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An upgrade journey … from a research perspective
- Thread starter Tonks
- Start date
MamaBear
Brilliant_Rock
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rcjtraveler
Brilliant_Rock
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Tonks
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Next step, decide on a vendor and pick a stone.
Ok, so, we were discussing size and color.
I felt comfortable around I color, and really liked the 9.9 mm size, so armed with that info, I began to shop.
And promptly hit a brick wall.
There’s simply not much in the way of sub-4 carat stones on the market. If a stone can be made to hit 4 carats, cutters are going to do that. And since I was looking for superideal stones, the pickings were even slimmer.
At this point in time, I am unaware of a vendor who has a deeper inventory combined with a better upgrade policy than Whiteflash. I definitely do not know of a vendor who includes custom cuts in their upgrade policy as Whiteflash does. This pointed me very firmly in the direction of an ACA. I combed the WF inventory, but there wasn’t anything there over 3 carats in an I.
Becca was wonderful and pulled a couple of 3 carat Is that were in stock to show me. And while they were gorgeous stones, I was remembering the feeling I had trying on the 3 carat at Tiffany and wanting it to be bigger.
Custom cutting at Whiteflash
So I asked Becca about custom cutting. She told me that custom cuts are ACAs like any other, and upgradable. And if what you want isn’t in stock, you can upgrade to another custom cut. That is amazing flexibility.
The process of custom cutting at Whiteflash is smooth (or has been so far, anyway!), but it was definitely new to me. We initially asked Becca to give us quotes in two size ranges because we had no idea what to expect (as there were no comparable ACAs in stock). We asked for quotes in the 3.5 and 3.7 carat range, both for I VS2s.
A few days later Becca came back with quotes not only for the 3.5 and 3.7, but also for a 4.
This is when we ran into the first thing I did not know about the custom cutting process. It’s not as simple as asking for a price on something. In order to quote a price, they have to actually find the rough. Since they are holding the rough, your price is only valid for 48 hours.
We actually didn’t plan that part very well at all, as my husband was slammed with business travel. We got these initial quotes back while he was out of town for several days and we struggled to find a few minutes to talk.
The second thing I didn’t know is that WF gives you a range they guarantee your stone will be (again this is based on the rough availability). So these first quotes were for:
-3.50-3.55
-3.70-3.80
-4.00-4.05
The next thing I didn’t know is that it is very difficult to find rough that will land you in the 3.70-3.80 range. Sometimes if you really want to do that you end up paying for a 4 carat and cutting it down. Sometimes you get lucky and there genuinely is rough that size.
We decided to let these first quotes expire and really get comfortable with the pricing and the fast turnaround before we proceeded. I also started to wonder about clarity. We priced VS2, and I kept thinking about my lessons in clarity. There are some VS2s I am absolutely fine with. Would this be one of them?
We asked Becca to approximate what the price increase would be to bump the clarity to VS1, and she gave us numbers (this was an estimate—she did not locate additional rough). This estimate turned out to be dead-on accurate.
Decision time
Several weeks later, we were ready to pull the trigger. I told Becca we were ready to move, and asked for quotes for 3.7 and 4 carat, VS1s, I color, but also asked her to quote H because I was curious.
This time things moved faster. Becca got back to me that very day with the quotes, and due to the volatility of the rough market, they were only good for 24 hours. You would think this would have felt like insane pressure, but since we’d waited until we were ready to move, it really didn’t.
You could also tell the actual rough available had changed, because the weights that were guaranteed were different. These quotes were for:
-3.70-3.75 (as opposed to the original 3.70-3.80)
-4.00-4.05
Both were for H and I color, VS1.
Y’all, H is NOT happening.
However, I was really excited to see that the bump to go from 3.7 to 4 was not all that big (at least, in the I color). I honestly could not believe it.
And so…..
ARE YOU READY? (Ten billion pages later, I’m guessing you are!)
We took the plunge, and I got myself to the bank and placed a deposit on a:
4.00-4.05 carat, I, VS1 ACA!!!!
It should be ready in about a month, and I am so beside myself with excitement.
As for setting, I haven’t decided what to do just yet. I may have WF put it in a @m-2-b inspired solitaire for now (I did really love the Tiffany ring I tried). Suggestions are, of course, welcome!!!
At this point I have to say a huge thank you to @yssie , @LLJsmom , @RunningwithScissors , and @mrs-b , all of whom held my hand through this process. I am beyond grateful to all of you!!!!
Ok, so, we were discussing size and color.
I felt comfortable around I color, and really liked the 9.9 mm size, so armed with that info, I began to shop.
And promptly hit a brick wall.
There’s simply not much in the way of sub-4 carat stones on the market. If a stone can be made to hit 4 carats, cutters are going to do that. And since I was looking for superideal stones, the pickings were even slimmer.
At this point in time, I am unaware of a vendor who has a deeper inventory combined with a better upgrade policy than Whiteflash. I definitely do not know of a vendor who includes custom cuts in their upgrade policy as Whiteflash does. This pointed me very firmly in the direction of an ACA. I combed the WF inventory, but there wasn’t anything there over 3 carats in an I.
Becca was wonderful and pulled a couple of 3 carat Is that were in stock to show me. And while they were gorgeous stones, I was remembering the feeling I had trying on the 3 carat at Tiffany and wanting it to be bigger.
