How does one go about matching an OEC to create a pair?

[Autumn in New England]

Hello all,

A while back, my mother upgraded her engagement diamond and gave me the old stone. It holds great sentimental value to me, but we have zero paperwork on it. All I know is it's an OEC (it's still set at the moment). I will be unmounting the diamond very soon and sending it in to the GIA. Once I have all of the technical aspects of the stone in front of me, how should I go about matching it to create a pair of studs? I have absolutely no clue where to begin. Is it unheard of to send the stone in to a trusted vendor to have them do the work for me? I'm just concerned that I'm in for an impossible task. If it were a modern cut brilliant, I wouldn't be worried about finding a suitable match.

Many thanks in advance,
Autumn

 

[Rfisher]

Fun project, and how cool you get to
have something so sentimental!
Are you thinking about a pair for sidestones on a ring, or earrings?

Once you have the stone’s lab report - I personally don’t think it’s that daunting to do some searching thru the usual suspects websites. JbG, OWD, I&R. Quite a few on here think it’s fun. Some have threads on their matching journey and some posters chip in with suggestions.
Of course there’s more vendors to contact but those three pop in my mind first of having stones to look through without contacting someone- and I’m sure they all have some stock that isn’t listed.
Searching for similar depth, table and crown angle are probably the next steps after color/diameter. Then going to the faceting flavor/performance for a close (enough) match to your eye will probably take the longest to do.
If your stone has a noticeable body tint - I think that has the possibility of being one of the harder to match up criteria as well, even within the same color grade. Steely vs sunshine yellow vs cool brown vs warm brown vs any of those with a bit of olive mixed in.
If you aren’t feeling the thought of trolling through those websites, asking for more info/pictures, and also the various IG sellers- there’s quite a few on here who have sent their stone to a vendor to be matched.
Both just for matching or to move on along to your setting project as well.
Add Sako to the list above for matching/setting.

I know it’s a pain to ship stuff back and forth - but sometimes I view that money spent as enjoyable and a learning tool.
I definitely would want ANY vendor to send me the stones for in person viewing before proceeding to setting though. Trust but verify. There’s definitely going to be opinions involved and of course opinions differ….

Some matching journeys have happened pretty fast - some really take a long time for the right stone to your eye of a match
to be found.
My matching timeline for finding my OEC trio was pretty short- but my budget was on the low side and parameters were somewhat loose.

As always - would love to see some pictures of the OEC
If you get the chance and gumption.

Happy hunting and can’t wait to see what you come up with!

 

[missy]

One easier way is to enlist the help of a professional who has greater access to old cuts. Like Grace Lavarro. She found my OEC studs and they are TDF gorgeous (if I may say so myself lol)…Then there’s Adam at Old World Diamonds.


Or if you are in no rush and want to have fun searching it’s just a matter of seeing as many as you can. Visual comparison I feel is most important with OECs and matching them

Good luck…I look forward to seeing your choices!
And more than happy to weigh in with my thoughts

 

[yssie]

Did it myself almost a decade ago (before the reseller market exploded and options were actually more plentiful via auction, etc.). Wouldn’t recommend DIY to anyone else.

If you want the best match, I would talk to these vendors. Listed in no particular order. Ask about sending the whole ring in - they can handle unmounting and GIA-ing for you, as well as finding a match. You won’t be able to rely on the lab report for optical pattern matching or colour matching below the near-colourless range.
- Grace (JbG)
- Adam (OWD)
- Sako (CJD)

If you want to potentially save a little money and don’t mind a less-great match then DIY might be something to consider. But me, I personally wouldn’t even bother trying these days.

I would personally also discount having a stone cut to match your specs unless Yoram F. Is doing the cutting personally. No other cutter I’m aware of has managed to infuse new cuts or recuts with the charm and personality of a genuine antique - new cuts and recuts are for people looking for precise optical symmetry with old-style faceting.

 

[kenny]

Maybe see if our @diagem would cut you a matching stone.
You'd probably have to ship your stone to Israel.

 

[Autumn in New England]

Fun project, and how cool you get to
have something so sentimental!
Are you thinking about a pair for sidestones on a ring, or earrings?

