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OEC Studs from OWD - Help!

lurkie91

Rough_Rock
Joined
Aug 30, 2020
Messages
98
OWD has what seems like a fantastic promotion going on their P&C site for 1ctw+ I-J-K SI-1 (clean) OECs set in your choice of 14k basket/crown/weave setting. I corresponded a bit with OWD through instagram and (I think) Adam told me he would pick out a great pair for me and I trust that he will. However, after thinking about it, I became a little concerned about the spread since (from what I understand) this can vary widely with true antique OECs, so I asked him if he could find a pair with a 5.5mm spread for me. After some looking around, they confirmed that he could, so I put in my order. Now I'm second guessing my request for the 5.5mm spread. On one hand, I like the idea of having Adam pick out the pair for me, but on the other hand, I'm now a little anxious about buying these studs 100% sight unseen.

I'm generally not an "only the best"/everything-needs-to-be-perfect kind of person--I'm okay with warmth and wonkiness in my stones, and I love the charm of vintage stones. However, I also may have psyched myself out by watching Jonathan's youtube video on spready OECs and now I'm worried that I may have prioritized spread at the expense of pretty faceting and light return.

Should I call Adam/OWD tomorrow to talk some more about stone selection? Or maybe ask for a picture of the stones/specs before they are set/mailed out? Or should I just relax and leave it to OWD and wait for my earrings to arrive in the mail? Any feedback would be greatly appreciated, especially if you have worked with OWD or purchased OECs in the past.
 

lulu_ma

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Sep 9, 2020
Messages
4,084
Hi! I have watched that GOG video SO many times, too! From everything I have heard about OWD, I don’t think you have anything to worry about. And they have to be returnable, right?

I don’t need studs but I was really tempted to buy a pair :). Which setting did you pick?
 

lurkie91

Rough_Rock
Joined
Aug 30, 2020
Messages
98
Thanks! I think you're right and it's just some level of jitters, I had a nice conversation with Adam. And I do believe there is a risk-free inspection period, so they are returnable (from the return policy on the site).

I went with the basket setting in WG. All my other jewelry is YG but I think it's best to stick with WG for prongs. I'm so indecisive, I seriously entertained every combination of setting and WG/YG!
 

kgizo

Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Dec 14, 2009
Messages
2,603
I’d probably go for the spready pair too for earrings. If you are nervous I don’t think it hurts to ask for a pic of the 5.5 pair next to whatever other pair he might recommend.
 

lurkie91

Rough_Rock
Joined
Aug 30, 2020
Messages
98
I’d probably go for the spready pair too for earrings. If you are nervous I don’t think it hurts to ask for a pic of the 5.5 pair next to whatever other pair he might recommend.

Thanks, that's a good suggestion and I didn't think of that! I might give them a call this afternoon and just talk it through, I think it's reasonable to request some pictures or a video before they send me the studs they've picked out.
 

elizat

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Mar 23, 2013
Messages
4,000
I think he would send you photos or options. He's very accommodating.
 

Sprinkles&Stones

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
May 19, 2020
Messages
1,992
OWD has what seems like a fantastic promotion going on their P&C site for 1ctw+ I-J-K SI-1 (clean) OECs set in your choice of 14k basket/crown/weave setting. I corresponded a bit with OWD through instagram and (I think) Adam told me he would pick out a great pair for me and I trust that he will. However, after thinking about it, I became a little concerned about the spread since (from what I understand) this can vary widely with true antique OECs, so I asked him if he could find a pair with a 5.5mm spread for me. After some looking around, they confirmed that he could, so I put in my order. Now I'm second guessing my request for the 5.5mm spread. On one hand, I like the idea of having Adam pick out the pair for me, but on the other hand, I'm now a little anxious about buying these studs 100% sight unseen.

I'm generally not an "only the best"/everything-needs-to-be-perfect kind of person--I'm okay with warmth and wonkiness in my stones, and I love the charm of vintage stones. However, I also may have psyched myself out by watching Jonathan's youtube video on spready OECs and now I'm worried that I may have prioritized spread at the expense of pretty faceting and light return.

Should I call Adam/OWD tomorrow to talk some more about stone selection? Or maybe ask for a picture of the stones/specs before they are set/mailed out? Or should I just relax and leave it to OWD and wait for my earrings to arrive in the mail? Any feedback would be greatly appreciated, especially if you have worked with OWD or purchased OECs in the past.

I didn’t see this promotion on their website, did you have to contact them? Or am I being a dummy and missing it?
 

Sprinkles&Stones

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
May 19, 2020
Messages
1,992
You’re not being a dummy! It’s on their Peace & Carat site, under earrings.

Ooooo thank you!!! Checking it out now yay! Can’t wait to see yours!
 

diamondseeker2006

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Jan 11, 2006
Messages
58,547
I'd never buy any diamonds without close up photos. If he had 10 close to the size you want, wouldn't you want to choose the ones you like best?
 

lurkie91

Rough_Rock
Joined
Aug 30, 2020
Messages
98
I think he would send you photos or options. He's very accommodating.

Thanks! I just tried to call him and got his vmail. I’m going to ask for pictures of the selected pair before they go out.
 

lurkie91

Rough_Rock
Joined
Aug 30, 2020
Messages
98
I'd never buy any diamonds without close up photos. If he had 10 close to the size you want, wouldn't you want to choose the ones you like best?

