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#TBT Semi-custom 1.94 ct F VS2 ACA with pink diamonds

NorthernTouch

Rough_Rock
Joined
May 7, 2016
Messages
5
When I started researching engagement rings a few months ago, I had no idea what to look for. Through the help of two websites in particular - Pricescope and Beyond4Cs - I spent dozens of hours learning about every technical aspect I could. The INTJ in me couldn't get enough, and in the end I actually enjoyed learning the science behind selecting a diamond.

I settled on the following specs for my search:
Cut: ACA from Whiteflash
Carat: 1.90 - 1.99
Color: E - F
Clarity: VS1 - VS2

My reasoning was that a 1.95 ct F VS2 stone would look identical to 99% of casual observers as a 2.05 ct D VVS1 stone, for thousands of dollars less. Staying just below the 2.00 ct mark means you get the size without paying the price premium. I wanted to find something that looks beautiful in everyday wear without paying a premium for something I couldn't appreciate. I decided on Whiteflash ACA because of the nearly universal positive reviews online, and because of the detailed technical imaging they provide.

WF was very responsive in helping me search for a stone that matched my preferred specifications. Brittany from WF emailed me when one arrived that was being cut into my ideal range. Final stone is here: http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3652055.htm

Images:
**edited by moderator, please repost without logos per our policies**

I was a bit concerned with the one or two marks I saw on the normal enhanced image, but I emailed Paul from Beyond4Cs and he reassured me the stone would be eye-clean. Paul was super friendly, I would recommend his site to anyone. I also asked Brittany to double-check it, and she wrote back with:

"I reviewed your diamond in person, and it is completely eye clean from the top and side views. Even with 10x magnification, the diamond is very clean. It took me a while to find the inclusions with the loupe, and even then I could only see two light colored crystals off to the side of the table... near the crown facets."

This diamond won me over because of the Aset and Idealscope images; I thought they looked remarkable. I also liked that the diamond looks more like an E than an F when compared with other F diamonds (at least to me!).

The technical stats are:

Depth %: 62.0
Table %: 55.5
Crown Angle: 34.6
Star: 48.0
Pavilion Angle: 40.8
Crown %: 15.4
Lower Girdle %: 77.0
Measurements: 7.95x7.99x4.94
Culet: Pointed
Fluorescence: Negligible
Girdle: Thin to Slightly Thick Faceted

Next, I wanted a setting that was feminine and delicate. My girlfriend has small hands (4.5 ring) and I know she doesn't like flashy halo settings or intricate designs. I searched through WF until I found the Legato Sleek Line Pave (http://www.whiteflash.com/engagement-rings/diamond-settings/legato-sleek-line-pave-diamond-engagement-ring-422.htm). I made a mental note a couple years ago that my girlfriend always admired pave settings when she saw them.

Finally, I remembered that long ago my girlfriend mentioned she liked the idea of a bit of pink in her ring. I asked WF for a quote on alternating pink sapphires with the ACA melee pave stones, and then decided to ask about pink diamonds. I ended up deciding on pink diamonds because I was concerned pink sapphires might make the ring look unbalanced due to their different optical properties. The pink diamonds were not cheap...but they made the final product perfect to me.

I just wanted to make a post expressing my thanks to the Pricescope community for all their useful posts that help so many of us. Hopefully my post can help someone just starting their search too.

Below is the final ring. The ring is being delivered tomorrow and I will add more pictures when I have it in my hands. I won't be proposing until the fall, but I'll also add more pictures then.

**edited by moderator, please repost without logos per our policies**
 

OCgirl

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Apr 28, 2011
Messages
509
I am an INTJ too! Beautiful ring. Love the ACA and pink diamonds!!!
 

m-2-b

Ideal_Rock
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Mar 1, 2011
Messages
4,036
I love how much thought and consideration you put into this ring (especially with the pink diamonds :love: )! It turned out beautifully and I'm sure your future fiance will be thrilled w/ the end result! :appl:
 

Sagefemme

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Oct 8, 2015
Messages
290
Wow, you did awesome!! A flawless ring with a classic round stone but that is completely distinctive because of the pink pave (that should be the name of a cocktail, The Pink Pave). It's gorgeous. But I have to ask you, what kind of work do you do? I can't remember the last time I saw a guy carefully plan the ring, get the ring, and the proposal is still 6 months in the future! You must be a planner of some kind for a living! And does she have any idea what's coming in the fall?
 

CareBear

Brilliant_Rock
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Jan 28, 2005
Messages
1,413
Yep! A casual observer cannot tell a F VS2 from a D VVS or a 1.94 from a 2. You definitely have the PSer kinda reasoning! Your fiance is lucky you're so thoughtful! Not many would think to replace pink sapphires with pink diamonds because of "different optical properties" ;-) The stone and the ring are both AMAZING! She is going to LOVE it!
 

azstonie

Ideal_Rock
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3,769
Congratulations on a fantastic result, looking forward to a hand shot someday :appl: :appl: :appl:
 

diamondseeker2006

Super_Ideal_Rock
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Jan 11, 2006
Messages
58,547
Ah, very beautiful! :love: Lucky you to find an ACA just under 2 cts, too! I am glad you chose the pale pink diamonds over more vivid sapphires because this ring will be more subtle for a ring worn daily.

