- Joined
- May 23, 2017
- Messages
- 2,135
Facetune… i’m 50 years old I need all the help I can get. And if it works on the Kardashians it can work on me
I refuse to believe you are 50! You are as beautiful as your bling! No facetune needed!
Facetune… i’m 50 years old I need all the help I can get. And if it works on the Kardashians it can work on me
Sooo.... a while back I became obsessed with a K colored diamond that was posted on eBay and Instagram and it was internally flawless and I loved it… and it was a halo. But honestly I just can’t spend that much money on a piece of jewelry. I just have a limit of what i am willing to spend on any ONE piece. I'm not comfortable WEARING it when it's valuable. I wont even wear my watch becaue i feel like its too flashy.
Anyway, I decided to recreate it with a lab diamond. I mentioned this to @peppermintpatty and she was like "So, let me get this straight... you're a size 4.5, you're doing a 5 carat recut and you're going to put a halo around it??" And, I mean, honestly, i think she should have her pricescope membership revoked, that kind of negativity does not belong here.
However, i decided she might have a point...so i ordered one from Amazon that was 11mm 5 carat and it totally was fine.. or maybe i just don't like bending my knuckles, I mean do you really use your left hand that much??!!
So here is the fake CZ halo... i also bought one from etsy but I didnt like that one as much. Brilliant earth and james allen had sunburst halos too but I didnt like the side views on them.. someone once called it a "flying saucer halo" and it was a perfect description, i hate that look.
Now I realize this looks a lot like @missy's bubbalah, so i asked her if this was ok with her and she gave me her blessing. She's one cool chick, down to earth and just all around amazing giving person.
So, off to David Klass I went! I sent him the fake amazon one and he did his thing! I asked him to try to tuck the halo under the main diamond slightly because I asked Ashley for 5 carats exactly and NO BIGGER than 5.2 aaaand its 5.46 so i was worried about it running off my finger.
The problem is, that I got a brand spanking new iPhone 15 pro and the macro pics kinda suck. So, you get the idea, but the pics are a little fuzzy. My 12 pro was so much better.
The thing is, pictures cant capture it. It's like mirrors inside, it is the most perfectly cut diamond I have ever seen in person. I am obsessed, so far I have almost fallen down the stairs staring at it, almost crashed my car, totally not paying attention in meetings...
I cant explain how it looks so clear and then deep inside it's reflecting. It's just amazing, I love EVERYTHING about it. I am so incredibly happy, i cant sleep unless I put it on. I hope this passes soon... LOL!! I mean, i am so happy and so glad that I love it but i get nothing done!! Also, in all my years wearing an engagement ring, no one EVER commented on it, Never EVER. My cuff ring, all the time, my engagement ring, NEVER. This thing, I have had it 2 weeks and people constantly comment on it. I am so in love with it.
And thank goodness for @jaqjaqjaq because she is a voice of reason. Thats totally a lie, she's an enabler and I love her for it. She's the kind of friend that laughs at you when you say you're on ban island because she knows you're a big fat liar.
So, here it is, the ring I am finally happy with
thanks to Jaq for the imurgur link!
Other people: Buy second cell phone to cheat on their spouse.
Pricescopers: Buy second cell phone to take pictures of diamonds.
THIS IS ALL @HS4S_2 's FAULT!!! Yes, i DID in fact buy a Samsung ultra JUST to take pictures because of HS4S's amazing pictures.
Happy to be able to direct you both towards non stop photo taking......especially if it means we get to see more photos of all the sparklies.
So here are some samsung pics,,, LOL
@Dreamer_D here are the 2 together!
I see I had a fuzzy from my sweatshirt here, something i would NOT have seen with the iphone 15 pro because it sucks. LOL
This stone is absolutely GORGOUS! Waiting for my recut as well. But now I want a 5.5 lab oec too lol SW are miracle workers!
What an interesting new project @Inked ! I thought you were aiming for a finished 7ct with this but I see now it will be very similar in size to your current. How will this new one differ from the current? What changes were you going for?
My favourite OECs have tables around 42% and depth about 64% but it would be risky to go there without a facet pattern I agree.
