Crafted by Infinity 0.67ct F VVS2

[MMtwo]

beautiful diamond! enjoy it!

 

[luvdajules]

I've read a few times on PS that once you've seen one CBI stone, you've seen them all (in terms of cut quality), they have strict QA. Sounds like each stone found their way to a nice home

 

[SirGuy]

Better late than never! What a fantastic and brilliant stone, and excellent photos too! Great balance of brilliance and fire. She'll love it! What setting are you considering?

 

[OoohShiny]

Thanks for the compliments, all

I will get pics up when I eventually choose a setting! Personally I would love to buy a Kretchmer or similar tension setting but a) budget is an issue and b) the other half likes delicate jewellery... annoying! lol

Hi Ooohshiney,

I am the guy that Wink originally sold your stone to. It was/is indeed a very beautiful stone. I was actually quite nervous sending it back as I did not have a replacement lined up. The only reason I returned it was that my son convinced me I should get a larger stone. Fortunately a week or so after returning I found an equally beautiful 1.09ct G VVS1 AGS Ideal cut 000 with strong hearts and arrows pattern.

I must also say that working with Wink was a pleasure. He was a true professional and was very gracious when I called to say I needed to return the stone.

Looks like things worked out well for all parties concerned. Enjoy your diamond and best wishes on your engagement.

Hey Max,

Apologies, I hadn't realised I had any new replies on this thread and have only just seen yours!

Nice to see you on the boards I like this place, it is super-helpful and everyone is really nice! Wink is also a diamond fella (if you'll excuse the pun ) so I'm not surprised you had no issues

Have you posted up pics of your replacement stone? G VVS1 AGS000 sounds like it will look stunning, I don't see many VVS1s on here so it would be great if you've got a thread on it! I hope your son was satisfied, I'm sure it's not the first time that children have cost their parents a sum of money... LoL

 

[Dancing Fire]

Congrats, that is a beauty!...

 

[cflutist]

Look at that fireball.
Beautiful diamond.

 

[OoohShiny]

Well, I can no longer waste an hour staring at it and seeing what it looks like in different lights... It's gone!!!.....













.... to be set lol


After all my researching and looking at 'different', 'cool', semi-bezel settings, custom alloys, tension settings, crossover vs normal vs split shanks... I've ended up going for a pretty 'classic' but low-set, 4-claw head, rounded c.2mm shank with softened inside edges and, hopefully, a decent 'U' on the prongs to show the stone off but keep it safe. I've given up on trying to get a different alloy because it's damn near impossible over here, seemingly (Oh, and I need it in about a month so haven't really got time to faff about with sorting out a different one... lol)

I spent about an hour at the place looking at options and going through my maaaassive list of ideas and elements I liked, only to ignore most of them as semi-bezel will probably look too heavy on what is a relatively modest sized stone! The guy said he'd never seen such a large list of options lol

Good thing is the bench / workshop is on site, so I should be going back to see the cast, pre-finished stage, at which point I can tweak if required. They are not keen on CAD because they would rather use their real-life experience, which is fair enough, and my design is not too complicated so hopefully it will all turn out nice! I timed it well actually - the guy working the bench came through the shop so we chatted about security of settings and mounting the culet in a shallow hole or tube to give added resistance to movement, so that was confidence inspiring, and he was suggesting other options and explaining them, so I think I am in safe hands (Fingers crossed!!).

 

[FancyIntense]

The suspense is killing me!!! I have enjoyed your stories and pictures and I want more!!

Is the completed ring back yet? I'm wondering what setting you went with and what metal.

I can't wait to see it on her hand, what a special diamond

 

[cflutist]

The suspense is killing me!!! I have enjoyed your stories and pictures and I want more!!

Is the completed ring back yet? I'm wondering what setting you went with and what metal.

I can't wait to see it on her hand, what a special diamond

Same here, when do we get to see the finished ring?

 

[OoohShiny]

Well, I popped down to the place making it and had a look at the currently-unpolished work so far - it looks great!

I wanted the stone set as low as possible so the guy doing the work has apparently been experimenting... lol The four prongs now basically rise up out of the shank and the culet of the stone should just sit in a small indentation in the shank itself, in order to add what is effectively a fifth 'prong' for security because it will stop the stone moving and 'falling' out of the prongs if one of the prongs gets badly knocked and out of shape. The prongs are quite 'u-shaped' so they fall away from the girdle rather than hug the side of the stone, which allows a good view of the stone from the sides (and hopefully easier cleaning... lol)

They were still really long because the stone's not been set and the prongs have therefore not been trimmed down yet, but I could see that most of the stone will be able to be seen, which is exactly what I wanted The prongs are still square from the cast, which I actually quite like but I think might be a bit 'industrial' for the other half, and the whole thing was kind of a matte dark-grey finish, which was also quite industrial - gave me ideas for if I ever get something made for me! I think a CBI stone such as this one in an unpolished platinum ring would look amazing - it would really stand out and look even brighter against the darker, matte finish, meanwhile I reckon it might well develop a patina as you wore it and it got slowly more polished on the places it was regularly touched

As I couldn't get to the place until quarter of an hour before it closed it was a bit of a rush visit and I completely forgot to take any pictures. I also forgot to request the lasered inscriptions being east-west if possible, and the arrows to be lined up too - it will drive me nuts if the two north-south arrows are not bang-on centred!

