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#JOTW We're Engaged! Introducing My New 1.9 E VS2 ACA Dream Engagement Ring

S

silliex

Rough_Rock
Joined
Aug 2, 2016
Messages
74
I am beyond thrilled to share my dream engagement ring with this community!

It has been several years in the making with great help from all of you. I have been on PriceScope for 8 years now and want to take a moment to thank everyone who contributed on this forum, especially to everyone who took the time to share their expertise and respond to me.

This is such a special place; I am grateful to be a part of it and share in the joy you all bring each day. I have always loved diamonds (who wouldn’t?) and after being part of this community, it has turned into a much deeper love. The knowledge, experience, opinions, and journeys shared here has sparked a deeper fascination, interest, and appreciation for well cut diamonds. It has become the most beautiful, fun, rewarding interest and passion that will live beyond this experience.

Introducing my Whiteflash ACA set in platinum by a local jeweler.

Ring size:
3.75

Specs:
Cut: Whiteflash A Cut Above
Carat: 1.9
Color: E
Clarity: VS2

Depth: 61.1%
Table: 57%
Crown Angle: 34.5°
Star length: 50%
Pavilion Angle: 40.8°
Crown height: 15%
Lower Girdle: 75.0%

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If anyone is interested in reading about my journey, I've posted it below.
 
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The Journey
In 2016, I officially joined PriceScope after lurking casually for a couple years. I wanted to dive head in to the world of diamonds. My intention was to learn as much as I could to make a well informed purchase one day. It brought me much joy to spend weekend afternoons doing my own intensive crash course: reading the Beyond 4Cs blog, studying YouTube videos (notably from Good Old Gold), and learning from your personal journeys on PriceScope.

I innocently bookmarked a couple of eye-catching ACAs, jotting down their prices and specs for future reference. Whiteflash stood out with their curated inventory, top notch imagery, transparency, education and upgrade policy. After reading high praises for ACAs and admiring all the beauties shared here, I couldn't get ACAs off my mind; I longed for one. In subsequent years, I'd continue to casually browse Whiteflash from time to time and be filled with excitement when I marveled at the stones.

In 2022, when we started planning for the future, I decided to keep track of diamonds with a simple spreadsheet to seriously consider available options. When we discussed our preferences, jewelers and the rising costs of natural diamonds, I easily pulled up pricing for similar ACAs that sold years apart. My then boyfriend, now fiancé, valued the insight and data I provided. This spreadsheet list grew into a record of when they popped up in inventory, when they sold, and their prices.

While I was completely mesmerized by ACAs, we would keep our options open as there is a sizable price difference over sourcing through local jewelers, especially ones we had family connections to. I wasn’t sure how important it would be for me to have an ACA, but I knew far too much to be happy with just any stone. If we were going to find a great stone outside of Whiteflash, I'd need to understand super ideal and ideal parameters.

In 2023, I tracked super ideal and ideal diamonds almost daily. I was excited by the hunt, learnings, and ensuring we wouldn't miss the perfect stone for us. My spreadsheet evolved into a bigger beast to understand my preferences and attempt to understand angle combinations. I set search parameters on other retailer websites to match ACA qualifications, evaluated diamond images and videos, and cross checked specs and information on FreeDiamondReport and StoneAlgo. To date, I have tracked 300 diamonds over 10 retailers and 3 search engines.

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Note: Retailer names and certificate numbers have been redacted.

After reading many threads over the years and following a number of jewelers, I shifted my mindset and started to prioritize the Cs to consider flexibility where possible. In the months and year prior, I saw what seemed to be a more limited inventory of ACAs within my search parameters (which changed slightly over time) and pricing in the industry was at an all time high, both of which were the result of the pandemic and world events. Actively searching during this time really pressed me to identify what was important to me; this proved to be a great exercise and long term practice.

