2.74 carat AVC in a Steven Kirsch halo pendant necklace

[poshmommy]

Thanks everyone for your kind comments!!

 

[Strawberry129]

Gorgeous necklace! It's truly beautiful!

Oh, it looks lovely on you! How lucky you are to have 2 antique cuts (CER, AVC) framed in delicate halos! Wouldn't it be great if your SK AVC pendant could also be converted to a ring whenever you wanted?!

Can you imagine how many pricescopers would buy this 'ring exchanger?'

 

[Stone Hunter]

Beautiful new pendant!

It looks fabulous on the dbty chain! Is that an 17 inch or 18 inch chain?

 

[Tekate]

Your taste is stunning.. your jewelry impeccable.. I would like to be adopted by you.. as say your grandma!!!

truly remarkable and heirloom pieces poshmommy!

 

[maita13]

+1 on what everyone has said. What a brilliant (pun intended) idea to have a DBTY chain for your AVC! You just gave me an idea for my locket. Congrats again on your beautiful collection, Poshmommy!!

 

[poshmommy]

Beautiful new pendant!

It looks fabulous on the dbty chain! Is that an 17 inch or 18 inch chain?

Thanks!

It's actually both. It's full length is 18" but there is an adjustable loop at 17". Since the pendant ended up a bit larger than I expected, I also asked SK to make a removable adjustable 19-21" extender. That way I can wear it longer over sweaters. I think the chain was at 20" on the blue shirt picture and 19" on the v neck pink shirt.

 

[Tourmaline]

Stunning!!! What a few months for you!

 

[Acinom]

It's a stunning and elegant piece. She looks huge!
Beautiful combo with your fabulous ring

 

[poshmommy]

It's a stunning and elegant piece. She looks huge!
Beautiful combo with your fabulous ring

She is elegant....yet I rocked her today with my t-shirt and tennis shoes at Baskin Robbins! My husband just laughed.

 

[kgizo]

I love the faceting on your stone. The halo setting and chain just add to its fabulousness!

 

[missy]

Ooh that is so pretty! Looks great on you and a wonderful addition to your bling family!

 

[Bordeaux]

A perfect pair! You wear the pendant so well and they look gorgeous together!

 

[aac2013]

I love love love this! Perfection!

 

[snotty_pie]

Gorgeous necklace and ring!

 

[Yimmers]

I LOVE the CER, AVR and AVC's! I keep coming back to drool over these gorgeous gems!

 

[Stone Hunter]

Beautiful new pendant!

It looks fabulous on the dbty chain! Is that an 17 inch or 18 inch chain?

Thanks!

It's actually both. It's full length is 18" but there is an adjustable loop at 17". Since the pendant ended up a bit larger than I expected, I also asked SK to make a removable adjustable 19-21" extender. That way I can wear it longer over sweaters. I think the chain was at 20" on the blue shirt picture and 19" on the v neck pink shirt.

Thanks for responding. Such a smart and flexible necklace to go with your beautiful pendant.

 

[dazzlerazzle]

It's so weird to think that you are now wearing a stone around your neck that I was holding less than 3 months ago. It's gorgeous and has me very excited about my ring!!!

Do you know if those are single or full cuts on the halo? I'm also interested to hear what you think when comparing the two settings/halos - is one noticeably smoother or more delicate?

Thank you so much for your feedback on the stone when you saw it! It helped make my mind up to snag it. I was really hoping you would look at it. I didn't want to draw specific attention to it so it wouldn't get snatched up by a lurker!

Victor's halo is more delicate, has better flow, and perfect proportions. I do like his single cut melee a bit better.

However, I am not sure I can slight SK on his halo since I really did not give him any direction or specific requests on it. I did ask for double claw prongs if he thought it would look ok. He did and they are beautiful! I did ask for single cut melee and he said he would look for some. I never heard the result so I asked him (for you) after I got the necklace. They are full cut. The pendant halo does sparkle more than the ring halo. I think it is partly the full cut melee and partly that the stones are slightly larger. My little daughter says it sparkles more than the ring and seems very drawn to it. I don't think it detracts from the stone or setting. It's just a slightly different flavor. I doubt I would have noticed if I didn't have the 2 settings side by side.

Any progress on your rough?