Yeah... soooo.... for like 30 years i have known i wanted 5 carats. I always tried to pretend I didnt, and then I would buy a bigger diamond and realized i still didnt love it. I have super long fingers and just feel like 2 carats looks small on me. So then I got 2.5... then I got 3.... and then i realized, just get the 5 and be done. Part of why i didnt want 5 carats is I dont want to wear $100k on my finger. I wouldnt feel comfortable. The earth mined antique diamonds I have liked are around $100k. I really struggled with this. I just dont want to wear $100k on my hand. I know people say you can insure it and I get it, i just cant do it. It's like... we all have what we feel the value of something is. Like some people won't spend $20k on a trip, or some people wont spend $100k on a car, it's all what YOU feel ok spending on. For me, I am the car person, my husband is the trip person, but i just cant mentally spend that much on a diamond. It's just a personal mindset for me. I have a dollar limit of what i will spend on one piece of jewelry.
So a HUGE HUGE shoutout to @peppermintpatty - I LITERALLY could not have done this without you!!!!!! If you knew how many emails I sent her... LOL! Seriously, she really really helped me with this! Every.Single.Day. for 3 months... LOL. She has become my jewelry bestie as well as a true friend!! And AS ALWAYS, @Kim N - she put a second set of eyes on the base MRB i bought and gave me her thoughts.
Started out with 6.05 H color VS1 MRB from loosegrown. They're slow, but they come through! I actually bought 2, and returned one, no issues with the return, very responsive customer service team, very happy with them although it took 4 weeks to come. Ouch.
Here's the before, from loosegrowndiamonds, 6.05 H color
Sent to southwest, Ashley was great as always during intake, explaining what can and cant be done, but they are a little slow. They told me 1 week, it was almost 3 weeks later, worth the wait of course, but just in your head know that it will take longer. They charge by the carat of the beginning weight.
I asked for an angular/blocky OEC, not flowery, i asked "Can i get an OEC that could be confused for transitional?" LOL. I asked him, can it be 'off' or wonky, or is it machine cut and it will be 'perfect' because i really didnt want perfect, i wanted a little 'imperfect' thats the charm of old cuts! He said he would see what he could do. I asked for no bigger than 5.2 carats, 11mm, so cut extra off LOL. They hit the 11.1mm but it actually had to be 5.46ct to get the angles/facets, percentages, mm that i wanted. The 11mm was the key, i didnt want bigger than that! It has a nice tall crown, perfect culet size, blocky facets, clear crisp, i love it!
I asked for this facet pattern (below is not mine, this is what i asked for)
And also below facet inspiration (again, not mine, this was on Jewels by Grace's instagram in 2020 and i always loved it!)
This is what I got! 5.46, 11.11mm, i elected not to recertify, but i will assume it's still an H VS1, although as i learned previously, ya neva know... LOL
This is in my driveway diffused light
In the woods with my dog diffused light
In the sun, it just looked like it was glowing
I am doing a simple 18k setting, i photoshopped a little image to give a gist of it
This is why i am selling a bunch of stuff on pre-loved.. LOL! Anyone looking for a nice 2ct pear lab - go see my preloved post!
Hold up! What is the stunning dinner ring on your index finger??
DO IT!! LOL! I bought ANOTHER lab diamond to do ANOTHER recut!!! Honestly, this was one of the originals I wanted back in December when i was shopping to do this recut. I really REALLY wanted this one but it was 7.6 ct and way more money, so it didn't seem worth it. But every few weeks i kept checking on it. And i realized if when i looked, if it was gone I would be REALLY sad so i decided to just buy it.
So, it's a 7.64 VVS2 I color with a peachy background color and I took @Dreamer_D advice to read the book American Cut by Al Gilbertson. I found it super interesting! I didnt' actually wind up using any of the Tolkowsky ideals because I couldnt see any actual examples of them, there were just drawings, so i went with an actual diamond I loved
I am hoping for another beautiful Old American Cut... LOL I asked for 50 table and 64 depth based on an actual OEC diamond I loved.
I actually really wanted a smaller table with over 60 depth, because i feel like when I see a diamond in person that I love it's like a 47 table and 62 depth but i was too chicken to try it without all the stats LOL
This is the diamond from loupe360 where i see a very peachy body color (its an "I" color) So I call it the peach princess.
I dont really see any body color in person unless it's against something white from the side, its faint, but it's there! I cant wait to see what it comes out like.
