Thinking about an upgrade. Thoughts on this stone?

[mrs-b]

First off, I am not sure how I missed the medical update earlier, but I am so sorry to hear about all you are going through. I will certainly be sending my most fervent prayers and good vibes your way, believing that a positive outcome is on the horizon for you! ((Hugs!))

As far as the 3.218 stone, it was quite white to my eyes and I was initially enamored with it (in hindsight I was probably enamored with the idea of it as it was a full carat jump from my previous 2.2ct stone and F VS1 to boot!). However, within the span of 5-6 months that excitement faded, and I felt like I had made a mistake. The trade-in options obviously become quite limited at this price point (even if you want to go bigger, which I didn't), so I explored several options and was finally able to exchange my stone for a few smaller stones that have since gone to new homes/projects. It took about a year for all of this to work out due to inventory issues, but I definitely learned some invaluable lessons along the way!

In any case, I like your theory that maybe this stone is better suited as a the showstopper of a trilogy; I could certainly envision that! And thank you for your kind words... it will thrill me to no end for you to have the center stone that makes your heart sing. It sounds like you have really thought this through, and certain aspects of the stone speak to you (smaller table, higher crown, 76 LGF, VS1, etc.), so if this is the one, I'd say go for it! If it is your dream diamond I would love to see it find its home with you!

@carbonfan -

Can you pls just elaborate on what you mean re 'quite white'? Could you see tint in it? How about in profile? To be honest - and I appreciate your directness a great deal - I was pretty gung-ho about this stone until I read that it left you a bit cold. And 'quite white' is like the kiss of death for me. In the last 5 years, I've been burnt twice on a G colored diamond and an H colored diamond - both of which ended up being quite tinted to my eye. On the other hand, I had an ACA 3.4ct H colored stone which was gorgeous, very white, and which I wish I'd kept.

Could you pls let me know what it was that didn't work for you? I'd appreciate it. Thank you!

 

[pinklemonadegurl]

You're all so very kind to each other, and it makes my eyes mist a wee bit . @mrs-b , sit with yourself and what is your gut saying about colour? I 'settled' for a J ACA, and because it was the best bang for buck(and even though my previous marriage lended me high colour diamonds), I had to "decide" to embrace, and therefore be "happy" with my glorious J because it was/is what Fiance could afford. And I am so satisfied with it,(other than wanting BIGGER, more sidestones, etc etc) My earrings are G's and if I put them side by side, I absolutely see the difference, but the cut is so dang amazeballs that I simply cherish the look of it.
Your heart wants what it wants....
Praying for good prognosis and sending healthy, healing vibes <3

 

[carbonfan]

@carbonfan -

Can you pls just elaborate on what you mean re 'quite white'? Could you see tint in it? How about in profile? To be honest - and I appreciate your directness a great deal - I was pretty gung-ho about this stone until I read that it left you a bit cold. And 'quite white' is like the kiss of death for me. In the last 5 years, I've been burnt twice on a G colored diamond and an H colored diamond - both of which ended up being quite tinted to my eye. On the other hand, I had an ACA 3.4ct H colored stone which was gorgeous, very white, and which I wish I'd kept.

Could you pls let me know what it was that didn't work for you? I'd appreciate it. Thank you!

I have thought of you so often, @mrs-b! I am so sorry if I muddled things up in any way; I truly did not mean to! And I certainly was not trying to talk you out of the 3.218. It has obviously been a little while since I had that stone, but my recollection is that it was very white (and I am speaking as an uber color-sensitive type; in fact, I currently have an E stone from HPD!). So color was not an issue at all. Objectively it was a beautiful stone, so I am not sure why it didn't work for me... maybe because it was my first time trying a plain solitaire (which was an absolutely drop-dead gorgeous setting by Victor, but again it was just a different look than I was used to), or maybe because I fell hard for vintage-inspired cuts soon thereafter, or maybe because I seem to like slightly shallower crown angles in MRBs. I really couldn't pin down what it was, and it was maddening because I felt like I *should* love it but I just didn't. But again, perhaps that is because its true calling was for another purpose... perhaps a holy grail three-stone!

In any case, if you find yourself longing for a F at this juncture then I don't think you should settle for a G... you deserve to have what your heart desires, and even a custom cut project yielded a high G (which of course is a gamble), it would still technically be a G, and I just think that deep down you want an F. This is a big project and I just don't want to see you settle!

Can you order the 3.218 for inspection purposes, or could WF perhaps make a few videos for you in different light environments? It really is a sparkler and it could potentially be the one for you, but only your eyes can be the judge! I am posting a few photos that I think show off its icy white F color.

I know you will figure out what is true for you, and please keep us posted on what you decide! In the meantime, continued thoughts and caring wishes are coming your way and I am hopeful that the coming days will bring good news! ((Hugs))

 

[mrs-b]

Hi @carbonfan - and thank you SO much for getting back to me so promptly!

Ok. So I'm going to be as accurate and blunt here as I can, and I'd love it if you told me if this resonates with you in any way.

I love your diamond in these photos. I love your setting. I love your stack. But...something about it strikes me as just a bit bloodless. Soulless. Lacking personality. Which is weird - because all the individual parts are delicious! But something is missing - is that how it affected you? It lacks identity - do you know what I mean? Something about it is just a bit cold. It's like it's kinda just...sitting there....