- I'm so glad I was able to see it without even knowing you wanted me to see it! haha I still think it's so funny that SO joked about buying it for a pendant and then you turned around and did just that! I'll have to show him this thread some time...

- Do you know what size melee is in your ring halo as opposed to the pendant halo? I'm wondering about the size difference and am guessing the VC is ~2 pointers and the SK is ~3 pointers? Here's what I've taken from another thread:

1.0mm is .005ct
1.3mm is .01 ct (1pointer)
1.5mm is .015ct
1.7mm is .02 ct
2.0mm is .03 ct
2.4mm is .05 ct (5pointer)

I'm beginning to think that I just have to adjust my expectations in terms of melee. I don't want to push back ring production any longer than I have to, and your comments about the full-cut being sparklier have me intrigued. At some point I need to take LLJsmom up on her links that compare the two and decide if it really matters so much. I'm drawn to OEC's (obviously), but I'm also drawn to more modern cuts and settings, so I may prefer full cut if I can see them side by side!

- Jon found us a potential rough back in the beginning of February after only about a month of wait. It did NOT have fluorescence, and SO and I vacillated a lot that night on whether or not to pull the trigger. When I spoke with Jon about it the next day, he said that if we passed up that rough (which was perfect in every single respect except for the fluorescence) then it might make the most sense to switch tracks to looking for stones to re-cut instead of rough.

There were pros and cons to both options, and we finally decided that the pro's of the rough (potential for better color/size/clarity than expected) outweighed the pro's of the re-cut (fluorescence,) not to mention factoring in the who-knows-how-much-longer wait for the re-cut. So we jumped on the rough - wired the $ on Feb 3rd. When I checked in with Jon on the 14th, he said it would likely be another 2-3 weeks until the stone was ready to be shipped to us. So I'm setting my hopes on the first week of March to find out the stats and see images! At the end of the day, if we have the final ring in hand by the beginning or middle of May, I'll be over the moon.

 

[poshmommy]

It's so weird to think that you are now wearing a stone around your neck that I was holding less than 3 months ago. It's gorgeous and has me very excited about my ring!!!

Do you know if those are single or full cuts on the halo? I'm also interested to hear what you think when comparing the two settings/halos - is one noticeably smoother or more delicate?

Thank you so much for your feedback on the stone when you saw it! It helped make my mind up to snag it. I was really hoping you would look at it. I didn't want to draw specific attention to it so it wouldn't get snatched up by a lurker!

Victor's halo is more delicate, has better flow, and perfect proportions. I do like his single cut melee a bit better.

However, I am not sure I can slight SK on his halo since I really did not give him any direction or specific requests on it. I did ask for double claw prongs if he thought it would look ok. He did and they are beautiful! I did ask for single cut melee and he said he would look for some. I never heard the result so I asked him (for you) after I got the necklace. They are full cut. The pendant halo does sparkle more than the ring halo. I think it is partly the full cut melee and partly that the stones are slightly larger. My little daughter says it sparkles more than the ring and seems very drawn to it. I don't think it detracts from the stone or setting. It's just a slightly different flavor. I doubt I would have noticed if I didn't have the 2 settings side by side.

Any progress on your rough?

- I'm so glad I was able to see it without even knowing you wanted me to see it! haha I still think it's so funny that SO joked about buying it for a pendant and then you turned around and did just that! I'll have to show him this thread some time...

- Do you know what size melee is in your ring halo as opposed to the pendant halo? I'm wondering about the size difference and am guessing the VC is ~2 pointers and the SK is ~3 pointers? Here's what I've taken from another thread:

1.0mm is .005ct
1.3mm is .01 ct (1pointer)
1.5mm is .015ct
1.7mm is .02 ct
2.0mm is .03 ct
2.4mm is .05 ct (5pointer)

I'm beginning to think that I just have to adjust my expectations in terms of melee. I don't want to push back ring production any longer than I have to, and your comments about the full-cut being sparklier have me intrigued. At some point I need to take LLJsmom up on her links that compare the two and decide if it really matters so much. I'm drawn to OEC's (obviously), but I'm also drawn to more modern cuts and settings, so I may prefer full cut if I can see them side by side!

- Jon found us a potential rough back in the beginning of February after only about a month of wait. It did NOT have fluorescence, and SO and I vacillated a lot that night on whether or not to pull the trigger. When I spoke with Jon about it the next day, he said that if we passed up that rough (which was perfect in every single respect except for the fluorescence) then it might make the most sense to switch tracks to looking for stones to re-cut instead of rough.

