiness of old cuts and awesome cut of modern stones.

What does this mean for your 3 stone? I have to admit, I have had a secret online affair with those diamonds...I frequented your thread with the pictures-I love them.

Instant gorgeous ring, no muss no fuss, is exactly what I think and exactly why I love it!

I tried and tried to love the three stones all together but the sides are very cushiony/oblong and really did not match the center well. I also felt they were too large proportionally and detracted from the center stone's beauty. Photos don't show it like in real life, though I know a lot of readers are yelling at their screens The three stones were not originally a suite -- the center was paired with the sides by the previous owner, so it is not like I broke up a 100 year old happy family . I sold them and was planning to get a nice round pair, slightly smaller, likely from a retail vendor. Now that's unlikely to happen.

 

[armywife13]

It is perfection! The cut is amazing and the setting is beautiful. It is an instant perfect antique ring, no fuss needed deciding on settings and such since it is in such a gorgeous true antique setting. Plus, the setting provides some awesome oomph in finger coverage!

I am so happy for you that you found a diamond and ring that combines all of your wants and needs. it is truly the best of both worlds, great chunkiness of old cuts and awesome cut of modern stones.

What does this mean for your 3 stone? I have to admit, I have had a secret online affair with those diamonds...I frequented your thread with the pictures-I love them.

Instant gorgeous ring, no muss no fuss, is exactly what I think and exactly why I love it!

I tried and tried to love the three stones all together but the sides are very cushiony/oblong and really did not match the center well. I also felt they were too large proportionally and detracted from the center stone's beauty. Photos don't show it like in real life, though I know a lot of readers are yelling at their screens The three stones were not originally a suite -- the center was paired with the sides by the previous owner, so it is not like I broke up a 100 year old happy family . I sold them and was planning to get a nice round pair, slightly smaller, likely from a retail vendor. Now that's unlikely to happen.

No yelling at the screen here. Did I think they were beautiful? Yes, but they did not suit your needs and wants so I think you did the right thing! Plus some other lucky person got a gorgous pair of diamonds, so in my mind it is a win-win. My only issue is that I didn't have the funds available right now to by them myself! I personally think they would have looked fab on my ears.

Are you keeping the center diamond? It would make one heck of a pendant....a girl can dream!

Congratulations again on George! That ring is beyond amazing!

 

[Dreamer_D]

OMG! She's gorgeous! And huge!! I think you should just keep her in her setting. They look made for each other.

Do you mind sharing the angles so that I can keep an eye out for exactly such an OEC? I've been looking for a 2ct for some time now. Started with searching RB, but now onto OEC cos the faceting is so attractive and I prefer fire.

Or do you happen to know if the seller has another exact same stone? If he doesn't, is it possible to share the name so that I can keep a lookout on his ebay listings?

I don't know the angles, but the table is a little under 50%, and the depth is around 60%, with crown and pavilion angles similar to a modern RB. Do not get your hopes up about finding one cut just like this one In my experience looking at both the secondary market and at our favourite retailes, old cuts of this particular style are really unusual and hard to come by, and larger sizes even more so.

The seller does not have any others like this. He sells mostly Tiffany stuff and modern settings.

 

[Dreamer_D]

And please, please, can we have more pics?

Of course!

Here are some with my 7mm classic "old european cut". Al Gilbertson would call my 8mm a "european cut" I think. The differences are pretty obvious.

Both stones are of similar body tint I believe, somewhere in the H-I range using GIA standards. The 8mm was sold as a G but now living with her I think that is unlikely. But I think these photos show how the two stones handle light differently: I find the 8mm is a chameleon and takes on environmental colors so clearly! The larger stone is also set in a bezel mount which changes light play.

 

[Dreamer_D]

Under a tree. The spectral colors coming off both stones is lovely.

 

[Dreamer_D]

Last set for now.

I will need to resize the setting, it is so big now it fits on my middle finger! I think it is a 8.5 and I need a 6.5.

 

[Haven]

W W! Wow, wow, wow, wow, wow!!!!!!!!

I'm speechless. I love it. I'm so happy to see you so happy. I can't wait for a million more pictures!

Amazing find, Dreamer! I'm shocked to see you with a solitaire, but now that you've found your dream ring, it makes sense. All that hemming and hawing over the three-stones, and you find a ring that you love as is--must be kismet!

 

[Dreamer_D]

W W! Wow, wow, wow, wow, wow!!!!!!!!

I'm speechless. I love it. I'm so happy to see you so happy. I can't wait for a million more pictures!

