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My small but mighty CBI upgrade

arhzay

Rough_Rock
Joined
Aug 9, 2019
Messages
52
After silently reading PS for 10 years, I finally have something to post! :D

I will apologise in advance for my lengthy thread but I am absolutely thrilled with my ring and would like to share my happiness and experience with you all.

I have been married for 6 years and got engaged with a 0.60 carat I SI1 triple X GIA diamond which was set in a platinum setting with diamond shoulders. I was very happy with the ring but I always yearned to have a super ideal cut diamond.

I had been thinking of a possible upgrade for around 3 years but I never pulled the trigger as I had given birth to my two boys over the past 4 years and time just seemed to fly by.

Over the past 6 months I began thinking of an upgrade again and it was @KristinTech and her thread about a starter CBI diamond which gave me the push.

I contacted the wonderful Melissa at HPD to explain to her that I would like a CBI diamond. To be honest I didn’t think it would even be possible for me to have a CBI diamond because we had recently moved into a lovely new home and the only way this would have happened is if HPD accepted my diamond as a trade in.

To my surprise they did accept non CBI diamonds and this became the step towards my CBI diamond journey. I traded in my original diamond plus a J VS2.

My requirement was simple. I wanted a similar carat size to my original diamond but with a much higher colour and clarity and of course the best cut. So I decided on E VS1 because if I’m honest the tint in my I and J diamond did bother me a lot.

I felt a bit sad about letting go of my original diamond but my husband supported me in this upgrade which made me feel better about it. Upgrades are not really a thing where I live (London) so this is a very big deal for me. My husband and I have agreed that this would be the one and only change which is why I went straight for the E VS1.

I was very nervous about shipping my diamonds to the US but the wonderful Wink, Jamie and Melissa reassured me that it would not pose a problem. Wink wanted me to have the diamonds removed from the mounts before sending so that HPD would not have to pay customs to receive my diamonds from me.

This was made very easy for me by Melissa who guided me to the lovely Faye and Manu at Durham Rose in London (who are also authorised sellers of CBI diamonds) who removed the diamonds from the settings for a small fee.

I will confess I had no idea on how to send the parcel to HPD because upon checking FedEx, UPS etc it became apparent that I would not be able to send my package with full insurance as it would be over the amount that they insure for in case of theft or loss.

Melissa came up with a sensible solution of emailing me a prepaid FedEx label which covered the contents under their own insurance which they use to ship parcels. So all I had to do was package up my diamonds and attach the commercial invoice and shipping label and drop off to FedEx. I reimbursed HPD for the cost of the shipping label and I had peace of mind that my diamonds would reach them in two working days.

Once my diamonds and the certificates were received by HPD, they were examined by Wink. I also sent my plain platinum wedding band for polishing and before I knew it I had received an email from Melissa to tell me that my rings were ready to ship.

Jamie sent me pictures which I must have looked at about a thousand times!

I received my rings yesterday and I am thrilled with them. The diamond seems to dance and the arrows are constantly flashing. It is completely icy and white and I love it. I have taken some photographs but they do not do the ring justice. Its impossible to photograph what I see.

The diamond is set in a simple platinum Stuller setting with a knife edge with engraving along the edges. The setting is more beautiful than I had anticipated.

Sorry about the huge essay and I hope you enjoy the pictures! I’ve tried to take pictures where you can also see the pattern along the knife edge.

I would like to say a special thank you to Melissa who held my hand throughout this journey and answered my many emails as I was very nervous about the entire process. Thank you to Wink and Jamie too. I am a fan of HPD for life and I would recommend them to international customers especially those looking to upgrade non CBI diamonds. Nothing is impossible when working with HPD. :appl:

I present my 0.64 E VS1 CBI diamond in a platinum Stuller setting in size 3.75. :love:

6BE5223F-CC32-48D1-B23A-1F270E0AA9B0.jpeg B1028FB6-2C75-4EED-9BA0-F5B9F51106B9.jpeg 1036ED1A-4FD8-42A1-8D6E-55BF3882D260.jpeg

