shape
carat
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clarity

Please help me choose a RB diamond for VC’s emylia!

RebeccaLL

Rough_Rock
Joined
Jun 16, 2018
Messages
30
Hello guys, I’m a newbie to the forum. I’ve been searching diamond and settings for a while. Thanks to the eye candies posted on this forum, I finally decided to go with Victor Canera’s popular setting emylia! Now it’s time for me to decide the stone. I am looking for a G color, vs2 and ideal cut. My budget is at most 9K, after searching for a while I think the weight I can get is around 1.1-1.2 carat. I’ve narrowed down to these four:
This is the one I like the most so far and I also held it:
1.165 carat, g VS2, HCA 0.7
https://www.briangavindiamonds.com/...-bkags-104100834012#!prettyPhoto[gallery2]/0/
My only concern is this one is significantly cheaper than other Black Brian Gavin, which is supposed to be their most high end line... is there something I overlooked? Their link has the video and aset images. My local jeweler said this is ags, so probably the color is Gia’s H...

1.16 carat, g VVS1, HCA 1
https://www.gia.edu/report-check?reportno=6291555028&s=1533087251509
This is provided by my local jeweler. She said it’s perfect and H&A. But another guy told me GIA certified diamond are rarely at the super ideal H&A level. I don’t know who to believe...

Here are another two at James Allen, both also look very pretty. The are slightly more expensive than the above two

22 carat, g VS2, HCA 1
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-di...g-color-vs2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-5399469
1.14 carat, g VVS2, HCA 1.4
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-di...-color-vvs2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-4817019

I’m planning to make the decision this week, so any suggestion will be greatly appreciated!
 
Have you looked at Victor's stones? You get a discount on the Emilya if you choose one of his. He has hearts and arrows AGS 0 stones....
 
Oh, sorry. I read that your budget is 9K. I'd ask Victor was he can find for you, and I'd call Yekutiel at ID Jewelry as well. He has a knack for finding ideal stones at a lower price. You do know that the emilya is going to cost half of your diamond budget-unless Victor's prices have changed?
 
ditto the above. I'd go with a VC stone, one stop shopping! Being that it's going to be a halo, you wont see the sides of the stone which is where you'd see any (if at all) tint to the stone.
 
Ditto Soxfan...He doesnt have much in a G but quite a few to pick from in H. These are ideal cut H&A stones and I* would feel comfortable dropping down
to an H. Contact him and find out what the discount is.
https://www.victorcanera.com/diamonds/ags104094456005-1.190-h-vs2-ideal-hearts-arrows-round

Ditto to all of this! Victor's 1.190ct H VS2 looks absolutely gorgeous; I would totally snag that! :love: He also has this 1.181 H VS2 which is also beautiful, but I slightly prefer the angles on the 1.190ct stone.
 
If you like that 1.190 stone, I'd suggest putting it on hold NOW because there are lurkers all over this forum.....
 
That 1.19 would definitely be my choice as well :love: and VC prefers working with his own stones!
 
That 1.19 H VS2 is a gorgeous stone! It will look stunning in the Emylia.
 
YES!! get the stone from Victor. One stop shop. Everything will be easy.
 
Thanks guys! Yes, I already checked Victor’s stone. This one and that H 1.19 stone are closest to what I’m looking for:
https://www.victorcanera.com/diamonds/ags104099118004-1.158-g-vs1-ideal-hearts-arrows-round

But this G VS2 from BGD is about the same price as Victor’s H, so this saves more than 1600... I think this is a better deal than the 10% I saved on the setting:
https://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamonds/diamond-details/1.165-g-vs2-round-diamond-bkags-104100834012#!prettyPhoto[gallery2]/0/

The stone says sold did you buy it? Did you check with Victor to see if he would set a BG stone?
 
Oh, sorry. I read that your budget is 9K. I'd ask Victor was he can find for you, and I'd call Yekutiel at ID Jewelry as well. He has a knack for finding ideal stones at a lower price. You do know that the emilya is going to cost half of your diamond budget-unless Victor's prices have changed?
Thanks soxfan. Yes I already got a quote from Victor, so the budget is only for the stone :-) it would be insane if I want to get a vc ring for 9K including the setting. I also asked ID jewelry and the second stone is actually recommended by them...

