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White Star diamonds?

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gem-newbie

Rough_Rock
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Hi. I have not been to these boards in about a year as we put ring searching on hold for a bit...but we''re back at it now. My wedding is just a month away (we''ve been together several years and the "engagement ring" has been a sapphire with diamonds...but we want the traditional rings before the ceremony) and so time is really of the essence. I''m hoping you guys can help me.

I know it''s highly recommended to stay away from mall shops, but...we went to a few today and liked this ring after viewing several. But now, after refreshing my memory on diamond "smarts" through these boards and pricescope''s guide...now I''m not so sure!

Whitehall jewelers has a diamond they call the "white star". They say it is theirs exclusively and that is has 93 facets precisely cut throughout (versus the traditional 58 facets) which makes the brilliance incredible. it''s in an incredibly sleek, cool setting that raises the stone up...and from the side of the ring shows a neat design and a small stone on each side (front and back...not on the sides.)

The ring is EGL certified, and the price was $2,999 (they said it''s normally twice that...this was sale price.) But when we said that our price range was 2,000-2,500 (or less...if possible!) then they were "able" to get give us an additional discount to $2,600. He''s actually going to see if he can find a ring a "little bit better by Wednesday...VS" and see if he can''t get us a wedding band too...possibly both for the 2600 price.

Here are the only specs I got (and he said that a couple of the specs that are used for most other things...and he showed me that he had rings with those other specs...they aren''t applicable with these rings because of the cut with 93 facets.)

depth 66.0%
table 60%
N/A
N/A
slightly thick to thick - faceted
none

polish good
sym good
SI2
F-G
fluroesence-none

What are your thoughts and advice.
 

quaeritur

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Mar 12, 2004
Messages
1,238
What size?

It really depends on what you want. Your description of the sales tactics really turns me off, personally, but you're the one that has to be comfortable with your purchase.

I'm also not a big fan of what I consider to be "fad" cuts. Adding more facets to a poorly cut diamond isn't really improving the cut. But if it looked good to you, that's what counts. If that's a round brilliant, it seems awfully deep to me, which means it will look smaller than an ideal cut stone of that carat weight. It's too bad you're on such a tight deadline... I suspect you could shop around and find a really stunning stone, probably of much better quality, and for a much better price, with just a little more research.

Oh, and I'd be willing to bet that another vendor could custom make a setting just like that too...
 

gem-newbie

Rough_Rock
Joined
Nov 2, 2003
Messages
15
Ooops. It's a 1/2 carat. .55, I believe.
 

gem-newbie

Rough_Rock
Joined
Nov 2, 2003
Messages
15
quaeritur-
Thanks for your response. Those are both nice stones and they seem to be not only better, but also bigger stones than the one(s) we looked at.

My only concern about buying the stone separate from the mounting online is needing to order the diamond...then have it appraised...then find a setting....then have it mounted, etc. We're just going to run out of time.

I would be nervous ordering online....but I wouldn't rule that out IF we could choose the diamond and the setting and have them make it and ship it to us. (And if you guys told me it was an honest place.)

I went to a site that someone here on the boards has suggested: "dimend SCAASI." You can choose the diamond and setting and they will mount it and ship within 5-7 days. Is anyone familiar with them? Good? Reputable?

Or...and I know most of you are opposed to mall stores...any suggestions of the more reputable ones? I live in the chicago area. There are a couple of "family run" jewelers in the area...but I've always thought that between a "mom&pop" shop and a corporate chain...the price and follow-up (honesty, guarantees, etc.) would be better with the chain. Is my thinking wrong on that? Would any of you go to any of the chain/mall stores?

And...if I don't order online, what/where would be my best best to get a ring from honest, reputable folks....the best ring at my price-range? Is anyone familiar with any places in this area?
 

ame

Super_Ideal_Rock
Joined
Jul 7, 2004
Messages
10,869
Ive heard great things about them. Perhaps get a price from GOG or Whiteflash? That way can meet or beat what you have from DS. You might get a better deal.
 

JohnQuixote

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Sep 9, 2004
Messages
5,212
Newbie - welcome back to PS!

A few minutes invested in calling and getting personal with other vendors could result in as-yet-undiscovered elegant solutions which fit your timeline.

Even if you go with your first option it may give you better peace of mind to have explored other avenues when you make the call (I know it does for me).
 

strmrdr

Super_Ideal_Rock
Joined
Nov 1, 2003
Messages
23,295
goodoldgold.com , whiteflash.com , niceice.com have met some incredibly tight deadlines before and are strait up honest to work with.
You can trust them.

under a tight deadline your best bet is to get on the phone tuesday to them.
If I remember right all three are closed on mondays.

winkjones.com and diamondexpert.com are in the same class but I dont know how fast they can move on stuff.
 

valeria101

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Aug 29, 2003
Messages
15,809
Between 50, 80 and 100 facets on a 5mm stone... who can make a difference?