My preferred priority of the 4 Cs:
  1. Cut: Super ideal or ideal
  2. Color: DEF, would consider a high G
  3. Carat: 1.5-2.0
  4. Clarity: IF-VS2
As we know, the 4 Cs all comes down to personal preference. I came to understand that I’d rather allocate more of our budget towards higher priority Cs that would make a visible difference and maximize our dollars. Cut is king, there is no compromise there. Since I would likely be color sensitive, a colorless grade would give me the most peace of mind. I desired a larger stone, as close to 2 carats as I could get. The only thing I could compromise on was clarity.

The difference between clarity grades would be indistinguishable to the naked eye, provided it was eye clean, of course. And, most importantly, it would have the same visual effect of anything graded higher (which isn't true for me when it comes to carat or color). I noticed on the forums and social media that people were happy with lower clarity grades.

It would take some time to believe, trust, stand by and be confident in the conscious approach to purchase a lower clarity grade when it wasn’t naturally instinctive. There is an argument that higher clarity diamonds are more valuable and in my community there seems to be a preference for slightly higher grades. But I felt I could live with a VS grade if it meant I could have a larger, more colorless stone (and most people wouldn’t even remember the different grades anyways). In fact, there was a period of time when only high clarity stones were available and I wanted more lower clarity stones so we could afford a larger carat within our budget.

As I fell deep into the rabbit hole, I knew a diamond from a local jeweler without the ASETs, hearts and arrow images, and 360° videos, would not feel mind clean for me. It became clearer that finding a super ideal or ideal in their inventory would be challenging. The price difference wasn’t appetizing when I typically prefer to get the best quality when it comes to large purchases. If I purchased with a local jeweler, I think a part of me would always wonder if it could measure up to an ACA.

The years of tracking all paid off when I found our stone in August 2023, all roads had led us back to Whiteflash. We love the guarantee of a top performing diamond that has undergone rigorous scrutiny and inspection. Pricing at times was comparable to other online jewelers and, in general, Whiteflash diamond prices stayed quite consistent over time. The ease of shopping their curated inventory online, buy back and lifetime upgrade policies, and the added benefit of working with their staff would be hard to beat.



The Diamond
That day in August, a wave of new stones were added; suddenly, there was a chance to own a nearly 2 carat, colorless super ideal without the 2 carat, high clarity price. I had seen some amazing stones taken off market in the matter of days, a couple I thought had gotten away, but stones like this and at this price point are rare. It would be more than our original budget but it checked all the boxes for me. I knew from looking for months it would be worth the stretch and we would have to act quickly. My fiancè said to reserve it.

He had done some research early in our relationship, but would do a deeper exploration after being introduced to super ideals by yours truly. While he was a bit skeptical of super ideals, this video by Jaan Paul helped us see there is a visible difference in performance between cuts.

He dedicated all his extra time to feverishly researching and working through ideas of value, and boy, did I have a lot of data ready for him. The data I built over the past two years was incredibly useful. We constantly referenced, reviewed, and edited my spreadsheet, continuing conversations regarding our preferences, research, and values until 2 AM each night for a week.

He raised a good question about having a “well balanced” diamond; was it less valuable and desirable because everything was high grades except clarity? A VS2 grade wasn't entirely “mind clean” for us; there were some concerns about the number of inclusions and their placement. This diamond tested how comfortable we would be with more inclusions, especially since one falls in front of a facet junction which is reflected. Still, we knew this stone was special. While we preferred a VS1 clarity, it would cost 12% more without visible payoff. We love a good hack for cutting costs and maximizing value; compromising on clarity feels just like that.

We went on a few educational field trips to different commercial jewelers varying in quality to review diamonds in person. When we inspected color, we compared G to D stones and were both able to see what felt like a huge difference in color under jewelry store lighting. One of the gemologists allowed us to review a similar 2 carat E VS2 under a large microscope and to our surprise, it was difficult to pinpoint inclusions even under heavy magnification. Afterwards, I spent more time reviewing VS2s plot maps and eliminated any concerns of it being on the border of an SI1 grade.