It’s why I would like PSers to help me nail down the final decision as I tried all different sources to find these stones. The BGD is such a steal, super ideal heart and arrow, so I just want to confirm if it’s a good choice, compared to others
 
Thanks guys! Yes, I already checked Victor’s stone. This one and that H 1.19 stone are closest to what I’m looking for:
https://www.victorcanera.com/diamonds/ags104099118004-1.158-g-vs1-ideal-hearts-arrows-round

But this G VS2 from BGD is about the same price as Victor’s H, so this saves more than 1600... I think this is a better deal than the 10% I saved on the setting:
https://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamonds/diamond-details/1.165-g-vs2-round-diamond-bkags-104100834012#!prettyPhoto[gallery2]/0/
In that case, I’d agree with getting the BG diamond. His Black line is gorgeous and cut to the strictest of parameters, so there’s no doubt you’ll have an amazing diamond.
 
The stone says sold did you buy it? Did you check with Victor to see if he would set a BG stone?
Yes, I already hold that stone. When I asked a quote, it asked if I already have a stone, so I guess it’s okay? Also I asked if they could source stones from James Allen before I found this BGD stone, they said it was fine
 
Yes, I already hold that stone. When I asked a quote, it asked if I already have a stone, so I guess it’s okay? Also I asked if they could source stones from James Allen before I found this BGD stone, they said it was fine

It should be, then. I know VC recently changed his policy about setting outside stones. I don't know whether the BG or VC stone is better, I'll let the ideal cut experts chime in:) I had an Emilya setting, great choice- you will LOVE it!
 
In that case, I’d agree with getting the BG diamond. His Black line is gorgeous and cut to the strictest of parameters, so there’s no doubt you’ll have an amazing diamond.
Thank ILikeShiny! Do you think if I should still check the second stone? It’s also a heart and arrow, and I was told a Gia G is probably better than Ags G. Is this true?
 
Thank ILikeShiny! Do you think if I should still check the second stone? It’s also a heart and arrow, and I was told a Gia G is probably better than Ags G. Is this true?
The consensus on PS seems to be that AGS is actually slightly stricter than GIA with both color and clarity, so I really doubt the AGS G would be a GIA H. The biggest issue is that it’s all subjective so, ultimately, it’s a judgement call.

Do you have any ASET images of the second stone? We could chime in on if it’s TRULY and hearts and arrow stone.
 
One consideration I would point out is that the two VC stones and the BGD stone are similar in size and color, but the VC stones are both VS1 and the BGD stone is VS2. I am sure that the BGD stone is beautiful, but based on the clarity plots for each stone I would personally choose one of the VC stones. The description of the BGD stone states that it is eye clean under normal viewing conditions, but based on the plot of that particular stone, I think you would really need to see it in person to be sure. There are VS2s and there are VS2s, if KWIM...

Another aspect to keep in mind is the trade up policy of each vendor, just in case you ever want to upgrade at some point down the road! Given that you are getting an Emilya setting I am sure that you intend to keep this stone for quite a while. But I for one have learned never to say never! :lol: So that is just something to consider as well.
 
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One consideration I would point out is that the two VC stones and the BGD stone are similar in size and color, but the VC stones are both VS1 and the BGD stone is VS2. I am sure that the BGD stone is beautiful, but based on the clarity plots for each stone I would personally choose one of the VC stones. The description of the BGD stone states that it is eye clean under normal viewing conditions, but based on the plot of that particular stone, I think you would really need to see it in person to be sure. There are VS2s and there are VS2s, if KWIM...

Another consideration to keep in mind is the trade up policy of each vendor, just in case you ever want to upgrade at some point down the road! Given that you are getting an Emilya setting I am sure that you intend to keep this stone for quite a while. But I for one have learned never to say never! :lol: So that is just something to keep in mind.


Haha, thanks! Yes, i don’t intend to trade it for the near future. I think I’ll be very happy with the ring given how much time I’ve been researching!

As for the clarity, I guess VS2 should be eye clear?I’ll ask BGD to ship the stone so I can take a look in person. Thanks everybody for the help! I’ll definitely update once I get the stone!
 