Once you have the stone’s lab report - I personally don’t think it’s that daunting to do some searching thru the usual suspects websites. JbG, OWD, I&R. Quite a few on here think it’s fun. Some have threads on their matching journey and some posters chip in with suggestions.
Of course there’s more vendors to contact but those three pop in my mind first of having stones to look through without contacting someone- and I’m sure they all have some stock that isn’t listed.
Searching for similar depth, table and crown angle are probably the next steps after color/diameter. Then going to the faceting flavor/performance for a close (enough) match to your eye will probably take the longest to do.
If your stone has a noticeable body tint - I think that has the possibility of being one of the harder to match up criteria as well, even within the same color grade. Steely vs sunshine yellow vs cool brown vs warm brown vs any of those with a bit of olive mixed in.
If you aren’t feeling the thought of trolling through those websites, asking for more info/pictures, and also the various IG sellers- there’s quite a few on here who have sent their stone to a vendor to be matched.
Both just for matching or to move on along to your setting project as well.
Add Sako to the list above for matching/setting.

I know it’s a pain to ship stuff back and forth - but sometimes I view that money spent as enjoyable and a learning tool.
I definitely would want ANY vendor to send me the stones for in person viewing before proceeding to setting though. Trust but verify. There’s definitely going to be opinions involved and of course opinions differ….

Some matching journeys have happened pretty fast - some really take a long time for the right stone to your eye of a match
to be found.
My matching timeline for finding my OEC trio was pretty short- but my budget was on the low side and parameters were somewhat loose.

As always - would love to see some pictures of the OEC
If you get the chance and gumption.

Happy hunting and can’t wait to see what you come up with!

This was tremendously helpful, thank you!! It's a relief that you feel the task may be less formidable than I originally suspected. I do have a very stupid question to ask though... please humor me by listing the full names of the vendors you mentioned (JbG, OWD, I&R). I'm still a wee noob to the RT sub! Although I think I recognize Ivy & Rose. lol

P.S. I will definitely post photos of either the ring or just the stone once I remove it! And I'll mention the GIA results too, if anyone is interested. I'd like to create a pair of studs.

 

[Autumn in New England]

One easier way is to enlist the help of a professional who has greater access to old cuts. Like Grace Lavarro. She found my OEC studs and they are TDF gorgeous (if I may say so myself lol)…Then there’s Adam at Old World Diamonds.


Or if you are in no rush and want to have fun searching it’s just a matter of seeing as many as you can. Visual comparison I feel is most important with OECs and matching them

Good luck…I look forward to seeing your choices!
And more than happy to weigh in with my thoughts

Thank you so much! I am writing down all of these names. So would you suggest I send Grace or Adam my current stone to match it, or is this something you think we could do via emails? @yssie Just noticed you listed all the vendors for me already... appreciate you!!

 

[Autumn in New England]

Maybe see if our @diagem would cut you a matching stone.
You'd probably have to ship your stone to Israel.

Thank you for the suggestion! Not sure if I'm prepared to ship out of the country with this particular stone. It holds too much sentimental value to risk it. But that sounds fun, otherwise!!

 

[Karl_K]

I would start them hunting with the report and pictures before discussing sending it in.
Are we talking being mind clean as a earring match or a side by side match?
There is a large difference in the complexity and how hard it is to do between the 2.

 

[Autumn in New England]

Did it myself almost a decade ago (before the reseller market exploded and options were actually more plentiful via auction, etc.). Wouldn’t recommend DIY to anyone else.

If you want the best match, I would talk to these vendors. Listed in no particular order. Ask about sending the whole ring in - they can handle unmounting and GIA-ing for you, as well as finding a match. You won’t be able to rely on the lab report for optical pattern matching or colour matching below the near-colourless range.
- Grace (JbG)
- Adam (OWD)
- Sako (CJD)

If you want to potentially save a little money and don’t mind a less-great match then DIY might be something to consider. But me, I personally wouldn’t even bother trying these days.

I would personally also discount having a stone cut to match your specs unless Yoram F. Is doing the cutting personally. No other cutter I’m aware of has managed to infuse new cuts or recuts with the charm and personality of a genuine antique - new cuts and recuts are for people looking for precise optical symmetry with old-style faceting.

Thank you! I'm going to research each of these dealers (and I&R) right now. Hopefully one or more is located in the US.

 

[Autumn in New England]

I would start them hunting with the report and pictures before discussing sending it in.
Are we talking being mind clean as a earring match or a side by side match?
There is a large difference in the complexity and how hard it is to do between the 2.

