WhiteFlash ERingSetting Quality

[DiamondNewb1]

Hi All -

I'm shopping for an engagement ring and have been attempting to get up to speed over the past few weeks. (Thanks to many of the users' advice here, as it has been very helpful in that regard!)

I've settled on what I think may be a strong contender for a diamond at Whiteflash. Could you please let me know your thoughts on the following ACA diamond?

https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3872121.htm

Any other suggestions? Looking to stay at H color/VS2 as close to 2 carat as possible (~$20k diamond budget) with the best cut possible.

I'm also curious about the quality of Whiteflash's settings. The gf wants a pave setting with a cathedral that is similar to Tiffany's round Novo setting. There are a couple of settings by Vatche on the site that seem to hit the marks:

https://www.whiteflash.com/engageme...dy-diamond-engagement-ring-by-vatche-1660.htm

https://www.whiteflash.com/engageme...vatche-saran-diamond-engagement-ring-2549.htm

Thoughts on these ring options and, more generally, on the quality of Whiteflash's work? I would like to purchase online, if possible, to save money, but not at the expense of purchasing a substandard ring.

Thanks.

 

[HappyNewLife]

WF doesn't "do" substandard, you are in good hands. I'd personally drop down to I/VS2 in an ACA and go bigger. I have an I ACA and it is WHITE in nearly all lighting conditions. Both those Vatche settings are beautiful, but I personally prefer 6 prongs. Just my personal preference

 

[DiamondNewb1]

Thanks very much for the response, HappyNewLife. Glad to hear that WF does excellent work.

If I decide to drop down to an I, would an eyeclean SI1 ACA I still look great? I noticed this one, which is stretching the budget a big but obviously a much bigger rock:

https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3701014.htm

 

[starrylight]

I would caution that the melody setting is narrower than is generally considered advisable.
I personally like the Vatche 1005 setting:
http://www.dvatche.com/index.php?page=collection&search=1005&id=289

 

[metall]

Personally of the two settings you've chosen, I like the Saran better. I think that the curve of the basket is more appealing to me.

 

[newjourney]

We have matching Sleek Legato engagement and wedding rings from WF, but due to budget constraint we had to order them at separate time. When we placed the order for the wedding ring, we sent in the e-ring for reference. Both rings looked great when we received them, however a closer inspection revealed a distinct difference in the channel width containing the melee diamonds with one of the melees on the wedding band visibly set lower than its neighbors. WF was very responsive and accommodating so we sent both rings in for adjustments plus a resize (e-ring again serving as a reference). When we received the rings soon afterwards, the channel width issue was resolved and both bands finally matched very well -- they did a seamless job on this. Sadly, the sunken melee was still sitting a bit low. It's slightly better than before, but still reflects light differently than its neighbors.

We decided to enjoy the rings and not pursue fixing the sunken melee further since it's no longer as obvious as before. We have discerning eyes when it comes to craftsmanship, but have come to accept the human components in these kinds of hand work. We did our due diligence when searching for a vendor and still believe we made the right choice to go with WF. Our case may be an outlier among all the beautiful work that WF have done for their loyal customers. They stand behind their work and this is very important.

This may not apply to you but if you're planning to have a matching set from any vendor, it may be wise to purchase both rings at the same time.

 

[tyty333]

Thanks very much for the response, HappyNewLife. Glad to hear that WF does excellent work.

If I decide to drop down to an I, would an eyeclean SI1 ACA I still look great? I noticed this one, which is stretching the budget a big but obviously a much bigger rock:

https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3701014.htm

Love this I and the extra size you gained!

...have you looked at HappyNewLifes thread on her "I" colored ACA?
https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/2-937-carat-whiteflash-aca.235381/

I like this setting below and the saran.
https://www.whiteflash.com/engageme...eek-line-pave-diamond-engagement-ring-422.htm

 

[DiamondNewb1]

Thanks everyone for your input. Much appreciated.

My big concern in going to a lower color grade is the difference in brightness. Assuming all else is equal in these photos, it looks (to my eye, at least) as though the H color diamond is brighter/whiter, even face-up:

Smaller H diamond:



Larger I diamond:



Thoughts?

