Mona (Instagram: moissy_diamond_jewelry) formerly fr. Starsgem

[sd_flp]

Hey all,

As promised I am starting a thread for Mona Hu who used to work with Starsgem (which a few of you have worked with). Currently she doesn’t have a website or Alibaba page. To order from her you will need to message her from Instagram or her personal WhatsApp (+86 189 7740 5119). I haven’t ordered from Starsgem ever, but I decided to take a chance with her after reading some reviews on the Starsgem thread. I messaged her through Instagram (while she was on break during Chinese New Year) and decided I wanted to purchase two stones: a 6.5 mm colorless (DEF) Hearts and Arrows and a 5.5mm near colorless (GH) OEC. I figured these would be safe bets, plus I wanted to see how much I’d like the OEC and a 5.5 mm size.

There were some issues initially. For starters, Mona wasn’t able to take payments after the Chinese New Year as her PayPal account was frozen so my order was on hold for about a week. Secondly, I asked her to customize my H&A and gave her a photo of what I wanted it to look like...I used a picture of a H&A under a loupe which showed clearly defined arrows. Unfortunately, her cutters had a hard time replicating this. After about 5 days, Mona told me that the H&A had to be redone because the cutters used the wrong design, although my OEC was already finished. About 3 days later, the stone was finished. She sent me a photo of it and honestly, I was a bit underwhelmed. It looked like they tried to replicate the photo I gave them, but the arrows still came out thin. Also, I was still riding a high after getting my AV Ideal Round, so maybe my expectations were high. Argh. Anyway at that point I just wanted the stones so I told her they were fine and she could ship. I figure I could at least sell the H&A if I really didn’t like it.

She sent them out last weekend through her shipper and it was picked up by DHL on Wednesday. Surprisingly, I got them today! I’ll try to take better photos tomorrow because I didn’t have enough good lighting, but here are a couple pics. All these are taken indoors with different lighting

H&A:

Interestingly, I actually liked this better than I thought. Granted, it’s not a true H&A; i kinda want to say it looks like a cross between a Round Brilliant and Hearts and Arrows. After seeing this, I might end up giving it to my mom after all, which was the main reason I bought it. She’s always liked my Indian moissy pendant and this one is just a bit better:



OEC:

Okay, I was mildly disappointed with this one. I thought I would like this one better than the H&A, too. Mostly because it isn’t near colorless like I expected it to be...it’s colorless. I love colorless, don’t get me wrong, but I prefer colorless for modern cuts. Otherwise I prefer near colorless for antique cuts.

I did a white paper test for both moissys and they are white. Argh. On the upside, I paid a slightly cheaper fee for a colorless stone, so I guess that’s nice? Here’s how it looks; I know it looks warm in one pic, but it’s due to the lighting:



Other than that the cut is fine, although I know it’s not up there like AV. Anyway, that’s not a problem...I’m actually really loving the OEC now and this definitely makes me want to get a bigger OEC!

Again, I’ll try to take more photos tomorrow. Overall, I’d say the experience was not bad. Mona is a super lovely person to deal with, but she still needs practice with managing her business. I think I’m going to hold off with getting ring projects done with her until she gets the hang of managing and whatnot.

Hope this helps! And hopefully others can post their own experiences, too!

 

[sd_flp]

Edit: I got more clarification about the Colorless OEC I received overnight. It turns out Mona sent that to me for being a nice customer. Now I feel a little bad. In any case, I think the cut on this one is better than my custom H&A and am definitely motivated to get a larger OEC (in GH ).

More pics to follow in a few hours!

 

[MamaBee]

Thank you for the pics! It was brave of you to order from her this early in her business! They’re very pretty!

 

[sd_flp]

Thank you! I figured I try her out since she seemed very nice and her prices were okay. I don't think her cuts are as good as Tianyu's, but they're not bad plus she's a bit cheaper. And they aren't disappointing, so that's a plus.

I'm going to post some pics of my custom cut in a bit. Unfortunately it is rainy out so my photos aren't the best.

 

[sd_flp]

H&A day photos!

Please note that this is a custom cut. I think her actual H&A moissies are similar in quality with Starsgem, just from what I've seen from her Instagram and what is posted on the Starsgem PS thread. I didn't bother comparing it with the August Vintage Ideal Round since the AV is miles better. So I compared it with my Tianyu H&A (which is set in a ring) and my Indian Round Brilliant Moissy (set in a half bezel pendant). The Tianyu H&A is better, but color wise they are about the same. I don't think Mona's cutters understood what I wanted but I appreciate the effort. The cut overall is interesting and like I said, I kinda like it!

