Selected a stone - Now some pics and questions!

[IslandStone]

In case anyone is even the slightest bit interested in what''s happened to my diamond search since I first inquired about the impact of strong blue fluorescence in a 1.09 Jubilee, I want to provide an update.

I finally picked a round brilliant, H&A 1.5 carat stone from GOG. Here are the specs:

1.509 Carat
D
VVS2
7.41 x 7.43 x 4.52 (mm)
Polish: Excellent
Symmetry: Excellent
Fluor: Medium Blue
Total Depth: 61%
Pavillion Angle: 40.9
Crown Angle: 34.5
Table Size: 57.6%
Culet: 0.2%
Isee2: 9.8
Bscope. VH/VH/H

If you guys have any reactions, good or bad, I''d love to hear it. It''s not too late to change my mind yet again! The stone is currently on its way to Dave Atlas. As for a setting, I''ve been in contact with Leon Mege about a possible solitaire setting, similar in its simplicity to Kayla''s LM solitaire, but with some slightly different detailing. I''m still deciding whether LM is the guy or not. One hold up is: I love the claw prongs but don''t know how they would look holding this 1.5 stone - I don''t want the claws to overwhelm the diamond. Also, LM''s ability is abundantly apparent in the intricate and detailed pieces on his website (and on this board) - do you guys think his quality will be apparent in even a simple solitaire piece?

I''ll try to post some pics of the stone below. And, thanks again for your collective wisdom and guidance, which have gotten me to this point!

IslandStone

 

[IslandStone]

Pic #1:

 

[IslandStone]

Pic #2 (I''ll try to make it a bit smaller, sorry)

 

[Kaleigh]

Congratulations, that''s a beautiful stone and you want to do a similar setting as Kayla''s and you want to work with LEON MEGE, that''s a winning combination if I ever heard one!!!

I dont think double claw prongs would over power the stone. A 1.5 is pretty darn big, but thats just my 0.2, you''d have to talk to Leon about that. There are so many people here who are currently working with Leon, Maybe they can chime in and help you answer any questions you may have. Good luck and keep us posted on what you decide, design wise too, we''d love to see some sketches!!

 

[JC]

Cool picture with the pink background. Looks like a beauty. Congrats!

 

[Mara]

wow that stone looks amazing!!!

i think claw prongs would be fine, LM''s work is famously delicate looking, just specify you want the prongs to not take away from the diamond, but rather add to it.

and im sure you have already heard this from someone but i have to mention it as a color/clarity champion of lower grades...have you considered something less expensive than D VVS? i can understand color if you are sensitive, but clarity is not visible as long as it is eye clean. you could find a VS that is eye-clean and save a bundle. if you are not super color sensitive, maybe drop to an E? not sure what your budget is but you could possibly get a bigger stone (i love size!). you may have already thought about this and veto''d it for whatever reason, but just figured i''d mention it. sometimes people come on here and have this idea in their mind that only D VVS works because it''s almost perfect, but diamonds are more interesting IMO because of their flaws (not visible! hehe).

anyhow the stone is beautiful and i think it woudl be fabulous in a LM creation! 1.50c is not small!

 

[belle]

wow......very nice rock!!!

leon mege does the most amazing work, i can''t wait to see what you come up with!!

 

[IslandStone]

and im sure you have already heard this from someone but i have to mention it as a color/clarity champion of lower grades...have you considered something less expensive than D VVS? i can understand color if you are sensitive, but clarity is not visible as long as it is eye clean. you could find a VS that is eye-clean and save a bundle. if you are not super color sensitive, maybe drop to an E? not sure what your budget is but you could possibly get a bigger stone (i love size!). you may have already thought about this and veto''d it for whatever reason, but just figured i''d mention it. sometimes people come on here and have this idea in their mind that only D VVS works because it''s almost perfect, but diamonds are more interesting IMO because of their flaws (not visible! hehe).

Mara, I feel like I know you so well, even though we''ve never met and I''ve only been reading your posts for the past 8 months! When I was writing the first post on this topic, I *KNEW* that you would write in with what you did - that is, a lower color/clarity combo can result in an equally beautiful stone that is larger at a similar price. Really, your advice to people has always remained consistent and, in my opinion, worthwhile. So, when searching for my stone, I always kept your advice in mind. While this stone seems to violate the "Mara Rules", I want you to know that I''m fully aware of the trade-off or sacrifice that I''m making in size/price forthe VVS clarity (and D color). Rest assured that I am making this purchase fully aware of the fact that I could go down several steps in clarity (and/or color) and get a diamond that is just as stunning, but even larger.

However, my gf and I live in a developing country, with no paved roads in our little town. Therefore, as a result of the socio-economic demographics of our surroundings, neither me nor my gf could comfortably enjoy anything larger than a 1.5 carat stone, so that became the size limit. I set out to find a 1.5 carat stone with great cut quality and this one fit the bill. The VVS clarity increases the price, of course, but the stone does have other characteristics, like the D color and medium blue fluorescence, that I really, really appreciate (I am sensitive to color).

While this might not be the most rational diamond purchase detailed on this board, you should know that this purchase is an informed one, thanks in no small part to you and others here who have been extremely helpful.


Now, if only I could decide on a setting! Jaxon''s 3 stone ring from LM (square cusion with pear sides) is beautiful, as is the rest of LM''s work featured on this site. But Kayla''s solitaire first drew me to LM, so that style of ring is the favorite right now!

 

[Mara]

Island...I am flattered by everything you said...but there are no Mara Rules!! Buy what you want, I will just blather inanely regardless.

Seriously, your post was great and really all I ask is that people DO buy informed, and that they buy what makes them happy in the end.

 

[JohnQuixote]

Beautiful!

Rhino, Atlas and Mege, huh? Add Shaq and Iverson and you have an Eastern All-Star team.

"Here comes Leon with the cross-over...Passes to Atlas in the lane...Fakes...Spins...dishes it to Rhino - AND THERE'S THE DUNK BY JONATHAN!!!"

"Kobe never saw it coming, Marv."

"That's a double-double for the big mammal out of Massapequea, and ten assists for Dave Atlas, wearing his new Imagem sneakers tonight."