Thank you, Karl! I'd say I'm looking for something just short of an exact match. I mean, exact would be great. But reasonably excellent, lol, would suffice. I want them to match as well as a pair of studs you'd buy from one of the major vendors, like JA, Leibish, or Blue Nile, etc. I don't think I'd be as fussy as some of our pros here, however!

 

[Cerulean]

Thank you, Karl! I'd say I'm looking for something just short of an exact match. I mean, exact would be great. But reasonably excellent, lol, would suffice. I want them to match as well as a pair of studs you'd buy from one of the major vendors, like JA, Leibish, or Blue Nile, etc. I don't think I'd be as fussy as some of our pros here, however!

I had Sako source side stones for an OEC 3-stone that has long since been dismantled…but he gave what I think is really good advice with old cuts.

Our obsession with perfect matches is relatively novel, and I remember I was being fussy that one of the side stones was most likely an F/G (versus my E color center) and I have really good color perception….and Sako actually encouraged me to loosen the reigns a bit and really think about matching antique stones more artistically…it’s about harmony, rather than finding an identical twin. The tables and color were slightly different in the whole trio, and they worked beautifully together…and earrings, you are less likely to obsess over than a ring IMO because you just aren’t staring at the stones constantly!

I know this is RT and this is borderline blasphemy because we all value great cut but I think part of the beauty of old cuts is that they aren’t perfect. And carrying that ethos through to sourcing stones felt very right to me and it’s influenced my diamond purchases ever since

Granted this is personal preference, so if finding something nearly identical is your goal, that’s understandable and there’s nothing wrong with that so don’t compromise, just prepare for a longer journey. I just thought it was sage advice!

 

[Karl_K]

Thank you, Karl! I'd say I'm looking for something just short of an exact match. I mean, exact would be great. But reasonably excellent, lol, would suffice. I want them to match as well as a pair of studs you'd buy from one of the major vendors, like JA, Leibish, or Blue Nile, etc. I don't think I'd be as fussy as some of our pros here, however!

side by side match.
That can be a huge challenge with old stones.
To do that you need the same table size and crown and pavilion make and obstruction handling as well as closely matched mm and +-1 color grade.

Earring match is like when your buying 2 1ct rubies for earrings. There never going to be the same but they look great together when separated by a face.

 

[Cerulean]

Also I’m now dying to see this OEC! Please share pics if you’re willing!

 

[yssie]

Thank you! I'm going to research each of these dealers (and I&R) right now. Hopefully one or more is located in the US.

They’re all in the US, yes!

Regarding facet match, I look for “same style” and “same personality”. Finding an exact pattern match isn’t going to happen, honestly, I agree with other posters - not with non-precision cut stones. But a pair should IMO evoke similar feelings… Which - unexpectedly - can be achieved even with surprisingly differing proportions!

If your stone is lower colour - even more important than the colour grade (on the report) is the undertone. I&R is a really solid addition to your list, I should have included them!! I would trust any of those four vendors to identify and match colour and faceting style

Edit: Tagging @Spring Day and @ForteKitty - they’re the most eagle-eyed OEC aficionados I know. Both of them have copious experience sourcing their own matches, they might have recommendations

 

[Cerulean]

They’re all in the US, yes!

Regarding facet match, I look for “same style” and “same personality”. Finding an exact pattern match isn’t going to happen, honestly, I agree with other posters - not with non-precision cut stones. But a pair should IMO evoke similar feelings… Which - unexpectedly - can be achieved even with surprisingly differing proportions!

If your stone is lower colour - even more important than the colour grade (on the report) is the undertone. I&R is a really solid addition to your list, I should have included them!! I would trust any of those four vendors to identify and match colour and faceting style

I’d personally find a mismatch undertone far more jarring than slightly different faceting, table size or even saturation of color for studs…a light brown M and a yellowy M to me will be less of a match than a yellowy M and a yellowy K/L.

And since you are a colored stone girl at heart @Autumn in New England I think this will be an important factor. Without knowing the color grade this may be irrelevant, but really good advice. You may have to see things IRL to really assess

 

[Autumn in New England]

I had Sako source side stones for an OEC 3-stone that has long since been dismantled…but he gave what I think is really good advice with old cuts.

