Opinions on JA Oval

[leukolenos]

Here’s what I am thinking.... if you are into jewelry, which if seems that you are, I think I would go for the Opulence. Even at a slightly smaller spread it will have more visual impact than the larger stone just because they are such ridiculous disco balls.

If you want a large stone (ok largER stone...the OO is still big!) and are then content to stay off PS forever, then get the generic oval.

But, I feel like with your level of analysis and desire for the best possible choice, choosing the generic might leave you disappointed over time, if that makes sense?

 

[TreeScientist]

Just wanted to chime in about that video on the August Vintage instagram of the Opulence in spotlighting.

...

Well, actually there's nothing that words can really say. That's simply the most beautiful spotlighting video I've ever seen. It even blows MRB's out of the water. It has huge, bold flashes of the primary colors which, to me, seems like the best of both the MRB fire (primary colors but short flashes) and the AVC/Old European Cut fire (bold flashes but pastel colors). If my girlfriend had wanted a fancy cut (she wanted a round) I would've been throwing my money at AV for an opulence right now. Take my money! haha

 

[SparklenHue123]

Everyone - thank you so very much for all of your consideration.

I am going to give myself a few days to consider all things and wait for the VVS to be shipped to NYC for me to view - at which I will also consider the OO if it's still available.

My thing is - I do LOVE the traditional cut of the ovals and I am a size girl . The OO is a show stopper - a stunner by all means - but I was drawn to traditionally cut ovals previous to OO .

@leukolenos you made many great points. in all honesty I only recently became a diamond enthusiast as i have been on the quest for my perfect stone. the OO is a stunner but i will say for my ring i envisioned small pin-firey flashes ( I know many PS people don't love that - but I do!), and the video shows lots of big facety flashes if that makes sense.

In the meantime my friend sent me another video of the VVS -

I feel confident in saying that the VVS is my top contender to compare to the OO. I am still a rookie at this diamond stuff but I'd have to say it is beautiful!

 

[SimoneDi]

@jaimem123 obviously the decision is yours in the end and you must be happy with your choice. The G VVS as nice as it is for a generic oval, it cannot even begin to compare with the OO performance wise. You will not notice performance immediately.. in the beginning all diamonds are sparkly, but once you spend more time with it, you will start seeing how some areas of the diamond will never come to life, how even though at G color, you will see the color in the N/S ends, how your friend’s round stones will have much more fire and sparkle impact, I hope that then you are stilll happy with a generic oval if that is the way you decide to go. Perhaps, talk to Rhino about putting the OO on hold for a few days just in case you decide that you want to see it at least in person before making your final decision.

 

[leukolenos]

@SimoneDi hit the nail on the head.

I would say try to maintain some emotional distance when viewing the stone. Consider it a clinical examination of sorts.

Let us know what you decide!

 

[SparklenHue123]

Thank you all again - these are all important considerations. I am just so happy I found this amazing community before I purchased my diamond - we were looking at some real suckers months ago and something in my gut said --- NO!

*** SO the plot thickens -- dun dun dun. ***

I spotted the same oval that my friend was selling me on an online site - for about $2k cheaper. wahh wah wah

When i spotted it last night - I immediately pulled the trigger to have it reserved & shipped as this site has a great 30 day return policy.

I woke up this morning to an email saying the diamond had been sold - (bc my friend is holding it for me). I confronted him about the price and he doesn't seem to want to budge . The price is just alightly *over* budget once I add my setting in so I am very sensitive to the $2k price increase and want to respect the fact that through this journey my BF has increased our budget by $10k.

That being said - he will still likely ship to New York. But I found one more and it's an E - (I love the whiteness !!!!). I know we are talking all about the amazing OO - I know it's the best of the best and I will never get anything else like it. OO is in it's own category... but i would so so love an honest opinion on this guy here. I do not mind the tiny inclusion on the table if it's eye clean. And I know it's a fatty but could be a cute one?

Video:

GIA report:
https://www.gia.edu/report-check?reportno=7278641965

7278641965

Here’s what I am thinking.... if you are into jewelry, which if seems that you are, I think I would go for the Opulence. Even at a slightly smaller spread it will have more visual impact than the larger stone just because they are such ridiculous disco balls.

If you want a large stone (ok largER stone...the OO is still big!) and are then content to stay off PS forever, then get the generic oval.

But, I feel like with your level of analysis and desire for the best possible choice, choosing the generic might leave you disappointed over time, if that makes sense?

 

[SimoneDi]

@jaimem123 I am so sorry about your “friend” situation. That right there is not a true friend but a sleazy salesman..yuck! I am happy that ty found the same stone elsewhere (I was actually thinking about clocking for the same stone on a different site and I am so happy that you did it! I like “fat” ovals and the one above seems nice. It is not much longer than the OO, but it is wider and it doesn’t appear that there is a bow tie. Can you get an aset? I also think that it will be eye-clean.

