angela06
Shiny_Rock
- Joined
- Apr 18, 2012
- Messages
- 153
Long story, but I believe that coming across this particular stone was destiny. But a bit of backstory.
My original e-ring is a three stone RB in a platinum basket setting. Center is a .50 GIA F-VS2 (don't remember cut info),with two F sidestones of .3 each for a total of 1.1ct. Loved my ring, but always had a *twinge* of sadness that I didn't get a 1 carat single stone solitare. At the time, my DH told me that he didn't like the look of a solitaire and I went along because, well, because I wanted to get engaged!! And the ring he steered me towards was *beautiful*. But it was never my dream ring.
So fast forward 8 years, and I had found PS, and fell in love with old cut diamonds. Like hard.
Now I know my guy and to him, paying for a diamond ring is akin to getting a root canal. Necessary once, but who would want to do it again?? I knew I would be paying for any future rings on my own. Once I found out just how relatively affordable a stone in an old cut could be, well, I began my search in earnest.
I bid on and won a stone on e-bay. Stated as J, Si1 (later to find out it was at least an I1). I didn't like it. It had a feather inclusion I couldn't live with that I could see with my naked eyes! My heart sunk, even though I knew I could return it. I didn't know where I was going to find what I was looking for and felt frustrated with what I thought was going to be endless rounds of purchase, look, dislike, return, lose shipping and insurance costs.
That same day, I took it to an independent local jeweler that is family owned and the owner/jeweler is the bench, does all kind of custom work, and had fabulous reviews on yelp. I thought that he could help verify what I thought I was seeing in the e-Bay stone. (large feather across the table that hadn't shown up in pics online)
).
He showed me the stone on his scope, showed me all the inclusions(mostly minor), told me what each was, and asked if I was looking for a mine cut diamond. I said that I was looking for an old mine or European cut. Then he reached in his case, and pulled out the most beautiful, one carat OMC. It was in a custom halo setting of his design. We looked at it in the scope, and it was
It was gorgeous! There are only a couple pinpoints near the edges,and at teeny natural on the edge, near the girdle. I wanted it, but with the setting I couldn't afford it. I asked if he would sell it in a plain setting and he said of course! We settled on a price, and he walked right back to his bench and broke it out of the setting. Then I got to hold it in the tweezers, look at it under the scope some more, and compare it next to other, certed stones. It is an F (not certed), so it is much whiter than the eBay stone, and the clarity is TDF! It is being set for me in a simple solitaire setting until I can save for my dream setting (I don't know what I want yet. But till then I will be wearing my dream stone on my finger!!! It measured at 6.3 x 6.2, F VS, and 1.03 ct. I don't know the depth but the faceting is beautiful!! I can't wait to come back with pics! I just had to share..
Thank you PS for making me aware of these gorgeous stones. I love the idea of an antique stone and never would have know about these particular cuts if it not for the helpful threads here.
My original e-ring is a three stone RB in a platinum basket setting. Center is a .50 GIA F-VS2 (don't remember cut info),with two F sidestones of .3 each for a total of 1.1ct. Loved my ring, but always had a *twinge* of sadness that I didn't get a 1 carat single stone solitare. At the time, my DH told me that he didn't like the look of a solitaire and I went along because, well, because I wanted to get engaged!! And the ring he steered me towards was *beautiful*. But it was never my dream ring.
So fast forward 8 years, and I had found PS, and fell in love with old cut diamonds. Like hard.
Now I know my guy and to him, paying for a diamond ring is akin to getting a root canal. Necessary once, but who would want to do it again?? I knew I would be paying for any future rings on my own. Once I found out just how relatively affordable a stone in an old cut could be, well, I began my search in earnest.
I bid on and won a stone on e-bay. Stated as J, Si1 (later to find out it was at least an I1). I didn't like it. It had a feather inclusion I couldn't live with that I could see with my naked eyes! My heart sunk, even though I knew I could return it. I didn't know where I was going to find what I was looking for and felt frustrated with what I thought was going to be endless rounds of purchase, look, dislike, return, lose shipping and insurance costs.
That same day, I took it to an independent local jeweler that is family owned and the owner/jeweler is the bench, does all kind of custom work, and had fabulous reviews on yelp. I thought that he could help verify what I thought I was seeing in the e-Bay stone. (large feather across the table that hadn't shown up in pics online)
). He showed me the stone on his scope, showed me all the inclusions(mostly minor), told me what each was, and asked if I was looking for a mine cut diamond. I said that I was looking for an old mine or European cut. Then he reached in his case, and pulled out the most beautiful, one carat OMC. It was in a custom halo setting of his design. We looked at it in the scope, and it was
It was gorgeous! There are only a couple pinpoints near the edges,and at teeny natural on the edge, near the girdle. I wanted it, but with the setting I couldn't afford it. I asked if he would sell it in a plain setting and he said of course! We settled on a price, and he walked right back to his bench and broke it out of the setting. Then I got to hold it in the tweezers, look at it under the scope some more, and compare it next to other, certed stones. It is an F (not certed), so it is much whiter than the eBay stone, and the clarity is TDF! It is being set for me in a simple solitaire setting until I can save for my dream setting (I don't know what I want yet. But till then I will be wearing my dream stone on my finger!!! It measured at 6.3 x 6.2, F VS, and 1.03 ct. I don't know the depth but the faceting is beautiful!! I can't wait to come back with pics! I just had to share..
Thank you PS for making me aware of these gorgeous stones. I love the idea of an antique stone and never would have know about these particular cuts if it not for the helpful threads here.
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