If I'm way out of line here - please forgive me! All the individual pieces are fabulous - no question! But it's just not wowing me like I would expect it to.

But...I have a suspicion that as a three stone, it might look softer. The way a 3-stone hugs a finger is inherently warm. But most of all - I think a yellow gold shank and wedder would bring something substantial to the table; contrast maybe? Warmth? Personality? I just wonder if that yellow color might bring that diamond to life.

Anyway, if you can spare me a couple of more minutes, I'd really appreciate it. Tell me if I"m wrong - and pls forgive me if I was tactless; your opinion on this diamond is invaluable to me.

 

[carbonfan]

Hi @carbonfan - and thank you SO much for getting back to me so promptly!

Ok. So I'm going to be as accurate and blunt here as I can, and I'd love it if you told me if this resonates with you in any way.

I love your diamond in these photos. I love your setting. I love your stack. But...something about it strikes me as just a bit bloodless. Soulless. Lacking personality. Which is weird - because all the individual parts are delicious! But something is missing - is that how it affected you? It lacks identity - do you know what I mean? Something about it is just a bit cold. It's like it's kinda just...sitting there....

If I'm way out of line here - please forgive me! All the individual pieces are fabulous - no question! But it's just not wowing me like I would expect it to.

But...I have a suspicion that as a three stone, it might look softer. The way a 3-stone hugs a finger is inherently warm. But most of all - I think a yellow gold shank and wedder would bring something substantial to the table; contrast maybe? Warmth? Personality? I just wonder if that yellow color might bring that diamond to life.

Anyway, if you can spare me a couple of more minutes, I'd really appreciate it. Tell me if I"m wrong - and pls forgive me if I was tactless; your opinion on this diamond is invaluable to me.

Thank you for your kind words, and wow, you hit the nail on the head, @mrs-b! I couldn't quite put it into words, but yes, that was it exactly... for me it lacked personality and felt a bit bland, which sounds asinine considering that it is such a holy grail stone by a lot of standards! But there was something "predictable" about it that left me feeling uninterested, which then left me wracked with guilt due to the price point. As a solitaire I don't think it worked so well, and I can't say I have missed it. But I can totally see your point about how a 3-stone with a yellow gold shank could warm it right up!

 

[Dancing Fire]

Mrs. B
After reading all your posts. I think your heart is saying I want an F colored stone, so don't settle..

 

[mrs-b]

Thank you for your kind words, and wow, you hit the nail on the head, @mrs-b! I couldn't quite put it into words, but yes, that was it exactly... for me it lacked personality and felt a bit bland, which sounds asinine considering that it is such a holy grail stone by a lot of standards! But there was something "predictable" about it that left me feeling uninterested, which then left me wracked with guilt due to the price point. As a solitaire I don't think it worked so well, and I can't say I have missed it. But I can totally see your point about how a 3-stone with a yellow gold shank could warm it right up!

Bingo.

Well, if I buy it, I'm going to find its soul and drag it out of it, kicking and screaming if needs be; there simply HAS to be more to a diamond like this than 'meh'.

But for now, I have bigger fish to fry, so we'll see if it's still available in 6 months time. Thank you SO much for your help on this, @carbonfan - I really appreciate it!

 

[iwantadiamond]

I'm very happy for you! Just wondering what I did wrong in my life that I could NEVER afford an $85,000 diamond! Is this really Jennifer Aniston?

So this is the current diamond in my 3 stone:

https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3872126.htm

I also have 1.25 ctw in sides.

I always thought I'd upgrade to a big solitaire. But as time has gone by, the more and more I fall in love with my 3 stone. You can never say never, but I think this really is my forever ring. I've had it for 9 months now, and compared to it, solitaires just look boring to me once they're on my hand. While not being a fan of a lot of bells and whistles, I like a little more than just a plain soli.

So, let's agree, a three stone is me.

But if that's my future, I want it to be as beautiful as possible. My current ACA 3.05 F VS2 is stunning, but ideally, I'd like it to be a smidge - no more than that, just a smidge! - larger. So for months, I've been eyeballing *this* stone, while at the same time telling myself "naaaah - you always said you'd get the big soli - so this one can't possibly be for you!"

But the sheer class of this diamond is irresistible. It's a tiny bit larger, it's white, it's cleaner (and that's important to me as ideally I wanted better than a VS2), and it has the EXACT stats I love - moreso than my current 3.05ct. So I'm thinking....this is it. Also, if I'm going to stay with a 3 stone, there's only so large I can go! So this might be my maximum anyway.

To that end, you'll notice it now says 'reserved'. I'm giving it some thought over the weekend, and next week will either pull the trigger, or release it back into the wild.

Along with that, I intend to upgrade my sides from G SI1 up to F VS1, so the stats on all three stones will match. The setting (which I think is perfect) will remain the same.

If anyone has any thoughts on this - please! - speak up now!

https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3755577.htm

@MissGotRocks - I'm linking you to this specifically, as we chatted about this plan on another thread.

 

[Diamond Girl 21]

I'm so sorry about your diagnosis. I'll be praying for you and sending positive vibes.

It sounds like this stone is pretty perfect for you. Why not order it? If you don't love it, you can always return it.