P.S. if you can, please put the OO on hold. PSers are recommending the same stone to other people, it might be gone soon!

 

[Starfacet]

I found one more and it's an E - (I love the whiteness !!!!). I know we are talking all about the amazing OO - I know it's the best of the best and I will never get anything else like it. OO is in it's own category... but i would so so love an honest opinion on this guy here. I do not mind the tiny inclusion on the table if it's eye clean. And I know it's a fatty but could be a cute one?

Video:

GIA report:
https://www.gia.edu/report-check?reportno=7278641965

7278641965

It sounds like you are not sold on the OO product, so this one seems like a good contender. It is closer to your desired length of 10mm.

 

[prbaglady]

I am not a PS expert, but it looks like you have great options! I have loved reading about your journey and you will definitely find "the one" very soon. The last oval that you posted (the E) doesn't appear to have a bow tie- but it's hard to tell unless you look at it moving in a video that provides different angles. I do like the chubby G slightly more than the E, though I can't explain why.

I feel you- size is important and it's the first thing people notice, followed by the sparkle/brilliance. I was looking at generic ovals with a 10mm length, and The 2.04 carat Opulence that I looked at only felt slightly too small (though it still appeared bigger on the finger than the cushion and the round that I was looking at- even though the surface area of the oval was smaller than the cushion--it's the wonderful optical illusion of an elongated stone). The extra sparkle did give it extra presence. I have a feeling that the 2.4 H Opulence might have been the perfect compromise in size for my 4.75 finger. Hmm... maybe I should give Jonathan a call (kidding--it's not in the budget for me!)

It sounds like you are going to be able to look at one of these last two generic ovals in NYC. If you get to look at the opulence at the same time, then PLEASE post photos and videos of them side by side.

 

[SparklenHue123]

Thank you everyone!!! @SimoneDi - you are RIGHT. I am so frustrated with him. He dropped the price down another $100 but it's still nearly $2k more than on the site I found it on. I may actually ask him to release the stone - and I can make a quick purchase when it is made available on the site again.

@prbaglady thank you for your kind words and i'm happy to hear you have enjoyed my journey of finding the perfect diamond. who knew that i would become so obsessive about this? my local jeweler who was originally pulling ovals for me said she never had anyone ask her for an ASET image in 20 years of being in the biz (uhhh what?) lol. I feel a little crazy but it's nice to know that others can relate . I really appreciate you sharing your experience with the OO especially since you've seen it in person!!!!

Here is my plan so far:

1.) Choose a diamond to compare to the G VVS. I found that E which looks decent as I've mentioned in earlier replies. I also found this 2.51 GSI1. In your opinion - is the better option the E or the 2.51G (below) to compare to the G VVS?

Report here:



is it just me or does this table look funny? Is this an awful diamond lol? Remember I am an average 31 year old who doesn't need everything to be perfect - just big beautiful and bling-y - of course I want a nice stone but I don't care if it's SI1 etc. Definitely no strong bowtie - because YUCK.

Picture here:



Waiting on ASET and Video for this 2.51 G

Here is the ASET and ideal scope for the E 2.3 --- thoughts? average? good?




2.) Next I will Compare between the G VVS and my top contender and select one.

3.) Then ----> IF the OO is still available - compare that choice with the 2.41 OO. I know many of you have suggested that I at least get the OO in hand to reserve it - but we've got to front the $$ for the other stone (& possibly ALSO the G VVS)- so I've got to leave the availability of the OO in the universes' hands.

Thank you everyone <3 !!!!!

 

[SparklenHue123]

EDIT - I just ordered the E VS to consider-- the G SI1 had cavities for inclusions

Thank you everyone!!! @SimoneDi - you are RIGHT. I am so frustrated with him. He dropped the price down another $100 but it's still nearly $2k more than on the site I found it on. I may actually ask him to release the stone - and I can make a quick purchase when it is made available on the site again.

@prbaglady thank you for your kind words and i'm happy to hear you have enjoyed my journey of finding the perfect diamond. who knew that i would become so obsessive about this? my local jeweler who was originally pulling ovals for me said she never had anyone ask her for an ASET image in 20 years of being in the biz (uhhh what?) lol. I feel a little crazy but it's nice to know that others can relate . I really appreciate you sharing your experience with the OO especially since you've seen it in person!!!!

Here is my plan so far:

1.) Choose a diamond to compare to the G VVS. I found that E which looks decent as I've mentioned in earlier replies. I also found this 2.51 GSI1. In your opinion - is the better option the E or the 2.51G (below) to compare to the G VVS?

Report here:



is it just me or does this table look funny? Is this an awful diamond lol? Remember I am an average 31 year old who doesn't need everything to be perfect - just big beautiful and bling-y - of course I want a nice stone but I don't care if it's SI1 etc. Definitely no strong bowtie - because YUCK.