Amazing find, Dreamer! I'm shocked to see you with a solitaire, but now that you've found your dream ring, it makes sense. All that hemming and hawing over the three-stones, and you find a ring that you love as is--must be kismet!

I always thought of myself as a three stone girl! But then in my thread InnaR said: "I think you really are a solitaire girl at heart" and that really made me think. When I had my 1.67ct I had the center and I had the sides and STILL could not pull the trigger on setting them! I had a three stone OEC ring and STILL could not really pull the trigger on setting them. Something was not right, and I could not find a style of setting I liked. With my recent three stone after wearing it for a week or so I noticed that the sides really took away from the center stone and made it look smaller.

The moment I saw this ring I knew it was perfect! It is 0.4mm larger than my RB was, and with the bezel it is a full millimeter larger. That bit of extra oomph, along with the style of the setting, really just brought it all together for me in terms of the look of the ring on my hand. It is totally perfect. Not to meniont the faceting is ideal to my eye.

I was reading a thread where Storm posted that LGFs got longer in response to the use of strong overhead lighting. Classic OECs with their short LGFs just cannot hack it in that type of lighting. I spend most of my time in that lighting -- where I work and teach -- and I always noticed that my OECs went a little dead, especially under the table. This diamond with its super long lgf ratio still excells in that type of lighting, and that was key for me and that is why I was looking for this type of cut!

I love everything about it.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Gorgeous new pics! Definitely my kind of stone!!! Love it!

 

[Dreamer_D]

It's not at all what I thought you'd end up with though! I thought high crowns, small table, bubble facets, early shape was your dream stone! But as you said, this is much closer to the MRB.

I think finding a super well cut old cut of any style is a real challenge when you are a cut nut like I am, and if you want to do it on the secondary market, well, thats even more challenging. I was looking for stones 8mm+ under $10k that were really really well cut. I would have been delighted if I could have found one with faceting like yours that met those requirements! But there were none. This one popped up and I jumped on it. I am not sure a more classically proportioned OEC would have ever really met my esthetic ideals, though. My 7mm stone is about as good as it gets in a classic OEC, and even it underwhelmed me in some lighting -- strong overhead lighting. As I said, stones cut prior to the advent of electric lights were not meant to excell in strong overhead lighting. Because I work in a school where the lighting is all high fluorescent, it bugged me that my old cuts were not excelling there. That is why I was thinking about a modern RB -- I even offered Coda for hers! But this one is the perfect hybrid for me: Chunky monkey facets but really great performance in overhead lighting. All lighting actually. That is why I call her George.

 

[natascha]

My apologies in advance if this is rude .

Dreamer I was wondering what tools you use (caliper, loupe...). I did a thread in RT but I don't know if you saw it.

Back to the geourges reason for this thread. George , does he show a lot of white light return and less fire compared to your OECs?

 

[TravelingGal]

It's not at all what I thought you'd end up with though! I thought high crowns, small table, bubble facets, early shape was your dream stone! But as you said, this is much closer to the MRB.

I think finding a super well cut old cut of any style is a real challenge when you are a cut nut like I am, and if you want to do it on the secondary market, well, thats even more challenging. I was looking for stones 8mm+ under $10k that were really really well cut. I would have been delighted if I could have found one with faceting like yours that met those requirements! But there were none. This one popped up and I jumped on it. I am not sure a more classically proportioned OEC would have ever really met my esthetic ideals, though. My 7mm stone is about as good as it gets in a classic OEC, and even it underwhelmed me in some lighting -- strong overhead lighting. As I said, stones cut prior to the advent of electric lights were not meant to excell in strong overhead lighting. Because I work in a school where the lighting is all high fluorescent, it bugged me that my old cuts were not excelling there. That is why I was thinking about a modern RB -- I even offered Coda for hers! But this one is the perfect hybrid for me: Chunky monkey facets but really great performance in overhead lighting. All lighting actually. That is why I call her George.

I would still be interested in seeing a photo of just what you mean. Maybe I got lucky OR maybe I truly don't know what I am looking at, but I just haven't seen what this obstruction is that everyone is talking about in person. All the diamonds you posted photograph well, but you mention that all of them had some sort of obstruction issues (some better than others.) I tried to take a pic of mine with my noggin in the way of straight on sun, but haven't been able to get a horrid pic. Even the lens, dead on, doesn't do it.

So if what you said is the case, I'll consider myself super lucky. I was talking to FK about obstruction and saying that I just don't see it, and she did say mine didn't really have any issues. Plus it was fun having Patrick look at them.

I can't imagine that 7mm being underwhelming, lol. strong overhead lighting like overhead fluoro - that would be white light return, right?

