Surprise Upgrade for The Missus - First Ritani Purchase

[luvmysparklies]

Wowie Zowie!!! I am glad your financing got straightened out.
And that diamond is on fire! Love it! It is sooo beautiful, sparkly, well cut and on and on! Congratulations again!

 

[MightyDucks]

What a beautiful diamond! You got a steal at that price!

 

[Slickk]

It’s so beautiful!!

 

[holeydonut]

That's good , did u mean to say 60 months @ 0.99 %interest ? But they posted as 12 months _ 0% interest ..
Nevertheless good resolution on the problem.

Wow yeah I hope it's a type-o on the 9.99% vs 0.99% as well.

 

[Runningmama]

Wow yeah I hope it's a type-o on the 9.99% vs 0.99% as well.

9.99% is standard for excellent credit financing through Affirm.

 

[DejaWiz]

9.99% is standard for excellent credit financing through Affirm.

This is through a luxury credit card...so it's a pretty darn great rate for 60 months, given that usual credit card rates are bouncing between 15-30% with current inflation. My opinion, of course.

 

[Runningmama]

This is through a luxury credit card...so it's a pretty darn great rate for 60 months, given that usual credit card rates are bouncing between 15-30% with current inflation. My opinion, of course.

Oops, for some reason I thought I read Affirm. I probably just inserted it into my own head since it’s the most popular one. Either way, yes, most diamond/jewelry companies do not have their own lines of credit. Even if you put it on a 0% card, you’d have to keep transferring annually, which would add up the same amount of interest paid, if not more. 9.99% may sound huge, but it’s standard, if not great!

 

[DejaWiz]

Oops, for some reason I thought I read Affirm. I probably just inserted it into my own head since it’s the most popular one. Either way, yes, most diamond/jewelry companies do not have their own lines of credit. Even if you put it on a 0% card, you’d have to keep transferring annually, which would add up the same amount of interest paid, if not more. 9.99% may sound huge, but it’s standard, if not great!

No worries...I did look into a variety of creditors, Affirm being one of them, but they weren't willing to give the at least the same term and rate.

 

[luvmysparklies]

I meant to compliment the Stuller ring choice. I know from experience that Stuller rings wear like iron! Very high quality solitaire. This whole project has been so great to watch unfold!

 

[DejaWiz]

I meant to compliment the Stuller ring choice. I know from experience that Stuller rings wear like iron! Very high quality solitaire. This whole project has been so great to watch unfold!

When I asked them to show us some settings and they pulled out a bin from under the counter with sealed envelopes with STULLER on them, my first though was "oh yeah, it's game on!"

 

[luvmysparklies]

I felt the same way. Stuller does laser welding which is my all time fave for sizing and/or setting placement. I don't come across folks that will do laser welding often so when I find that is the case, I'm like....Oh, you had me at laser....

 

[DejaWiz]

I felt the same way. Stuller does laser welding which is my all time fave for sizing and/or setting placement. I don't come across folks that will do laser welding often so when I find that is the case, I'm like....Oh, you had me at laser....

 

[DejaWiz]

New insurance policy for our diamond goes into effect at midnight tonight, just in time for hopefully getting the call tomorrow that everything is ready for production to begin!

 

[Runningmama]

New insurance policy for our diamond goes into effect at midnight tonight, just in time for hopefully getting the call tomorrow that everything is ready for production to begin!

So exciting!!!!

 

[DejaWiz]

Called the jeweler to get an update: they stated that parts are delayed from Stuller until around the 17th...

 

[AprilBaby]

Called the jeweler to get an update: they stated that parts are delayed from Stuller until around the 17th...

It’s been quite the fun yeah? My ring finished the return yesterday and I ended up switching diamonds for just a small bit of size. Now I wait till the 21st for it to arrive.

 

[Eli22]

Holy wow! Lovely diamond Can’t wait to see the final result!

 

[distracts]

@DejaWiz how can you stand interacting with the diamond people on reddit? I go there for five minutes and become exhausted

 

[DejaWiz]

@DejaWiz how can you stand interacting with the diamond people on reddit? I go there for five minutes and become exhausted

Crazy how most of them willfully ignore the critical importance of cut quality and optics, isn't it?
A while back, JP was on there urging shoppers to focus on cut quality, but even then it was like they waded into shark infested waters because the trade "experts" there were arguing with them!