This is just saying that this is just one brand of rounds with many facets.

All sounds well in your post. Only the discount should not be among your arguments to buy this ring - I wander how many sell when there is no discount if they afford to make such a deep cut
naughty.gif
 

LesleyH

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Aug 28, 2000
Messages
506
strmrdr

Thanks for the recommendation
1.gif


Just want to clarify that we are open Monday - Friday, and we have e-mail coverage all weekend.

LesleyH
www.whiteflash.com
 

strmrdr

Super_Ideal_Rock
Joined
Nov 1, 2003
Messages
23,295
----------------
On 9/12/2004 4:49:03 PM LesleyH wrote:

strmrdr


Thanks for the recommendation
1.gif



Just want to clarify that we are open Monday - Friday, and we have e-mail coverage all weekend.


LesleyH

www.whiteflash.com----------------


woops sorry about that.
 

gem-newbie

Rough_Rock
Joined
Nov 2, 2003
Messages
15
Thank you to all of you offered advice. I think I will take a look at whiteflash and the other ones you mentioned. We're leery about buying a ring online, but if you guys say these places are to be trusted (and I see a lot of happy customers on these boards) then we'll see what they've got.

To Leslie and John at whiteflash, I got your message that you are open on Mondays, but I don't know that I'll be able to do anything Monday. Probably Tuesday. And, as you saw...time will play a factor.

The diamonds that someone posted (sorry...don't remember the name and while I'm typing this I can't see the post) suggested some good diamonds, but we're hoping to stay around 2,000 with the setting. So I'll need to look at stones that are under that, but hopefully something around .50c. That's possible, isn't it?

Thanks again, everyone.
 

gem-newbie

Rough_Rock
Joined
Nov 2, 2003
Messages
15
----------------
On 9/12/2004 4:16:37 PM valeria101 wrote:


Between 50, 80 and 100 facets on a 5mm stone... who can make a difference?

This is just saying that this is just one brand of rounds with many facets.

All sounds well in your post. Only the discount should not be among your arguments to buy this ring - I wander how many sell when there is no discount if they afford to make such a deep cut
naughty.gif



----------------


Valeria-
I'm not quite following what you mean in your post (pasted above). Would you please elaborate? Thanks.
 

nicknomo

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Jun 26, 2004
Messages
197
----------------
On 9/12/2004 2:02:24 AM gem-newbie wrote:

Hi. I have not been to these boards in about a year as we put ring searching on hold for a bit...but we're back at it now. My wedding is just a month away (we've been together several years and the 'engagement ring' has been a sapphire with diamonds...but we want the traditional rings before the ceremony) and so time is really of the essence. I'm hoping you guys can help me.

I know it's highly recommended to stay away from mall shops, but...we went to a few today and liked this ring after viewing several. But now, after refreshing my memory on diamond 'smarts' through these boards and pricescope's guide...now I'm not so sure!

Whitehall jewelers has a diamond they call the 'white star'. They say it is theirs exclusively and that is has 93 facets precisely cut throughout (versus the traditional 58 facets) which makes the brilliance incredible. it's in an incredibly sleek, cool setting that raises the stone up...and from the side of the ring shows a neat design and a small stone on each side (front and back...not on the sides.)

The ring is EGL certified, and the price was $2,999 (they said it's normally twice that...this was sale price.) But when we said that our price range was 2,000-2,500 (or less...if possible!) then they were 'able' to get give us an additional discount to $2,600. He's actually going to see if he can find a ring a 'little bit better by Wednesday...VS' and see if he can't get us a wedding band too...possibly both for the 2600 price.

Here are the only specs I got (and he said that a couple of the specs that are used for most other things...and he showed me that he had rings with those other specs...they aren't applicable with these rings because of the cut with 93 facets.)

depth 66.0%
table 60%
N/A
N/A
slightly thick to thick - faceted
none

polish good
sym good
SI2
F-G
fluroesence-none

What are your thoughts and advice.

----------------


That's a very deep stone for a very high price. You WILL find the best prices online unless you can find a really good jeweler. I went to bluenile, and I am very happy with my purchase.

Of course, if you don't like shopping online, you can still get a bettre price on a better stone if you stay away from the malls.

It seems like you are looking to do this quickly though. In this case, getting a nice stone online, and getting it set from a reputable dealer is the quickest way. I spent 4 months shopping from jeweler to jeweler, and I found very few that knew what they were doing AND weren't trying to rip me off. If you go for a reputable online dealer and get a GIA or an AGS certified diamond, you don't have to worry about getting a loose stone appraisal. Get it set by the online company, and just bring it to the appraiser to make sure the certificate is for the same stone you just bought. You can get your stone in a couple of days, ready to be appraised and ready to be worn.