Here are the pics. It's very rainy out so I don't have the best photos in terms of its perfomance under the sun. But I think you can see how it differs from the Tianyu:

Indoors by window:



Outdoors under shade:



Outdoors:



Indoors under window:

 

[sd_flp]

One more between Tianyu and Mona (indoors away from fluorescent light):



Compared to the Indian RB I got a while back, the Mona moissanite still performs better (Mona moissanite on left, Indian moissanite on right):


Top pic is indoors, middle pic under shade outdoors, and bottom pic outside. The cut is much sharper than the Indian RB.

I'll do the OEC next. This one I happen to love and I think it's on par with the other Chinese vendors. TBA...

Edit: Ugh, sorry the quality of my photos are so poor!

 

[sd_flp]

OEC

I was a little disappointed at first because it wasn't the color I wanted, but now that I've seen it outside during the day I happen to love it! I'm not sure how I'm going to set it, though. Here are some photos outside. Again, overcast since it's rainy out:




I don't have any OEC to compare it with, but just from looking at others' Chinese OECs, I would say it's all right. Tianyu's might be a little better. In any case, I definitely feel a lot of love for the OEC and can't wait to get another one! Not sure if I'll get one from Tianyu or AV, but I'm definitely going to get at least a 6.5mm and in GH or warmer.

I hope my experience helps anyone who's thinking about buying from Mona. Cheers!

 

[sd_flp]

One more photo of the OEC for good measure (indoors). Unfortunately there is something wrong with my phone camera so I'm having a hard time focusing on the moissys. I wish I could show a better photo of my OEC. It's really pretty in real life! The petals look good and my camera is making it look worse than it actually does.

 

[sd_flp]

Okay, sun's out and I was able to take a quick shot of my Mona Moissanite and Tianyu Moissanite. Unfortunately my camera wanted to focus on the Tianyu so the Mona moissanite is a little out of focus.:



As for how it performs in the sun, it sparkles pretty well. I'm surprised since my Indian moissanite doesn't perform as well and it's a true round brilliant cut. Like I said, I actually like this stone a lot better than I thought I would.

Anyway, I think if you asked for a H&A from Mona, I don't think you should ask for a custom cut. I think if you bought from her directly without doing anything, it might look more like an actual H&A than mine does. I'm only basing this from the photos I've seen on her instagram.

 

[sd_flp]

I might have to list the larger, colorless stone on Loupe Troop. I showed it to my mom last weekend and it turns out she wants something else for her birthday. It's "too pretty" for her.

I might hang on to it a little longer because I do like it, but I feel as if I have too many colorless stones and I'd rather have an antique cut, GHI moissy at the moment.

 

[tpl001]

Thank @sd_flp for creating the thread. I was nervous at first since this is my first time working with any Chinese vendor. I learned about Mona here from Pricescope. I followed Mona intagram for a week. Then, I worked with Mona for the last 4 weeks or so. She is really great to work with. I messaged her pics of the ACC stone I liked from her post. I am glad that Mona understand English well so the communication does not make me frustrated. The stone was supposed to be GH but it turned out to be DEF (as Mona said), and the ring turned out great as well. I personally don't care about DEF color but when it turned out DEF is a plus. I think that the best way to communicate with any vendor oversea is using as many pictures as possible.
Here is my ring pics from Mona:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BuyOptWHU3l/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet
https://www.instagram.com/p/Buyq3BoH1o6/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet
P.S I will post pictures of my ring when it arrive.

 

[sd_flp]

Thank @sd_flp for creating the thread. I was nervous at first since this is my first time working with any Chinese vendor. I like ACC so I followed Mona intagram for a week. Then, I worked with Mona for the last 4 weeks or so. She is really great to work with. I messaged her pics of the stone I liked from her post. I am glad that Mona understand English well so the communication does not make me frustrated. The stone was supposed to be GH but it turned out to be DEF (as Mona said), and the ring turned out great as well. I personally don't care about DEF color but when it turned out DEF is a plus. I think that the best way to communicate with any vendor oversea is using as many pictures as possible.
Here is my ring pics from Mona:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BuyOptWHU3l/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet
https://www.instagram.com/p/Buyq3BoH1o6/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet
P.S I will post pictures of my ring when it arrive.