Usual replies from the bunch are along the lines of "GIA is the best...any 3X is worthwhile...if it looks good to you, then what does it matter?"
Problem is, most people *don't* know what a properly performing diamond looks like, so they have no frame of reference. Many a dud end up getting purchased.

Feels like I need this every visit...

 

[holeydonut]

Eh, no real need to talk down on other communities. I think the r/diamonds sub is just another place for people to get help.

Like the other day someone posted about whether this WF 2.131 VVS2 was a good buy, and people chimed in saying positive things. It's not like they said "WF is overpriced trash, cut is overrated" or stuff to railroad the poster.

Diamond | 2.131 ct I VVS2 A CUT ABOVE® Hearts and Arrows Super Ideal Round Cut Loose Diamond AGS Certified | 4524091

This Whiteflash A CUT ABOVE® super ideal cut hearts and arrows 2.131 carat I color VVS2 clarity loose diamond is graded by the American Gem Society (AGS) Laboratories. | 4524091

www.whiteflash.com

(I think this being an I color really hurts this particular diamond's broad appeal... but I'm guessing someone targeting a a rose/gold setting could really come away with a good deal on this one)

I think there's general consensus that there's always different strokes for different folks. Adding on the notion that unique to engagement rings... it is a weird spot for men who don't typically shop for jewelry. They're now trying to understand and rationalize where they throw money their money to buy a shiny rock. And the industry is set up to confound with millions of attributes on things that are sometimes too small to even see without magnification. Wacky.

Some people want big... some people want shiny. I guess the best part is with diamonds, there's always one that is the "right" one for the specific buyer and recipient.

 

[DejaWiz]

Eh, no real need to talk down on other communities. I think the r/diamonds sub is just another place for people to get help.

Like the other day someone posted about whether this WF 2.131 VVS2 was a good buy, and people chimed in saying positive things. It's not like they said "WF is overpriced trash, cut is overrated" or stuff to railroad the poster.

Diamond | 2.131 ct I VVS2 A CUT ABOVE® Hearts and Arrows Super Ideal Round Cut Loose Diamond AGS Certified | 4524091

This Whiteflash A CUT ABOVE® super ideal cut hearts and arrows 2.131 carat I color VVS2 clarity loose diamond is graded by the American Gem Society (AGS) Laboratories. | 4524091

www.whiteflash.com

(I think this being an I color really hurts this particular diamond's broad appeal... but I'm guessing someone targeting a a rose/gold setting could really come away with a good deal on this one)

I think there's general consensus that there's always different strokes for different folks. Adding on the notion that unique to engagement rings... it is a weird spot for men who don't typically shop for jewelry. They're now trying to understand and rationalize where they throw money their money to buy a shiny rock. And the industry is set up to confound with millions of attributes on things that are sometimes too small to even see without magnification. Wacky.

Some people want big... some people want shiny. I guess the best part is with diamonds, there's always one that is the "right" one for the specific buyer and recipient.

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.

 

[distracts]

Crazy how most of them willfully ignore the critical importance of cut quality and optics, isn't it?
A while back, JP was on there urging shoppers to focus on cut quality, but even then it was like they waded into shark infested waters because the trade "experts" there were arguing with them!

Usual replies from the bunch are along the lines of "GIA is the best...any 3X is worthwhile...if it looks good to you, then what does it matter?"
Problem is, most people *don't* know what a properly performing diamond looks like, so they have no frame of reference. Many a dud end up getting purchased.

Feels like I need this every visit...

Yeah... the "if it looks good to you (a person who has only seen 3 diamonds up close in their life)" drives me crazy. How do they even know what looks good if they haven't seen a wide array which includes ideal cuts? I used to think I didn't like most diamonds at all until I saw ideal cuts and well cut old cuts. It turns out I don't like poorly cut diamonds - just having never seen well cut ones I thought it was a problem with diamonds, not the cutting.

