Radiants in Boston area?

[bostonrock]

Greetings All.

The radiant seems to be a unique beast among other cuts.

Armed with a lot of knowledge from great websites such as this, an ASET, and specifications, I spent some time looking at stones last week. Having now seen several radiants, I understand what so many others have said about the variability of cut quality. Most stones looked lifeless, with the exception of an (albeit overpriced) I/VS1 that blew me away. There must be better radiants in Boston...

Of the jewelers I''ve visited in Boston, most did not carry a large selection of radiants, nor did they seem to deal with radiants often enough to stock really great looking stones of that type or know where to get them.

My questions to you: what store/jeweler would you recommend for selecting a radiant in the Boston area? Must I go to NYC for a better selection, and if so, where should I go? Given the difficulty of predicting the perceptual quality of a radiant''s cut from specifications/photos, are internet retailers out of the question?

For what it matters, I''ve been looking for a stone in the F-G/VS2-SI1 range, L/W>1.1, of at least 1 carat, with a blow-her-away cut!

Any thoughts? Thanks!

 

[DiamanteBlu]

I would not go to a random B&M store in Boston [I grew up and still live in the area] or pretty much anywhere else. It is amazing the drivel they try to feed you and the lack of information.

I would stick with one of the trusted PS vendors - some of whom have B&M stores [Wink Jones, Good Old Gold, Whiteflash, etc., etc.]. You can trust them to be your "eyes" and select a few stones that meet your criteria. You can then have a look and pick the one you like best.

Note: Good Old Gold has a large number of educational videos up on their site. I don't know if any relate to radiants but you might want to go have a look.

 

[bostonrock]

Thanks for the reply, Diamante.

I''ve been in touch with one of the companies that lists on PS. They brought in a candidate stone free of charge, but the ASET images looked like what the local lifeless stones looked like. I do trust what the representative said: "this looks like an average cut". Now if I ask for them to bring more stones into their office, they want to charge me some of the shipping and insurance cost. The conundrum: do I start paying a jeweler money to bring in stones that I can''t even inspect in person? I do trust them, but if they have to order six stones for inspection, this would get expensive.

Thoughts?

 

[DiamanteBlu]

I don''t know. How is it possible that the vendor brought in an average cut? Did the vendor know what you are looking for? I can''t imagine a supplier [that wants to maintain the business] would send out an average stone when a spectacular cut had been specified. Who knows - maybe that''s just me?

I would explain to the vendor [assuming you are using someone you trust] exactly what you are looking for and not to bring in any stone that does not fit the criteria. They do not randomly have stones shipped in to look at - they have relationships with their trusted vendors. They tell the vendor what they are looking for and I am sure they expect to get it.

If the stone the vendor brought in turned out to be an average cut, perhaps somebody was not sufficiently clear on the specs.

I would not go on line and then give them a list of stones to look at. I would explain to them that you want the most spectacularly cut stone they can find within parameters x, y, and z and go from there. I would further tell them that you do not want them to bring in average stones just for the sake of bringing something in.

You might want to drive down to NY [Long Island if I remember correctly] to visit Good Old Gold. You would do this only after having had a conversation with Rhino about exactly what you are looking for and having had a commitment from him that he can fulfill your specs [which I am sure he can]. Unfortunately WF is in TX and Wink is in OR so that''s a bit of a haul unless you are out there anyway.

 

[LamborghiniGirl]

I too live in the Boston area-- I haven''t encountered any amazing jewelers, *in terms of large inventory of stones*, to report back on. Of course, if you find a jeweler you love a setting from, or love their customer service, they can try and find a stone for you.

I think NY is your best bet, GOG and ERD for sure. I would call though, and let them know what you are looking for so they can bring in a selection tailored to you when you visit. (The same goes for Boston jewelers, if you find one that you love).

I guess what I am trying to say is that radiants aren''t as popular and so no one is going to have a huge inventory of them at any given time, unless a customer is coming in to specifically look at them. So if you meet a jeweler in Boston you trust and think understands what you are looking for, ask them to bring in some options!

Good luck!

LG

 

[Lorelei]

Thats a good suggestion if you are open to going to LI to visit Jon at GOG ( you would need an appointment), give him the heads up on what you are looking for and see what he can come up with. Alternatively Mark at www.engagementringsdirect.com is in the diamond district, he might be able to source you some good radiants.

 

[bostonrock]

These are really great suggestions. Thanks for the input, everyone.

Sounds like I''ll be on the phone more than in a store this week...

Cheers.