***Please scroll down to 2nd post for pics 
My first e-ring was a 0.4ish brownish pink diamond and I wore it for 4 years. The color was lovely but the diamond did not sparkle. Later I found out that it had I1 clarity due to many feathers, so maybe that's why it did not have good light performance. I didn't know about PS then.
Last year I started to look for my upgrade. I saw several "OECs" thread but I was not curious enough to click on them. I bought 2 MRBs and I returned both . Somehow they just didn't feel right. One day I clicked on a OEC thread and the rest was history!
I looked at ALL OEC's threads. I bought my first OEC, a 2ish ct L color EGL from my local jeweler. I had it for 2 days and I didn't love it for no apparent reason. Now I know that it had darkness under the table and not crisp facet pattern. Here is a pic:
Since I didn't know what is not right about that diamond, I thought it's best to buy an AVR since sparkle, glitter, twinkle, flicker (you got the idea...are very important to me. The AVR's faceting was very pleasing to my eyes. But I returned it because I knew myself. If I had kept the AVR, I would always wonder about a true antique OEC.
So along the way, I bought and return countless of stones and some I didn't take pictures. I returned this one below and at that time, I really didn't know why it didn't sing to me. I know now I loved its big chunky prominent bezel facets but the facets under the table were not very organized to me.
I joined the 7-8mm search club and that's the best thing that I did during my search. This stone (and the one above) came up in a discussion. I bought it and when I saw it for the first time :"it's yellow!!! and I love it". It's a L color GIA. The facets under table were not flowery but it twinkled crazy. And most important, the faceting was very crisp! Here is a pic:
I wore it for a few months. Then the tint of the stone started to plant a seed of doubt in my head. I knew that I needed to look for another one. From joining the search group and see others' journeys (almondblossom, gemfever, lightbright, nowicanseethemoon, starsparkle, valmine, etc), I felt pretty confident in what to look for next. JBEG and OWD didn't have in their inventory at that time the specs I was looking for. I contacted all vendors, ebay sellers, antique stores, pawn shops. What so frustrating was that they didn't get the "faceting" thing. They would send me stones within my specs and it's my problem that the stones did not have the faceting. I was told all OECs cut in the 1920's looked the same. I outlined and emailed them the faceting that I was seeking (picture from GemFever and JBEG)
Then I was told all OECs had the stars and the flowers if looking at the right directions. From that point I knew that I didn't only need vendors/sellers that had stones but ones that had eyes for old cuts' facet patterns. My DH kinda gave me an ultimatum. I felt that he wanted me to find something soon so that I would not spend all my time everyday looking. I emailed Adam at OWD again. I reiterated my specs and that color didn't have to be H, I-J could work. No answer for a 5 days. On the 6th day, he wrote back and asked if I was still looking. I replied yes and he said "Just for the fun of it, I have the most stunning...".
I asked for 1.3-1.5 ct and he gave me a 1.97
I asked for a H-I-J color and he gave me a F GIA
However she is an I1 clarity. My search criteria for clarity was VS. But as Adam said and looking at the GIA report, all the inclusions are at one spot off to the girdle, bezel or prong setting can easily cover them. K_darling is such a sweetheart that she even went see the stone for me. With her approval, I purchased the stone. Adam went above and beyond, he offered the stone close to my budget, shipped and paid for all the shipping. He shipped the stone first so I could see it. Then I shipped the stone and my Phillip Press setting back so his jeweler could set and resize it. All free of charge to me! (I've gotten a really good price on the stone already)
My impression of working with Adam is that he is very very very busy. But he does care for his customers and he knows and understand the "faceting" thing. I've worked with several PS's vendors and some I feel like they are dealing with me as business, very polite and distant. I think Adam understands how "crazy" old cut lovers are and despite "crazy" requests and demands, he genuinely care and look after our best interests.
BIG SHOUT OUT to all the lovely ladies of the search club! Thanks all for helping find the one! big puffy heart you all.