 

[DejaWiz]

Yeah... the "if it looks good to you (a person who has only seen 3 diamonds up close in their life)" drives me crazy. How do they even know what looks good if they haven't seen a wide array which includes ideal cuts? I used to think I didn't like most diamonds at all until I saw ideal cuts and well cut old cuts. It turns out I don't like poorly cut diamonds - just having never seen well cut ones I thought it was a problem with diamonds, not the cutting.

Same for me!

Story time:
A long time ago in a mall not far, far away... my wife fell in love with a unique ring design from a jewelry store (can't remember which, and it may be one that no longer exists) that happened to come with a 0.25ish carat diamond, which was our first diamond.

Back then, we knew nothing about diamonds, other than some fuzzy knowledge about the 4Cs. Beautiful setting that just happened to come with a diamond! Ring shopping is easy, right? Ha! If I only knew (and seen) back then what I know (and see) now. Sure, it had some nice sparkle in intense lighting, but I just never thought about diamonds in such a way that I do now. Since then and up until about two years ago, I just didn't get what all the hubbub about diamonds was all about, because I had a severely poor point of reference.

So, what changed? Well, it was a happenstance encounter with a random diamond that caught my eye: it was being worn by a woman standing in line behind me at a boathouse while we were waiting for an attendant to outfit everyone with life jackets so that we could shove off in a rented boat. I was standing a bit off to the side in order to allow the family that was there first ample room to get fitted for their life jackets, and a husband and wife walked in... that's when I saw the diamond on her finger looking like pure magic: all that fire! "What the h*ll?!" I said to myself. Couldn't believe the difference between their diamond and ours.
That's when my journey down the rabbit hole of diamond cut quality, light return, cut analysis, and a much deeper understanding of the 4Cs began.
I lurked here at PS quite a bit...reading and learning as much as I could while reading many articles at the GIA, AGS, Whiteflash, Victor Canera, Brian Gavin, and some other websites.
So, so much info to try and understand and absorb!

After about 6 months, it was time to go start looking at ideally proportioned diamonds with my own eyes. Holy guacamole. Seeing such properly intense brilliance and sparkle is something that gets deep into the gray matter and becomes something that can't be unseen!

As far as Reddit goes, I get pinged almost daily by folks reaching out for help.
Here's one example of why I continue to do so:

Diamond | 0.674 ct J VS1 A CUT ABOVE® Hearts and Arrows Super Ideal Round Cut Loose Diamond AGS Certified | 4472181

This Whiteflash A CUT ABOVE® super ideal cut hearts and arrows 0.674 carat J color VS1 clarity loose diamond is graded by the American Gem Society (AGS) Laboratories. | 4472181

www.whiteflash.com

 

[distracts]

Same for me!

Story time:
A long time ago in a mall not far, far away... my wife fell in love with a unique ring design from a jewelry store (can't remember which, and it may be one that no longer exists) that happened to come with a 0.25ish carat diamond, which was our first diamond.

Back then, we knew nothing about diamonds, other than some fuzzy knowledge about the 4Cs. Beautiful setting that just happened to come with a diamond! Ring shopping is easy, right? Ha! If I only knew (and seen) back then what I know (and see) now. Sure, it had some nice sparkle in intense lighting, but I just never thought about diamonds in such a way that I do now. Since then and up until about two years ago, I just didn't get what all the hubbub about diamonds was all about, because I had a severely poor point of reference.

So, what changed? Well, it was a happenstance encounter with a random diamond that caught my eye: it was being worn by a woman standing in line behind me at a boathouse while we were waiting for an attendant to outfit everyone with life jackets so that we could shove off in a rented boat. I was standing a bit off to the side in order to allow the family that was there first ample room to get fitted for their life jackets, and a husband and wife walked in... that's when I saw the diamond on her finger looking like pure magic: all that fire! "What the h*ll?!" I said to myself. Couldn't believe the difference between their diamond and ours.
That's when my journey down the rabbit hole of diamond cut quality, light return, cut analysis, and a much deeper understanding of the 4Cs began.
I lurked here at PS quite a bit...reading and learning as much as I could while reading many articles at the GIA, AGS, Whiteflash, Victor Canera, Brian Gavin, and some other websites.
So, so much info to try and understand and absorb!

