New guy here with e-ring questions

[MrAkamai]

I just sent Jon an email. Hopefully he has better luck than Ari did.

 

[katamari]

Hi MrA--

I am actually looking (with my SO) for a <1 carat asscher, too (and I have a 5.5 ring size), so I thought I might chime in, too.

Personally, I didn''t even really want a diamond e-ring until I saw the asscher cut. For me, it isn''t about size or sparkle, it is about symmetry. If you and your GF are also really feeling the asscher, I would say that size doesn''t really matter. IMO, it doesn''t matter that it doesn''t face up like a round. I personally don''t want anything but an asscher looking up at me when I look down at it. You do want to make sure that you see the symmetry and the windmills, but I have been looking at smaller than a carat and I can still see the patterns (but check out the very helpful FAQs on asschers to show you what patterns will look best in a smaller stone). And, I have tried on a few in the .5 - .9 range and all look plenty big on my hand. In fact, I personally didn''t like anything bigger than a .8 on my hand. Overall, though, I tend to like modest jewelry.

But I digress, I really wanted to ask this: Are you sure that your girlfriend doesn''t want a yellow diamond? If you are getting into the L and M range it is pretty warm, so you might want to entertain this possibility also. If so, I suggest Diamonds by Lauren (http://diamondsbylauren.com/). Otherwise, I have had excellent experiences with Bob at Whiteflash, Jon at GOG, and David at DxL. All have been really willing to help me find the perfect ''tiny'' asscher.

 

[MrAkamai]

Hi Katamari

She''s very conservative when it comes to jewelry and didn''t even want a diamond in the first place. The only reason she wants a diamond now is because of the Asscher shape, just like you. And like you, a 1 ct would look gigantic on her finger. I haven''t yet read the FAQ but I will now that I know there is one. I was reading another section that gave more detail on cut, clarity etc but I haven''t seen the one on Asschers. I guess once I read that I''ll know the ideal proportions that it should have.

For color, she really likes the slight yellow to medium yellow tint, for lack of a better word, that the K-N color range gives a diamond and that is her first choice. Second choice would be something in the low end of near colorless like H-J. Third choice would either be the stone we have on hold at Jewelry Exchange or one of the two Apollos I already have in my possession although both of those are Round Brilliant.

We''re planning a trip to the Jewelry district in downtown LA this weekend to talk to a couple of places recommended to us by friends. Who knows, maybe we''ll find something there that she likes.

-Greg

Date: 6/12/2008 1:07:58 AM
Author: katamari
Hi MrA--


I am actually looking (with my SO) for a

Personally, I didn''t even really want a diamond e-ring until I saw the asscher cut. For me, it isn''t about size or sparkle, it is about symmetry. If you and your GF are also really feeling the asscher, I would say that size doesn''t really matter. IMO, it doesn''t matter that it doesn''t face up like a round. I personally don''t want anything but an asscher looking up at me when I look down at it. You do want to make sure that you see the symmetry and the windmills, but I have been looking at smaller than a carat and I can still see the patterns (but check out the very helpful FAQs on asschers to show you what patterns will look best in a smaller stone). And, I have tried on a few in the .5 - .9 range and all look plenty big on my hand. In fact, I personally didn''t like anything bigger than a .8 on my hand. Overall, though, I tend to like modest jewelry.


But I digress, I really wanted to ask this: Are you sure that your girlfriend doesn''t want a yellow diamond? If you are getting into the L and M range it is pretty warm, so you might want to entertain this possibility also. If so, I suggest Diamonds by Lauren (http://diamondsbylauren.com/). Otherwise, I have had excellent experiences with Bob at Whiteflash, Jon at GOG, and David at DxL. All have been really willing to help me find the perfect ''tiny'' asscher.

 

[E B]

MrAkamai,

I don't know *anything* about asschers, but Union Diamond has a few "L" stones that might be worth checking out. You'd need to request certs for more numbers, I'd assume, but it's worth a shot! strm might be able to weigh in more. All are GIA VG/VG, and the last one seems to have nice depth/table/ratio numbers, from what I've read.

