where to get an ASET done?

[sweetpea&babycorn]

hi guys, i'm wondering if anyone knows where i can get an ASET on my stone. i haven't really been curious about it up until now. my stone is from ERD and at the time, they were very very hesitant to produce an ASET to me. to my eyes my stone is beautiful, but i am just curious how it looks under technical standards. i'm not sure if i want to purchase one, since this will be my only large diamond for a long long time.

any ideas are appreciated! thank you!!

 

[stone-cold11]

You can check if there are any independent appraisers in your area with the setup for taking ASET of a mounted stone.

 

[sweetpea&babycorn]

thanks stone-cold! now, how will i know which appraiser to choose? i live in worcester, ma. so i have 3 nearby options. i need to get my stone appraised anyway so i could kill 2 birds with 1 stone. should i just pick the one who can do an ASET? i'm not sure if there are any reviews for independent jewelry appraisers...

 

[sillyberry]

Forgive me in advance for not really answering your question, sweetpea, since I would have no idea what to tell you! But!

I've thought about aset myself since I don't have one for my cushion, as it would be cool to know, but I've wondered what it will accomplish. I love my ring, but would I be sad or disappointed if didn't perform the way "great" cushions are supposed to perform? If it does great would I somehow love it more? I don't know, it seems like something where nothing good could come of doing aset after the fact if I'm not planning on upgrading or anything.

Just something to think about.

 

[stone-cold11]

thanks stone-cold! now, how will i know which appraiser to choose? i live in worcester, ma. so i have 3 nearby options. i need to get my stone appraised anyway so i could kill 2 birds with 1 stone. should i just pick the one who can do an ASET? i'm not sure if there are any reviews for independent jewelry appraisers...

I would try Jeff Averbook, of http://www.metrojewelryappraisers.com/process.html, based in Boston. He posts often on PS, not sure if he has a setup for ASET, you can call and ask him.

 

[ChunkyCushionLover]

You don't need an ASET (especially an already set one) save your money, I've seen photographs of your stone and so many of these 8 main thins.

The ASET will look like this, there may be small nuances from stone to stone with more red or green on the UGFs but they are all basically the same.



I can see why ERD doesn't want Pricescopers to see an ASET, they will compare them to some GOG stones(like AVC or SCHA) and the differences will be obvious.

 

[sillyberry]

And...CCL's tone about a diamond you love is precisely why I recommend thinking hard about getting ASET done after the fact.

 

[ChunkyCushionLover]

You don't need an ASET (especially an already set one) save your money, I've seen photographs of your stone and so many of these 8 main thins.

The ASET will look like this, there may be small nuances from stone to stone with more red or green on the UGFs but they are all basically the same.



I can see why ERD doesn't want Pricescopers to see an ASET, they will compare them to some GOG stones(like AVC or SCHA) and the differences will be obvious.

My wife has the same cut of diamond with the same ASET, she is happy with her stone.
But there is no denying the light performance of these stones does not compare to an SCHA or AVC.

These have other virtues, greater spread per carat, cheaper per carat, nice outline shape, only small areas of raw contrast(darkness).
These are cut for brightness and scintillation and show less fire.

I am the one who helped sweetpea find her stone so there is definitely no negativity here, but lets call an apple an apple and an orange an orange.

 

[sillyberry]

Which is all well and good, but it still seems to me that my basic point stands: if you have a type of "underperforming" stone that you already love, why get ASET done and potentially feel bad about yourself when it doesn't conform to what around these parts is considered most desirable?

 

[ChunkyCushionLover]

Which is all well and good, but it still seems to me that my basic point stands: if you have a type of "underperforming" stone that you already love, why get ASET done and potentially feel bad about yourself when it doesn't conform to what around these parts is considered most desirable?

Knowing for the sake of education is a good thing especially if you plan on sharing your experiences. I can't beleive I'm saying this (ala RD) but not every fancy shape has to have the light performance rivaling an HA round there are other beauty and practical(like price and faceup size) considerations.

 

[sweetpea&babycorn]

all valid points guy. thanks CCL for the ASET. and yes, CCL actually FOUND my stone for me and mark was very impressed that they were still out there. it does look like GoG has one almost exactly the same as mine, minus some measurement differences.

i know for sure that my cushion is not even close to the AVC or SCHA from GoG. i did consider purchasing from GoG at the time we were looking for a diamond, but their premium was too much for our budget and what i was looking for. i'm not an upgrade kind of girl (but adding jewelry pieces is another story!) so the lifetime upgrade policy wasn't something that we were considering.

but anyway, i understand your point, sillyberry. it would be such a terrible thing for me to fall out of love with my stone just because the ASET says it's not a nice one. it would also certainly drive my fiance nuts because he is ready for me to finally have a ring i love and will keep forever.

i guess what made me think about the ASET was when i was looking at some pictures of my diamond. it sparkles great, but when i took these pictures it looked drab. here's an example:



i was curious about the black spots at 12, 3, 6 and 9 o'clock. the fear has always been with bad diamonds that they only look good in certain lights and once you change the lighting the diamond loses life and all of a sudden, you're stuck with a dud diamond. i still loved it though, but i was just curious what was going on in those spots and if it was my camera, lighting, both? but according to CCL's ASET, it seems like this expected of cushions with the same cut, so i guess i have nothing to worry about! thanks for all the help and input guys!

