Need help picking OEC for e-ring

[Teague47]

Hey folks,

First off, I've been educating myself just reading forums for a couple weeks now. Unfortunately, I don't think I'll be able to educate myself enough before making a decision on a diamond. I recently came across OldWorldDiamonds.com and became very interested in purchasing an OEC for my future bride. We like 'vintage' and aren't too caught up in most of the modern stuff. My budget is 3K total (not much I know, but a TON for my current situation).
As much as I've read, I just can't get a grasp on what really makes a great diamond, especially now that I'm looking at OEC's. Here are a few that seemed decent on OWD. Tell me what you think...

http://www.oldworlddiamonds.com/detail.php?ID=391&SHAPE=EU

http://www.oldworlddiamonds.com/detail.php?ID=82&SHAPE=EU

Oh, and I'm looking to set it in either a yellow gold simple solitaire with white gold head. OR a yellow gold twisted rope-split shank look that I really like..... Thanks for any and all help! Looking forward to hearing from the experts!

 

[justginger]

My personal opinion is that the diamonds listed on OWD are perhaps some of the less nice (un-nicer?) ones they have. Just personal opinion only, they seem priced higher and are less attractive than the ones Adam has sent me photos of when I enquired with him directly.

There are a few of us on here who have bought from Adam at OWD and have been THRILLED with our purchases. There are others who have purchased from Erica or Grace from Jewels by Erica Grace who have been THRILLED with their purchases (I fall into both categories). There are others who have purchased from GOG and have been THRILLED with their purchases. You're not short on choice for good OECs, thankfully.

Personally, I'd say contact Adam since his company first caught your eye. Explain the parameters you want to stay in (in terms of color, clarity, and make sure to be clear if you're interested in GIA or EGL standard grades), give a budget, and see what he comes back with. Let him know that Pricescope sent you and you wish the light return and patterning of the stone to be excellent.

For what's it's worth, his bench did my setting as well and did an incredible job on a VERY short schedule. CADS all the way to shipped was under a week, which is remarkable.

Perhaps some of the ebay hawks on here could suggest secondhand stones as well, to make your budget stretch a bit? I've never had much luck at finding good stones in auctions, but some of the ladies here have a sixth bargain sense!

 

[Rosebloom]

There's a beautiful ring on the Preloved section right now that is a little over your budget but looks amazing!

 

[Sakuracherry]

I'm not an expert. All I can say is that most likely I1 stones won't be eye-clean. Are you only looking at high colors like F? Maybe you can contact OWN directly and they can help you. Or you can try ebay. I'm posting some links here, but I don't know if those are great performing stones. I picked stones that are within your budget and I or better. Hopefully experts will chime in.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/0-85ct-F-VS2-GIA-CERTIFIED-OLD-EUROPEAN-CUT-DIAMOND-VINTAGE-LOOSE-STONE-MINE-OEC-/150948029386?pt=Loose_Diamonds&hash=item23253423ca

http://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-G-VS2-DIAMOND-0-79CT-OLD-EUROPEAN-CUT-6MM-ROUND-VINTAGE-LOOSE-ANTIQUE-/400339982808?pt=Loose_Diamonds&hash=item5d361f59d8

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Fine-Old-European-Cut-Diamond-Three-Stone-Ring-WG-14KT-/320461060120?pt=Diamond_Solitaire_Rings&hash=item4a9cf7b818

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1-00C-OLD-EUROPEAN-CUT-DIAMOND-VINTAGE-EDWARDIAN-ENGAGEMENT-COCKTAIL-RING-ESTATE-/400340539981?pt=Diamond_Solitaire_Rings&hash=item5d3627da4d

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ART-DECO-VINTAGE-1-01ct-OLD-EUROPEAN-MINE-CUT-DIAMOND-PLATINUM-FILIGREE-RING-/200848762412?pt=US_Fine_Rings&hash=item2ec384e62c