Our obsession with perfect matches is relatively novel, and I remember I was being fussy that one of the side stones was most likely an F/G (versus my E color center) and I have really good color perception….and Sako actually encouraged me to loosen the reigns a bit and really think about matching antique stones more artistically…it’s about harmony, rather than finding an identical twin. The tables and color were slightly different in the whole trio, and they worked beautifully together…and earrings, you are less likely to obsess over than a ring IMO because you just aren’t staring at the stones constantly!

I know this is RT and this is borderline blasphemy because we all value great cut but I think part of the beauty of old cuts is that they aren’t perfect. And carrying that ethos through to sourcing stones felt very right to me and it’s influenced my diamond purchases ever since

Granted this is personal preference, so if finding something nearly identical is your goal, that’s understandable and there’s nothing wrong with that so don’t compromise, just prepare for a longer journey. I just thought it was sage advice!

I definitely come from a colored stone background, and diamonds aren't really my forte. But I agree that sometimes intuition is just as important as the technical aspects! Thank you for your input!! Is Sako in the US, by any chance? Also, all things being equal, should I expect to pay more for an OEC than a modern brilliant?

 

[Niel]

Luck

 

[Autumn in New England]

side by side match.
That can be a huge challenge with old stones.
To do that you need the same table size and crown and pavilion make and obstruction handling as well as closely matched mm and +-1 color grade.

Earring match is like when your buying 2 1ct rubies for earrings. There never going to be the same but they look great together when separated by a face.

I will keep this in mind! I may have to lower my standards, which is ok. When they're on my fat little lobies, no one will be the wiser!!

 

[Autumn in New England]

They’re all in the US, yes!

Regarding facet match, I look for “same style” and “same personality”. Finding an exact pattern match isn’t going to happen, honestly, I agree with other posters - not with non-precision cut stones. But a pair should IMO evoke similar feelings… Which - unexpectedly - can be achieved even with surprisingly differing proportions!

If your stone is lower colour - even more important than the colour grade (on the report) is the undertone. I&R is a really solid addition to your list, I should have included them!! I would trust any of those four vendors to identify and match colour and faceting style

Edit: Tagging @Spring Day and @ForteKitty - they’re the most eagle-eyed OEC aficionados I know. Both of them have copious experience sourcing their own matches, they might have recommendations

Thank you, thank you!!

 

[Autumn in New England]

Luck

Appreciate it!

 

[missy]

Thank you so much! I am writing down all of these names. So would you suggest I send Grace or Adam my current stone to match it, or is this something you think we could do via emails? @yssie Just noticed you listed all the vendors for me already... appreciate you!!

My pleasure! Contact them first and see if videos and photos would be sufficient. This way they source the stones and can send them to you for you to make the final decision. IMO you need to make that final decision. There's a lot to consider but ultimately when it comes down to it you will know when you see them side by side.

 

[Cerulean]

I definitely come from a colored stone background, and diamonds aren't really my forte. But I agree that sometimes intuition is just as important as the technical aspects! Thank you for your input!! Is Sako in the US, by any chance? Also, all things being equal, should I expect to pay more for an OEC than a modern brilliant?

Yes, Sako is in the US and you can contact him through Instagram! https://instagram.com/cjd_sako?igshid=YTY2NzY3YTc=

I’d also contact Adam through Instagram over email or phone, he’s not as responsive otherwise: https://instagram.com/oldworlddiamonds?igshid=YTY2NzY3YTc=

Grace can be really a pain to get in touch with, so be patient and don’t hesitate to reach out multiple times. And here is graces website: https://www.jewelsbygrace.com/

I don’t think the costs should be all that different from an MRB but I can’t say I regularly look at pricing comparisons. An exception id guess is if your OEC is a really high color - then you’re dealing with rarity and your search will be much more challenging.

 

[CBianco]

Sorry I can't add much to help @Autumn in New England, diamonds aren't my forte either But you can contact Grace from her website on the contact page and send a message directly from there (email, name, message etc.). I had a question for her a couple of weeks ago and she sent me back an email promptly. I'm excited to see how this goes, good luck my friend!

 

[Autumn in New England]

Many thanks, everyone! I feel like I'm off to a really good start. I will post updates if anyone is interested.

 

[Karl_K]

Many thanks, everyone! I feel like I'm off to a really good start. I will post updates if anyone is interested.

I think I can speak for many.. We are interested!!