holeydonut
Shiny_Rock
- Joined
- Aug 20, 2018
- Messages
- 263
I hope this is the first and last time undergoing the ordeal of purchasing an engagement ring 
Price Scope was invaluable in my search, and I appreciate the informative posts of people here. Even after my disastrous post about "dusty" VS clarity diamonds
Initially, I saw some rather lackluster diamonds and settings in local jewelry stores, and I was about to simply go the Tiffany/Harry route to get a quality stone and setting. Luckily I stumbled upon PS and the wealth of information about the importance of cut and the super-ideal-cust vendors that aren't typically known to the general population.
I spent weeks archiving and quantifying diamonds first with HCA #s but also going so far as to assign numerical symmetry to the hearts in the provided H&A views and quantifying the ratio of desirable color in ASET charts. I probably wasted a lot of time there... it seems like the marginal benefits of super-duper-ideal-to-the-max and super-ideal is just a mental thing.
Ultimately, I found the perfect result with a Black by Brian Gavin Diamond (BGD) paired with his hallmark 810 Collection settings. In person, the diamond (HCA score of Brian's sweet spot 1.0) is much better than the GIA XXX I have seen, and the setting is stunning as well.
Stylistically, his 810 Collection Halo bucks the trend of the Tiffany Soleste / Harry The One / Cartier (ed: Destinee not Desiree) halos, and the 810 design is absolutely gorgeous (if not a bit over the top). 6-prongs... airline halo... split shoulders... cathedral... floral/symmetrical halo... and brilliant action in the gallery + shoulders. The hidden stone customization to my FF's (I hope) ruby birth-stone was a bonus touch as well. The halo is customized to the diameter of the center stone, so the entire ring flows very nicely instead of feeling like a generic piece meant to accommodate a range of stones.
The thing is built like a tank... cast 950 platinum/ruthenium... it's one of the heaviest rings I've seen. In terms of execution I couldn't have asked for anything more. I suppose there is a trade-off of this cast ring instead of a hand forged, but BGD is standing behind their work with a lifetime warranty.
The Emily at Brian Gavin Diamonds was super helpful in carrying out the details around the setting and answering many questions along the way. The resulting product is stunning; these pictures don't do the diamond and ring justice.
These were shot with an iPhone 8 and cheap USB camera... I really don't know how the pros do this haha. I have a colorful painting mounted on the wall above where I shot these, which added some artificial color... the photos otherwise would just be very white. I guess it makes the center stone a bit yellow-ish sometimes. But on to the pictures!
Obligatory angle:
The halo diameter and taper of the shoulders is customized to the center stone. Everything flows very proportionately and seamlessly.
They took out the milgrain of the standard 810 design and gave a shiny bezel instead. I like the claw-prongs as well.
The halo isn't a flat 2D plane; it tapers downward providing an awesome gallery view with the airline halo orientation.
The hidden red ruby is a lovely contrast to an otherwise monochrome ring.
There's one tiny inclusion visible at intense magnification. At least I think it's an inclusion. It's probably dust
Tilt angle "dust" issues were what pushed me to VVS instead of VS.
I tried to get a photo of BGD's "H&A melee"
Price Scope was invaluable in my search, and I appreciate the informative posts of people here. Even after my disastrous post about "dusty" VS clarity diamonds Initially, I saw some rather lackluster diamonds and settings in local jewelry stores, and I was about to simply go the Tiffany/Harry route to get a quality stone and setting. Luckily I stumbled upon PS and the wealth of information about the importance of cut and the super-ideal-cust vendors that aren't typically known to the general population.
I spent weeks archiving and quantifying diamonds first with HCA #s but also going so far as to assign numerical symmetry to the hearts in the provided H&A views and quantifying the ratio of desirable color in ASET charts. I probably wasted a lot of time there... it seems like the marginal benefits of super-duper-ideal-to-the-max and super-ideal is just a mental thing.
Ultimately, I found the perfect result with a Black by Brian Gavin Diamond (BGD) paired with his hallmark 810 Collection settings. In person, the diamond (HCA score of Brian's sweet spot 1.0) is much better than the GIA XXX I have seen, and the setting is stunning as well.
Stylistically, his 810 Collection Halo bucks the trend of the Tiffany Soleste / Harry The One / Cartier (ed: Destinee not Desiree) halos, and the 810 design is absolutely gorgeous (if not a bit over the top). 6-prongs... airline halo... split shoulders... cathedral... floral/symmetrical halo... and brilliant action in the gallery + shoulders. The hidden stone customization to my FF's (I hope) ruby birth-stone was a bonus touch as well. The halo is customized to the diameter of the center stone, so the entire ring flows very nicely instead of feeling like a generic piece meant to accommodate a range of stones.
The thing is built like a tank... cast 950 platinum/ruthenium... it's one of the heaviest rings I've seen. In terms of execution I couldn't have asked for anything more. I suppose there is a trade-off of this cast ring instead of a hand forged, but BGD is standing behind their work with a lifetime warranty.
The Emily at Brian Gavin Diamonds was super helpful in carrying out the details around the setting and answering many questions along the way. The resulting product is stunning; these pictures don't do the diamond and ring justice.
These were shot with an iPhone 8 and cheap USB camera... I really don't know how the pros do this haha. I have a colorful painting mounted on the wall above where I shot these, which added some artificial color... the photos otherwise would just be very white. I guess it makes the center stone a bit yellow-ish sometimes. But on to the pictures!
Obligatory angle:
The halo diameter and taper of the shoulders is customized to the center stone. Everything flows very proportionately and seamlessly.
They took out the milgrain of the standard 810 design and gave a shiny bezel instead. I like the claw-prongs as well.
The halo isn't a flat 2D plane; it tapers downward providing an awesome gallery view with the airline halo orientation.
The hidden red ruby is a lovely contrast to an otherwise monochrome ring.
There's one tiny inclusion visible at intense magnification. At least I think it's an inclusion. It's probably dust
Tilt angle "dust" issues were what pushed me to VVS instead of VS.
I tried to get a photo of BGD's "H&A melee"
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Without a doubt, your fiancé-to-be will be thrilled! Please come back with handshots.
Did your fiance give you hints as to what style setting she wanted? Can't wait to see hand pictures.
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