If you still are very nervous about buying online, take the time to go through the tutorial here. It is very useful and will come in handy when shopping in retail stores. When shopping, you usually want to speak with an actual jeweler instead of a regular sales person. If you sound like you know what you are talking about, and make some mentions about competing prices (online or from another retail store) you will probably get a better price on the ring you are looking at it.
 

lindsal

Shiny_Rock
Joined
May 13, 2004
Messages
215
Gem-newbie

We got my e-ring from Dimend Scassi here in Chicago, and I only have rave reviews about the whole process. We went in kind of know what we wanted, and became more educated when we left. I can't say enough good things about the whole process and the staff there. We had a wonderful experience. We shopped online, and locally at small mom & pops, and in the end decided that Dimemd Scassi combined the best of all worlds for us.

If you are in the Chicago area, I would certainly give them a call and see what they might be able to do for you.
 

Lynn B

Ideal_Rock
Joined
May 9, 2004
Messages
5,609
This is just my (humble) 2 cents... but...

I would rather wait to get a really wonderful and perfect stone, and use cracker jack rings at my wedding ceremony than do a "hurry-up" purchase of something so important that I may regret for a very long time!

Lynn
 

gem-newbie

Rough_Rock
Joined
Nov 2, 2003
Messages
15
Replying to message from Nicknomo which is below:
That's a very deep stone for a very high price. You WILL find the best prices online unless you can find a really good jeweler. I went to bluenile, and I am very happy with my purchase.

Of course, if you don't like shopping online, you can still get a bettre price on a better stone if you stay away from the malls.

It seems like you are looking to do this quickly though. In this case, getting a nice stone online, and getting it set from a reputable dealer is the quickest way. I spent 4 months shopping from jeweler to jeweler, and I found very few that knew what they were doing AND weren't trying to rip me off. If you go for a reputable online dealer and get a GIA or an AGS certified diamond, you don't have to worry about getting a loose stone appraisal. Get it set by the online company, and just bring it to the appraiser to make sure the certificate is for the same stone you just bought. You can get your stone in a couple of days, ready to be appraised and ready to be worn.

If you still are very nervous about buying online, take the time to go through the tutorial here. It is very useful and will come in handy when shopping in retail stores. When shopping, you usually want to speak with an actual jeweler instead of a regular sales person. If you sound like you know what you are talking about, and make some mentions about competing prices (online or from another retail store) you will probably get a better price on the ring you are looking at it.

Nicknomo-
You know, now that I've refreshed my memory on all of the "diamond smarts" it does seem to be outside of the recommended range for the depth and table measures.

Funny, though, the guy at the shop told us that those figures don't mean as much when you go with this exclusive cut because of all the facets. He said it's all of those facets that make this such a beautiful stone.

I must say that of the places we visited in the mall, this guy was the most knowledgable and seemed the most sincere. But I still understand the whole mall thing. And I did think he spent a bit more time with us because we did have some "smarts" when it came to diamonds (although we would have been better had we refreshed our memeory before we went out looking.)

We did print out the tutorial last year...and read through everything we could...and went to many, many places. It's just that we put it all on hold and now, we've been meaning to get out and look for the past few months but due to family and work stuff (and $) just haven't been able to!

I'll send these links and the stones that have been suggested to my fiance and, as you mentioned, it looks like we should be able to choose a stone and setting and have it done by the online company.

I'll keep checking for new posts here (so any and all advice/comments is appreciated!) and I'll be sure to post again when we do actually buy.
 

gem-newbie

Rough_Rock
Joined
Nov 2, 2003
Messages
15
----------------
On 9/14/2004 5:47:32 PM lindsal wrote:

Gem-newbie

We got my e-ring from Dimend Scassi here in Chicago, and I only have rave reviews about the whole process. We went in kind of know what we wanted, and became more educated when we left. I can't say enough good things about the whole process and the staff there. We had a wonderful experience. We shopped online, and locally at small mom & pops, and in the end decided that Dimemd Scassi combined the best of all worlds for us.

If you are in the Chicago area, I would certainly give them a call and see what they might be able to do for you.

----------------


lindsal-
We DO live in the Chicago area! And the place that you mentioned was a place that I looked at online! So thanks for that suggestion. I think maybe we'll check them out as well as the other online places mentioned.

ALTHOUGH - my fiance DOES like to just find a place/person...and then deal with that one person. I'm the one who always has to go to a million places before making a purchase on anything!
1.gif


So...out of all of these places mentioned (and I have browsed...seen some beautiful stones...AND some nice settings) who are the reputable ones with the best turnaround times? Any more suggestions (or "seconds" on any of the suggestions already made?)
 

gem-newbie

Rough_Rock
Joined
Nov 2, 2003
Messages
15
----------------
On 9/14/2004 9:48:59 PM Lynn B wrote:

This is just my (humble) 2 cents... but...