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1-18ct-ORIGINAL-VINTAGE-OLD-EUROPEAN-CUT-G-SI-DECO-FILIGREE-18K-ENGAGEMENT-RING-/150948099142?pt=Diamond_Solitaire_Rings&hash=item2325353446

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Platinum-Vintage-Old-European-Cut-Diamond-Engagement-Ring-76CT-G-VS1-/221118241080?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item337bac9938

http://www.ebay.com/itm/GIA-71ct-Old-European-Cut-Round-Loose-Diamond-H-SI2-5-63-5-71x3-42mm-/350488381247?pt=Loose_Diamonds&hash=item519abc473f

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Edwardian-0-75ct-Old-European-cut-Diamond-18ct-Gold-Plat-Solitaire-Ring-ca1910-/330830613176?pt=UK_Jewellery_Watches_FineJewellery_CA&hash=item4d070a8ab8

 

[Rosebloom]

There's a beautiful ring on the Preloved section right now that is a little over your budget but looks amazing!

ETA: Sorry I'm having trouble linking to it from Tap-a-talk but it's the 1.2 ct OEC with heart sides. Sadly it's $4k so more over budget than I remembered.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Honestly, I would buy from Diamond Zone (first ebay link above). They are a jewelry stone. Just call and tell them your budget and you need the best possible OEC for an engagement ring. Some of their stones are in beautiful antique settings, which I think is very complimentary to the antique stones. Others are loose.

 

[Sakuracherry]

Here's another nice one.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1-20ctH-VS1-Vintage-antique-art-deco-european-diamond-platinum-ring-/200842150001?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2ec3200071

 

[GoldFish8]

Here is a very pretty transitional/ early round brilliant.

http://jewelsbyericagrace.smugmug.com/Jewelry/Rings-Antique-Vintage/80ct-est-Early-Modern/19915034_k2CLLh#!i=1567378429&k=zcHLCP9

 

[Teague47]

you guys are awesome! Thanks a ton for responding... I'm going to sort through all of the info and get back to you guys. And I plan on contacting this Adam fellow.

Thank you!

 

[Teague47]

Also, not to take a ton of your time... But, what are the benefits of getting an OEC? How do you guys think they compare to modern cut diamonds that I may find at a local jewlerer? I've read some think they are more 'brilliant''....?

 

[ariel144]

Of the two you posted on OWD, I like the 2nd one better...sometimes an I1 can be relatively eye clean, especially in a 1c size stone, but call them and let them find you the best stone for your budget and then compare to these on GOG...many on PS have had great success with OWD. Neither of these are graded by GIA or AGS so you are probably looking at an EGL color grade which if EGL USA can be just one grade off in color...making it a G/H which will still be nice. OWD is a trusted vendor.

On a budget, I would look on GOG for a proven performer ...an August Vintage Round....on a small budget your chances of finding a well performing true antique OEC are like finding a needle in a haystack.

this one is very nice...check out the Megascope rating

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/9977/

and this one...but faces up smaller....
http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/8246/

I like the first one better for the price ($2500), it faces up larger and a K in this well cut stone will face up nice and white.
It will make a gorgeous ring and a diamond that will perform lights out...you cannot go wrong for under $3,000.

 

[CharmyPoo]

Honestly, I would buy from Diamond Zone (first ebay link above). They are a jewelry stone. Just call and tell them your budget and you need the best possible OEC for an engagement ring. Some of their stones are in beautiful antique settings, which I think is very complimentary to the antique stones. Others are loose.

I second this. I have visited Diamond Zone a few times and Ilya is great and honest.

 

[Mara]

I got my OEC from OWD and loved working with Adam. I would just tell him what you want and have him tell you what he would recommend, much easier than scrutinizing stones on the website. They also have things not on the website.

As others have said, JBEG is also popular on PS, and great to work with. I would personally not focus on a branded OEC stone like an AVR with a small budget, because you'll get a smaller stone. You can easily find a nice OEC in your budget --depending on what type of ring you want.

I love that heart side OEC ring on DB! It's 4k I think but you can see if they would negotiate.

