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My LGD journey

sparklynurse

Rough_Rock
Joined
Aug 22, 2012
Messages
67
A few years ago I decided I wanted to upgrade my e-ring. At the time that I got engaged (when dinosaurs still roamed the earth :lol:) .25 to .30 cts was considered the norm. My SIL was a gemologist at a prestigious Canadian jewellery chain (Birk's for the Canadians amongst us, best described as the Tiffany of the north for others.) My husband asked her to select the diamond and have the ring made. She chose a .25 ct D VVS1. It is a beautiful diamond that, despite its diminutive size, packs a big sparkle punch.

Hoping to have my cake and eat it too (larger look, less money) I settled on moissanite. I really enjoyed the sparkle but the yellowy tint bothered me then 4H moissanite with a H&A cut came to market and I jumped on that bandwagon thinking that it would resolve the colour issue with the added bonus of a better cut. I was disappointed. It just did not sparkle or scintillate like my 'lil diamond or the original 6H moissy. Anyone purchasing moissanite with the expectation that it will perform like a diamond will be disappointed. It is a very pretty stone that should be appreciated for it's own properties and cut to maximize them not diminish them.

I had decided that I would just bite the financial bullet and get a diamond when my SIL suggested lab diamonds. I did a bit of research and ended up with a 1.13 G VS1 super ideal cut LGD from Brilliant Earth. It is graded by GCAL and scores a .7 on the HCA tool. This thing is amazing! I got excited and ordered super ideal studs graded by IGI with excellent HCA scores only to be sorely disappointed with the lackluster performance - on paper they were perfect and should have been sparkle bombs but in reality they fizzled. I debated getting LB brand studs but then I would have to change the settings and I worried that I would have the same performance problem. I didn't want to chance it so I decided on WF ACAs (Michelle was amazing to work with - I got bigger diamonds than I thought I could get within my budget.) Eventually I came across this video which, I think, explained what I saw in the LGD studs:


And here is a video with the LGD ring and WF ACA studs:


If I ever upgrade the size of the solitaire, I will likely use Rhino to ensure I get a LGD that performs well.
 

bright ice

Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
May 14, 2010
Messages
4,328
It’s a stunning diamond with screaming sparkle! It holds its own next to the ACAs too. I’m happy that you love it!
It makes me feel more confident in dipping my toes into the LGD market.
 
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