Search for biggest OEC for 10k
- Thread starter archaeopteryx
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archaeopteryx
Rough_Rock
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- Apr 8, 2025
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Agree! The hunt continues! I’m going to be traveling the next couple weeks - Chicago, San Francisco, Portland and Seattle.
Any shops in those cities you’d all recommend? I am going to build a diamond itinerary along with hiking and galavanting, open to suggestions!
archaeopteryx
Rough_Rock
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- Apr 8, 2025
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- 21
Ugh I know, such a good price! Was sad it wasn’t the one!
archaeopteryx
Rough_Rock
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- Apr 8, 2025
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I’m a big fan of QR! I have this stones twin sister! 2.89 QR VS2
She is gorgeous!! What a beautiful diamond! I imagine you have posted already about her? Going to look through your thread history.
Yes, she has a thread going… still waiting on the ring to be finished.
Starting a new thread for my girl while she's getting her new dress. Some of you might remember when I bought her on TRR. She was sold to me as a 2.7 K-L, VS2-SI1 in a 27 gram gold nugget setting. And she looked like this…
I had a lengthy thread going with many photos and comments. I had no knowledge of my own, just a strong desire for an old cut. So many helpful PS'rs chimed in. LavenderDragonfly named her Willy from “Free Willy”. Someone said her cut was “Chef’s Kiss”. Dreamer D said ‘You could look for a year and not find another stone cut that well’. Everyone assured me...
I had a lengthy thread going with many photos and comments. I had no knowledge of my own, just a strong desire for an old cut. So many helpful PS'rs chimed in. LavenderDragonfly named her Willy from “Free Willy”. Someone said her cut was “Chef’s Kiss”. Dreamer D said ‘You could look for a year and not find another stone cut that well’. Everyone assured me...
Mreader
Ideal_Rock
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- Aug 14, 2018
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archaeopteryx
Rough_Rock
- Joined
- Apr 8, 2025
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As requested. The octopus OEC looks pretty white, and I think it’s fairly large, the bezel/setting does it no justice and it looks like it could be slightly larger than anticipated. I wanted to measure mm sizes but my digital calipers are dead.
The crown is gorgeously tall, and I think the cut is much better on this diamond than the solitaire. It’s really difficult to capture the brilliance of the diamond in my indoor nighttime lighting, it is more lively than the solitaire but the setting makes it look so dark.
The clarity though - I1/I2, there are a lot more dark inclusions, they are more dispersed and do interfere with the diamond’s brilliance. The inclusions are clearly visible without magnification. At least with the solitaire it was just one single freckle, I could have dealt with that if the cut had been good - but the clarity on this diamond was a deal breaker for me.
What do you all think?
Edit to add: the middle diamond had a HUGE white feather across the table and towards the girdle. Sparkled, white, but not good. The smallest diamond was just fine!
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Dreamer_D
Super_Ideal_Rock
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- Dec 16, 2007
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The cut is perfect.
lavenderdragonfly23
Brilliant_Rock
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- Sep 10, 2022
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I emailed you the link for this and the full GIA with the numbers… I really struggled with sharing this because I really want this for a pendant, but I want you to have first dibs…
And now that you know you are ok with a warmer stone, she might be a little smaller than what you are on the hunt for, but omg, that tiny table and the faceting on this is to die for.
So keep me posted if you decide to pass on her!
And now that you know you are ok with a warmer stone, she might be a little smaller than what you are on the hunt for, but omg, that tiny table and the faceting on this is to die for.
So keep me posted if you decide to pass on her!
- Joined
- Aug 28, 2011
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- 350
- Joined
- Jul 24, 2003
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- 2,978
I emailed you the link for this and the full GIA with the numbers… I really struggled with sharing this because I really want this for a pendant, but I want you to have first dibs…
And now that you know you are ok with a warmer stone, she might be a little smaller than what you are on the hunt for, but omg, that tiny table and the faceting on this is to die for.
So keep me posted if you decide to pass on her!
I don't know why but that one looks hazy to me in the video
archaeopteryx
Rough_Rock
- Joined
- Apr 8, 2025
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- 21
I emailed you the link for this and the full GIA with the numbers… I really struggled with sharing this because I really want this for a pendant, but I want you to have first dibs…
And now that you know you are ok with a warmer stone, she might be a little smaller than what you are on the hunt for, but omg, that tiny table and the faceting on this is to die for.
So keep me posted if you decide to pass on her!