There were pros and cons to both options, and we finally decided that the pro's of the rough (potential for better color/size/clarity than expected) outweighed the pro's of the re-cut (fluorescence,) not to mention factoring in the who-knows-how-much-longer wait for the re-cut. So we jumped on the rough - wired the $ on Feb 3rd. When I checked in with Jon on the 14th, he said it would likely be another 2-3 weeks until the stone was ready to be shipped to us. So I'm setting my hopes on the first week of March to find out the stats and see images! At the end of the day, if we have the final ring in hand by the beginning or middle of May, I'll be over the moon.

That's so exciting on the rough!! I can't wait to hear how it turns out. Only a couple more weeks to go!

Neither of my J stones have flourescence. Yesterday my daughter was admiring them in the dance studio lights and the outdoor cloudy weather. They were both so lively and white! I think you will be very happy with yours.

I honestly can't tell that much of a difference between the 2 halos in day to day life. SK's sparkles a bit more. Both are stunning. I will try to find out the melee size for you of each. The necklace is with the appraiser right now. Personally I don't see the point of trying to hunt someone else up to set the stone. I never heard back from Maytal Hannah when I reached out to her on my pendant. I think she may be the only other one I might have considered. You might have better luck with her than I did though.

I was also a little surprised that SK did not sign this piece. I can't find a mark on it anywhere. Maybe the appraiser will see one....

I can't wait to see your final stone!!

 

[bunnycat]

Super stunning! What a complimentary piece for your beautiful ring too!

 

[JLW05]

Absolutely stunning!

 

[Skhii]

It's so weird to think that you are now wearing a stone around your neck that I was holding less than 3 months ago. It's gorgeous and has me very excited about my ring!!!

Do you know if those are single or full cuts on the halo? I'm also interested to hear what you think when comparing the two settings/halos - is one noticeably smoother or more delicate?

Thank you so much for your feedback on the stone when you saw it! It helped make my mind up to snag it. I was really hoping you would look at it. I didn't want to draw specific attention to it so it wouldn't get snatched up by a lurker!

Victor's halo is more delicate, has better flow, and perfect proportions. I do like his single cut melee a bit better.

However, I am not sure I can slight SK on his halo since I really did not give him any direction or specific requests on it. I did ask for double claw prongs if he thought it would look ok. He did and they are beautiful! I did ask for single cut melee and he said he would look for some. I never heard the result so I asked him (for you) after I got the necklace. They are full cut. The pendant halo does sparkle more than the ring halo. I think it is partly the full cut melee and partly that the stones are slightly larger. My little daughter says it sparkles more than the ring and seems very drawn to it. I don't think it detracts from the stone or setting. It's just a slightly different flavor. I doubt I would have noticed if I didn't have the 2 settings side by side.

Any progress on your rough?

Thanks for showing the VC and SK halos side-by-side! I love that you put the pendant on a DBTY chain. Do you know the size of the bezeled diamonds? Does SK make the chain, and is everything made from Pt950/Ru?

I can see what you mean by fluidity. SK's melee appear to be spaced further apart than VC's melee, but perhaps that is because the SK melee are larger... Did your appraiser offer any opinion on the craftsmanship of the pendant and ring?

 

[poshmommy]

It's so weird to think that you are now wearing a stone around your neck that I was holding less than 3 months ago. It's gorgeous and has me very excited about my ring!!!

Do you know if those are single or full cuts on the halo? I'm also interested to hear what you think when comparing the two settings/halos - is one noticeably smoother or more delicate?

Thank you so much for your feedback on the stone when you saw it! It helped make my mind up to snag it. I was really hoping you would look at it. I didn't want to draw specific attention to it so it wouldn't get snatched up by a lurker!

Victor's halo is more delicate, has better flow, and perfect proportions. I do like his single cut melee a bit better.

However, I am not sure I can slight SK on his halo since I really did not give him any direction or specific requests on it. I did ask for double claw prongs if he thought it would look ok. He did and they are beautiful! I did ask for single cut melee and he said he would look for some. I never heard the result so I asked him (for you) after I got the necklace. They are full cut. The pendant halo does sparkle more than the ring halo. I think it is partly the full cut melee and partly that the stones are slightly larger. My little daughter says it sparkles more than the ring and seems very drawn to it. I don't think it detracts from the stone or setting. It's just a slightly different flavor. I doubt I would have noticed if I didn't have the 2 settings side by side.

