Only an Asscher for my love!

[sado196]

First off, I cannot tell you how wondeful this website is... it has been a beacon in the mire that is diamond buying. And diamond sellers might hate it, but I promise it has done them more of a service in my case than anything else. I''ve learned so much from this site I''ve actually ended up planning on spending more on a diamond than I would have otherwise. Really have an appreciation now. So a big heartfelt THANK YOU from me to everyone who''s ever added anything to this site.

Anyways, on to my delima... I''m buying a ring for the love of my life and she is not a picky woman. But I want to really get her the best I can, so I''ve been trying to find the best I can afford for her. I''ve only been able to get a few hints from her. She loved an Asscher cut she saw once, so I would love to stick with that. As far as a setting goes, she seems to like delicate & sparkly, so I was thinking a nice delicate Pave'' setting.

I found what looks like a great diamond from Union Diamond at a terrific price, but I''m not in love with their settings. I''d love some opinions on the diamond though. Here''s the numbers:

Carat: .48
Color: F
Clarity: VS1
Height/Width: 1.0
Depth: 64.8%
Table: 57%
Polish, Symmetry: Excellent
Girdle: Slightly Thick
No Culet or Flourescence
Measurements: 4.55 x 4.55 x 2.95

Once again, thank you to everyone for getting me this far. If you have any suggestions, either about this stone or another, or about for a setting, please share! I promise to send pics and much thanks once its all figured out!

Steve

 

[valeria101]

Great numbers - would you be able to recognize me on the street if I gave you height and weight only ?

Same here... 'Guess what they give does tell something about this stone, but not enough to pull it out of a crowd of lovelies. If you can get to see the diamond before the sale gets final (i.e. there is some return policy), great than - there is nothing less than promissing about this one, as far as I can tell.

Any pictures?

A narrow paved band should work wonders here - if that is what you have in mind.

Just an opinion. of course.


It would probably make things simpler if you purchased the stone from the shop that doea have the setting you want. And chances are the diamond chosen in this (or another) database could be available to a jeweler that doesn't list it on the net. It can't hurt to ask anyway.

 

[Kaleigh]

Hi sado and welcome to PS

I adore asschers too. I would ask that you get us a picture of this stone. Numbers are one thing, but for asschers we really like to see pics. Also other vendors to check out would be www.goodoldgold.com that''s where I bought mine, www.jamesallen.com and www.whiteflash.com. As far as settings go have you considered a halo setting?? I did that for mine and it really made the stone appear bigger and made it pop. Hope that helps, glad to have you with us!!!

 

[sado196]

Sent an email requesting pictures from the dealer. When I hear back I''ll submit them right away.

Kaleigh: I personally like the Halo setting and it definately sets off a diamond (and I imagine it is nice for a ''carat challenged'' diamond like this) but she''s a tiny girl and it might be too much bling. But I will check out those other links, thanks!

Valeria: I like the idea of a narrow paved band. She has medium length but thin fingers. Is there a certain width you would recommend? They seem to range between 2-3mm.

 

[valeria101]

Date: 3/9/2006 12:36:10 AM
Author: sado196

Valeria: I like the idea of a narrow paved band. She has medium length but thin fingers. Is there a certain width you would recommend? They seem to range between 2-3mm.

That is what I was thinking about as well - 2mm. Thinner it would be quite extreme and hard to make safe... Paired with a matched wedding band, that adds up to 4mm, wich is a reasonably mainstream width for a stack of rings.

I had a certain ring in mind when saying this...

And a close sample done for a Pricescoper. It seems that those rings are rather large size - which makes the diamond look smaller relative to the band in a picture (IMO, this illusion doesn't quite persist in reality)

 

[sado196]

Oh yea... btw, I am personally IN LOVE with the rings put out by Scott Kay, especially the ones with the 2 side diamonds at an angle to the center stone. Only problem is I think they would bust my budget. Here are a few in order of preference:

http://www.scottkay.com/bridal/products.aspx?categoryId=94&engagement=y
http://www.scottkay.com/bridal/products.aspx?categoryId=94&page=1&productId=1562
http://www.scottkay.com/bridal/products.aspx?categoryid=94&productId=1663&page=1&view=3

Does anyone know of another dealer who has rings like these or who can create something similar for under $1500.

Other Non Scott Kay rings that caught my eye:
http://www.solomonbrothers.com/Search/JewelrySearchDetails.asp?sSKU=65203
http://www.solomonbrothers.com/Search/JewelrySearchDetails.asp?sSKU=80919
http://www.bluenile.com/product_details.asp?oid=5849&page=3&show_all_pages=0&col=1&row=1&pos=1&set_shape=
http://www.bluenile.com/product_details.asp?oid=5410&page=1&col=3&row=4&pos=12&set_shape=
http://www.solomonbrothers.com/Search/JewelrySearchDetails.asp?Submit=Submit&sSKU=76947&SE=FRG&CS=&KW=

 

[valeria101]

Date: 3/9/2006 12:36:10 AM
Author: sado196

Kaleigh: I personally like the Halo setting and it definately sets off a diamond (and I imagine it is nice for a ''carat challenged'' diamond like this) but she''s a tiny girl and it might be too much bling. But I will check out those other links, thanks!