While we were on the 90 day flexible payment plan, an identical ACA came into inventory so we asked our rep to compare the two. We were advised to keep our stone as it was brighter, whiter, and less visibly included under much close inspection (the comparable stone had fewer crystals but more clouds). I had since learned to embrace "freckles," as Dolly from xothebijouxbox calls them, as uniquely characteristic of our stone.

Key things I think are worth remembering
  1. Inclusions are literally microscopic, keep a real life perspective of the stone in mind
  2. All natural diamonds, regardless of their inclusions, are super rare
The field trips, additional research, and diamond comparisons really solidified that this stone fit perfectly into our preferences.

Fast forward, we paid off our diamond in full and made a road trip to pick it up in December. That morning, he told me he'd like to keep the reveal a surprise until the ring was complete and I agreed not to peek; I love keeping some element of surprise (it is hard but I knew it would be worth it) since I was so involved already.

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The Jeweler
Soon after, I began narrowing down my preference for a jeweler. It was important for me to build trust with a jeweler and find an experienced one with expert craftsmanship. In total, I reached out to 10 jewelers who were willing to work with a loose stone and visited 4 of those jewelers. This process took about two months. After several in person visits, I confirmed that a small local, pop and pop jeweler was the best fit for me. Their craftsmanship was unmatched, everything was just exquisite.

I had visited large independent jewelers with celebrity clientele that had a more commercial feel with reps who weren't as factually knowledgeable and had confirmed to me they displayed mass produced settings as samples, some were impatient and uninterested in my business, and oddly always pushing white gold over my preference for platinum. The staff at the small shop was super patient, attentive, the most knowledgeable of the jewelers I visited, preferred to work in platinum, and most importantly, were very honest with me.



The End Result
When we received the finished ring, my fiancé was so excited and proud. He was thrilled with how it turned out and confirmed everything we put into practice was the right call. He said it easily could be the most captivating ring in a room, and was the sparkliest ring he has ever seen.

He proposed while we were on vacation and we both haven’t been able to stop admiring it! We are SO happy with our engagement ring! Friends and family have asked if it is everything I wanted… YES, it really IS everything I wanted!!
 
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Your ring is incredible!! Congratulations ♥️
 
Congratulations. It looks perfect on you!
 
Congratulations! I remember your journey and your patience ended with a gorgeous ring! Best wishes for a wonderful life together and, just remember, we will always take more pictures!
 
Congratulations!! It's beautiful!!
 
Beautiful ring, congratulations!
 
@silliex Congrats on the engagement and a beautiful ring!

I also LOVE all the data you’ve collected - it’s such a well-thought process and, to me, very exciting to geek out when we spot something in a “sweet spot”!

Out of interest, how did you find out when the diamonds came into inventory / was sold?
 
Wow, to say that you did your research would be an understatement!

Great job…you ended up with a beautiful ring!
 
Congratulations on your engagement & your beautiful ring!

The diamond is stunning & I would love to see more pictures of the gallery!
 
Your ring is beautiful and congratulations on your engagement.

What a journey of your research, wants, and finally execution! Thank you for taking the time to outline and share!
 
What a gorgeous ring and sweet story! Congrats on your engagement!!
 
Congratulations on your engagement!! You chose a gorgeous stone, and it looks like the jewelers made you a stunning ring! Your commitment to the research and knowing what you truly wanted before making any choices really paid off.
 
Congratulations!
 
What a gorgeous ring and great story! :love: Congratulations!
 
MissGotRocks said:
Congratulations! I remember your journey and your patience ended with a gorgeous ring! Best wishes for a wonderful life together and, just remember, we will always take more pictures!
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Ally T said:
Congratulations on your engagement & your beautiful ring!

The diamond is stunning & I would love to see more pictures of the gallery!
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Thank you!!! I never realized how hard it was to take good photos of the engagement ring! Will definitely be practicing and upload more soon!

Thank you PSers for giving me the space to share and gush! 8)
 
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Your ring is SO beautiful @silliex!! It looks absolutely perfect on your hand :kiss2: It's a dream ring, enjoy it and enjoy this very special time in your life - Congrats!
 
