Which Whiteflash halo to Australia?

[bekz33]

Hi everyone,

First post... I am hopeful that I will be engaged this year and am in the process of deciding which setting I like best I have narrowed it down to three on whiteflash and would appreciate any input from members who have one of these settings or know of someone that does. Are they of high quality? As I'm located in Australia I am unable to view in person!

My favourites are:
Whiteflash Guinevere Pave
Whiteflash Guinevere Solitaire
Ritani (on whiteflash site) French set cushion halo

I have size 4.5-4.75 finger so want it to be petite in appearance. I would also prefer the more 'cushion' shaped halo as seen in the Ritani as opposed to the more 'square' appearance of the Guinevere pave - but please correct me if this is not the case!

I am sticking to whiteflash based on all the posts I have read on PS so far - they seem reliable with excellent customer service and diamonds. Also the fact I'm in Australia, it seems more sensible/convenient to buy the setting and diamond from the same vendor.

Lastly, has anyone in Australia had any recent experience (in 2015-2016) purchasing from whiteflash and did they find it to be better value for money (after duty etc and compared to prices here)??

Thank you in advance

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I think the Ritani is hard to beat for the price. I haven't specifically seen that halo setting, but I have seen other Ritani settings in person and thought they were very nice. So that would be my vote! I really like the round in a cushion halo, too!

 

[bekz33]

Thank you for your input!

 

[laurenk]

Hi! I'm a fellow Aussie and whilst I havnt bought from the US yet, I have a stone on hold with JBG. Anyway, you should be able to be exempt from the duty but will still be charged Gst (I think this is how it works.....) loose diamonds I beleive are duty free anyway.... It's quite confusing but there are posts on here about all that.

The US dollar is awful at moment so I did consider having my diamknd set in Australia to lessen the Gst and save money with the exchange rate but not buying a setting - having it set - on America.

Whiteflash I'm sure has posted to Australia plenty of times.

I'll have a look at your proposed settings soon!!

 

[laurenk]

What size centre stone are you hoping for? Cushion? Just be mindful of the size of the stones in the halo itself - these can underwhelm or overwhelm so it should be proportionate to you centre. Dimensions are so important. What part of oz are you in?

 

[GeorgieQ]

Hi bekz33 - I'm in Australia and bought from Whiteflash in late 2014, just before the Aussie dollar really nose dived I couldn't say if I could of bought the same ring here for similar dollars because I didn't look - the reason why I went with WF was because of their ACA diamonds which you definitely can't get here. These diamonds are outstanding! WF were absolutely fantastic to deal with - it's always a bit worrying spending so much money over the internet from the other side of the world, but I found WF's service to be impeccable, they really know how to look after their customers. I guess all you can really do price wise is find a reputable jeweller here in Australia get them to quote for you (obviously check out the quality of their workmanship, some other Aussie PS'ers may be able to advise there) and compare with WF's, factoring in the USD to AUD conversion plus gst. The only downside to buying from the States is if you need the ring resized etc, you may need to send it back if you want to retain the warranty. My dream is to buy an AVC or AVR from GOG and to be honest I don't care what the Aussie dollar is doing when it comes time to buy because I know I can't get anything like it here! Best of luck bekz33, looking forward to seeing how it all turns out

 

[bekz33]

Hi laurenk,

Thank you for your advice! Yes I'm aware of how poorly the exchange rate is at the moment which is why I'm not sure if it'd be worth it.. But I feel much more comfortable with the quality I would be getting from the likes of WF compared to a store here. However it would probably be easier in the long run to purchase here (maintenance etc)..
I'm in Sydney so there are tonnes of choices in stores. I know a few people who have been to GSDiamonds, Larsens etc but their stones just don't sparkle like like WF and I'm worried that their ideal cuts would have a huge pricetag! I should really find out for comparison sake.
My centre stone would likely be around 0.7-0.9ct so I would only want a very delicate halo around it. Have you seen many like this?

Cheers

 

[bekz33]

Hi!
Yes the ACA stones look gorgeous and now I know about them I don't think anything would match up Of the diamonds I've seen in person (all from Sydney) none of them have made me go "wow that sparkles" - which is what I would expect to think if it was cut well...?
I have a right hand ring already so sizing wouldn't be too much of a drama (hopefully).
Do you have a picture of your ACA? Would love to see!
Yes that's a good idea I think I will have to do a few comparisons with local stores.. Although not sure how I will know if the craftsmanship is any good as I haven't seen a lot of high quality jewelery..

 

[bekz33]

P.s. So in your opinion we can't get our hands on ACA standard diamonds here at all? Or do they just come with an extravagant price tag?? If that's the case then I know where I'll be buying my diamonds I want to have something that stands out from the crowd!

 

[GlamMosher]

I have seen that Acinom has sent a stone to Alistair Kelsey Jewellery in NSW for setting. She is pretty particular so maybe see what his prices are?

His website is http://www.alistairkelsey.com/ and he has a fb also.