.79 L, VS1 $1086

.81 L, VS2 $1147

1.01 L, VS1 $1991

 

[mercoledi]

Here are some rough asscher guidelines I saved:

Asscher
depth: 65-70
table 55-56
crown 12-17

laurenthepartier:
.71 G vvs2
depth:67.5
table: 57
thick ex/ex
WF


If she really wants pale yellow, would you consider a lemony sapphire? Jeff White has been cutting some knock-out square cut-cornered emeralds these days.
NeatFreak''s blue
Pink spinel
Yellow Danburite

 

[MrAkamai]

I got a reply from Sarah at GOG and they found a .51 J VS2 GIA VG VG Asscher for $1604. If I want them to look at it do they normally ask for the full cost of the stone or just a deposit?

 

[E B]

$1600 for a half carat J colored asscher? That sounds a little steep to me.

I''d hold out for something cheaper, larger, and with a lower color (that''s what your girlfriend wants, right?)

 

[E B]

Excel Diamonds has a few lower colored asschers as well. Don''t know what the specs mean, but someone else who knows asschers can weigh in:

.72 K, IF $1343

.81ct L, VS2 $989

1.01 ct L, VS1 $1788

 

[MrAkamai]

Date: 6/12/2008 7:42:59 PM
Author: EBree
Excel Diamonds has a few lower colored asschers as well. Don''t know what the specs mean, but someone else who knows asschers can weigh in:


.72 K, IF $1343


.81ct L, VS2 $989


1.01 ct L, VS1 $1788

They look pretty good but I know I''ve seen that .72 on a few other sites including Mondera which means it''s at a wholesaler (but I think you already knew that). I like the specs on the .81 but that''s probably at a wholesaler, too. I''m going to limit my searches to those stores that can actually view the diamond for me and give me an opinion or to those stones I can actually see.

 

[katamari]

Hi Greg--

I hope the LA hunt goes well. I can''t wait to see pics when you finally find the perfect asscher. I will be hoping you do!

--Kat

 

[MrAkamai]

Update! The setting I had ordered at Robbins Bros has been refunded. I am now free of that place once and for all! YAY! My GF and I had a great time walking around one of the buildings in the downtown jewelry district talking to several vendors. In fact, we walked right by Single Stone but didn''t venture inside. It looks like a nice setup but just wasn''t feeling warm and fuzzy after the phone conversations. We saw a couple of stones that we liked and, get this, neither are Asschers! What did we find, you ask? We found one that is a 0.38 ct round brilliant deep chocolate brown un-certified stone. It has a couple of very large inclusions but they are in the pavilion and since the stone is such a deep brown you can''t see them easily when viewed top down. It''s rather bright considering the stone''s deep color. We also found a 0.43-ish and a 0.61 both round brilliants from an Israeli dealer. Very nice people and their stones were amazingly bright and one of them, the 0.61, was a warmer yellow. I think we''re going for the chocolate brown stone and have the dealer also make us a setting in palladium. I''m going to talk to one more person downtown since she was referred to me by one of my GF''s co-workers and has taken care of many of his friends. Who would have thought we''d get a round brilliant after all this?

 

[katamari]

Who knew, indeed. Excellent news all around!

RBs are classic, and I think the chocolate brown or the warmer tones will be a nice touch to personalize the ring and make it special to the two of you. One of my co-workers just got a chocolate diamond RHR in a platinum and rose gold setting and it is breathtaking.

And, now that you are free to choose any ring/setting you want, I am sure the two of you will be fantastically pleased! Grats!

 

[MrAkamai]

Katamari,

Yes, we''re both excited to have finally found at least one stone we both love and a vendor that we really enjoy. I have a question, what does RHR mean? Can''t wait to finally get this ring under way!