Picture here:



Waiting on ASET and Video for this 2.51 G

Here is the ASET and ideal scope for the E 2.3 --- thoughts? average? good?




2.) Next I will Compare between the G VVS and my top contender and select one.

3.) Then ----> IF the OO is still available - compare that choice with the 2.41 OO. I know many of you have suggested that I at least get the OO in hand to reserve it - but we've got to front the $$ for the other stone (& possibly ALSO the G VVS)- so I've got to leave the availability of the OO in the universes' hands.

Thank you everyone <3 !!!!!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

There are a lot of posts for me to catch up on, but I spotted two things. You like pinfire? Thats what OO's have! They have thin facets that are reflect like crazy when light hits them. No regular oval will have light return even close. But like I said before, you may prefer a larger size over edge to edge light return. That's fine, of course.

You've learned an important lesson the hard way. "Friends" very often are not doing you any favors when you buy from them. If you are interested in that stone, you need to tell him to forget it so the stone can be freed up for you to buy elsewhere. In my opinion, if he sends it to NYC and you like it, you are obligated to buy from him. I personally would end the relationship as this person has tried to take advantage of you.

 

[fige]

@fige yes i have he would need to cut a new stone from a new rough and i'm sure it would be way over my budget - also not sure if this is feasible or doable within a time frame - although i did not ask specifics because i would imagine if i want a face up 2.3-2.5 we are looking at a true 3+ !!

Jaimem I’m not sure what your timeframe is but I just wanted to bring your attention to this stone. I noticed that it’s depth is only 63%, if you have a look at the dimentions compared your 2.4 (this stone is only 0.1carat more), you can see 1mm is gained in the length and width. If I were you, I would be asking rhino to custom cut me a stone at that depth in my budget for color and clarity. I think this means our dreams of spread and performance are possible!

I desperately hope I am not missing something here!!

https://www.augustvintageinc.net/collections/opulence/products/2-5ct-e-vs1-august-vintage-oval-31999

 

[SparklenHue123]

@fige you are amazing. ! Now that right there is my exact stone . However it’s $25k outside of my budget . We did up our budget to $25k for the stone but that’s the highest we can go. But my gosh what a dream that stone is - and literally everything I want in terms of color, clarity etc. thank you for keeping an eye out for me


QUOTE="fige, post: 4302934, member: 3



3419"]Jaimem I’m not sure what your timeframe is but I just wanted to bring your attention to this stone. I noticed that it’s depth is only 63%, if you have a look at the dimentions compared your 2.4 (this stone is only 0.1carat more), you can see 1mm is gained in the length and width. If I were you, I would be asking rhino to custom cut me a stone at that depth in my budget for color and clarity. I think this means our dreams of spread and performance are possible!

I desperately hope I am not missing something here!!

https://www.augustvintageinc.net/collections/opulence/products/2-5ct-e-vs1-august-vintage-oval-31999[/QUOTE]

 

[Rhino]

@fige you are amazing. ! Now that right there is my exact stone . However it’s $25k outside of my budget . We did up our budget to $25k for the stone but that’s the highest we can go. But my gosh what a dream that stone is - and literally everything I want in terms of color, clarity etc. thank you for keeping an eye out for me


QUOTE="fige, post: 4302934, member: 3



3419"]Jaimem I’m not sure what your timeframe is but I just wanted to bring your attention to this stone. I noticed that it’s depth is only 63%, if you have a look at the dimentions compared your 2.4 (this stone is only 0.1carat more), you can see 1mm is gained in the length and width. If I were you, I would be asking rhino to custom cut me a stone at that depth in my budget for color and clarity. I think this means our dreams of spread and performance are possible!

I desperately hope I am not missing something here!!

https://www.augustvintageinc.net/collections/opulence/products/2-5ct-e-vs1-august-vintage-oval-31999

[/QUOTE]

LOL... WOOPS. Not only does that last one have a serious typo but it's already sold and CONSIDERABLY less! Apologies.

 

[SparklenHue123]

LOL... WOOPS. Not only does that last one have a serious typo but it's already sold and CONSIDERABLY less! Apologies.[/QUOTE]

Sorry @Rhino I didn’t understand ! Are both 2.41 and 2.5 sold ??

 

[Rhino]

LOL... WOOPS. Not only does that last one have a serious typo but it's already sold and CONSIDERABLY less! Apologies.

Sorry @Rhino I didn’t understand ! Are both 2.41 and 2.5 sold ??[/QUOTE]

The 2.5 E VS. At this moment the Opulence is still available.

 

[SparklenHue123]

Was there a typo somewhere ? I am confused lol the price posted is accurate yes?

 

[Starfacet]

Looks like the 2.41 is available, but not the other one.