 

[GeorgieQ]

The reason I went with WF' ACA's was because when it comes to diamonds I'm pretty clueless in terms of knowing what to ask/look for. For me the ACA's were fool proof the ring I purchased was a 5 stone 1ctw so really pretty small by PS standards but for a rhr it was exactly what I wanted. I've seriously had so many comments on this ring and its because the diamonds are little fireballs! You can get fantastic quality diamonds here as well, you just need to know your stuff - which is why I went with WF, it took all the hard work and risk out of the equation There are some very experienced Aussie PS'ers who can hopefully chime in and help you out

 

[bekz33]

I have seen that Acinom has sent a stone to Alistair Kelsey Jewellery in NSW for setting. She is pretty particular so maybe see what his prices are?

His website is http://www.alistairkelsey.com/ and he has a fb also.

Thank you I will look into it!

 

[bekz33]

The reason I went with WF' ACA's was because when it comes to diamonds I'm pretty clueless in terms of knowing what to ask/look for. For me the ACA's were fool proof the ring I purchased was a 5 stone 1ctw so really pretty small by PS standards but for a rhr it was exactly what I wanted. I've seriously had so many comments on this ring and its because the diamonds are little fireballs! You can get fantastic quality diamonds here as well, you just need to know your stuff - which is why I went with WF, it took all the hard work and risk out of the equation There are some very experienced Aussie PS'ers who can hopefully chime in and help you out

This is precisely why I would choose diamonds from places such as WF. I think if I tried to find something here of a similar standard I would end up getting frustrated and feel pressured to buy the first one I liked.
Thank you for your input GeorgieQ, hopefully someone has one of those settings already and can give me some insight.

 

[gr8leo87]

Hi! I'm a fellow Aussie and whilst I havnt bought from the US yet, I have a stone on hold with JBG. Anyway, you should be able to be exempt from the duty but will still be charged Gst (I think this is how it works.....) loose diamonds I beleive are duty free anyway.... It's quite confusing but there are posts on here about all that.

The US dollar is awful at moment so I did consider having my diamknd set in Australia to lessen the Gst and save money with the exchange rate but not buying a setting - having it set - on America.

Whiteflash I'm sure has posted to Australia plenty of times.

I'll have a look at your proposed settings soon!!

10% GST is still applicable on diamonds on import (despite of it being duty free unmounted).

Goods coming in from the USA are duty free given that you get the paper work right. And classify jewellery in the right HS code. The HS code for jewellery is 7113.19.00.

Otherwise it's a 5% duty and GST is applied on top of it.

 

[ADN]

P.s. So in your opinion we can't get our hands on ACA standard diamonds here at all? Or do they just come with an extravagant price tag?? If that's the case then I know where I'll be buying my diamonds I want to have something that stands out from the crowd!

Hi bekz33 - Most Aus B&M shops (or American) won't carry stones cut this precisely for one simple reason...supply and demand - if there was more demand they'd be allot more common. And like I'm sure a lot of regular PS members can verify, there are a lot of people out there that either don't care this much about cut, are willing to sacrifice cut in favour of boosting other diamond grade(s), or simply just don't know about the important role that cut plays in a stones performance...
Yes they're premium stones, but they are definitely out there, & I think you'll find (with a bit of searching) that you can get what you're looking for locally...without the premium (or as you have put it...extravagant ) price tag...you'll just need to search out/ask the right dealers.
Regardless of whether you get it overseas or locally, good luck with it all.
Hope this helps

 

[AdaBeta27]

I prefer the Ritani over those other two settings.

 

[bekz33]

P.s. So in your opinion we can't get our hands on ACA standard diamonds here at all? Or do they just come with an extravagant price tag?? If that's the case then I know where I'll be buying my diamonds I want to have something that stands out from the crowd!

Hi bekz33 - Most Aus B&M shops (or American) won't carry stones cut this precisely for one simple reason...supply and demand - if there was more demand they'd be allot more common. And like I'm sure a lot of regular PS members can verify, there are a lot of people out there that either don't care this much about cut, are willing to sacrifice cut in favour of boosting other diamond grade(s), or simply just don't know about the important role that cut plays in a stones performance...
Yes they're premium stones, but they are definitely out there, & I think you'll find (with a bit of searching) that you can get what you're looking for locally...without the premium (or as you have put it...extravagant ) price tag...you'll just need to search out/ask the right dealers.
Regardless of whether you get it overseas or locally, good luck with it all.
Hope this helps

Hi,
Thank you for your insight - I didn't realize they didn't get the demand for those stones over here. I guess my problem is I wouldn't know where to start in finding such a well cut stone in Sydney, would I just provide the specs I was after to any reputable dealer and let them search for me?
Cheers

 

[bekz33]

I prefer the Ritani over those other two settings.

Any particular reason?

 

[bekz33]

Hi ADN,

Had to update my computer and it has reset to American and since I've got night shift brain so didn't even notice it! I'm actually a kiwi in Sydney!
Many thanks for your guidance, will keep you posted with any updates.