beechezz
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#TBT Awed, Enamored, and Speechless - My ACA Fireball from Whiteflash
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Thank you all for your kind words and wishes. Since I am busy enjoying my new ring, I shall wait until tomorrow to take photos. In the meantime, let me share my reactions and thoughts.
I opened the package in the parking lot of FedEx. Couldn’t wait. My first impression was WOW, WOW, WOW! Most noticeable are the superior cut and gigantic size of the center stone. Believe me, 2.383 ct is huge enough, and I need not go any bigger for this 3-stone setting. The center stone sparkled madly in the sunlight giving off all kinds of rainbow flashes. The contrast is just amazing. Love the crisp, sharp look of the center stone. The ACA cut is truly the cut to get and is worth the premium. Of course, the large size helps make this stone sparkle more beautifully.
The F/G color VS clarity side pears, although not as sparkling as the center stone, still give off crisp sparkles in their own way. One can tell immediately they are very white and well cut. I am so glad that I took Bob''s recommendation about getting these upgraded pears, and they are definitely worth the extra cost. The ring is superbly made (or I may say crafted), down to every detail. I love the setting even more than the stunning center stone.
Whiteflash gave me a loupe. I don''t know about the magnification (Whiteflash says 3X, but I think it can be a 10X or higher), but it has excellent resolution. I have no trouble seeing the black inclusions (spots or crystals). Good thing that I cannot see them with unaided eyes, and that they do not affect the light performance. These black inclusions do bother me a bit though. Now I know I shall stay with high clarity next time with VS2 as the limit.
As for the color, I did not notice the yellowish tint initially, because I was distracted by the sparkles and rainbow flashes. When I took a closer look at the H color stone, I couldn''t help but noticed its yellowish tint against the snowy white F/G color pears. I guess if the center stone were by itself without any sidestones, its warm color may not be as apparent. Again, next stone I buy must have a color high color grade with H as my absolute minimum.
In conclusion, I love my ring, and am glad that I did not go for the 3.08 ct J SI1, because the lower colors and additional inclusions would bother me much more.
P/S, Whiteflash is so sweet that they gave me a box of Godiver chocolates. Chocolates and diamonds are girls’ best friends, and they certainly go well together.
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Now I am viewing my ring inside my home. Strangely, I cannot detect any yellowish tint in the center stone. In fact, it looks whiter than the pear sides! In terms of brightness and sparkles, it is as lively as ever. Oh my, my, my! I think I am in heaven!
There is one little hiccup though. I think the ring is a bit too big. I wear a size 6.5 ring, and I measured carefully to confirm my size before requesting a 6.5 ring. For some reasons, the ring looks and feels like a 6 3/4 to 7 size. Comparing both the old and new rings side-by-side and staked on top of each other, I can easily tell the new ring is bigger. In terms of wear, the new ring slides through my knuckle with relative ease (still need to push it down gently with my other hand) and sits a bit loosely (though not a lot) at the bottom of my finger. The ring does not swim around loosely, but can turn slightly on its own. In comparison, my old ering needs to be pushed in order to pass my knuckle, and it sits snuggly/securely but comfortably at the bottom of my finger. The new ring is not terribly loose, but I am afraid that it may fly off my finger in winter when my finger shrinks a little. I do not know if the size difference is 1/2 or 3/4. Before I send the new erring back to Whiteflash for resizing, I need to know if they should size it down by ¼ or ½. Any suggestions?
04diamond<3
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FancyDiamond, I''m DROOLING............that thing is TDF! I love ever drop of it! I''ve been dreaming about changing my solitaire to a 3 stone with pears for some time now...........it''s official now, I HAVE TO HAVE IT! 
It''s just awesome. I am so jealous.
PLEASE post more pics. Are you planning to do a wedding band? Not that it needs one AT ALL, just curious. My goodness...........I just LOVE your ring. Can we get all the details on the stones, especially measurements?!?! I know a lot of us like to try and duplicate proportions, and unfortunately even if I''m ever lucky enough to get this setting it''s gonna be with a much smaller diamond.........
It''s just awesome. I am so jealous.
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Here is the info on dimensions:Date: 7/29/2009 8:34:22 PM
Author: Jenn5504
FancyDiamond, I''m DROOLING............that thing is TDF! I love ever drop of it! I''ve been dreaming about changing my solitaire to a 3 stone with pears for some time now...........it''s official now, I HAVE TO HAVE IT!PLEASE post more pics. Are you planning to do a wedding band? Not that it needs one AT ALL, just curious. My goodness...........I just LOVE your ring. Can we get all the details on the stones, especially measurements?!?! I know a lot of us like to try and duplicate proportions, and unfortunately even if I''m ever lucky enough to get this setting it''s gonna be with a much smaller diamond.........
Center stone: 2.383 ct, 8.61-8.66 x 5.26 mm
Pear sides: 0.81 cttw
I orginally requested "well-cut" pear sides of 0.70 cttw. That is the minimum carat weight for my center stone''s size . You can check the Vatche site for the recommended cttw of pears for the various center stone sizes. Since these recommended proportions were well thought out based on the setting design, I did not think there was an issue with proportions. However, I worried a lot about the sparkling aspect, as 1. pears do not sparkle as much as round stones, and 2. my center is ACA, so any slight variation in cut quality of the adjacent pears will be readily noticeable. I kept communicating my concern to Bob from Whiteflash, and I requested 1. that he checked them out in person to his satisfactory, and 2. that he sent me photos of the pears next to the cewnter stone for a final nod. When the first set of pears came in, Bob did not like their apperance (for not exactly matching in size and not sparkling enough, I guess). He reordered two pairs that are of igher quality and larger in size. Based on his recommendation, I upgraded my pears (I trust his judgement 100%). Let me tell you, my pear stones are gorgeous! They are worth every extra penny. When you get your 3-stone ring, make sure that you pay special attention to the pear sides, in terms of size and especially sparkling cut.
Don''t worry about gettin this 30stone ring with a smaller center stone than mine. Depending on your finger size, the center stone can vary from 1 ct to over 3 ct and still looks beautifully proportioned. For my 6.5 finger size (well, 6.25 per Whiteflash), I think the best size is between 1.5 ct and 2.8 ct. Try as much as you can to get at least 1.5 ct. Besides, larger center stones sparkle much more.
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Thank you.Date: 7/29/2009 5:27:00 PM
Author: Mrs W
OMG! Its soo beautiful.
What wedding band do you plan to wear with it?
I have no plans for a matching band, as this 3-stone ring is already blingy and busy enough. However, I am considering getting a five-stone (0.3-0.5 ct each) ring but for my right hand finger. Right now, I do not have the time to think about the 5-stone ring project, because I am busy getting a make-over with my old soliataire stone. I have yet to think of what to do with it, whether to reset it in a pendant, new setting (square diamond halo with diamond split shanks), or in the old setting as a day-to-day ring. After that, I''ll search for a 3 ct chunky cushion. The stock market has to cooperate. Otherwise, I''ll have to settle for a 2.5 ct cushion.
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