Ashely said he can hit all the stats i gave him and wind up with about 5.6 carats (from the 7.64) I told him please no bigger than 5.7 so cut more... LOL I will report back in a few weeks when i get it!
Thankfully I love my halo one so much that I dont care how long he takes
Just a couple random pics of my original halo recut because why not!
Omg!!!
My father-in-law Came over for Father’s Day yesterday and brought me a jewelry box of stuff to sell for him… my husband’s stepmother passed away two years ago and my father-in-law said he just found this jewelry box in the basement.
He said he thinks it’s from the 50s. I’m going to post it on pre-loved after I test the diamonds and try to find the hallmarks and stuff and measure everything because I have no idea the details, he said he thinks it’s about 2 1/2 carats total and 14 k white gold… It's soooo sparkly!
I prefer tables under 45% in an OEC. It usually works very well to help avoid leakage under the table when the lower halves are super short, which they are in OECs. This make usually has a moderate crown height, not so much higher than modern rounds. Maybe 15-16%. But in my experience you sacrifice a little crown height and get overall way better light play.
Looking perfect.
DO IT!! LOL! I bought ANOTHER lab diamond to do ANOTHER recut!!! Honestly, this was one of the originals I wanted back in December when i was shopping to do this recut. I really REALLY wanted this one but it was 7.6 ct and way more money, so it didn't seem worth it. But every few weeks i kept checking on it. And i realized if when i looked, if it was gone I would be REALLY sad so i decided to just buy it.
So, it's a 7.64 VVS2 I color with a peachy background color and I took @Dreamer_D advice to read the book American Cut by Al Gilbertson. I found it super interesting! I didnt' actually wind up using any of the Tolkowsky ideals because I couldnt see any actual examples of them, there were just drawings, so i went with an actual diamond I loved
I am hoping for another beautiful Old American Cut... LOL I asked for 50 table and 64 depth based on an actual OEC diamond I loved.
I actually really wanted a smaller table with over 60 depth, because i feel like when I see a diamond in person that I love it's like a 47 table and 62 depth but i was too chicken to try it without all the stats LOL
This is the diamond from loupe360 where i see a very peachy body color (its an "I" color) So I call it the peach princess.
I dont really see any body color in person unless it's against something white from the side, its faint, but it's there! I cant wait to see what it comes out like.
Ashely said he can hit all the stats i gave him and wind up with about 5.6 carats (from the 7.64) I told him please no bigger than 5.7 so cut more... LOL I will report back in a few weeks when i get it!
Thankfully I love my halo one so much that I dont care how long he takes
Just a couple random pics of my original halo recut because why not!
Girl!!!! That stone is amazing!! wow!! I may just do the 5 carat sometimes next year! Thank you for sharing photos of your beautiful OEC!
I have a question about my recut thought, Its a 3.5 carat measuring at 9.8mm. The culet is medium. Table is 52% and depth at 60. I am very new at all this. Do you think the table is small enough? Will it have a good kozibe effect? Its not home YET and its my vert first large lab diamond. Just very nervous about it.
Well Dreamer and Karl are the go-to for actually KNOWING how the angles and percentages will translate, however, this one I have is a 52.5 table and yours is smaller! I think you will love it once you have it, it's tough when you dont actually have it in hand.
I think mine with a 52.5 table has good kozibe ? It's not one of the things i really look for
Well Dreamer and Karl are the go-to for actually KNOWING how the angles and percentages will translate, however, this one I have is a 52.5 table and yours is smaller! I think you will love it once you have it, it's tough when you dont actually have it in hand.
I think mine with a 52.5 table has good kozibe ? It's not one of the things i really look for
I see this is dirty... lol!
Kozibe actually only happens when the crown and pavilion angles are complimentary so it’s actually a very good thing to look for! The best cuts show it at just the slightest tilt!
Yours has lovely kozibe.
EDIT ok maybe I know more than I think lol. Another factor that plays into the table size issue is the length of the lower girdle facets. Larger tables need longer lower halves, and smaller tables can tolerate shorter lower halves. I think somehow the pavilion angles come into play here too but that’s above my pay grade.
So if I want a more American cut style OEC you go tables in the 50s and lower halves about 65-70%, and if you want a more classic OEC we may see tables at 43% and lower halves at 55-60%. Shorter lower halves create bigger slices of pie under the table, so you need a small table to avoid leakage. Longer lower halves break up those pie slices allowing for a larger table without leakage.