The consensus on PS seems to be that AGS is actually slightly stricter than GIA with both color and clarity, so I really doubt the AGS G would be a GIA H. The biggest issue is that it’s all subjective so, ultimately, it’s a judgement call.

Do you have any ASET images of the second stone? We could chime in on if it’s TRULY and hearts and arrow stone.
I don’t have it at the moment. I’ll try to get it over the weekend and maybe get some side to side pictures if possible
 
It should be, then. I know VC recently changed his policy about setting outside stones. I don't know whether the BG or VC stone is better, I'll let the ideal cut experts chime in:) I had an Emilya setting, great choice- you will LOVE it!
Yes! I saw your ring it’s definitely stunning!
 
Thank ILikeShiny! Do you think if I should still check the second stone? It’s also a heart and arrow, and I was told a Gia G is probably better than Ags G. Is this true?[/QUOTE

Who told you that? I trust AGS color over GIA if I had to choose one.
 
I would MUCH rather have an AGS ideal cut diamond than a GIA any day. You can't go wrong with a BGD superideal diamond like the Black you have on hold. GREAT choice! It's going to be amazing!
 
The BGD stone is beautiful, you made a great choice! Btw why don’t you just have BGD set it? They can also create great halo settings, the quality of their settings is excellent, although not handfored, but you won’t be paying for it either. The benefit of sticking with one vendor is that they will insure the stone during the setting process. If you go with a different designer for the setting, please make sure that you have insurance on the stone prior to it being set.
 
The BGD stone is beautiful, you made a great choice! Btw why don’t you just have BGD set it? They can also create great halo settings, the quality of their settings is excellent, although not handfored, but you won’t be paying for it either. The benefit of sticking with one vendor is that they will insure the stone during the setting process. If you go with a different designer for the setting, please make sure that you have insurance on the stone prior to it being set.
Hmm, I never thought about the insurance issue. How are BGD’s settings compared to Victor’s? After seeing the huge difference between Tiffany and HW’s halo, i realized how much the setting matters! I’ve seen LM and SK since I live in NY, I love both of their settings. But after saw Frankie ‘s comparison, I think VC may be better for me as it’s more delicate.
 
BG setting is NOT going to look like Victor's. For a delicate micropave halo, I'd choose Victor all day long.
 
Hmm, I never thought about the insurance issue. How are BGD’s settings compared to Victor’s? After seeing the huge difference between Tiffany and HW’s halo, i realized how much the setting matters! I’ve seen LM and SK since I live in NY, I love both of their settings. But after saw Frankie ‘s comparison, I think VC may be better for me as it’s more delicate.

BGD have a great craftsmanship. Their settings are not handforged, so not quite as delicate, but they will run you much less. I have been a long time BGD customer and they really listen to their customers and want them to be happy, so you can be very specific in your requests. I know that they can handforge some details, so the claws can be refined for example. I know that VC executes beautiful settings and I would trust him with my diamonds, but accidents can happen, trust me on that one. If you work with him, definitely insure the stone first. I worked with SK on behalf of a friend and he was very pleasant to work with and the end product was beautiful.

Lastly, I would think about possible upgrades. A few years back I thought that I would never upgrade, I am currently on upgrade #4 (a bit much, I know). The point is that an expensive setting may become completely useless should you decide to change your diamond in the not so far future.
 
BGD have a great craftsmanship. Their settings are not handforged, so not quite as delicate, but they will run you much less. I have been a long time BGD customer and they really listen to their customers and want them to be happy, so you can be very specific in your requests. I know that they can handforge some details, so the claws can be refined for example. I know that VC executes beautiful settings and I would trust him with my diamonds, but accidents can happen, trust me on that one. If you work with him, definitely insure the stone first. I worked with SK on behalf of a friend and he was very pleasant to work with and the end product was beautiful.

Lastly, I would think about possible upgrades. A few years back I thought that I would never upgrade, I am currently on upgrade #4 (a bit much, I know). The point is that an expensive setting may become completely useless should you decide to change your diamond in the not so far future.

Yes, if you will ever upgrade. (How many times have I said I finally had my forever ring???:???:) I'd go with BG for the setting....I had already insured my stone before I sent to VC, and there were no problems. VC makes the emilya setting every single day. I bet he could make it blindfolded. :lol:
 
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