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Meet the Grande Dame, my 5.33ct OMC upgrade

Lucy-In-The-Sky

Rough_Rock
Joined
Sep 14, 2017
Messages
80
Some of you were aware that I had been looking to upgrade my engagement ring to an OEC or OMC around the 5 carat mark.

I was in L.A. for work and took a detour to visit Grace. She pulled several 5+ ct options for me, & I wound up trading in my old 3.39 ct stone. (I purchased my original diamond from her and was grandfathered in to her previous trade-up policy).

Meet the Grande Dame.

Show here with my CvB ruby & single cut band.

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5.33 ct
Q-R
VS
10.43 - 11.13 x 7.28
48% table
67.5% depth

GIA calls her an OEC but Grace says OMC. (And she certainly behaves more like an OMC)

She’s chonky & delicious. Lots of fire, big chunky flashes of pastels, quite a lively disco ball. Charmingly wonky. Nice Maltese Cross effect, although that’s been a challenge to photograph. And kozibe, kozibe, kozibe.

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My previous stone was also Q-R, but the Grand Dame shows more tint. Depending on lighting, she’s anywhere from French Vanilla to Champagne to Lemon Curd.

I know she won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but she’s my glass of champagne. I looked at some ~5 ct antique cut diamonds that had a more perfect cut but… the Grande Dame is the one who evoked an emotional response. (While I’m an engineer by trade, I'm a historian at heart. I can appreciate a cut with more precision ,but I really enjoy looking down at my hand and feeling that connection with the imperfect past.)

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Setting is 22k yellow gold, solid & hefty, with a squared cushion shaped bezel. It’s big and bold and purposefully present on the hand. The color of the 22 kt gold is simply gorgeous & luxe.

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Showing some colors & maltese cross while standing beneath a tree. (Excuse the puffy finger, I was very bloated the day I took this)

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I still like my original CvB Casablanca setting, but I wanted a different look and something less fussy. It was s gorgeous setting, I was ready for something less delicate. (At some point, I’ll set the Casablanca with a ruby and wear it as part of my RHR rotation.)

In the meanwhile, I’m having fun learning how the Grande Dame performs differently than my previous diamond & figuring out the tricks & nuances to getting good photos of her.

Couple of hand-shots (size 9.5 finger) to give you a sense of scale. I am so envious of you ladies with the smaller ring sizes & the finger coverage you get!

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Congrats on a beautiful ring @Lucy-In-The-Sky ! The champagne stone pairs so well with the 22kt setting - very regal and Grande Dame indeed.

Loving the shot of the puffy crown! Enjoy!
 
There is nothing I would change about this ring. The diamond is indeed a beautiful old Dame & the setting choice with 22ct gold is inspired. Shows her off majestically :kiss2:

Huge congratulations!
 
beautiful!! :love:
 
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