I always tell people who say they are proposing in a few months that I hope they will rethink that. You have a gorgeous ring in hand that begs to be worn and enjoyed! Life is short....why wait?!
 

bright ice

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4,328
Gorgeous :love:
 

Niel

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20,044
Please repost pics I see they've been removed but I'm so interested!
 

JDDN

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Niel said:
Please repost pics I see they've been removed but I'm so interested!

Ditto!!
 

NorthernTouch

Rough_Rock
Joined
May 7, 2016
Messages
5
That's disappointing...my pictures were deleted and it won't let me edit my original post. Seems like a strange moderation policy given that I mentioned where the ring came from multiple times, but oh well.

Here they are again.

Final product:

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Technical imaging:

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NorthernTouch

Rough_Rock
Joined
May 7, 2016
Messages
5
Opened it up last night! It looked really beautiful and I was happy with what I saw. I looked at it under indoor lighting and was impressed with the fire and brilliance. The craftmanship looks excellent too.

However, when I brought it outside today in natural sunlight it blew me away. I've never seen something so sparkly. I played with it out on my lawn, and my mom (who was sitting indoors) complained she was getting blinded from little blasts of fire, 20 feet away. This thing packs some serious power.

Some shots are below. I don't know why they're posting sideways, I guess you can turn your head! You can see a bit of blue in the diamond too where it catches the sky and clouds:

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Bonfire

Ideal_Rock
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Feb 22, 2014
Messages
4,232
You did an AMAZING job NT :appl: That ring is the total package! :love: :love: :love: Congrats and we'd all love to see hand shots after you propose.
 

NorthernTouch

Rough_Rock
Joined
May 7, 2016
Messages
5
Sagefemme|1462630453|4028565 said:
Wow, you did awesome!! A flawless ring with a classic round stone but that is completely distinctive because of the pink pave (that should be the name of a cocktail, The Pink Pave). It's gorgeous. But I have to ask you, what kind of work do you do? I can't remember the last time I saw a guy carefully plan the ring, get the ring, and the proposal is still 6 months in the future! You must be a planner of some kind for a living! And does she have any idea what's coming in the fall?

Hah, I'm nowhere near a planner. I work in strategic marketing and communications. At some level I think I knew that prestige brands don't always provide the best products, but I was very surprised when I started researching to find out how true it was with diamonds. I looked at Tiffany and Cartier and found worse-performing rings for 3x the cost. The pragmatist in me couldn't justify paying more for the color of the jewelry box if the actual ring was inferior.

I didn't know if I would have to wait for a long time for an ACA to pop up with my desired specifications so I started early! I got lucky that one arrived fairly quickly after I submitted my request.

diamondseeker2006|1462664874|4028779 said:
I always tell people who say they are proposing in a few months that I hope they will rethink that. You have a gorgeous ring in hand that begs to be worn and enjoyed! Life is short....why wait?!

This sort of goes with the previous question....I've known I've wanted to marry this girl since about month 1. We did graduate school together, followed by long-distance, and have lived together for just over a year now. Her older sister just got engaged with an August wedding, hence why I'm waiting until afterwards. I want to make sure the sister enjoys her family attention during the wedding planning without competition.
 

tyty333

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Dec 17, 2008
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27,198
So beautiful! Love WF stones! The people there are really super!

Congratulations on your upcoming proposal!
 

sarahb

Brilliant_Rock
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Jul 20, 2012
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I really like that diamond (& setting too), I bet it sparkles like mad! Congrats on your engagement!! :love: :appl:
 

MissGotRocks

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Jun 23, 2005
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Beautiful, beautiful ring! It is just stunning and she is going to love it!
 

arkieb1

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Beautiful, you did an amazing job!!!!
 

Rockinruby

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Dec 27, 2013
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Gorgeous stone & setting! It is so beautiful! :appl: :appl: :appl: Well done! :clap:
 

JDDN

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Apr 2, 2015
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Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous!!!! Come back with hand shots after the proposal ::) !
 

Spin-Elle

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Jan 12, 2014
Messages
48
WOWSERS!!

That stone really packs a firey punch! Well done! Can't wait to see it on your girls hand :love:
 

missy

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53,980
Beautiful!
 

motownmama

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AMAZING ring! Just gorgeous!
 

farrahlyn

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Sep 22, 2015
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Absolutely beautiful! :love: I remember your initial posts and she is going to love the final product. The pink diamonds are perfect, not too vivid so as to overpower the center stone but just the right pink so as to be a nice nod to her affinity for pink.
 

Acinom

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Wow! You did such a great job. The ring is stunning and unique.
 

derbygal

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What a gorgeous ring. Thanks for sharing!
 

junebug17

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Absolutely superb!!! :love: :love: :love:
 

ZestfullyBling

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Stunning!!!! :love: :love:
 

lovedogs

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It's so beautiful in person! I can't wait to see handshots after the proposal! :love:
 

LLJsmom

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Congratulations! That is an amazing stone! The ring is beautiful.
 
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