Surprise Upgrade for The Missus - First Ritani Purchase

[AprilBaby]

If I remember right BG worked at WF before he went out on his own. They must have an agreement.

 

[holeydonut]

If I remember right BG worked at WF before he went out on his own. They must have an agreement.

Lol yeah I don’t know if it’s acrimonious, but there’s something going on between WF and Brian Gavin haha.

When I was shopping for the engagement ring I found the diamond I wanted at WF and the wowie zowie ring she wanted was BG’s floral 810. BG is ultra proud about that design since it’s kind of his signature creation lolol. TBH I’ve never seen a ring that even comes close to having all this stuff going on. My wife even asked BG’s rep if they were able to make the ring to a high standard because it felt a little bit too ornate with way too many tiny places to mess up.

But, when I said I’d get the diamond from WF and ship it to BG for the ring setting… you can tell that ruffled feathers lol.

Luckily BGD is no slouch on his own cuts, and had a very similar, albeit G instead of F color.

 

[AprilBaby]

Lol yeah I don’t know if it’s acrimonious, but there’s something going on between WF and Brian Gavin haha.

When I was shopping for the engagement ring I found the diamond I wanted at WF and the wowie zowie ring she wanted was BG’s floral 810. BG is ultra proud about that design since it’s kind of his signature creation lolol. TBH I’ve never seen a ring that even comes close to having all this stuff going on. My wife even asked BG’s rep if they were able to make the ring to a high standard because it felt a little bit too ornate with way too many tiny places to mess up.

But, when I said I’d get the diamond from WF and ship it to BG for the ring setting… you can tell that ruffled feathers lol.

Luckily BGD is no slouch on his own cuts, and had a very similar, albeit G instead of F color.

You have a picture of this ring?

 

[holeydonut]

You have a picture of this ring?

Yeah, there are pictures in the show-the-bling thread...

After months of research: Black By Brian Gavin Round 1.8 G VVS2 in 810 Collection Platinum Halo

I hope this is the first and last time undergoing the ordeal of purchasing an engagement ring :) Price Scope was invaluable in my search, and I appreciate the informative posts of people here. Even after my disastrous post about "dusty" VS clarity diamonds ;-) Initially, I saw some rather...

www.pricescope.com

I looked at a ton of rings from Harry Winston, Tiffany, and Cartier before this BGD stunner. I've never seen something like this with the crazy attention to detail. His craftsmanship was on par with Cartier.

My wife's wedding band is from Cartier... and looking at the melee and platinum finish on that under magnification ... Cartier's work is like a perfect match to the shoulders on BGD's 810. It's as if the two rings (engagement and wedding band) had the same maker hah.

Brian Gavin is no joke... really impressed me with the quality of his cuts and settings.

But In the last picture of the thread you'll see one of the melee along the shoulder of the ring is crooked! Eeeeeeekkkkkkkkkkkkkk! Brian Gavin was not pleased I asked for that melee and two on the other side of the ring to be re-set hahaha.

 

[distracts]

Quickly came to my senses and gave myself a reality check. If the diamonds that I recommend aren't worthy of my wife's own finger, then they aren't worthy. Period.

Since then, I'm full steam ahead with continuing to focus on the intricacies of cut precision and optical performance when I converse with folks. I don't want *anyone* that's mindful and humble enough to ask for help to end up with a boring/sleepy/leaky diamond.
They are quite an expense, especially in today's state of affairs with supply issues and growing inflation. Buy once, cry once...and have something that will be the best of the best to be vastly enjoyed for the entirety of ownership.

Yeah - I've seen way too many people IRL and online who don't understand why their diamonds isn't as sparkly as this other one they've seen, and it's sad. Diamonds like the ones most people here choose tend to just blow others out of the water, and I know since it's gotten around that I've helped a few friends with ideal cuts choose their rings, other people ask me for advice because they want "really high quality diamonds like those" and they're often shocked to learn that they're H/I/J Si1 or whatever, not D/FL because they assumed they had to have super high specs to look so good.

I got called names and insulted by u/diamonddealer aka concierge diamonds on reddit. This all started because he was calling WF overpriced. He ended up calling ASET junk and kept calling me a kool-aid drinking super ideal guy. One of the super ideal vendors pm’ed me telling me the guy doesn’t know what he is talking about.

yep same.

But I think I fell into a separate trap where then I was looking for a “super good super ideal” and then all this stuff just hurts the brain. So PS can kind of harm the process because it becomes a bit obsessive haha.

Yeah - I think for 99% of people, stopping at "super ideal" or even "ideal" is good enough. There are some people who are going to be more discerning. But I think the vast majority of people, when seeing a bog-standard RB and an ideal, are going to prefer the latter - with some exceptions like people who prefer 60/60s and so on. But, again, I think it does a disservice to shoppers if you don't even show them the different varieties! If people don't know ideals exist, of course they probably think a totally normal GIA excellent is fine.

