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Yet Another Newbie

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Icestar

Rough_Rock
Joined
Oct 26, 2006
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This is my first post, thought I have been surfing this site for a while now. It is really a great forum and I am appreciative of all the information people share.

I am planning to propose to my wonderful girlfriend sometime this holiday season (not exactly sure when, but i want to go ahead and make my purchase and be prepared). Thus, I am in the market for a stone and setting. I know that she really likes the Harry Winston type setting with the baguets on the side. This seems pretty common and I am sure that it should not be hard to find or too hard to duplicate. I may try to find a local jeweler that I like or, based on what I have seen on this site, may try to go see Pearlman since it is only a couple hours away.

Now to the stone. My girlfriend and I value quality over anything else, so while i of course would love to buy a huge diamond, a superior cut is mandatory, as is a good color and clarity (please note that I said good, not perfect - I would think that an F or G would be good and a VS1 or VS2 would as well). FYI, my budget is approximately 30K for the ring. I have been looking on Good old Gold and Whiteflash and it looks like they have many great options. I am going to call and speak with sales representatives likely next week, but would love to get some advice on how to best pick among stones that seem to be so similar. If anyone has a diamond in mind that is in the price range that they think would be great, by all means I would love to have that passed along. I am going to continue reading this site and the myriad of information it provides, but any initial suggestions would be great. In this price range, would you consider looking at 8* or Kaplan diamonds or any other brand, or is understood that Good old Gold and Whiteflash are every bit as good?

Also, I have a few basic quiestions. Why does Whiteflash not use GIA? Is AGS more leniant on color? Also, out of curiosity, has anyone ever seen ACA from Whiteflash that was not impressive. The question of course being, if you buy ACA are you guaranteed to get a great diamond?
 
Date: 10/26/2006 7:17:50 PM
Author:Icestar
This is my first post, thought I have been surfing this site for a while now. It is really a great forum and I am appreciative of all the information people share.

I am planning to propose to my wonderful girlfriend sometime this holiday season (not exactly sure when, but i want to go ahead and make my purchase and be prepared). Thus, I am in the market for a stone and setting. I know that she really likes the Harry Winston type setting with the baguets on the side. This seems pretty common and I am sure that it should not be hard to find or too hard to duplicate. I may try to find a local jeweler that I like or, based on what I have seen on this site, may try to go see Pearlman since it is only a couple hours away.

Now to the stone. My girlfriend and I value quality over anything else, so while i of course would love to buy a huge diamond, a superior cut is mandatory, as is a good color and clarity (please note that I said good, not perfect - I would think that an F or G would be good and a VS1 or VS2 would as well). FYI, my budget is approximately 30K for the ring. I have been looking on Good old Gold and Whiteflash and it looks like they have many great options. I am going to call and speak with sales representatives likely next week, but would love to get some advice on how to best pick among stones that seem to be so similar. If anyone has a diamond in mind that is in the price range that they think would be great, by all means I would love to have that passed along. I am going to continue reading this site and the myriad of information it provides, but any initial suggestions would be great. In this price range, would you consider looking at 8* or Kaplan diamonds or any other brand, or is understood that Good old Gold and Whiteflash are every bit as good?

ABSOLUTELY EVERY BIT AS GOOD! Didn''t mean to yell, sorry.

Also, I have a few basic quiestions. Why does Whiteflash not use GIA? Is AGS more leniant on color? Also, out of curiosity, has anyone ever seen ACA from Whiteflash that was not impressive. The question of course being, if you buy ACA are you guaranteed to get a great diamond?
Click to expand...
They only use AGS on their ACAs. I don''t know if there is such a thing as a bad or mediocre ACA. If there is, we have not see it here. If it was even just mediocre as far as cut, it would not make Brian the Cutter''s standard for H&A diamonds. HTh

shay
 
I can honestly tell you that if I had unlimited money, I''d still buy diamonds from Good Old Gold and WhiteFlash! Yes, they are outstanding diamonds! You have a wonderful budget and can certainly get a well cut, high color and clarity diamond. WF chooses to send their diamonds to AGS because I believe they feel AGS has stricter standards than GIA. But there are excellent diamonds graded by both AGS and GIA, so you can be in good hands with either, as long as you know ideal proportions. Of course, GOG does that for you with their GIA stones.

I will mention that Good Old Gold carries Vatche settings, and they make a gorgeous HW baguette reproduction. I''ll find a picture of one that belongs to a PS member for you in a minute.
 
When checking out stones that seem similar, a great tip is to lean towards the ones that seem more "alive" than the others when looked at side-by-side. What sparkles more, has more fire and intensity. An excellent stone will have a life of its own and shine like no other.

