Ring for Soon to be Fiance

[derekinla]

I'm new to pricescope (I spent some time on DT) and wanted to share the E-Ring for my soon to be fiance

Here are the specs on the diamond:

Purchased Online
AGS 000
1.404 Carat
G Color
SI1 Clarity
Table 56%
Crown Angle 33.9 degrees
Pavillion Angle 40.5 degrees
Depth Percentage 60.1%
Culet pointed
Fluorescence Faint Blue

Purchased Setting from a local Brick and Mortar:
950 Platinum: Tiffany 6 Prong by Lazare Kaplan

Insurance: Chubb

 

[derekinla]

One more pic

 

[AGBF]

Hi, derekinla, and welcome to PriceScope, Land of the Free, Home of the Banned . Your stone resembles one of mine except that yours is better cut. I think it is a lovely size (and, in your case, a lovely stone). Tell us more about yourself and your plans on becoming engaged!!!

Deborah

 

[luvmysparklies]

Wow! What a classy looking beauty! I meant for my first post to be a hello to all, but I had to comment on your/your fiancee's ring. Well done!

 

[derekinla]

I'm 28, work in the healtcare field, and currently live in southern california in the land of angels. I will be moving back to the east coast (Boston) next spring for work related training. My fiance to be is also 28, and although she has a suspicion of what is about to transpire in very vague terms, she does not know exactly when and how. The exact plans are still a work in progress so I will let you guys know when I have more info. It's hush hush for now. As for the ring, I initially did alot of research by making use of books and online groups including DT (not knowing at the time that it was a forum of "controlled" advice from a select handful of vendors with their unique agendas). I ended up buying the stone from an online dealer (a NON DT vendor - blasphemy!!) with a 30 day refund policy that turned out to be really useful. I initialy purchased the stone mounted in a generic 6 prong tiffany style platinum setting but soon learned that she favored the ORIGINAL Tiffany setting since it sat lower and was knife edged

I wasn't about to pay an exorbitant amount for a blue box and I wasn't about to return the beautiful diamond so I returned the setting alone (within the 30 day return period..... I would have been in a much more uncomfortable place if the return period was only 1-2 weeks that you see floating around) and set out to find an acceptable copy that best approximates the orignal Tiffany 6 prong. After an exhaustive search, I ended up setting my sites on the Lazare Kaplan 6 prong setting which I felt to be essentially identical. Lazare wouldn't sell the setting alone unless it was for a Lazare diamond, but the local brick and mortar that carried the Lazare line of products managed to convince the company to sell the setting without the logo and thereby bypassing the rule of Lazare settings for Lazare Diamonds. In the end, Lazare goofed and sent a setting with the logo stamped on the inside of the ring which is fine by me. I think an online stone and a brick and mortar setting was a great deal for me as I was able to enjoy the online savings of an internet diamond purchase as well as buy into the local support of a brick and mortar with the setting purchase. The best of both worlds

 

[Hest88]

That's gorgeous! And that setting is really Tiffany-like. If I saw it on her finger I would assume it was a Tiffany.

 

[acanuck]

Hey Derek,

Congrats and nice looking ring ! Like the way the prongs 'flow' from the band, very elegant. Any chance you could post a top view of the ring ????

Abe

 

[XvOrlyBearvX]

Pretty ring...lucky girl.

 

[pulp_princess]

Hi Derek! Nice to see you.

Lovely ring. You should have told me you wanted a Tiffany's blue box. I've got three empties from my one ring that they can't seem to ever fix.

 

[derekinla]

Let me apologize in advance. My Canon S230 digital camer doesn't really have a macro lens so I took this through a 10x loupe.... it's also a little crooked

 

[acanuck]

Sweeeeet ! Very nice indeed.....what kind of loupe do you have ?

 

[derekinla]

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On 9/8/2003 9:58:15 PM acanuck wrote:

Sweeeeet ! Very nice indeed.....what kind of loupe do you have ?
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Generic triplet 10x loupe off of Ebay, where else??

 

[acanuck]

Was looking for the lens size, guess I should've been more specific

18mm ?