Any progress on your rough?

Thanks for showing the VC and SK halos side-by-side! I love that you put the pendant on a DBTY chain. Do you know the size of the bezeled diamonds? Does SK make the chain, and is everything made from Pt950/Ru?

I can see what you mean by fluidity. SK's melee appear to be spaced further apart than VC's melee, but perhaps that is because the SK melee are larger... Did your appraiser offer any opinion on the craftsmanship of the pendant and ring?

It's funny you mention the fluidity. My 10 year old daughter was looking at the pieces again today (no doubt pondering which she will try to get from me first...) and I asked her which halo she likes better. She immediately pointed to the VC halo and said that she likes that it's smaller and she can't see any gaps. Again, I gave SK no direction on the halo whatsoever. If I had specifically asked for minimal metal, it might be different.

The bezel diamonds are 10pts. I like the look with the necklace, however, they hurt! The little culet of each diamond is exposed. Usually I can't feel them. But once a day I get a vigorous hug from one of my kids and one of those little buggers will dig into my clavicle. It's like a necklace of thorns! I wonder if anyone else's DBTY chains are like this? Again, it's not all the time, just with excited kid hugs so far!

As far as I know SK made the chain too. It's all platinum, but not sure the mix he used. Appraiser just said "platinum". The appraiser loved the VC and made repeated comments on it's beauty. I actually did not stay while he appraised the necklace (gasp, I know). It's interesting to me that even after us discussing the hand forged nature he still listed both settings as "cast" on the appraisal. I wonder if I need to have that corrected....anyone know?

 

[poshmommy]

It's so weird to think that you are now wearing a stone around your neck that I was holding less than 3 months ago. It's gorgeous and has me very excited about my ring!!!

Do you know if those are single or full cuts on the halo? I'm also interested to hear what you think when comparing the two settings/halos - is one noticeably smoother or more delicate?

Thank you so much for your feedback on the stone when you saw it! It helped make my mind up to snag it. I was really hoping you would look at it. I didn't want to draw specific attention to it so it wouldn't get snatched up by a lurker!

Victor's halo is more delicate, has better flow, and perfect proportions. I do like his single cut melee a bit better.

However, I am not sure I can slight SK on his halo since I really did not give him any direction or specific requests on it. I did ask for double claw prongs if he thought it would look ok. He did and they are beautiful! I did ask for single cut melee and he said he would look for some. I never heard the result so I asked him (for you) after I got the necklace. They are full cut. The pendant halo does sparkle more than the ring halo. I think it is partly the full cut melee and partly that the stones are slightly larger. My little daughter says it sparkles more than the ring and seems very drawn to it. I don't think it detracts from the stone or setting. It's just a slightly different flavor. I doubt I would have noticed if I didn't have the 2 settings side by side.

Any progress on your rough?

- I'm so glad I was able to see it without even knowing you wanted me to see it! haha I still think it's so funny that SO joked about buying it for a pendant and then you turned around and did just that! I'll have to show him this thread some time...

- Do you know what size melee is in your ring halo as opposed to the pendant halo? I'm wondering about the size difference and am guessing the VC is ~2 pointers and the SK is ~3 pointers? Here's what I've taken from another thread:

1.0mm is .005ct
1.3mm is .01 ct (1pointer)
1.5mm is .015ct
1.7mm is .02 ct
2.0mm is .03 ct
2.4mm is .05 ct (5pointer)

I'm beginning to think that I just have to adjust my expectations in terms of melee. I don't want to push back ring production any longer than I have to, and your comments about the full-cut being sparklier have me intrigued. At some point I need to take LLJsmom up on her links that compare the two and decide if it really matters so much. I'm drawn to OEC's (obviously), but I'm also drawn to more modern cuts and settings, so I may prefer full cut if I can see them side by side!

- Jon found us a potential rough back in the beginning of February after only about a month of wait. It did NOT have fluorescence, and SO and I vacillated a lot that night on whether or not to pull the trigger. When I spoke with Jon about it the next day, he said that if we passed up that rough (which was perfect in every single respect except for the fluorescence) then it might make the most sense to switch tracks to looking for stones to re-cut instead of rough.