Thank you so much for sending me this so I could check it out. It looks beautiful but I do think I want a little larger. When I go in person Thursday to see some diamonds to find out the smallest size tolerance and will definitely let you know. I also want you to get it if you absolutely love it.
lavenderdragonfly23
Brilliant_Rock
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- Sep 10, 2022
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- 1,346
No worries! I am guessing it’s going to go above my $4k bling fund, but you never know - maybe I’ll get lucky
lulu_ma
Ideal_Rock
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- Sep 9, 2020
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Got to Lang’s in SF-prices will be high but you’ll be able to see a bunch of stones. In Seattle, Isadora’s looks interesting.
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- Feb 12, 2018
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archaeopteryx
Rough_Rock
- Joined
- Apr 8, 2025
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- 21
Update!
Super long, thank you for reading & advice.
I went to Ivy & Rose and viewed 5 diamonds. I liked 3 of them. However, none were exactly it and I passed on all of them. I do think this helped me figure out more of what I want. Overall the experience was fun and informative.
I did not get great photos of all of them, but will post what I have.
Stones that I did not like at all:
1. https://ivyandrose.com/products/2-5...t-diamond-o-p-vs2-loose-vintage-natural-2-5ct
Far too shallow, clarity, and mm size were good. The cut wasn’t nice. This was an O-P but not face up as white as #5 with the same grade. I didn’t mind the amount of color so much but felt it leaned more champagne and didn’t like the color tone.
2. https://ivyandrose.com/products/2-9...engagement-ring-vintage-solitaire-yellow-gold
This solitaire was uncerted which I do not mind. It is listed as an O-P but compared to #1 and #5, both GIA O-P, this diamond had much more color, however, it was a pure yellow, no ugly tints, and I liked this color. The center was dark in a lot of angles, I didn’t care for the cut. The mm size was good, clarity was good. The culet was barely perceptible on the hand, it just didn’t read enough like an OEC, and I didn’t like this diamond overall.
I liked aspects of all 3 of the next diamonds, 3 & 4 sparkled and had better cuts than 1-2, and 5 was huge and beautiful!
3. https://ivyandrose.com/products/2-2...-certified-j-si1-vintage-natural-loose-estate
This was a beautiful diamond and I liked the cut and faceting pattern a lot. It was the closest to having a bit of the petal pattern (I think), bright and had a lot of life. Good enough clarity, color was too high. It was a little too small in mm size, and I’d rather have a lower color grade to get a larger stone. Really pretty diamond though, but think this is leaning more transitional? I can’t decide if this was my second favorite or third.
4. https://ivyandrose.com/products/2-8...ertified-q-r-si2-vintage-loose-natural-estate
This diamond had a lot of sparkle, a big difference between this one and the first two! I liked this cut style with a small table. I think I’m preferring smaller table/higher crown, but since I liked #3 so much I would count transitional cut styles still in. This diamond faced up smaller than I anticipated given that one dimension is listed at 8.9 mm, the visual impact felt smaller than the 2.21 ct #3. This is an EGL Q-R but was more towards S-T and it didn’t have a pure yellow tone, the color wasn’t pretty. I could easily see feathers without magnification, more I1 than SI2, which didn’t bother me at the appointment but I don’t like as much now, especially with the feathers closer to the girdle than makes me comfy. I attached photos and a video of this stone.
5. https://ivyandrose.com/products/3-0...-cut-diamond-engagement-ring-vintage-platinum
This was my favorite. I thought the color was lovely, this was such a white facing O-P, it had a beautiful pastel yellow color. I could only notice more color when tilted from the side. The size was larger than I had been targeting, and I think I reacted favorably to the size and color and that’s why it was my fav. The cut was pretty but it’s not the best, it gave a lot of flashes and was bright and lively, the video doesn’t capture this well. I liked the faceting pattern, clarity was great, no issues. I loved this one and I made an offer for the loose stone only by wire for $15k and they turned me down, which I understand, it was a low offer. I’d have been surprised if they accepted, but I had to try and it did make me realize I was willing to increase my budget. To do that, I’m going to need to sell personal collection pieces first.
To summarize,
Color: I saw 3 O-P color stones and all faced up completely different. From most white facing to least: #5, #1, #2. I liked 5 and 2, but not 1. This affirms I can handle a good amount of warmth as long as it’s pure yellow.
