- Joined
- Sep 28, 2017
- Messages
- 303
Hi all and happy Friday!
To give a little (or a lot) background I was on the hunt for an old mine cut diamond for an engagement ring for myself. My budget was under $6,000. I buckled down, did my research, spent a lot of time here reading through old posts. I considered seriously 4 different stones before finding the one. I most seriously considered: a 1.2ct VS2 O/P, a 1.5ct L VS1, a 1.66ct L VS1, and lastly 2.03ct K I2 in that order all from knowledgeable and reputable dealers. All of these previous diamonds were great in their own way. Ultimately I took a risk and bid on a diamond set in a platinum setting from an established family owned auction house in the Northeast. I was sent a couple pictures of the stone but did not see it in person beforehand and bid online. The stone was also completely uncerted but evaluated by the auction house. It was nerve wracking but I trusted the Jewelry Specialist and just had a a good feeling about it. It was also large enough that I would be happy to recut it if necessary and it seemed clean enough for me.
Anyway, got the ring posted a few pictures here when I was considering the setting type, got a few quotes, and have decided on a designer to work with. In advance of having the stone set I had it taken out of its platinum setting, and sent to GIA.
I am so happy with the results! It's .2ct larger than the auction house estimated and a teensy bit bigger in dimensions.
The clarity grade was correctly estimated at VS1 (which was a shock). I thought for sure it would be lower than that. The person who unset it said I could expect to get SI2 in the best case scenario. Heard about the same from an appraiser.The official clarity ultimately doesn't matter to me since it looked clean to me. The color was estimated to M/N and was graded as O/P which is fine with me since it will be set in gold in the end. Anyway here is the report. The basics are 2.59ct, OP, VS1. Even though it's not 100% perfect or may not be up to everyone's standards I'm just glad I got all that and under budget. Now for pics, let me know your thoughts! I'm not sure how to evaluate the depth/table/girdle so any thoughts on that are appreciated.
Thank you to all for the wisdom on this site!
Before being unset, in its original platinum setting which I think made it look cooler toned but also somewhat greenish in some lights.
At the GIA office after it was freshly cleaned. I was nervous to hand it over. Pictured E/W in the picture on the left and N/S in the picture on the right.
Closeup showing the slightly disorganized facet pattern but love it anyway!
In slightly warm but bright bathroom lighting.
To give a little (or a lot) background I was on the hunt for an old mine cut diamond for an engagement ring for myself. My budget was under $6,000. I buckled down, did my research, spent a lot of time here reading through old posts. I considered seriously 4 different stones before finding the one. I most seriously considered: a 1.2ct VS2 O/P, a 1.5ct L VS1, a 1.66ct L VS1, and lastly 2.03ct K I2 in that order all from knowledgeable and reputable dealers. All of these previous diamonds were great in their own way. Ultimately I took a risk and bid on a diamond set in a platinum setting from an established family owned auction house in the Northeast. I was sent a couple pictures of the stone but did not see it in person beforehand and bid online. The stone was also completely uncerted but evaluated by the auction house. It was nerve wracking but I trusted the Jewelry Specialist and just had a a good feeling about it. It was also large enough that I would be happy to recut it if necessary and it seemed clean enough for me.
Anyway, got the ring posted a few pictures here when I was considering the setting type, got a few quotes, and have decided on a designer to work with. In advance of having the stone set I had it taken out of its platinum setting, and sent to GIA.
I am so happy with the results! It's .2ct larger than the auction house estimated and a teensy bit bigger in dimensions.
The clarity grade was correctly estimated at VS1 (which was a shock). I thought for sure it would be lower than that. The person who unset it said I could expect to get SI2 in the best case scenario. Heard about the same from an appraiser.The official clarity ultimately doesn't matter to me since it looked clean to me. The color was estimated to M/N and was graded as O/P which is fine with me since it will be set in gold in the end. Anyway here is the report. The basics are 2.59ct, OP, VS1. Even though it's not 100% perfect or may not be up to everyone's standards I'm just glad I got all that and under budget. Now for pics, let me know your thoughts! I'm not sure how to evaluate the depth/table/girdle so any thoughts on that are appreciated.
Thank you to all for the wisdom on this site!
Before being unset, in its original platinum setting which I think made it look cooler toned but also somewhat greenish in some lights.
At the GIA office after it was freshly cleaned. I was nervous to hand it over. Pictured E/W in the picture on the left and N/S in the picture on the right.
Closeup showing the slightly disorganized facet pattern but love it anyway!
In slightly warm but bright bathroom lighting.
.
Could you trust such an "appraiser"?!? :roll
What an awesome diamond you have! It’s beautiful on your hand.
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