The late OEC/tranny cut as far as photographs go were what sent me in love with old cuts (surfgirl's being the first). I was originally all about symmetry and pattern before I got my disco ball. I still love gorgeous patterns though.

 

[Dreamer_D]

Oh, my! You were right...this is my dream diamond along with the others you referenced! I came very close to buying jjc's ring but I was worried that it would be too small at 1.4 cts.

I'm sorry, I am happy for all those who enjoy wonky because they are lucky at the wide selection of stones at maybe better prices. But to find an excellent cut old stone, well, that is perfect...at least to you and me!

Dreamer, the funny thing is, in relation to our size issues, this stone just doesn't yell..hey, I am huge...look at me! It says... I am large, beautiful, and elegant, and I am not too big. The setting seems to have the same quality as the stone, and I love it! I am glad you searched until you were satisfied, because it was worth it. Now if you ever find an even better one, please email me because I may want this one!

I think you should look for an old cut like mine and some others in this thread, or else get an AVR. It is really the best of both worlds for those of us who really like RBs and don't like any wonk or too much darkness under table -- the stark maltese cross.

Well, I am not going to lie and pretend this ring is subtle. I agree is is elegant and lovely and the mount really makes it, the proportions work. But it is staggeringly large. If people comment though i can say its a family heirloom and I am so lucky to have it. It is a family heirloom, just not from my family

 

[Dreamer_D]

My apologies in advance if this is rude .

Dreamer I was wondering what tools you use (caliper, loupe...). I did a thread in RT but I don't know if you saw it.

Back to the gourges reason for this thread. George , does he show a lot of white light return and less fire compared to your OECs?

Tools: I have calipers and a loupe, the macro function on my camera, and my eyes. Mostly my eyes which I have trained from seeing so many photos of diamonds and then seeing the real thing; I find now I am pretty good at extrapolating from pictures what a stone may look like in person. Within reason, there are limits.

Accross lighting situations I think this stone is brighter, but mostly because it is cut to work well in overhead lighting. It is a more eye catching stone. I am not a good person to ask about fire as I never seem to see it much in any diamonds.

 

[TravelingGal]

btw, the lady that you bought the 3 stone from...did you see that she had a 1.8 that she sold for $3500? I couldn't make much out from the pics, but she seems to have quite a collection....

 

[MissGotRocks]

Dreamer your new ring is just beautiful!

I am so happy that you found a ring that makes your heart sing. It's been a long, interesting journey but oh what a happy ending!

I truly am thrilled for you with your newfound happiness - must be such a satisfying feeling!!

 

[Dreamer_D]

I would still be interested in seeing a photo of just what you mean. Maybe I got lucky OR maybe I truly don't know what I am looking at, but I just haven't seen what this obstruction is that everyone is talking about in person. All the diamonds you posted photograph well, but you mention that all of them had some sort of obstruction issues (some better than others.) I tried to take a pic of mine with my noggin in the way of straight on sun, but haven't been able to get a horrid pic. Even the lens, dead on, doesn't do it.

So if what you said is the case, I'll consider myself super lucky. I was talking to FK about obstruction and saying that I just don't see it, and she did say mine didn't really have any issues. Plus it was fun having Patrick look at them.

I attached a couple pics of obstruction/leakage what have you: The end result is the same, under table darkness. Your diamond doesn't do it, I can tell from the photos you posted, and I think it is possibly the super tiny table yours has (like 45% right?) and I bet yours might have a shallower pavilion angle too! So yes, if that was your first OEC buy then you got lucky! I owned two small OECs that had perfect optics with classic proportions, both around 60 points.

I can't imagine that 7mm being underwhelming, lol. strong overhead lighting like overhead fluoro - that would be white light return, right?

[/quote][/quote]

Nope. When a stone has proportions that are not compatible with reflecting overhead light back to the eye then you get no light return, you get dead dark facets. Reflecting overhead light means gathering light entering the stone perpendicular to the table, and then returning it at the same angle (or similar). Get the angles of the facets "Wrong" and a stone will not reflect light entering perpendicular to the table. Most old cuts were cut prior to the advent of stone overhead lighting. They gather light from the sides and reflect it out the top. So in low indirect lighting classic old cuts look amazing. But many of those same cuts simply don't know what to do with strong bright light entering perpendicular to the table. That light "leaks" or is scattered. End result -- a dull looking stone. It is especially apparent in the under-table facets of a classic stone not cut for overhead lighting. I have only seen one or two classic OECs that could do well in overhead fluoro.