Clarity: the EGl certed 2.86ct was the only diamond with noticeable inclusions. I could tolerate this better if it was graded accurately. I just assume EGL is going to be a grade or two lower but it still irritates me I’d rather have uncerted than EGL. All the rest were SI1 or higher and all good. I’d like to be in true SI2-SI1 to put more money towards size since higher clarity doesn’t do anything for me.
Face up Size: I do want to be as close to 9 mm as possible. The smaller diamonds just did not feel large enough. I’d be disappointed with a smaller stone.
Cut: cut quality definitely matters more to me than it did. Seeing poorly vs nicer cut diamonds side by side made it really obvious. I wont accept a lifeless stone and I felt I was trying to convince myself it was less important, esp with the larger solitaire from TRR that I returned. You all are correct, I’ll be happier with a better cut. Does it need to be perfect? Perhaps not, but it still needs to be beautiful.
Price: I’m likely going to have to increase the budget to get what I want. I’d feel ok spending $12-13k and up to $15k if I could sell some personal collection pieces. Will be evaluating my collection and letting go of things to fund this project.
None of these diamonds felt like I had to have them, none of them have been “the one”. The 3.06 ct was close but too much $$ and I’m glad I didn’t get it.
Overall, this is super fun and I love looking at diamonds. I don’t care if this search takes time, I’m patient, not in a rush, and don’t mind waiting for the right stone.
Here are some of the videos that I took at I&R, it was super hard to capture these in the moment while chatting with the salesperson so my apologies I didn’t get them all:
Videos of 4 & 5:
And some photos of 4 & 5:
Super long, thank you for reading & advice.
I went to Ivy & Rose and viewed 5 diamonds. I liked 3 of them. However, none were exactly it and I passed on all of them. I do think this helped me figure out more of what I want. Overall the experience was fun and informative.
I did not get great photos of all of them, but will post what I have.
Stones that I did not like at all:
1. https://ivyandrose.com/products/2-5...t-diamond-o-p-vs2-loose-vintage-natural-2-5ct
Far too shallow, clarity, and mm size were good. The cut wasn’t nice. This was an O-P but not face up as white as #5 with the same grade. I didn’t mind the amount of color so much but felt it leaned more champagne and didn’t like the color tone.
2. https://ivyandrose.com/products/2-9...engagement-ring-vintage-solitaire-yellow-gold
This solitaire was uncerted which I do not mind. It is listed as an O-P but compared to #1 and #5, both GIA O-P, this diamond had much more color, however, it was a pure yellow, no ugly tints, and I liked this color. The center was dark in a lot of angles, I didn’t care for the cut. The mm size was good, clarity was good. The culet was barely perceptible on the hand, it just didn’t read enough like an OEC, and I didn’t like this diamond overall.
I liked aspects of all 3 of the next diamonds, 3 & 4 sparkled and had better cuts than 1-2, and 5 was huge and beautiful!
3. https://ivyandrose.com/products/2-2...-certified-j-si1-vintage-natural-loose-estate
This was a beautiful diamond and I liked the cut and faceting pattern a lot. It was the closest to having a bit of the petal pattern (I think), bright and had a lot of life. Good enough clarity, color was too high. It was a little too small in mm size, and I’d rather have a lower color grade to get a larger stone. Really pretty diamond though, but think this is leaning more transitional? I can’t decide if this was my second favorite or third.
4. https://ivyandrose.com/products/2-8...ertified-q-r-si2-vintage-loose-natural-estate
This diamond had a lot of sparkle, a big difference between this one and the first two! I liked this cut style with a small table. I think I’m preferring smaller table/higher crown, but since I liked #3 so much I would count transitional cut styles still in. This diamond faced up smaller than I anticipated given that one dimension is listed at 8.9 mm, the visual impact felt smaller than the 2.21 ct #3. This is an EGL Q-R but was more towards S-T and it didn’t have a pure yellow tone, the color wasn’t pretty. I could easily see feathers without magnification, more I1 than SI2, which didn’t bother me at the appointment but I don’t like as much now, especially with the feathers closer to the girdle than makes me comfy. I attached photos and a video of this stone.
5. https://ivyandrose.com/products/3-0...-cut-diamond-engagement-ring-vintage-platinum
This was my favorite. I thought the color was lovely, this was such a white facing O-P, it had a beautiful pastel yellow color. I could only notice more color when tilted from the side. The size was larger than I had been targeting, and I think I reacted favorably to the size and color and that’s why it was my fav. The cut was pretty but it’s not the best, it gave a lot of flashes and was bright and lively, the video doesn’t capture this well. I liked the faceting pattern, clarity was great, no issues. I loved this one and I made an offer for the loose stone only by wire for $15k and they turned me down, which I understand, it was a low offer. I’d have been surprised if they accepted, but I had to try and it did make me realize I was willing to increase my budget. To do that, I’m going to need to sell personal collection pieces first.