Custom cutting at Whiteflash
So I asked Becca about custom cutting. She told me that custom cuts are ACAs like any other, and upgradable. And if what you want isn’t in stock, you can upgrade to another custom cut. That is amazing flexibility.
The process of custom cutting at Whiteflash is smooth (or has been so far, anyway!), but it was definitely new to me. We initially asked Becca to give us quotes in two size ranges because we had no idea what to expect (as there were no comparable ACAs in stock). We asked for quotes in the 3.5 and 3.7 carat range, both for I VS2s.
A few days later Becca came back with quotes not only for the 3.5 and 3.7, but also for a 4.
This is when we ran into the first thing I did not know about the custom cutting process. It’s not as simple as asking for a price on something. In order to quote a price, they have to actually find the rough. Since they are holding the rough, your price is only valid for 48 hours.
We actually didn’t plan that part very well at all, as my husband was slammed with business travel. We got these initial quotes back while he was out of town for several days and we struggled to find a few minutes to talk.
The second thing I didn’t know is that WF gives you a range they guarantee your stone will be (again this is based on the rough availability). So these first quotes were for:
-3.50-3.55
-3.70-3.80
-4.00-4.05
The next thing I didn’t know is that it is very difficult to find rough that will land you in the 3.70-3.80 range. Sometimes if you really want to do that you end up paying for a 4 carat and cutting it down. Sometimes you get lucky and there genuinely is rough that size.
We decided to let these first quotes expire and really get comfortable with the pricing and the fast turnaround before we proceeded. I also started to wonder about clarity. We priced VS2, and I kept thinking about my lessons in clarity. There are some VS2s I am absolutely fine with. Would this be one of them?
We asked Becca to approximate what the price increase would be to bump the clarity to VS1, and she gave us numbers (this was an estimate—she did not locate additional rough). This estimate turned out to be dead-on accurate.
Decision time
Several weeks later, we were ready to pull the trigger. I told Becca we were ready to move, and asked for quotes for 3.7 and 4 carat, VS1s, I color, but also asked her to quote H because I was curious.
This time things moved faster. Becca got back to me that very day with the quotes, and due to the volatility of the rough market, they were only good for 24 hours. You would think this would have felt like insane pressure, but since we’d waited until we were ready to move, it really didn’t.
You could also tell the actual rough available had changed, because the weights that were guaranteed were different. These quotes were for:
-3.70-3.75 (as opposed to the original 3.70-3.80)
-4.00-4.05
Both were for H and I color, VS1.
Y’all, H is NOT happening.
However, I was really excited to see that the bump to go from 3.7 to 4 was not all that big (at least, in the I color). I honestly could not believe it.
And so…..
ARE YOU READY? (Ten billion pages later, I’m guessing you are!)
We took the plunge, and I got myself to the bank and placed a deposit on a:
4.00-4.05 carat, I, VS1 ACA!!!!
It should be ready in about a month, and I am so beside myself with excitement.
As for setting, I haven’t decided what to do just yet. I may have WF put it in a @m-2-b inspired solitaire for now (I did really love the Tiffany ring I tried). Suggestions are, of course, welcome!!!
At this point I have to say a huge thank you to @yssie , @LLJsmom , @RunningwithScissors , and @mrs-b , all of whom held my hand through this process. I am beyond grateful to all of you!!!!
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Tonks
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Can't wait to see it!!!
DK
ME TOO!!!!!
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Tonks
Brilliant_Rock
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Thank you!
I do love the look of the U113. I am less certain of what differentiates it from the WF knife edge 6 prong setting but I have a bunch of things bookmarked.
Next research topic, coming right up!
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I think it might be a bit thicker or bulkier but would certainly stand up to a 4 carat diamond!
Will be waiting for the next research project though - you are very thorough!!
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Tonks
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Omg thank YOU for sharing all your expertise on cut! I have learned so much from you!
rcjtraveler
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mustangchi
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Tonks
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I don’t wear it much anymore because my taste has changed, so there are few photos of it on PS.
It’s a 1.6-ish carat radiant with trap side stones. Though I have been told it has very princess-ey faceting. But everyone who’s looked at it in person says yes, it’s a radiant.
Anyway, I am lucky enough to get to keep it in this process, and I’m so glad. It does mean a lot.
My original wedding band is curved, and for an early anniversary we added a matching one.
musicalmeow
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lulu_ma
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AllAboardTheBlingTrain
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This is so amazingly detailed! I am impressed with the effort you’ve put in and delighted for you that you found what you wanted! A custom 4ct ACA will be incredible!!
Though, if you do ever decide to add another honker to your collection, I thought the ECs looked fantastic on your hand. I particularly liked how the ‘leggy’ one and the 7.2ct ones looked
Though, if you do ever decide to add another honker to your collection, I thought the ECs looked fantastic on your hand. I particularly liked how the ‘leggy’ one and the 7.2ct ones looked
oldcutclubmember
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SparklieBug
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SOOO excited for you, @Tonks! This is wicked anticipation!!! I can truly, hardly wait to see this beauty. I only wish that videos could accurately represent the incredible light show that this diamond will put on.
Mrsz1ppy
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Ionysis
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DoubleTrouble
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