Regina''s Birthday Earrings, Hats of to Lesley Harris & the WhiteFlash Team

[Colored Gemstone Nut]

I wanted to thank Lesley Harris from Whiteflash for handling my purchase of 2 WhiteFlash A-Cut-Above diamonds for a pair of earrings for Regina’s birthday. One diamond is a .287 H VS2 ACA & the other is a .292 H SI-1 ACA to be mounted in 14K White gold screwback settings.

I was first impressed at how quickly I received a response from Lesley. Originally I went to order straight from the site and ran into some issue with entering my cc information on their secure server. I emailed & PM Lesley around 9

0 PM Alaska Time which means it’s around midnight in Texas. Within a Half hour I received a response personal message from Lesley addressing my concerns about the billing procedures.

I was leaving for Yakutat Alaska on the red-eye early morning flight

so I wanted to make sure everything was set up in order to expedite this order. Lesley informed me to call her early next morning. After getting off the airplane I called Lesley from the airport. It is now Friday around 7AM my time and around 10AM Lesley’s time. She went over the billing information one more time with me and we had a warm conversation about the Pricescope forum, her staff, and the weather. I inquired about pictures and Lesley said she would try to work on getting them before they were shipped since the order was showing as being 60% complete. I was impressed, more impressed at how friendly Lesley was on the phone.
Later that day I received a response from the Whiteflash team that my order had been processed and shipped to be delivered followed by pictures from Lesley.

In a matter of half a day and two time zones between us Lesley addressed all my concerns and had my finished diamond earrings out the door via fed-ex on their way to me.

I was very impressed on how easy this transaction went. I believe some diamonds and gems sell themselves, but it is the people behind the product who make the big difference and my hat’s off to Lesley & the Whiteflash Team…

Below is the Pic..I would have posted the close up view and Ideal scope images, but the stones had already been taken down off the site when I went to reference them..

 

[Colored Gemstone Nut]

A couple pictures from the Yakutat trip and one from the summer.....

 

[Kaleigh]

Oh Josh,

Those earrings are just stunning. Regina is one lucky lady and Lesley sure knows her stuff!! They''re just lovely. Thanks for sharing the pics!

 

[Colored Gemstone Nut]

Thanks KAL:

Heres those close up images and IS images Lesley just emailed me..

 

[Camellia]

Josh
Sure looks cold! Are you experiencing wild weather at the moment? I''ve seen the blizzards in North America on the TV. I''m in the souther hemisphere and wouldn''t mind trading some degrees with you!

 

[Patty]

The earrings are beautiful, Josh! Look at those arrows...wow!

I love the picture of the cabin. It looks so cozy and scenic and warm.

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

Josh that is great nws.

I wounder if you could do a little experiment for us?

You have (it seems) one ACA and one ACA newline.
If you could report back to us whenever you notice one of the other outperforms (I imagine they could be eqaully beautiful - but one might show more sparkle and the other more fire in different situations)
Also the relative comparitive sizes in different lighting etc.

But try not to know which is in which ear - so you can show no personal bias etc.

I am conducting the same experiment at present with Drena. I replaced one of her regular proportioned stones with a shallow -about 32C 40.5 P from memory. So far the shallow stone wins on all fronts. i will continue looking and write this up in a couple of months

 

[solange]

Garry, what is the difference between the original ACA and the new line? I would love to know which one you like better and why.

Lesley at Whiteflash is great to work with. She worked for some time to find the kind of stone I wanted and I love it. People who are new to the internet experience think that it is very complicated and difficult.I am sure there are some wonderful privae jewelers but I found looking on my own in the New York Diamond District very frustrating.

My purchase from Whiteflash went quickly and smoothly once Lesley located a stone for me. And I got a beautiful stone at a great price. By the way, the earrings are gorgeous. You are very thoughtful to buy her such lovely gifts but i am sure she deserves them.

 

[Mara]

Lovely earrings Josh! Great selections!

I too would love to hear about the ACA NL vs OL comparisons and your shallow vs regular Garry!

 

[strmrdr]

Some times you have to wonder if Lesley ever sleeps I sent her an email after 2

0am about something on the board figuring she would see it later in the morning.
5 min. later I get an email back thanking me for pointing the thread out to her.
We are in the same time zone too so it was that late there also.

