withbrilliance.com

[oobiecoo]

Has anyone purchased from this company before? I''ve only seen them mentioned maybe once on this site. I think I''ve talked hubby into some nice studs for Christmas (SQUEEEEE!!!) and I''d really like some .5 ctw for $600 or less. Over 600 is NOT an option so Whiteflash is out unless they can do some custom .4 ctw maybe for that price... I don''t know if they do custom that small though. Blue Nile has some in both the basket and bezel settings ( i like both) for $600 but withbrilliance.com is under $600 and looks to have a better cut. Any help is appreciated

 

[Kelli]

I bought the diamond from my engagement ring from them. They were nice to deal with and shipped quickly. I did regret my decision soon after my purchase (but unfortunately not soon enough to be within my return period) but that was my own fault. I trusted GIA''s excellent cut grading and ended up with a very steep and deep diamond with a visible ring of leakage under the table. But again, that was not their fault.

I do think though, that the only way I''d buy from them again is if they had AGS 0 diamonds (which they might, I''m not sure). They don''t provide enough information on their website to make a really educated decision on cut and I just WILL not buy a GIA diamond again without more information. Actually I might not period, just on the principle that my "excellent cut" was really not very good, and AGS has a much better cut grading system.

Once again though, none of these things were their fault. They did sell me exactly what I paid for and were nice to deal with. They don''t seem to EVER answer emails, but they were easy to get ahold of on the phone. And what made me buy from them is that I LOVED their prices. On the flip side to that, I paid a very low price at brilliance, but now am having Whiteflash recut my stone and send it to AGS to certify it. I totally understand the price difference now. I feel that with whiteflash you are SURE to get the most beautifully cut diamonds. I also feel that it could be more hit or miss at brilliance because most of their stones are GIA graded (at least they were then) and they don''t have the incredible staff that WF has to advise you on what you''re buying. I would (and will) personally go with WF for my .5 cttw studs because light performance and sparkle mean everything to me, including the extra $200 I will pay. But a lot of people would argue that they are just earrings, not an engagement ring, so the extra $200 might not be worth it. Only you could really make that call for yourself.

ANYWAY---- sorry to have rambled on like that, I hope it was at least a little bit helpful. Keep everyone posted on whichever you choose, I''ll be interested to hear what you end up with, especially if your brilliance ones turn out to be really nice! Good luck either way

 

[oobiecoo]

Thank you so much for your honest review. I know that the cut at Blue Nile is at least "good" and the withbrilliance.com ones claim to be excellent... I guess there''s no way to know for sure though. My ering is an asscher so I''ve never seen firsthand the difference between different cuts of round stones so I don''t really know if I''ll miss having perfectly cut earrings or not. *sigh* Maybe I''ll just go with Whiteflash and secretly add in the extra money without DH knowing

 

[Kelli]

That could work

Or.... I have NO idea how this would work pricing wise, but how do you feel about color? If you''re super-color sensitive then totally ignore me. But if you''re not, why not consider them in a lower color? Their ready-set-to-go studs are H color. For me, having an I color ering, I don''t care much about "colorless" as long as they don''t look yellow and they are super sparkly. Many people here have J colored studs, and there was just recently a thread with BEAUTIFUL K studs that faced up perfectly white. And I''m pretty sure they were bigger than the size you (we) want. Considering bigger stones show color much more than smaller ones, we might be perfectly safe going with Js or Ks. Those, I would think, would be at least somewhat less expensive than Hs in the same size. Maybe even Is would.

I''m actually hoping for a pair of studs for Christmas myself, but like you, think that $800 is a lot to spend. I had considered going smaller, since I am not willing to sacrfice on cut, but then wondered about the color thing after seeing so many gorgeous Js and Ks. I am dealing with WF right now about recutting my Ering and their staff is WONDERFUL!!! Maybe I could send them an email and ask about the studs.