But I still couldn’t tell you how to cut one of these.
@Inked I don’t really understand the proportions either lol. Not for old cuts anyway. With real old cuts there are so many factors. They are each unique! How can you make a recipe for that? And because none of them is optically perfect, what is the end goal anyway? With an MRB you know the end goal which is high scores in various instruments. But old cuts aren’t designed for that.
If you’re curious read back through old threads where Rhino talks about how he developed his branded cushions and OECs. I think diagem posted about it as well. This was back in like 2008-2010 I think. Rhino was aiming for the kind of optical perfection you get with modern rounds. Victor Canera did something similar a few years later by developing his own branded “OEC”. But those diamonds don’t look like true old cuts to my. They are gorgeous no doubt. And maybe your goal or anyone else’s goal when doing their own recuts is in fact to achieve that degree of perfection. Which is great. I have no idea how to achieve that though lol
The most authentic old cuts I’ve seen have been on Alex Parks IG. I seem to recall he sent a couple of his most favoured old cuts off for a sarin report and then had them faithfully recreated. They look really good to me! But again, no idea what recipe he used.
Anyway, point being I don’t know anything about the angles and just like your mom’s recipe for lasagna, there are a milllion versions each slightly different and each yummy. I don’t know the recipe. I just know what tastes good and I know some little tricks that seem to correlate with tasting good! I can help pick a good lasagna with a tiny bite or even just looking at it many times, but don’t ask me to make one myself.
PS I didn’t get your email. I don’t know how loupe troop functions but I guess it doesn’t forward messages from very old ads!
Thank you @Inked and @Dreamer_D so much for sharing your knowledge regarding OEC stats <3 Appreciate it very much.
The final diamond is perfect and your epic journey is awe inspiring. You’ve inspired me and many others.
Btw, SWD achieving this outcome - nailing it, per your specs- seemed to me they might take more than a week…. I continue to admire their accessibility and craftsmanship. They’ve allowed many PS member customers to achieve their old cut diamond “life goals” competently without having to beg a middleman (a wonderful, truly rare service).
Thank you for sharing so much helpful detail. I’d be too terrified to even start but maybe I could learn in baby steps from your own learnings which you have generously shared.
Ps your hoped for setting is fantastic. Can you tell us why you’ve chosen white gold over plat, and are the decorative embellishments and shank planned to be 18k?
Congratulations!
Sooooo.... it's funny, my 2 favorite diamonds, that I go back to over and over, even if i am looking at pages of diamonds, my eye always goes to these 2... one is Jons and one is a Canera and the stats are VERY close. I love the word you used - recipe - that's such a great word for it!
Diamond recipe 1
table 50%
crown angle 38.1°
crown height 19.6%
pavilion depth 41.7%
pavilion angle 40.7°
total depth 64.6%
culet large
Diamond Recipe 2
table 50%
crown angle 38.2°
crown height 19.6%
pavilion depth 42.9%
pavilion angle 40.7°
total depth 67.2%
culet pointed
**this has no culet though, so that may be why the depth is so much different
I *WANT* "traditional" OEC numbers, but over and over I go back to these 2 so I guess my heart is with American cuts!
AND... I just checked, my Alex Parks OEC that I loved so much (except the small size) didnt have all the angles listed on the cert, but what i did have was:
table 49.5%
crown angle ?
crown height 19.5%
pavilion depth 41.5%
pavilion angle ?
total depth 64.6%
Which is pretty close to the 2 above as well.
I asked Ashley for either 1 or 2 , but if he does 2 it needs to have a culet so i dont know how much it would change the numbers on 2. I mean, they're really close.
Do you know, would it just change the depth because you're basically just chopping off the bottom point or does it change everything?
OMG I AGREE!!!! Southwest is AMAZING that they allow the general public to work with them. I dont care if he takes a month to do it!
I dont think you will find this service with another cutter. Yes, I am sure there are jewelers that do repolish or rehab services, but taking a MRB , giving them a 'recipe' (I am loving dreamer's word for it!!) and they cut to your specs, thats just a crazy amazing art they can do!
Don't be surprised if access to this service changes as demand increases. Becoming popular on Pricescope often changes things a lot for boutique operations. Not sure how popular this approach could become given the risk and uncertainty involved, but it could happen.