Awesome ear rings!

 

[Kamuelamom]

Josh, congratulations on a great looking pair of earrings! And happy birthday to Regina!!

I most loved your pictures of your trip and the lakeside cabin. Thanks for the visit to Alaska.

 

[sevens one]

Great earrings Josh.
What a sweet Birthday present. Lucky gal.

 

[Jennifer5973]

beautiful earrings--what a gift!

Congrats & best wishes to you guys!

 

[chantal990]

Congratulations Josh they are gorgeous earrings

 

[Colored Gemstone Nut]

Date: 1/23/2005 8:28:45 PM
Author: solange
Garry, what is the difference between the original ACA and the new line? I would love to know which one you like better and why.

Lesley at Whiteflash is great to work with. She worked for some time to find the kind of stone I wanted and I love it. People who are new to the internet experience think that it is very complicated and difficult.I am sure there are some wonderful privae jewelers but I found looking on my own in the New York Diamond District very frustrating.

My purchase from Whiteflash went quickly and smoothly once Lesley located a stone for me. And I got a beautiful stone at a great price. By the way, the earrings are gorgeous. You are very thoughtful to buy her such lovely gifts but i am sure she deserves them.

Solange: Im not as good looking as garry but here's my take:

The difference is the New Line stones are cut in a fashion which deals with the upper girdle/lower girdle angle relationship where total leakage seems to be eliminated. Because of the way these stones are cut some of the "contrast brilliance" is said to be lost. Viewing the ACA New Line stones IS image there is a blending of reds versus in stones with strong dark reds “Original ACA‘s” which provide more of a contrast returned to the viewers eye.

In the Original ACA stones there is leakage at the junction where the upper girdle facets and star facets meet, but it is argued that the leakage at these points provides the increased contrast to the viewer versus the New Line.Another difference in the New Line is the dispersion is broad coloration being returned to the eye, but to achieve this you trade off a slight bit of scintillation and brilliance.

I believe the original ACA stones will display a similar amount of dispersion, but the color areas are smaller. The New Line stones seem to be cut with small star facets and larger upper girdles facets which contribute to the more flashes of color being returned to your eye.

Both Lines are beautiful just 2 different styles. I think the point Garry might be bringing up is the comparison of the New Line being cut in a way to eliminate leakage in different areas, and if that leakage provides more of an optical pleasing result to the viewers eye vs. more of a contrast viewed under the scope from the other line which is cut differently...In the Original ACA image on the right the white leakage on the outer edge might make these stones look smaller but it also increases the contrast.


Hope this helps..Both IS images are of the 2 different cutting styles displayed in what Garry is talking about..

 

[TLS]

Josh your wife is a lucky lady - those earrings look beautiful !

I wish I could get a pair for myself after seeing these, but I lose all my earrings, even the ones with screwbacks

Very nice choice - I would love to work with Lesley in the future after hearing so many great things about her. I now have a ever growing list of vendors I want to work with for my future purchases!

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

Josh that was a wonderful explanation!!!!!
Sensational even.
Could you post that here https://www.pricescope.com/idealbb/forum.asp?forumID=47 in the glossary section please Josh?

And how do you think your dearly beloved will take to you looking at the her ear rings and not her other attributes?

 

[JohnQuixote]

Date: 1/23/2005 10

5:33 PM
Author: Colored Gemstone Nut

Solange: Im not as good looking as garry but here's my take:

The difference is the New Line stones are cut in a fashion which deals with the upper girdle/lower girdle angle relationship where total leakage seems to be eliminated. Because of the way these stones are cut some of the 'contrast brilliance' is said to be lost. Viewing the ACA New Line stones IS image there is a blending of reds versus in stones with strong dark reds “Original ACA‘s” which provide more of a contrast returned to the viewers eye.

In the Original ACA stones there is leakage at the junction where the upper girdle facets and star facets meet, but it is argued that the leakage at these points provides the increased contrast to the viewer versus the New Line.Another difference in the New Line is the dispersion is broad coloration being returned to the eye, but to achieve this you trade off a slight bit of scintillation and brilliance.

I believe the original ACA stones will display a similar amount of dispersion, but the color areas are smaller. The New Line stones seem to be cut with small star facets and larger upper girdles facets which contribute to the more flashes of color being returned to your eye.