 

[DiamondNewb1]

Sorry for some reason I couldn't copy the H diamond picture to that post. Here is the H:

 

[HappyNewLife]

Thanks very much for the response, HappyNewLife. Glad to hear that WF does excellent work.

If I decide to drop down to an I, would an eyeclean SI1 ACA I still look great? I noticed this one, which is stretching the budget a big but obviously a much bigger rock:

https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3701014.htm

Everyone is different in what they like, but I can tell you that my I/VS2 ACA is bright, white and HUGE lol. I can't take a decent photo to save my life, but you can see photos of it if you click on my posts. I vote for BIGGER ACA!

 

[HappyNewLife]

Love this I and the extra size you gained!

...have you looked at HappyNewLifes thread on her "I" colored ACA?
https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/2-937-carat-whiteflash-aca.235381/

I like this setting below and the saran.
https://www.whiteflash.com/engageme...eek-line-pave-diamond-engagement-ring-422.htm

ahhh, thank you!

Also, I have to say, the diamond looks better and brighter/whiter in real life than in the photos. I SUCK at capturing what I see with my eyes.

 

[tyty333]

Call WF and inquire about the two...ask about the difference in brightness between the two and the difference in color. See if they can help you
decide (one way or the other)...they will be honest with you. They might be able to do a side-by-side photo for you???

 

[DiamondNewb1]

Call WF and inquire about the two...ask about the difference in brightness between the two and the difference in color. See if they can help you
decide (one way or the other)...they will be honest with you. They might be able to do a side-by-side photo for you???

Thanks for the advice, tyty. Whiteflash sent me the photos below. Both diamonds look great, although I do think the smaller one is slightly better cut (to my untrained eye, at least). That said, I can't detect any difference in color between the H and the I viewed from the side. Can anyone else?

 

[HappyNewLife]

it might just be a funky picture, they're both ideal cut. My vote is for THE BIG ONE

 

[BlingDreams]

I think they both look great, so I’d vote for the larger one

 

[tyty333]

They are both Branded Super Ideal cuts so they will both be bright (reflect light very well). There is a difference between brightness and color which
I think you might be trying to combine or confuse. Usually, with stones that are cut really well (like ACAs) you cant really see the color from the top...you may*
be able to see a slight tint from the side. I personally cant see the color difference in the pictures but I'm not very color sensitive.

I know this was mentioned before but people will definitely notice the size over the H/I color difference. If it were me I would definitely prefer the larger
stone.

Here is the relative size on a size 6 finger...

 

[foxinsox]

Goodness! if it's a choice between 1.85 and 2.61 (and that SI1 is eyeclean and looks super white from what I can see) I would take that larger one in a heartbeat cos it's such a big gain in size. I will not be remotely yellow.
How are you planning to set it? How big is the finger it'll be going on? What sort of job/lifestyle does the wearer have in terms of whether bigger or smaller would be better. What are her friends and family's engagement rings like?
Now is a good time to have a chat to your gf and see what her preference is.

 

[DiamondNewb1]

Thanks everyone for your input. Is the difference that appreciable? I suppose it is looking at the pics . . .

Her finger is a 6.5 I'm planning to set it in a platinum pave cathedral setting. She wants something similar to the Tiffany Novo setting. She works with high net worth individuals quite a bit so that size wouldn't look terribly out of place. I'd say her friends and family's are in the 1.5-2 carat range, so this one would probably be the biggest by a bit.

Does the larger stone really look eyeclean to everyone? Can I trust Whiteflash on its representation that it is, i fact, eyeclean?

 

[ringo865]

I would definitely pick the bigger I stone.

The H is not cut better, these are both cream of the crop super presision cut stones. If you can't tell the color from the top (and you said you can't tell from the side) get the one that is 24% larger. !!

 

[liaerfbv]

WF can't tell you what your vision is like. Some people can spot any imperfection 12in away. Their representation that a stone is eye clean is that the stone is eye clean in average conditions. It looks eye clean in all the pictures.

 

[jadesilver]

I would just get the bigger stone without thinking about it (actually I’ve spent quite a lot of time thinking about it and I would definitely sacrifice clarity as long as the inclusions aren’t black).

It honestly looks eyeclean to me, but it really depends on whether you and your wife are the kind of person who is particularly going to look for inclusions and be bothered by them. Majority of average ring-wearers in the world would be more thrilled by a larger size and thrilled by how sparkly it is. I would let her pick if you are worried about which she’d like.