I think this is a good point, but since I’m buying online vs in-person, there’s also some benefit to having Adam select the stones since he has the benefit of evaluating them directly, and he is also an expert. I trust he will do a good job based on our conversation and his reputation and I expect that I can make a return if I’m not satisfied with the purchase. I would never make a purchase sight unseen without an ironclad return policy.
 

lurkie91

Rough_Rock
Joined
Aug 30, 2020
Messages
98
Small update: I just followed up with OWD and asked if they can send pictures of the pair they select. They got back to me quickly to let me know they’d be happy to do that. Easy peasy! Thanks to everyone for the super sensible advice and encouragement, I’m so excited to see my studs and share pictures!
 

alene

Brilliant_Rock
Premium
Joined
Apr 22, 2010
Messages
1,603
Yay, no reason to buy them sight unseen! I’m sure we all would love to see them too!
 

lurkie91

Rough_Rock
Joined
Aug 30, 2020
Messages
98
Yay, no reason to buy them sight unseen! I’m sure we all would love to see them too!

Haha looking back on it, it seems like a no-brainer to ask for pictures. I think I hesitated because the studs are on special, so I didn't want to be too finicky or ask for too much. I've read through so many "help!" posts on PS where issues are easily solved by just contacting the vendor so now I guess I've contributed mine to the heap!
 

lurkie91

Rough_Rock
Joined
Aug 30, 2020
Messages
98
Real update: OWD sent a video yesterday where I could clearly see the quality of the selected OECs (beautiful high crown and small tables, lively facets) so I quickly okayed them and they were sent out a few hours later via FedEx overnight. The earrings arrived today and I am so thrilled with them. They are absolutely stunning in person! Adam did a great job picking out a beautiful pair for me with minimal guidance. They are completely eye clean and I think the IJK color grade is fairly accurate/conservative. To my eye, they are less warm than my K ACA when viewed from the side. I’m really glad I went for these as I love the size on my ear. Overall, I’m incredibly pleased with the experience. Major props to OWD for the responsiveness, hand holding, and lightning fast shipping and a big thanks to all the PSers who helped quell my purchase anxiety.

Now I need to unfollow/mute all of the jewelry/diamond accounts on ig as I’m putting myself in the penalty box for a few months :)

7987E901-AA3A-4A2D-BDF1-08880C7960D8.jpeg
8F671A85-1881-49FD-9F22-96A51F33B012.jpeg
523CC1D0-7BBB-4458-B7B5-14FA325FAA1C.jpeg
0AE4EC21-4B15-4A7A-9B53-2DCE726DFC33.jpeg
 

Sprinkles&Stones

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
May 19, 2020
Messages
1,992
Real update: OWD sent a video yesterday where I could clearly see the quality of the selected OECs (beautiful high crown and small tables, lively facets) so I quickly okayed them and they were sent out a few hours later via FedEx overnight. The earrings arrived today and I am so thrilled with them. They are absolutely stunning in person! Adam did a great job picking out a beautiful pair for me with minimal guidance. They are completely eye clean and I think the IJK color grade is fairly accurate/conservative. To my eye, they are less warm than my K ACA when viewed from the side. I’m really glad I went for these as I love the size on my ear. Overall, I’m incredibly pleased with the experience. Major props to OWD for the responsiveness, hand holding, and lightning fast shipping and a big thanks to all the PSers who helped quell my purchase anxiety.

Now I need to unfollow/mute all of the jewelry/diamond accounts on ig as I’m putting myself in the penalty box for a few months :)

7987E901-AA3A-4A2D-BDF1-08880C7960D8.jpeg
8F671A85-1881-49FD-9F22-96A51F33B012.jpeg
523CC1D0-7BBB-4458-B7B5-14FA325FAA1C.jpeg
0AE4EC21-4B15-4A7A-9B53-2DCE726DFC33.jpeg

beautiful! thanks for sharing!
 

kgizo

Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Dec 14, 2009
Messages
2,603
Wow! They turned out amazing! Love the setting, too.
 

Karl_K

Super_Ideal_Rock
Trade
Joined
Aug 4, 2008
Messages
14,634
The oec in the video comparison is extremely shallow well beyond the norm.
Far more common is just a bit shallow that reacts to obstruction to much leaving a dark table at close range.
They are perfect for earrings because they have less obstruction applied to them than if they were in a ring.
They can look dark in videos and photos but in real life on the ears or in a pendant or a crown/tiara they rock.
 

gregchang35

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Sep 11, 2012
Messages
3,416
they look amazing on the ear. nice size!
 

lurkie91

Rough_Rock
Joined
Aug 30, 2020
Messages
98
The oec in the video comparison is extremely shallow well beyond the norm.
Far more common is just a bit shallow that reacts to obstruction to much leaving a dark table at close range.
They are perfect for earrings because they have less obstruction applied to them than if they were in a ring.
They can look dark in videos and photos but in real life on the ears or in a pendant or a crown/tiara they rock.

Thanks for that explanation, Karl. That helps me to grasp what constitutes a good diamond for an earring/pendant vs. ring (I had read a couple descriptions, but for some reason it wasn't really "clicking" for me). It's interesting to consider the difference between apparent optics on video and on the ear/in setting... my instinct is to make decisions based on the former, even though I am optimizing for the latter.

they look amazing on the ear. nice size!

Thank you! I'm really pleased with the proportions!
 
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