 

[derekinla]

The diameter of the loupe is about 18mm give or take a mm

 

[acanuck]

Cool, much appreciated, good to know that you can get that kind of field of vision with the standard loupe.

 

[derekinla]

One more..... Actually, the loupe is 17mm not 18mm

 

[aneelcon]

Wow!!! That ring is gorgeous!!!!!!!! Love the setting too!

 

[Kamuelamom]

Derekinla, welcome to PS! Glad to see you here.

Please tell me, how in the world did you manage to take a photo of your ring through the loupe in one hand and hold camera in the other? I'm just not able to visualize this but would like to give it a try myself.

That sparkler is sure to get you a YES!

 

[Giangi]

Whoa Derek! What a beautiful stone!!!!

Mounting is gorgeous too!

 

[derekinla]

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On 9/11/2003 4:34:37 AM Kamuelamom wrote:

Derekinla, welcome to PS! Glad to see you here.

Please tell me, how in the world did you manage to take a photo of your ring through the loupe in one hand and hold camera in the other? I'm just not able to visualize this but would like to give it a try myself.

That sparkler is sure to get you a YES!
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Kamuelamom,

Nice to see you. There are SOOOOOOOOO many DT peeps posting here as well! To take a pic through your camera (I've only done it with a digital camer), just hold the loupe right in front of your lens. Try to move the camera/loupe back and forth until the image is focused on your digital screen. Turn off your flash and be sure to select the macro mode if possible. Hope this helps.

- Derek

 

[fire&ice]

Wow! Beautiful ring! Make sure you come back & give us details on the proposal.

Congrats!

 

[derekinla]

Kamuelamom,

In terms of the acutal technique, I used my dominant hand to hold the camera while using my left hand (fingers) to hold the loupe as well as support the camera (palms supporting camera). The digital camera I used was a Canon S230 which is pretty compact. I suppose a larger camera might be a bit more unwieldy. You kind of have to practice and come up with a comfortable technique. The basic idea is one in each hand with the nondominant hand also supporting the camera. Good Luck!!!

 

[Vynyaca]

DerekinLA, gorgeous ring!! Good luck with the proposal, I'm sure she'll LOVE it.

I have a question for you since I live in LA as well. My boyfriend and I have taken the first step of walking into Tiffany's together and actually looking at rings. One small step for me, one big step for my man. I would really like to see some loose stones first so I can get a feel of what's going to be important to me in a stone. I really do want him to pick it out but armed with all the right information first. Before you purchased online did you visit any jewelers in the district or locally? Can you recommend anyone? And do you mind telling me who did your setting? Lots of questions, I know! Thanks!

 

[Colored Gemstone Nut]

Derekina,

Beautiful diamond and a really elegant "classic" setting...Very Very Nice!

-Josh Rioux
Sitka, Alaska

 

[derekinla]

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On 9/12/2003 9

2:25 PM Vynyaca wrote:

DerekinLA, gorgeous ring!! Good luck with the proposal, I'm sure she'll LOVE it.