I’m so excited for you! I saw your ring on my Instagram feed; I’m glad it’s from a member of this forum. Yes, please share on here! When are you getting it??? Also Mona really is great and I loved working with her. Plus her English is decent, which helps a lot. I would definitely work with her again, possibly with a ring project.

Off topic, I was able to look at my OEC under a loupe as I was in the LA diamond district last weekend and it’s actually very well cut. I think hers is comparable to Tianyu’s, IMO, at least from what I’ve seen in pics. I might just get an OEC ring from her after all!

 

[tpl001]

I’m so excited for you! I saw your ring on my Instagram feed; I’m glad it’s from a member of this forum. Yes, please share on here! When are you getting it??? Also Mona really is great and I loved working with her. Plus her English is decent, which helps a lot. I would definitely work with her again, possibly with a ring project.

Off topic, I was able to look at my OEC under a loupe as I was in the LA diamond district last weekend and it’s actually very well cut. I think hers is comparable to Tianyu’s, IMO, at least from what I’ve seen in pics. I might just get an OEC ring from her after all!

Thank you very much. I do like the OEC stone you have. Mona verified my address yesterday so I should receive the tracking number soon. I think I picked Mona cause she can communicate well even though her pricing is lightly higher than stargem. It sort of gives me peace of mind . I am not impressed by H&A from any of Chinese vendors but I think Mona's OEC cut is decent from what I have seen on her instagram.

 

[sd_flp]

Thank you very much. I do like the OEC stone you have. Mona verified my address yesterday so I should receive the tracking number soon. I think I picked Mona cause she can communicate well even though her pricing is lightly higher than stargem. It sort of gives me peace of mind . I am not impressed by H&A from any of Chinese vendors but I think Mona's OEC cut is decent from what I have seen on her instagram.

Oh good, your ring will arrive in no time! Once my package got picked up by DHL, it literally came to my house overnight, I kid you not. I think my shipping experience might have been an exception, but I was really impressed! Also I know everyone likes Tianyu and their cuts are a little better than the rest, but I thought my overall experience was okay. It wasn't bad but I thought Mona was nicer and better with communication. I didn't feel like I had to hound her to get her to communicate with me.

You're right about the H&As; if you want a decent one, you might be better off going with Tianyu. However, I think the Chinese vendors in general are decent with OECs; I've only seen one that I didn't think was very good but that's it. My OEC is super small and I wish I went bigger, to be honest. The facets on it are incredible; whoever cut it really did a nice job because in the loupe I was able to see the intricate petals. My only complaint with it is that the culet is a little big (which causes it to have a dark center), but other than that it's fine. BTW, did you see this video?:

https://www.instagram.com/p/Busy8eKH-PL/

I feel like if you bought an OEC from Mona, it will turn out nicely.

I listed my custom cut "H&A" on Loupe Troop yesterday, but if it doesn't sell, it's not a big deal... Maybe I can get my jeweler to replace the moissy in my pendant.

 

[tpl001]

Oh good, your ring will arrive in no time! Once my package got picked up by DHL, it literally came to my house overnight, I kid you not. I think my shipping experience might have been an exception, but I was really impressed! Also I know everyone likes Tianyu and their cuts are a little better than the rest, but I thought my overall experience was okay. It wasn't bad but I thought Mona was nicer and better with communication. I didn't feel like I had to hound her to get her to communicate with me.

You're right about the H&As; if you want a decent one, you might be better off going with Tianyu. However, I think the Chinese vendors in general are decent with OECs; I've only seen one that I didn't think was very good but that's it. My OEC is super small and I wish I went bigger, to be honest. The facets on it are incredible; whoever cut it really did a nice job because in the loupe I was able to see the intricate petals. My only complaint with it is that the culet is a little big (which causes it to have a dark center), but other than that it's fine. BTW, did you see this video?:

https://www.instagram.com/p/Busy8eKH-PL/

I feel like if you bought an OEC from Mona, it will turn out nicely.

I listed my custom cut "H&A" on Loupe Troop yesterday, but if it doesn't sell, it's not a big deal... Maybe I can get my jeweler to replace the moissy in my pendant.

Yes I saw that video. I am torn between the obvious cutlet and very small cutlet of OEC. It is like the obvious cutlet draw your attention but it does not bring much beauty to the stone

 

[sd_flp]

Yes I saw that video. I am torn between the obvious cutlet and very small cutlet of OEC. It is like the obvious cutlet draw your attention but it does not bring much beauty to the stone

Did you get your ring, yet?