 

[ChunkyCushionLover]

[

i was curious about the black spots at 12, 3, 6 and 9 o'clock. the fear has always been with bad diamonds that they only look good in certain lights and once you change the lighting the diamond loses life and all of a sudden, you're stuck with a dud diamond. i still loved it though, but i was just curious what was going on in those spots and if it was my camera, lighting, both? but according to CCL's ASET, it seems like this expected of cushions with the same cut, so i guess i have nothing to worry about! thanks for all the help and input guys!

The areas of darkness are exxagerated in the photo because the camera lense is close and it sees the black of the outer part of the lense reflecting in the diamond.

Yes there are 4 arrowheads at 12,3,6,9 which will look dark faceup image as they will reflect your head or what you are wearing.
They look a lot worse in the photograph than in real life because of how close the camera is to the diamond.

With a small tilt of the diamond they are no longer dark and can be areas of scintillation.

This cut of diamond does best in strong office lighting, with white walls where light can bounce off the walls and lit the diamond's crown from lower angles.

In the flower shot the flower may be blocking some of the lower angle light making it look a little worse than it would in most conditions.

 

[Acrata]

You don't need an ASET (especially an already set one) save your money, I've seen photographs of your stone and so many of these 8 main thins.

The ASET will look like this, there may be small nuances from stone to stone with more red or green on the UGFs but they are all basically the same.



I can see why ERD doesn't want Pricescopers to see an ASET, they will compare them to some GOG stones(like AVC or SCHA) and the differences will be obvious.

Hey CCL, I am also looking at a cushion diamond from ERD. How do I know if it is an 8 main thin or something else? Seems like a dumb question, but he sent me an ASET, and it looks totally different from the one you show. I am wondering if it or what you show is a better representation.

 

[ChunkyCushionLover]

You don't need an ASET (especially an already set one) save your money, I've seen photographs of your stone and so many of these 8 main thins.

The ASET will look like this, there may be small nuances from stone to stone with more red or green on the UGFs but they are all basically the same.



I can see why ERD doesn't want Pricescopers to see an ASET, they will compare them to some GOG stones(like AVC or SCHA) and the differences will be obvious.

Hey CCL, I am also looking at a cushion diamond from ERD. How do I know if it is an 8 main thin or something else? Seems like a dumb question, but he sent me an ASET, and it looks totally different from the one you show. I am wondering if it or what you show is a better representation.

Post the GIA certficate and the ASET image and I'll take a look.

 

[Acrata]

Here they are. Thanks!

 

[ChunkyCushionLover]

Its an 8 main vintage not 8 main thin.
See this video top right.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQNw426b1k4&feature=related&fmt=22

ERD ASET setup lighting is terrible and they haven't bothered to fix it for months, so in terms of fine details of LP I can't tell you from the image.

 

[Acrata]

I guess that brings it back to the OP's question. If ERD's ASET is inaccurate, then should I find an appraiser to do one independently? If so, anybody know an appraiser in Manhattan who will do this?

 

[ChunkyCushionLover]

I guess that brings it back to the OP's question. If ERD's ASET is inaccurate, then should I find an appraiser to do one independently? If so, anybody know an appraiser in Manhattan who will do this?

ERD's setup is what it is but what exactly are you trying to judge from the ASET?
Will this have optics like an AVC no certainly not.

Is it a decent generic 8 main cushion? Sure

Really if LP matters that much to you than GOG can get you the same stones from the same supplier and show you all the tests and do comparison videos for you.

If you just want to know you have a decent stone and are going for the most competitive price well then I don't think you will get much better in your spec and price point.

See this video it shows an AVC next to two generic 8 main cushions.

http://www.vimeo.com/15185665

 

[Chatterbox_101]

This has been extremely honest and helpful. Thanks to all who posted. CCL, I hope you come back to PS soon. I heard you stopped posting.

 

[risingsun]

You can also purchase an ASET and use the tutorials to learn how to read them. I have done this with an IS for RB diamonds and find it to be very helpful.