It should be ready next week, at which point I will have a very nervous journey home with something that costly, that small and seemingly easily lost... lol (I can see why the other half does not want a very expensive ring, it's a worry something might happen to it! but it will be insured and we all soon get used to owning/wearing/using something expensive and relax when we realise it's not a massive risk. Well, unless you live somewhere where crime is high... )

 

[endless_summer]

Holy cripes - I just saw all of your pics - I would be jumping up and down and doing a happy dance to boot over that stone! It is fantastic - it's amazing how crisp the faceting is, and the light return...yep, I thought I was going to go blind

 

[cflutist]

That sounds like it is going to be stunning.

Can't wait to see this beautiful ring on your hand.

 

[cflutist]

Look what I just found, you should add your beautiful diamond to the Show Me your CBI Diamond thread:

[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/please-show-me-your-crafted-by-infinity-diamond.150001/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/please-show-me-your-crafted-by-infinity-diamond.150001/[/URL]

 

[OoohShiny]

That sounds like it is going to be stunning.

Can't wait to see this beautiful ring on your hand.

Thank you, all, for the kind words!

I can show it on my pinky finger when I get it but I'm sure it will look better on my girlfriend's ring finger lol


I will post a link to this thread on that other CBI thread when it's all finished, nice find!

 

[FancyIntense]

OoohShiny, I secretly hope you take video of the moment you propose, so I can see her reaction to the CBI masterpiece. I bet you'll both cry

Are you going to tell her about your secret life here on Pricescope and about how knowledgable you are about diamonds and that you picked a very special diamond at the top 1% of the very best just for her?

I can't wait

 

[OoohShiny]

I was thinking about it the other day - I'm pretty relaxed about it now but like when I have exams, I'm sure the nerves will kick in badly last minute!

As she said the other day, it's not like I have to worry about her saying No but, you know, it's a big step!


Anyway, I can report I now have the finished article in my possession and it is pretty amazing

The guys have done an amazing job of interpreting my crazy demands and it has come out nice and low set while leaving the stone lovely and visible from all angles, with deep U-shaped prongs that aren't overbearing but look chunky enough to inspire confidence The shank is also narrow enough to not make the stone look small, while not being thin enough to look fragile, and the way the prongs rise out of the shank looks 'organic', which I wanted. It also doesn't have heavy 'shoulders' blocking the side view of the stone, which is something the guys came up with and looks loads better than my initial thoughts! It's basically a shape that looks simple at a glance but is complex enough to mean you can stare at it and still appreciate new angles each time!

I've not really had much of a chance to look at it properly but I can confirm they set the laser engraving how I wanted it and it looks like the arrows are also lined up, as requested. They were also kind enough to stay open past closing time to let me visit as I can't get there in the day! Overall, great service in a short timescale with no BS and a quality outcome, so I would definitely use them again. Perhaps one misses a bit of fawning and sycophantic crawling from 'customer advisors' but knowing that you are being listened to and having an open and honest conversation is an uncommon experience nowadays!

Pricewise, with the stone and shipping/taxes, it has come out to a cost that, looking in local shop windows, the nearest equivalent is a 'Tolkowoski cut' H-I VS2 of a similar size, so by going 'DIY' I have effectively gained 2-3 colour grades and 2 clarity grades for 'free', and I am quite sure CBI trumps any cuts I could get in the shops over here! lol It's also lovely to have exactly what I want style-wise rather than just having to have a bulk-made ring design - not that they are in any way bad, it's just nice to have something individual because it feels a bit more special IMHO

I'm not sure if I will mention PS to her or not but I will tell her it is a custom ring, and if she asks how much 'the ring' cost, I can tell her with a straight face it only cost £xxx as she would probably freak if I included the stone! lol

I will have another look at it this morning before work, in a flat natural light instead of kitchen spotlights, which I've only had a chance to use so far, and will report back again!

I have taken some terrible mobile phone pictures but I am torn - I feel my lady should be the first to see it, if you know what I mean but I know you lot are super-keen to see it also so I will only post the one 'technical' photo at the moment, which illustrates the different elements that have been incorporated and which I love while not 'giving the game away'. It will be a couple of weeks before I can post more but I will take some photos with a proper camera and get them up once it's on her finger!