B377FBF6-0E84-4910-9F10-7C2E2027AB83.jpeg DCAEA438-2EB4-4CE9-9ACD-5AE938FD4862.jpeg 721BFDB8-FF75-4238-93F4-C9AA8D8BBBC1.png A889EE90-5A95-424F-A43F-2D70DC7637BC.png 92C03A69-E3C7-4A2D-B3FB-5F23394269BB.png 103AC19E-A107-4A1B-8298-ED24937DFE60.png E78D5E42-FFD1-4668-A592-1C9CB789BF48.png BE804652-4129-4675-A996-A8E6F7EA106F.png
 

whitewave

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Feb 29, 2012
Messages
12,331
:appl::love:Beautiful!!!
 

Diamond Girl 21

Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Jun 26, 2017
Messages
2,206
So pretty! Congratulations.
 

Crazie4Cuts

Brilliant_Rock
Premium
Joined
Oct 9, 2014
Messages
551
Congratulations! Many happy returns! Enjoy your upgraded CBI diamond!
-C4C
 

arhzay

Rough_Rock
Joined
Aug 9, 2019
Messages
52
Thank you! @Wewechew I will take hand shots once I get round to getting a manicure done :lol:

I forgot to add in my original post that the CBI diamond I chose was incorrectly priced. It was priced several hundred dollars cheaper than it should have been and was priced the same as an F VS2. When I pointed this out to Melissa she confirmed that the pricing was incorrect but they would honour that price!
 

apacherose

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
May 19, 2014
Messages
1,322
Gorgeous!

HPD diamonds seem like they are wonderful to work with- you did so well- congratulations!!!
 

Ally T

Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Oct 24, 2012
Messages
8,531
Wowzers, what a stunning stone! No wonder you can't take your eyes off it! Please post hand shots when you can & congratulations - it's a keeper!
 

Starfacet

Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Nov 25, 2017
Messages
2,013
Love it!!!
 

lovedogs

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Jul 31, 2014
Messages
18,221
wow, congrats! such a great set!
 

motownmama

Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Jan 9, 2008
Messages
8,207
NICE!!
 

tyty333

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Dec 17, 2008
Messages
27,236
So pretty! Congratulations on your new e-ring!
 

KristyDarling

Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Jul 27, 2005
Messages
4,165
Just stunning! What a rock!!! And the engraving on the shank is so lovely...it gives the setting a beautifully unique yet also classic touch. Hand shots soon, please!
 

marcy

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Feb 27, 2007
Messages
26,306
It’s beautiful. Congratulations.
 

ringcat

Shiny_Rock
Premium
Joined
Jan 23, 2012
Messages
264
It’s beautiful! Congratulations!
 

Tekate

Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
May 11, 2013
Messages
7,570
congratulations on a most beautiful diamond.. ! it's quite extraordinary!
 

arkieb1

Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
May 11, 2012
Messages
9,786
Beautiful, congrats!!!
 

KristinTech

Brilliant_Rock
Premium
Joined
Aug 7, 2013
Messages
1,863
@arhzay I am pleased as punch that I inspired someone to “go for it!” I read your post while lounging on my beloved hammock here at twilight in central Illinois. So I’ve included two pics—one of me on the hammock, then I turned to the right and took a picture of the patio glider where I crafted that thread late last summer! If you look just past my baby dog, Chief, my toes were right above his snout when I got excited about the idea of a superideal. :kiss2:

We need to see hand shots! I love your wedding band—is it 2.5 or 3.0 mm? Please post some hand shots! :appl:



8B351452-9535-4E45-87D0-945CE8323E92.jpeg D45BDA2C-0218-452E-B9C7-D7840B0656BE.jpeg
 

OdetteOdile

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Aug 8, 2019
Messages
1,581
Wow your diamond and setting are beautiful!! Thank you for sharing your story! Do you notice a very great difference in performance between your original diamond and your CBI? Do you see more fire/color from the CBI?
 