 

[AprilBaby]

I found on Ritani a lot of the diamonds marked ideal are far from it. He had a HCA score over 6.

 

[DejaWiz]

The setting has arrived and the diamond will be provided to the jeweler tomorrow!

 

[AprilBaby]

Yay!

 

[diamondyes]

When will we get to see it???

 

[DejaWiz]

When will we get to see it???

The day that it is delivered to us is the day I will be posting lots of eye candy!

 

[DejaWiz]

At the jewelry store getting the shank and head design finalized with the jeweler.

Diamond tested positive and as a Type IIa!

 

[DejaWiz]

The jeweler notated that we'd like to target completion by our anniversary in the near future, but no big deal if they can't...we'd rather show patience for perfection than rushed wonkiness.

 

[barkybarkybarky]

His message to me was around a year ago, and I didn't waver much, at first. There was a short burst about 7-8 months ago that I had been lambasted via DM some more, leaving me feeling a bit defeated, so even I started to reply with "if it looks good to you...".

Quickly came to my senses and gave myself a reality check. If the diamonds that I recommend aren't worthy of my wife's own finger, then they aren't worthy. Period.

Since then, I'm full steam ahead with continuing to focus on the intricacies of cut precision and optical performance when I converse with folks. I don't want *anyone* that's mindful and humble enough to ask for help to end up with a boring/sleepy/leaky diamond.
They are quite an expense, especially in today's state of affairs with supply issues and growing inflation. Buy once, cry once...and have something that will be the best of the best to be vastly enjoyed for the entirety of ownership.

I'm relatively new to all of this and have gone out of my way to seek your posts DejaWiz. Most of the posters here, and you are the perfect example of this, do an excellent job of showing the less knowledgeable like me how to get the most for our money. I've seen so many posts where you and others have found better stones that cost less or are similarly priced than what the poster is choosing.

Don't let the turkeys get you down. You are a great asset and I love your enthusiasm for the subject and for sharing knowledge. Your lack of snarkiness and general kindness make you a unicorn on the internet.

 

[DejaWiz]

I'm relatively new to all of this and have gone out of my way to seek your posts DejaWiz. Most of the posters here, and you are the perfect example of this, do an excellent job of showing the less knowledgeable like me how to get the most for our money. I've seen so many posts where you and others have found better stones that cost less or are similarly priced than what the poster is choosing.

Don't let the turkeys get you down. You are a great asset and I love your enthusiasm for the subject and for sharing knowledge. Your lack of snarkiness and general kindness make you a unicorn on the internet.

Thank you, barkybarkybarky - I appreciate the warm words! That's what keeps me confident that I'm doing the right thing in my heart of hearts. Best regards and don't hesitate to reach out if you need anything!

 

[DejaWiz]

Got a call from the jeweler yesterday:
The WG shank that was ordered for us was for a 4 prong head, so they have to reorder it in the same style that will fit a 6 prong head. Should only take a couple/few days to arrive, since Stuller has them in stock.
The 6 prong PT head, however, is unknown if it's in stock: the jeweler is waiting to hear back. If not, then it will need to be manufactured which could take up to two more weeks.
A bit of a hiccup...
*sigh

 

[AprilBaby]

Got a call from the jeweler yesterday:
The WG shank that was ordered for us was for a 4 prong head, so they have to reorder it in the same style that will fit a 6 prong head. Should only take a couple/few days to arrive, since Stuller has them in stock.
The 6 prong PT head, however, is unknown if it's in stock: the jeweler is waiting to hear back. If not, then it will need to be manufactured which could take up to two more weeks.
A bit of a hiccup...
*sigh

Maybe I got the last platinum head!

 

[luvmysparklies]

Got a call from the jeweler yesterday:
The WG shank that was ordered for us was for a 4 prong head, so they have to reorder it in the same style that will fit a 6 prong head. Should only take a couple/few days to arrive, since Stuller has them in stock.
The 6 prong PT head, however, is unknown if it's in stock: the jeweler is waiting to hear back. If not, then it will need to be manufactured which could take up to two more weeks.
A bit of a hiccup...
*sigh

Seems like the more hurdles and hiccups, that the end goal will be that much more satisfying. So sorry about all this, but that diamond is waiting for the perfect setting home. You picked a wonderful classic!

 

[Todd Gray]

If I remember right BG worked at WF before he went out on his own. They must have an agreement.

Brian and WF went their separate ways in December 2008. Brian's patent for maximizing light performance in the modern round brilliant cut diamond was filed in 2016, if I recall correctly.

 

[DejaWiz]

Talked to the assistant manager late last week about a status update:
Parts should arrive sometime this week.
Also asked if the jeweler would assess the melee on the enhancer to ensure that nine of the diamonds are milky, hazy, or cloudy...he gave me a little bit of a pushback saying the usual:

"All of our melee are screened and quality matched."
...by who and to whose standards?
"We have a team that inspects every parcel."