 

[tpl001]

I will get it on Monday. Waiting is no fun

 

[sd_flp]

I will get it on Monday. Waiting is no fun

Aaaaahhh!!! You're right, the wait is a pain. I'm so excited to see your ring!

 

[tonielle]

Sooooo I’ve been following both Mona and Mco on IG, and I think Mco May be getting some of their stones from the same source as Mona!

They both showed (what I assume to be) the same criss cut emerald stone on their pages. This is a new cut I haven’t seen before, hence why it stood out to me.

The dimensions look the same and they’ve both posted the dimensions (Mco says it’s .5 bigger on one side) but they look the same!

Hmmmmmm

 

[sd_flp]

Sooooo I’ve been following both Mona and Mco on IG, and I think Mco May be getting some of their stones from the same source as Mona!

They both showed (what I assume to be) the same criss cut emerald stone on their pages. This is a new cut I haven’t seen before, hence why it stood out to me.

The dimensions look the same and they’ve both posted the dimensions (Mco says it’s .5 bigger on one side) but they look the same!

Hmmmmmm

I just saw MoCo’s Instagram since you mentioned it and they do look the same. I’ve always wondered where MoCo gets their stones, tbh. I wouldn’t be surprised if some cuts were sourced overseas.

 

[bludiva]

Sooooo I’ve been following both Mona and Mco on IG, and I think Mco May be getting some of their stones from the same source as Mona!


They both showed (what I assume to be) the same criss cut emerald stone on their pages. This is a new cut I haven’t seen before, hence why it stood out to me.

The dimensions look the same and they’ve both posted the dimensions (Mco says it’s .5 bigger on one side) but they look the same!

Hmmmmmm

Tianyu has crisscut also, i think it is a special order. They look pretty interesting. I always thought they must be supplying sone of the US companies ....

 

[lovedogs]

I am so intrigued by crisscuts! Ive had this as a "favorite " on Etsy forever, but don't love the color (want it to be either more yellow, or more brown, not this in between). But the cut is so cool!

I need to stalk Mona's IG to see what she posted!

 

[lovedogs]

Dammit. I was supposed to be looking for criss cut stones, and accidentally fell in love with this champagne OMC



In this setting it would be so amazing!

 

[tonielle]

Dammit. I was supposed to be looking for criss cut stones, and accidentally fell in love with this champagne OMC



In this setting it would be so amazing!

I’ve recently started liking the OMC rings that everyone seems to have gotten from SG lately too. I’m not really into the chunkier facets but I guess you guys have all influenced me!

 

[lovedogs]

I’ve recently started liking the OMC rings that everyone seems to have gotten from SG lately too. I’m not really into the chunkier facets but I guess you guys have all influenced me!

I've wanted a champagne moissy for years, but couldn't ever find the perfect one. Either the color was weird or the cut was off, etc. I think the omc is really diamond like, which is awesome

 

[FutureChocolateMLK]

I've wanted a champagne moissy for years, but couldn't ever find the perfect one. Either the color was weird or the cut was off, etc. I think the omc is really diamond like, which is awesome

I’m not trying to enable you, but I’ve had my eye on this one from Tianyu for a LONG time. I like that it’s lighter because a lot of them appear cognac.

Check out this product on Alibaba App OEC Cushion Cut Yellow 7x7mm Synthetic Moissanite Gemstone
https://f2rq3.app.goo.gl/?link=http...ibi=com.alibaba.sourcing&isi=503451073&amv=69

 

[FutureChocolateMLK]

There’s a video too, I’m just too dumb to figure out how to upload it lol

 

[sd_flp]

I’m not trying to enable you, but I’ve had my eye on this one from Tianyu for a LONG time. I like that it’s lighter because a lot of them appear cognac.

Check out this product on Alibaba App OEC Cushion Cut Yellow 7x7mm Synthetic Moissanite Gemstone
https://f2rq3.app.goo.gl/?link=https://app.alibaba.com/dynamiclink?touchId=60744594920&type=product&schema=enalibaba%3A%2F%2Fdetail%3Fid%3D60744594920%26ck%3Dshare_detail&ck=share_detail&shareScene=buyer&apn=com.alibaba.intl.android.apps.poseidon&ibi=com.alibaba.sourcing&isi=503451073&amv=69

LOL, this particular one has been on my favorites forever!

 

[FutureChocolateMLK]

LOL, this particular one has been on my favorites forever!

Well, I think you should buy one.

 

[lovedogs]

LOL, this particular one has been on my favorites forever!

Hahaha mine too! I just didn't know how I felt about cut. But that color is perfect