My first e-ring was a 0.4ish brownish pink diamond and I wore it for 4 years. The color was lovely but the diamond did not sparkle. Later I found out that it had I1 clarity due to many feathers, so maybe that's why it did not have good light performance. I didn't know about PS then.
Last year I started to look for my upgrade. I saw several "OECs" thread but I was not curious enough to click on them. I bought 2 MRBs and I returned both . Somehow they just didn't feel right. One day I clicked on a OEC thread and the rest was history!
I looked at ALL OEC's threads. I bought my first OEC, a 2ish ct L color EGL from my local jeweler. I had it for 2 days and I didn't love it for no apparent reason. Now I know that it had darkness under the table and not crisp facet pattern. Here is a pic:
Since I didn't know what is not right about that diamond, I thought it's best to buy an AVR since sparkle, glitter, twinkle, flicker (you got the idea
...are very important to me. The AVR's faceting was very pleasing to my eyes. But I returned it because I knew myself. If I had kept the AVR, I would always wonder about a true antique OEC. So along the way, I bought and return countless of stones and some I didn't take pictures. I returned this one below and at that time, I really didn't know why it didn't sing to me. I know now I loved its big chunky prominent bezel facets but the facets under the table were not very organized to me.
I joined the 7-8mm search club and that's the best thing that I did during my search. This stone (and the one above) came up in a discussion. I bought it and when I saw it for the first time :"it's yellow!!! and I love it". It's a L color GIA. The facets under table were not flowery but it twinkled crazy. And most important, the faceting was very crisp! Here is a pic:
I wore it for a few months. Then the tint of the stone started to plant a seed of doubt in my head. I knew that I needed to look for another one. From joining the search group and see others' journeys (almondblossom, gemfever, lightbright, nowicanseethemoon, starsparkle, valmine, etc), I felt pretty confident in what to look for next. JBEG and OWD didn't have in their inventory at that time the specs I was looking for. I contacted all vendors, ebay sellers, antique stores, pawn shops. What so frustrating was that they didn't get the "faceting" thing. They would send me stones within my specs and it's my problem that the stones did not have the faceting. I was told all OECs cut in the 1920's looked the same. I outlined and emailed them the faceting that I was seeking (picture from GemFever and JBEG)
Then I was told all OECs had the stars and the flowers if looking at the right directions. From that point I knew that I didn't only need vendors/sellers that had stones but ones that had eyes for old cuts' facet patterns. My DH kinda gave me an ultimatum. I felt that he wanted me to find something soon so that I would not spend all my time everyday looking. I emailed Adam at OWD again. I reiterated my specs and that color didn't have to be H, I-J could work. No answer for a 5 days. On the 6th day, he wrote back and asked if I was still looking. I replied yes and he said "Just for the fun of it, I have the most stunning...".
I asked for 1.3-1.5 ct and he gave me a 1.97
I asked for a H-I-J color and he gave me a F GIA
However she is an I1 clarity. My search criteria for clarity was VS. But as Adam said and looking at the GIA report, all the inclusions are at one spot off to the girdle, bezel or prong setting can easily cover them. K_darling is such a sweetheart that she even went see the stone for me. With her approval, I purchased the stone. Adam went above and beyond, he offered the stone close to my budget, shipped and paid for all the shipping. He shipped the stone first so I could see it. Then I shipped the stone and my Phillip Press setting back so his jeweler could set and resize it. All free of charge to me! (I've gotten a really good price on the stone already)
My impression of working with Adam is that he is very very very busy. But he does care for his customers and he knows and understand the "faceting" thing. I've worked with several PS's vendors and some I feel like they are dealing with me as business, very polite and distant. I think Adam understands how "crazy" old cut lovers are and despite "crazy" requests and demands, he genuinely care and look after our best interests.
BIG SHOUT OUT to all the lovely ladies of the search club! Thanks all for helping find the one! big puffy heart you all.
We need more pics please... 
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