 

[fige]

I think Rhino might be saying the size and depth were typos?

 

[SparklenHue123]

hello everyone - tried to post another thread to ask a different question but maybe it's better to just keep it all here since it seems to have received no response (apologies if my etiquette isn't the best on this forum - i'm still learning best practices here!)

just wanted opinions on this ASET of this oval - i know it's a computer generated image but i couldn't get a real image... does red in the middle suggest a bow tie? I've also included a video of the stone here:

Thank you so much!




thank you!

 

[Rhino]

the pricing of 50k was definitely wrong as it sold waaaayyyy less and yes ... it is the 2.50ct E VS1 that sold which I sourced, the 2.41ct Opulence at this moment is still open.

 

[SparklenHue123]

Well I received the first B2C diamond today - EVS2 - can't say that I love it... looks kind of dead to me although it could be the lighting ... thoughts?? Now that I have the diamond in hand I can get a better understanding of it's ASET image - it showed a reflective belly but it was kind of dead elsewhere. that's how it's showing up for me IRL.

Please excuse my hands !!

and

(outside)

 

[JDDN]

Isn't examining diamonds so much fun?!

What you're calling the reflective belly is the good light return around the belly (the red) and what you're calling dead everywhere else is the poor light return (clear/white). When we say we'd like to see more red (and green) throughout the stone, that will give you a more even light return throughout the stone and you won't have those 'dead' areas above and below the belly. In this particular oval you have even red at the belly and almost no red elsewhere so the distribution of light return is very disproportionate. I believe RockySalamander called it a negative bow tie. If there was more even distribution of red/green you'd see more of the whole stone acting lively as opposed to just the belly. You can see this phenomenon particularly well in the first video.

I think it's great you are examining these nuances with your own eyes!

 

[SparklenHue123]

@JDDN YES -- thank you! I was having a hard time envisioning what @rockysalamander meant by negative bowtie but now it makes so much sense !!! only downside is it's a ton of work to order some - get them shipped and consider - HA. at this rate we wont be engaged for another few months considering the setting will take 3-4 weeks too. But the more I learn - the better I am at selecting the good eggs. We shall see what my other B2C order has in store as well as the diamond in NYC. Thank you!

 

[prbaglady]

When looking at a generic oval, I would try to find one with asset images like the ones for this oval from Whiteflash:
https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/oval-cut-loose-diamond-3893924.htm

Although there is still some light leakage, You have good light return in the belly and around the top and bottom areas. I wouldn't recommend this oval to you, since it's an I color and not as large as the ones that you have been looking at, but thought it would be a useful comparison. Someone should buy this oval though--it's an "expert selection," which means that it qualifies for their awesome upgrade policy!

 

[Starfacet]

When looking at a generic oval, I would try to find one with asset images like the ones for this oval from Whiteflash:
https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/oval-cut-loose-diamond-3893924.htm

Although there is still some light leakage, You have good light return in the belly and around the top and bottom areas. I wouldn't recommend this oval to you, since it's an I color and not as large as the ones that you have been looking at, but thought it would be a useful comparison. Someone should buy this oval though--it's an "expert selection," which means that it qualifies for their awesome upgrade policy!

I considered this one but then discovered the Opulence!

 

[three staplers]

This is all useful information, thank you very much. I have to ask though: for those recommending the Opulent Oval, have you seen it in person? And also, are you affiliated in anyway with that Company — or otherwise receiving any compensation/credit? I understand that it is possible that someone "cracked the code" on cutting the oval better than anyone else. But I'm generally skeptical of any such claims. That is especially so when that vendor is selling statistically undesirable diamonds (i.e. super deep AGS H SI1 stones), and charging nearly twice their retail price.

 

[SimoneDi]

This is all useful information, thank you very much. I have to ask though: for those recommending the Opulent Oval, have you seen it in person? And also, are you affiliated in anyway with that Company — or otherwise receiving any compensation/credit? I understand that it is possible that someone "cracked the code" on cutting the oval better than anyone else. But I'm generally skeptical of any such claims. That is especially so when that vendor is selling statistically undesirable diamonds (i.e. super deep AGS H SI1 stones), and charging nearly twice their retail price.

No one on this forum receives “compensation/credit” for their recommendations. This is a jewelry forum where you can get advice from prosumers and professionals alike, but unless you see “trade” next to the user name, then the person posting is not affiliated in any way with a retailer. The performance of the Opulence Oval is not a simple “claim” there is ASET and other images/videos to prove its performance.

 

[SparklenHue123]

@prbaglady thank you so much! this is really helpful - i would drop it down to a 2.2 but it scares me to go that low in color -- it's the only oval they seem to have "in house" - the others they would have to order in for me before doing any ASET image work.

Returning the B2C dead EVS2 - happy i ordered it though because i learned a lot! And the search continues....