 

[HappyNewLife]

their return policy is great, so I'd GO BIG, inspect it and decide then whether the diamond is suitable.

I have only seen one post on PS where someone said their diamond was too big and they wanted to downsize. What would probably happen is you receive the 2.6, your eyes bug out for a day, the diamond shrinks to your eyes and you think to yourself "so glad I went big"

My 2.937 I ACA looked like a freaking snowglobe when it arrived. For maybe 13 seconds I was like "did I make a mistake? is this too big?" That feeling passed by second 14, and by the next day I was so glad I went big because it shrunk considerably to my eyes. Now I'm thinking "I could rock 4 carats" (this was my last upgrade, so that's not happening, lol).

GO BIG!!!

 

[unsettled]

I am another vote for the bigger stone.

 

[cflutist]

Thanks for the advice, tyty. Whiteflash sent me the photos below. Both diamonds look great, although I do think the smaller one is slightly better cut (to my untrained eye, at least). That said, I can't detect any difference in color between the H and the I viewed from the side. Can anyone else?

Yes, the I on the right has slightly more tint to it from someone who has the curse of color sensitivity.

 

[SimoneDi]

It’s a no brainer between these two - definitely go with the larger I/SI1! What a beautiful diamond! The color difference is very minimal, I would call it pretty insignificant as that I colored diamond looks like a high I. On the other hand, the size difference is very noticeable!

 

[KKJohnson]

My vote is for the I as well, I don’t think you will be unhappy with it

 

[lalala]

Go BIG

 

[DiamondNewb1]

Thanks everyone for your replies!

My gf and I took a look this weekend at a few diamonds at Tiffany's (just so I could get a sense as to what size diamond she preferred), and she tried on both a 2.5 carat and a 1.8 carat diamond. She felt that the larger diamond was too big and "flashy" for her, so I think the smaller diamond is the way to go (particularly since it "punches above its weight" a bit, since it is a shallower diamond and 8mm in diameter, which is close to a 2 carat diamond).

I intend to get it with the Vatche U-113 setting and then add a Tiffany pave wedding band down the road. In discussing the setting with Whiteflash, they told me that Vatche will send the setting to Whiteflash, and then Whiteflash (rather than Vatche) will set it and ship it to me. I had thought for some reason that Vatche would set the diamond - should I be concerned about Whiteflash's ability to set it properly in the U-113 setting? Do they really do good work, particularly with another entity's settings?

Thanks again.

 

[KKJohnson]

Thanks everyone for your replies!

My gf and I took a look this weekend at a few diamonds at Tiffany's (just so I could get a sense as to what size diamond she preferred), and she tried on both a 2.5 carat and a 1.8 carat diamond. She felt that the larger diamond was too big and "flashy" for her, so I think the smaller diamond is the way to go (particularly since it "punches above its weight" a bit, since it is a shallower diamond and 8mm in diameter, which is close to a 2 carat diamond).

I intend to get it with the Vatche U-113 setting and then add a Tiffany pave wedding band down the road. In discussing the setting with Whiteflash, they told me that Vatche will send the setting to Whiteflash, and then Whiteflash (rather than Vatche) will set it and ship it to me. I had thought for some reason that Vatche would set the diamond - should I be concerned about Whiteflash's ability to set it properly in the U-113 setting? Do they really do good work, particularly with another entity's settings?

Thanks again.

You dont need to have any concern's over WF setting the stone. They are vendor for Vatche so there wont be any issues

 

[DiamondNewb1]

You dont need to have any concern's over WF setting the stone. They are vendor for Vatche so there wont be any issues

Thanks, KK.

Does anyone see any issue with the dimensions? I know it's an ACA diamond so I would expect none, but I ran it through the HCA calculator and got an 0.8. Based on some cursory reading of the board, it appears that there "can" be issues with diamonds with HCA scores <1. I don't expect that to be the case here, but wanted to confirm that no one sees an obvious issue with the proportions of this stone.

DIAMOND SPECIFICATIONS
Depth % 60.3
Table % 56.5
Crown Angle 34.2
Star 53.0
Pavilion Angle 40.7
Crown % 14.8
Lower Girdle % 77.0