Thanks for your patience lol

 

[FancyIntense]

Thank you for sharing this special moment!

The ring is beautiful. The stone looks exceptional, because it is.

She is going to LOVE it. The diamond quality is very obvious.

I look forward to seeing it on her hand.

You are so thoughtful she is a very lucky lady.

 

[cflutist]

Your ring is stunning, everything about it, such a rare treasure.

It is not often that one sees a CBI F-VVS2 around here. I bet your future intended will see "Maximum Sparkle"
like she has never seen before.

You hit it out of the ballpark on this one.

Congrats to both of you. May you have many happy years together.

 

[OoohShiny]

So, just to update...


... the question has been asked and she loves the ring

"It's so sparkly!!!"

I mentioned about the fact they only cut 1000 a year, that I bought the stone 6 months ago or so (all the while she's been nagging and whinging about 'Will you ever ask me??' ), and that I had the setting custom-made so it was sturdy yet delicate, classic yet modern, secure yet open, and I think she appreciated all of it, which is nice

She has, of course, also asked about size/specs, and then 'happened' to walk past the jewellers in town with her sister and 'noticed' similar rings and their prices so I think she thinks I spent more than I did and is grateful for the quality while a little scared about wearing it!

(Just to note, for the money I've spent for a custom-made platinum setting with 0.67 F VVS2 CBI stone, including all shipping and taxes, High Street shops near me are selling stones of a similar size but G-H SI1 (VS2 at the very best) of unknown cut quality in White Gold, so going 'DIY' has paid massive dividends and I recommend anyone else in the UK do the same!)

She always said she didn't want a massive blingy ring but fortunately she likes and prefers this not-small size stone in this classic-look setting over anything smaller she's seen before, so I think all came good

Of course, now I can regularly tease her about being a shallow, size-obsessed magpie lol


My thanks must go to everyone on here for their contributions that have helped me (and others) find and choose that one (or more!)amazing stone, to Wink for his excellent service and gentlemanly manner, and to Durrants of London for their no-nonsense attitude with excellent craftsmanship and service

If anyone is thinking about going custom in the UK, I would recommend Durrants without hesitation - no fawning insincerity that I fear is common at other 'high end' jewellers, no BS, a tell-it-as-it-is attitude, and their workmanship is excellent going from my experience and also the pictures on their website and their Facebook page, as well as being very reasonably priced for a company based in the heart of the London diamond district.


Oh, and with regards to 'the question' (because I know some of you will be interested ) it was as the sun was setting over the nearby hills as we sat next to the pool of the secluded villa we were staying at on holiday, we were all dressed up to go out for an evening meal, and the only sounds around were the birds and the gentle rippling of the pool It all worked out nicely!

A big thanks again to everyone When I get a moment to get on the home computer I'll upload some decent pics!

 

[MissGotRocks]

Congratulations - can't wait to see your pictures!

 

[FancyIntense]

Congratulations Please don't torture us any longer get those hand shots up.

 

[ame]

Congratulations!!! That one shot is GORGEOUS!!! I cannot wait for hand shots.

 

[Sunstorm]

Congrats! Excellent choice, beautiful stone and classy setting, share more pix when you can please.

 

[cflutist]

What a romantic proposal. Congratulations

Please post more pictures of this beautiful ring on her hand.

If she is interested you might show her the "From Here To Infinity" video from the CBI website so that she can fully understnd just how rare and special her CBI diamond is.

 

[partgypsy]

I missed this thread earlier, but it is so nice to not have to wait in suspense and see the stone set!
Gorgeous stone, out of the park I really like the setting you had designed to both "show it off" and protect it. I was also going to advise a lower setting if that was a concern for her, but you obviously put a lot of thought in all "facets" of the ring.

Congratulations!

 

[OoohShiny]

Soooooo... time for some pics, as promised

They are shocking quality, doing them in the bathroom because it's the brightest room in the house during the hours of darkness (not that I'm fed up with winter already and we've still got 2 months till the solstice... ) is still a fail without a tripod!

We are both at home over the weekend so I will attempt to improve on these!

But anyway...


First of all, the ring in the box to give some indication of size and style 'in real life'.

 

[OoohShiny]

Some side-on sort of shots:

 

[OoohShiny]

And a couple more 'real life' pics:








And then into the close-ups!

 

[OoohShiny]

Hopefully these show off the pretty delicate-looking shank and the low set stone within fairly chunky prongs - chunky and strong yet still allowing a lot of light in and around the diamond, and you should be able to see where they come away from the stone, dropping away as you come down from where the diamond is held by the prongs, with the culet set into the shank veeeerrrry slightly, so that if one of the prongs is knocked the stone has a fifth point of being held and shouldn't (hopefully won't... ) drop out! So, hopefully, if all goes to plan, delicate looking but still strong

 

[OoohShiny]