I hereby like to express my greatest appreciation to Yoni at Eternity by Yoni. After having learned an incredible amount of knowledge on diamonds through this forum but also by visiting many local jewelry stores, I ended up buying a 3.03 ct, AGS000, H, SI2 diamond/engagement ring from Yoni. During my journey to find the perfect stone I received great advice from wonderful forum members like Gypsi, Wink, Karl K, DenverAppraiser, Andelain, Gary H, diamondseeker2006 and others (and this thread was the ultimate one for me: https://www.pricescope.com/communit...how-exactly-does-it-affect-brilliance.199865/). Nevertheless, when it comes to actually buying a stone, one has to reach out to stores and speak to the vendors/jewelers in person. I contacted several on-line and B&M jewelers and although virtually all were very helpful, I found Yoni of the no-BS kind. He doesn't necessarily tell you what you want to hear but he is extremely upfront and, so I truly believe, honest. Furthermore, Yoni gave me the best prices on exactly the same stones I could have obtained also through Blue Nile or other on-line vendors.
I had the stone send to me first so I could see it in person and I also went to see an appraiser. Though usually SI2-stones can be a hit or miss, we could't be happier with the one we (I) picked after Yoni presented it to me (before it even became available online). The light performance is absolutely topnotch, exactly how Yoni predicted it. Also in the final stages of setting the stone in the ring, and making small adjustments, I felt Yoni was a true partner in my quest and not just a vendor (as long as you can stomach his direct non-nonsense attitude -haha). Now, what really made me feel incredible... (and I apologize for this upfront), the final stone/ring was appraised for $49k!! (SIGNIFICANTLY more than what I paid). Below are a few pictures of the ring. Of course, in real life it looks even better but my fiancee and I couldn't be happier. Big thanks to everyone who helped me along the way!
I had the stone send to me first so I could see it in person and I also went to see an appraiser. Though usually SI2-stones can be a hit or miss, we could't be happier with the one we (I) picked after Yoni presented it to me (before it even became available online). The light performance is absolutely topnotch, exactly how Yoni predicted it. Also in the final stages of setting the stone in the ring, and making small adjustments, I felt Yoni was a true partner in my quest and not just a vendor (as long as you can stomach his direct non-nonsense attitude -haha). Now, what really made me feel incredible... (and I apologize for this upfront), the final stone/ring was appraised for $49k!! (SIGNIFICANTLY more than what I paid). Below are a few pictures of the ring. Of course, in real life it looks even better but my fiancee and I couldn't be happier. Big thanks to everyone who helped me along the way!