For fun, my fiance and I went to a local jewelry store and sat with their gemologist who brought out a bunch of stones for me to look at (we went in to check out wedding bands for him, but then somehow got sidetracked...). I remember seeing diamonds that looked duller and not as vibrant. Others were amazing.

What shape are you leaning towards?
 
I should have mentioned that I am looking for a round brilliant cut.

I saw that Vatache setting on Good old Gold''s website - it looks great. Though the one thing I don''t love about it is the ridge of platinum that sticks up at the edge of the baguet.
 
If you want HW style, Leon Mege is, IMO, definitely the way to go.
 
Date: 10/26/2006 9:11:36 PM
Author: JulieN
If you want HW style, Leon Mege is, IMO, definitely the way to go.
Click to expand...


ditto. you can check out his work at www.artofplatinum.com


also, a visit to Pearlmans is a great idea too. I love going into his store and end up staying way longer than I plan to each time I go.
 
Here''s the Vatche ring set with a 1.63 stone:

asscherisme1.jpg
 
When I did a search above, it showed many nice WF and GOG 2 ct. diamonds in G VS in your price range, and some F''s, too. You''re going to be able to get a great ring!
 
GOG also works with Leon Mege now as part of their custom department. I just bought an oval from GOG and Leon Mege is doing my setting. It''s a great combo!! WF is awesome too, have bought from them as well. Good luck, you have an awesome budget, and am sure you will end up with a stellar stone!!!
 
Date: 10/26/2006 10:10:19 PM
Author: Clarygrace
I found this lovely RB on GOG. Well within budget and plenty to spare for a lovely setting.

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/2554/
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Lol! That stone is my diamond''s wanna-be! I''ve recommended it to a couple of people so I don''t have to be tempted to upgrade! But yes, it is an excellent stone..extremely well cut (mine is from Towlkowsky as well, just a little smaller
2.gif
).
 
Date: 10/26/2006 7:17:50 PM
Author:Icestar

In this price range, would you consider looking at 8* or Kaplan diamonds or any other brand, or is understood that Good old Gold and Whiteflash are every bit as good?
Click to expand...
Yes, it's understood that WF or GOG would be every bit as good.



Date: 10/26/2006 7:17:50 PM
Author:Icestar

Why does Whiteflash not use GIA? Is AGS more leniant on color? Also, out of curiosity, has anyone ever seen ACA from Whiteflash that was not impressive. The question of course being, if you buy ACA are you guaranteed to get a great diamond?
Click to expand...
Whiteflash doesn't use GIA for its ACA stones because ACA stones are acclaimed for their impeccable cut. For a long time, AGS was the only lab providing ANY cut info. GIA has begun to do so within the last year, but many experts feel their cut grading is far more lenient than AGS. Since ACA is meant to be creme-de-la-creme, it makes sense to get the AGS pedigree.

No, I've never seen an ACA that wasn't flat-out impressive, and I've visited their location twice and have seen quite a few ACAs in person.

Does ACA guarantee getting a great diamond? Yep - in my opinion. I own three of them!

Since Brian stands behind the brand, and he's SUPER-picky, you'd be hard-pressed to do better.
 
WEll, what everyone else said!!! I have ordered and compared an ACA with an 8* at my local jewelers. I could not percieve a difference. If anything I liked the ACA better for some reason. (They were same color and approx same size)

What fun, you will have a gorgeous ring. Can''t wait to see it.

a
 
Thanks for all the responses. The diamond from Good old Gold really does look nice. And there are several from whiteflash that look great as well.

I am sure everyone has favorites, and I am will search past posts, but I would love to hear any suggestions of who I should ask for when i call GOG and WF.

On the setting side of things, do the baguets need to match the color of the center stone? As stated, I would love and F or G, but am not sure what color the baguets are in the settings that people have recommended.
 
Date: 10/27/2006 12:26:13 AM
Author: Icestar

On the setting side of things, do the baguets need to match the color of the center stone? As stated, I would love and F or G, but am not sure what color the baguets are in the settings that people have recommended.
Click to expand...

who ever makes your setting will match up the baguettes for you unless you buy and off the shelf type second. Seriously though, I do Leon Mege in a heartbeat and he''d find the perfect baguettes to complement your stone.
 
Many of the designers use around G golor for side stones as that will go with a couple of colors up or down for the center stone.

I certainly concur that it would be wonderful to have Leon Mege make a ring, but I like the Vatche enough that I''d choose it since I know for sure how it would turn out. If I could ever find one to try on with my diamond band, I might get one myself!
 
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