-Greg

 

[LaurenThePartier]

Date: 6/18/2008 5:04:04 PM
Author: MrAkamai
Katamari,

Yes, we''re both excited to have finally found at least one stone we both love and a vendor that we really enjoy. I have a question, what does RHR mean? Can''t wait to finally get this ring under way!

-Greg

RHR = Right hand ring.

Glad you found what you were looking for!

 

[katamari]

Yep. Thanks, Lauren. It is a right hand ring.

 

[MrAkamai]

Lauren and Katamari, ah, thank you!

Another update! I returned to the jewelry district after work yesterday and met another dealer, the one my GF''s co-worker recommended. OH MY GOD! Her stones were amazing! She had so many colored RBs it was unbelievable! I narrowed my choice down to four RBs: two 0.53 in fancy yellow and chocolate, one 0.71 fancy yellow and a 0.80 chocolate. The 0.71 fancy yellow had so much more fire than the chocolate one so I chose that. She''s going to have it graded for me and, hopefully, laser-inscribed with cert #. I might need help with photography aspect so I can post pics later.

On an unrelated note, I have a stupid question about per carat price. If two stones are of equal quality and one is 0.5 and the other is 1.0 ct will the one that is 1 ct be 2x the cost of the 0.5?

Thanks!
Greg

 

[katamari]

Hi Greg--

This is based on observation more than fact, but it seems to me that price grows a little more exponentially than linearly. Some cites have the price per carat for the diamond, but when I notice it seems that there is faster than linear growth up to a point and then price seems to jump much faster.

Have you gotten the picks of the fancies yet? Can''t wait to see them.

--Kat

 

[MMT]

I am looking for a new RB and I''m looking at the warm colors also. I have seen many beautiful K,L and M''s. Good Luck!

 

[MrAkamai]

Hi Kat

OK, thanks! I guess there''s no real easy way to get per carat price except with each individual stone assuming it was 1 ct.

As for photos, none yet. The iPhone doesn''t take very good photos especially macros of shiny things. If I remember I''ll try to bring my other camera for some photos.

-Greg

Date: 6/24/2008 6:20:30 PM
Author: katamari
Hi Greg--


This is based on observation more than fact, but it seems to me that price grows a little more exponentially than linearly. Some cites have the price per carat for the diamond, but when I notice it seems that there is faster than linear growth up to a point and then price seems to jump much faster.


Have you gotten the picks of the fancies yet? Can''t wait to see them.


--Kat

 

[MrAkamai]

Warmer stones are very different than the near-colorless/colorless stones especially if they are well cut and have lots of fire. Just seems to my novice eyes that the fancy yellow I saw looked even better than the near-colorless ones but that'' all personal opinion just as some people would think that fancy colors are a waste of money!

I wish you luck with your own stone search, too. They are hard to find but they do exist! Are you in the LA-area?

-Greg

Date: 6/24/2008 7:05:43 PM
Author: MMT
I am looking for a new RB and I''m looking at the warm colors also. I have seen many beautiful K,L and M''s. Good Luck!

 

[MrAkamai]

UPDATE! I finally have a ring! I went to the LA Jewelry district downtown and went to LA Diamond Factory on the recommendation of one of our friends. Very easy to deal with and discuss things. Apparently not too many people like the warmer diamonds so he really seemed to like us. I don''t recall if I mentioned it in an earlier post but he showed us this chocolate brown diamond and we both loved it. It''s a smaller stone, about 0.36 ct and a RB shape. I showed him a photo of the setting we liked from the Robbins Bros website and he came very close to matching it and added a micro pave around the stone. It turns out that, probably by coincidence, that the number of smaller stones that make up the micro pave are in groups of eight. And the number eight is very lucky for the Chinese (which she is and I''m half) so I think she''ll be really happy with it. I can''t find my macro lens at the moment and my Nikon point-n-shoot is really blah so I''ll take some photos of it very soon I promise because I know we''re all about the photos here.

 

[katamari]

Ooh! A chocolate diamond with micro pave. Sounds beautiful! We will be patiently waiting for pictures!!

Congrats on your purchase and (I am assuming) your engagement!