After about 6 months, it was time to go start looking at ideally proportioned diamonds with my own eyes. Holy guacamole. Seeing such properly intense brilliance and sparkle is something that gets deep into the gray matter and becomes something that can't be unseen!

As far as Reddit goes, I get pinged almost daily by folks reaching out for help.
Here's one example of why I continue to do so:

Diamond | 0.674 ct J VS1 A CUT ABOVE® Hearts and Arrows Super Ideal Round Cut Loose Diamond AGS Certified | 4472181

This Whiteflash A CUT ABOVE® super ideal cut hearts and arrows 0.674 carat J color VS1 clarity loose diamond is graded by the American Gem Society (AGS) Laboratories. | 4472181

www.whiteflash.com

That's very similar to my story, except I had already joined PS but just stuck to the CS forum. Then one time I happened to see a diamond that really caught my eye on someone else and asked about it - and she said it was an ideal cut and that was why it sparkled like that! Why, just the thing PS kept talking about! Turns out they weren't blowing smoke after all

I know after helping my SIL get her ring, so many people have approached me asking me to help them find one that sparkles like that. It's really eye-catching in a way "regular" diamonds are not.

 

[AprilBaby]

We have exchanged thread on reddit. People on there drive you crazy with their ideas for diamonds. I’m sad that PS will be banned. Idiot who thinks HCA is out of date must not really know about diamonds. Is that going to be banned too?

 

[DejaWiz]

We have exchanged thread on reddit. People on there drive you crazy with their ideas for diamonds. I’m sad that PS will be banned. Idiot who thinks HCA is out of date must not really know about diamonds. Is that going to be banned too?

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.

 

[CountingStars]

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.

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.

 

[holeydonut]

That's very similar to my story, except I had already joined PS but just stuck to the CS forum. Then one time I happened to see a diamond that really caught my eye on someone else and asked about it - and she said it was an ideal cut and that was why it sparkled like that! Why, just the thing PS kept talking about! Turns out they weren't blowing smoke after all

I know after helping my SIL get her ring, so many people have approached me asking me to help them find one that sparkles like that. It's really eye-catching in a way "regular" diamonds are not.

Agreed, the super ideal round brilliants look so much better than normal diamond cuts. Especially outside when the round brilliant picks up lots of light.

Like I’m a pretty big idiot and I can see the difference… so it’s got to be a pretty big difference lol.

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.

And then i was also having to find a super ideal that was eye clean for someone that has like inhuman vision lol.

Anyway I’m still a BGD Stan because his jewelry designs are also top notch… his 810 series rings have some of the most distinctive looks to go with his super ideals.

I have no clue how much effort and time it takes BGD’s bench to cut diamonds to these super ideal standards and craft the settings, but now I understand why the jewelry costs so much hah. It seems like a no brainer to spend a bit extra for a super ideal cut than wondering if the normal GIA 3x is good enough.

 

[DejaWiz]

Agreed, the super ideal round brilliants look so much better than normal diamond cuts. Especially outside when the round brilliant picks up lots of light.

Like I’m a pretty big idiot and I can see the difference… so it’s got to be a pretty big difference lol.

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.

And then i was also having to find a super ideal that was eye clean for someone that has like inhuman vision lol.

Anyway I’m still a BGD Stan because his jewelry designs are also top notch… his 810 series rings have some of the most distinctive looks to go with his super ideals.

I have no clue how much effort and time it takes BGD’s bench to cut diamonds to these super ideal standards and craft the settings, but now I understand why the jewelry costs so much hah. It seems like a no brainer to spend a bit extra for a super ideal cut than wondering if the normal GIA 3x is good enough.

Probably quite a bit of extra time since BG cuts to his patented specs.

US Patent for Maximum light performance gemstone cutting technique Patent (Patent # 10,405,618 issued September 10, 2019) - Justia Patents Search

A precision hearts and arrows gemstone cut having an AGS light performance grade of ideal 0 and having an ASET image free or essentially free of green hemisphere light in the peripheral regions of the table facet; and methods for shaping the gemstone to eliminate the green table effect. The...

patents.justia.com

 

[holeydonut]

So can he file patent infringement suits against other cutters with those angles and symmetry that “reduce the green table effect”?