"You saw it and said yes to it, so I'm wondering why you'd think there was a problem with them."
...store lighting is not even close to representing real-world viewing conditions, so I want the jeweler to check. I do not want cloudy or hazy diamonds adorning my wife's ring that's representative of such a special milestone for us.
"We can have the jeweler look at them, but I assure you that they are all screened before the finished piece is completed."

Uh, what the heck???

 

[DejaWiz]

Totally forgot...I took a quick video of the brilliance before it was dropped off with the jeweler. I did clean the diamond beforehand so there were no fingerprints on it, unlike the fire and ASET pictures that I posted earlier in the thread.
My phone camera couldn't even properly focus on it.

https://imgur.com/a/oJmtADc

 

[luvmysparklies]

Talked to the assistant manager late last week about a status update:
Parts should arrive sometime this week.
Also asked if the jeweler would assess the melee on the enhancer to ensure that nine of the diamonds are milky, hazy, or cloudy...he gave me a little bit of a pushback saying the usual:

"All of our melee are screened and quality matched."
...by who and to whose standards?
"We have a team that inspects every parcel."

"You saw it and said yes to it, so I'm wondering why you'd think there was a problem with them."
...store lighting is not even close to representing real-world viewing conditions, so I want the jeweler to check. I do not want cloudy or hazy diamonds adorning my wife's ring that's representative of such a special milestone for us.
"We can have the jeweler look at them, but I assure you that they are all screened before the finished piece is completed."

Uh, what the heck???

Uh, what the hell? You asked the jeweler to do his job and make sure that these melee stones will sparkle because they play an important supporting role in your wife's diamond ring.

I think a consumer (even prosumer, like yourself) should still be able to rely on the jeweler weighing in with their professional opinion based on their expertise. Just because you saw the melee did not mean you had capacity to completely analyze them the way you did with the main stone. Asking for assurance that the melee are high quality is not out of the realm of what is a reasonable request. This person is a professional jeweler, so I don't understand the issue with double checking. Why have a blingy well cut stone surrounded by duds? Is that aesthetic something that this jeweler thinks is a good look? Generally, in jewelry stores they do something they call "sprinkling" and that is where in a case of jewelry, most of it will be at best, kinda average and they will sprinkle some very high quality pieces within that case to cause the customer to take a closer look and shop within that case. However, that practice is not done within the same piece of jewelry! SMH.

 

[AprilBaby]

I don’t know how your wife can hold on so long, I would be dying to have my ring!

 

[DejaWiz]

I don’t know how your wife can hold on so long, I would be dying to have my ring!

Oh, she 100% is!
We're teetering on the line between annoyance and frustration, at this point.
Hopefully we'll hear back soon about the jeweler's assessment of the melee.

 

[DejaWiz]

Our diamond has been mounted on the Stuller setting!
Jeweler should finish up with everything later this week.
Hopefully we'll have a finished ring by this weekend!

 

[Kim N]

Our diamond has been mounted on the Stuller setting!
Jeweler should finish up with everything later this week.
Hopefully we'll have a finished ring by this weekend!

Yay, great news!!

 

[dadan]

It is another place for folks to get help and that's why I'm there: to help by offering to educate and give a new perspective...I appreciate that aspect of it.

I see it differently. I've experienced it, first-hand. Plenty of terrible advice from trade folks (not all of them) there and nasty messages in my DM from a multitude of them...even one that was bashing on PS and essentially telling me to cease and desist with my PS approach of helping folks and recommending diamonds...this someone isn't in the trade but has a diamond info site that boils down to being a vessel for him being a paid affiliate to a rather high volume diamond seller (familiar to many).
My opinion about it is based on direct experience, not preconceived notions.
I have defended against every one of his anti-cut analysis points below, and I will happily continue to do so.

@DejaWiz I know I haven’t been active lately, but this guy really helped me on confirming my first diamond purchase (GCAL8X)! I couldn’t have make the plunge so fast! I’ve received the ring and it is so beautiful! Been meaning to post photos of it, but haven’t had the time to yet.

Prior to the purchase, I was so lost, conflicted with misleading information floating around on the web (mind you, I like to heavily research on something before I spend a lot of $$ on it) — sometimes questioning what was correct and what wasn’t… to sites like diamonds.pro where they disguise as a “good guy” but actually they’re making affiliate referral commissions off you without being transparent about it and steering you to only the stores that do this kind of thing.

I can’t thank you enough for your kindness and enthusiasm to help others! And congrats to the Ritani diamond!! Looks amazing!

 

[DejaWiz]

Thank you kindly, dadan - so glad that you were able to get such an amazing deal on your GCAL 8X!

 

[AprilBaby]

So where is this beauty?

 

[DejaWiz]

So where is this beauty?

Getting final work done to marry the enhancer to the ring. Any day now!

 

[Runningmama]

Tick tock…..I keep checking for a blingtastic update.