I would rather wait to get a really wonderful and perfect stone, and use cracker jack rings at my wedding ceremony than do a 'hurry-up' purchase of something so important that I may regret for a very long time!

Lynn----------------


Lynn-
I do understand what you're saying, but we want the nice ring. We spent a lot of time about a year ago "window shopping" and collecting info and learning about diamonds. Then, as I said, we had to put everything on hold. Now...it's like the fantasy of the whole wedding/marriage is finally coming true. We've been together a long time and this is VERY special to us. Giving me a nice diamond ring means a lot to my fiance (I've worn a sapphire/diamond for years on that finger), and I can't even begin to tell you how special of a moment it will be when he can put one on my finger.

So, I appreciate that advice...but we are going to try and do the best we can in the short amount of time we have....and hope that we work with the most trustworthy people!
1.gif
Thanks!
 

quaeritur

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Mar 12, 2004
Messages
1,238
----------------
On 9/14/2004 11:37:12 PM gem-newbie wrote:

----------------



So...out of all of these places mentioned (and I have browsed...seen some beautiful stones...AND some nice settings) who are the reputable ones with the best turnaround times? Any more suggestions (or 'seconds' on any of the suggestions already made?)----------------


I'd suggest calling a few, because their turnaround times may depend on their current load. Even the vendors that are known for quick turnarounds may not be able to do it right now. Talk to a couple, see if they have what you're looking for, and if they can match your timeframe. If you have lingering doubts, you can always run a search here on PS for the vendor and see how the feedback looks
1.gif
.
 

nicknomo

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Jun 26, 2004
Messages
197
gem-newbie,

I have a whitehall jeweler near me, so I am interested in taking a look at this type of diamond. I've never seen a diamond with that number of facets, but I can imagine it would provide a bit more scintillation. I'm pretty curious now as to how it looks...

Of course if you really like the look of this, then go for it. Just make sure the EGL certification is EGL USA... In the beginning I saw a bit of EGL foreign stones, and they were noticeably off the mark on the grading...

I think anyone would agree here, that if you see something that you like, and you've looked around a bit then that's all you need to know. I think pricescope does a good job of turning diamond selection into something more scientific and quantifiable, but even so the beauty of a diamond will still always be somewhat subjective. Really, if you think it's beautiful, then that's all that matters.

Good luck!
wavey.gif
 

gem-newbie

Rough_Rock
Joined
Nov 2, 2003
Messages
15
----------------
On 9/15/2004 1:17:25 AM quaeritur wrote:

----------------
On 9/14/2004 11:37:12 PM gem-newbie wrote:

----------------



So...out of all of these places mentioned (and I have browsed...seen some beautiful stones...AND some nice settings) who are the reputable ones with the best turnaround times? Any more suggestions (or 'seconds' on any of the suggestions already made?)----------------


I'd suggest calling a few, because their turnaround times may depend on their current load. Even the vendors that are known for quick turnarounds may not be able to do it right now. Talk to a couple, see if they have what you're looking for, and if they can match your timeframe. If you have lingering doubts, you can always run a search here on PS for the vendor and see how the feedback looks
1.gif
.
----------------


Thanks quaeritur-
I guess that's what my S.O. is going to do. He's been tied up with work, so I think he said he's going to spend time Thursday and Friday checking out stuff online and making calls. He (or we) may also try to get to that place in the city (Chicago).
 

gem-newbie

Rough_Rock
Joined
Nov 2, 2003
Messages
15
----------------
On 9/15/2004 5:27:25 PM nicknomo wrote:

gem-newbie,

I have a whitehall jeweler near me, so I am interested in taking a look at this type of diamond. I've never seen a diamond with that number of facets, but I can imagine it would provide a bit more scintillation. I'm pretty curious now as to how it looks...

Of course if you really like the look of this, then go for it. Just make sure the EGL certification is EGL USA... In the beginning I saw a bit of EGL foreign stones, and they were noticeably off the mark on the grading...

I think anyone would agree here, that if you see something that you like, and you've looked around a bit then that's all you need to know. I think pricescope does a good job of turning diamond selection into something more scientific and quantifiable, but even so the beauty of a diamond will still always be somewhat subjective. Really, if you think it's beautiful, then that's all that matters.

Good luck!
wavey.gif
----------------


nicknomo-
PLEASE DO! I would love for you (or anyone here) to go to Whitehall and check out this "whitestar" diamond....and give us their expert opinions.

The cert is EGL USA. My fiance decided not to go there tonight as he had planned. I think he may be leaning toward buying online or shopping in the city.

Please post after you've checked out the whitestar. I'm VERY curious to get some of your thoughts.

And, hey-check this out: if you buy one you get a star named after you..and your name is registered in the international star registry! Cool? Bait? Weird? Stupid?
 
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