I have a question for you since I live in LA as well. My boyfriend and I have taken the first step of walking into Tiffany's together and actually looking at rings. One small step for me, one big step for my man. I would really like to see some loose stones first so I can get a feel of what's going to be important to me in a stone. I really do want him to pick it out but armed with all the right information first. Before you purchased online did you visit any jewelers in the district or locally? Can you recommend anyone? And do you mind telling me who did your setting? Lots of questions, I know! Thanks!
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My search for a diamond engagement ring started out with reading books and internet chat forrums, followed by going to the Diamond District in downtown LA, Robbins Brothers in Torrance, Diasource in West LA, Tiffany's in Beverly Hills, and culminated with an extensive web search & purchase from Internet. I definitely recommend looking at loose stones early on! My soon to be fiance and I actually started out at Robbins Brothers just to take a look. I must say they have quite an impressive collection of settings but the diamonds that they showed us were NOT high end stones that we were looking for, albeit we didn't really push that point... we just wanted to get our feet wet looking at diamonds. Nevertheless, it was still a worthwhile experience. I haven't heard really great things about Robbin's Bros and it seemed to me there prices were somewhat high. To be fair, we only went there early on and didn't try to "wheel and deal." The folks at Diasource in West LA off of Sepulveda and Santa Monica were actually really nice in showing us many different loose stones and I therefore found it to be another useful experience. Seeing loose stones and getting know how to use a loupe was REALLY valuable. They have a clearly defined pricing structure and most of their stones are GIA certed but I'm not sure if they have sarin/megascope info readily available (we didn't ask at the time) With that background, we then ventured to the downtown diamond district. A few of my friends have purchased their e-rings from Oscar's Design Jewelry at 550 South Hill (Located in the International Jewelry Center = large business building filled with so called "diamond wholesalers") but Oscar's was closed on that day so we just arbitrarily walked into a few of the stores just to take a look. The common theme from this limited experience seemed to be that, high end diamonds, at least in the few stores we looked at, were hard to find. By high end, I mean Ideal Cut AGS 000's, or GIA EX/EX with Sarin/Megascope info. I would definitely recommend going to the diamond district, especially after having seen some loose stones, as it was a great educational experience. The last brick and mortar we visited was Tiffany's in Beverly Hills and it became immediately clear that PRICE was going to be the overriding issue. The bottom line is they sell great diamonds (not necessarily the best) and they definitely offer high end stones but it comes at a cost. You can get diamonds of the same or higher quality for much less. I would say if price wasn't an issue, and you didn't have alot of time, going with Tiffany's is a great option. The diamond and setting I ended purchasing came out to a little over $10,000 dollars. An equivalent ring at Tiffany's would have probably been $16,000 + with the 8.25% CA sales tax. It just wasn't worth it to me and I'm also one to always shop for the best price!! I was VERY skeptical about buying a diamond over the net but after an extensive amount of research, I took a chance on an ideal cut AGS000 with a HCA score of 0.3!! I went with an Internet vendor that offered a 30 day exchange policy which (as you can tell from the above posts) came in very handy. If you go with an internet vendor offering a 7 day to 14 day exchange period, make sure you time everything just right in case you want to return the stone. I had the stone appraised by Geoffrey Nelson (who is part of "The Jewelry Judge" network of independent jewelers at Tel 626-568-4190) He is an independent appraiser based out of Pasadena but recently moved his business back to his home residence in Alhambra. His appraisal fees are VERY competitive ($75 for my 1.4 carat stone) and his credentials are top notch. Perhaps the most impressive aspect of the whole appraisal experience was that he was able to determine the specs of the stone down to the actual crown angles, depth percentages etc.... without even looking at the AGS cert!! He was eerily dead-on with the AGS cert. Definitely get an independent appraisal as you will need this for insurance purposes as well your peace of mind!!! I got my second (see above posts) platinum setting from Bubar's Jewelers at 1457 4th Street in Santa Monica (right off of the promenade ... Tel 310-451-0727) He basically charged me retail for the setting but gave me free mounting and a free updated appraisal document for my Chubb jewelry insurance policy. By going this route, I was able to essentially "buy" into the local support and can now get regular free inspections, adjustments, cleanings from someone down the road! IMO, the Lazare Kaplan and Superbcert Tiffany 6 prongs are probably as close as you're going to get to the real Tiffany & Co 6 prong. When comparing diamond prices, make sure you also calculate the Per carat cost of the stone (kind of like calculating the per ounce costs when grocery shopping). Unless a particular color grade or clarity grade has some symbolic, emotional, or sentimental significance, go with an "F" or "G", and VS2 or "eye clean" SI1 to maximize your dollar. Such a stone will perform like a "D" "IF" once mounted to the naked eye (unless you're a jeweler with a loupe and color grading stones in your pocket!). After seeing loose stones, I think you will agree on this assessment. Why pay more if you can't see the difference with your eyes? Good luck! Let me know if I could be of more help

 

[Vynyaca]

Wow! Thank you so much for the awesome feedback. You're going to keep us very busy for the next couple of months. In a good way of course.