There were pros and cons to both options, and we finally decided that the pro's of the rough (potential for better color/size/clarity than expected) outweighed the pro's of the re-cut (fluorescence,) not to mention factoring in the who-knows-how-much-longer wait for the re-cut. So we jumped on the rough - wired the $ on Feb 3rd. When I checked in with Jon on the 14th, he said it would likely be another 2-3 weeks until the stone was ready to be shipped to us. So I'm setting my hopes on the first week of March to find out the stats and see images! At the end of the day, if we have the final ring in hand by the beginning or middle of May, I'll be over the moon.

The appraiser said the VC halo/ring diamonds are 0.005-0.01 cts VC's stated carat weight of ring was 0.53 cts and 80 diamonds are used.
He said the SK halo diamonds are 0.0075 cts. He estimated 0.2 cts and 26 diamonds are used.

 

[dazzlerazzle]

It's so weird to think that you are now wearing a stone around your neck that I was holding less than 3 months ago. It's gorgeous and has me very excited about my ring!!!

Do you know if those are single or full cuts on the halo? I'm also interested to hear what you think when comparing the two settings/halos - is one noticeably smoother or more delicate?

Thank you so much for your feedback on the stone when you saw it! It helped make my mind up to snag it. I was really hoping you would look at it. I didn't want to draw specific attention to it so it wouldn't get snatched up by a lurker!

Victor's halo is more delicate, has better flow, and perfect proportions. I do like his single cut melee a bit better.

However, I am not sure I can slight SK on his halo since I really did not give him any direction or specific requests on it. I did ask for double claw prongs if he thought it would look ok. He did and they are beautiful! I did ask for single cut melee and he said he would look for some. I never heard the result so I asked him (for you) after I got the necklace. They are full cut. The pendant halo does sparkle more than the ring halo. I think it is partly the full cut melee and partly that the stones are slightly larger. My little daughter says it sparkles more than the ring and seems very drawn to it. I don't think it detracts from the stone or setting. It's just a slightly different flavor. I doubt I would have noticed if I didn't have the 2 settings side by side.

Any progress on your rough?

- I'm so glad I was able to see it without even knowing you wanted me to see it! haha I still think it's so funny that SO joked about buying it for a pendant and then you turned around and did just that! I'll have to show him this thread some time...

- Do you know what size melee is in your ring halo as opposed to the pendant halo? I'm wondering about the size difference and am guessing the VC is ~2 pointers and the SK is ~3 pointers? Here's what I've taken from another thread:

1.0mm is .005ct
1.3mm is .01 ct (1pointer)
1.5mm is .015ct
1.7mm is .02 ct
2.0mm is .03 ct
2.4mm is .05 ct (5pointer)

I'm beginning to think that I just have to adjust my expectations in terms of melee. I don't want to push back ring production any longer than I have to, and your comments about the full-cut being sparklier have me intrigued. At some point I need to take LLJsmom up on her links that compare the two and decide if it really matters so much. I'm drawn to OEC's (obviously), but I'm also drawn to more modern cuts and settings, so I may prefer full cut if I can see them side by side!

- Jon found us a potential rough back in the beginning of February after only about a month of wait. It did NOT have fluorescence, and SO and I vacillated a lot that night on whether or not to pull the trigger. When I spoke with Jon about it the next day, he said that if we passed up that rough (which was perfect in every single respect except for the fluorescence) then it might make the most sense to switch tracks to looking for stones to re-cut instead of rough.

There were pros and cons to both options, and we finally decided that the pro's of the rough (potential for better color/size/clarity than expected) outweighed the pro's of the re-cut (fluorescence,) not to mention factoring in the who-knows-how-much-longer wait for the re-cut. So we jumped on the rough - wired the $ on Feb 3rd. When I checked in with Jon on the 14th, he said it would likely be another 2-3 weeks until the stone was ready to be shipped to us. So I'm setting my hopes on the first week of March to find out the stats and see images! At the end of the day, if we have the final ring in hand by the beginning or middle of May, I'll be over the moon.

The appraiser said the VC halo/ring diamonds are 0.005-0.01 cts VC's stated carat weight of ring was 0.53 cts and 80 diamonds are used.
He said the SK halo diamonds are 0.0075 cts. He estimated 0.2 cts and 26 diamonds are used.