Dancing Fire

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Apr 3, 2004
Messages
33,852
Beautiful ring! Congrats!. The team at HPD are the best! :clap:
 

headlight

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Nov 2, 2003
Messages
3,294
@arhzay SO happy for you. Gorgeous everything! Do you see a big different between this and your former 3x? If so, in what ways?
Glad it was a seamless process, especially given you had the international distance to deal with and I’m sure it was a huge leap of faith. I’m intrigued by the fact they would take your previous as a trade in. Did the upgrade cost you a lot out of pocket? I’m so happy you got your E, VS1!!! I loved reading your story!
 

PreRaphaelite

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Feb 2, 2015
Messages
3,564
Result!

Well done all! A gorgeous ring and band with an *amazing* fireball diamond. Classic yet distinctive style choice and yes could be please have some hand shots for eye candy?

Congratulations on an excellent choice!
 

luv2sparkle

Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Feb 3, 2008
Messages
7,950
Your rings are beautiful! I am so happy that you love your new CBI! It looks really large on your tiny fingers, and is actually the perfect size for you! Congratulations!
 

arhzay

Rough_Rock
Joined
Aug 9, 2019
Messages
52
Thank you for your lovely comments and I promise I will try to post hand shots soon!

@KristinTech I was actually thinking of your thread where you spoke of your patio and favourite spot to take photos whilst I was struggling to take pictures myself. :lol:

My wedding band is actually 2mm- this gives you an idea of how delicate the setting is. It is quite sturdy though and reasonably priced for a platinum setting.

@OdetteOdile yes I noticed a difference as soon as I opened the box. The diamond looks absolutely white and I cannot detect any hint of colour no matter what the lighting conditions are or where I am. The diamond also appears brighter and is constantly flashing and sparkling. The arrows flash firey colours constantly.

I went up in carat size from 0.60 to 0.64 which is a minute difference but the diamond looks bigger on my finger and to me appears visibly larger than my original diamond.

My mother was very apprehensive about me sending off diamonds to another country and about what I would receive in return but she visited yesterday to look at the ring and instantly agreed that I made the right decision!

@headlight my diamond did not cost very much out of pocket as I traded in 2 diamonds. However I did choose a new platinum setting and it cost to have the diamonds removed from their mounts and then the added cost of shipping via FedEx. My husband covered the costs as he wanted my wedding set to be something exclusively gifted from him.
 

hypermom

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Feb 19, 2013
Messages
473
Congratulations on your upgrade. It’s beautiful!
 

canuk-gal

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Apr 19, 2004
Messages
25,711
HI:

Great diamond and lovely rings. You'll love them always!

cheers--Sharon
 

MissGotRocks

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Jun 23, 2005
Messages
16,327
It looks like a gorgeous diamond - congrats on your upgrade! Will be waiting for hand shots!
 

arhzay

Rough_Rock
Joined
Aug 9, 2019
Messages
52
So I’m finally back with some hand shots and a slight change to the setting!:lol:

I originally had my CBI set into a Stuller solitaire setting but I really missed my original setting and simply couldn’t let go of it. So I had the 6 prong head containing my new CBI removed from the Stuller solitaire and set onto my original setting which had a 4 prong head.

This work was carried out by Durham Rose in London (who also carry CBI diamonds) and I worked with Faye who had this completed for me within a week. I am so thrilled with the end result. The new head has joined on seamlessly and I love my ring. I’m so happy to have the best of both worlds- my original ring with a beautiful CBI diamond.

I’ve tried my best with the hand shots, my kitchen has good lighting so most of the pictures feature my cooker in the background!

CEE72BA1-5F49-4DC9-A9C8-657980C2612E.jpeg 38B0AD47-010D-4315-BAF5-FD934FEF761F.jpeg 85E42A2B-3E00-4A48-9E6B-50536AF1A488.jpeg 265A0216-EE15-417F-871F-6822924E73D7.jpeg F6E0F1A7-7A31-44D9-B445-BC26BDD8E828.jpeg 40FABBAF-53F1-4EC0-BDF9-0767C6F180AC.jpeg 097B6700-21E7-47AC-8DBA-E026C791E932.jpeg D79BB630-2875-400F-91A9-4F8ED7F8E87C.jpeg
 
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