To summarize,
Color: I saw 3 O-P color stones and all faced up completely different. From most white facing to least: #5, #1, #2. I liked 5 and 2, but not 1. This affirms I can handle a good amount of warmth as long as it’s pure yellow.
Clarity: the EGl certed 2.86ct was the only diamond with noticeable inclusions. I could tolerate this better if it was graded accurately. I just assume EGL is going to be a grade or two lower but it still irritates me I’d rather have uncerted than EGL. All the rest were SI1 or higher and all good. I’d like to be in true SI2-SI1 to put more money towards size since higher clarity doesn’t do anything for me.
Face up Size: I do want to be as close to 9 mm as possible. The smaller diamonds just did not feel large enough. I’d be disappointed with a smaller stone.
Cut: cut quality definitely matters more to me than it did. Seeing poorly vs nicer cut diamonds side by side made it really obvious. I wont accept a lifeless stone and I felt I was trying to convince myself it was less important, esp with the larger solitaire from TRR that I returned. You all are correct, I’ll be happier with a better cut. Does it need to be perfect? Perhaps not, but it still needs to be beautiful.
Price: I’m likely going to have to increase the budget to get what I want. I’d feel ok spending $12-13k and up to $15k if I could sell some personal collection pieces. Will be evaluating my collection and letting go of things to fund this project.
None of these diamonds felt like I had to have them, none of them have been “the one”. The 3.06 ct was close but too much $$ and I’m glad I didn’t get it.
Overall, this is super fun and I love looking at diamonds. I don’t care if this search takes time, I’m patient, not in a rush, and don’t mind waiting for the right stone.
Here are some of the videos that I took at I&R, it was super hard to capture these in the moment while chatting with the salesperson so my apologies I didn’t get them all:
Videos of 4 & 5:
And some photos of 4 & 5:
Dreamer_D
Super_Ideal_Rock
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- Dec 16, 2007
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- Joined
- Aug 28, 2011
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- 350
Thanks for the detailed report! It's really helpful for those of us still trying to learn too.
I didn't like 1 and 2 either. I agree 3 is a transitional, I would've liked to see another video of it. Dreamer, I wonder why you don't like that one?
4 would be a no for me because of the inclusion. I can't believe that got an SI2!
I don't think 5 is my favorite flavor, and it sounds like it wasn't the one for you either.
I can't wait to see what's next! I'll be keeping an eye out as well in case I come across anything. Bigger budget is more fun!
I didn't like 1 and 2 either. I agree 3 is a transitional, I would've liked to see another video of it. Dreamer, I wonder why you don't like that one?
4 would be a no for me because of the inclusion. I can't believe that got an SI2!
I don't think 5 is my favorite flavor, and it sounds like it wasn't the one for you either.
I can't wait to see what's next! I'll be keeping an eye out as well in case I come across anything. Bigger budget is more fun!
- Joined
- Jul 31, 2014
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- 20,018
Dreamer_D
Super_Ideal_Rock
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- Dec 16, 2007
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GemView
Shiny_Rock
- Joined
- Jul 25, 2005
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- 242
Dropping in to pass on this website. I have no experience with them personally because I only recently discovered ERAGEMS. Tons of eye candy and a variety of OECs, although they are already set:
https://eragem.com/
However, the one I'm drooling over is this OEC in an orange blossom setting, on eBay — and it's in your price range!
From the description:
"The ring weighs 3.5 grams, size 7, the center stone is a Natural 1.87 ct Old European Cut diamond, J in color, SI1 in clarity, Measuring 7.75-8.11x4.60 mm. Comes with GIA Diamond Certificate"
https://www.ebay.com/itm/276909218638
Last edited:
winnietucker
Ideal_Rock
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- Jan 4, 2019
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- 2,754
maryjane04
Ideal_Rock
- Joined
- Nov 21, 2013
- Messages
- 2,400
I had @88_star source me my HG and it was a great experience.
However OP is enjoying the learning process so once you figure out exactly what you want, I would highly recommend seeing what these vendors can source for you!
Past, Present, Future: The Meaning of Three-Stone Engagement Rings
Past, Present, Future: The Meaning of Three-Stone Engagement Rings - 04/14
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