Thank you! That's so incredibly smalllllll. I'm shooting for 2mm band, and am now considering switching to shallow u-cut pave instead of bright-set, so my melee will be much larger, at least in the band. Ugh, I'm going back and forth on the setting every other day! I wish there were more SK's reviews and user photos to help with the decision. I really can't understand how he's so popular but so little of his work is published here.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Talk to m2b, dazzle. She has her AVC in a SK setting and her mrb in a VC setting. Make a setting thread and I will tell her to look for it.

 

[retroglam]

Beautiful necklace, Poshmommy!

Do you have any shots of the side and underneath of the basket? I have a 2ct stone in a halo ring that I'm thinking of converting to a pendant, so I've been thinking about the design and how wide the back might be to stop it flipping, although I guess the weight helps with this?

The neck photos you posted look amazing - how do you feel it looks in real life, as it's larger than a lot of pendants? Do you think that a stone that size stands out less on the neck than it does on a finger as a ring? I've been thinking about options for my stone, so any thoughts about how your necklace wears would be great!

 

[poshmommy]

Beautiful necklace, Poshmommy!

Do you have any shots of the side and underneath of the basket? I have a 2ct stone in a halo ring that I'm thinking of converting to a pendant, so I've been thinking about the design and how wide the back might be to stop it flipping, although I guess the weight helps with this?

The neck photos you posted look amazing - how do you feel it looks in real life, as it's larger than a lot of pendants? Do you think that a stone that size stands out less on the neck than it does on a finger as a ring? I've been thinking about options for my stone, so any thoughts about how your necklace wears would be great!

Thanks retroglam!

I will take some pictures of the sides and underneath for you this weekend. This one never flips. It's actually not as heavy as I thought it would be. It still wiggles itself up a little more than I thought. I only notice this when I wear it at the 17-18" lengths. When I put it on the extender chain, it does't really move.

In real life I find myself wearing it longer over the collar of some of my boat neck tops most. I think the size of it and the chain definitely make it too fancy for really casual clothes. I have to dress for dinner and business a lot so it works for me. But I am going to have to invest in a smaller piece to wear with my scrub tops and casual t-shirts. I actually think a stone this size stands out more on the neck than as a ring. Usually I wear my CER 4 carat ring with this and find people notice and stare at the pendant more. If I did not already have the 4 carat I would have this pendant stone as a ring for sure.

Hope that helped! What shape is your 2 carat?

 

[retroglam]

Thanks, poshmommy! That's really helpful. My stone is an asscher, so it would definitely face up a lot smaller than your higher weight AVC. I'd been thinking that it would look smaller in a pendant than ring, as it would sit on a large expanse of skin rather than a small finger, and so look smaller in comparison. So it's really interesting you say your pendant gets more attention than your stunning (and larger) ring! I guess necklaces are face-on when you meet people so they're more obvious to see?

 

[poshmommy]

Thanks, poshmommy! That's really helpful. My stone is an asscher, so it would definitely face up a lot smaller than your higher weight AVC. I'd been thinking that it would look smaller in a pendant than ring, as it would sit on a large expanse of skin rather than a small finger, and so look smaller in comparison. So it's really interesting you say your pendant gets more attention than your stunning (and larger) ring! I guess necklaces are face-on when you meet people so they're more obvious to see?

Do it as a pendant! You won't regret it! I wore both the ring and pendant all day yesterday to one of my daughter's drill competitions. I thought the pendant may be a little over the top to wear there, but I had not gotten a chance to wear it much that week, so why not, right? I got 3 compliments on the pendant, a lot of people staring at it, and no comments on the ring at all.

I have a crystal asscher in a crystal halo setting that I wear as a more casual necklace with almost everything from t shirts to scrub tops. I get TONS of compliments on that piece all the time (it's a pretty piece and people think it's all diamond). The asscher in that one is 6 mm wide square. Although I love the large AVC, it has become very clear to me that I need an every day piece in a smaller size. I think the 6mm asscher is a little smaller than I would want to go for a real one. I am somewhat watching the market for a 7 mm size one to set in a halo as my every day casual necklace.

 

[retroglam]

Thanks for the feedback on yours, poshmommy - it's probably the push I need to get me off the fence and making a decision. I'm such a waffler about making choices!