As I mentioned before, we had our obligatory visit to Tiffany's and I had to choke back a laugh while looking at a 1ct H VS2 that was about the same price as your 1.4 G SI1. Needless to say, it will be our last visit to Tiffany's.

Funnily enough, before I even read your post we made plans to go to Robbins Bros. in Woodland Hills next weekend (we're in Sherman Oaks). Not so much to look at loose diamonds but to try on different settings and see different carat sizes on my fingers. At first I thought I'd want an oval shape but the bowtie turned me off and the more rbs I see, the more I love them. And it must be fate because that same weekend we have our monthly Sunday morning trip into Santa Monica. My boyfriend gets his haircut while I read the newspaper over a latte at Starbucks... if Bubar's is open on Sundays I think I might have to sacrifice caffeine for diamonds. I think I'll manage!

When are you planning to propose? Are you going to do it once you move back to Boston? I just moved from SE Connecticut. I'm liking this weather, but the stick shift in the car is a bit of a problem.

Once again, thanks for answering in such great detail. If I see you around pricescope I'll keep you updated on the beginning stages of our search.

PS Thanks also for the info on the appraiser! That's good to know that he was spot on with the AGS specs.

 

[derekinla]

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On 9/14/2003 1:18

5 AM Vynyaca wrote:

Wow! Thank you so much for the awesome feedback. You're going to keep us very busy for the next couple of months. In a good way of course.

As I mentioned before, we had our obligatory visit to Tiffany's and I had to choke back a laugh while looking at a 1ct H VS2 that was about the same price as your 1.4 G SI1. Needless to say, it will be our last visit to Tiffany's.

Funnily enough, before I even read your post we made plans to go to Robbins Bros. in Woodland Hills next weekend (we're in Sherman Oaks). Not so much to look at loose diamonds but to try on different settings and see different carat sizes on my fingers. At first I thought I'd want an oval shape but the bowtie turned me off and the more rbs I see, the more I love them. And it must be fate because that same weekend we have our monthly Sunday morning trip into Santa Monica. My boyfriend gets his haircut while I read the newspaper over a latte at Starbucks... if Bubar's is open on Sundays I think I might have to sacrifice caffeine for diamonds. I think I'll manage!

When are you planning to propose? Are you going to do it once you move back to Boston? I just moved from SE Connecticut. I'm liking this weather, but the stick shift in the car is a bit of a problem.

Once again, thanks for answering in such great detail. If I see you around pricescope I'll keep you updated on the beginning stages of our search.

PS Thanks also for the info on the appraiser! That's good to know that he was spot on with the AGS specs.
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Vynyaca, You're also from CT???? What a coincidence! I grew up in Newtown and attended UConn for undergrad. I moved out here 3 years ago so it will be strange for me to move back to New England. I will be in Boston for 3.5 years and there is a good chance though, that I may very well end up back here in southern California

How are you enjoying LA? When did you move here?

 

[derekinla]

Very true. Stick shifts and LA don't really get along........ unless of course, you enjoy giving your transmission and your right arm a good workout. You'd think with 6 lanes, the 405 or the 10 would be free of congestion but they're like virtual parking lots! I actually miss I84, I90, and I95. I haven't proposed just yet but I think maybe in the next few weeks. I'm thinking of the Getty Center for the spectacular views.....

 

[fire&ice]

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On 9/15/2003 12:11:12 AM derekinla wrote:

. I haven't proposed just yet but I think maybe in the next few weeks. I'm thinking of the Getty Center for the spectacular views.....

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Quite a great architectual gem! Do you still need to make reservations weeks in advance?

 

[derekinla]

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On 9/15/2003 9:38:12 AM fire&ice wrote:

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On 9/15/2003 12:11:12 AM derekinla wrote:

. I haven't proposed just yet but I think maybe in the next few weeks. I'm thinking of the Getty Center for the spectacular views.....

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Quite a great architectual gem! Do you still need to make reservations weeks in advance?

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I think you still need to make reservations for the restaurant (not the museum) but I think I will take her to the restaurant where we first met...Lunaria

http://www.lunariajazzscene.com/

It's a cozy, intimate jazz lounge / restaurant off of Santa Monica Blvd in West LA....