 

[Teague47]

Great. I'm still sorting through stuff. My main plan right now is to wait to speak with Adam on Monday. Could anyone please tell me the main differences between an OEC and modern diamond? It appears I can get a larger stone of same color, cut, clarity for cheaper. Which I'm all for!

 

[Alexiszoe]

Not an OEC expert by any means, but from what I have seen, OEC tends to reflect broader flashes of light due to the chunkier facets, whereas a well cut round brilliant (RB) reflects multiple smaller flashes of light, so it depends on what appeals to the eye. I have read that older cuts tends to perform better in candle light due to the way it was cut then to suit the lighting environment, which was candle light back then.

I am not sure if you can get the same color, size and clarity for much cheaper than a RB. The reason why it appears to be cheaper is old cuts like OECs are graded by EGL, which is much softer in grading (sometimes 2-3 grades off), whereas most RB are graded by the GIA. So for example, an OEC K VS1 graded by the EGL when graded by the GIA could be an M SI2, and I suspect the price that you are paying is probably closer to the equivalent of a GIA round M SI2 rather than a GIA K VS1.

If you ever intend to upgrade the diamond at some point, a RB would be far easier in terms of selling/trading it in. Old cuts are beautiful , but because it caters to a very small and niche market it will be harder to sell/trade.

 

[Teague47]

Alexiszoe,

Great info, much appreciated.

 

[Sakuracherry]

In some cases, you can get an OEC for cheaper than a MRB of the same clarity/color. A well cut 0.8 ct stone is priced around $4000 on James Allen. Compare the price to the first ebay link I posted. I have not seen many GIA certified OECs. Most of them are EGL certified or uncertified.

 

[mandasand]

If your GF loves vintage, stick with your original idea of an OEC or transitional cut diamond. You can contact Old World Diamonds, Good Old Gold and Jewels by Erica Grace and tell them your budget, size, color, and clarity preference and see what they come back with. JBEG has some lovely stones right now that I was looking at...there is a .87 that is pretty awesome. Erica also has some lovely pre-set antique rings. I would only suggest going the MRB way if you find a vintage style setting. GOG carries a lot of vintage style settings from Beverley K. But, I think since you know the style your GF likes, you should stick with that. OECs are so unique!

 

[GemFever]

Teague,

Check out this thread and the links inside. You'll find lots of pics (in the links inside the guide):

[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/antique-diamond-guide.176033/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/antique-diamond-guide.176033/[/URL]

Also, you could check out my thread from when I got a modern round brilliant and how I felt about it in comparison to old cuts (but note that at first I'm comparing it to an Old Mine Cut (OMC), later I got an OEC):

[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/i-got-a-d.176396/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/i-got-a-d.176396/[/URL]

To me, OECs have a more pleasant faceting pattern -- the facets are big enough that you can actually tell them apart, you can see the "flower petals" created by the facets under the table, you can see the reflection effect (called the kozibe effect) created by the open culet (tip of the diamond). OECs tend to reflect light in a different way -- there are more pastel colors and reflections. Modern Round Brilliants have some advantages over OECs. They have more flash, I think. An excellently cut RB is very brilliant, probably more brilliant than an OEC can be (OECs are more soft and lyrical). RBs also tend to have better spread in terms of dimensions, because OECs have higher crowns and smaller tables, which takes weight. But it makes them look so cute!

Anyway, I'd advise you to look at tons and tons of old cut pics, as well as round brilliant pics. So you make an educated choice. In the end, you will probably decide with your eyes when you see the stone in real life. If you have an antique jewelry store in your town, you may want to go there and see if they have both OECs and RBs, check them side by side. See what your eye prefers.

Good luck!

 

[GemFever]

Ah, just realized you're picking for your GF, oops Unless you're going to completely surprise her with a stone, perhaps take her to see some OECs vs. RBs. But if she really likes vintage and antique stuff, an OEC may be perfect. Best of luck in your search!