I''ve learned so much from reading these wonderful forums and my boyfriend and I finally feel ready to buy a GOG AV cushion and get engaged, but I would love some help before we pull the trigger.
A bit of background, sorry for the length: After a preliminary trip to Tiffany''s and watching a ton of GOG videos, we reserved this 2.04 H SI1 August Vintage cushion and went to see it last Saturday:
http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/6905/
It was our first time seeing loose stones and Matt was incredibly patient and sweet. I immediately liked everything about the stone (incredible fire, eyeclean to me through loupe) but it looked warmer than I''d expected. Before making the trip, I felt confident that an "H" would be fine (based mostly on online photos, especially gorgeous Single Stone pieces) but in person, I wished it were whiter.
In retrospect, i think my eye has been "trained" on higher colors—my best friend has a 1.5 D radiant and i used to work at a bridal salon where you quickly learned to differentiate a dozen shades of white. My hands also have a strong yellow/olive tinge and white metals and fabrics are more flattering, so maybe that''s part of it.
Knowing their recent online AV inventory has had a gap in the $12K to $22K range, I asked Jonathan how long it would take to source our perfect stone (1.7 to 1.8, E or F, VS2 or eyeclean SI1, square ratio) and he explained that it''s very unpredictable, could be a month, could be eight months. (For reference, our budget is $17K max bankwire for the stone.) He walked us through GOG''s upgrade and trade-in policies, which seem exceptional, and we left with the idea that we would buy this stone, place it in a temp setting and sort of cross our fingers that the warmth would grow on me or be less visible in the real world, while we wait for the perfect one.
We both had some doubts about the idea of a "placeholder" stone but we want to get engaged in the next month and are committed to working with GOG and getting an AV.
On Tuesday, a new AV (1.63 G VS2) popped up on the site that looked significantly whiter (to me) in the photos, but sacrificed a bunch of size: http://goodoldgold.com/diamond/6703
Thinking that color might ultimately more important than size, we switched our hold to this stone and will be seeing it Saturday, and hopefully be able to compare it to the 2.04H unless someone snaps it up. At this point, i would love your help in making the most of this next appointment. Are there other differences I should note beyond size and color?
The 1.63 has a smaller table % and bigger depth % than the 2.04. What does this mean for the look of the stone, if anything? (I like the look of a flat, spread-out pillowy stone with that clear Maltese cross.)
Should I care about the differences in the girdle? (The 2.04 has a "thin to very thick" girdle while the 1.63 has a "medium to thick" girdle.)
There is a difference in clarity, but since the SI1 looked eyeclean to me, does it matter? Are the "natural indents" I think are noted on the GIA something to worry about?
I''ve read that cushions show more color and that bigger stones show more color. I tried on a 1.93 G asscher and it looked visibly whiter on my hand than the 2.04 H cushion, and about the same as a 2.06 F. Is this an optical illusion? Something about the facets or maybe just me?
Is there anything else you guys think I should keep in mind or any experiences with wearing an engagement ring that you might swap out within a year?
Truly grateful for all your advice and help,
Kat
A bit of background, sorry for the length: After a preliminary trip to Tiffany''s and watching a ton of GOG videos, we reserved this 2.04 H SI1 August Vintage cushion and went to see it last Saturday:
http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/6905/
It was our first time seeing loose stones and Matt was incredibly patient and sweet. I immediately liked everything about the stone (incredible fire, eyeclean to me through loupe) but it looked warmer than I''d expected. Before making the trip, I felt confident that an "H" would be fine (based mostly on online photos, especially gorgeous Single Stone pieces) but in person, I wished it were whiter.
In retrospect, i think my eye has been "trained" on higher colors—my best friend has a 1.5 D radiant and i used to work at a bridal salon where you quickly learned to differentiate a dozen shades of white. My hands also have a strong yellow/olive tinge and white metals and fabrics are more flattering, so maybe that''s part of it.
Knowing their recent online AV inventory has had a gap in the $12K to $22K range, I asked Jonathan how long it would take to source our perfect stone (1.7 to 1.8, E or F, VS2 or eyeclean SI1, square ratio) and he explained that it''s very unpredictable, could be a month, could be eight months. (For reference, our budget is $17K max bankwire for the stone.) He walked us through GOG''s upgrade and trade-in policies, which seem exceptional, and we left with the idea that we would buy this stone, place it in a temp setting and sort of cross our fingers that the warmth would grow on me or be less visible in the real world, while we wait for the perfect one.
We both had some doubts about the idea of a "placeholder" stone but we want to get engaged in the next month and are committed to working with GOG and getting an AV.
On Tuesday, a new AV (1.63 G VS2) popped up on the site that looked significantly whiter (to me) in the photos, but sacrificed a bunch of size: http://goodoldgold.com/diamond/6703
Thinking that color might ultimately more important than size, we switched our hold to this stone and will be seeing it Saturday, and hopefully be able to compare it to the 2.04H unless someone snaps it up. At this point, i would love your help in making the most of this next appointment. Are there other differences I should note beyond size and color?
The 1.63 has a smaller table % and bigger depth % than the 2.04. What does this mean for the look of the stone, if anything? (I like the look of a flat, spread-out pillowy stone with that clear Maltese cross.)
Should I care about the differences in the girdle? (The 2.04 has a "thin to very thick" girdle while the 1.63 has a "medium to thick" girdle.)
There is a difference in clarity, but since the SI1 looked eyeclean to me, does it matter? Are the "natural indents" I think are noted on the GIA something to worry about?
I''ve read that cushions show more color and that bigger stones show more color. I tried on a 1.93 G asscher and it looked visibly whiter on my hand than the 2.04 H cushion, and about the same as a 2.06 F. Is this an optical illusion? Something about the facets or maybe just me?
Is there anything else you guys think I should keep in mind or any experiences with wearing an engagement ring that you might swap out within a year?
Truly grateful for all your advice and help,
Kat
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