Well, can you ask? The one challenge to make a halo setting for a half carat is... finding one with very small & fine pave. And that doesn''t add up to a blinghy ring - micropave is quite subtle. Ritani makes some nice ones with half carat asschers, you may find a sample listed at www.pearlmansjewelers.com. The diamonds used for pave are half point or so - very small compared to what less precisely made pave can use (or can use safely).


To digress a bit

I liked how these guys describe the look of small pave - along with some useful technicals: a ''surface finish''. Instead of suede... I would have compared the look with a silk velvet - it is brighter than that. Definitely not ''BLING''

Now, I don''t deny that what this article (and somethimes myself) are preaching about craftmanship and quality, doesn''t come cheap and many find superfluous. If you don''t see it, it ain''t there - true enough, especially about useless things like jewelry. And to be hinest, even if I like and see fine detail under a mental magnifying glass, this doesn''t mean I''ve grown up to expect diamond micropave on the pavement. The smallness of it is fascinating to me, that''s all.

 

[valeria101]

Date: 3/9/2006 1:11:44 AM
Author: sado196

I am personally IN LOVE with the rings put out by Scott Kay, especially the ones with the 2 side diamonds at an angle to the center stone.

I would ask WF of Wink. But... would think twice about sidestones - I don't think the proportions of the ring will end up great with a 5mm center. Those in the search are obviously heavy all the way - lots of metal and larger stones.

But... this about what you guess your girl should like - not me, and... does it have to be precilsely your preference? Do you have some idea of her choices?



See WE5006 here

What you describe as 'sidestones set at an angle' has something to do with the size of the stones - when the diameter of the three goes beyond about 80% of the ring size... the stones need to arch and usually do. If you wanted smaller ones set that way you would have to ask - otherwise I suspect that the default option is to have them set straight so that the line up looks larger.

 

[Small]

http://winkjones.com/xcart/customer/product.php?productid=16356&cat=262&page=1

I really like this pave with the asscher at Wink''s.
Wink is a great guy and very knowledgeable so any questions he''d be able to answer. I''m currently working with him and can''t say enough good things about him. I''d refer him to anyone...very honest and upfront. If you like any of his settings I''d give him a call and ask about putting a .5ct asscher in them.
Good luck! Can''t wait to see your finished product!

 

[f0rbidden]

ok Small- that is one seriously STUNNING ring.
i think it would be equally stunning with a smaller center stone.

 

[sado196]

small: I really love that one! Awesome! What about this one:
http://winkjones.com/xcart/customer/product.php?productid=16307&cat=262&page=1

Oh yea, and Valeria, I keep saying "I like" but really I''m going off of the hints she''s dropped. I like something entirely different, I''m more of a fan of simple elegance, like a smooth metal look. But the first ring I bought her was this milligrain delicate sparkly little band and she loves it so much that she wants an engagement ring to match it.

 

[Small]

I like that one too! I am partial to the first one as I like a thinner band but I''m not wearing it. I don''t think you could go wrong with either setting to be honest. They are similar and both will look stunning with an asscher. I would call Wink and talk to him about it. He''ll be honest and tell you what he thinks and then you can decide from there. He stopped production for me on my ring because I found something I thought I might like better. We talked about it and he gave me his honest feedback as he''s seen both settings. I ended up going with the original plan but it was nice that I at least had the option and we spoke about the pros and cons of it.

I really can''t wait to see this ring when it''s all done. I''m not an asscher fan usually but with either of these settings I think it''s going to be amazing! She''s a lucky girl

 

[sado196]

Here is a scan of the proportions of this diamond according to the dealer. I requested a photo and was somewhat disappointed that they would not send me one. Its from Union Diamond, which has received a few recommendations by members of this forum.

My question is, should I be worried that I cannot get a photo of this diamond? Or is this standard operating procedure? And if anyone can look at this document and tell if its a good diamond, that would also help. I have the GIA cert as well for it, the stats of which I posed in the original post.

 

[Rod]

Storm is the PS resident Asscher expert and he will chime in to be sure. But, personally, I would not consider a stone a dealer would not send a picture of. Especially an Asscher as the visual patterns, as Storm will tell you are the most important factor, even more important than the numbers.

One can pretty much tell how a round brilliant diamond will perform by looking at the numbers, but on fancy cuts that''s not necessarily true. So, unless Union can send pics and scopes, I''d pass.

 

[Kaleigh]

I wouldn't buy from a dealer that refuses to provide me with a pic or pics of the asscher. You have to have pics.

 

[strmrdr]

The numbers look good.
A little variation in crown angle 2 but could be just fine.
Really need actual pictures of the diamond to tell you anything.