Both Lines are beautiful just 2 different styles. I think the point Garry might be bringing up is the comparison of the New Line being cut in a way to eliminate leakage in different areas, and if that leakage provides more of an optical pleasing result to the viewers eye vs. more of a contrast viewed under the scope from the other line which is cut differently...In the Original ACA image on the right the white leakage on the outer edge might make these stones look smaller but it also increases the contrast.

Hope this helps..Both IS images are of the 2 different cutting styles displayed in what Garry is talking about..

Pssst...Josh!...cool it with the accurate ACA answers or I'm going to be out of a job!

Your well-stated observations are related to other recent discussions regarding minute differences in minor facet fashioning which result in subtle but notable differences in the character of a diamond's beauty within proven major proportions.

For any interested in perusing musings, some are here.

Thanks for the kind feedback. We are always pleased to hear from excited ACA owners, and it's especially pleasing coming from one with your expertise. Lesley works day and night and was very happy to see your note.

Enjoy your sparklers under the northern lights!

 

[JohnQuixote]

By the way (in case anyone wondered),

The two IdealScope photos were taken under different systems. That is why there is such difference in the hue of the reds. The darker -and more clear- image was taken using Garry's rapid photo system tray.

Josh, I meant to mention before...Great "real life" photos. How did that fish taste?

 

[Colored Gemstone Nut]

Date: 1/23/2005 11:19

3 PM
Author: Garry H (Cut Nut)
Josh that was a wonderful explanation!!!!!
Sensational even.
Could you post that here http://www.pricescope.com/idealbb/forum.asp?forumID=47 in the glossary section please Josh?

And how do you think your dearly beloved will take to you looking at the her ear rings and not her other attributes?

Garry: Posted in the Glossary. I spend a good portion of the day "Looking at her attributes". Adorning and looking at her ears probably won''t distract me from the other important parts..

John: That fish was excellent but the best part was honing my fly fishing skills that day.

Thanks for your kind words..

 

[Mara]

John do you guys by chance have any side-by-side actual images of the old line and new line stones? I''d love to see how they may compare in photographs, any different lighting as well?

Also, is WF still cutting the old line or is it entirely new line and whatever inventory is left of old line is there until it''s gone?

Do you see customers showing a preference for one or the other? I did notice a slight difference in the pictures Josh posted of actual stone in terms of what appeared to be contrast, I wonder how it would ''perform'' to the eyes in real life!

Feel free to send me two stones for a real life comparison.

 

[Colored Gemstone Nut]

Date: 1/24/2005 12:32:53 AM
Author: Mara
John do you guys by chance have any side-by-side actual images of the old line and new line stones? I'd love to see how they may compare in photographs, any different lighting as well?

Also, is WF still cutting the old line or is it entirely new line and whatever inventory is left of old line is there until it's gone?

Do you see customers showing a preference for one or the other? I did notice a slight difference in the pictures Josh posted of actual stone in terms of what appeared to be contrast, I wonder how it would 'perform' to the eyes in real life!

Feel free to send me two stones for a real life comparison.

Hey Mara: Here's an old picture I had on the Desktop I used for another thread years back. It is an illustrated real life photo of the 2 different cutting styles side by side. Aniother noticable face up view of both stones is the thicker pavillion mains in the "New Line" vs. the thinner mains in the "Classic Line"..

Maybe John can post pic's in different lighting, but wanted to post this example for you..

 

[JohnQuixote]

Date: 1/24/2005 12:32:53 AM
Author: Mara
John do you guys by chance have any side-by-side actual images of the old line and new line stones? I'd love to see how they may compare in photographs, any different lighting as well?

Also, is WF still cutting the old line or is it entirely new line and whatever inventory is left of old line is there until it's gone?

Do you see customers showing a preference for one or the other? I did notice a slight difference in the pictures Josh posted of actual stone in terms of what appeared to be contrast, I wonder how it would 'perform' to the eyes in real life!

Feel free to send me two stones for a real life comparison.

Josh - thanks again...you better give me your zip so I can send my next check along!

Mara - the layout Josh did far above with IS images (4th post in the thread), is an excellent static comparison if you forgive IS images being from 2 different systems. The classic ACA show slightly more contrast and new line ACA show slightly more dispersion. We're excited about the consistency in performance we've seen with proportions fine-tuned to achieve these results. One week when our desks are not buried in projects I would love to do a photo essay of different stones side by side in a range of lighting conditions as you suggest.