Pomelo said:
@silliex Congrats on the engagement and a beautiful ring!

I also LOVE all the data you’ve collected - it’s such a well-thought process and, to me, very exciting to geek out when we spot something in a “sweet spot”!

Out of interest, how did you find out when the diamonds came into inventory / was sold?
Click to expand...

Thank you!! It really makes the ring that much more special to me. We are really thrilled with the diamond specs and the ring. With the VS2, you really can't tell! Most of our friends are already married but for any one who is in the process of buying a ring now, we let them know that clarity is a good place to be more flexible which we feel incredibly happy about.

In terms of inventory, it was all just by good old fashion stalking the website daily. I literally wrote down every diamond in my search parameters, the dates I saw them for the first time, and then when they were sold. I did this maybe bimonthly the first year then daily for a year (couldn't help myself, I was an obsessed woman on a mission).
 
Patty said:
Wow, to say that you did your research would be an understatement!

Great job…you ended up with a beautiful ring!
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plad25 said:
Your ring is beautiful and congratulations on your engagement.

What a journey of your research, wants, and finally execution! Thank you for taking the time to outline and share!
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JV36912 said:
What a gorgeous ring and sweet story! Congrats on your engagement!!
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lala646 said:
Congratulations on your engagement!! You chose a gorgeous stone, and it looks like the jewelers made you a stunning ring! Your commitment to the research and knowing what you truly wanted before making any choices really paid off.
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Kim N said:
What a gorgeous ring and great story! :love: Congratulations!
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Thank you so much for letting me share! All the effort was so worth it! I wouldn't change a thing about our diamond or our ring, and I love that this was our journey!

We've been together a long time, and I joke with our friends that it gave me a lot of time to think about what I wanted. It has to be worth the wait. :lol:
 
junebug17 said:
Your ring is SO beautiful @silliex!! It looks absolutely perfect on your hand :kiss2: It's a dream ring, enjoy it and enjoy this very special time in your life - Congrats!
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Thank you so much!!!
 
HI:

Gorgeous!! Congrats!

cheers--Sharon
 
:kiss2: Looks absolutely perfect
 
A spreadsheet? A girl after my own heart!

Congratulations on your beautiful ring and engagement!
 
Congratulations to you and your fiancé!!! I loved reading your story, you found a good one!!! I would love for my hubby to have a 1/100th of an interest in diamonds as I do!

Congratulations on your ACA, your ring turned out beautifully, I would love to see more pics! ❤️

I too am a passionate spreadsheeter! :lol:
 
More pics! What an accomplishment.
 
silliex said:
Thank you!! It really makes the ring that much more special to me. We are really thrilled with the diamond specs and the ring. With the VS2, you really can't tell! Most of our friends are already married but for any one who is in the process of buying a ring now, we let them know that clarity is a good place to be more flexible which we feel incredibly happy about.

In terms of inventory, it was all just by good old fashion stalking the website daily. I literally wrote down every diamond in my search parameters, the dates I saw them for the first time, and then when they were sold. I did this maybe bimonthly the first year then daily for a year (couldn't help myself, I was an obsessed woman on a mission).
Click to expand...

Haha wow! That is true dedication and all your hard work paid off!!
 
So beautiful and wow - talk about analysis!! What a good PSer you are! :lol:
 
lulu_ma said:
A spreadsheet? A girl after my own heart!

Congratulations on your beautiful ring and engagement!
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lavenderdragonfly23 said:
Congratulations to you and your fiancé!!! I loved reading your story, you found a good one!!! I would love for my hubby to have a 1/100th of an interest in diamonds as I do!

Congratulations on your ACA, your ring turned out beautifully, I would love to see more pics! ❤️

I too am a passionate spreadsheeter! :lol:
Click to expand...

Thank you!!! I couldn't help myself, it is so much easier to see data on a spreadsheet and the search, links, formulas, and sort functions were key!!!
 
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