We find that ACA customers all react similarly, so no preference has been noted. Mara, I should clarify that these are minute distinctions in the character of beauty, not levels of performance. I've found both classic and new line to be extremely visually balanced over the broad range of lighting conditions. Personally, I value the subtle distinctions equally. For another 'preference' opinion you could ask Josh. He may fancy one or the other, but to me it would be a great feat to pick out which was which on her ears without close study (and I'm not going to get caught studying his gal - you saw what happened to that fish!)

We are currently producing both classic and new line ACA. New line was fashioned when consumer demand for limited leakage increased... It had been said that only one competing brand could achieve such a footprint, so we set out specifically to demonstrate that it could be achieved on these terms, without replicating another brand's proportions. In this manner, Brian's particular recipe for visual balance has remained true for all A Cut Aboves.

You always have an open invite to come to H-town and play in the vault, you know

 

[Mara]

Thanks for that awesome comparison, Josh! That gives me a clear visual of the differences...side by side always helps!

John, if I ever make it over and see the vault, you guys will NOT be able to REMOVE ME!!!

Fair warning!

I would love to get a classic line at some point in the future and compare it side by side in person with my e-ring stone which I believe was meant to be cut as a new line, but didn't make Brian's stringent requirements for the ACA cut brand. However, it's got the limited light leakage and the thicker pavilion mains for broader arrows.

 

[Lord Summerisle]

So.

A quick question - would this one: -

be identified as a new line or classic... i think i hedge my bets towards it being a new line when i compare the discription of the thickness of the arrow shafts with that seen in the pitcure.

and the accompanying IS image: -

having been taken using the new rapid photosystem?

Any reason for the seemingly spot of leakage at the 1min past 12 position?

Cheers

 

[JohnQuixote]

Good day M'Lord,

You can't use thickness of arrow shafts as a guide - but the IdealScope image tells the story and you came to the correct conclusions about new line and the photography used.

The thickness of the shafts results from shorter lower girdle facet lengths (resultant larger pavilion mains are observable through the table), while the IdealScope slight leakage (classic) or close to no leakage (new line) footprint depends on the different marriages of upper and lower halves where they come to the girdle.

Here is a classic ACA with thick arrows shafts.

 

[JohnQuixote]

...and that diamond's IdealScope.

Nothing wrong with this type of girdle/meet point leakage. As mentioned, it's been shown to improve the contrast within a well-cut stone.

 

[Lord Summerisle]

Thanks Sir John.

So, forgive me if I’m out here…for I am only 2 months into a journey from clueless noobie to dumbass with a little bit of knowledge… The new line came about from tweaking the minor facets within already tight tolerances you cut to, as those most dangerous of customers (those with a little bit of knowledge) gained an understanding of what IS images show, and the marketing spiel of other diamond cutters about ‘perfect’ 100% light return – hence the tweaking of the facets to alter the light return characteristics. As a consequence there is a loss of contrast, but gain in broader flashes of colour (scintillation?) – compared to an identical proportioned ACA classic cut, and a move toward more complete light return, which draws more favourable views from those with basic understanding of the IS image simply equating more red/black=good. White=leakage=bad

Sorry for the simplistic reply and questions... but in diamond terms I’m still on 3-words-a-page books with a note on the back saying ‘this book is waterproof and chewable’

 

[noobie]

Josh,

Lovely pair of earrings. Well done. Can you post a review of the pieces you''ve made in the past little while? Thay are all outstanding! I do remember some great rings and an amazing sapphire.

John,

I''d love to see photo essay of the of the new and old line ACAs. In fact I have Idealscope images of stones (non ACAs) I''ve purchased that look like old line and new line. I was wondering in the ones that look like new line if they are are more in the photography and color saturation versus the cutting. Maybe I could post and we could discuss? Perhaps we should start a new thread to discuss ACAs as to not detract from Josh''s wonderful birthday gift and enviable fishing trips.

 

[Colored Gemstone Nut]

Noobie: That new threadwas started in the diamond Glossary. I will transfer much of what John said and some other content from past threads into the thread in the diamond glossary later.